Paul wrote 2 Timothy from a dark and damp Roman prison cell
just before his beheading in AD 67. The Roman emperor Nero had been slowly
descending into madness since his ascent to the throne in AD 54, a process made
worse by the great fire of Rome in AD 64 that burned half the city. With the
residents of Rome in an uproar, Christians became a convenient target for Nero.
He used believers as scapegoats for his city’s own lack of preparedness. Paul
was one of those caught up in this persecution and was beheaded by Roman
officials soon after writing this letter.
By the time Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, the
young pastor had been ministering to the church at Ephesus for four years, and
it had been almost that long since he had received his first letter from Paul. Paul
wrote again to this young leader in the church at Ephesus to provide him
encouragement and fortitude in the face of difficulties and trials. Timothy had
been a faithful servant to Paul since he had left home with the apostle more
than a decade earlier. Since then, Timothy had ministered alongside Paul for
the duration of both the second and third missionary journeys in places such as
Troas, Philippi, and Corinth.
Paul understood that the ministry would only become more
difficult for Timothy with the apostle’s impending death. (At some point after
this letter from Paul, Timothy was imprisoned for his faith [Hebrews
13:23}). Paul knew that Timothy’s task of
keeping the church within the bounds of sound doctrine while encouraging
believers to live their lives well for the sake of Christ would be an often
thankless and difficult task. Though hardship would come, Paul wanted Timothy
to continue in those things he had learned, drawing on the rich heritage of
faith that had been passed down to the young pastor, not just from Paul but
also from his mother and grandmother (2
Timothy 1:5, 3:15).
The most striking feature of Paul’s encouragement comes when
the aging apostle used a phrase that showed up prominently in his letter to
Timothy four years prior. In that earlier letter, Paul exhorted Timothy to
“fight the good fight” (1Timothy
1:18, 6:12). But in this letter, Paul turned that phrase on himself,
writing that he had “… fought the good fight… stayed on course and finished the race, and through it all…kept believing.” (2
Timothy 4:7,
VOICE). What a great encouragement it
must have been to the young pastor of the church at Ephesus to know that his mentor
boldly modeled his perseverance in the faith, even to the point of death.
Second Timothy brings us to the brink of death, forcing us
to consider its reality and how we might react when faced with it. Paul’s
response instructs us still today. His mind was not on himself, dwelling on the
injustice that had befallen him. Instead, trusting that God had him right where
He wanted him, the aging apostle turned his attention to others, specifically
to the church and to his young protégé, Timothy. Where do you hope your
thoughts linger as you come to the end of your days
All Scripture is given by God. And all
Scripture is useful for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their
lives. It is useful for correcting faults and teaching the right way to live. (2 Timothy 3:16, ERV)[i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“Second Timothy” by Chuck Swindoll
·
“What Is The Purpose Of The Book Of 2nd
Timothy? A Bible Study” by Jack Wellman
This topic was suggested
by my daughter, Allena Kinker.
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