Today's Scripture Reading (May 1, 2021): 2 Timothy 1
Billy
Joel wrote, "I really wish I was less of a thinking man and more of a fool not
afraid of rejection" (Sleeping with the Television On). I agree. I have suffered a lot of rejection, and it
never gets easier. I still hurt from the memory of people that I feel have
abandoned me, and I still miss some of those missing pieces, wishing that
things could have ended differently. And I get to go through life believing
that I could have avoided some of the mistakes and maybe preserved the
relationships, but the truth is that we all suffer rejection in our lives, and
often we learn lessons through that rejection.
But
that is not the kind of rejection about which Joel is speaking. Sometimes, our
fear of rejection is what stops us from doing what is right. Sometimes, it is
easier not to enter into a debate than to suffer rejection from saying what you
believe is right and moral. So we keep our silence and hope that those around
us won't reject us for our unspoken beliefs.
As
Paul approaches the end of his career, he does so alone. Many who had enthusiastically
supported him earlier in his career had walked away from the apostle. I love
the description that Pastor David Guzik gives to this era of Paul's life.
If there were Christian radio back then, no one would
want to interview Paul. If there were Christian magazines back then, Paul would
not have been on the cover. Paul would have had a hard time finding a publisher
for the books he had written. For many Christians of that day, Paul seemed too
extreme, too committed, not flashy or famous enough. Even the Christians
of Asia – where Paul did a great work (Acts 19) – turned away from
Paul (David Guzik).
It wasn't until after Paul's execution that the
church started to realize again the value that the apostle represented to the
emerging Christian Community. Sometimes, we forget that throughout Paul's
ministry, there were no gospels and no historical record that was available to
the various churches. In the early years of the church, all that existed concerning
the life and teachings of Christ were the letters written by multiple apostles
and church leaders. And the most prolific of those letter writers was Paul. As
the church grew, before the existence of a Christian Bible or New Testament,
the churches passed Paul's letters around to each other, often making copies
that the teachings could stay with the Christian communities. The earliest
written mention of Jesus's death, resurrection, and ascension are found in the
letters of Paul. The earliest explanation that Jesus died for our sins is, again,
found in Paul's letters.
But, maybe when Paul needed the Christian
Community's support the most, he stood alone, rejected by the very church that
he had given his life to support. We have no idea who Phygellus and Hermogenes
might have been, but there is no doubt that they were Christians who Timothy
knew well. And even they had left the apostle alone. If Paul took any comfort
from his current situation, it was that he had been rejected for doing what was
right, and because of that, Paul understood that his rejection couldn't have
been avoided. But that didn't mean that it didn't hurt. Paul was in pain. Timothy
had been one who had always stood by Paul's side, even when he wasn't physically
with Paul. And at this moment, Paul needed a friend.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 2
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