Timothy (Philippians 2:19-24)

So far in our studies in the second chapter of Philippians, we have considered profound doctrines connected to the person and work of Christ and to the nature of sanctification. In the closing passages of the chapter, Paul brings to our attention two of his colleagues (Timothy and Epaphroditus) and at first glance the descriptions of them are so straightforward that we might be tempted to imagine that these biographical profiles do not contain important matters. Yet we only have to ask one question and we will see that the passages are very significant. The question is, ‘How did Timothy and Epaphroditus come to have these characteristics in their lives?’

In verses 19 and 23, Paul reveals his intention to send his colleague Timothy to Philippi once he finds out the decision of the Roman court concerning his appeal to Caesar. Yet he submits his intention to a higher Lord than the Roman Emperor when he prefixes it with the words, ‘But I trust in the Lord Jesus.’ This prefix reveals an important outlook of Paul’s life.

His words indicate that everything should be done in faith. In a sense, this is our side of each situation. We commit our plans to the Lord, looking for his overall blessing. Paul did not want to do anything, even in Christian work, that was not according to the will of Christ. Therefore we have to recognise the Lord’s sovereignty whenever we have any plans. Paul’s words are similar to those expressed by James when he writes: ‘Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit” — yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that”’ (Jas. 4:13-15).  The words of Paul are not the comment of a fatalist who suspects that somehow or other his plans will be hindered by events beyond his control. Rather they reveal a man who had a strong confidence in the sovereignty of the Lord Jesus and a sweet submission to his will.

Paul’s words are a reminder that the apostles did not have infallible guidance regarding every situation that they faced. In many circumstances, they found themselves having to wait for divine providence to unfold God’s will. But they knew that Jesus was at the helm, and therefore they were confident that he would guide and overrule as he saw best.

There are two other aspects of Paul’s life that we should note. The first is that he was eager to discover the effects that his letter would have on the Christians in Philippi. This was one reason as to why he sent Timothy to Philippi. The other aspect is that Paul was willing to put the needs of the church before his own circumstances. Paul was in confinement of some kind and no doubt he appreciated the help that Timothy would give to him and the fellowship that he would have with him. Yet Paul sensed that the need of the Philippians was greater than his own. 

Imagine how Eoudia and Syntyche would feel when they saw Timothy, who had been involved in the beginning of the church in Philippi, come into their meetings. Perhaps they would recall happier times. And they would see the solemnity with which their disagreement was regarded by Paul in that he was prepared to do without fellowship in order for them to have restored fellowship.

Who was Timothy?

Timothy had a spiritually privileged family background in the home that he shared with his mother and grandmother. As a child, his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois had instructed him in the Old Testament Scriptures (2 Tim. 1:5; 3:15). These two women are a reminder of the powerful work that mothers and grandmothers can perform in preparing their children for the day when they will be converted. While they cannot convert the children, they can teach them the message of the Bible and pray for them. Many an adult blesses God for what they learned in childhood from a godly mother or grandmother.

It is interesting that Paul says these women had a sincere faith (2 Tim. 1:5); their sincere faith was one in which there was no hypocrisy, where there was consistency and honesty. We must remember that there were two alternative examples in the home for Timothy to imitate. In addition to the example of the women, there was the example of his father, who was a Gentile who did not believe in the Bible. As a child, Timothy observed both kinds of examples, and it is of great credit to the women that their influence kept him from adopting the ways of his father.

Timothy had not been circumcised as an infant (Acts 16:3), probably because his father was a Gentile who did not share the Jewish faith. The family home was in Lystra, a city that Paul visited on his first missionary journey (Acts 14:6-23), and it is probable that Timothy came to faith in Christ during this visit because Paul later described Timothy as his child in the faith (1 Cor. 4:17; 1 Tim. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:2).

By the time Paul came to Lystra on his second missionary journey, Timothy was already a disciple who was well-respected by the other believers there (Acts 16:1-2). Paul, having seen the spiritual development of Timothy, decided that Timothy should accompany Silas and himself, perhaps to function as a servant similar to the way Mark should have functioned for Paul and Barnabas in the first missionary journey. Because the new team would be interacting with Jews, and because Timothy’s mother was Jewish, Paul wanted Timothy circumcised (Acts 16:3). The fact that Timothy was willing to do so indicates that he was prepared even as a young disciple to put the cause of Christ above his own comfort.

From then on, Timothy was the constant companion of Paul. As time passed, he was sent by the apostle on special missions, such as to Thessalonica (1 Thess. 3:2, 6) and Corinth (1 Cor. 4:17) as well as Philippi. Later he was sent by Paul to Ephesus because of the troubles in the church there (1 Timothy). Timothy is mentioned by Paul as being with him at the beginning of six of his epistles as well as being the recipient of two letters from the apostle. When Paul, a few years after he wrote Philippians, was facing death during his second imprisonment in Rome, he asked Timothy to come to him (2 Tim. 4:9).

When Paul sent Timothy to Philippi, he was still a young man, most likely in his thirties. Although he had been with the apostle for many years, he still retained features of his character that would have added personal burdens to his role. Timothy seemed to have suffered from timidity or shyness, because when he had been sent by Paul on the earlier mission to Corinth, the apostle had requested the church there to take account of Timothy’s timidity (1 Cor. 6:10). In addition, he does not seem to have been physically strong. Paul refers in 1 Timothy 5:23 to Timothy’s stomach problems and his other frequent ailments. So Timothy had both physical and temperamental weaknesses, but these problems were not a barrier to servanthood. As long as he remembered the lesson that Paul himself had discovered when God told him that divine strength would be made perfect in his human weakness, Timothy would make spiritual progress wherever he was.

Timothy the servant

It is evident that Paul regarded Timothy as most suitable for the role for which he had been selected by Paul. What are the qualifications of Christian service?

First, Timothy was obviously willing to serve. Yet we need to see his willingness with a bit more clarity. Not only was he willing to serve, he was also willing to serve wherever he was sent. This means that he left the location of service to a higher authority, on this occasion to Paul the apostle. In addition, he was willing to serve in a difficult situation, to serve in Philippi. It is obvious that Timothy was timorous by nature, yet he was willing to serve in a situation where his weakness could be exposed. Timothy was willing to do whatever Paul asked him to do because he had a servant heart.

Second, Timothy was authentic as far as the Philippians were concerned. Paul could write about him in verse 22: ‘But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel.’ Their knowledge of him was not second-hand because they had seen the manner in which Timothy had behaved when he was in Philippi when the church was founded. What made him authentic was his consistency in the way in which he served others. They had seen him imitate Paul when the team was in Philippi. If they could not get Paul’s personal help immediately, they realised that in getting Timothy to help them was almost the same as having Paul.

Third, Timothy was Christ-centred. As far as Paul could assess, Timothy was unique. The apostle writes in verse 20: ‘I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state.’ What was it that made Timothy unique? Paul tells us in verse 21: ‘For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.’ It seems as if the apostle scanned the Christians that he knew in Rome at that time and realised that he could not ask one of them to go to Philippi. With all their differences, they had one thing in common, which was that they sought their own things. Paul had already mentioned in chapter one that some of the leaders were opposed to Paul and were intent on pursuing their own agenda. When it came to a choice between their things and the things of Jesus Christ, Jesus came second in the list. This was not the case with Timothy. His focus on life was always the things of Jesus Christ. He was single-minded.

Fourth, Timothy was marked by one essential feature that qualified him for the role of Paul’s ambassador. The necessary feature is concern or care for the people of God. Paul knew that when Timothy reached Philippi he would function like a shepherd over God’s flock. Some needed protection from dangerous dogs (the false doctrine of the Judaizers that Paul mentions in the beginning of chapter 3). Others, such as Eoudia and Syntyche who were disrupting the unity of the fellowship, required correction. With each person, Timothy would behave as a shepherd.

Some applications

One feature to note is that Timothy did not allow his areas of weakness to prevent him serving the Lord wholeheartedly. No doubt, he could have made excuses based on his shyness. Yet he had the insight to realise that what was needed as far as his Christian service was concerned was a heart marked by love for others. Love made him put others first.

A second feature worth noting is that we become like those we spend time with. Timothy had become like Paul because he had spent a lot of time with Paul. He did not merely imitate Paul’s habits, in addition he caught something of his mentor’s heart for the people of God. Of course, the real reason why their time together was so profitable was that there was always a third person with them, Jesus himself.

A third feature concerns our ambitions. What should be the primary ambition of a Christian as far as others are concerned? He or she should aim to be an example that others can follow. As I look back on my life, I now realise that the people who influenced me the most were not those who knew more theology (some of them argued for the sake of it) than others nor those who were prominent in society (some of them made too many compromises) than others. Instead the people I now remember with gratitude, and often think about, were those men and women, most of them now in heaven, who aimed to live Christlike lives. It would be good for us if it can be said at the end of our lives that we were examples of grace, that we lived by love, engaged in daily repentance, forgave those who sinned against us, functioned as peacemakers, and commended Jesus in the sense that our lives did not contradict our profession.