The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments. 2 Timothy 4:13
As one who also loves books, I have to smile as I think of Paul’s longing to have his beloved books with him. Yes, he would enjoy having the familiar feel of his well worn but comfortable cloak wrapped about his shoulders. It is interesting how such an ordinary event like forgetting a cloak at a friend’s house makes its way into Scripture. This is not a mistake, for it helps us to relate to the great apostle. But he especially wanted the books.
What were those books that Paul desired so much to have? There is little doubt that most of them, perhaps all of them, were Scripture. They were probably portions of the Old Testament, and some were undoubtedly copies of portions of the New Testament that had already been written, such as the Gospels. As one who was being used of God to write major portions of Scripture, Paul knew the value of those parchments. He loved them. He longed to have them with him. Would we have such a desire?
One of the marks of a true believer is a love for and a hunger for the Word of God. And the closer a believer gets to God, the greater is that believer’s desire for the Word. We know that Paul also longed to have Timothy with him. And in that longing, he sent to Timothy these great pastoral epistles, that the younger man might himself be drawn closer to the Word of God and to the God of the Word. Surely, Timothy would see the apostle’s love for the Word, and would devote himself to its study and attention.
This letter was reportedly written not long before Paul’s life was taken. It is unlikely that he ever saw the cloak or the parchments. We don’t really know. But it is touching that, right up to the time of his death, he longed to have the Word of God. May we be the same! – Jim MacIntosh