Epilogue

by T.M. Hyland, Birkenhead | Category: The Life And Work Of Paul | Dec 1971

"Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me"

"Do thy diligence to come before winter" (2 Tim. 4:9,21).

These sentences, written to Timothy from the prison in Rome, are among the last recorded words of the great man whose life and work have been reviewed in the series of articles which is concluded with this brief epilogue. No penman can do justice to such a theme. Secular history records the exploits of its great ones in every field of human endeavour, but the human yardstick of greatness is not the measure of true worth. From the day he met the risen Christ on the Damascus road Paul of Tarsus lived under the searchlight of the Divine Spirit. Much that is unrecorded for human inspection is indelibly inscribed in God's book for the eternal reckoning. Little matter if many of Paul's compatriots were persuaded that he had squandered life's opportunities in the service of an obscure sect, away from the mainstream of human progress, and let slip the worldly fame his gifts and training merited. Paul's answer to such shallow reasoning was:

"I hold not my life of any account, as dear unto myself, so that I may accomplish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus" (Acts 20:24).

Again:

"What things were gain to me, these have I counted loss for Christ. Yea verily, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may gain Christ" (Philip. 3:7,8).

Paul's objective was "the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus". Whatever ideals or pursuits engaged others, his consuming passion was expressed in his own words, "For to me to live is Christ" (Philip. 1:21). Like his great ancestor, Moses, he accounted "the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt" (Heb. 11:26). And he had no misgivings about the outcome of his life in the service of Christ:

"I am not ashamed; for I know Him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to guard that which I have committed unto Him against that day" (2 Tim. 1:12).

There was never any doubt in Paul's mind that he would eventually lay down his life in the cause of the Gospel. In his moving speech to the Ephesian elders at Miletus he looked backward and forward. He reviewed his labours among them (what a record!) and then looked to the end of his course, and beyond; "I know", he said, "that ye all, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, shall see my face no more" (Acts 20:25). He then warned of the dangers ahead after his departure, and strengthened the hands of those who would have to meet them. Luke has captured for us the picture of this great man of God, kneeling in prayer with those dear men among whom he had laboured so devotedly. It is a touching scene-a sad farewell to a beloved leader: "they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the word which he had spoken, that they should behold his face no more" (Acts 20:37,38).

Paul's second letter to Timothy gives us the last glimpse of the ageing apostle as he nears the end of his course. The conditions of this Roman captivity were much more severe than those of the former one. Then, although chained to a Roman soldier, he was allowed to live in his own hired dwelling and to preach and teach (Acts 2&30,31); now he suffers hardship "as a malefactor" (2 Tim. 2:9). By this time Imperial Rome had resorted to open and malicious persecution, and many Christians had suffered martyrdom after enduring brutal tortures. Tacitus, the Roman historian, describes the terrible sufferings of the Christians under the infamous Roman Emperor Nero. Although he had no sympathy with Christianity, regarding it as mischievous and dangerous to the Empire, Tacitus concludes his account of the Nero persecution of the Christians with this comment: "Some were covered with the skins of wild beasts, and left to be devoured by dogs; others were crucified; numbers were burnt alive; and many, covered over with inflammable matter, were lighted up, when the day declined, to serve as torches during the night.... The manners of that people were, no doubt, of a pernicious tendency, and their crimes called for the hand of justice: but it was evident that they fell a sacrifice, not for the public good, but to glut the rage and cruelty of one man only". Such were the conditions prevailing in Rome when the apostle was arrested. He could expect no mercy nor did he implore it. His concern, as always, was to witness a good confession, that Christ should be magnified in his body "whether by life or by death". He was willing "not to be bound only, but also to die ... for the name of the Lord Jesus".

The apostle's deep affection for those who served with him in the cause of Christ is evident from many a passage in his Epistles. He writes of "brethren beloved and longed for, my joy and crown" (Philip. 4:1); of "fellow-workers unto the kingdom of God, men that have been a comfort unto me" (Col. 4:11). He recalls a season of great affliction when in Macedonia he was comforted "by the coming of Titus" (2 Cor. 7:6). On his arrival in Rome as a prisoner he was met by the brethren at The Market of Appius and when he saw them he "thanked God and took courage" (Acts 28:15).

Now, oppressed and lonely, he laments his isolation from beloved fellow-workers whose visits would have cheered his spirit. Sorrowfully he writes, "Only Luke is with me" (2 Tim. 4:11). Faithful Luke! He longs for a visit from his devoted child in the Faith, Timothy, and recalls the tears and joy of their former meeting, then he pleads, "D6 thy diligence to come shortly unto me". Great man of God that he was, and able to stand alone when occasion demanded, Paul was no recluse. He was a shrewd judge of men and set a high value on the counsel and companionship of his fellow-workers. Although an accredited apostle, richly endowed in character and gift, he took his place as one of a team. This was one of the secrets of his dynamic leadership. With what grief, then, must he have penned the words: "All that are in Asia turned away from me". But as he did so there came flooding back the memory of one faithful soul, Onesiphorus, whose kindliness brought the worthy tribute, "he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain" (2 Tim. 1:16).

When the apostle dispatched his second letter to Timothy he had already been arraigned, and he gives an account of the first hearing of his case. Paul conducted his own defence. No advocate pleaded his cause. There is a plaintive note in the record:

"At my first defence no one took my part, but all forsook me: may it not be laid to their account. But the Lord stood by me, and strengthened me ... and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion" (2 Tim. 4:16,17).

So often when summoned before judges he had witnessed a good confession, and we may be assured that on this occasion also his defence was worthy of the Master he served so well. The Lord stood by His chosen vessel in his hour of need as he pleaded not his own cause but the cause of the Gospel: It was perhaps the last time his voice was heard in public witness for Christ. He "was delivered out of the mouth of the lion", and further remanded in custody. It appears that the respite was short-lived. There is no record of a second hearing of his case, and we do not know whether his desire to see his beloved Timothy was granted to him before the end. Tradition has it that his execution took place in the midsummer of that year, in which case he did not survive until the winter. The method of capital punishment for Roman citizens was death by decapitation, and there can be little doubt that this was how Paul's life was ended. On the threshold of his Christian service young Saul of Tarsus had witnessed the first Christian martyr, Stephen, submitting to violent death in the meekness and gentleness of Christ. Now Paul the aged, the veteran Christian campaigner, was about to seal his testimony with his blood. It was no surprise to him when the Roman soldiery led him to the place of execution outside the city. There was no shrinking from the final ordeal, The ink was scarcely dry on the page of the letter he had written to Timothy:

"I am already being offered, and the time of my departure is come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the counsel have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give to me at that day" (2 Tim. 4:6-8).

Thus ended the earthly service of one of the greatest and choicest of God's servants. He was the gift of the ascended Lord to His people, and his life and labours have been treasured by the faithful and have inspired them to follow in his train. But the outcome of those earthly labours of the great apostle to the Gentiles has yet to be revealed in an eternal setting. Paul was a chosen vessel moulded by the hand of the Master Potter for use not only in this age but also in that which is to come. Those wearing day by day trials were all part of the training for service in a higher sphere where "His servants shall do Him service; and they shall see His face; and His name shall be on their foreheads'6 (Rev. 22:3,4). Paul was aware of this when he wrote to the Corinthians, "For our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory" (2 Cor. 4:17).

At the great assize "in that day" Paul will appear, with all the redeemed of this age, to receive from the Master his "eternal weight of glory". Then, and then only, will that life of devoted service be seen in its true light. Then,

"The morning shall awaken,

The shadows pass away,

And each true-hearted servant

Shall shine as doth the day."

T.M. Hyland, Birkenhead | Dec 1971
The Life And Work Of Paul