A brother
Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, and Quartus, a brother. (Romans 16:23)
I first came amongst Christians as a child when, along with my two sisters, I went to Sunday School. As the eldest, I led the three of us into a big old building, which I still remember with great affection. The first person I met was an older man with a kindly face who welcomed us at the door. Over the coming years, he was a brother who by his simple faithfulness and quiet, cheerful ways taught me about following the Saviour. He was a farmer, who lived further away from the meeting than anyone else. But he was first at the meeting. This was not out of ritual, but because it was a joy to be there. He and his dear wife had no children, but he always engaged with the young people. I never heard him preach the gospel, minister the word or pray in the meeting. The only time I heard his voice was when he gave out J.G. Deck’s beautiful hymn, “Lord we are Thine.” He always chose this hymn. And I think of it as being his legacy to me. It expressed this delightful brother’s gratitude to God for his salvation and the life he had in Christ. It recorded his joy that the Lord loved him, his desire to live by faith for the Lord, and the living hope he had in the Lord. The words remind me of the man.
As a farmer he was very practical, always cheerfully doing simple and sometimes complex things to help the Lord’s people. He built the heater which warmed the water when we had a baptism. Every August Bank Holiday he and his wife would invite the assembly to his farm. When they retired, they also invited us to their bungalow, and he arranged for us to play games on the field behind his home.
One day the young people in the meeting had the bright idea to rent an allotment so that they could grow vegetables and distribute them to local older people. So we did. Of course, we knew nothing about allotments or vegetables. But we knew a man who did. And this dear old brother came to the fallow piece of earth which was our allotment, lent us gardening tools and showed us what to do. And we grew vegetables. I wrote to the council and asked them for the addresses of older people who lived in the area, explaining our idea (not something that you could do today!). The council sent me a list of names and addresses and so began a ministry towards the older people who lived in the area. Everyone worked together, making cards, cooking meals at Christmas and arranging a trip to the seaside to share the gospel with our new friends. The Lord blessed the exercise.
I have valued so much over the years the features of Christ expressed in the practical and joyful lives of ordinary believers. In Romans 16:23 Paul refers to two men in the same verse. The first was Erastus, a man who held high public office and must have been very well known. Paul delights in mentioning how God saves such notable and able men. He does not do this to impress us with their ability but with the grace of God. This grace is able to reach men in high places, where their pride and self-assurance often separates them from the love of Christ. Paul refers to this in 1 Corinthians 1:26, “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.” We should pray for such people today.
Paul then refers to Quartus, a brother. He does not need to write more. But the descriptions Paul uses in this short verse challenge us about what we value. We, like Samuel, can admire people who are head and shoulders above others. But God looks on the heart. We can value too much what will pass away, but who we are in Christ is eternal. Erastus will not be introduced in heaven as the treasurer of a great city, but just like Quartus, as a brother.
