Sermon for Saturday
Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty, with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you. Hebrews 13:23
Set at liberty? We didn’t know Timothy was in prison! Nowhere else in scripture is there a reference to his being imprisoned. And yet, Paul speaks of it as though Timothy’s release were something that the Christians were aware of. In any event, the apostle is looking forward to Timothy’s arrival, because of the blessing the younger brother will bring with him.
We read in Second Timothy of Paul’s desire that his son in the faith come to visit. That book tells us that Paul needed the comfort of the cloak that he had left behind during a visit with Carpus in Troas. It also told of his desire to have the books – undoubtedly portions of Scripture – that he loved so dearly. And he also desired to have the company of a brother who was so precious to him. Now, in this Hebrew epistle, Paul reveals another great reason for desiring the company of Timothy – to receive a first-hand report of all the Christians Timothy had encountered. This was no small event Paul was anticipating. He knew most of the Christians in most of the Assemblies in existence at that time. He prayed for many of them daily, and corresponded with some of them. Many were either converts during his Gospel series, or were among those who had sat under his ministry many times. Getting word from Timothy about them was going to be very special to the old apostle. Almost as special as hearing that Timothy was set at liberty.
It is difficult for us to understand conditions in those days. We don’t have a Roman government antagonistic to the Gospel and with a policy of persecuting the Christians. We also have communication systems that require a few seconds instead of a few months to pass information from Rome to Jerusalem. It is difficult for us to understand the limitations under which Paul and Timothy, and the Assemblies of that day, were subject to. But even today, we can appreciate how wonderful would be a visit from a very dear friend who carried tidings of other dear friends. Visits from Christians today are just as valuable, although we don’t often stop to think about it. Consider how wonderful it is to get a report from a missionary about souls being saved and Assemblies being planted in areas that we have been praying about.
Do we, like Paul, appreciate hearing news about Christians elsewhere? Maybe we would if somebody had to be released from prison to bring the word to us. – Jim MacIntosh