Persisting in Proclaiming the Message—Lectionary Reflection for Pentecost 19C/Proper 24C (2 Timothy 3-4)

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 - New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

¹⁴ But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it ¹⁵ and how from childhood you have known sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the person of God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.

4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: ² proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage with the utmost patience in teaching. ³ For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound teaching, but, having their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires ⁴ and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. ⁵ As for you, be sober in everything, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.

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                As I write this reflection it is the Month of the Ministry, a month or maybe just a week when churches honor their ministers. There are times and places when those called to ministries of “word and sacrament,” but especially Word need encouragement. They need to hear the call to be persistent in their preaching whether the time is favorable or not. Sometimes it’s difficult to bring a necessary word because people aren’t ready or willing to hear it. I don’t know if that was true for the recipient of this letter addressed to one named Timothy from a mentoring pastor (Paul), but the call to be persistent suggests that he faced a few challenges at the very least.

                We continue our way through 2 Timothy. While Paul’s authorship is disputed, there are helpful words in these letters that speak to our own realities. Paul wants Timothy to stand firm in the faith. Continue to embrace what you were taught from the scriptures. Don’t waver. In fact, Paul reminds Timothy that he had been introduced to the sacred writings or scriptures as a child (by his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois—2 Tim. 1:5). It was these scriptures to which he had been introduced by his mother and grandmother that had instructed him in the way of salvation that comes through faith in Christ Jesus (vs. 15).

                Having acknowledged that Timothy had come to an understanding of salvation through his encounter with the Scriptures, by which Paul means the Torah or Old Testament books (perhaps the Septuagint) Paul speaks to the inspiration and authority of these texts. We need to be careful in how we read/interpret verse 16. The question that we have long faced has to do with what is meant when Paul (or the one writing in Paul’s name) declares that “all scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” First, we need to define what is meant by Scripture (graphē). The Greek word is used for ordinary writing and in itself carries no sacred meaning. In context, it appears to carry that meaning, and thus, in context, would most likely refer to the Old Testament (though there is not an official listing at this point). If the recipient(s) are Greek-speaking, we might have the Septuagint or some other Greek translation in mind. What we don’t have here is the New Testament, which is in its infancy. Secondly, we must define what we mean by inspiration. The Greek is theopneustos or “God-breathed.” That ascription has led some to believe/teach that Scripture is divinely dictated and thus inerrant. But is that what it means? It’s difficult to know for sure what is meant or how it should be used. The word that follows speaks of something being beneficial. Translators are faced with questions of whether the reference is to scripture being inspired and beneficial or inspired scripture is beneficial. As for the New Testament, it doesn’t exist yet and canonical lists emerge over time, but more by use than official decree. Scripture at this point could include something like 1 Enoch. I appreciate this word from Christopher Hutson, who draws on Pietist Philip Spener: “regardless of one’s theory of how God was involved in the production of the texts, what matters is how God ‘breathes’ on the reader. Scripture is ‘beneficial’ to one who is open to being taught, reproved, and corrected by the texts over a lifetime of prayerful study” [Hutson, First and Second Timothy and Titus, p. 196].  

Regarding this material being beneficial or useful, that occurs as it serves as the foundation for “teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” The result of this usage is that those who are taught, corrected, and trained will belong to God and be “proficient, equipped for every good work.” Ultimately, that is the key—that we who are taught through these texts or based on useful texts that are in some way inspired lead to proficiency and equipping for good works. We might think in terms of orthopraxis (right behavior/actions) rather than orthodoxy (right belief).

                This is what Timothy had been taught by his mother and grandmother and one would assume by the mentoring pastor. This is how he had been formed so he would be equipped for every good work. As a result, he was prepared to proclaim the gospel.

                As we turn from chapter 3 to chapter 4, the focus moves from Scripture/preparation to ministry. The chapter begins with a charge from Paul to Timothy. He prefaces his call to preach with these words: “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom.”  In other words, what he says to Timothy comes as a sacred declaration. He is representing God and God’s realm in this charge, for this is the foundation for Timothy’s ministry.  Now for the charge:  “proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage with the utmost patience in teaching.” The New International Version has “preach the word.” While essentially the same, they offer different nuances. Whether it’s the message or the word, be persistent in season and out of season. Don’t be deterred from your calling. Keep at it, no matter what. Here the call is a difficult one. This isn’t a call to provide “relevant Bible teaching” that will assist one in raising a family or getting along with neighbors. No Paul is charging Timothy with a much more difficult task. It involves reproving, rebuking, and encouraging. That’s strong language. At least the first two words seem harsh, though the final word is much gentler and positive. Yes, we all need to hear words of encouragement. As for reproving and rebuking, that’s not the kind of message that makes one popular. In fact, it might lead to dismissal. I know that I have shied away from scolding my congregation. Such an approach generally doesn’t work very well. It can also be rooted in unhealthy power dynamics. One must be careful how this word is implemented as it can be extremely problematic and possibly destructive. So be careful. Prophets do this, but most of us are not equipped to be prophets. Paul does suggest that the preacher do all of this with a great deal of patience.

                The next word seems appropriate for our time. The challenge facing Timothy is an audience that has “itching ears.” They want teachers who will tell them what they want to hear. Instead of listening attentively to the truth, they will wander away after myths. Now, contextually Paul could be worried that Timothy’s audience, likely Gentile Christians, could go back to the old religious beliefs (myths). That was always a possibility. While the “myths” that itch ears today might be different from those of the first century, they are still with us. Consider the lure of Christian nationalism or any number of conspiracy theories, with QAnon being perhaps the most prominent but it’s not the only one. Yes, there are lots of unsavory messages being propounded including anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, anti-Hindu, anti-Semitic, anti-LGBTQ, all manner of racist tropes, and more. Many of these messages find themselves purveyed in Christian circles. These messages, of course, require responses.

                As Timothy and all preachers who follow after him attempt to address the challenges of the day, Paul offers a final word of encouragement/admonition. He tells him always to be sober. That could involve simply taking things seriously, but in every age with addictions being possible, including alcoholism, a call to sober living might be a good word (I hear too often clergy celebrating their freedom to get drunk, a message I find disturbing not because I’m a temperance advocate, but because I worry about their health—mental and physical). Besides an encouragement to be sober, there is a call to endure suffering. This is a reality many face. Finally, Paul calls on Timothy to carry out fully his ministry of being an evangelist. Be persistent in your preaching. That’s the message of the day. As Ron Allen and Clark Williamson write: “Paul’s counsel is that the gospel of God, the incredibly good news of God’s grace lovingly offered to each and all and God’s command that justice be done to each and all, is the one word that the church is given and called to make known” [Preaching the Letters without Dismissing the Law, p. 244]. In so doing we who are called to preach and called upon to carry out this message fully.