1I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the assembly which is at Cenchrea; 2that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well. 

Bringing this epistle to a close, Paul then brought greetings to various people with the Roman believing communities. First, however, Paul commended Phoebe to the Roman believers, asking them to receive her when she came to them. It's been traditionally understood that Phoebe was the one who carried and delivered this epistle from Paul to Rome. Paul described Phoebe as a servant (literally, diakonos; a deacon) of the assembly in Cenchrea, which was a community south of Corinth. As we saw in our study of 1 Timothy 3, in addition to the official offices of overseer and deacon, positions held exclusively by men, there was a third office specifically for women. This office of women servants would obviously involve situations where it would inappropriate for a man to serve. Despite the fact that some have made Paul out to be a misogynist, the truth is that Paul held women in high regard, placing men and women as equals before the Lord (cf. Galatians 3:28). Though men and women do have different roles to play within God's kingdom, men and women are equal in value before God. The Roman assemblies were to receive Phoebe "in the Lord" and "in a manner worthy of the saints," meaning she was to be received as a fellow believer, with all love and hospitality any believer should be welcomed with. Paul wanted the Roman believers to help in any matter that she may have had need because had helped others, including himself. The Greek behind the word "helper" has the sense of a "benefactor," meaning that Phoebe may have been a prominent figure within either the Roman or the Jewish community who used her finances to support the believing communities. 

3Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Messiah Yeshua, 4who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the assemblies of the Gentiles; 5a also greet the assembly that is in their house 

Prisca (also known by the diminutive "Priscilla") and her husband Aquila were a Jewish couple who originally were from Italy but had gone to Corinth when Claudius commanded that all Jewish people leave Rome (cf. Acts 18:2). At some point, it seems, they returned to Rome and ministered among the communities there. Here Paul called them his fellow workers in Messiah, since they had laboured with him, even to the point that they would have died for him. For this type of service, Paul was very grateful, as well as the assemblies of the Gentiles. The Gentile assemblies were grateful, since such devotion no doubt directly benefited them but also kept Paul alive to minister among them. Paul also greeted the assembly that is in their home, indicating to us that not only did the believers congregate in the synagogues of Rome but also in homes. 

5b Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the first convert to Messiah from Asia. 6Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. 

One wonders how Paul was able to greet so many without ever actually visiting the Roman communities. It's probable that, like Prisca and Aquila, Paul had met some of these people in other cities but, at the very least, he had heard of these through other believers. These greetings show the great sense of family devotion the early believers had. Paul greeted Epaenetus, whom he called "beloved" and also the "first convert to Messiah from Asia." Actually, the Greek reads that Epaenetus was the "firstfruits to Messiah from Asia." Evangelism was spoken of in agricultural terms by Yeshua and the Apostles, so it's no wonder that the first person to come to faith among the Gentiles of Asia would be called the "firstfruits." Mary, no doubt from the original Hebrew "Miryam," was described as someone "who [had] worked hard for you," perhaps indicating that she was aged and had many years of service behind her. 

7Greet Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles, who also were in Messiah before me. 

Andronicus and Junias were described as Paul's kinsmen, indicating that they were at least fellow Jews but could also indicate that there were Paul's actual relatives. Apparently, they were among those who were imprisoned for the faith, either directly with Paul or in like fashion to Paul. Their description of being "outstanding among the apostles" has been taken a number of ways, depending upon where one places the comma in the sentence. Were Andronicus and Junias outstanding among the apostles who were in Messiah before Paul or were they themselves outstanding apostles and were believers in Messiah before Paul. If the latter interpretation is to be taken, we should understand that these were apostles in the sense that they were emissaries for the assemblies and, obviously, not the chosen Apostles of the Messiah. Regardless, these were two that Paul held in high regard.

8Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Messiah, and Stachys my beloved. 10Greet Apelles, the approved in Messiah. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus. 11Greet Herodion, my kinsman. Greet those of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord. 12Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, workers in the Lord. Greet Persis the beloved, who has worked hard in the Lord. 

Paul called Ampliatus, who was perhaps a slave, "my beloved in the Lord," again showing his great love for his fellow believers, especially those he nurtured to faith. The Apostle greeted Urbanus, Stachys and Apelles, describing each with positive terms. He also greeted those of the household of Aristobulus but seemingly not Aristobulus himself, perhaps because was deceased or not a believer himself. Herodion, likely of the family of Herod, was possibly a relative of Paul since he, again, described him as his kinsmen. Those who were in the Lord within the household of Narcissus was greeted, indicating that not everyone within that household was a believer. Paul described Tryphaena and Tryphosa as, present tense, workers in the Lord, indicating that they were still in the middle of their lives. Persis, on the other hand, past tense, worked hard in the Lord, indicating that she had reached old age and her years of service were behind her. Also, Paul was careful to describe her as "the beloved," as opposed to "my beloved," ensuring that his love for her was not misconstrued to be romantic love.

13Greet Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine. 14Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brethren with them. 15Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 

In Mark 15:21, Simon of Cyrene, the man who helped carry Yeshua's cross, is said to have been the father of Alexander and Rufus. If the gospel of Mark was written in Rome, it's possible that Mark was pointing out to the Roman community that Simon of Cyrene was the same man whose sons Alexander and Rufus were among them. We can't be certain if this is the case nor why Paul called Rufus "a choice man in the Lord." Was Paul contrasting Rufus with his brother Alexander or perhaps Rufus had a special calling upon his life in a certain area? Regardless, Paul also greeted Rufus' mother, who was apparently a mother to Paul as well. Additionally, Paul greeted two different fellowships within Rome, perhaps with the specific names mentioned referring to the leadership or hosts of each group (Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and Philologus, Julia, Nereus, his sister, and Olympas, respectively).

16Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the assemblies of Messiah greet you. 

Paul wanted the believers to greet each other with a "holy kiss." In the ancient world and in many cultures still today, a kiss simply a sign of devotion and friendship (cf. Luke 7:45). There is no reason to import any sort of romantic emotion into Paul's instruction here, especially since when using a kiss as a greeting it is to be "holy." In other words, these are set apart kisses, specifically to convey mutual fellowship and friendship. Finally, Paul stated that all of the assemblies of Messiah greeted the Roman believers. All too often Christians have understood the word "ekklesia" (in this case, the plural form, "ekklesai"), usually translated as "church," to be technical term denoting a group of people distinct from the people of Israel. Firstly, the word itself simply refers to an assembly of some sort, so there is nothing in word itself to indicate what kind of assembly it refers to. Knowing this, if there is an assembly of followers of the Messiah of Israel, some of whom are Jewish, how can one disconnect that group from the people of Israel? Indeed, the word ecclesia (translated as church or assembly) then is really just a term to refer to the community of (either in a local or universal sense) of followers of the Messiah of Israel, both Jew and Gentile.