Justus

About Justus

Jesus Justus is mentioned in Col.4.11 as one of the few Jewish believers who supported Paul during his imprisonment. The context of the passage is Paul's final greetings and instructions to the Colossian church, where he mentions several individuals who have been a comfort and support to him (Col.4.7-18).

In his greeting, Paul identifies Jesus Justus as one of his fellow workers for the kingdom of God, along with Aristarchus, Mark, and Epaphras (Col.4.10-12). He specifically notes that Jesus Justus, Aristarchus, and Mark are the only Jewish believers among his co-workers, emphasizing their importance and the encouragement they provided to him.

The fact that Jesus Justus is mentioned by both his Jewish name (Jesus) and his Roman surname (Justus) suggests that he was a Hellenistic Jew who had adopted a Roman name, possibly indicating his familiarity with Gentile culture and his ability to relate to both Jewish and Gentile believers.

Paul's mention of Jesus Justus as a fellow worker and a source of comfort during his imprisonment highlights the significance of Jewish believers who embraced the gospel message and supported Paul's ministry. It also underscores the unity and collaboration among believers from different backgrounds in the early church.

Apart from this brief mention in Paul's letter to the Colossians, no other information about Jesus Justus' life, conversion, or specific contributions to Paul's ministry.

Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.