The apostle now turns to his companions in service with varied expression of feeling; and to Timothy first as one specially near to his heart.
“Use diligence to come onto me quickly; for Demas forsook me, having loved the present age, and went onto Thessalonica; Crescens unto Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia: Luke alone is with me. Take up and bring Mark with thee, for he is useful to me for ministry. But Tychicus I sent unto Ephesus. The cloak which I left behind in Troas with Carpus bring when thou comest, and the books, especially the parchments” (ver. 9-13).
Without doubt, deep solemnity pervaded the apostle's spirit in the thought of his speedy departure and especially of the Lord's appearing; and no wonder: it is the goal of responsibility, the moment when all shall be brought to light, and the mind of the Lord pronounced accordingly. Early in the Epistle he had expressed his great desire to see Timothy, whom he regarded with especial affection. Now he urges upon him to be zealous in coming quickly to him, and assigns the reason. He was deserted by a fellow-laborer. This affected his heart deeply. He felt, therefore, the greater wish to have Timothy with him. It would be the last opportunity, and as his mind—we saw in the first chapter, called to remembrance the past, so here he could not but look onward to the future, as he thought of those who were to continue the work of the Lord here below, when he himself was gone.
Not long before, in writing to the Colossians, the apostle conveyed to them the greetings of Luke and Demas, with those of Epaphras and his own, and in writing to Philemon, probably about the same time, he conveys the salutation of Demas once more to his dearly-beloved Philemon, distinguishing him with others as his fellow-laborer. Now he has the sorrow to write, as one reason more for Timothy's presence, “For Demas deserted me, through love of the present age, and proceeded unto Thessalonica” (ver. 10). This is sorrowfully explicit. To say that Demas left the apostle to go on an evangelistic tour, is to slight the word, blot out the revealed motive, and to confound his case with that of the others who follow. It has been conjectured that the departure of Demas for Thessalonica was due to love for his birth-place. Others have guessed that it was for trading. We are not at liberty thus to speak; and the less because the Holy Ghost stamps the motive as love for the present age. The first was rather the fault of Mark and Barnabas in earlier days; but it had no deep root, and grace had long given self-judgment. The failure of Demas was far more serious, not merely because it was late in the day, but because love of the present age utterly opposes the moral purpose of Him who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age. It is not said that Demos forsook Christ, still less, that Christ forsook him; but the sin was a grievous one, as is the endeavor to put the stigma of it on evangelizing. This was an insult reserved for folly and bitterness. Preaching the gospel is certainly not everything, but it is the foundation of all, as the evangelist is the gift of Christ. It is more than probable that the fellow-laborers took their share in gospel work, as we know the apostle Paul always did with the utmost zeal and devotedness; but here it is not expressly said of anyone. To drag it in and connect it with the only one who is named as sinning against the Lord, is a very great affront to Him, unless it were said as an idle jest; but a jest that manifests a heartless feeling against the gospel or its heralds.
Of Crescens, we are only told that he went to Galatia. This is the sole mention of him in scripture. For what purpose we are not told, but it can scarcely be doubted it was in the Lord's service. Tradition, and this the earliest, tells us that he went there to evangelize; but a later one speaks of him as laboring in Gaul. And it is well to note here that two of the earliest uncials (the Sinitic and the Re-script of Paris) read here Gaul for Galatia, as do several cursive manuscripts, the Ethiopic Version of Rome, and other authorities. So early did ignorance or evil intent tamper with the copies of scripture.
Of Titus we are told that he went to Dalmatia. We may gather from this that he had finished his work in Crete, had joined the apostle, and was now gone in another direction, the last notice of him which scripture affords. There is not the smallest ground, therefore, for the tradition that he was diocesan of Crete. A singular fatality of error appears to pervade these extra-scriptural notices, which seem to be mere legends of imagination, grafted upon a most superficial use of scripture. It is altogether ad exception to find a single one of the old traditions containing an atom of truth. How deeply then should we feel the blessing of God's perfect word!
“Only Luke is with me. Mark take up and bring with thyself, for he is to me profitable for ministry” (ver. 11). It is interesting to observe that the verse brings before us these two inspired writers of Gospels. They were not apostles, but, are none the less authoritative. They were doubtless prophets, which gift was in exercise indeed for Matthew and John also, in so writing the prophetic writings, or scriptures, as the apostle designates the books of the New Testament in Rom. 16:26. The context is decisive, not to speak of the absence of the article, that the Authorized and the Revised versions are wrong in giving “the scriptures of the prophets.” For the apostle is speaking of the “revelation of the mystery which had been kept in silence through times everlasting, but now is manifested.” In Old Testament times the silence was kept; now is the time for its manifestation by New Testament prophets, who, instead of testifying to Israel only, make known that mystery, according to the commandment of the Eternal God, unto all the nations for obedience of faith. It is the gospel in short, and here specifically Paul's gospel in contrast with the law. And it is only confusion to mix this up with what God had promised before by His prophets in the Holy Scriptures at the beginning of the Epistle to the Romans, where accordingly is no allusion to “the mystery,” which is fittingly introduced only at the close.
Luke, then, was the only companion of the apostle. He had been his fellow-laborer during much of his ministry; he abides with him before his death. But, not content with this, the apostle desires Timothy to take up Mark on his way and bring him with himself, for he adds with exceeding grace, “he is to me useful for ministry.” We know how greatly grieved Paul had been with Mark's desertion in early days, and how it had led even to a breach with Barnabas. But this was long blotted out by the healing goodness of God. And already the apostle had joined Mark with himself as one of the few fellow-workers unto the kingdom of God which had been a comfort to him; as in the same Epistle to the Colossians he alludes to charges they had received to welcome him if he came to them. But now he goes farther and reinstates him in personal nearness of service to himself, the very thing in which he had originally failed. In nature a breakdown is irreparable, not so where grace prevails; “We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.”
“But Tychicus I sent unto Ephesus.” The Revised version is right, the Authorized version wrong; for the apostle draws a slight distinction here, which is expressed by “but,” rather than “and.” The others had proceeded on their own responsibility. Tychicus was sent by the apostle to Ephesus. Here, again, it is in vain for us to conjecture the special object of his mission. We may assure ourselves that faith in the Lord and love to the saints were the motives. But it is, well to take notice of an authority to which none can now lay claim.
Here follows, at verse 13, a new command of exceeding interest in the midst of these interesting notices of his fellow-laborers. “The cloak that I left at Trees with Carpus, bring when thou comest, and the books, especially the parchments.”
Some pious men have allowed themselves the narrow and unseemly thought that inspiration is confined only to matters of spiritual truth. This is to lose a great deal of the grace of the gospel, and to shut out from our souls the interest which the Lord takes in what concerns the body, as well as the mind The truth is, that the grace of our God occupies itself with everything that concerns us, and our wisdom is to take up nothing in which we cannot look for the favor, guidance, and blessing of the Lord. Such is wondrous fruit, not only of the incarnation of the Son, but of the indwelling of the Holy Ghost. He makes the body the temple of God. If it were not so, the ordinary matters of this life would be left outside and clothed with nothing but a human connection. We wrong the Lord and defraud ourselves of much where we do not bring Him into the least things that perish. “Whether, therefore, ye eat or drink, or whatever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
Hence the cloak, that the apostle left with Carpus at Troas, is not left for an uninspired note. It forms a direct part of this solemn Epistle, written for all times. God led His servant to direct Timothy to bring it, when he came. Winter was approaching, and the cloak would be needed. It is good for our souls to believe that God takes a personal interest even in so small a matter. Where God is left out, even saints become a prey to personal vanity or worldly fashion.
But Timothy was to bring the “books” also, “especially the parchments.” The latter were probably not yet written on: as being valuable material and suited to transmit more permanently, we cannot doubt that the apostle destined:” the parchments” for the edification of the saints and the glory of the Lord in an especial manner. “The books” may not have been inspired writings, and the indefinite language here used would rather imply the contrary. But they were not therefore devoid of interest to the apostle, even with death and the appearing of the Lord before his soul.