Homily 2 — Second Timothy 1, verses 8 to 12

“So do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me his prisoner, but share in the sufferings of the good news according to the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ.” [a]

There is nothing worse than for a person to measure and judge divine things by human reasoning. That way he will fall a vast distance from that rock and be cut off from the light. Someone who tries to take in the rays of the sun with human eyes not only fails to take them in, but suffers serious harm besides. In the same way, but to a far greater degree, the one who tries to gaze into that Light by human reasoning is on the way to suffering the same thing, and he abuses the gift of God.

Look, then, at Marcion and Mani and Valentinus and the others who brought their heresies and destructive teachings into the church of God. Because they measured divine things by human reasoning, they became ashamed of God’s plan of salvation. Yet it was nothing to be ashamed of; it was something to glory in. I mean the cross of Christ. For there is no sign of God’s love for humankind as great as the cross — not heaven, not the sea, not the earth, not the creation of all things out of nothing, not anything else at all. That is why it is Paul’s boast: “Far be it from me to glory in anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6, verse 14). But the unspiritual, and those who credit God with no more than they credit human beings, stumble at it and become ashamed. That is why Paul, from the very start, urges his disciple, and through him everyone else, in these words: “Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord.” That is: do not be ashamed that you preach one who was crucified; glory in it instead.

In themselves, death and imprisonment and chains are matters of shame and disgrace. But when the cause behind them is set before us, and the mystery is seen rightly, they will appear full of dignity and something to boast of. For it was that death that saved the world when it was perishing. That death joined earth to heaven; that death destroyed the power of the devil and made human beings angels and sons of God; that death raised our nature to the royal throne. Those chains were the conversion of many. “So do not be ashamed,” he says, “of the testimony of our Lord, or of me his prisoner, but share in the sufferings of the good news.” That is, even if you should suffer the same things, do not be ashamed. That this is what he means is clear from what he said just before, “God has given us a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind,” and from what follows, “Share in the sufferings of the good news.” Not only do not be ashamed of them; do not be ashamed even to go through them yourself.

And he does not say, “Do not be afraid,” but, to encourage him the more, “Do not be ashamed,” as if there were no further danger once he had overcome the shame. For shame weighs on a person only when he lets it overcome him. So he means: “Do not be ashamed if I, who raised the dead, who worked miracles, who traveled the whole world, am now a prisoner. For I am imprisoned not as a criminal, but for the sake of him who was crucified. If my Lord was not ashamed of the cross, neither am I ashamed of chains.”

And it is very fitting that, when he urges him not to be ashamed, he reminds him of the cross. This is what he means: “If you are not ashamed of the cross, do not be ashamed of chains either. If our Lord and Master endured the cross, much more should we endure chains.” For whoever is ashamed of what he endured is ashamed of the one who was crucified. “And it is not on my own account that I wear these chains. So do not give way to human feelings, but take your share in these sufferings.” “Share in the sufferings of the good news.” He does not say this as though the good news could be harmed, but to stir his disciple to suffer for it.

“According to the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” [d]

Above all because “Share in the sufferings” was a hard thing to say, he comforts him once more: “Count on this: you bear these things not by your own power but by the power of God. Your part is to choose and to be eager; God’s part is to lighten the sufferings and bring them to an end.” Then he shows him the proofs of God’s power: consider how you were saved, how you were called. As he says elsewhere, “according to his power that works in us” (Ephesians 3, verse 20). So much greater a work of power was it to persuade the world to believe than to make the heavens. But how was he “called with a holy calling”? It means that God made saints of those who were sinners and enemies. “And this is not of ourselves; it is the gift of God.” If, then, he is mighty in calling us, and good, in that he did it by grace and not as a debt, we ought not to be afraid.

For he who saved us by grace when we were on the way to perishing, enemies though we were, will he not much more work with us when he sees us working? “Not according to our works,” he says, “but according to his own purpose and grace.” That is, with no one compelling him and no one advising him, but of his own purpose, moved by his own goodness, he saved us. That is what “according to his own purpose” means. [e]

“Which was given us before the world began.” That is, it was settled before any beginning that these things would be done in Christ Jesus. It is no small thing to consider that he willed this from the first. It was not an afterthought. How then is the Son not eternal? For he too willed it from the beginning.

Verse 10: “But has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the good news.”

You see the power; you see that the gift was given not through works but through the good news. These are the things we hope for, for both were accomplished in his body. And how will they be accomplished in ours? “Through the good news.”

Verse 11: “For which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher of the Gentiles.”

Why does he repeat this so constantly, and call himself a teacher of the Gentiles? Because he wants to persuade them that they too ought to draw close to the Gentiles. So he means: “Do not be dismayed at my sufferings. The sinews of death have gone slack. It is not as a criminal that I suffer, but because I am ‘a teacher of the Gentiles.’” At the same time he makes what he says worthy of belief.

Verse 12: “For this reason I also suffer these things. Yet I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.”

“I am not ashamed,” he says. For are chains and sufferings anything to be ashamed of? Then do not you be ashamed! You see how he backs up his teaching with his deeds. “I suffer these things,” he says — I am thrown into prison, I am banished — “for I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.”

What is “what is entrusted”? The faith, the preaching of the good news. The one who entrusted this to him, he says, will keep it unharmed: “I suffer everything so that I may not be robbed of this treasure, and I am not ashamed of these things, so long as it is kept unharmed.” Or he calls the faithful the trust that God entrusted to him, or that he entrusted to God. For he says, “And now I entrust you to the Lord” (Acts 20, verse 32). That is: “These things will not be without profit to me.” [f]

And in Timothy you can see the fruit of the trust “entrusted” in this way. You see that he does not even feel his sufferings, because of the hope he has for his disciples.

This is what a teacher ought to be: he should regard his disciples in this way and count them everything to him. “Now we live,” he says, “if you stand firm in the Lord.” And again, “For what is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing? Is it not you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ?” (First Thessalonians 3, verse 8, and 2, verse 19). You see his anxiety on this point: he cares for the good of his disciples no less than for his own. For teachers ought to surpass natural parents and be more devoted than they are. And it is right for their children to be warmly affectionate toward them. For he says, “Obey those who rule over you, and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who must give an account” (Hebrews 13, verse 17).

Tell me: he is under so dangerous a responsibility, and you are not willing to obey him — and that for your own benefit? For even if his own state is good, as long as you are in a bad condition his anxiety goes on; he has a double account to give. Think what it is to be answerable and anxious for each one of those under his rule. What honor, what service would you count equal to such dangers? You cannot offer anything to match them. For you have not yet given up your life for him, but he lays down his life for you; and if he does not lay it down here when the occasion calls for it, he loses it there. Yet you are not willing to submit even in words. This is the chief cause of all these evils: the authority of those who rule is neglected; there is no reverence, no fear. He says, “Obey those who rule over you, and submit to them.” But now everything is turned upside down and thrown into confusion. And I say this not for the sake of those who rule — for what benefit will they get from the honor we give them, except so far as we are made obedient? — but I say it for your advantage.

For as far as the future is concerned, they will gain nothing from the honor done to them, but will receive the greater condemnation; nor will they be harmed in the future by ill treatment, but will have all the more to say in their defense. But I want all this done for your own sakes. For when rulers are honored by their people, even this is counted against them, as it is said in the case of Eli, “Did I not choose him out of his father’s house?” (First Samuel 2, verse 28). But when they are insulted, as in the case of Samuel, God said, “They have not rejected you, but they have rejected me” (First Samuel 8, verse 7). [g]

So insult is their gain, and honor their burden. What I say, then, is for your sakes, not for theirs. Whoever honors the priest will honor God too; and whoever has learned to despise the priest will in time insult God. “Whoever receives you,” he says, “receives me” (Matthew 10, verse 40). “Hold my priests in honor,” he says (Sirach 7, verse 31). The Jews learned to despise God because they despised Moses and wanted to stone him. For when someone is devout toward the priest, he is much more so toward God. And even if the priest is wicked, God, seeing that you respect him out of reverence for God, though he does not deserve honor, will reward you himself. For if “whoever receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward” (Matthew 10, verse 41), then whoever honors the priest, and submits and yields to him, will certainly be rewarded. If, in the case of hospitality, when you do not even know your guest, you receive so great a reward, much more will you be repaid if you obey the one whom God requires you to obey. “The scribes and the Pharisees,” he says, “sit in Moses’ seat; so whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but do not do what they do” (Matthew 23, verses 2 and 3).

Do you not know what the priest is? He is an angel of the Lord. Are they his own words that he speaks? If you despise him, it is not him you despise, but God who ordained him. You ask: “But how does it appear that he is ordained by God?” Why, if you suppose otherwise, your hope is empty. For if God works nothing through him, you have no washing, you have no share in the mysteries, nor in the benefit of the blessings. So you are not a Christian. You say: “What then? Does God ordain everyone, even the unworthy?”

God does not ordain everyone, but he works through everyone, even if they themselves are unworthy, so that the people may be saved. For if, for the people’s sake, he spoke through a donkey and through Balaam, a thoroughly wicked man, much more will he speak through the mouth of the priest. What will God not do or say for our salvation? Through whom does he not act? For if he worked through Judas, and through those others who “prophesied,” to whom he will say, “I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice wrongdoing” (Matthew 7, verses 22 and 23; Psalm 6, verse 8), and if others “cast out demons,” will he not much more work through the priests? [j]

If we were to put the lives of our rulers on trial, we would end up ordaining our own teachers, and everything would be confusion: the feet would be on top and the head below. Listen to Paul saying, “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you, or by any human judgment” (First Corinthians 4, verse 3). And again, “Why do you judge your brother?” (Romans 14, verse 10). For if we may not judge our brother, much less our teacher. If God commands this, you do well, and you sin if you do not do it; but if he commands the opposite, do not dare to do it, and do not try to cross the lines that have been drawn. After Aaron had made the golden calf, Korah, Dathan and Abiram rose in revolt against him. And did they not perish? Let each one attend to his own sphere. If he teaches perverted doctrine, even if he were an angel, do not obey him; but if he teaches the truth, pay attention not to his life but to his words. You have Paul to teach you what is right by both words and deeds.

But you say: “He does not give to the poor; he does not govern well.” How do you know this? Do not blame him before you are informed. Fear the great account. Many judgments are formed on mere opinion. Imitate your Lord, who said, “I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against them; and if not, I will know” (Genesis 18, verse 21). But even if you have inquired, and informed yourself, and seen, still wait for the Judge, and do not seize the office of Christ. It belongs to him, and not to you, to conduct this inquiry. You are a lower servant, not a master. You are a sheep: do not pry into the shepherd’s affairs, or you will have to give an account of your accusations against him. But you say: “How can he teach me what he does not practice himself?” It is not he who speaks to you. If it is he whom you obey, you have no reward. It is Christ who admonishes you in this way.

And what am I saying? You ought not to obey even Paul if he speaks on his own account, or says anything merely human; you should obey the apostle who has Christ speaking in him. Let us not judge one another’s conduct, but each his own. Examine your own life. [l]

But you say: “He ought to be better than I am.” Why? “Because he is a priest.” And is he not ahead of you in his labors, his dangers, his anxious struggles and troubles? But if he is not better, must you therefore destroy yourself? These are words of arrogance. For how is he not better than you? You say: “He steals, and commits sacrilege!”

How do you know this? Why do you throw yourself over a cliff? If you heard it said that someone had a purple robe, even if you knew it was true and could prove it against him, you would decline to do it and pretend not to know, because you would not want to run into needless danger. But in this case you are so far from holding back that you expose yourself to danger even without cause. And do not think you will not have to answer for these words. Listen to what Christ says: “For every idle word that people speak, they will give an account of it on the day of judgment” (Matthew 12, verse 36).

And do you think yourself better than another, and do you not groan, and beat your breast, and bow your head, and imitate the tax collector? Then you destroy yourself, even if you are better. Keep silent, so that you do not stop being better. If you speak of it, you have wiped out the merit. If you only think it, I say nothing of that. If you do not even think it, you have added a great deal. For if a notorious sinner, when he confessed, “went home counted righteous,” how will the one who is a lesser sinner, and knows it, not be rewarded? [m]

Examine your own life. You do not steal; but you are grasping and overbearing, and guilty of many other such things. I do not say this to defend theft. Far from it! I grieve deeply if anyone is really guilty of it, but I do not believe it. How great an evil sacrilege is, no one can say. But I spare you. For I would not have our virtue made empty by accusing others. What was worse than the tax collector? It is true that he was a tax collector, and guilty of many wrongs; yet because the Pharisee merely said, “I am not like this tax collector,” he destroyed all his merit. You say: “I am not like this sacrilegious priest.” And are you not making it all empty?

I am forced to say this and to dwell on it in my sermon, not so much because I am concerned for them, but because I fear for you, that you may make your virtue empty by this boasting about yourselves and condemning of others. For listen to Paul’s exhortation: “Let each one test his own work, and then he will have cause for rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another” (Galatians 6, verse 4). [n]

Tell me: if you had a wound and went to a physician, would you stop him from salving and dressing your own wound, and busy yourself finding out whether the physician had a wound or not? And if he had one, would you care? Or because he had one, would you refuse to have your own dressed, and say, “A physician ought to be in good health, and since he is not, I will leave my wound uncured”? Will it be any excuse for the one who is under rule that his priest is wicked? Not at all. The priest will suffer the punishment appointed for him, and you too will meet with what you deserve. For the teacher now only fills a place. For “it is written, They will all be taught by God” (John 6, verse 45; Isaiah 54, verse 13).

“Nor will they say, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all will know me, from the least to the greatest” (Jeremiah 31, verse 34). You will say: “Why then does he preside? Why is he set over us?” I beg you, let us not speak ill of our teachers, nor call them to so strict an account, or we will bring evil on ourselves. Let us examine ourselves, and we will not speak ill of others. [o]

Let us reverence that day on which he enlightened us. Whoever has a father hides all his faults, whatever they are. For it is said, “Do not glory in your father’s dishonor, for your father’s dishonor is no glory to you. And if his understanding fails, be patient with him” (Sirach 3, verses 10 and 13). And if this is said of our natural fathers, much more of our spiritual fathers. Reverence him, because every day he serves you: he has the Scriptures read, he puts the house in order for you, he keeps watch for you, prays for you, stands pleading with God on your behalf, offers petitions for you; all his worship is for you. Reverence all this, think of this, and come to him with devout respect.

Do not say, “He is wicked.” What of that? Does the one who is not wicked give you these great benefits of himself? Not at all. Everything works according to your faith. Not even the righteous man can benefit you if you are without faith, nor can the unrighteous man harm you if you are faithful. When God wanted to save his people, he worked for the ark through oxen. Is it the good life or the virtue of the priest that confers so much on you? The gifts God gives are not the kind that come from the priest’s virtue. All is of grace. His part is only to open his mouth, while God does all the work. The priest only performs a symbolic act. Consider how wide the distance was between John and Jesus.

Listen to John saying, “I need to be baptized by you” (Matthew 3, verse 14), and, “The strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie” (John 1, verse 27). Yet for all this difference, the Spirit came down — something John did not have. For “of his fullness,” it is said, “we have all received” (John 1, verse 16). And yet the Spirit did not come down until he was baptized. But it was not John who made the Spirit come down either. Why then was this done? So that you may learn that the priest performs a symbolic act. No man differs from another so widely as John from Jesus, and yet it was with John that the Spirit came down, so that we might learn that it is God who does all the work, that all is God’s doing. [r]

I am about to say something that may seem strange, but do not be astonished or startled at it. The offering is the same, whether an ordinary man offers it, or Paul or Peter. It is the same one Christ gave to his disciples, and the same one the priests now administer. This one is in no way inferior to that one, because it is not men who make even this one holy; the same one who made that one holy makes this one holy too. For just as the words God spoke are the same words the priest now speaks, so the offering is the same, and the baptism is the same as the one he gave. So the whole thing is a matter of faith. The Spirit fell on Cornelius at once, because he had already done his part and contributed his faith. And this is his body, just as that was. Whoever thinks the one inferior to the other does not know that Christ is present even now, and is at work even now.

Knowing these things, then — which we have not said without reason, but to shape your minds in what is right and make you more secure for the future — keep carefully in mind what has been said. For if we are always hearers and never doers, we will gain nothing from what is said. So let us pay close attention to the things spoken. Let us print them on our minds. Let us keep them always engraved on our consciences, and let us continually give glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.