Second Timothy Chapter 4

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers. (2 Timothy 4:1-21 ESV)                 

4:1-8

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Verses 1-2.   Paul could not stress this point more!   Timothy is to preach “Scripture” (see point above) – and not just teach it, but with it also “reprove, rebuke and exhort.  

 

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Verses 3-5.  There are always those who are certain God in Scripture is not as wise as they are.  There are always those seeking something new and different (a COMMON criticism of “intellectual Greeks” who like modern westerners always seek the LATEST book).  There will always be those who seek those that will tell them what they want to hear (“You can be rich!”  “You can avoid all evil and hardship”  “You should be proud of how good you are” etc., etc., etc.).  

 

“Sober minded”   To be humble in our thinking and our self-evaluations.  “Humility is the basis of all good theology” – Luther.

 

Verses 6-8.  Is Paul aware of his eminent death?   Scholars often date this book during Paul’s second Roman imprisonment, a matter of months before his death.  We don’t know WHY Rome executed Paul, but tradition says he was executed (no doubt by beheading) on the same day and at the same place as was Peter (by crucifixion – upside down).  Oddly, they were not buried together.  

 

4:9-22

 

 

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Especially with “informal” letters as this (Paul doesn’t seem to be working from an outline), we MAY find that there is more scroll available than necessary communications.   That invites things of a “Post Script” nature.   Of all Paul’s letters, only those at the end of Romans are longer than the ones here.  There’s nothing here of any particular theological or practical nature – although we learn something of the personality of Paul here, and something of Paul’s GREAT concern and heart for the church and for truth!

 

 

 

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Some of the names here are otherwise unknown, but several do stand out:

TITUS (v. 10).  A coworker.  Paul wrote an epistle to him; more about him next week.

LUKE (v. 11)  A coworker with Paul and author of Luke/Acts.  He is with Paul and Peter in Rome in these final days of their life.

MARK (v. 11)  Traditional author of the Gospel of Mark and an early coworker with Paul.

ALEXANDER (v. 12) is mentioned briefly in 1 Tim. 1:20 as here one who is a false teacher.

PRISCILLA and AQUILA (v. 19)  Coworkers with Paul.  See Acts 18:18, 26

ERASTUS (v. 20)  See Romans 16:23.  

 

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Verses 17-18.  Again, Paul seems to feel that death is imminent.   Paul is very sensitive to those who have abandoned the faith – and him.