2 Timothy 4:9-22
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Introduction
Introduction
Imagine for a moment that you are in prison, falsely accused of treason. You have seen three fellow prisoners executed on the same charge. You know that your prospects of release are remote. .........................
Paul experienced human needs
Paul experienced human needs
Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.
Greet Priscilla and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus. Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus. Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.
The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all.
The opening paragraph present the deeply human side of the apostle Paul. Although he was one of the most remarkable human beings in history, here we see a distinctly human Paul.
He longed to see Timothy
He longed to see Timothy
Paul addressed the letter affectionate to Timothy, whom he considered his true son in the Lord.
And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.
To Timothy, my dear son:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
He was writing from a Roman prison and knew that his time might be short. In fact, he did not expect to be released. In the mould of a real father, he longed to see Timothy.
Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.
As Paul concludes his letter to his dear and true son, his longing to see Timothy one last time is overwhelming. In verse 9 he tells Timothy to come to him quickly.
Do your best to come to me quickly,
At the end of the passage, after passing greetings to various friends and colleagues in Ephesus, he repeats the instruction.
Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.
Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.
Now, if you are in Johannesburg and you hear that your father is near death in Cape Town, you buy a ticket and in a few hours you touch down in CT—a journey of about 1500 km, two hours flying time. It’s no biggie. As the crow flies, the distance from Rome to Ephesus is about 1350 km; if you drive, since cars don’t travel easily over water, it would take you about 30 hours driving time. Timothy wasn’t a crow and he didn’t own a car, so getting there in Paul’s day was a serious biggie. It was a journey of some 2000 km by foot.
a journey of about 1500 km,
What would it take for Timothy to get from Ephesus to Rome?
Contextualise the magnitude of the request by presenting the arduous realities of the journey using maps and explanations of the travel options. This will need some research on my part.
At this point, you might be thinking: But wait a minute! This whole time we have been learning that Paul is writing to tell Timothy how to sort out problems in Ephesus, especially those caused by false teachers. Suddenly, you telling me that Paul really wants Timothy to leave Ephesus and come quickly to see him in Rome. How can this be? Isn’t Paul contradicting himself?
The sceptics and scoffers, unbelieving theologians who distrust the Scriptures, would make exactly this argument. The same sceptics and scoffers argue that the scores of names we read in is evidence that the letter is a forgery; the author is citing known companions of Paul’s to give the letter a sense of authenticity. Same sceptics argue that Ephesians cannot be genuine because it lacks references to Paul’s known companions. So let’s get this straight: If the letter mentions lots of Paul’s friends by name, he could not have written it, but if it mentions none of them, he could not have written it. I am reminded of the Pharisees who rejected John the Baptist because he refused to drink alcohol but then rejected Jesus because he did. In both cases, their minds were made up beforehand. This is not the way we should treat Jesus, Paul, or anyone else.
Instead of assuming the letter is guilty until proven innocent, let’s give it the benefit of the doubt. Let’s assume Paul wrote it and ask if it is possible that he wanted Timothy to both sort things out in Ephesus and come to see him before winter. Is it plausible that Paul was hoping for the both/and scenario? It sure is possible. In fact, it is more than possible; it is the plain meaning of the letter and the normal inclination of a man who is both an apostle of Christ Jesus and a spiritual father to Timothy. The apostle wants the church secure; the father longs to see his son.
Paul had a plan. Let’s see how he worked it out. Firstly, in verse 12, he says:
I sent Tychicus to Ephesus.
Clearly, Tychicus had been with Paul in Rome, but now Paul had sent him to Ephesus.
Tychicus features prominently in Paul’s letters. He was from Ephesus and travelled with Paul (see ). He was also the man who previously delivered Paul’s letters to the the Ephesians and to the Colossians. Paul spoke fondly and favourably about him.
for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing.
Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you.
Eph
Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts.
We might ask, “Why had Paul sent Tychicus to Ephesus?”
The reasons seem obvious. Firstly, Tychicus was carrying this letter to Timothy. Secondly, Tychicus was to relieve Timothy in Ephesus so that Timothy could come to Paul. A couple of years earlier, Paul said exactly the same thing to Titus.
As soon as I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, because I have decided to winter there.
The picture is fairly clear. Tychicus would deliver the letter containing Paul’s counsel to Timothy. Timothy would implement it and transition the task to Tychicus. The letter served the needs of both men in carrying out Paul’s counsel, since time was tight for Timothy to get to Rome before winter.
He feared the approaching winter
He feared the approaching winter
On the assumption that … the cloak
When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.
..............
He needed the Word of God
He needed the Word of God
When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.
Describe the scrolls and the parchments, including the uncertainty around them, concluding that they were most likely Paul’s Bible.
In 1535, immured by the persecutor at Vilvorde in Belgium, he wrote, not long before his fiery martyrdom, a Latin letter to the Marquis of Bergen, Governor of the Castle: “I entreat your lordship, and that by the Lord Jesus, that if I must remain here for the winter you would beg the Commissary to be so kind as to send me, from the things of mine which he has, a warmer cap; I feel the cold painfully in my head. Also a warmer cloak, for the cloak I have is very thin. He has a woollen shirt of mine, if he will send it. But most of all, my Hebrew Bible, Grammar and Vocabulary, that I may spend my time in that pursuit.” (John Stott, The Message of 2 Timothy, quoting Handley Moule)
There is a brand of Christian that despises reading and learning. They tend to be super-spiritual, pretending that the Holy Spirit’s illumination is all they need. This is not a new trend. Listen to John Calvin responding to this in his comments on our passage:
Still more does this passage refute the madness of the fanatics who despise books and condemn all reading and boast only of their enthusiasmous, their private inspirations by God. But we should note that this passage commends continual reading to all godly men as a thing from which they can profit. (Quoted in Stott, The Message of 2 Timothy)
Just as Paul could not bear to die without seeing Timothy again, so too he could not bear to live without the Word of God. He felt a gaping hole in his life when he was not “in the Word.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Matt
Quote by Jefferson from CR materials about being “in the Word.”
Quote by Jefferson from CR materials about being “in the Word.”
What a challenge for us? We have ready access to dozens of Bibles and tools on our phones and computers, yet we are too lazy or too indifferent to read them. William Tyndale was burned alive for translating the first of those English Bibles. Paul was beheaded for preaching its message. Are we too busy watching TV or wasting the day away on FB to spend time reading and studying God’s Word?
Paul endured painful opposition
Paul endured painful opposition
Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.
Paul preached powerful messages
Paul preached powerful messages
At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.