Prayer 

You are a God of peace, and you desire your people to live in peace and harmony with one another. May Euodia and Syntyche’s example remind us of your heart for reconciliation, and may we be inspired to pursue reconciliation wherever we see conflict, both in our lives and communities. For the sake of your glory, amen.

Key Scripture

Philippians 4:2-3 

“I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my coworkers, whose names are in the book of life.” (Philippians 4:2-3, NRSVUE)

Main Point 

Relational conflict is often a reality in our lives, and it’s never easy. The apostle Paul’s choice to call out his coworkers Euodia and Syntyche in a public letter reflects the importance of interpersonal reconciliation in the context of mission as well as Paul’s high value for women in leadership.

Introduction to Euodia and Syntyche

As we know from his letters as well as from Acts, the apostle Paul’s practice was partnering with women in the work of ministry. In Philippians 4:2-3, we are introduced to two specific women who served alongside Paul: Euodia and Syntyche. These women matter to Paul, and his respect for them is evident in the text. And, because they matter to him, it’s important to Paul that they learn to get along and resolve their differences. 

Digging Deeper 

We don’t know much about Euodia and Syntyche, as these two verses constitute their only mention in the whole of the Scriptures. But we do get a bit of a window into who these women were and what they were about. 

First, Euodia and Syntyche were engaged in ministry as members of the Philippian church. This particular church had a rich history of female leadership, beginning with its origin story, a story recounted in Acts 16:11-15 (NRSVUE):

We [that’s Paul, Silas, Timothy, and possibly others] therefore set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. On the Sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.

Following this interaction with Paul and his crew, it is quite possible that Lydia became the founding pastor of the Philippian house church. If this is indeed the case, Euodia and Syntyche are part of a rich legacy of empowered female leadership in the Philippian congregation. 

Second, we know that Euodia and Syntyche are respected leaders in the church. In our text, Paul writes that they have “struggled beside [him]” in his gospel work, that they are his “coworkers,” and that their “names are in the book of life.” Good leaders are hard to find, and these two fit that bill for Paul.

Third, Paul notes that these two women are in the middle of some sort of interpersonal conflict. And while we don’t know the precise nature of the conflict, we do know that their reconciliation mattered enough to Paul to ask an unnamed third person, Paul’s “loyal companion,” to get involved in mediating their dispute. 

It would be one thing to get called out for your conflict in a private letter, but Paul’s letters were meant to be read out loud to the gathered church community. Indeed, in 1 Thessalonians 5:27, Paul writes, “I solemnly command you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the brothers and sisters.” 

So the entire Philippian church would know that not only were Euodia and Syntyche in conflict, they were in need of a third party mediator. Imagine having your dirty laundry aired in this way! And yet such is the importance of these women to Paul and to the Philippian church that an uncomfortable airing of their rift was worth it. After all, the gospel mission mattered more than their comfort! 

#SheIsCalled and We Are Called 

Unfortunately, we are not told what happened following Paul’s public exhortation. How did Euodia and Syntyche respond to being called out in this way? Did the unnamed third party have to get involved? Were Euodia and Syntyche able to reconcile and put their conflict behind them?

We don’t know the answers to these questions, though we can surely hope that the answer to that third question is a hearty “yes.” But one thing is clear from Euodia and Syntyche’s story: interpersonal reconciliation is crucial in our gospel mission, for two reasons. 

First, our kingdom witness is more effective when ministers serve together in harmony. After all, it’s hard to function well in partnership when there is strife. If the church is going to fulfill its God-given mandate to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19) we’ll need a community operating at peak capacity—a commitment to working through conflict and pursuing reconciliation will be required.

Second, reconciled ministers present a powerful example for the world. We live in a world marked by conflict. Nations fight with other nations, neighbors squabble, and families are too often riven with conflict. Peace and reconciliation are crucial to our gospel witness, as we embody the beauty of unity to the world. As Psalm 133 reminds us:

“How very good and pleasant it is

    when kindred live together in unity!

It is like the precious oil on the head,

    running down upon the beard,

on the beard of Aaron,

    running down over the collar of his robes.

It is like the dew of Hermon,

    which falls on the mountains of Zion.

For there the Lord ordained his blessing,

    life forevermore.”

Conclusion 

While we are not given a sense of how their conflict resolved, we can hope that ultimately Euodia and Syntyche were able to put aside their differences and be reconciled to one another. Further, we can hope that the fruit of their reconciliation was the strengthened witness of the Philippian church, as they partnered together in unity and as they modeled the power of a reconciled community.

The Greek translation of Euodia could be “sweet fragrance,” and Syntyche could mean “affable.” What beautiful names! Let’s hope that these women were able to live up to them for the sake of God’s mission.