“Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments.”
–Paul, writing to Timothy
2 Timothy 4:9–13
We need each other
There’s a lot of urgency in the beginning of this passage of Scripture. These are most likely the last words we have that were ever written by Paul. Throughout 1 and 2 Timothy, Paul reminds Timothy he has a lot of work to do because Ephesus is so messed up with sin and false teaching. Here, Paul is at a point in his life where he needs someone to minister to him. He needs Timothy soon.
God has wired us in such a way that we need each other. There is nothing weak, sinful, lame, or broken about saying we need people around us to encourage and serve us. Paul knows that the end is near (2 Tim. 4:6–7). He needs Timothy to come and minister to him soon.
Loss and loyalty
Demas was with Paul when the persecution began. Given the option of choosing Jesus and persecution or turning from Jesus and avoiding persecution, Demas chose the latter. That was probably painful for Paul to have such a close friend betray him. Often, our greatest heartbreaks in ministry will be people who don’t just leave us, but leave the faith. Even Mark, who he also wants to see soon, had once abandoned him. Paul thought Mark was a coward after he left them in Pamphylia, but he forgave him and their relationship was restored by the power of Jesus.
The list of men who had stuck by his side for the long haul was short. The most important of those men was Timothy. Paul discipled Timothy from a young age and was most likely his best friend. Even though he may not have been as theologically gifted as Paul, Timothy brought him an immense amount of encouragement and hope (1 Tim. 1:3).
Who is your Timothy?
Who is your Timothy? Perhaps it’s someone you’ve discipled. When things are tough, it’s important to have someone like that by your side. We may not all have a Paul in our life, but we can all have a Timothy. It’s always a reciprocal relationship. If you don’t have that kind of person in your life, ask Jesus to bring them and wait. I promise he will honor that prayer.
This is Pastor Dave’s ninth and last post on 2 Timothy. Check out parts one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and eight. Stay tuned next Thursday as he hits Titus 1:1–3.
