Timothy and Paul

Timothy, Tears and Farewell

The references:           Philippians 2:19, 20     I hope to send Timothy to you soon. I have no one else like him, who genuinely cares for your welfare. Like a son with his father, he has served me in preaching the Good News. 

                                    2 Timothy 1:3,4          I thank God as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day. Remembering your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy.

The story that emerges:

It is fitting that Timothy be the last friend of Paul’s to be profiled. No one was closer to Paul’s heart than him. The tenderness of Paul, his affection and sweet dependence on Timothy shines in their relationship. We will see this first in the events of the two men, and second in the legacy that the friendship left Timothy.

The Events of the two men: Timothy delivered Paul’s prison letter to the Philippian, which he also transcribed. The kind words of that letter must have brought to mind the events that the two men shared. Let me review them, beginning with their first meeting.

Lystra. They met during Paul’s first trip through the citied just over the Cilician Mountains-- Derbe, Lystra, and Iconium. Before Paul’s departure from there, he got to know Timothy and became acquainted with his family.

Lystra, second visit. Two years later he returned to these cities with Silas. He sought out Timothy, remembering him as a mature young man, highly regarded throughout the region. Paul persuaded him to join him and Silas for their mission. 

What Paul discerned in Timothy was a valued companion, a trusted confident, a teachable disciple--all which led to an intimate friendship. Timothy, for his part, had been witness to the stoning of Paul in Lystra two years previously. He saw how Paul survived, returned into the city leaving leadership in place and teaching that fulfilled Timothy’s deep study of the Scriptures. 

Philippi, Thessalonica, and Corinth. In a short period of time, after moving through Philippi and down to Corinth, Paul knew the need to bring structure and sound teaching back to the church in Thessalonica. The three missionaries decided that Timothy was the one who should return there for this further discipling. Paul sent word to them that Timothy was “our brother and God’s minister in the gospel of Christ” (1 Thess. 3:2).

Ephesus, Colossae, Corinth. Timothy does not reappear until joining Paul in Ephesus on the third missionary journey. He was well known in the wider area, being mentioned in the salutation of the letter to the Colossians. Paul sent Timothy back to Corinth to try to bring biblical teaching to bear on the behavior of the Christians there. Later Paul joined Timothy in Corinth where he wrote the Epistle to the Romans. In Paul’s closing greetings to the Roman Christians, he refers to Timothy as “my co-worker.”

Rome. He next appears in Rome while Paul was serving his first jail term. During this time Paul wrote Philippians which included the above reference to Timothy. This tender and generous praise shows Timothy as spiritual son of Paul, valued co-worker, and trusted emissary, all in one. 

These times of Paul and Timothy together put our attention on the center stage of the growth and opposition of the early church.

The Legacy:

Near the end of Paul’s life he wrote two personal letters to his friend. The first one was written  about the year 61, and the final letter about five years later, around the year 66. That would be about 20 years after Paul’s visit to Lystra when he persuaded Timothy to join him in his missionary calling. 

Appreciating a legacy requires a look back from a future point. For Timothy’s legacy we should move into Timothy’s future and then look back —let’s say to the year 86. That would be 20 years following Paul’s farewell letter. Yes, this also moves us into the realm of conjecture, a space I have not hesitated to explore in these profiles. 

This farewell letter, which we call Second Timothy, Timothy carefully preserved. Most probably he had it memorized,  reading and re-reading it. The tears that Paul recalled when the two men parted would reappear easily. Timothy would have a resurgence of dedication as he read Paul’s reminder that he “be sober-minded, endure suffering, and do the work of evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Tim. 4:5). 

In the following verses Paul lays out his legacy. Looking toward his death, he named those qualities that had occupied the heart of his life, faith, and hope. These were the core of what Paul left Timothy for his own inspiration and ministry. 

1.     He was “poured out as a drink offering.” Timothy had seen the cost of discipleship at Lystra when Paul was stoned and left for dead. He knew of the imprisonment in Philippi. He knew of the inflammatory lies against him by the Jews in Corinth and Ephesus. He also knew the forgiveness that came soon after, for his love was patient and kind. 

2.     He had “finished the race.” God had given Paul the particular gospel insight that the Gentile nations were also included in the grace of God. This bold assertion challenged the engrained elect status of the Jews. Paul faced vehement opposition from the Jews as well as resistance from the pagans. That specific calling given at Damascus held the center of his ministry until the very last. “The Lord gave me strength that through me all the Gentile nations might hear the good news” (2 Tim. 4:17).

3.     He had “kept the faith.” The depression expressed to the Corinthians, the burden of the thorn in his flesh, the crushing disappointment of friends betraying him, the torment of lashes and stoning, the list of hardships in 2 Cor. 11–-none of them separated him from the assurance of Christ’s love for him.

4.     He had a crown awaiting him. Not a crown with special ornamentals due to him, for he was the least of the apostles. No, this crown was awaiting all who look forward to His coming.

Had we met on my bench, I would have had nothing to say, nothing to ask him. I was too much in awe, too respectful of the memories and the legacy that were Timothy’s personal treasures.

In fact, I had already yielded up my place on the bench. I had another plan, a plan I intimated last week to Barnabas. That  plan was to secure the grandest hotel in Richmond, the 4-star Jefferson Hotel, and have all of these friends of Paul present. The event was to be complete with chocolate-covered strawberries—a delicacy unknown up there and in none of the places they traveled with Paul. 

The event was planned for this Saturday. Unfortunately I received the news that the hotel was on lockdown. Nothing was available. Not even a stroll by the table on the mezzanine where I wrote many a sermon. And all I wanted was for them to correct my accounts and elaborate on the events and legacies of the years with their friend Paul. 

Not to worry. That’s plenty of time to conjure up… Well, stay tuned.