Daily Writing

Sunday, 13 May 2018

You also must beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our words. 2 Timothy 4:15

It was noted in the previous verse that Alexander may have been the same individual as in Acts 19:33, a man who was selected to speak against Paul. This is probably so, because he was in Ephesus in Acts 19, and Paul is writing to Timothy who is also in Ephesus. Paul says to Timothy that, “You also must beware of him.” He did a great deal of harm to Paul, speaking against him, and maybe even testifying against him in court. If so, he would have argued that faith in Christ was not a legitimate part of the legally recognized Jewish faith. Thus, it would be religio ilicita; an unlawful religious expression. This seems likely because Paul then says, “for he has greatly resisted our words.”

Paul warns against this individual because he didn’t just speak and then shut up. Instead, he spoke and continued to speak. He actively resisted the gospel message. The words Paul speaks of him make it highly unlikely that he is speaking about the same Alexander noted in 1 Timothy. Rather, it was another Alexander, quite likely the one in Acts. The name was a common one at the time.

Life application: If you speak out for Christ today, you are bound to have people resist your words. This is so much so that some may make up entire blogs about you on the internet. A simple name search may pull up lie after lie about an individual. Throw in other believers who disagree over points of doctrine, and you might suddenly appear to the world as the greatest heretic. Are you willing to defend your belief in Christ even to this extent? Or will you quietly remain shut up about the only news that can bring salvation to the lost of the world?

Gracious and merciful heavenly Father, You have given us this one life to live before we face our day of judgment. For the lost, they failed to make the right choice about Jesus. For those who are saved, we will stand and give an account for what we were willing to say and do in His name, and for what we failed to say and do which is in accord with Your word. Help us to consider this, and to use our time wisely – speaking out about Jesus. If we are persecuted or shunned because of it, who cares! We have eternity to not care about such trifling things. Give us boldness and wisdom in this. Amen.

Saturday, 12 May 2018

Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works. 2 Timothy 4:14

This bad guy at first seems to be the same one referred to in 1 Timothy 1:20, but it is more probable that he is the individual identified in Acts 19:33. This is because he is identified as “the coppersmith.” The other Alexander, in 1 Timothy 1:20, is not so named. Paul seems to be making a distinction between the two. However, if he is the same as in 1 Timothy, it doesn’t mean he isn’t saved, or that he has lost his salvation. Rather, exactly the opposite is true based on the same terminology being used in 1 Corinthians 5. Handing someone over to Satan is a corrective measure, not a note of condemnation.

But, with the assumption that he is identified in Acts 19 and not in 1 Timothy, he is a person who was chosen to speak against Paul. He was a Jew and not favorable to faith in Christ as the fulfillment of their laws. As such, he would be one that instead of simply trusting in the grace of Jesus Christ, and allowing others to do so, continuously worked to have others brought back under the law of Moses – an annulled, obsolete, and set aside law. It is a law that was “nailed to the cross” according to Paul in Colossians 2:14. Paul says that this wayward soul, “did me much harm.” The Greek reads “did me much evil.” Based on his coming words, it seems clear that he testified against Paul in a legal sense. Whatever other things he did against Paul, it was enough for him to say, “May the Lord repay him according to his works.”

Paul is not seeking personal revenge, but the Lord’s righteousness. In harming the apostle, the apostle’s message was hindered. The gospel message is the means of salvation for all men. Therefore, if a Judaizer creeps in and steals people away from the grace found in Jesus Christ, their repayment is justly due. If not saved, they will receive their just condemnation. If saved, they can stand at the back of the line in heaven when rewards are handed out. If they persisted in their aberrant doctrine, they will be repaid with a frown and a handful of nothing. There will be only loss.

Life application: It cannot be stressed enough that those who teach adherence to the Law of Moses, in part or in whole, are to be utterly rejected. There is one gospel, and that is that Jesus Christ has fulfilled the law. We are not under law, but under grace. To reapply the law to one’s life, doctrine, and practice, is to set aside the grace of Jesus Christ. It is in essence, “Nice try Jesus, but I can do better.”

Heavenly Father, it has become fashionable for sects of Christians to teach observance of some, or all, of the Law of Moses in their daily lives as a part of somehow adhering to Your commandments. But Jesus has fulfilled the law, and initiated a New Covenant in His own blood. Shall we say to You, “Nice try God. Jesus did OK, but I can do better”? Or should we rest in the finished work of Jesus? Help us to see rightly and to apply what has been accomplished to our walk before You. Help us to live in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Friday, 11 May 2018

Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come—and the books, especially the parchments. 2 Timothy 4:13

Paul now makes a specific request for Timothy to accomplish. He says, “Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come.” It seems like a simple thing to request, easy to translate, and without any need for conflict in interpretation. And yet, it is none of these. The word is found only here in the New Testament, phelonés. Some say it is the same as the Latin word paenula, a cape which fell down below the knees.

Others say that it is a phailone which speaks of a carrying bag. This is how the translator of the Syriac understood it. Others come to one of these two same conclusions using different Greek words, either a cloak or a carrying case. Some have even combined the two, thus signifying a cloak used for carrying.

It is truly hard to be dogmatic with a word used only once, and which has so many possible roots. If it is a cloak, the request is not at all unreasonable. If winter were coming, a cloak of this type could mean life or death for a man bound in a cold Roman prison. There would even be an urgency to it. It may have been hot when he left, and he thought he would not need it immediately. However, with an extended time in prison, the need arose for his garment. Sleeping in one’s garment is actually a concept found in the Old Testament –

“If you ever take your neighbor’s garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. ²⁷ For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious.” Exodus 22:26, 27

This general thought is repeated in Deuteronomy 24:13 as well. On the other hand, it is hard to imagine Paul, a man who was so well traveled, and who would constantly move from one clime to another, would go along his route without a cloak that was needed when it was cold. And so the second option is also quite possible. If so, he had a traveling case that he left behind in the care of “Carpus at Troas.” This is the only time Carpus is mentioned in the Bible, but he was obviously someone who could be trusted by Paul. Whether cloak or carrying case, Paul had entrusted something important to him.

The idea of it being a carrying case is then bolstered by the words to Timothy that he was also to bring “the books, especially the parchments.” These would have been Paul’s cherished copies of Scripture, possibly including early copies of the gospel of Matthew, Mark, and even Luke. They could have source material for all of Luke’s interviews and the like. There could have been the writings of Greek philosophers, at times quoted by Paul during his travels and in his epistles. Whatever they contained, a carrying case would make complete sense for Paul to request.

The word “books” is translated from biblion, meaning a papyrus roll; a paper. The word “parchments” is translated from a word unique in the New Testament, membrana. One can see the modern word “membrane” as coming from it. It signifies a sheep-skin; a parchment. Whatever was written on these parchments, be it Scripture, or letters from churches, or whatever else, they were especially important to Paul. He wanted them possibly even as a witness during any trial he would face.

Life application: Is the Bible so important to you that you would request it to be brought to you if you were restricted to a hospital, a prison, or some other type of place? Or would you ask for your favorite movie to be brought to you? The most valuable possession that anyone could possess is often treated as something cumbersome or useless to their needs at such times. In fact, exactly the opposite is true. Treasure your Bible, long for its presence in your life, and let it fill the times when you so most desperately need it.

Lord God, if we have an extended stay in the hospital or some other place of confinement, what is it that we would ask our family or friends to bring us. If our first request is not the Bible, then we are erring in our priorities. The most precious treasure of all is often the thing we relegate to a much lower status than should ever be. Help us to have our priorities straight. Help us to hunger after Your word first and foremost. Amen.

Thursday, 10 May 2018

And Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 2 Timothy 4:12

The Greek more correctly reads, “But Tychicus…” Paul has asked for Timothy to join him. He then said that Demas had forsaken him, that Crescens departed for Galatia, and that Titus had gone to Dalmatia. He then noted that Luke was still with him. After that he noted that Mark should be brought along too, being useful to the ministry. With all of that understood, he then says, “But Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus.” Others had forsaken, voluntarily left, or voluntarily stayed, but Tychicus was personally sent by Paul. This may partially explain why Paul especially wants Timothy to bring Mark.

Tychicus had filled a needed role as a friend and a faithful brother, but Paul felt it more necessary that whatever business was needing to be accomplished in Ephesus was more important than keeping him in Rome. Mark would be able to assist Paul in the lack left in Tychicus’ absence.

Tychicus is mentioned Acts 20:4, Ephesians 6:21, Colossians 4:7, and Titus 3:12. In Ephesians 6, Paul calls him “a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord.” He speaks similarly well of him in Colossians.

Life application: How easy it is to sever friendships in this world. People who portray themselves as faithful friends are often faithful when the wind is blowing from the south, but when it switches 1 degree towards the east, they depart. It is the rare soul, like Luke or like Tychichus, that remains faithful. We’ll all be remembered for how we live out our lives. What will the record of our life state concerning our allegiances to our friends, our family, our employers, and our church?

Lord God, the Bible is filled with notes of the faults and failings of people throughout history. It is also filled with notes of those who were faithful to their God, their friends, and to those around them. Each life is recorded to reveal to us how we can and should conduct our own lives, because we also will be remembered by You and judged for the life we lived. Help us to remember this truth, and act faithfully towards others, and especially towards You. Amen.

Wednesday, 9 May 2018

Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry. 2 Timothy 4:11

Luke is none other than the author of the Gospel which bears his name, and also the book of Acts. He is thus either the only Gentile to author some of the Bible, or – if Job was written by Job – one of only two. This can be determined from Colossians 4 where Luke is excluded from being one of the “circumcision” noted in Colossians 4:11. Though some argue against it, they do so in vain. He was neither a proselyte to Judaism nor was he a Jew. He was, and he remained, a Gentile. He stuck with Paul through many adventures as indicated by the book of Acts, normally seen during the “we” sections. Luke would say “we” to indicate that he was personally with Paul and others at those times. Paul had Luke with him there in Rome during this incarceration as well.

He then directs Timothy to, “Get Mark and bring him with you.” This is speaking of John Mark (Acts 15:27), the writer of the gospel of Mark. This note to bring Mark along is especially tender because in Acts, he had been the traveling partner of Paul and Barnabas on one of their missionary journeys. However, he had left to go back home before completion of the work. Acts 15:36-39 details an argument between Paul and Barnabas over taking Mark with them again. The Greek word used indicated that it was a very strong argument. This led to them splitting up. Paul took Silas and departed, traveling through Syria and Cilicia. Barnabas took Mark and they traveled to Cyprus.

It appears that even if the argument between Paul and Barnabas never died down, which is unknown, there was at least reconciliation between Paul and Mark. As Paul says, “for he is useful to me for ministry.” It is unknown how, or in what capacity, this was so. But Paul ensures that Timothy understood this now. Timothy stood in much the same relationship to Paul as Mark once had. By acknowledging Mark as useful, it shows that reconciliation was both possible and a good thing. It is a lesson for Timothy to remember as he assumed the mantle of the next generation of leaders within the church.

Life application: It is never mentioned if Paul and Barnabas reconciled or not. However, it is probably so. If Paul and Mark did, then unless Barnabas had already died, it is a pretty good indication that they did also. Mark was Barnabas’ cousin, and so the family news would be well known. Such is only speculation, but it should be a reminder to each of us that reconciliation, if possible, is always the preferred option. We will be facing our fellow Christians for all eternity. How much better then to let enmity die before we do!

Lord God, it is rather easy to break off friendships in today’s world. The “unfriend” button is so tempting to click, even over small disagreements. But the reasonable thing to do is to not take offense at every little thing which bothers us. We have become a world full of offended people, instead of those who are willing to overlook faults. Help us in this, especially with those who are our fellow believers in You. Amen.