Philippians 2:25-27 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Yet I supposed it necessary to send Epaphroditus Back immediately, who is near and dear to me as a brother and companion in labour A fellow-labourer in the work of the Lord; and fellow-soldier “So he seems to call him, to show how full of danger the work of the gospel was in that age, to those who executed it faithfully; and that the sincere preachers of it, together with the martyrs who sealed it with their blood, formed a noble army commanded by Christ, which was successfully warring against idolaters, and the other powers of darkness who were in opposition to God.” But your messenger The Philippians had sent him to Paul with their liberal contributions. For he longed after you all Namely, to be with you again, and further useful to your souls; and was full of heaviness, because he supposed you would be afflicted at hearing that he was sick As he could not but know how affectionately you love him. He was nigh unto death In all human appearance; but God had mercy on him Restoring him to health; and on me To whom his death would have been a great affliction; lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow Lest the sorrows of my imprisonment and my other troubles should be increased by the addition of my grief for his death. Doubtless the apostle had prayed for his recovery, and probably it was in answer to his prayers that Epaphroditus had been restored. We see, however, in this instance, as we may see in many others recorded in the New Testament, that those who, in the apostolic age, possessed the power of working miracles, could not exercise it according to their own pleasure, but according to the direction of the Holy Ghost: otherwise St. Paul would most certainly have healed Epaphroditus, who, as is insinuated Philippians 2:30, had fallen into this dangerous sickness through the fatigue which he underwent in assisting the apostle. Miracles of healing were generally wrought for convincing unbelievers.