BRUCE C WEARNE in his examination of II Timothy looks at a passage which carries with it a sense of a “baton change” as Paul, reaching the end of his race, hands over to Timothy…
For I am already pretty well played out and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished off to the end of the course, I have kept [watch over] the faith. For the rest, I have a crown of right-standing set aside for me which the Lord, the righteous judge, will bestow on me on that day, but not only to me but also to all who, in love, have longed for His appearing.
Do what you can to come to me [for a visit] as soon as possible. Demas – in love with the present age – has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica – Crescens to Galatia and Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me; [which reminds me] when you come bring Mark with you for he is most gifted to me in ministry.
And Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. So, when you come, bring the cloak I left with Karpus at Troas, as well as the scrolls, and especially the parchments.
Alexander the coppersmith inflicted much evil upon me; may the Lord bestow on him and his work [what he deserves] according to what is coming to him. You also should be very wary of him for he resolutely opposed our every word. – II Timothy 4: 6-15
There is a sense in the text, says Bruce C Wearne, of a “baton change”, as Paul talks about reaching the finish line in his comments to Timothy. PICTURE: Lance Grandahl
“There is also a sense here of a ‘change over’, a baton change in the ‘Good News relay’. Paul is ‘handing over’ to Timothy…Paul is coming to the finish line. The term is nearly over. In all of this he has held onto the faith, the teaching about His Lord and Master.”
We have noted how this is a very personal letter between Paul and Timothy which nevertheless is written in a way that can be read by others. That being said, we can imagine Timothy’s parents or grandmother reading this and being profoundly impressed by the relationship and trust that is evident between these two believers in Christ Jesus.
An elder or a deacon in the church would read this letter to be encouraged to adhere to the teaching; and we reading this now are reminded how, by the grace of God, personal relationships are established and deepened. Timothy can surely use this letter to show that he is indeed acting in line with Paul’s teaching and direction.
But this is also the artefact of a deep friendship. When we read it with that in mind, we sense why, under God’s oversight, it has been preserved.
There is also a sense here of a “change over”, a baton change in the “Good News relay”. Paul is “handing over” to Timothy. It is not so much a delegation of Pauline authority as it is a commission to the one “next in line” who will have to carry on in a new situation without him. It is thus a parting admonition. Paul knows the script from which he is acting out his role; he knows that his part is nearly at an end, close to his “exit stage left”. This is the concluding stage of a struggle. Paul is coming to the finish line. The term is nearly over. In all of this he has held onto the faith, the teaching about His Lord and Master.
Mention of “the scrolls and parchments” might even suggest some kind of group writing project between Paul, Luke and Mark.
And coming to an end – the end of the time allotted to him, he can only imagine the crown that will be bestowed upon Him on the Day when the King of Kings finally and with royal splendour appears to welcome all into His everlasting Kingdom.
Paul writes “in his chains”. Are we right to presume this was penned from Rome? Here he says he is alone. He explains his hope for a visit from Timothy by referring to Demas’ departure. That appears to have been a desertion “in love with this present age” although this “love” [AGAPESAS] may suggest Paul’s irony, more about his own loss of company than Demas’s spiritual defection.
If this were a renunciation of the faith, why would Paul then list Demas’ destination along with those of Crescens and Titus? Further, Tychicus is also sent to Ephesus. If Demas is in Paul’s “bad books” shouldn’t he have been listed with Alexander the coppersmith or the other defectors that had distressed Paul earlier?
There is other evidence here to show Paul and his letter-writing is integral to the form we now have of the New Testament writings. Timothy, the young man who seems previously to have replaced Mark as Paul’s assistant in his travels, is asked to bring Mark along with him when he visits.
For us, this is indeed an intriguing piece of information. How was Mark “useful”? Had the nephew of Barnabas, the relative of Peter, told Paul what he had known about the ministry of Jesus from his own face-to-face encounter with the Lord Himself when he was gowing up in Galilee? Was this an opportunity for Mark to meet Luke?
Luke’s two New Testament accounts tell us what God had done with the son of Mary and Joseph (Luke’s Gospel) and what He continued to do when He ascended to God’s right hand to occupy the throne of a judging and redeeming Kingship (The Acts of the Apostles).
When Luke’s account is read alongside Paul’s letters to Timothy we sense that Paul is happy to write letters as a task made possible by the One who entered fully into the life of this age as a human person, to suffer death on the cross for the forgiveness of sins and to reconcile all things to God. It is in that context that the richness of these letters bursts forth with a message brim full and overflowing with a life that affirms the wonderful and fulfilling announcement of the Good News of God’s Kingdom on its way.
