Tuesday, Sept. 15 –
We are continuing our reading thru the
New Testament with today’s reading in 2 Timothy 2:1 – 26. After you have had the opportunity to read the
passage, please come back, and we’ll take a second look together.
Once again, we cannot help but think we’ve found a letter that was privately
meant to be read, but instead, it has made its way into the Canon of Scripture
for all of us to see. Paul’s second
letter is fatherly in tone, and yet he reminds Timothy nothing he does can be
successful apart from Grace –
“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2:1).
Paul writes with a sense of urgency and the desire to share his heart about
Timothy’s life and ministry. He begins
by reminding him he cannot do it alone, and if he is to be successful, he will need
to raise up others who can both share the ministry with him, and who can take
over the ministry when he’s gone -
“and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust
to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2:2).
It’s an important lesson and one that many leaders don’t learn early enough
in their work. There is a reason why
Paul kept telling churches and leaders to appoint “elders” and not an “elder.”
The suffering that Paul was
experiencing in prison was only typical of what the church would continually be
faced with by an increasingly hostile Roman empire. We think that suffering is due to something
we’ve done wrong, but sometimes suffering is due to something we’ve done right! In a series of three metaphors, Paul reminds
Timothy that the issue isn’t that we might suffer, but what our focus becomes
when suffering occurs -
“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets
entangled in civilian pursuits since his aim is to please the one who enlisted
him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.
It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the
crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in
everything” (2:3-7).
The soldier keeps their focus on their command.
The athlete keeps their focus on doing well. The farmer keeps his focus on the crop to
come. The past lives on into the
present, as we anticipate the future outcomes.
Right now, in my area, the crops are beginning to come off the land. It has been the result of hard work in the
Spring, managing the crops from blight, disease, water needs, and patience. All of these are what it means to be a
farmer. You worked in the past, you live
with what you have to deal with in the present, and you anticipate a
harvest. Timothy is reminded that
nothing in ministry is immediate, but requires hard work, focus, and
perseverance.
While Paul reminds Timothy of these
things, he makes sure the ultimate focus is clear – it is Jesus Christ.
“Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as
preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a
criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore, I endure everything
for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in
Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying is trustworthy, for: If we
have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will
also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are
faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself” (2:8-13).
Paul didn’t say “remember Jesus Christ” because he was afraid Timothy would
forget the purpose of ministry. He said
to remember, Jesus also suffered. The
Gospel is good news because of Christ’s sacrifice. It is the “word of God” that cannot be bound
in prison, and so no matter how much difficulty he was to face, and no matter
how it might come, preach the word of God – no matter what. The saying that he ends with was quite
possibly a confession of the early church because thousands of Christians faced
opposition and persecution for their faith in Christ. Paul reminds us that death isn’t bad when we
know that it is not the end but merely the beginning of eternal life. I was a young believer who was convinced of
God’s call to serve Christ. For that,
some people I knew called me a fanatic. I
didn’t care for the designation, because all I wanted to do is follow Jesus and
do his will. To this day, I remember my
sister sending me a letter reminding me that a “fanatic was someone who loved
Jesus more than me.” Being committed to Jesus
Christ cannot be a Sunday thing where our faith sits on a coffee table like an
old worn bible resting for the week. Our
commitment to Christ is one of active obedience. It should make us pause to read the words at
the end of that confession – “If we deny Him, He also will deny us” (2:12). Jesus had said it in the same sense in
John 10:27-29. Yet, this isn’t something
to worry about because we might fail.
Paul adds – “If we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He
cannot deny himself” (2:13). The
statement before makes us wonder…have I done this? The statement that followed reminds us that
Christ Jesus knows how to keep his own.
Where we will most certainly fail, he will never fail to keep us to the
end. It’s Paul’s reminder to his son in
the Lord – “keep your commitment to Christ in focus, don’t fail, but when you
do, don’t fret…re-focus!”
These apparent commands that follow
are better understood as “remember the importance of these things.” There are
several different kinds of things Paul made mention to Timothy -
“Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel
about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best
to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be
ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble,
for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness” (2:14-16).
The order of these things he reminds Timothy are interesting. First, he reminds him that his task is to teach
the word of God – work hard at being good at teaching – and above all else, do
not get caught up in controversies that are outside of the Scriptures. There are things God has spoken very clearly
about, and there are things that are not clearly described in the Scriptures. Paul challenged Timothy to keep the Word of
God and teaching it his primary focus, and walk away from “stuff” that isn’t in
the word. Personally, I came across
these verses while in Seminary, and knowing that God had called me to preach,
they made a profound impact on my thinking of what kind of Pastor I wanted to
be. I began ministry with a desire to
teach the Scripture expositionally. Study
the word, get at its content, try to step into the scene with the writer and
the context, and then carefully interpret and communicate not only what it is
saying, but what it practically means to us today – that is the task of an
expository preacher!
Secondly, there are always going to be
people who disappoint us with their lives, and when it happens with those who
claim to be believers, it is especially troubling. Yet, Paul reminds Timothy, God knows what is
happening, and is sovereignly in control, even using the failure of some for
his purposes –
“…their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and
Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection
has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. But God’s
firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,”
and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” Now
in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood
and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if
anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for
honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for
every good work” (2:17-21).
The false teachers were Gnostic heretics who did not believe in a physical
resurrection but spoke of Jesus as a spirit being who God created and was
spiritually risen. They often attacked
Paul and probably Timothy was feeling the tensions they made in the church. The heresies are “as dangerous as blood
poisoning to the body and spread like sepsis from a wound” (2:17[1]),
and “they are upsetting the faith of some” (2:18). Yet, he reminds Timothy, none of this catches
God off-guard. The true church of God’s
people will not be changed because the foundation of the Church is God, who has
not changed. Jesus had reminded his
disciples that the enemy would sow weeds among the good seeds, and they will
remain together until the final harvest (Matthew 13:24-30).
Paul finishes this section off by
reminding Timothy that we need to remember that God is not unaware of those who
sow evil. Still, our responsibility is to live above the evil so as not to
become like it. -
“Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be
a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the
house, ready for every good work. So flee youthful passions and pursue
righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord
from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant
controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant
must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring
evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them
repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their
senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to
do his will” (2:21-26).
The world of those who will not acknowledge God in Christ – as Savior and Lord –
as “the master of the house” is “foolish, choosing ignorant controversies,
and a place that breeds quarrels.”
The world outside of Christ argues senselessly according to their own
fallen reasonings. Yet that is not to be
the mark of the people who Paul says are “a vessel for honorable use.” They are “useful the Master, ready for
good work, fleeing youthful passions, pursuing righteousness, faith, love, and
peace…from a pure heart”. The
contrast could not be more stark.
Timothy is a Pastor, and the fundamental
character of the Church’s leader is not to be “quarrelsome, but kind,
teaching, patiently enduring evil, correcting with gentleness.” It is all based on Jesus, who was the
ultimate “servant of the Lord.” He was
described as “gentle and humble of heart” (Matthew 11:29). Character is not an option, but an essential
part of the life of a Christian leader – if not for all who claim their faith
in Jesus Christ. Character is often
missing in a world that is concerned with the bottom line, or the power of
ruling. The source of evil, or the ungodly
character, is Satan (2:26). The possibility
of acting in the flesh is real, and the need to develop the character of
godliness is crucial. Repentance, as Martin
Luther, reminded us, “When Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said ‘Repent,’
he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.”[2]
Paul’s writing to Timothy is a portrait of the life of a godly leader. They are good soldiers, rule-abiding athletes,
hardworking patient farmers, all of which are dedicated to their work as
servants of Jesus Christ. He reminds
Timothy that his field of service is in the study, exposition, and teaching of the
Word of God. Do it accurately and do it
with the realization that Jesus Christ saves those who will listen and trust
Him through His word. There are those
who will oppose, even persecute, but God knows who they are, and it’s not the
task of the leader to try to pull out the weeds – it’s God’s, and he will do it
in his own good time. Our mission is not
just mind and speech, it is also the character and integrity of living the
truth. Be truthful, be patient and loving,
but do it with a view of those who reject and oppose will see the truth, and
thus escape the snares of the devil. With all of this, we can understand why Paul
began this part with the words “be strong in the grace that is in Jesus
Christ.”
Peace
[1]
J.B. Philipps Translation, The New Testament in Modern Language, 1958
[2]
Martin Luther, article 1 of the “Ninety-five Theses” Luther nailed to the castle
door of Wittenberg, October 31, 1517. http://reverendluther.org/pdfs/The_Ninety-Five_Theses.pdf
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