Have you ever thought about the fact that every name contains a story?
Last summer when my family and I were on sabbatical, we took a tour through the Jewish Quarter in Prague, Czech Republic. Among the many wonders we witnessed there, the 500-year-old Pinkas Synagogue was the one that moved me the most. The interior walls of the synagogue are covered with names of 78,000 Bohemian and Moravian Jewish victims of the Holocaust. The names, written in black and red ink, are arranged by communities where the victims came from and complemented with their birth and death date.
Can you imagine a list of 78,000 names written on a wall? It’s the most haunting list of names I have ever encountered! Each one of those names represents a human life! And each one has a story to tell! But tragically, because of the mass murders in the Nazi concentration camps, most of those stories have never been told.
But there was one story I learned while we were there—the story of Friedl Dickers-Brandeis, who was born in Vienna in 1898. As a young woman, she honed her artistic talents at Johannes Itten’s prestigious art school. After she completed her studies, she was involved in textile design, printmaking, bookbinding, and typography. She eventually became an art teacher in Berlin and then Prague. About her teaching career, Friedl wrote to a friend in 1940:
I remember thinking in school how I would grow up and would protect my students from unpleasant impressions, from uncertainty, from scrappy learning… Today only one thing seems important — to rouse the desire towards creative work, to make it a habit, and to teach how to overcome difficulties that are insignificant in comparison with the goal to which you are striving.
Little did Friedl know that just two years later, she and her husband would be deported to the concentration camp in Terezin. During her time at Terezín, she organized secret art classes for the children. She saw drawing and art as a way for the children to understand their environment and emotions. In this capacity, she was giving art therapy. Even at Terezin, she persisted in pursuing her goal — “to rouse the desire towards creative work.”
In September 1944, Friedl was transported to Auschwitz. But before she was taken away, she gave to Raja Engländerova, the chief tutor of Girls’ Home L 410, two suitcases with 4,500 drawings. Friedl was exterminated on October 9, 1944.
After the war, the director of the Girls’ Home brought the suitcases with the children’s drawings to the Jewish Community in Prague. From the nearly 660 authors of the drawings, 550 were killed in the Holocaust. The drawings are now in the Jewish Museum in Prague’s collection; some are on display in the Pinkas Synagogue.
There’s a story in every name! Friedl Dickers-Brandies is only one of 78,000 names written on the wall of the Pinkas Synagogue in Prague.
Have you ever seen a long list of names before? If you’ve ever visited the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington D.C., you have gazed upon the wall of names etched into black granite commemorating the lives of the 58,320 members of the United States Armed Forces who died in the Vietnam War. Every one of those names contains a story too!
A long list of names can seem like a boring exhibit if we forget that there is a story in a name. This is one of the reasons why so many people skip the lists of names in the Bible. Whether it’s the primordial cemetery register in Genesis 5, one of the lineage lists in the Book of Chronicles, or one of the genealogies of Jesus that we find in the Gospels, we are tempted to by-pass them for more “applicable” sections of Scripture. But let me warn you—don’t overlook the lists! God put them there for a reason!
This list of names that appears in Romans 16 seems peculiar, doesn’t it? In the midst of this grand theological treatise where the Apostle Paul has delved into the depths of human depravity, expounded the doctrine of justification by faith alone, and clarified the process of Christian sanctification, he concludes his epistle with a seemingly pointless series of sentimental Hallmark greetings addressed to a list of people with unpronounceable names. Surely there must have been a more interesting way to end this letter? But remember what I just said: Don’t overlook the lists! There is a story in every one of these names!
As Paul was sitting in Gaius’ home in Corinth putting the finishing touches on this letter, he was hoping to visit the church at Rome in the near future. He had never been to Rome, but he had many friends and ministry colleagues in that church. But before he could press on toward Rome, he had to deliver the Gentile offering to the poor Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. He knew this mission was dangerous; there were no guarantees that he would ever make it to Rome. Just in case he didn’t, he wanted his brothers and sisters to know how he felt about them. He wanted to encourage them in their ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So, he greets each one of them by name!
I don’t have enough time to tell you the story behind each of the thirty-three names in Paul’s list, but let me highlight a few.
Paul’s Companions and Colleagues
Look at verses 1-2! Before Paul greets his companions and colleagues in Rome, he commends to the church, Phoebe, the woman who was designated to deliver the letter to the church in Rome. Since that church did not know her personally, Paul goes to great lengths to introduce her. He uses four endearing titles to describe her: “sister,” servant,” “saint,” and “patron.”
We don’t know the full story of Phoebe’s life, but we do know that she was one of Paul’s most trustworthy companions and colleagues in ministry. The term “servant” (diakonos) can be translated as “deacon” or “deaconess.” She probably held the position of deaconess, serving the church by ministering to the financial and material needs of the church. And since Paul describes her as a patron, she was probably a wealthy businesswoman who used her resources to support the church in Cenchreae and to help fund Paul’s missionary endeavors.
I am so thankful for people like Phoebe—people who exhibit the love of a sister, the character of a saint, the service of a deacon, and the generosity of a patron! I’m grateful for people who use the physical and financial resources that God has given them to support the ministry of the church. Do you have any Phoebes in your life? I bet you do! Do you have any Phoebes on your list?
After Paul commends the carrier of his letter, he begins his list of greetings in verse 3 with Priscilla and Aquilla, the well-known New Testament couple who served as Bible teachers in the city of Ephesus. In addition to being “fellow workers in Christ Jesus,” Paul says that they “risked their necks for my life.” We can’t be sure of the incident he is referring to, but he is likely alluding to the riot in Ephesus. (Acts 19) The likely story is that Priscilla and Aquilla used their influence to rescue Paul from an unsavory situation.
I don’t know about you, but I think I would always remember and be thankful for someone who risked their neck for me. Has anyone ever sacrificed themselves to get you out of a jam? Are their names on your list?
Look at who Paul greets in verse 5! It is his beloved friend Epaenetus, who was his first convert to Christ in Asia. After all the persecution Paul endured for preaching the gospel, I’m sure he held his first convert close to his heart. He never forgot that incredible moment.
If you have ever led anyone to faith in Jesus Christ, you’ll never forget either! The first person I ever led to Christ was a 13-year-old boy named D.J. He grew up in a rough home; both of his parents were alcoholics and they were abusive. I used to pick him up for youth group on Friday nights and church on Sunday mornings. I’ll never forget the tears running down his cheeks the night he repented form his sins and became a follower of Jesus. Have you ever led anyone to faith in Christ? Is that name on your list?
Look at who Paul greets in verse 7! Andronicus and Junia (or Andy and June) were probably a married couple and had some familial relation to Paul. Again, we don’t know their full story, but they were well known to the apostles and were converted before Paul. They were once imprisoned together with Paul.
Now I’ve never been in prison before, but I can imagine that you form a pretty close bond with your fellow jailbirds. Do you have any family members that stood with you when you were in a tight spot? Has anyone ever suffered with you when you were going through a tough time? Are those names on your list?
Look at who Paul greets in verse 12! Tryphena and Tryphosa were probably twins who were given names that go together. I’m sure they dressed alike when they went to church every Sunday. Their names mean “dainty” and “delicate.” Paul employs some playful irony here because he calls them “workers in the Lord,” using a term that means labor to the point of exhaustion. Dainty and delicate, yes—but dynamite comes in small packages! (Hughes 287)
Have you ever met any little old church ladies who bust their behinds to serve others? Cooking meals for shut-ins, baking cakes for church socials, crafting quilts for charity events, and knitting hats and mittens for Christmas bazaars! Have you ever been the beneficiary of their benevolence? Are their names on your list?
Look at who Paul greets in verse 13! Rufus was probably the same one mentioned in Mark 15:21 as the son of Simon of Cyrene, who carried Jesus’ cross when he couldn’t bear it any longer. Rufus may very well have been an eye witness to Jesus’ crucifixion. Rufus’ mother was an eyewitness to Paul’s ministry. As a matter of fact, she acted as a mother to Paul; she cared for him like one of her own sons.
We all need multiple mothers to get us through life. You all know that my biological mother died when I was a little boy, but God has given me many mothers over the years. Even now, I have two churches filled with women who act as my mothers. At least they boss me around like my mother! Do you have any extra mothers on your list?
Do you see Paul’s list? For him, this was not just some boring list of names. This was a list of companions and colleagues who supported him and partnered with him in the ministry of the gospel. This was a list of men and women who loved him and made a difference to his life. This wasn’t just any list of names—this was a list of names that comprised a part the Christian church in Rome.
Throughout my life, I have been fortunate to belong to a few wonderful church communities. In each one, God has given me many faithful companions and colleagues to help me along my journey. I have multiple lists of names that I constantly remember in my prayers.
From my church in Pennsylvania, I remember Gerry and Bertha, that old pastoral couple who hosted me for Sunday dinner after church every week. I would push Gerry across the street in his wheelchair, and over a table covered with roast beef, potatoes, and vegetables, they would tell me stories of God’s faithfulness to them.
From my church in Chicago, I remember Ed and Martha, that wealthy business couple. I’m still not certain, but I’m pretty sure it was them who sent me an anonymous bank check to cover my college tuition bill. I remember Daniel and Emily, my dear friends who co-taught Sunday School classes with me. They got married two after Jennifer and I did; we were in each other’s weddings.
From my church in Massachusetts, I remember Bill and Marsha, the farming couple who told me that they would be happy to provide anything we needed for the youth ministry. Bill never learned how to read, but he was a whiz with numbers and he knew how to give money away! I also remember Kate, the dear widow who taught me so much about life and ministry. She prayed for me every day! All of these people are on my list!
For the past fifteen years, I have been a part of this church. And I am thankful for every one of you. You may not know it, but you’re all on my list!
Do you have a list? Don’t overlook the lists! There is a story in every one of those names!