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For more commentary on this week's readings, see the Reflections on the Lectionary page. For full-text access to all articles, subscribe to the Century.
My mother recently gave me a box and said, “This is from when you were in the army.” When I opened it, I became emotional. It contained old pictures of me as a soldier, my certificate of retirement, and even my dog tag. I put it on and felt its coldness as it touched my body. However, what made me most emotional were the letters I had exchanged with my father. My father started every letter with, “Dear my beloved son, Songbok.” I remembered how his letters gave me the strength and comfort to overcome many challenges during my service.
One can sense a similar parental love in the text of 2 Timothy. The author, identified as Paul, begins his letter with, “To Timothy, my beloved child” (1:2).
Just as Jesus narrates the parable of the widow and unjust judge, which appears in today’s lectionary reading from Luke 18:1–8, in the context of how to endure the “days of the Lord,” the text finds Paul advising Timothy on how to persist in his faith, as he may have to face “distressing times” (3:1) driven by false teachers and persecutions. First, he encourages him to remember what he has learned and believed, as revealed in scripture. While many Christians have misused or abused the line “All scripture is inspired by God” to support their political agendas, the author seems more interested in the purpose of scripture that equips believers for “every good work.”
Scripture is critical to Christian community since it reveals what God has done for believers through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. However, the letter also instructs its reader not to forget those from whom he learned scripture. Beverly Gaventa points out that the Greek here is plural, implicitly applying to everyone who taught with their words as well as their actions.
Who comes to mind when you think about those who have taught you the words of God through preaching, teaching, or nurturing? In his renowned Beecher Lecture at Yale Divinity School, Phillips Brooks defined preaching as speaking the truth through one’s personality. Although we proclaim and hold on to the truth as revealed in scripture, we do so in a way that it is lived out in our lives.
If you are in ministry, you already know the struggles of many churches today: aging congregation, financial deficit, a lack of young children in Sunday school. As critical as those struggles are, we also witness that many are drawn to false teachers or leaders in their pursuit of “their own desires” and avoid “listening to the truth” (4:3). Many are tempted to follow the false gospel that promotes love of money, admires arrogance, and neglects justice and righteousness. In such times as this, 2 Timothy warns that living a “godly life in Christ Jesus” will lead to persecution (3:12).
If we truly follow the way of Christ, we are bound to walk with him all the way to the cross. We may face humiliation, rejection, or even persecution. However, when we look up, we will notice that we are never alone in this journey of persisting in our faith. We see one another and essentially see Christ, who calls us, “my beloved child.”
