John Calvin Commentary Romans 15:25

"but now, I [say], I go unto Jerusalem, ministering unto the saints." — Romans 15:25 (ASV)

But I am going now, etc. So that they would not expect his immediate arrival and think they had been deceived if he did not come as they expected, he explains to them the business he was then undertaking, which prevented him from going to them soon: namely, that he was going to Jerusalem to deliver the alms that had been collected in Macedonia and Achaia.

At the same time, taking advantage of this opportunity, he goes on to praise that contribution. By this, as if by a subtle suggestion, he encourages them to follow this example. For although he does not openly ask them, yet by saying that Macedonia and Achaia had done what they should have done, he suggests that it was also the duty of the Romans, since they were under the same obligation. And he openly confesses to the Corinthians that he had this intention:

“I boast,” he says, “of your readiness to all the Churches, so that they may be motivated by your example.” (2 Corinthians 9:2).

It was indeed a rare instance of kindness that the Greeks, having heard that their fellow believers in Jerusalem were suffering from need, did not consider the distance that separated them. Instead, considering those sufficiently near to whom they were united by the bond of faith, they relieved their needs from their own abundance. The word communication, which is used here, should be noted, for it well expresses the sentiment by which we ought to help meet the needs of our fellow believers, because there ought to be a common and mutual concern due to the unity of the body.

I have not translated the pronoun τινὰ, because it is often redundant in Greek and seems to lessen the emphasis of this passage. What we have translated as to minister is, in Greek, a participle, ministering; but the former seems better suited to convey Paul's meaning. For he excuses himself, explaining that a legitimate responsibility prevented him from going to Rome immediately.