No Time To Play (Part 3)
“The Pastoral Epistles” is a term used to designate Paul’s two letters to Timothy and one letter to Titus. Two things distinguish these three epistles from Paul’s other letters: (1) They are among the last things Paul wrote, reflecting the sort of concerns which burdened the apostle near the end of his ministry. (2) They are ostensibly addressed not to a congregation but to two young men who were functioning in pastoral roles. This does not mean, of course, that the letters were not read before congregations. The epistles show clear signs that their author intended them to be used widely. Nor does this mean that the epistles are mere handbooks on pastoral duties. There is much of general interest in the letters. Yet 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus are distinctive among Paul’s letters. They are highly personal, practical, and unsystematic in nature; and they deal with matters of church order which Paul had not hitherto addressed except in passing.
Timothy was the son of a Greek father and Jewish mother (Acts 16:1). No mention is made of his father being a Christian, but his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois were both known for their sincere faith (2 Tim. 1:5). Timothy was no doubt living at Lystra when Paul visited that city on his first missionary journey (cf. Acts 14:6; 16:1). Whether or not Paul led Timothy to Christ cannot be known with certainty. At any rate Timothy already knew and believed the Old Testament Scriptures, thanks to his mother and grandmother (cf. 2 Tim. 3:15), and Paul took him on as a promising protégé. Paul thus became like a spiritual father to the young man, referring to him as “my true son in the faith” (1 Tim. 1:2) and “my dear son” (2 Tim. 1:2; cf. Phil. 2:22).
After being released from his first Roman imprisonment Paul, with Timothy by his side, evidently revisited some of the churches in Asia, including Ephesus. On his departure from Ephesus, Paul left Timothy behind to provide leadership to the congregation. Then after an interval Paul wrote Timothy a letter, 1 Timothy, urging him on in that ministry.
Paul introduced the metaphor of a house containing two kinds of vessels in order to elaborate his appeal for turning away from wrongdoing
Some of the articles are expensive (“gold and silver”), and some are inexpensive (“wood and clay”).
In using the expression “articles … of gold and silver,” Paul referred to worthy, commendable Christians. In using the expression “articles … of wood and clay,” he spoke of unworthy Christians, who were to be avoided. Paul was suggesting that the church contained both faithful and unfaithful believers
some served for desirable ends, and others accomplished shameful ends
Paul would urge his committed readers to avoid those who would hinder their good work, namely, the false teachers.
The metaphor is somewhat mixed (one would usually think of cleansing from corruption, not cleansing from the corrupted vessels), but the apostle’s point is clear