Homily 16 — First Timothy 5, verse 21, to 6, verse 1

“I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the chosen angels, that you observe these things without preferring one person to another, doing nothing out of favoritism. Lay hands hastily on no one, and do not share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure. No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent illnesses.” [a]

Paul has spoken of bishops and deacons, of men and women, of widows and elders, and of everyone else, and he has shown how great a bishop’s authority is. Now, since he was speaking of judgment, he has added, “I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the chosen angels, that you observe these things without preferring one person to another, doing nothing out of favoritism.” That is how fearfully he charges him. Timothy was his beloved son, but that did not make Paul stand in awe of him. He was not ashamed to say of himself, “For fear that somehow, when I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified” (First Corinthians 9, verse 27). Much less, then, would he be afraid or ashamed where Timothy was concerned.

He called the Father and the Son to witness. But why the chosen angels? It comes from great moderation, just as Moses said, “I call heaven and earth to witness” (Deuteronomy 4, verse 26), and again, “Hear, you mountains, and you strong foundations of the earth” (Micah 6, verse 2). He calls the Father and the Son to witness what he has said, appealing to them in view of that coming Day, so that if anything should be done that ought not to be done, he would be clear of the guilt of it.

“That you observe these things without preferring one person to another, doing nothing out of favoritism.” That is, deal fairly and evenly between those who come to trial and are to be judged by you, so that no one gets to your mind first or wins you over to his side beforehand. [b]

But who are the chosen angels? He says this because there are some who are not chosen. Jacob called God and the heap of stones to witness (Genesis 31, verse 45), and in the same way we often call greater and lesser persons to witness at the same time, so great a thing is testimony. It is as if he had said: “I call God and his Son and his servants to witness that I have charged you. So in their presence I charge you.”

He fills Timothy with fear, and after that he adds what was most vital and bore most on keeping the church in good order: the matter of ordinations. “Lay hands hastily on no one,” he says, “and do not share in other people’s sins.”

What does “hastily” mean? Not after a first test, or a second, or a third, but after frequent and strict examination and careful scrutiny. For this is a business of no ordinary danger. You will be answerable for the sins he commits, both his past sins and his future ones, because you handed this power over to him. If you pass over his past too easily, you are answerable for his future sins as well, since you caused them by putting him in that position; and for his past sins too, because you did not leave him to mourn over them and to feel heartfelt sorrow. For just as you share in his good actions, so you share in his sins.

“Keep yourself pure.” He says this with chastity in view. [c]

“No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent illnesses.” Here is a man who had practiced fasting to such a degree, and had drunk only water for so long, that he had brought on “illnesses,” and “frequent illnesses.” If even he is told to be chaste, and does not refuse the warning, how much less should we take offense when we receive a warning from anyone!

But why did Paul not restore his stomach to strength? Not because he could not. The man whose garment had raised the dead was plainly able to do this too. It was because he had an important purpose in holding back such help. What, then, was his purpose? That even now, when we see great and good men troubled with illnesses, we would not stumble, for this was a visitation that did them good. If a “messenger of Satan” was sent to Paul himself, so that he would not be “exalted beyond measure” (Second Corinthians 12, verse 7), much more might it be so with Timothy. The miracles he worked were enough to have made him proud. That is why he is left subject to the rules of medicine: so that he may be humbled, and so that others may not stumble, but may learn that the men who did such great deeds were of the same nature as themselves.

Timothy seems to have been sickly in other respects as well, in other parts of the body as well as the stomach. That is implied by the expression “your frequent illnesses.” Even so, Paul does not let him drink wine freely, but only as much as served his health and not luxury.

Verse 24: “The sins of some people are plain to see beforehand, going ahead of them to judgment; and the sins of others follow after them.”

In speaking of ordination he had said, “Do not share in other people’s sins.” But Timothy might say: “What if I do not know about them?” Why, “the sins of some people are plain to see beforehand, going ahead of them to judgment, and the sins of others follow after them.” Some people’s sins, he means, are plain to see, because they go ahead of them, while the sins of others are unknown, because they follow after.

Verse 25: “In the same way, the good works of some are plain to see beforehand, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden.”

Chapter 6, verse 1: “Let all who are slaves under the yoke count their masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and his teaching may not be blasphemed.”

Let them count them “worthy of all honor,” he says. Do not suppose that because you are a believer you are therefore a free man. Your freedom lies in serving all the more faithfully. If the unbeliever sees slaves behaving insolently on account of their faith, he will blaspheme, as though the teaching produced insubordination. But when he sees them obedient, he will be more inclined to believe, and will pay all the more attention to our words. If they are disobedient, God and the good news we preach will be blasphemed. But what if their own master is an unbeliever? Even then they ought to submit, for the sake of God’s name.

Verse 2: “And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brothers, but rather serve them, because they are believers and beloved, sharers in the benefit.” [e]

It is as though he had said: “If you have been counted worthy of so great a benefit as to have your masters for your brothers, then for that very reason you ought to submit all the more.”

“Going ahead to judgment.” He had said this to show that here, among evil actions, some are hidden and some are not; but there, neither the good nor the bad can be hidden. And what is this “going ahead to judgment”? It is when someone commits offenses that already condemn him, or when he cannot be corrected, and one tries to set him right and cannot succeed. “What then? What is the use of mentioning this?” Because if anyone escapes notice here, he will not escape it hereafter. There everything is laid bare, and this is the greatest comfort to those who do well.

Then, because he had said, “Do nothing out of favoritism,” he adds, as though bound to explain it, “Let all who are slaves under the yoke…” But you will say: “What has a bishop to do with this?” A great deal, surely. It is his office to urge and to teach these people too. And here he lays down excellent rules about them. We see him everywhere giving commands to the slaves rather than to their masters, showing them the ways of submission, and treating them with great regard. So he urges them to submit with great gentleness. But the masters he advises to give up the use of terror. “Giving up threatening” (Ephesians 6, verse 9), he says.

And why does he give his commands this way? With unbelievers the reason is plain: it would have been unreasonable to address people who would pay no attention to him. But where believers were concerned, what was his reason? Masters do more good to their slaves than slaves do to their masters. The masters supply the money to buy them enough food and clothing, and they take great care of them in other ways too, so that it is the masters who render the greater service. This is what he hints at here when he says, “they are believers and beloved, sharers in the benefit.” They bear much toil and trouble for your rest; should they not receive much honor from their slaves in return?

But if he urges slaves to obey so completely, think what our attitude ought to be toward our own Master, who brought us into being out of nothing, and who feeds and clothes us. If in no other way, then, let us at least serve him as our slaves serve us. Do they not arrange their whole lives to give their masters rest? Is it not their work and their life to look after their masters’ affairs? Are they not busy with their masters’ work all day long, and with their own for only a small part of the evening? [f]

But we, on the contrary, are always busy with our own affairs, and hardly at all with our Master’s. And that is so even though he does not need our services, as masters need their slaves’ services; those very acts turn to our own benefit. In their case the master gains from the slave’s service. In ours, the servant’s service does not profit the Master; on the contrary, it benefits the servant. As the Psalmist says, “My goods are nothing to you” (Psalm 16, verse 2). Tell me, what advantage is it to God that I am righteous, or what harm that I am unrighteous? Is his nature not incorruptible, beyond injury, above all suffering? Slaves have nothing of their own; everything belongs to their masters, however rich the slaves may be. But we have many things of our own.

And it is not only this great honor that we enjoy from the King of the universe. What master ever gave his own son for his slave? No one ever did; all would rather choose to give their slaves for their sons. Here, on the contrary, “he did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all,” for his enemies who hated him. Slaves, though very hard service is demanded of them, do not lose patience — the well-disposed ones, at least. But how many times do we grumble? [g]

The master promises his slaves nothing like what God promises us. What does he promise? Freedom here, which is often worse than slavery, for it is often made more bitter by hunger than slavery itself. Yet this is their greatest prize. But with God there is nothing temporary, nothing mortal. What is there, then? Do you want to know? Listen, then. He says, “I no longer call you servants. You are my friends” (John 15, verses 14 and 15).

Beloved, let us be ashamed; let us fear. Let us only serve our Master as our slaves serve us. Or rather, we do not render him even the smallest part of that service! Necessity makes them philosophers. They have only food and a roof over their heads; but we, who have much and expect more, insult our Benefactor with our luxury. If from nothing else, let us at least learn the rules of philosophy from them. Scripture often sends people not even to slaves but to creatures without reason, as when it tells us to imitate the bee and the ant. But I am only advising you to imitate slaves. Just as much as they do out of fear of their masters, let us do out of the fear of God. For I cannot find that you do even this.

Out of fear of us they put up with many insults, and bear them in silence with the patience of philosophers. Whether it is just or unjust, they are exposed to our violence, and they do not resist but plead with us, though often they have done nothing wrong. They are content to receive no more than they need, and often less. With straw for their bed and only bread for their food, they do not complain or grumble at their hard living; fear of us keeps them from losing patience. When money is entrusted to them, they give it all back. I am not speaking of the worthless ones, but of the moderately good. If we threaten them, they are struck with fear at once.

Is this not philosophy? Do not say they are under necessity, when you too are under a necessity, in the fear of hell. And yet you do not learn wisdom, or give God as much honor as you receive from your slaves. Each of your slaves has the place assigned to him by your rules, and he does not invade his neighbor’s, or do him any harm out of a desire for more than he has. The fear of their master enforces this restraint among household servants, and you will seldom see a slave robbing or harming a fellow slave. [i]

But among free people it is quite the reverse. We bite and devour one another. We do not fear our Master: we rob and plunder our fellow servants, and we strike them in his very sight. A slave will not do this. If he strikes, it is not when his master sees him; if he insults anyone, it is not when his master hears him. But we dare to do anything, though God sees and hears it all.

The fear of their master is always before their eyes; the fear of our Master is never before ours. That is why all order is overturned; that is why everything is confusion and ruin. We never take into account the offenses we ourselves have committed, but if our slaves do wrong, we call them to strict account for everything, down to the smallest slip.

I do not say this to make slaves careless, but to rebuke our own carelessness and rouse us from our sloth, so that we may serve our God with as much zeal as slaves serve their master, and serve our Maker as faithfully as our fellow creatures serve us, though they have received no such gift from us. For they too are free by nature. To them also it was said, “Let them rule over the fish” (Genesis 1, verse 26). This slavery does not come from nature; it is the result of some particular cause or circumstance.

Yet even so, they pay us great honor; and we demand services from them with great strictness, while to God we hardly give the smallest part, though the advantage of it would come back to ourselves. For the more zealously we serve God, the more we will gain. So let us not rob ourselves of such great benefits. God is self-sufficient and needs nothing; the reward and the advantage come back entirely to us. Let us, then, I beg you, be of this mind, as people serving not God but ourselves, and let us serve him with fear and trembling, so that we may obtain the promised blessings, through Jesus Christ our Lord, with whom, to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, power, and honor, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.