God’s grace, peace
and mercy be with you. My sermon today is entitled Timothy: Person, Purpose
and Practical Application, and my focus is our Epistle (1 Timothy 2:1-15).
Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they
said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet
are standing within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may
your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus
loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.
Wikipedia has a
page for everything. There is an entry for Timothy as a given name. It tells us
that Timothy is a masculine Greek name meaning “one who honors God.” In the
United States, the name was most popular in the 1960s, ranking 13th
among all boy's names. Now, it doesn’t even make the top one hundred.
Surprisingly, it is also a name for girls.
The known actors
named Timothy include Busfield, Dalton, Hutton and Olyphant. Among athletes and
singers are Tebow and McGraw, but “Tiny Tim” was really Herbert Buckingham
Khaury. Then there is Leary, the psychiatrist who advocated drugs, and the
infamous mass murderer McVeigh. Fictional characters appear as McGee in NCIS
and Cratchit from Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
There are many
people in the Bible and early Church that we scarcely know, among them is
Timothy, often mentioned in the same sentence with Titus. He came from Lystra
in what is now Turkey. His father was a Greek pagan, and his mother, Eunice,
was a Jewish-Christian. Acts introduces him in chapter 16, when Paul made his
first missionary journey to Lystra. Timothy is mentioned frequently in Acts and
many of the epistles.
Timothy was Paul’s
companion on several missionary journeys. He was sent by Paul to Thessalonica
to strengthen the Christians. Paul referred to him as a brother and God’s
co-worker or servant. When Timothy returned from that journey, he reported the
good news of the Thessalonians faith and love.
Paul then sent him
from Ephesus to Corinth to remind the Christians of how to live as followers of
Jesus because some had become arrogant, bold, pretentious and/or proud. He also
sent him to Philippi to teach them to humble themselves like Christ did.
In addition to his
missionary journeys, Timothy is prominently mentioned in the opening greetings
of several of Paul’s letters – 1st Thessalonians, Philippians and 2nd
Corinthians. These are three of the churches he helped Paul start. He was also
associated with Paul in his imprisonment in Ephesus, where he became their
first bishop. Ephesus was an idolatrous city. It is there that Timothy was
supposedly martyred.
Timothy was
comparatively young for the work he was doing, and several references indicate
that he was affectionate, tender and timid. Yet, even as a young man, he was an
example for other Christians as he learned this from Paul. As Lutherans, we
observe his feast on January 24th. He is known by Catholics as the
patron saint of those with stomach ailments because of one of Paul’s most
frequently quoted lines addressed to him: “Stop drinking only water, but
have a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses”
(1 Timothy 5:23).
I am sure there is
more to know about Timothy, but we move on to my second point, Purpose. What is
the purpose of Paul’s Letter to Timothy? There are several themes running throughout
this Letter: Church order or structure, true and false teaching, and community
relations and belief. Today’s passage deals with the third purpose, and I will
get to that shortly, but first will touch upon the first two themes.
Church order here
is about the role of bishops or teachers. 5:17 tells us that only certain
presbyters were involved in preaching and teaching, but not all were bishops.
3:1 shows that the position was esteemed, and Paul warned that bishops were not
to become conceited (3:6).
The qualifications
for deacons are also outlined in chapter three: respectable, not given to too
much wine, not pursuing dishonest gain, married once and good managers of their
children and households. They were tested before being admitted to this
service. Likewise, women are mentioned for service. Although some translations,
such as ours, use the word wives, there is a strong case that the Greek grammar
indicates that the meaning is women who are deacons and not women who are wives
of deacons. The last group Paul writes of is the widow.
Teaching is
described in chapter one, the latter half of chapter three and into four, and
chapter six. Sound doctrine is always an important issue in the early Church,
just as it is today. We see that Paul struggles against arrogant individualism
and that his prime target was Cynic philosophy whose philosophers spoke with
sarcasm or skepticism about God and traditional religious beliefs, and praised
those who did not marry and raise a family.
Now, let’s turn to
the theme of community relations. What we have in chapter two is akin to what
we have in in Paul’s Letters to Colossians (3:18-4:1), Ephesians (5:21-6:9) and
Titus (2:1-10): household codes. To understand household codes, I suggest that
you turn to Section Three in Luther’s Small Catechism and read the Table
of Duties. We credit The Good Doctor, Martin Luther, who coined the term Haustafeln,
which refers to a summary table of specific actions members of each family are
expected to perform.
In this list,
virtues and vices are similar to what Paul wrote elsewhere (see above), and the
stress here is on God’s desire to save every human being. Christians are to
pray for all people, as we read in verse one. The reason Paul strongly
encourages prayers for the kings and rulers is because Christians did not
participate in the civic worship of the gods and were suspect because of that.
It is not that Paul was encouraging patriotism, but that civic authorities
allow Christians to live in peace, and so that these authorities come to a
clear knowledge of the truth.
If God is one, he
must be concerned with all peoples, and Paul links this truth to Christ, the
one mediator between God and men. Here, Paul emphasizes Christ’s humanity. Why?
Docetism. The Docetists who came later were those who focused on the divinity
of Christ and denied that Jesus came in the flesh. They believed that he only
seemed to have flesh. This belief destroys the entire concept of the Trinity.
As one early Church Father put it, “This refers to the perfect humanity by
which salvation is [formed]. The fact that Jesus shares a common humanity with
us is the whole key to salvation.”[1] This heresy is attacked by
John in his Letters as well, and Paul mentions it here as a reminder to Timothy
to be aware of false teachings. It’s a good reminder for us too. Through Jesus
Christ – true God and true man – you have been saved, as Paul testifies in the
next verse.
The next section
deals with how people should act, but the first verse (8) reminds us to lift
holy hands without anger or quarreling, which reminds me of what I do when I
pray before you. When I bless you, I lift my hands over you. When I pray at the
altar, I lift my hands and direct you to lift up your hearts. And when I speak
the Lord’s Prayer, I hold my hands as if I am surrendering. Standing with hands
outstretched and palms turned upwards to the heavens indicated that one was open
to receiving God’s grace. If you are uncomfortable praying like this in public,
try it when you are praying alone.
The household
codes regarding how women should act is much longer here. If you were to ask me
why, I would have to tell you, “I don’t know.” As I have aged, I have noticed
that I rely upon that phrase more often. What Scripture does reveal is that
women assumed the right to pray aloud at Christian worship. They also held
responsible positions. Phoebe, Prisca and Junia are depicted as preaching and
teaching.[2]
Although mention
is made of gold, pearls and costly attire, most Christian women did not have
the means to adorn themselves like this, however, Paul does address behavior
here and in other passages of the Letter. John Chrysostom makes an interesting
observation about the last verses (11-15). He wrote, “Eve was not subjected in
her original condition as she was made. Nor was she called to submission when
God first brought her to the man. She did not hear anything from God then about
submissiveness. Nor did Adam originally say any such word to her.”[3] Chrysostom goes on to say
that subjection came after the fall.
So, what practical
application does 1st Timothy have on our lives today as individuals
and as Church? In a word, prayer. I have said this before, but it bears
repeating. I start each day in prayer by reading Psalms, a Scripture passage
and a meditation by one of the Church Fathers. I often follow this by reading a
Daily Devotion from Lutheran Hour Ministries. After I have finished that I
usually turn to the news, and that’s when my disposition also turns sour.
So much in our
world – or what’s reported by storytellers – turns our stomachs. One of the
most sickening stories was the opinion of a professor from Carnegie Mellon
University regarding Queen Elizabeth on the day she died. And no matter who is
President, half the nation and maybe even the world is upset about some new
policy or program. People mock leaders in high positions on every level from
the world and nation to local towns and townships, from universities to school
districts, from professional coaches to youth coaches. For me, the practical
application of today’s passage is to pray for all these people either by name
or position so that we may lead peaceful and quiet lives and that they come to
the knowledge of the truth.
As a congregation,
we do that through the Prayer of the Church. As individuals, we can do that
through our own intercessory prayers. Cindy and I include family members,
friends, neighbors and church members in our prayers each morning and before
supper. We live such relatively peaceful and quiet lives that on some days, we
have little personal contact with anyone. Perhaps the challenge for me is to pray
for people like St. Monica did for her pagan son, Augustine, who eventually did
come to the knowledge of the truth, and then taught it. So, let’s not discount
the power of praying for someone’s heart and mind to turn to Christ.
The other
application that comes to mind is good example. Every Christian can lead others
to Christ through prayer and good example. Paul’s desire is that anger, rage,
wrath, and being quarrelsome, argumentative, or scheming has no part in the
life of a believer. If you demonstrate these vices in your lives, how are you
drawing others closer to Christ? How do such vices make me more like Christ? On
the other hand, the good example I provide to my spouse, children, parents or
in-laws will eventually lead them closer to Christ. You may not realize it, but
friends, neighbors and coworkers sense whether or not that you pray – and pray
for them.
As we close, I
encourage you to re-read Luther’s Table of Duties. Notice how Luther
intentionally listed them from congregation to society to household. In our
congregation we remember our identity in Christ as individual members of His
Body. We then move into the world and our daily work before returning home
where we gather with family in mutual service, for meals, in prayer and rest.
Luther’s Table
teaches that all of us are called to live within our particular stations –
church, society and home. In these ordinary places we serve and obey God by
living His commandments not solely for ourselves but more importantly for the
well-being of the people God has placed in our lives. God uses us in the world
for the good and blessing of our neighbors. As God uses you each day, I pray that
the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keeps your hearts and minds
in Christ Jesus Amen.
[1]
Theodore of Mopsuestia, Commentary on 1 Timothy, Ancient Christian Commentary
on Scripture: New Testament IX, edited by Peter Gorday. InterVarsity Press,
Downers Grove, IL (2000), p. 158.
[2]
See Romans 16:1-3, 7; 1 Corinthians 11:5; 16:7, 19.
[3]
John Chrysostom, Homilies on 1st Corinthians. Commentary on 1
Timothy, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: New Testament IX, edited by
Peter Gorday. InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL (2000), p. 165.
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