Read with Me
2 Timothy 1:1-2 (HCSB)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, for the promise of life in Christ Jesus:
To Timothy, my dearly loved son.
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Listen with Me
In this very typical opening, Paul identifies himself first as an apostle of Christ Jesus by the God’s will. This might seem strange to some people in light of the fact that this is a deeply personal message to someone he knows well.
But when you realize that this was a letter written by a man on death row facing imminent execution for his faith and for his faithfulness in carrying out his God-given mission, it makes more sense. From the moment of his Damascus Road encounter with the risen and exalted Jesus (Acts 9:1-9), every other identity Paul ever had was sublimated in his identity as an apostle, an emissary of Jesus to the wider world.
Paul also points to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, again something that might seem strange coming from someone whose life expectancy was soon to time out. But Paul had in mind much more than his future existence here on earth that many call life.
Since the moment he surrendered to Jesus, Paul had been living out eternal life in fellowship with Jesus. He fully understood that his earthly life was a temporary situation, but he also knew that its end would not be the end of his life, merely a transition to the next phase that would last forever.
Paul had met Timothy in his 40s, and his heart was drawn to the young man. Paul was single, and he had made the decision to remain single. So, he would never have a physical son of his own. In his heart he had adopted Timothy as his son in the Lord as well as his protégé. Then, Paul took Timothy with him as he ministered and proudly gave him more and more responsibility as he grew in maturity and knowledge of the Lord.
Now, in his last written contact with Timothy, hopeful that they would see each other before much time passed, but knowing that there was no guarantee of that, he greets Timothy with a prayer for the grace mercy and peace that only comes from God the Father and from Jesus the Lord.
Pray with Me
Father, it is interesting to see the human, emotionally warm side of Paul in this letter. So many of his writings are very straightforward, business-like, and even a bit gruff and confrontational. But in this letter, we get to see the heart of Paul, tender toward those in whom he has invested so much time and energy. He never loses track of who he is in You, but he also never loses track of who he is to Timothy. Thank you, Lord, for this amazing role model. Amen.