Christian Living

3 Lessons from Tychicus

If you could time-travel and meet a Bible character (besides Jesus), who would you want to meet?

My list of people I would want to meet is rather extensive – David, Joshua, Caleb, Joseph, Peter, Esther, Ruth, etc.  But there is one character in particular that as I have studied different epistles, I have grown to love.  He’s a rather obscure character, only mentioned five times in the Bible: Tychicus.  While not a lot is said about Tychicus, what is said really inspires me. 

Tychicus is first mentioned in Acts 20, when Paul went to Greece. 

After the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and when he had exhorted them and taken his leave of them, he left to go to Macedonia. When he had gone through those districts and had given them much exhortation, he came to Greece. And there he spent three months, and when a plot was formed against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. And he was accompanied by Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia. But these had gone on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas. We sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and came to them at Troas within five days; and there we stayed seven days. Acts 20:1-6 (NASB)

So, we know Tychicus was from Asia and that he traveled with Paul’s company. 

The rest of the mentions of Tychicus all come from Paul’s epistles. 

But that you also may know about my circumstances, how I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make everything known to you. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know about us, and that he may comfort your hearts. Ephesians 6:21-22

As to all my affairs, Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information. For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts; and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of your number. They will inform you about the whole situation here.  Colossians 4:7-9

When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there.  Titus 3:12

In each of these accounts, Tychicus is being sent by Paul, to encourage the brethren, to deliver letters.  He was a willing servant. 

The final mention of Tychicus comes from Paul’s final letter written to Timothy.  Paul is telling Timothy that he has been deserted by many, and that only Luke is with him, and then he mentions Tychicus:

But Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 2 Timothy 4:12

Again, Tychicus is willing to go wherever Paul needs to send him. 

While not much is known about this man, this much is known: he was a faithful servant. 

Here are three lessons we can learn from Tychicus:

1: He was a beloved brother and fellow bond-servant.  He was a believer and therefore a brother and fellow bond-servant to Paul.  In Christ, we are family and serve Him together. 

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” Romans 8:15

A bond-servant was someone who chose to serve their master for life.  The apostles opened their letters calling themselves bond-servants of Christ, men who had chosen to serve Him for life (see Rom. 1:1; James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1:1; Rev. 1:1).  As believers, we have not just accepted Christ’s gift of salvation for our sins, we have also asked Him to be Lord, or Master, of our lives (see Rom. 10:9-10).  We have the privilege of getting to serve Jesus with our whole lives. 

So, like Tychicus and Paul, we are all God’s children working toward the common goal of serving Christ with our whole lives. 

2: He was a faithful servant.  He was willing to go wherever Paul needed him to go and do what needed done.  He was faithful, he could be trusted to travel with messages from Paul, to brave the long journeys to go encourage the churches.  He was a servant – he imitated Christ by putting others before himself and meeting others’ needs. 

So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. John 13:12-15

Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:1-4

Like Tychicus, we are called to faithfully serve, to imitate Christ in treating others with humility and as more important than ourselves, to look out for others’ interests.  These journeys Tychicus went on would not have been easy, and yet he was willing to go to each place Paul sent him.  May we have that same willingness to serve wherever Christ places or sends us, too. 

3: He was a comforter and encourager.  He ministered to people’s hearts.  Paul sent him specifically to comfort and encourage the Ephesians and the Colossians. 

But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.  Hebrews 3:13

 Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.  1 Thessalonians 5:11

who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:4

We are also called to encourage and comfort one another.  We comfort and encourage one another so that we will press on and not give up when things are tough.  This is one of the reasons why the family of faith is so important, because we spur one another on in this race set before us.

If I could time travel, I would love to learn more about Tychicus.  But I am grateful for the little bit we learn about him through these verses and the encouragement of his example to faithfully serve Christ and encourage one another.  May we all be faithful servants like Tychicus and hear Christ say “well done!”   

With love,

Kelsey