“I sent him therefore the more carefully, that, when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.”
I am the more eager to send him, therefore, so that you may rejoice at seeing him, and that I may be less anxious — the return to eagerness (prothumos, willing, ready) shows Paul's recovery of hope. Rejoicing at Epaphroditus's return is mutual gift: his restoration to them is their gain. Paul's reduced anxiety is not selfish but relational: their joy is his peace. The letter's theme again: unity is joy.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
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