Reading this text reminds us of famous parting scenes in literature or film, particularly vignettes in which a child is leaving home for university, war or adventures in another country. Graduation commencement addresses also come to mind, or even speeches and essays that precede an imminent and cruel death.
Consider the familiar phrase, “neither a borrower nor a lender be.” It’s one tidbit of advice from Polonius to his son Laertes, who is leaving Denmark for college in France. Found in Act I, Scene 3 of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, it is a paraphrase of Proverbs 22:7: “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is a slave to the lender.” Polonius had much more to say, for example:
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
The “advice-before-death” farewell trope is also a common one, and we’ve seen examples of it in recent years — Randy Pausch (The Last Lecture), Steve Jobs (Commencement Address, 2005) or Morrie Schwartz (Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom). Pausch and Jobs died of pancreatic cancer at 47 and 56 respectively, and Schwartz of ALS at age 72.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech seemed to adumbrate with Mosaic clarity an ominous future:
“Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life; longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. So, I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”
The next day, he was dead.
II Timothy 1:1-2 is a salutation or address to the readers. Some would argue that the formal opening seems rather stilted when it is to his closest associate. 1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. The author reveals consciousness of divine purpose and is a firm declaration of his apostolic mission. For the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus. We need to note the theological certainty of his testimony. Clearly, the author has authority over other clergy to whom he addresses this letter. We begin with the standard Pauline salutation, remarkably similar to that found in both I Timothy and Titus. So standardized is this salutation form that II Timothy 1:1 is a verbatim declaration of that which opens II Corinthians, Ephesians, and Colossians. 2 To Timothy, my beloved child, the author revealing a heartfelt connection to the reader. Timothy is listed as a fellow author, along with Paul, in six of Paul’s letters (2 Corinthians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1; Philemon 1). Paul mentions Timothy as his fellow worker (Romans 16:21; 2 Corinthians 1:19; 1 Thessalonians 3:2) and sends him out as his emissary to check on congregations and report on their well-being (1 Corinthians 4:17; 16:10; Philippians 2:19; 1 Thessalonians 3:2, 6). Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
II Timothy 1:3-5 is a thanksgiving. The thanksgiving reflects the dual interests of love and concern. This thanksgiving section foreshadows much of the content of the rest of Paul's letter - a literary device used also in 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 and Philippians 1:3-8. The focus throughout this letter is on encouraging Timothy's loyalty, urging him to persevere in the gospel and to stand up to the testing that is to come. The verses contain seven syntactical units making up Pauline thanksgivings, and six occur here.
In II Timothy 1: 3-4, Paul is the pattern for a Christian minister. 3 I am grateful to God.] —whom I worship with a clear conscience (συνειδήσει). A Hellenistic background shows here as he appeals to his "conscience" instead of to a "pure heart" - which would be a reference closer to the Old Testament. Conscience was the seat of a moral consciousness in Greek thought. The conscience is "clear" because Christ has "cleaned" or "purified" it. He worships as my ancestors did. He sees genuine continuity between his ancestor's Old Testament faith and his own preaching of the good-news gospel that now makes up the New Testament. First, he recalls with thanks his own faith heritage. Instead of berating his early persecution of Christians (as he did in I Timothy 1:13), Paul here comes in touch with the continuity between his life as a faithful Jew and his new life as one "in Christ." When I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. Note the constancy of prayer and intercession. He demonstrates practical evidence of his faithfulness by the simple assertion that he remembers Timothy. He begins by referring to the Jewish tradition of praying at regular intervals. Note that loyalty to the faith is loyalty to the family. Here is a worthy successor to the aging apostle. The issue of loyalty, which will recur throughout this letter, may be what prompts Paul to declare here at the outset that he worships with a "clear conscience" in full light of his "ancestors" or "forefathers." "Fathers" implies more than one generation. 4 Recalling your tears, noting that Timothy also had great devotion to the author, possibly arising from their separation (Acts 20:37-38),[1] I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. He breaks the flow of thanksgiving with his personal recollection of Timothy at his last meeting, which shows the emotional connection between them. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith referring to the unquestioning acceptance of Pauline Christianity, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois who does not receive mention elsewhere. Acts 16:1 refers to Timothy's mother as a convert from Judaism. The father was not a Christian. The faith also lived in your mother Eunice. It supposes that both Lois and Eunice were Christian. Acts 16:1 mentions the faith of "Eunice," who is a Jewish-Christian with a Gentile husband. Her gift of faith to Timothy is twofold. It includes her ancestry in the Jewish faith - which she now maintains and continues, as it now must be, through faith in Jesus Christ. And now, I am sure, the faith lives in you. The author returns to the formal thanksgiving theme, offering thankfulness for God's work in Timothy's life. Just as he cited his ancestral lineage of faith, he now lists Timothy's heritage -- reminding this disciple that he is in good company. Unlike many first-century Christians, Timothy was able to reach out and touch the foundations of his faith: the persons of his own grandmother and mother. The bulk of this letter will focus on an appeal to Timothy to stay loyal - and here the author reminds Timothy that by abiding in his faith, remaining loyal to it, he not only honors God, but he also upholds the gift of faith that was passed down to him by his mother and his grandmother. Timothy's faith is not just his own - it is part inheritance as well - and he must be careful to safeguard such a precious gift.
II Timothy 1:6-14 is a charge to Timothy. 6 For this reason I remind suggesting that the author had some evidence that his friend was slipping back into old habits or allowing the reins of church leadership and spiritual enthusiasm to slip from his grasp. Reminding you to rekindle, a metaphor for building up a dying fire, the gift of God, which could refer to the gift of the Holy Spirit. Though the author does not accuse the faith of Timothy of "dying," the author does urge him now to fan up his special "gift" into strong, unquenchable flames. This "gift" is not faith itself, but the "gift of God" Timothy received when God called him to ministry. The gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands. This gift, the author further reminds him, received recognition and confirmation through a service of laying on of hands. I Timothy 4:14 describes the scene as the laying on of hands by the elders - but here the author is anxious to affirm his own role in Timothy's call and mentions only his own hands. If this is a reprimand, he delivers it with a light touch. On the heels of Paul's thankfulness for Timothy's faith, the apostle attaches an uncharacteristically gentle reprimand. Timothy's faith is securely grounded in an assured line of transmission, from grandmother, to mother, and to himself. Yet, no one simply inherits faith. God strikes the fire in the soul. Ordination conferred this fire in the soul. The family transmitted the faith and the church mediated God. The author first "reminds" his coworker in ministry of the empowering touch, the laying on of hands, that transformed this young man into a church leader, administrator, and spiritual mentor for new fragile Christians. The apostolic gospel functioned as a given norm in the process of developing the episcopal office, a norm that alone could give validity to the office, and to which the early church tied bishops in the discharge of their office. Despite the biblical attestation for laying on of hands as we see here, the church in medieval times did not regard the laying on of hands as the specific ordination rite because it used laying of hands in various sacraments. Only in 1947 did Pius XII conclude from liturgical inquiries into the history of ordination that laying on of hands is the proper sign of ordination and state expressly that the handing over of the chalice and paten is not an essential part of the sacrament according to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ. The benefit of this statement is that it opened a new situation in ecumenical discussion of ordination. The Council of Trent said that ordination confers a gift while referring to this passage. However, Vatican II related the imparting of grace and abiding character to the empowering of ordained ministers to act in the person of Christ as teachers, pastors, and priests. Thus, the gift conferred on ministers by their ordination relates to their function, not to their personal standing in grace. This is the crucial point in the controversy between Catholic and Protestant views of ordination. Within the Lutheran Church, this is no repetition of ordination for two reasons. First, calling to ministry in the church takes place in connection with the instituting of ministry for the whole church, not just for ministry to a specific local congregation. Second, ministry on the Lutheran view is for life, not just for a limited period. Today we regard once-for-all ordination that rules out repetition as the true meaning of the Roman Catholic doctrine of indelible character. Of course, they may still cease to exercise their ministry or authorities may inhibit from its exercise.[2] 7 For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, including himself in his admonishment. The term often occurs in battle contexts to describe unmasked terror in the face of difficulties. Armed with this spirit, Timothy should not be ashamed of what happened to Jesus (his martyrdom) or of what is happening to Paul (his imprisonment). But rather a spirit the attributes of this "spirit" would be ones routinely assigned to the Holy Spirit, though some think they are inner qualities and character, of power and of love and of self-discipline. 8 Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord, for he must proclaim Jesus' ignominious death on the cross, or of me his prisoner, there is no "shame" in imprisonment, for he is a prisoner of Christ only, not of any civil authorities. But join with me in suffering for the gospel. ˆBecause Timothy has the spirit of God’s power, he should embrace his portion of suffering that comes along with the good news of God. The reader may continue the apostolic sufferings of Paul. The possibility of suffering ought not to daunt him. He urges the timid and fearful Timothy to join in the suffering of the author-- an ordeal that may include not only imprisonment but abandonment by those who had earlier claimed friendship and alliance (see v. 15). One can endure the suffering by relying on the power of God. Paul now strengthens his appeal to Timothy's loyalty despite approaching hardship. Paul identifies two potential threats to Timothy's steadfastness. (1) One threat to the steadfastness of Timothy is the growth in power and persuasiveness of the "false teachers" and their deceitful messages. Paul will deal with this threat later in the letter. (2) A second threat to the steadfastness of Timothy is the fallout that may occur in the Christian community due to imprisonment and thus absence of the author. He starts to deal with this threat now.
II Timothy 1:9-10 could be a citation, hymn, or confession of faith, given its poetic structure. He offers a creed-like formula as a defense for what he is calling Timothy to do. Thankfully, neither Paul nor Timothy nor any other Christian need manufacture some super-human skills to survive and scale this turmoil and these betrayals. The author tailors the "creedal" confession to fit Timothy - a hesitant Christian whom the author has reminded to "fan the flame" and to not have shame. The author expounds a typically Pauline account of the miraculous gift of grace believers have received from Christ. He begins by testifying to the constant activity and present of God in the call of Timothy. The power of God 9 who saved us and called us with a holy calling (his ordination and ministry), not according to our works, only here and Titus 3:5 do the Pastoral Epistles speak against salvation by works, but according to his own purpose and grace.God's activity has a dual nature - both purpose and grace. Obviously, salvation is not due to anything an individual does.This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began. These two divine reasons God has established forever and acted out in history with the arrival of Jesus on earth. The decisive saving has already happened. He can depend upon God to complete the task. As the creedal confession continues, it seems to fit Timothy perfectly - to give encouragement to one who is facing the possibility of suffering for the sake of his faith. 10 But it has now been revealed through the appearing in the Incarnation of our Savior Christ Jesus, suggesting the pre-existence of Christ, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. The apocalyptic term “mystery” came to form a complex whole in combination with the concept of “revelation.” The preaching of Christ discloses in it the mystery of the divine plan of salvation that God had hidden through eternal ages, but God now reveals through Jesus Christ. The point of the plan of salvation that God fulfilled in Jesus Christ and his atoning death is the bringing of all people into participation in salvation by faith.[3] The transforming power of God's grace is accessible to all here and now, freeing us from sin's hold, making it possible for us to embody a genuinely "holy calling." Jesus Christ's life and death have brought about a "realized eschatology." Those "in Christ" need have no fear of suffering, no shame of failure since God has already abolished death and brought life.
11 For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, 12 and for this reason I suffer as I do. His divine appointment has led to his suffering. But I am not ashamed, referring not to the gospel itself, but to the fact that he is in prison, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust (my deposit). Note that this is a person-based declaration. Paul is not ashamed because he knows "in whom" not "in what" he has "entrusted" or "committed" himself. Because Paul is so personally in touch with his Savior, he confidently entrusts the "deposit" of his life, his very soul, to Jesus Christ. Grammatical quirks make it possible to read verse 12 in two ways. If a subjective genitive, it could refer to a declaration of "what I have entrusted to him." It expresses the sense of responsibility in the preservation and transmission of the Pauline gospel. Faith should not grow weak because of suffering. Personal faith has not given way to a formal creed, as some have charged. The focus is God's ability to guard. Alternatively, it could be an objective genitive, "what has been entrusted to me." Instead of confusing the meaning, however, this double entendre helps to remind contemporary readers -- even as Paul sought to remind Timothy -- that both gift and duty are part of discipleship. Appointment to preach is an appointment to suffer. To suffer for this reason is honor, not shame. God is trustworthy, so one can rely on God. And I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him. 13 Hold to the standard of sound teaching, offering the caution, that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. To be sound teaching, it must be cogent, rational, and intellectually within reach of the average person. Sound teaching for Paul did not include a prosperity gospel, a therapeutic gospel of self-help nor a “God is my buddy” gospel. Do not be seduced by theological fads, he might say. 14 Guard the good treasure entrusted to you. Timothy has a responsibility to transmit the Pauline faith. This recalls the language found in verse 13. In this case, however, it seems likely that what Paul has entrusted to Timothy, the "good treasure," is the "sound teaching" that will now see him through these challenging times. He will so guard with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us. The Holy Spirit is the only way Timothy will guard this treasure. Paul is the model for Christian ministry. The author encourages the reader to follow the example of Paul. The Roman Catholic Church will go to this passage as a biblical basis for its view of the transmission of tradition.
Paul’s last words to Timothy in these verses can be distilled into four reminders:
- recharge your batteries
- do not apologize
- hone your teaching skills
- protect what you have
Security is important these days. National security is always a major concern as voters go to the voting booth. I think that any proper reading of the world situation today is that the values we hold in common in America of freedom, tolerance, pluralism, rational discussion of differing ideas, is under attack from an ideology that wants to bring down what we know as Western Civilization. Christianity has been an important part of building such values over the centuries.
Personal security is also a big deal these days. If you let yourself think about it, the information that we post online could cause much damage if hacked by some criminal. Not only that, but most of us have so much to guard. We have homes, possessions, money, data, and our identities. It seems as if troublemakers abound, ready to exploit any holes in our defenses, weakness in firewalls, lag in virus programs, failure to back up documents, or laxness with personal information.
At the same time, some impressive new tools are now available to help us fend off these attacks. Guarding our homes, for example, is now easier than ever, especially if we are comfortable with technology and are willing to spend top dollar for a state-of-the-art security system. With such systems, we can arm our home-security alarm with our smartphones even if we are not nearby at the time. We can receive email alerts every time our front door opens, even if we are miles away. If we want to know who opened it, we can summon a 30-second video clip from a camera that monitors the door.
We can also install electronic walls around our information, bank accounts and investments that allow us to control who has access to them. We can have retinal scanners, thumb and fingerprint readers, passcodes, barcodes, motion sensors and more. Yet, it seems as if security is an ongoing struggle, and bad people keep figuring out clever new ways to take advantage of us.
Have you ever thought of the Christian faith as being under attack?
II Timothy 1:14 urges Timothy to "guard the good treasure" that God has entrusted to him. By "the good treasure," the author apparently means the Christian faith.
If the apostolic faith was under attack in the first century, one can be quite certain it will be in this century. We can all have gratitude for the value of liberty in the West. However, at least since the end of WWII in America, the secular culture has increasingly distanced itself from the obvious Christian influences on American history. The temptation will be great to close the gap by surrendering Christian beliefs and values in favor of the popular themes of the culture. Yet, culture is far from uniform. Technology allows for the splintering of the culture into various subcultures or tribes. Christians may well become their own tribe, but more likely, they will long for acceptance from another tribe. The reason for this is the dominance of political ideology and the importance of political power. Such matters are difficult and important. Yet, the temptation to make the Christian faith serve the interests of a political ideology, where of Left or Right, is another form of idolatry. Further, at an institutional level, in political, economic, entertainment, and media, people have worked quite hard to separate the culture from Christian influence. Many within the church have reciprocated by offering stinging critiques of American civilization. In fact, the temptation within the church would be to avoid a negative image. The temptation might be to adopt secular beliefs and values to avoid a negative image.
What sort of actions should the idea of guarding the faith suggest? Is the faith a sort of Hope Diamond around which we should erect a security wall? I recall the scene in Mission: Impossible where Tom Cruise comes down from the ceiling of a vault and almost trips the alarm, suspended inches from the floor that would have tripped the alarm. A Pink Panther scene comes to mind as well. Should we be monitoring potential threats to Christianity to prevent anything from disappearing from it? I have read enough of Christian theology to know that we can be grateful that some things have fallen away. The anti-Semitism of Christian history is shameful. The right of women to hold leadership positions is steadily gaining recognition throughout Christianity. The church gave too much latitude in the colonial period to Western leaders who wanted to colonize whole continents to extract their wealth. Yet, many missionaries were among the leaders in urging their respective countries to give proper regard and respect to the Other. While many Christians attacked slavery and racism, far too many supported it and participated in it. Has God called Christians to stack sandbags on our theological borders as a precaution against the relentless and encroaching tides of secularism, moral relativism, and cultural decline?
The church, at its best, does two things. It represents Christ, as an ambassador and witness in the world, calling people to commit their life and faith to Jesus. The church also re-presents Christ or presents Christ again to the world through its words and actions.[4] The best defense of the gospel will always be the lives of Christians and the life of the community. Such a defense will always be imperfect, of course. Yet, showing people what life is like in the Spirit, as a foretaste of the coming rule of God, may well be the best we can offer.
[1] Jouette M. Bassler, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus [“Abingdon New Testament Commentaries,” Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press, 1996], 128).
[2] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 3, 380, 394-5, 397
[3] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 1, 211.
[4] (John MacQuarrie, Principles of Christian Theology, 396)
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