Titus 3.12-13-Paul Wants Titus to Spend the Winter with Him at Nicopolis and to Provide Generous Hospitality to Zenas the Lawyer and Apollos
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday September 28, 2014
Titus: Titus 3:12-13-Paul Wants Titus to Spend the Winter with Him at Nicopolis and to Provide Generous Hospitality to Zenas the Lawyer and Apollos
Lesson # 39
Please turn in your Bibles to Titus 3:12.
Titus 3:12 When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. (NASB95)
Titus 3:12 When I send Artemis or Tychicus, immediately make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis because I have decided to spend the winter there. (My translation)
Titus 3:12-15 contains the final section of the epistle.
Titus 3:12-13 contains three specific instructions for Titus related to three Christians.
The first instruction would benefit the apostle Paul, the second would help Zenas the lawyer and the third would benefit Apollos.
In Titus 3:14, Paul gave Titus instructions to pass along to the Cretan Christian community.
Then, in Titus 3:15 we have mutual greetings.
The first instruction in Titus 3:12 involves Titus making every effort possible to meet Paul at Nicopolis.
He was to do this when Artemis or Tychicus arrived to relieve him of his duties on behalf of the Cretan church.
The reason why Paul wanted Titus to meet him at Nicopolis is that he had decided to spend the winter there.
The apostle does not tell Titus the reason why he decided to spend the winter at Nicopolis.
However, since this town was a very busy sea port town and received many people from different parts of the Roman Empire it would provide Paul an opportunity to present the gospel to these people.
So Paul’s choice of Nicopolis would put him and Titus one step further west of the area where most of his work had been concentrated.
It also was probably chosen because it would make the perfect place to launch a journey to Spain.
In Romans 15:22-24, Paul had expressed a desire to evangelize Spain after his first Roman imprisonment.
Notice that Paul informs Titus that he had “decided” to spend the winter at Nicopolis.
This tells us the reader that Paul had not yet arrived at Nicopolis and was traveling.
Therefore, since he was free to travel it appears that this epistle to Titus was between his first and second Roman imprisonments.
The name “Artemas” means “gift of Artemis.”
If this is the case, then the parents of Artemis worshipped the Greek goddess Artemis.
Artemis is clearly a trusted friend of Paul.
There is no mention where or how they met.
The fact that Paul planned to send either him or Tychicus to replace Titus in ministering to the church on the island of Crete indicates that he was a pastor-teacher since Titus communicated the Word of God to the Cretan church.
Titus was Paul’s delegate who was responsible in communicating Paul’s apostolic instructions to the Cretan church.
“Tychicus” was a Christian from Asia Minor who traveled with Paul on his third missionary journey (Acts 20:4).
He was later sent to the Colossians (Colossians 4:7-9) as well as the Ephesians (6:21-22).
Along with Trophimus, he accompanied Paul as he returned from Corinth to Macedonia (Acts 20:4).
From this place, Tychicus went ahead and waited for Paul to meet them at Troas (Acts 20:6).
Like Artemis, Tychicus was also a pastor-teacher since Paul was going to send either him or Artemis to replace Titus as his delegate to the church at Crete.
Titus’s responsibilities included communicating the Word of God to the Cretan church and in particular Paul’s apostolic instructions.
Further indicating that Tychicus was a communicator of the Word of God is that he is described as a “faithful minister” in Ephesians 6:21-22.
“Nicopolis” means “city of victory” and refers to a city which was located in western Greece along the Adriatic Sea.
Its geographical position would suit its selection as a meeting place with Titus.
The town was built as the capital of Epirus by Augustus on a peninsula of the Ambraciot Gulf where he had camped before his victory at Actium in 31 B.C.
Titus 3:13 Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them. (NASB95)
Titus 3:13 I solemnly charge you to make it your top priority of diligently helping Zenas, the lawyer as well as Apollos in order that absolutely nothing would be lacking for them. (My translation)
The apostle issues a solemn and urgent command for Titus and the Cretan Christian community.
Specifically, Paul charged Titus and specifically the Cretan Christian community to make it their top priority of diligently helping Zenas the lawyer and Apollos.
The purpose was so that these two would be lacking absolutely nothing in the sense that the Cretan Christian community was demonstrate Christian hospitality to these men or in other words, they were to provide for the financial and material needs of these two men.
They were to provide these men with housing and food and clothing if necessary and be generous in doing so.
Titus 3:13 is the only place where Zenas the lawyer is mentioned.
Thus, nothing is known about him except that he was a Christian who was a friend or acquaintance of the apostle Paul.
Some argue that he was an expert in Jewish law.
However, its hard to see Paul distinguishing this man with the title of being an expert in the Mosaic Law or Jewish Law when this could not advance the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Mosaic Law can’t save the non-Christian but only the gospel of Jesus Christ and only the gospel and not the law can produce spiritual growth in the Christian.
More than likely Paul is distinguishing this man from another Zenas who was known to both Paul and Titus.
The Scriptures do however mention Apollos quite often since he is mentioned in the book of Acts and 1 Corinthians.
He came from Alexandria and taught at Ephesus (Acts 18:24) and Corinth (Acts 19:1).
He is described in Acts 18:24 as eloquent and well versed in the Scriptures.
He spoke the gospel boldly in the Jewish synagogues (Acts 18:26).
Aquila and Priscilla instructed him in the sense that they gave him further instruction regarding the gospel of Jesus Christ.
He proceeded to Corinth after this meeting where he met Paul (Acts 18:27; 19:1).
He was very useful to Paul in watering the seed which the apostle planted (1 Corinthians 1:12).
He won many to Christ and his disciples were loyal to him (1 Corinthians 3:4-7, 22).
Apollos was with Paul at Ephesus when he wrote 1 Corinthians.
He is called “our brother” by Paul in 1 Corinthians 16:12.
So here in Titus 3:14, Paul solemnly charges Titus and the Cretan Christian community to provide for the material and financial needs of Zenas the lawyer and Apollos.
In the first century, there was a great need in the church to provide shelter and food to visitors who had been uprooted from their homes because of persecution.
Furthermore, in the Roman Empire, inns were many times places of ill repute and travelers, whenever possible, stayed with friends, thus, the New Testament emphasizes hospitality to strangers (Romans 12:13; 1 Timothy 3:1-3; 5:9-10; Titus 1:7-9; Hebrews 13:2; 1 Peter 4:9).
Since believers are members of the body of Christ according to 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Ephesians 3:6 and Colossians 3:15 of which body, Christ is the head according to Ephesians 4:15, 5:23, Colossians 1:18, then when believers practice hospitality towards one another, they are in fact doing it to Christ.
The first century apostolic church practiced providing for the needs of its own (Acts 2:45; 4:32-37; 9:36-41; 11:27-30; Romans 15:25-28; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 8:1-4; 9:1-15; 3 John).
