Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. – 2 Timothy 1:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 24, 2018): 2 Timothy 1

In “The Little Mermaid” Hans Christian Anderson asserts “a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more.” We often forget, in a culture that seems to have a negative relationship with emotion, the importance of our tears. Not only are our tears important as a relief valve for our emotions, but they also signal the depth of our emotions for those in our circles of influence. A world without tears would indeed be a painful place to live. But tears also indicate what it is that we find important.

We have no idea of the context of the tears as Paul begins his letter to Timothy, but we suspect that these tears were shed when Paul and Timothy last left each other’s company. Even the exact circumstances of that meeting are lost to history. Maybe the tears were a result of the importance that the two men placed on the each other or maybe Timothy’s tears were due to the younger man having to leave his mentor in a bad circumstance, such as leaving his mentor in prison after a visit Timothy could have made to Rome. But no matter the reason, Timothy’s tears affected Paul.

And now Paul, remembering the tears, wanted to replace that memory with the joy of seeing Timothy once again. Paul had close connections with Timothy’s family and remembered the pastor repeatedly in his prayers. But nothing replaced the privilege of spending time in the presence of Timothy, a man that Paul loved like a son and had grown to deeply respect.

We have no idea if there ever was a joy-filled reunion between the two men, but if we had to guess the answer is likely no. Second Timothy is the last letter that we have in our possession penned by Paul. There may have been others, but we just don’t know. There is some evidence that, once Paul was released from his prison cell, he went on to Spain and spent a short period there. And then, as he returned to Rome and maybe on his way to see Timothy in Ephesus, where Paul had entrusted the Ephesian church to his leadership, Paul was once again arrested. This time his prison sentence would end with the apostle’s execution.

It is maybe interesting to note that while we think of Timothy being a young man as Paul writes his letters to him, the reality is that Timothy was likely around fifty as Paul sends him this letter. But that does not change Paul’s memory of his student, maybe proving that we are always young to the ones who have spent a portion of their lives teaching us. Youth is indeed a relative thing.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 2