Part 3 of the What to Expect series.

Be Ready

Paul reminds Timothy of his big picture view of the world: “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead…” (v1). It reminds me of Jesus’ parable in Matthew 25 about the wise and foolish virgins, part of a block of teaching about final judgement. Jesus commends the wise virgins, who made sure their oil lamps were topped up. All ten of the virgins were surprised when the bridegroom appeared but, in a solemn warning, the ones who couldn’t keep their lamps lit were shut out.

Paul tells Timothy to “be ready in season and out of season.” Almost two thousand years later, a long time has elapsed but God is telling us through scripture to be patient and prepared. Timothy was a church leader and a person with a particular set of gifts, so the things you need to keep topped up might look different to the list written for him. However, that is a question for each of us to ponder: what do I need to keep topped up, ready for the Lord’s return? We still don’t know when that will be but it is certainly even closer now than it was back then!

Turning Away

Another thing Paul tells Timothy to expect is people turning away from sound faith, wandering “off into myths” (v4). Unlike being ready for the future return of Jesus, here I am sure that Paul is speaking from past and present experience. He writes “the time will come” (v3) but “many times again” is implied. If you read back through the rest of this epistle, you will find that he mentions “Phygelus and Hermogenes”, who “turned away from me” in chapter 1, “Hymenaeus and Philetus”, who “have swerved from the truth, saying the resurrection has already happened” in chapter 2 (resurrection here means humanity’s resurrection to final judgement, not the resurrection of Jesus from the dead) and a whole litany of unnamed people in chapter 3 who have “the appearance of godliness” but deny its power, leading people astray, “always learning but never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth”.

There is plenty of all of that going on in the world today. I could start naming names but we would be here until next Sunday and these conditions are what we should expect. Metaphorically, it is stormy weather out there so make sure you’ve got a suitable coat to button around you.

The End is Nigh

Paul has given us the impression that Jesus will return soon but that is a very extended use of the word! However, Paul was also sure that his own time was coming to an end very soon. The thought of death can make us upset and there is a time to mourn. Paul though seems strangely calm. Perhaps a better word would be confident, meaning “with trust”? The time of his departure “has come” and Paul gives us a poignant image of being poured out like “a drink offering”. The vessel starts full, then it is tipped and then it is empty.

Depending on what was in it, you might be able to say “the spirit is departed”! Our tendency is to look at death as the waste of a life but Paul has a different perspective: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (v7). He has been slowly poured out ever since he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus but it is the life he had beforehand that he counts as a waste. For him, this pouring out has been a willing offering to Jesus, who himself chose to be poured out for us. We can all expect death, sooner or later. Like Paul, let us approach it as people who belong to Jesus, the one who has conquered death and sin.