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So, to the last three verses of the Gospel of Luke. We left off with Yeshua eating in the closed room with the 11, the two from Emmaus, and others who were with them.
Verse 50
Luke 24.50-end
1st Timothy Introduction
August 23rd 2020
MEAT
Luke 24:50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.
51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.
52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:
53 And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.
Alright, back to Luke 24 verse 50 to wrap this chapter and book up.
Luke 24:50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.
It’s sort of a not often referred to fact that Yeshua ascended into heaven in Bethany and not Jerusalem though Bethany was in the western side of the mount of Olives and in very close proximity to the city.
For the Lord it was a special place being the home of Martha, and Mary, and Lazarus.
There is a question as to who actually watched the Lord ascend into heaven.
Was it the eleven apostles only, was it the eleven with other and who were the others, were they all who were in that closed room, did it include the Mary’s, the two on the road to Emmaus, and others.
The bottom line is we don’t really know.
We do believe with great certainty that the they AT LEAST included the eleven – that is sure.
But as to the others we cannot say and because of this most believe that it was only the eleven.
BTW, Luke is the only one who gives us insights to the ascension – did you know this? Both here in his Gospel and then in the first chapter of Acts.
When we read the story of the two on the road to Emmaus we know that one of the men was Cleopas, and we said then that the other could have been Luke. One of the reasons we believe this to be the case is that Luke is the only one who reports on his ascension and was witness to it all.
So taking them as far as Bethany we read that “he blessed them,” there. What a touching scene. He was ascending out of this decaying world and blesses these men whom he leave behind – all of but one would be put to death by the world he left them in.
51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.
Where was Yeshua headed? To His Father and their father and to His God and their God. And where was He?
In the Holy of Holies above. So Yeshua was going to depart from earth and enter the Holy of Holies.
This is significant because anciently, the High Priest for the Nation of Israel would get purified, and while the Nation waited outside the tabernacle, he would enter into the Holy of Holies and offer up shed blood on the alter for the sins of the people, wouldn’t he?
And what would be the sign that their sins had been propitiated and that the offering was received? The High Priest, after a time, would come back out! And the Nation would rejoice, know that he had effectively completed the duties on the day of Atonement and the Nation’s sins had been propitiated.
So with Jesus, and his blood being an eternal offering, not one that had to happen over and over, his entering the Holy of Holies once and for all was significant.
But just as significant was his coming out of the Holy of Holies to show all who were looking and waiting that His offering was effectual and that He had, infact, had the victory.
So His entering in here was very important. But just as important would be his coming back out and showing himself to those who were waiting and looking for him – which refers to his promised return.
Of course Luke covers in detail what happens here in the first chapter of Acts so let’s consult that where he writes:
4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
Back to Luke’s gospel all we read at the point we left off is:
52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:
Now generally speaking, the word worship does not always mean worship in a religious sense but merely bowing down as a sign of respect to any person of merit.
However, because this was offered in his ascent or even his absence I am convinced that this was, in fact, religious worship, which as scripture says, is held in reserve for God alone.
In other words for them to worship an absent Savior they were worshipping him as one divine, as Exodus 20:3-5 says:
Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
And this brings us to a super important distinction – from this point forward in the narrative, to worship Jesus is to worship God – no difference, as Jesus was the now the deified Son of God in human flesh and worthy of the same worship as His Father.
This was NOT the case prior to his death and resurrection – and needs to be understood in this sense as a means to really understand what God did in and through the Man from Nazareth.
But now having done it, to worship the one is to worship the other. Last verse of Luke
53 And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.
It is interesting that even though the temple veil was rent in two that the apostles continued to carry on temple visits after the ascension.
And it speaks to the fact that transition from one thing to the next in religious terms is slow, and takes time.
Based on most timelines it would be about ten days before Pentecost and until that time they were in the temple “praising and blessing God,” which apparently would have been for Him sending the Nation their Messiah who had come, redeemed them, and ascended into heaven, ending their mourning.
What was about to come upon them, as promised by Yeshua, would enable and empower them to actually do what He had trained and prepared them to do, as a means to usher in his return with judgment and reward.
And this concludes out verse by verse through the book of Luke.
My plan for the rest of the New Testament coverage looks like this:
We will cover 1st and 2nd Timothy in Meat beginning today, and in Milk we will cover 2nd Thessalonians followed by Titus and Phemon and then the Gospel of Mark.
Once we have finished 1st and 2nd Timothy here in Meat we are going to recover Romans. And this will wrap up our verse by verse coverage of the New Testament.
And we will see what we will do thereafter.
But for now, on to the Epistle to Timothy.
NEARLY all that is known of Timothy is taken from the New Testament. According to Acts 16:1 he was a native of either Derbe or Lystra, but we aren’t sure which.
Paul found him there on his visit to those places and he apparently was not acquainted with him before.
According to 2nd Timothy 1:5 his mother, whose name was Eunice, was a pious Jew as was also his grandmother, Lois. And even though his father was a Greek he was apparently friendly to the Jewish religion as 2nd Timothy tells us that Timothy had been carefully trained in the Scriptures.
Paul came to Derbe and Lystra, and became acquainted with him about A.D. 51 or 52 but we have no real way of knowing how old Timothy actually was at that time though 1st Timothy 4:12 leads us to suppose he was young.
In verse 18 of this first epistle there appears to have been an opinion that Timothy was seen as someone who had a special call on his life and that he was believed to do some great things in the realms of religion – perhaps this was due to his knowledge of the Hebrew scriptures.
When Paul first met with him, he was a “disciple,” or a Christian convert, but we aren’t sure how his conversion came about.
The gospel had been preached by Paul and Barnabas, in Iconium, Derbe, and Lystra, some six or seven years before and it is believed that it was during this time that Timothy came to faith.
What we do know, which certainly must have had an impact on him was that his mother had been before converted to the Christian faith, (Ac 16:1) and Timothy was well known to the Christians in the neighboring towns of Lystra and Iconium.
Several things appear to have been present to cause Paul to bring Timothy into the ministry and to make him a travelling companion.
His youth was one; his knowledge of the scriptures; his general existing reputation in the church; and perhaps a nature that was agreeable in manners – all of which would have made him a viable traveling companion for Paul.
We learn in Acts 16:3 that as a means to satisfy the prejudices of the Jews, and to prevent any possible objection which might be made against his qualifications for the ministerial office, Paul circumcised him, and that he was ordained to the office of the ministry by “the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery,” (that’s from 1st Timothy 4:14).
2nd Timothy 1:6 informs us that Paul was present and a part of these things when they were bestowed on Timothy.
Having joined Paul and Silas, Timothy accompanied them on a visit to the churches of Phrygia and Galatia, and
delivered them the decrees to keep which had been ordained at Jerusalem.
I am not going to walk through all the places Timothy was and may have been for the simple reasons its like describing the travels of a regional sales rep over the western united states.
To us the insights are not really that important and to me they bore.
Suffice it to say Timothy was a traveling companion of Paul’s in many of the places that he visited and was used greatly by the Lord to feed and serve the churches then.
What I will say though is it does not appear from the Acts of the Apostles, that he was with Paul during his two years’ imprisonment at Caesarea or during his voyage to Rome.
It is certain, however, that he was at Rome with the apostle when he wrote the epistles to the Philippians, to the Colossians, and to Philemon.
There is some indication that he was with Paul when he composed Hebrews if Paul composed Hebrews.
In the first and second imprisonment of Paul at Rome, no mention is made of Timothy, nor is it known where he was, or whether he accompanied him in his travels or not. According to 2nd Timothy 4 when Paul was imprisoned there the second time, he wrote the Second Epistle to Timothy, in which he desires him to come to Rome, and bring with him several things which he had left at Troas.
The importance of this is that if Timothy went to Rome, agreeably to the request of the apostle, it is probable that he was a witness there of his martyrdom.
We know little about the latter part of Timothy’s life. There is a tradition that he became “bishop” of Ephesus and was even buried there and then his bones were moved to Constantinople.
But this belief rests mainly on the “subscription” to the Second Epistle to Timothy, which is no authority whatever.
The supposition that he died at Ephesus, and was subsequently removed to Constantinople, has no certain historical basis either.
Based on the New Testament text nobody was loved by Paul more than Timothy – so much so Paul calls him “his own son.”
The subscription at the end of this first epistle says that it was written from Laodicea but as we have learned many of these are false. I won’t do the math but the epistle is believed, (based on internal evidence) to have been composed either around 58-59 AD or 64 or 65. Critics are divided on this point.
The purpose for the epistle in the first place is mentioned in verse three of the first chapter.
Paul had gone in Macedonia, having been suddenly driven away from Ephesus, before he had entirely done what he had designed to do there and he left Timothy there to “charge some that they teach no other doctrine:” that is, no other doctrine than that which he had himself taught there.
Form this it is clear that there were certain errors prevailing in Macedonia which Paul thought it really important to get corrected.
These errors are compiled from a number of New Testament references, including from the introduction of Ephesians, and the Epistle to the Colossians, and from the contents of Acts, and from these letter themselves and they include:
(1.) There was much opposition to the apostle Paul from the Jews who resided there (Acts 14:8,19).
(2.) There were teachers in the church who sought to enforce Jewish law and make it binding on Christians, (1st Timothy 1:6,7).
(3.) Some of the Jews residing there were addicted to exorcism, and tried to make use of Christianity and the name of Jesus to promote their selfish ends, (Acts 19:14)
(4.) The Jewish teachers laid great stress on geneologies and traditions, and were much given to debates about various questions connected with the law, (1st Timothy 1:4-6).
(5.) There were erroneous views prevailing respecting the rights of women, and the place they ought to occupy in the church (1st Timothy 2:8-15).
(6.) The organization of the officers of the church had not been carried out as Paul wanted it to be. (1st Timothy 3:1-16 and chapter 5).
(7.) There were certain questions regarding the proper treatment of widows, which had not yet been determined, (1st Timothy 5:1-25).
(8.) There were apparently attempts to divide the body by maintaining that all people were not equal (1st Timothy 6)
Because Timothy was left to manage these things on behalf of Paul this epistle was written.
I do not find the epistle to have that much relevance to believers today except in the areas of insight to faith and love.
The management of brick and mortar governance was vital in that day but antiquated in ours in my estimation.
We note right off the bat that this epistle (and the one to Titus) are written to Timothy and Titus.
The compilers of the New Testament appear to have believed that the content of these letter were important enough to include them in the New Testament and most Christian scholars agree.
Their canonical authority has never been seriously questioned and there is no doubt that they are the productions of the apostle Paul.
But just because they were written by Paul does NOT mean that everything in the letters has application to believers today.
I am sure as we consider what was written herein we will discover gems of wisdom and spiritual insights that are suited to us today.
But we must never forget who Paul wrote to here, why he wrote what he wrote, and with that under our belt me must conclude by the Spirit how it ought to work in our lives.
Scholars and defenders of the faith maintain that these letters fill a gap
In the New Testament that nothing else could fill and that without them we would have a hole and the New Testament would be incomplete.
I wonder about this view. Not that the epistles are not all valuable in their own way, but there is also the possibility that those who canonized the scripture for us gathered epistles based on things that weren’t necessarily important.
For instance, just because Paul wrote a letter does that mean the letter ought to have been included in the tome?
Perhaps. But perhaps not. And then if the compilers of the New Testament books compiled TO establish a book of rules to govern literal actual church, would that have been a misguided guideline – especially if the faith was supposed to be led of the Spirit and not based on shakable things?
I mean the inclusion of these epistles to Timothy are certainly beneficial to believers who are trying to “do church” they way it was established under Paul, but did we take too many liberties with these particular letters, or at least do we NOW take too many liberties with the letter because it is included in the canonized book?
We will see, as we study through it verse by verse.
May the Spirit guide as we consider its contents.
Verse 1:
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope.
Already we find value in doctrine and understanding in the very first verse – and this is great because it takes all I just said and allows us, having doubted as to whether this epistle should be included in the book, to see direct value in its presence.
PAUL, and apostle OF Jesus Christ,
BY THE COMMANDMENT OR WILL of God our Savior.
Seven times in the New Testament Paul describes himself as an APOSTLE of Jesus Christ by the will of God.
In other words, God wills that Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ.
Here he adds something extra to the name God, he calls him God our savior.
It’s an important clarification because without God in Christ, Christ would not be our Savior. It was God in Him that made Him our Savior – and therefore God is our Savior.
Paul adds:
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior, and Lord Jesus Christ, which (or who) is our hope.
Yeshua is our hope. Our expectation. Because of Him we long and expect to have a brighter eternity – Him, the focus of our salvation.
2 Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
And then on the flip side we receive a startling fact – that this letter was written to one man – Timothy.
Of course, what he says to Timothy might have application to more than one man but the fact of the matter is, if Paul was led by the Holy Spirit in writing this letter AND this letter has application to believers then and believers today, it seems that Paul would have been led to mention this.
But so far, he doesn’t.
Paul refers to Timothy here as “My own son in the faith.” Paul has a similar feeling toward Titus which we will discover when we cover that letter to Him.
“Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord,” which, of course, is yet another opportunity for Paul to describe God and Christ in any way the Spirit led and he chose this one. And at verse 3 and 4 he immediately tells Timothy what he wants him to do, saying:
3 As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, 4 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
So Paul tells Timothy, “As I besought thee still to abide at Ephesus when I went to Macedonia that . . .”
Meaning, Paul and Timothy had been laboring together at Ephesus, and Paul had to leave for Macedonia, and left Timothy there.
WHY?
That “thou mightest charge some.”
The word charge here appears to mean more than a single warning but more like a continuous reminder, “that you would continually remind some there THAT
1. they teach no other doctrine.
2. Neither give heed to fables
3. Neither give heed to endless genealogies (which create questions)
4. Rather than Godly edifying which is in faith, so do.
From this we see that Paul wrote this letter to tell Timothy exactly what to do with that church as a means to keep them in line.
Number 1 Teach no other doctrine (presumable, than what Paul had taught them when he was with them).
Perhaps these believers were inclined to embracing a number of other beliefs and Paul was trying to do anything possible to keep the doctrine pure.
It does not take much of a doctrinal shift to move a people off their proper trajectory and down a path of religious craziness.
I’ve interviewed a couple of people over the years who have grasped at and then included just a few little doctrinal errors into their lives and before you know it they are literally off in left field shaving their heads and taking on wives.
Gotta be careful and concentrated in the scripture. In that day, there were all sorts of doctrines seeking to creep into the nascent church and so Paul was right on it as a means to keep the bride pure.
Some suggest that because of this letter Paul was making Timothy a Bishop over Ephesus but there is nothing to support this. Essentially, Paul simply seems to have written a letter to Timothy because he could not be there instructing him on what to MAINTAIN until he could return.
Teach no other doctrine . . .
2. Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies which minister questions
The “fables” that are referred to here probably speak to a great abundance of superstitions that were circulated around the Nation of Israel and of course those that came from pagan cultures.
Don’t give heed to them.
And/or “endless genealogies” which was also a huge Jewish practice.
The Hebrews kept careful genealogical records, for this was necessary in order that to distinguish their tribes and to know who could officiate as priests and high priests and the like.
Over the course of time, and due to the growth of the nation, these genealogies grew so numerous that they could be cited as endless.
Because Yeshua had come the Jewish polity was over which God renting the veil, and the focus on genealogical lines and tribes and such as going to shortly be erased.
Paul tells them to avoid these things. In Christ there was no difference between any, and within a few decade the temple that served as the place for priesthood, and rites and rituals, as well as the holding tank for these genealogies, was going to go up in smoke.
Pay no attention to them, Paul says because they “minister questions.”
They start troublesome and angry debates. They will serve to divide, cause uproar and they will lend to an upper caste system among people who should be one.
All this such things would do –
“rather than godly edifying which is in faith: (which he adds) so do.”
Focus on “Godly edifying which is in faith.”
I really like this. Fables and endless genealogies, and doctrines of man do nothing to promote “Godly edifying” but note how Paul describes, Godly edifying. He says, “which is IN faith.”
And the bottom line idea is that Godly edifying occurs when we look to God in faith and walk by this! In this HE is edified, rather than side topics that only divide.
One thing before we wrap it up. To show that the word of God is living and beneficial, we do have a modern value to these words of Paul here in that our LDS friends are in fact, focused on endless genealogies.
Something Paul says that they should not give any heed to. And I think we will end here and pick it up in 1st Timothy next week.
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