July 9, 2014
WHERE DID EVERYONE GO? AND CAN YOU BRING MY COAT?
2 Timothy 4:9–22
Blake Sawyer
Central Truth
Your friends and God's strength are provisions from God that will sustain you in "fighting the good fight." It is a fight, though, and following Christ is hard.
Key Verse | 2 Timothy 4:17–18
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. . . . The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. . . . (2 Timothy 4:17-18)
2 Timothy 4:9–22
Personal Instructions
9 Do your best to come to me soon. 10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, 1 4:10 Some manuscripts Gaul Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. 12 Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. 14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15 Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. 16 At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! 17 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. 18 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.
Final Greetings
19 Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. 21 Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers. 2 4:21 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated brothers) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters
22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you. 3 4:22 The Greek for you is plural
Dive Deeper | 2 Timothy 4:9–22
I have to admit, this is a hard passage.
Not only that, but when I read The Journey, it is usually first thing in the morning. Coming off the "fought the good fight" of the last section, this isn't really the upper I need in the morning. That said, it is a great message and shows us a lot about Paul at the end of his life.
When I first read this passage to prepare my Journey devotional, I got lost in all the names. But the more I read it, I saw a couple of things that encouraged me.
1. Ministry is hard and sometimes lonely. From all accounts, Paul writes this possibly a year before he died. Demas has left the ministry, some of his friends have gone other places, and the friends that were there (Luke, Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia) didn't show up when he went on trial. He was there alone at the end of his ministry.
2. God stands with us and is always enough. In the midst of this despairing news, Paul notes, "The Lord stood by me and strengthened me" (verse 17). Paul's mission is accomplished because he can share the gospel with those in Rome. God's provision kept him safe in that time and continued to do so until the Lord guided him home.
3. God has set our hearts towards community. Though Paul has friends in Rome, his desire is to commune again with those he has done ministry with. He asks Timothy to come see him twice in this passage and to bring Mark as well. Even though he's said that the Lord is with him, Paul still senses the need to be near his friends and brothers. He didn't even hold against them the fact that they did not attend his trial.
I pray these things bless you as you go about your work. Know that the apostle who ended up writing more of the New Testament than anyone else felt lonely and abandoned at times, but, nevertheless, was encouraged to know that Christ was near and in the midst of Paul's circumstances.
Discussion Questions
1. When you look at your week, what hardships do you see in the forefront? Which are on the horizon?
2. Who are you leaning on in the midst of these hardships?
3. How are you seeing Christ's hand at work either to sustain you or to use those hardships to make you grow?
4. In what ways can you play the role of Timothy to encourage someone today and possibly even care for their physical needs by "bringing their coat"?