Paul wants Timothy to share his faith and to deliver it. Paul wants you to share his faith and to deliver it, too.
It would be difficult to pass over the Old Testament and Gospel texts assigned for this week, with their rich lessons. In Genesis 4, the Cain and Abel episode recalls Eve’s faith in the Lord’s proto-evangelical promise and foreshadows our Lord’s sacrifice in the death of Abel whose blood still speaks (see Hebrews 11:4, 12:24). In the Luke 18 pericope, our Lord gives the preacher two lessons on Kingdom politics to choose from: The Pharisee and the tax collector and Jesus’ “Let the children come to Me.” But the six verses of 2 Timothy 4 assigned as the epistle offer fodder for the preacher to meditate on as well and serves as a fitting close to weeks of treating these Pauline letters if you are preaching the pastoral epistles as a series.
Even if you are not observing “Reformation Day” on this Sunday with its specially assigned readings, it may be of interest anyhow to think about a connection to the Reformation, since a commemoration day among Lutheran churches also happens to fall on this particular Sunday rather felicitously, the commemoration of Paul Gerhardt (hymnwriter, 1607-1676). I would encourage you to meditate on one of his most famous hymns, O Lord How Shall I Meet You, as you prepare the 2 Timothy 4 text this week. You will find there are some remarkable touchpoints across the pericope and the seventeenth century hymn. Look particularly at the last half of the hymn and you will read lines that emphasize Paul’s words at the end of the pastoral:
I lay in fetters groaning; You came to set me free.
I stood, my shame bemoaning; You came to honor me.
A glorious crown You give me, a treasure safe on high
That will not fail or leave me as earthly riches fly.
He comes to judge the nations, a terror to His foes,
A light of consolations and blessed hope to those
Who love the Lord’s appearing. O glorious Sun, now come,
Send forth Your beams so cheering, and guide us safely home.
These verses and others proclaim purely the work of God in Christ on behalf of the sinner. It uses images of the atonement to describe how God has come down to man, giving him a crown of victory and treasure in Heaven, embracing man in reconciliation, being very present with him, and offering hope at the last day to those who love the Lord’s coming.
Let us focus, for a moment, on “those who love the Lord’s appearing.” “Appearing,” this particular word is used in the New Testament only by Paul, and five out of the six times it is situated in the pastoral epistles. Paul uses it to describe both the first coming (2 Timothy 1:10) and the second coming of Christ (1 Timothy 6:14; Titus 2:13). Only here in 2 Timothy 4:8 is Christ’s coming the object of peoples’ love. What does it mean to “love the Lord’s appearing?”
On the one hand, it can mean to appreciate that Christ has come in His incarnation, born of a woman, born under the Law, to redeem those under the Law, that we might receive adoption as sons and daughters of God (Galatians 4:4). To love that incarnate Christ means to extend the love of God, the love which caused Him to take on human flesh, to extend it, in turn, to all flesh, to see in your neighbor the same flesh Christ wrapped Himself in, and to love the Lord’s appearing, not just at Christmas, but in your neighbor too.
To love that incarnate Christ means to extend the love of God, the love which caused Him to take on human flesh, to extend it, in turn, to all flesh, to see in your neighbor the same flesh Christ wrapped Himself in, and to love the Lord’s appearing, not just at Christmas, but in your neighbor too.
On the other hand, it can mean to anticipate with eager longing the second coming of our Lord, the fulfillment of our salvation, and the final judgment on the world. This too would cause us to love our neighbor, this time with the nuance of proclaiming God’s judgment on sin, God’s salvation in Christ, and God’s promise that the current sufferings we endure are not long, that His coming is soon, and it is to be hoped for eagerly. This happens when we have faith in His promises. But notice that loving His coming is not simply for the solitary old man who is looking forward to the finish line (as Paul describes himself, about to win the crown, the laurel of victory, his in Christ). It is for all who love the Lord’s coming. That all is populated with those who have had the Gospel preached to them, have been encouraged and spurred on to love and good deeds, who have not given up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but have encouraged one another, and all the more as they see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:24-25). Because the kind of love Paul is describing to Timothy is always outward facing, always centered on neighbor, on Christ in neighbor, on God in return for what God has given you. It is more than simply reciprocal affection. It involves sacrifice of self, sacrifice of ego, sacrifice of interest, and looks farther than the end of our nose to the one in need. Loving the Lord’s appearing means loving those who need to know the Lord before His appearing so they too can trust in Him, hope in Him, and love the Lord’s appearing on the final day.
In other words, just as Paul is preaching to Timothy at the end of his own life with an appeal to do the work of an evangelist (2 Timothy 4:17), you are invited to overhear the urgency of continuing that work of evangelism in light of the Lord’s appearing.
The heart of the Gospel, the core of the evangel in that evangelism, is the Christ, whom you are invited to overhear in Paul’s last testimony to Timothy. Where is the Christ in this reading? Jesus is the righteous judge who bestows a crown of life, who awards those who love His appearing (2 Timothy 4:8). At 2 Timothy 4:17, Jesus is the one who stood by Paul and strengthened him at his first defense (Timothy was with Paul in his first imprisonment, Philippians 1:1; this may be a court defense in a second imprisonment). Jesus is the one Paul trusts to rescue him and bring him safely to His heavenly Kingdom (2 Timothy 4:18). Finally, Jesus is the object of Paul’s concluding doxology: To Him be the glory forever and ever.
Why can Paul trust Jesus at the center of all his end-of-life testimony to Timothy? He can proclaim boldly that he has “finished the race” because his Lord said first that “it is finished” (John 19:30). He can announce faithfully that he has “fought the good fight” (the verb agōnizomai) because his Lord first suffered His own agony, and Paul’s, and yours. He can say with confidence that he has “kept the faith” (that wonderful word tēreō which means “guard,” “hold close,” “cherish,” “possess,” “value,” “preserve”) because his Lord first kept him (refer to Psalm 121, where the Septuagint (LXX) translates the Hebrew shamar with the synonymous Greek verb phylassō). Paul can expect a “crown of righteousness” which has been laid up for him, resonant with the cultural image of a crown of gold (Revelation 14:14) and especially in the pastorals, with their emphasis on military and athletic metaphors for service in God’s Kingdom, and the Hellenistic image of the victor’s wreath (1 Corinthians 9:25), because his Lord first wore a crown of thorns for him (John 19:2-5).
Hear in these connections, preacher, the great reversal, the sweet swap, the confidence a dying man has in life to come because of how the living God died. Paul wants Timothy to share his faith and to deliver it. Paul wants you to share his faith and to deliver it, too. You will know it has landed when your people too can say confidently with the apostle, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into His heavenly Kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:18). Our only confidence is the Lord who comes as judge, who comes as redeemer, who...
He comes to judge the nations, a terror to His foes,
A light of consolations and blessed hope to those
Who love the Lord’s appearing. O glorious Sun, now come,
Send forth Your beams so cheering, and guide us safely home.
To Him be the glory forever and ever! Amen. God bless your preaching this week!
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out 1517’s resources on 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you preaching 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
The Pastor’s Workshop-Check out all the great preaching resources from our friends at the Pastor’s Workshop!
