In the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, Germany, was a family with 18 children. The father was a goldsmith and worked almost many hours a day at his trade and then at any other paying chore he could find in the neighborhood to provide for his large family.
Despite their seemingly hopeless economic condition, two of the children had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art but knew their father could never afford to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy.
But the boys finally worked out a plan. They would toss a coin. The loser would go into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy. Then, when the first brother completed his studies, he would support the other brother in his studies.
Albrecht won the coin toss. He went off to Nuremberg while Albert went into the mines. For the next four years, Albert financed his brother, whose work was an immediate sensation. When Albrecht graduated, he was already earning large fees for his commissioned works.
When Albrecht returned to his village, the family held a festive dinner in his honor. After the meal, Albrecht said, “And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you.”
Albert rose and said softly, “No, I cannot go to Nuremberg. Look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly in my right hand that I cannot make delicate lines with a pen or a brush. No, brother, for me it is too late.”
More than 500 years have passed since then. Albrecht Durer has hundreds of masterful portraits hanging in every great museum in the world, but you, like most people, may be familiar with only one of them.
To pay homage to Albert for all he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer drew his brother’s hands with palms together and fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing simply “Hands,” but the world has renamed his tribute of love “The Praying Hands.” What an amazing tribute to true brotherhood, a love that is willing to do whatever is required to see another person succeed. How much more should we be willing to sacrifice for eternal rewards?
With this message, we’ve arrived at the end of our study in the book of Colossians. A casual reading of the final verses of chapter four may seem to be some random messages of thanks to some of Paul’s associates. But that conclusion overlooks some very important truth.
And so, I invite you to join me in taking a closer look at verses 7 through 18 of Colossians chapter four. We will explore the central message of this text under the title, “A Band of Brothers.”
Listen now as I read Colossians 4:7 to 18.
This text illustrates how embracing the preeminence of Christ results in the CHARACTERISTICS that define a band of brothers (and that includes sisters too).
As I noted multiple times in this series, the preeminence of Christ, the superiority of Christ, is the central theme of this epistle. The final verses of this letter are an example of how the embrace of this truth impacts our relationships with our fellow Believers.
The First CHARACTERISTIC (that defines a band of brothers) is,
Paul begins by introducing us to Tychicus (Titchi-cus). His name means “fortunate”, and his gift appears to be exhortation or encouragement. Paul refers to him as a “beloved brother.”
He’s first mentioned in Acts 20 among a group traveling with Paul through Asia Minor. In Ephesians 6:21 he is acknowledged as the bearer of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Finally, we see him in II Timothy 4:12, still serving the aged apostle in the final days befo...
