Homilies on Second Timothy 9

All Scripture is God-breathed, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness;

that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped unto every good work.

Having offered much comfort and consolation drawn from every quarter, he now brings in also that which comes from the Scriptures, being the more perfect of all.

And with good reason does he offer so great a consolation, since he was about to say something weighty and grievous.

For if Elisha, who was with his teacher unto his last breath, and beheld him departing in the very manner of his passing, rent his garments, what dost thou think this man must have suffered—he who was thus beloved, and who thus loved in return—

hearing that his teacher was about to die, and that he had not even enjoyed his company for that season near his death, which above all things is wont to grieve us? For we are not so grateful for the time that is past, if we are bereft of the time near the departure of those who have died.

For this cause, when he had offered much consolation, then does he speak concerning his own departure;

and not simply so, but he uses words sufficient to console him and to fill him with joy, so that the matter should be reckoned a sacrifice rather than a death, and a journey abroad rather—which indeed it also was—and a removal unto better things.

'For I am already being poured out as a drink-offering,' he says.

All Scripture is God-breathed, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction.

'All'—of what sort? Concerning that of which I spoke, he says, all sacred Scripture.

Concerning that of which he was discoursing, these things were said;

concerning that of which he said, 'From a babe thou hast known the sacred writings.'

All such Scripture, then, is God-breathed.

'Doubt nothing, therefore,' he says.

'And profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped unto every good work.'

If there be anything we must learn, or anything of which we must be ignorant, we shall know it from thence;

if we must refute what is false, this too is from thence;

if we must be corrected and brought to soberness of mind—

'unto exhortation, unto consolation,' he says.

that is, if anything be lacking and needs to be added—

'That the man of God may be complete.'

'For this cause,' he says, 'has the consolation of the Scriptures come to be, that the man of God may be complete.'

It is not possible, then, to become complete apart from it.

'In my stead,' he says, 'thou hast the Scriptures;

if thou wilt learn anything, thou shalt be able from thence.'

But if he wrote these things to Timothy, who was filled with the Spirit, how much more to us? 'Thoroughly equipped unto every good work.'

Not simply partaking of it, he says, but thoroughly equipped with exactness.

'I charge thee therefore in the presence of God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is about to judge the living and the dead.'

Either he means sinners and righteous, or both those who have departed and those now living, since many shall be left alive.

In the former Epistle he alarmed him by saying, 'I charge thee in the presence of God, who giveth life to all things;'

but here he has set down what is more fearful: 'Who is about to judge the living and the dead;'

that is, 'who is about to demand an account;'

'according to His appearing and His kingdom.'

To judge—when? At His appearing which is with glory, which is with a kingdom.

Either, then, he means this—that He will not come as He does now;

or that 'I adjure thee by His appearing and His kingdom.'

He calls Him to witness, showing that he reminded Timothy of this also.

Then, teaching how one ought to preach the word, he adds:

'Preach the word; be urgent in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and teaching.'

What is 'in season, out of season'? That is: Have no fixed season; let every time be a season for thee; not only when at peace, nor in security, nor only when seated in the church;

but even if thou be in the midst of dangers, even if in prison, even if bound with a chain, even if thou art about to go forth to death—reprove even at that very moment; shrink not from rebuking.

For then also does rebuke have its season, when the reproof has gone before, when the deed has been proved.

'Exhort,' he says—just as with physicians: having named the wound, he applied the incision, and then brought in the remedy;

and whichever of these be omitted, the other becomes useless.

For if thou rebuke without reproof, thou wilt seem to be insolent, and no one will bear it;

but after the matter has been proved, then does he also accept the rebuke; whereas before, he will be defiant;

and if thou reprove and rebuke indeed, but vehemently, and bring in no exhortation, again the whole is overthrown.

For reproof by itself is unbearable, when it has not exhortation mingled with it as well.

For just as the incision, though it be salutary, is not endured unless it have many things to soothe the pains,

as the sick man is cut and incised;

'And with all,' he says, 'long-suffering and teaching.'

For he that reproves has need of long-suffering, so as not lightly to believe, and rebuke has need of exhortation, so as to be received.

What is it that he adds to long-suffering, saying, 'and teaching'? Not as one who is angry, not as one who hates, not as one who tramples, not as one who has found an enemy—let all these things be put away;

but how? As one who loves, as one who suffers together with him, as one who mourns for him more than he does himself, as one who pines away over that man's condition.

'With all long-suffering,' he says, 'and teaching'—not with such as merely happens.

'For the time will come when they will not endure the sound teaching.'

Before they be hurled headlong, forestall them all;

for this cause he said, 'Both in season and out of season;'

so that thou mayest have willing disciples, do all things.

'But according to their own lusts,' he says, 'they shall heap to themselves teachers.'

Nothing is more expressive than this phrase;

for the indiscriminate multitude of teachers he indicated by the word 'shall heap up,' and by their being ordained by the disciples.

'They shall heap to themselves teachers,' he says, 'having itching ears;'

seeking those who speak for pleasure's sake and delight the hearing.

'And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned aside unto fables.'

These things he foretells, not wishing to cast him into despondency, but that, when it comes to pass, he may bear it nobly;

just as Christ also did, saying, 'They shall deliver you up, and shall scourge you, and shall bring you into the synagogues for My name's sake.'

For elsewhere too this blessed man says:

'For I know this, that after my departing grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock.'

He said these things that they might be watchful, that they might use the present time for what was needful.

'But watch thou,' he says, 'in all things, endure afflictions.'

Do you see that it is for this reason that he foretells these things? For Christ also said toward the end, that 'There shall arise false Christs and false prophets.'

So this man too, when he was about to depart, said these things.

'Endure afflictions,' that is, Labour, take the field beforehand, before that ruin comes upon them; set the sheep in safety while the wolves are still absent; everywhere endure hardship.

'Do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.'

So then this is the work of an evangelist: to suffer hardship both from oneself and from those without.

'Make full proof of thy ministry.'

Behold yet another necessity for enduring hardship:

'For I am now ready to be offered,' he says, 'and the time of my departure is at hand.'

He did not say, 'Of my sacrifice,' but that which is something more.

For of a sacrifice not the whole is offered up to God, but of a drink-offering the whole is offered.

'I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.'

Often, when I had taken the Apostle in hand and carefully considered this passage, I remained in perplexity as to why Paul speaks so boastfully, saying, 'I have fought the good fight.'

But now I think I have found the answer, by the grace of God.

For what reason then does he say these things? He wishes to comfort the despondency of his disciple, bidding him take courage, seeing that he departs as unto a crown, as one who has accomplished all things, as one who has attained a noble end.

'We ought to rejoice,' he says, 'not to grieve.'

Why? 'I have fought the good fight.'

It is as though some father, comforting his little child seated beside him and unable to bear its orphanhood, should say:

'Child, weep not; we have lived well, and having come to old age we leave you.

Our life has been beyond reproach; we depart with glory.

You too have cause to be admired for the things we have done.

The King knows well the many favours he owes us.'

'We have set up trophies, we have conquered our enemies'—not boasting, far from it—

but raising up his son, and by these praises teaching him to bear lightly what has happened, and to hold good

hopes, and not to think that the matter is a burdensome one.

For terrible, terrible is separation;

and hear him saying, 'But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart.'

If, then, he himself, being separated from his disciples, suffered such things, what do you think Timothy suffered? If, when parted from him while he yet lived, he wept, so that Paul says, 'Being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy,' how much more when he had died? It was therefore to comfort him that he wrote these things;

and indeed the whole epistle is full of consolation, and is as it were a kind of testament.

'I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course,' he says, 'I have kept the faith.'

'The fight,' he says, 'the good fight.'

Therefore do you also lay hold of it.

Where there is a chain, where there are bonds, where there is death—is this a good fight? Yes, he says;

for it is undertaken for Christ's sake;

nothing is better than this fight; this crown takes no end;

this crown is not of wild olive, it has no man for its umpire, it has not men for spectators;

the theatre is made up of angels.

There, over many days men toil and suffer hardship, and in a single hour they receive the crown, and straightway the pleasure of it flies away;

but here it is not so, but continually in splendour, in glory, in honour.

'For I go unto rest, I go forth out of the arena.'

You have heard that 'to depart is better, and to be with Christ.'

For one must both contend and run;

to contend by enduring afflictions, but to run not aimlessly, but toward something profitable.

Truly good is the fight, which does not merely delight the spectator, but benefits him;

and the race is one that does not run to no purpose, nor is it a display of strength and vainglory, but one that draws all men into heaven.

This race, which Paul ran upon the earth, is purer than that of the sun which runs in heaven.

And how did he finish his course? He went about the whole inhabited world, beginning from Galilee and from Arabia, and coming even unto the ends of the earth;

'So that from Jerusalem,' he says, 'and round about even unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ;'

and having traversed the whole inhabited world like some winged creature, or rather even more vehemently than a winged creature;

for the bird simply flew along, but this man not simply, but having the wing of the Spirit, and cutting through countless hindrances—deaths, plots, calamities.

So that he was swifter even than a winged creature.

If he had been simply a winged creature, he would have been brought down and captured;

but since he was borne up by the Spirit, he was carried over all the nets, as it were a bird having wings of fire.

'I have kept the faith,' he says.

For there were many things that sought to plunder him—not only the friendships of men, but also threats and deaths and countless other things.

But against all these he stood firm. How? By being watchful and wakeful.

These things then are sufficient for the comforting of the disciples; but he adds the prizes as well.

And what are these? 'Henceforth,' he says, 'there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness.'

Here again by 'righteousness' he means virtue in general.

'We ought not therefore to grieve, that I go away to be crowned with the crown set by Christ upon my head.'

'But if I were remaining here, then truly ought I rather to grieve and to be afraid, lest I fall away, lest I utterly perish.'

'Which the Lord shall give me at that day, the righteous judge; and not to me only, but unto all them also that have loved his appearing.'

Here he raised up Timothy also.

If to all, much more to Timothy.

But he did not say, 'And to thee,' but 'To all;'

showing that, if to all, much more to him.

But how, he says, might one love the appearing of Christ? If he rejoices at His coming;

But he who rejoices at His coming does deeds worthy of that joy: he will give up his possessions, if need be,

and if need be even his very soul, so that he may attain the good things to come, so that he may be counted worthy to behold the second coming in a fitting condition, with boldness, with glory and splendour.

This is to love His appearing.

He who loves His appearing will do all things, so that even before that universal appearing there may come to him the particular one.

And how, one asks, can this be? Listen to Christ as He says:

He that loveth me will keep my commandments, and we, I and the Father, will come, and will make our abode with him.

Consider then how great a thing it is, that He who is to appear in common to all should promise to appear privately to us.

For we will come, He says, and make our abode with him.

If anyone loves His appearing, he will do all things so as to call Him to himself and to possess Him, so that the light may shine upon him.

Let there be nothing unworthy of His coming, and quickly He will lodge with us.

It is called an appearing (epiphaneia) because it shines from above and rises from on high.

Let us therefore seek the things above, and quickly we shall draw to ourselves those rays.

No one who stoops downward and buries himself in the earth will be able to see the sunlight;

no one who defiles himself with the affairs of this life will be able to see the Sun of righteousness;

He appears to none of those who are entangled in these things.

Rouse yourself a little, rouse yourself out of the depth, out of the surge of this life, if you would see the Sun, if you would attain the appearing;

if you attain this appearing of His, then you shall see Him with great boldness.

Let there be in you no spirit of arrogance, lest it strike you violently and cast you down;

let not the heart be turned to stone, nor be in darkness, lest you dash your ship against it;

for submerged reefs work the most grievous shipwrecks.

Do not feed wild beasts — I mean the passions;

for these are more savage than beasts;

do not trust in fleeting things, that you may be able to stand firmly.

No one stands upon water, but upon a rock all stand securely.

Water is the affairs of this life;

The waters, it says, are come in unto my soul, overflowing like a torrent.

The Rock is the things of the Spirit;

For upon a rock, it says, You have set my feet on high.

The things of this life are mire and clay;

let us draw ourselves up out of these;

for so shall we be able to attain the appearing of Christ.

Whatever may come upon us, let us bear it;

a sufficient consolation in all things is to suffer for Christ's sake;

let us recite this divine incantation over ourselves, and the pain of the wound will cease.

And how, one asks, is it possible to suffer for Christ's sake? Has someone slandered you, simply and not for Christ's sake? If you bear it nobly, if you give thanks, if you pray for that man, all these things you do for Christ's sake.

But if you curse, if you grow indignant, if you attempt to take revenge — even though you cannot — it is not for Christ's sake; rather you have suffered loss, and are deprived of the fruit because of your own choice.

For it lies within us both to gain from adversities and to be harmed by them;

this comes about not from the nature of adversities, but from our own choice.

Job suffered so many things and bore them thankfully, and was justified — not because he suffered, but because, having suffered, he bore it thankfully.

Another who suffered the same things — or rather, not even the same (for there is no one who suffered such things, but far less) — blasphemed, grew resentful, cursed the whole world, and murmured against God; this man was condemned and sentenced, not because he suffered, but because he blasphemed;

and he blasphemed not by reason of the necessity of what befell him; since, if the necessity of what befell had produced this, then Job too would have had to blaspheme;

but if, having suffered more grievous things, he did nothing of the kind, then these things came about not from that cause, but from the weakness of the will.

We have need, therefore, of a strong soul, and then nothing will seem grievous to us; whereas to a weak soul there is nothing that is not grievous.

According to our own disposition all things become both bearable and unbearable;

For even the tree, when it sends its root down to a depth, not even a violent storm will be able to shake it;

but if it lies on the surface and above the ground, then even a slight gust of wind that falls upon it uproots it entirely.

So also with us: if we nail down our flesh with the fear of God, nothing will be able to shake it;

but if we merely leave it exposed, then even a slight breath makes it vanish and destroys it.

Wherefore I exhort you to bear all things with much readiness, and to imitate the prophet who says, My soul clave after You.

See what he says, My soul clave.

He did not simply say, It drew near, but, It clave.

And again, My soul thirsted for You.

He did not simply say, It longed, that by these expressions he might make manifest the vehemence of his longing.

And again, Nail down my flesh with the fear of You.

For He wills that we ever cleave to Him and be so bound together with Him, that we may never depart from Him.

If we thus hold fast to God, if we nail our minds to Him, if we thirst for the longing of Him, then all things will be for us as we desire, and we shall attain the good things to come, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory, might, and honour, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.