“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power” (2 Tim 4:1)
2 Timothy 3:14 - 4:2

 

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus” is a powerful command from Paul to Timothy. A solemn obligation is being placed on him. Paul wants Timothy to pay close attention and follow his instruction closely. 

Paul knows that his time is limited and that he will not escape his imprisonment, and he invokes God and Jesus as witnesses to this command; Paul is driving home the importance of his message. He is desperate for Timothy to understand. He wants Timothy to “listen up and do what I'm telling you to do!”

Paul boldly commands Timothy to hold onto faith and faithfully serve God to receive the heavenly rewards that await him. Timothy and Paul have been friends for a long time, and whilst Paul is issuing instructions to Timothy, the depth of the friendship is tangible. Paul is calling Timothy to bear witness to all that Paul has seen, experienced and believed.
Paul emphasises the second coming of Jesus in this verse. He honestly believes that Jesus will return and he will live with Jesus in the kingdom of heaven; he has made this known in all his teachings. Paul is also reminding Timothy that God and Jesus are watching and that he will be held accountable to carry out Paul’s instructions and be judged for doing so or not.

I’ve been wondering how I would feel if a close friend or family member “charged” me to do something with the underlying threat of being watched and judged. My first reaction is defensive: “Who do you think you are? How dare you command me to do anything, no matter the rewards or benefits of doing so?” I want to make my own choices and decide for myself what I will or won't do. I wonder if Timothy felt this way about Paul. Was he “put out” by this obligation forced on him, knowing what was to come? Did Timothy decide to follow through with Paul's instructions out of duty to his friend or fear of judgement by God? Or because he, too, truly loved and believed in God?

We don't hear much about Timothy's life after this, other than a quick mention in Hebrews. He must have valued his friendship with Paul enough and had a strong enough personal faith to proclaim the Gospel in Ephesus boldly and, likely, be a martyr for this.

Today I invite you to reflect on the following:
How can you be ready and willing to be charged with keeping the faith and spreading the Gospel? 
 

Lord,
Thank you for the example of Timothy; he was willing to listen to and 

be charged by his friend to proclaim your word. May we, too, listen up,

 keep the faith and spread the Good news.

Amen.