Everyday Vignettes for a Teacher
Napoleon Bonaparte is reported to have said, “A good sketch is better than a long speech.” The godless corporal confirmed what the God-fearing apostle Paul, with few words left to write, was led to do by the Spirit of God when he took up his pen and conveyed seven meaningful illustrations in one chapter. Paul desired that Timothy’s everyday interactions would constantly remind him of the lessons these seven sketches taught about the man of God. An examination of the illustrations in 2 Timothy 2 will show us the enduring insights that Paul wanted Timothy, a transmitter of truth, to remember.
Good Soldier (vv3-4)
A Roman soldier was a common sight across the empire. When Timothy saw a Roman soldier, Paul wanted him to think about “enduring hardness,” because his calling was higher and his experience would be similar. Paul uses this phrase three times in the epistle (2:3,9; 4:5) as he considers the result of backlash from proclaiming and associating with the gospel (1:8,12; 2:3; 4:5). The soldier could be subject to poor conditions and hard labour, but must carry on for the cause of the empire. A distracted soldier might think of pleasures back home and the comfort he was missing, but an effective soldier must not be “entangled … with the affairs of this life.” Instead, he must carry on, focused on the task at hand. What was the motivation? To “please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”1 When Timothy saw the soldier, he was to carry on through hardships and avoid distractions by remembering his allegiance to Christ Jesus.
Athlete (v5)
Athletics were part of the social fabric of ancient Greek and Roman culture. Paul asks Timothy to contemplate the athlete. There are rules to the game that they play. Failure to follow the rules results in disqualification. When Timothy saw the athlete, he should remember to be disciplined in following God’s ways, with a future reward in mind. God likewise expects us to follow the guidelines He left for us in His Word in order to receive a reward.
Farmer (v6)
On his travels through the countryside, Timothy would observe farmers with their crops. Producing a crop requires a farmer’s hard work. Paul wants Timothy to be reminded that being a hard worker in the things of God means fruit will result, and he is to first partake of the fruits. The fruits are spiritual, not monetary. Obligatory remuneration to a preacher is not what God has in mind. Hard spiritual work produces spiritual gain. Timothy must consume the spiritual results of his labour first and not just bring it to others. The man of God, concerned here with feeding the flock and service for God, must enjoy and grow on the ministry he provides for others, like a farmer who keeps the grain he needs for himself before he sells the rest for the benefit of others.
Workman (v15)
Paul next moves to the image of the Bible teacher as a man working for his wages and points to the ideas of effort and excellence. First, a worker puts in the maximum effort. A better translation of “Do your best” (ESV) might be “Do your very best,”2 or in colloquial English, “Give it 110%.” Why? Timothy must bear in mind that the approval he seeks comes from God, unlike false teachers in the chapter who desire a following. Effort, however, is not the only requirement for success. Quality is essential, since a teacher must correctly handle the Word of God. “Rightly handling” means “to cut straight” and was used in connection with a farmer plowing a straight furrow, a stonemason cutting the rock perfectly to fit into adjacent stones, or a tent maker cutting a tarp.3 God wants Timothy to put forward his very best effort, understand the meaning of the Scriptures, never compromise in conveying its truth, and know that his work is before God.
A Great House (v20-21)
Paul turns to the illustration of a great house and its various vessels. Paul needs Timothy to consider that they all have their own use regardless of their purpose and material. Some are honourable and clean, while others are dishonourable and await cleaning. Imagine a clean wooden cup in contrast to a soiled silver one. What makes the wooden cup honourable? It is purged from what corrupts and destroys. Timothy must be a clean vessel, purged from “words to no profit” (v14), “profane and vain babblings” (v16), words that “eat as doth a canker” (v17), by departing from iniquity (v19). Timothy must be set apart, suitable and ready to be used by the Master by purging himself from what corrupts. Notice: You are responsible for keeping yourself clean and ready for use.
The Servant (v24-26)
The final illustration in chapter 2 is that of a household slave who represents his master. Listed are five qualities of the servant, plus the work with which this servant is entrusted: must not strive, be gentle, able to teach, patient in mistreatment, and be meek while instructing the deceived as he attempts to regain them. Timothy was to transmit the truth the Lord was entrusting to him through Paul, and the character of the servant would be as important as his work.
Paul’s description of the servant follows the Perfect Servant’s characteristics, aligning with Isaiah’s Servant Songs. Like the promised Servant (Isa 42:2; Mat 12:16), the servant of the Lord was not to draw attention to himself or prolong arguments without benefit. He must be gentle, like the One who did not break the bruised reed or quench the smoking flax (Isa 42:3). He is apt to teach, with the “tongue of the learned … know[ing] how to speak a word in season to him that is weary” (Isa 50:4). The servant was to be like our Lord, who was patient under evil, giving His “back to the smiters … cheeks to them that plucked off the hair … hid[ing] not [his] face from shame and spitting” (v6). He must meekly instruct, as the One whose mouth was like a sharp sword yet was hidden in the shadow of the hand of His God (Isa 49:2). Lastly, the servant of the Lord is to recover the lost, which was the purpose of Christ’s coming, seeking sheep who went astray (Isa 53:5-6,12).
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV unless otherwise noted.
2 This translation more aptly conveys the sense of urgency from Paul as seen in 4:9,21.
3 See A.T. Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament.
