Chapter Four

The responsibilities of Timothy in view of the expected coming of Christ and the departure of the Apostle Paul from this life (1–8). Conclusion of the epistle: various commissions, commands, advice, and greetings (9–22).

2 Timothy 4:1. I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: “By his appearing and his kingdom”—an inaccurate and insufficiently definite translation. Rightly this phrase should be translated thus: “in accordance with His appearing at the end of days—on the one hand, and in accordance with His kingdom—on the other.” Christ will judge as One who comes already clothed in the honor and power of God, not as the poor son of man who lived in the form of a servant, who was crucified in weakness—not as taken from among the living, but as risen and reigning in heaven and destined to establish His eternal kingdom on earth (John Chrysostom). Accordingly, all the dead and the living will stand before Him in judgment, and He will render to each according to his due. Timothy should remember this whenever he finds it difficult in his struggle with enemies.

2 Timothy 4:2. proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. “Be persistent”—more accurately: come forward (Jer 46:14 in the Septuagint and 2 Sam 1:20). “Whether the time is favorable or unfavorable”—that is, without paying attention to whether this coming forward seems timely to those before whom Timothy must speak.

2 Timothy 4:3. For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, Timothy should now take the opportunity to approach listeners with exhortation, because a time will come when he will no longer find people willing to listen to him; people will prefer to hear other teachers.

2 Timothy 4:4. and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. Cf. 1 Tim 1:4.

2 Timothy 4:5. As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully. Even in Timothy’s time such unhealthy strivings for novelties in Christianity were already appearing. Therefore Timothy must be “vigilant” (in Russian: “sober”), in contrast to those teachers who, like intoxicated men, do not give themselves a clear account of what they are saying, do not distinguish between important and unimportant, between form and content, paying attention rather to what satisfies the tastes of the crowd. Such people will not suffer for the Gospel, but Timothy is obliged to do so. “Evangelist” (not just one who tells the life and relates the words of the Savior, but a missionary who preaches Christian teaching in general with the aim of spreading the kingdom of Christ. “Carry out”—that is, fully, not half-heartedly; regard your ministry as the purpose of your life (cf. Luke 1:1).

2 Timothy 4:6. For I am already being offered as a sacrifice, and the time of my departure is at hand. Until now Timothy had his support in Paul. But now the great apostle to the Gentiles is leaving this life. He is poured out like wine offered as a sacrifice to God (an allusion to the forthcoming martyrdom of the apostle).

2 Timothy 4:7. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith; “I have kept the faith.”—The apostle speaks here of the general Christian faith.

2 Timothy 4:8. from now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing. “Reserved”—more accurately: lying ready (is laid up). “Of righteousness”—that is, of righteousness: the apostle thinks of the crown as a reward for his righteous life. But in what the crown consists is not said. It is certain only that it is a symbol of heavenly glory (1 Pet 5:4), eternal life (Jas 1:12). “The Lord”—that is, Jesus Christ (cf. John 5:22). “His appearing”—of course, the second (cf. 2 Tim 4:1).

2 Timothy 4:9. Do your best to come to me soon. “Soon.” In 2 Tim 4:21 it is added—before winter. Perhaps Timothy had already notified the apostle that he was planning to come to Rome.

2 Timothy 4:10. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. The apostle feels himself alone in Rome. “Demas”—was earlier a co-worker of the Apostle Paul. (Phlm 1:24), but now has gone to Thessalonica for his own personal, perhaps commercial, affairs. “Crescens to Galatia”—that is, to Gaul, which was known to the ancient Greeks and in the early Christian period as Galatia, whereas eastern Galatia was called Galatia of Asia or Gallograecia. “Titus to Dalmatia,” that is, to southern Illyricum. “Only Luke is with me.” Perhaps Luke is particularly needed by the Apostle Paul, who often suffered illness, as a physician (cf. Col 4:14).

2 Timothy 4:11. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful in my ministry. “Mark”—about Mark see the introduction to the Gospel of Mark. “For his ministry”—that is, for carrying out various tasks for the Apostle Paul.

2 Timothy 4:12. Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. “Tychicus”—see Acts 20:4. As a native of Asia, Tychicus was more suited to Ephesus and the region dependent on Ephesus than Mark, who was from Jerusalem.

2 Timothy 4:13. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and the books, and above all the parchments. “The cloak,” that is, a traveling cape (paenula), such as Roman soldiers wore over the toga. The apostle is not here alluding to the journey to Troas spoken of in Acts 16:3, nor to the one mentioned in Acts 20:5 and following, because twelve years have passed since the first and six years since the second. Probably he has in mind his third, later, stay in Troas (cf. 1 Tim 1:3). The books—most likely these are the sacred books of the Old Testament. “And above all the parchments.” If it would be inconvenient for Timothy to carry all the books Paul left in Troas, he should at least bring those written on skin or parchment. Perhaps among these books were travel notes of the Apostle Paul.

2 Timothy 4:14. Alexander the metalworker did me great harm; the Lord will pay him back according to his deeds. 2 Timothy 4:15. You also must beware of him, for he strongly opposed our message. “Alexander.” Here, probably, the Alexander mentioned in the account of the disturbance caused by Demetrius is meant (Acts 19:33). He was a metalworker or, more accurately, a worker in metals generally (Homer speaks of a metalworker who worked with gold. Od. III, 432). Although he was a Jew, he nevertheless helped Demetrius in making idols. Apparently this Alexander came at the head of a whole delegation to Rome in order to accuse Paul before the highest imperial court. “Strongly opposed”—more accurately: opposes even now. From this one can conclude that Alexander was still in Rome and that Timothy would come into contact with him upon his arrival in Rome. Therefore the apostle urges Timothy to be especially cautious.

2 Timothy 4:16. At my first defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be held against them! 2 Timothy 4:17. But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. 2 Timothy 4:18. And the Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Matthew 10:20. Among the Romans it was the custom that when a case was being heard in court, the friends of the accused would appear and by their very presence would support the spirit of the accused and exercise some influence on the judges. At the hearing of the case of the Apostle Paul, not one of his friends was found to appear in court. But the Lord Himself helped him. The help of the Lord consisted in providing him with the power of His Spirit. Probably God Himself appeared to the apostle to the Gentiles (cf. Acts 18:9 and following, and the expression of verse 17: “the Lord stood by me”). Because of this, the speech of the Apostle Paul breathed such power and had such a striking effect that at that “first defense” he was rescued from the lion’s mouth. This image, borrowed from the book of the prophet Daniel (Dan 6:22), cannot be understood literally as meaning that Paul was freed from the danger of being thrown to circus lions. He was a Roman citizen and by law could only be executed by beheading. Here, apparently, the apostle means his deliverance generally from mortal danger and wants to say that at the first hearing of his case no death sentence was pronounced against him. The question is only what event the apostle is alluding to here. Commentators think differently about this. Some say that the apostle refers here to the first hearing of his case, which, thanks to Paul’s convincing speech, turned out favorably for him. Paul thus had to await a new summons to court, which would have a more unfortunate outcome for him. Others hold that this first defense took place not during this Roman imprisonment, not during the trial that was taking place there, but in circumstances of an earlier time, and that Paul is telling here how he was delivered from that first imprisonment. For some ancient commentators this passage provided the basis for the supposition that Paul was freed from the first Roman imprisonment (about which see Acts 28), and then was imprisoned again, and that the second epistle to Timothy was written from the second Roman imprisonment. “So that through me the message might be fully proclaimed,” that is, so that the apostle could accomplish after his release from the first imprisonment his plans of which he speaks in the epistle to the Romans (Rom 15:24). “And the Lord will rescue me from every evil attack.” As the apostle was saved the first time, so he will be saved in the future from all attacks by evil people, although this does not mean that he will not die. The words “save me for his heavenly kingdom” mean that he will be brought into the heavenly kingdom of Christ through dying worthily, which, as is clear from 2 Tim 4:6, the apostle at that time was expecting. Thus death itself was for him the way to eternal life. Therefore the apostle offers the Lord glory for everything and even for death itself.

2 Timothy 4:19. Greet Priscilla and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. “Priscilla and Aquila”—see Acts 18:2; Rom 16:3. “The household of Onesiphorus”—see 2 Tim 1:16 and following.

2 Timothy 4:20. Erastus has remained in Corinth; Trophimus I left sick in Miletus. “Erastus” cf. Rom 16:23. “Trophimus”—see Acts 20:4 and Acts 21:29.

2 Timothy 4:21. Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers and sisters. 2 Timothy 4:22. The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you. The people named here are unknown from other sources. Only about Linus, the holy Irenaeus (“Against Heresies” III, 3) reports that he was bishop of Rome after Paul.