Read & explore together
Additional Greetings
These closing lines are short, yet they show relationships, shared work, and a final blessing. The letter sends greetings from named people and ends by placing grace at the centre of its closing words.
Understanding the passage
The setting of these words
This passage forms the ending of the letter. It names Epaphras, then Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, using relationship terms for some of them. The final verse gives a blessing: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.”
Philemon 1:23–25Main takeaway
This closing shows a Christian letter ending with greetings from companions and a blessing centred on the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Follow the letter’s teaching
Open a card to explore the full explanation and its Bible references.
01Epaphras sends greetingThe first closing greeting comes from Epaphras. The writer calls him “my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus”.
Explanation
The first closing greeting comes from Epaphras. The writer calls him “my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus”. That description shows a close connection and links Epaphras’s situation with Christ Jesus. These words do not explain the circumstances further here, but they make Epaphras stand out in the closing.
02Other companions are namedNext, the letter includes greetings from Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke. These four are grouped under the words “my fellow workers”.
Explanation
Next, the letter includes greetings from Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke. These four are grouped under the words “my fellow workers”. The verse does not describe each person’s role, yet it clearly presents them as partners in shared labour. The ending therefore sounds communal rather than solitary.
03The letter closes with graceThe final line is a blessing, not merely a sign-off. It says, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
Explanation
The final line is a blessing, not merely a sign-off. It says, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” This places grace and the Lord Jesus Christ at the centre of the ending. The closing “Amen” marks a fitting conclusion to the letter’s final words.
04Relationships and blessing togetherRead together, these verses move from greeting, to shared service, to blessing. One person is called a fellow prisoner, four are called fellow workers, and the recipient is addressed with a wish for grace.
Explanation
Read together, these verses move from greeting, to shared service, to blessing. One person is called a fellow prisoner, four are called fellow workers, and the recipient is addressed with a wish for grace. Even in a brief ending, the letter highlights Christian relationships and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Questions to explore
Pause, look back at the verses and talk together.
01What exact words describe Epaphras, and what do those words emphasise in this closing?
Notice the phrase “my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus” and consider both the shared identity and the link to Christ Jesus.
02How are Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke described as a group?
Use the exact expression from the verse and think about what it shows about working together.
03What does the final blessing ask to be with “your spirit”?
Focus on the words “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ” and how they shape the ending.
Read the Bible passage
World English Bible ClassicScripture quotation · Public domain
Philemon 1:23–25
23Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you,
24as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
25The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.