Life Of Timothy (Part 11 of 0)

“My work fellow” – Part 11

Corinth

Timothy made two trips to Corinth near the end of the Third Missionary Journey. His first trip was short; it was intended to prepare the way for a future visit by Paul. Paul made reference to that first trip by Timothy in 1st Corinthians. He told the Corinthians not to “despise” Timothy or make him afraid (1 Cor 16:10-11). Paul urged the Corinthians to follow Timothy’s example because he was a living testimony to what Paul taught “every where in every church” (1 Cor 4:17).

Timothy’s second trip to Corinth occurred when he returned with Paul. Paul wrote the Epistle to the Romans during that visit to Corinth. The end of the letter contains a greeting from Timothy to the believers in Rome: “Timotheus my work fellow, and Lucius, and Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen, salute you” (Rom 16:21). Paul referred to Timothy as “my workf ellow.” That is one of a number of the Bible’s descriptions of him.

Paul wrote Romans in approximately 58 A.D. Timothy was about 28, and he had been in the Truth for about 10 years. During that time, Timothy had also been called “a disciple,” (Acts 16:1) approximately 51 A.D., a “brother, and minister of God” (1 Thess 3:2) approximately 52 A.D., and a “man of God” (1 Tim 6:11), approximately 56 A.D.).1Those labels — given over that period — describe a person who consistently honored God, who made himself available to preach and to help his brothers and sisters in need, and whose leadership in the ecclesia took the form of service.

Timothy’s work in the Truth during those years was not always easy. The very epistles that describe him in positive terms also indicate that Timothy’s circum­stances were often challenging, and his relationships with his brothers and sisters were sometimes strained. Disagreements occurred, and people in the meeting were not always kind or respectful to him. But Timothy still gave of himself for his brothers and sisters. He sacrificed for them, and he used his difficulties as opportunities for spiritual growth.

Timothy is called a “man of God” in 1st Timothy. Yet that epistle also identifies some of Timothy’s weaknesses, such as his tendency to be overly harsh in reproving certain elders, and it corrects him (1 Tim 5: 1). While 1st Timothy was a letter written to Timothy, it was also intended to be an “open letter.”2It was somewhat of a public document. Other people in the meeting would have read it. Its exposure of Timothy’s struggles and weaknesses might have been uncomfortable and perhaps a bit embarrassing for him. It is a good reminder that our spiritual growth — the process by which we become men and women of God — may sometimes require us to experience something similar; it may involve us receiving correction and/ or being embarrassed — sometimes even in the presence of others. That can be unpleasant. But, like Timothy, we can grow as a result of those experiences.

The labels given to Timothy — “disciple,” “brother,” “minister,” “man of God,” and “work fellow” — are indicators of his godly reaction to the many trials and difficulties he encountered. They are a reminder that our spiritual maturation will involve some pain, but a wonderful commendation awaits us if we remain faithful.

Jerusalem

The Epistle to the Romans indicates that Paul planned to make his way from Corinth to Jerusalem to deliver the Fund for the poor believers who lived there:

“But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things” (Rom 15:25-27).

Timothy traveled with Paul and his company towards Jerusalem as a representative of the Galatian ecclesias and as a bearer of their contributions to the Poor Fund: “And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berea; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus” (Acts 20:4).

Paul and Timothy had worked to collect money for the poor believers in Jerusalem for much of the four-year period of the Third Missionary Journey. Paul’s epistles indicate that he, Timothy, and others gave considerable attention and effort to the task.

The funds Timothy carried from the Galatian ecclesias had — at least in part — been collected four years earlier near the beginning of the Third Missionary Journey when Paul and his company passed through Galatia.3Timothy held on to that money for a long time, including episodes when he and Paul were in great financial need.

In 1st Corinthians Paul describes some of the circumstances they endured: “Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace; And labour, working with our own hands: be­ing reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it” (1 Cor 4:11-12). Those verses characterize the situation in Ephesus where Paul and Timothy spent three years.4Paul and Timothy had to suffer hunger, thirst, lack of adequate clothing, and the uncertainty of not knowing where they were going to sleep at night while they were carrying considerable sums of donated money with them. The fact that Paul and Timothy did not use some of that money for themselves, even in the extreme circumstances they were in, is an illustration of their remarkable character. They truly strove to show the self-sacrificing character of their Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, and to obey the commands of God, even when doing so was incredibly challenging. Their example undoubtedly contributed to their success in sharing the Gospel with others.

Bearing such a large sum of money also brought with it considerable risk. There is some biblical evidence, for example, that the mob that formed during the Silversmiths’ Riot tried to seize the Jerusalem Poor Fund. (That riot occurred in Ephesus during the Third Missionary Journey and took place between Timothy’s first and second visit to Corinth.) God did not allow the rioters to succeed in taking the Fund, but the experience of their narrow escape was still harrowing for Paul and Timothy.5

The Poor Fund consisted largely of donations from Gentile believers for poor Jewish Christians. Paul and Timothy probably hoped that its delivery could help heal the rifts that had formed between those two communities and could help bind them together in love. After four years of work and worry, Paul and Timothy probably looked forward to the natural and spiritual benefits that could come from finally delivering the Poor Fund to Jerusalem.

But Paul, Timothy, and their companions ended up having a very tumultuous experience when they came to Jerusalem. There is no record of them delivering the Poor Fund to the needy, or of Jewish believers acknowledging the generosity shown by their Gentile brothers and sisters. Instead, the Bible records that some Jews visiting Jerusalem for Pentecost saw Paul in the Temple and started to cry out against him. They made false claims that he had brought a Gentile into the Court of Israel. The Bible records that they were:

“Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place. (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)” (Acts 21:28-29).

Their shouts quickly led to a riot. Paul was seized, dragged down the Temple’s steps,6beaten, and arrested.7Paul spent years in prison in consequence.

Timothy could have been extremely discouraged by what had happened. He could have concluded that the years of hard work, challenge, and danger spent collecting the Poor Fund had come to nothing. He could have become frustrated and reasoned that good deeds are too often rewarded with bad treatment. He could have lost his zeal for the work of the Truth. But that is not the way that a “man of God” reacts to adversity, and that is not the way Timothy responded to what happened in Jerusalem.

Prison

Paul’s arrest in Jerusalem led to him being taken to Rome in about 61 A.D. to be tried by Caesar. He spent his time awaiting Caesar’s judgment as a prisoner in chains.8 His situation prevented him from visiting his faraway brothers and sisters, but he continued to guide and encourage them in the faith by writing letters to them.

The epistles that Paul wrote show that Timothy traveled to Rome and was with Paul while he was a prisoner there. The content of the letters reveal how much of a help Timothy was to Paul and the ecclesias during that period.

Paul wrote Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon during his impris­onment. Timothy is mentioned in three of those letters: Philemon, Colossians, and Philippians. Those epistles were written in approximately 62 AD.9Timothy was about 32 at the time.

The Epistle to Philemon contains a greeting from Timothy: “Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellow labourer” (Philemon 1). Paul told Philemon: “For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother” (Philemon 7). Under inspiration, Paul appears to have been very delib­erate in his use of pronouns in his epistles. It seems he wrote “I” when he was just referring to himself and “we” when he intended to refer to the other people in the greeting as well. In the case of Philemon, “we” was Paul and Timothy. Therefore, verse 7 of Philemon is a further indicator of Timothy’s interest in the spiritual well-being of his brothers and sisters. It shows how he experienced “great joy” because of the good that they were doing, even if it was simple (but important) service, like showing hospitality.

Philemon was a member of the Colossian ecclesia,10and Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians was probably sent out at the same time as Philemon. Timothy is also mentioned in the greeting of Colossians, and he appears in a number of “we” passages, which provide additional insight into his character.

Paul also wrote: “We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints” (Col 1:3-4). This passage reveals Timothy’s strong feelings of thankfulness to God for the faithfulness of his brothers and sisters and his willingness to express that sentiment. It also shows that he habitually prayed for them. Paul wrote that he and Timothy were “praying always” for them.

Another “we passage” appears several verses below in the same epistle:

“As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit. For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (Col 1:7-9).

This passage indicates that Timothy was involved with Paul in receiving ecclesial delegates, such as Epaphras, and in communicating back to distant meetings.

The Epistle to the Philippians also contains a greeting from Timothy, as well as another description of him: “Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons” (Phil 1:1). The Greek word rendered “servants” is doulos, which means “slave.”11Paul and Timothy regarded themselves as “slaves” of the Lord Jesus. They meant they tried to do all he asked, even when it was hard or contrary to their immediate self-interests.

The Epistle records that Paul planned to send Timothy to visit the Philippians after he wrote to them: “But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state” (Phil 2:19).

Timothy’s close association with Paul brought with it considerable risk. Paul was, after all, a prisoner of the emperor, and the Christian community was hated by many. Timothy ended up being arrested and imprisoned during this period. His release from prison is mentioned by the Writer to the Hebrews, who was also a prisoner12who expected to be released soon: “Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you” (Heb 13: 23).

It was approximately 63 A.D. when Hebrews was written, and Timothy would have been about 33.13He and the Writer, who was probably Paul, were making plans to travel to Judea at the time the Epistle was sent.

In the next and final article of the series, we will consider Timothy’s continued service during the last years of Paul’s life and beyond.

  1. H. P. Mansfield. 2006. The Story of the Bible. Volume 8, pages 202, 250.
  2. A. Nicholls. Letters to Timothy and Titus, page 15.
  3. See Acts 18:23 and 1 Cor 16:1.
  4. Paul wrote 1st Corinthians from Ephesus. See 1 Cor 16: 8.
  5. See, for example, Rom 16:3-4 and 2 Cor 1:8-10.
  6. H. P. Mansfield. 2006. The Story of the Bible. Volume 8, page 361.
  7. The incredible irony of the events is that Trophimus, the Gentile that the Jews were yelling about, was in Jerusalem carrying his ecclesia’s contribution for the Jerusalem poor (Acts 20:4). He had traveled with Timothy as an ecclesial delegate responsible for the Poor Fund. He was in Jerusalem to help poor Jews, yet the people rioted because of him.
  8. See Eph 6:20; Phil 1:7, 13-16; Col 4:3, 18; and Philemon 10, 13.
  9. J. Knowles. Epistle to the Ephesians. Unpublished manuscript, p. 3.
  10. Compare Philemon 2 and Col 4:17; also compare Philemon 10 and Col 4:9.
  11. The Greek word is Strong’s Number G1401.
  12.  Heb 10:34.
  13. H. P. Mansfield. 2006. The Story of the Bible. Volume 8, page 448.