Day 318: 2 Timothy 2:1–13

Keep in mind Jesus Christ, risen from the dead. . . . For this I suffer, to the point of being bound like a criminal; but God’s message is not bound (vv. 8–9).

We now approach the final letter from the pen of the apostle Paul. He wrote his second letter to Timothy during his last imprisonment in Rome, shortly before his death. Our goal is to capture the state of mind and physical conditions of the great apostle in the final season of his life. The letter reveals several descriptions of Paul’s condition and state of mind during his final imprisonment.

1. He was in physical discomfort. Some criminals were simply incarcerated behind locked doors with no chains. Paul was held under conditions like those of a convicted killer, bound by heavy chains—the type that bruise and lacerate the skin. He was almost sixty years old and had taken enough beatings to make him quite arthritic. The lack of mobility greatly intensified any ailments or illnesses. He most likely was reduced to skin and bones. The cells where the worst prisoners were chained were usually filthy, wet, and rodent-infested dungeons. The beauty and articulation of Paul’s final letter cannot be fully appreciated without realizing how physically uncomfortable he must have been when he wrote it.

2. He was probably humiliated. Captors in ancient prisons often thought of ways to shame their captives. Perhaps the least of their inhumanities was not allowing prisoners to wash and dress themselves adequately. Their confines doubled as bedroom and bathroom. In 2 Timothy 1:12, Paul said, “That is why I suffer these things. But I am not ashamed” (hcsb). Paul’s words may hint at the attempts of his captors to shame him. He told Timothy several times not to be ashamed of him. As much as Paul had suffered, he was unaccustomed to the treatment he received in the final season of his life.

3. He felt deserted and lonely. No one came forward at Paul’s first hearing. Can you imagine the loneliness he must have experienced as the bailiff called for defense witnesses, and silence fell over the courtroom? I don’t think they deserted him because they didn’t love him. Many grieved because they did not come to his defense, but they were frightened for their lives. As far as most of them were concerned, Paul was on death row anyway. They couldn’t save him. After all, he was certainly guilty of denying the deity of Nero. Even in these extreme straits Paul still said, “May it not be counted against them” (4:16 hcsb).

4. He longed for normalcy. Although Paul’s life was seldom normal in our terms, I believe he longed in his last season for things that were normal to him. He wanted his oldest friends. He asked for Mark. He spoke of Luke at his side. He sent greetings to Priscilla and Aquila. He begged Timothy to come quickly. His request for his scrolls, especially the parchments, also tenders my heart. His scrolls were probably copies of Old Testament Scriptures. Very likely he had also recorded on parchments facts about the earthly life of Christ, based on the stories of Peter and Luke.

I can’t begin to put myself in Paul’s position, but if I were away from loved ones and facing certain death, I would want several things. I have stacks of journals where I’ve recorded prayers too private to allow anyone to read, yet I cannot bring myself to throw them away. During uncertain times when I’m called to walk by faith, I can turn back to my personal records of God’s faithfulness and find strength again. My Bible and my journals are my most treasured tangible belongings. During difficult days, even holding my Bible close to my chest brings me comfort. No doubt Paul longed for these things.

A person confined and facing death inevitably turns the mental pages of the past. Surely Paul was no different. He must have thought about Tarsus. His mother’s face. His father’s voice. His childhood in a Jewish community. His first impressions of Jerusalem. The classroom debates he enjoyed. The way people whispered about his genius behind his back. His bright future. His return to Tarsus and the respect he commanded. His drive to persecute the people of the Way. The blinding light that sent him to his knees. He traded a life of respect and honor for one of rejection and tribulation. If his childhood friends could have seen him in that horrendous dungeon, they might have surmised that he had traded everything for nothing.

So, what do you have when you have nothing left? You have what you know. Faced with humiliation, Paul proclaimed, “But I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day” (1:12 hcsb). Paul’s sanity was protected by his certainty. He knew the One in whom he had believed.

Paul had entrusted everything to Christ. No matter how difficult circumstances grew, he never tried to take it back. As the chains gripped his hands and feet and the stench of death assailed him, he recalled everything he had entrusted to his Savior. With chained hands, Paul could still touch the face of God.