Paul continues the same discussion in chapter 2, just in slightly different ways. We’re still talking about the grace of Jesus and still talking about carrying forth that which Paul started. In an echo from his first letter to Timothy, Paul encourages him to, “…entrust [what you have heard from me] to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” Basically, make disciples. Also, remember the word “disciple” means “student”. You tend to attract the type of students who you would make a good teacher for. That means as you live your life following Jesus and take people with you, don’t surprised that you’re making different kinds of disciples that focus on different things, have different skill sets, seem adept at certain areas compared to the kinds of disciples I make. It takes all kinds boys, and God is in the all kinds business. Faithful in the means, let God handle the ends. Timothy, as a teacher, will tend to attract other teachers. Seems good!
Paul then follows with three examples illustrating ways to live for Jesus. First, the picture of a soldier, being about the King’s business and suffering, if need be, to keep on with the mission at hand. Said soldier doesn’t get distracted by other affairs because, again, He’s on the King’s business. Seems like a good reminder. King Jesus says take up your cross and follow me, how often do you get derailed to pick your undies out of your butt crack and to chat up some other loafer who has decided to not be about the King’s business? Watch your distractions, especially the value you give societal work that isn’t related to what God is up to. (In case you need an example, sometimes politics is the Lord’s work, sometimes it’s a pair of undies up your butt crack. Use some discernment.)
Second, an athlete. This one’s pretty simple, if your goal is to win a certain event, you can’t cheat, got to play by the rules. The encouragement here is to be faithful to the way things are done as laid out by the actual judge of the event. Again, faithful in the means, let God handle the ends. We can get this wrong, obviously, if we try to attain the things that represent God-honoring victory in ways that don’t honor God. We can’t gimmick the masses into heaven, we can’t hide things that Jesus says that make people uncomfortable and we can’t act like you can take on the new identity Jesus provides without giving up yourself completely to it. We are faithful in the means because they are good!
Thirdly, the hard-working farmer. This one is more ambiguous because, although Paul provides some level of explanation on the first two, he simply tells Timothy to think on this one and the Lord will provide understanding. It seems right to me here for us to do the same. However, if there are certainties in here given the two examples that came before it, the ultimate point is related to the work done in service of the King and that which is reaped from it. (Some might jump to heavenly rewards here, but I’m not sure that has to be in view. What is the product, the crop of faithful disciple making and Kingdom work? Are there things that this might point to in this life as opposed to being exclusively in the next? Just something to ponder.)
Timothy’s rightful work continues in view, with Paul reminding him of the core gospel. (His gospel? Yeah, it’s the good news that Paul brings, there’s no scandal here.) Paul is suffering, bound up, the the word of God is not bound! (I mean, that’s probably in the top 3 for tattoo options. Freakin’ right the Word is not bound!) What’s Paul getting at? This is the work, man. It’s the work for Paul, it’s the work for Timothy, heck, it’s the work of disciple making. It’ll put you in the straights, people will ignore you, or try to suppress what you’re doing. As we’ve seen elsewhere people who you think were getting it turn on you or start listening to false teaching as soon as you stop giving them attention. It’s a rough deal sometimes. However, it’s done so that folk may be saved from separation from God; that they may be forever with He who loves like no one else. (The trustworthy phrase at the tail end of this is something probably worth memorizing. It’s encouraging, true, convicting, and shows God is better than us at this relationship. All good things to remember.)
You know what’s interesting, starting in verse 14 there’s a bit of a parallel between the examples from earlier. The soldier who isn’t to get distracted with other affairs shows up in, “…not to quarrel about words…”, distracted by things that aren’t essential to what’s going on. There also is a bit of a parallel with the athlete who needs to follow the rules God lays out in, “…avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness.” These aren’t slam dunks but they seem close. I’d feel more comfortable about it intentionality if there was a farm-worker-esque item here, although that would be stealing understanding that the Lord is on the hook for so I guess it wouldn’t make sense to include here either.
We covered this in the Thessalonica letters, but it sounds like that isn’t the only church who is hearing from dudes who ought to know better who are saying that the Day of the Lord has already come and gone and that the resurrection of the dead has already occurred. Why do people do that, tell lies and rile people up? Because even false knowledge is power. Once you know something someone else doesn’t, they will not only look to you to provide it but also how to react to it. It’s how you make disciples of Jesus, but it’s also how you make disciples of yourself. The distinction is the knowledge that you share and its truth. We need a great arbiter to know the difference and God provided it in Scripture. That’s how we know.
I’ll skip a full review on the vessels, just know that you’re supposed to be up to honorable use. Not sure what to pray in the morning? Try, “Lord, how can I be useful to you today? Protect me, keep me so that I may be of honorable use.” That’s not a tattoo, it’s too long and in Chinese it ends up looking like a hut on the back of a turtle.)
The chapter ends in the same vein. What does it look like to serve Jesus and others? It looks like righteousness, faith, love and peace. It looks like a pure heart, avoiding quarrels, kindness, patience in the face of evil, courage and gentleness in correction so that they may repent and know the truth and escape the snare of the devil. You know, I was thinking today of the phrase “Enoch walked with God”. Enoch didn’t sit on his brains and tell God that He was doing cool things while waiting for God to take him to heaven. God is up and about and moving and Enoch is doing the same. Salvation isn’t sedentary, it’s an active relationship with King Jesus. You can have that relationship because he allows it, no other reason. However, now that you’re friends, he gives you good gifts and Kingdom work to do. The best is yet to come, but for now. we walk with God by doing the work. We avoid sin because our King who loves us says it’s bad for us and because it brings junk into His Kingdom. What I’m getting at here is that Christians miss out on a lot of what Jesus offers because we’re sitting down yelling, “Atta boy, Jesus. Salvation! Fist pump!” Do the work. Repent. Be kind. Avoid quarrels. Make disciples. Get into prison or something. It’s not an easy life, but it’s the right one. (Did taking up a cross sound easy to you? Of course not.)