Gospel of John [17:17-18]. The Lord's priestly prayer; part 26. 2Ti 2.Title: Gospel of John [17:17-18]. The Lord's priestly prayer; part 26. 2Ti 2.
Joh 17:17 "Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth.
Joh 17:18 "As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
2Ti 2:1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2Ti 2:2 And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.
2Ti 2:3 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
2Ti 2:4 No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.
2Ti 2:5 And also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.
2Ti 2:6 The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.
2Ti 2:7 Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
We all need to consider passages of scripture in order to come to deep understanding rather than just try to gobble them up as quickly as possible.
"Consider" is a word that means, "to perceive with the mind, to understand, think upon, ponder, consider." Expositors translates, "'Grasp the meaning' of these three similes."
When considering pondering, and thinking upon such things, if I have a hard time understanding then ask of God who gives all things liberally.
Similes to consider: 1) Soldier - not entangled in details, hardship expected, trust the King. 2) Athlete - separation from world, follow the rules. 3) Farmer - labor will be wearisome and he has the right to derive his financial support from it.
Paul had used the illustration of a soldier. Timothy was to live a rugged, strenuous Christian life in which hardships as the result of serving the Lord Jesus were an expected thing. He used the simile of a Greek athlete. Timothy should live a life of rigid separation, not merely with respect to evil things, but also with regard to things which, good in themselves, would unfit him for the highest type of Christian service. Paul now uses the metaphor of a tiller of the soil. Timothy is reminded that the Christian worker who labors with wearisome effort in the Lord's service, has the right to derive his financial support from it, so that he might be able to give all of his time and strength to his work.
2Ti 2:8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel,
2Ti 2:9 for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.
2Ti 2:10 For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.
These three verses form the conclusion of the paragraph. He presses home this part of the lesson by passing from simile to concrete example of Christ's own hardship that resulted in glory, which was then imitated by Paul in a lesser way.
Similes and metaphors are great for understanding, but the concrete example of all things is Jesus Christ who can be a true example to us.
2Ti 2:8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel,
The resurrection is not presented here as a historical fact but as the reward that the Lord Jesus Christ received. He suffered at the hands of evil men but He rose from the dead. His enemies had no hold over Him, the ruler of this world, Satan, has nothing in Him and will be cast out. It is right that we trust in Him for He is alive and victorious.
Heb 2:9 But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.
Jesus Christ is the seed of David, emphasizing His humanity, the ultimate soldier, athlete, and field laborer. And He is a concrete example to us.
The incarnation and the resurrection of Christ were two doctrines that were immediately attacked by false teachers and their truth became imperiled in the early church. The person of Christ and His resurrection were blended with mysticism and infused with pagan ideas so that these truths might lose their reality and concrete example to us all. This has happened to the churches in every client nation in Church history.
If a believer entertains in his mind that there is any chance that the resurrection of Christ is a myth only, any slim chance, will he suffer for its sake? In fact, for the apostles and men like Timothy, these very truths believed in and persisted in, furnished them with the best grounds for steadfastness in their testimony of the gospel, for which they all suffered as soldiers at war. Timothy's association to Paul caused him suffering, but his faith in the resurrection glory of Christ enabled him to cast off that suffering from hindering his heart's work with Paul for the gospel.
2Ti 2:9 for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.
2Ti 2:10 For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.
Paul suffered imprisonment as a criminal. Why was he so vilified? He was in the era of the emperor Nero who persecuted Christians who were viewed as separatists (ironically many were likely obeying the commands of sanctification). History records that Nero vilified Christians for the burning of Rome, but we cannot tell if Paul lived long enough to be a part of that particular persecution. The history of the last days or even few years of Paul are frustratingly vague. The most likely scenario is that he was imprisoned the first time for two years, released, and then a couple of years later, arrested again. From this epistle we can conclude that his first defense was successful enough for him not to be executed (2Ti 4:16-17), but in due time he was pronounced guilty and sentenced to death (2Ti 4:6-8). It was likely death by sword. His charge was likely that he was a leader of the Christians and a persistent disturber of the peace of the provinces. Whether this happened before or directly after the burning of Rome, it is impossible to say for sure.
Yet Paul was shackled, however, as he puts so well, the word of God could not be imprisoned. The gospel continued to go forth, saving soul after soul.
Paul saw the trails being blazed by the gospel as more important than his suffering.
No doubt he recollected writing:
Rom 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
There are so many more out there who are going to be chosen because they will believe in the gospel and they will be resurrected in Christ to eternal glory, and so the harvest was still plentiful and though the workers were few, Paul was determined to be one of them, whether he was in prison sentenced to death or not. |