Three passages in 2 Timothy mark the importance of Paul commending Timothy to mentor others, as he has received training as a mentee.  In their book Mentoring: Biblical, Theological, and Practical Perspectives, Dean K Thompson and Dr. Cameron Murchison write, “Of the three pastoral epistles, the letter that most clearly represents the wisdom of an elder Christian passed on to a younger is 2 Timothy.”^[1] The letter’s tone is marked by urgency, which only emphasizes Paul’s instruction to Timothy.  Paul is in chains and imprisoned (2 Tim. 1:16, 2:9).  He has already endured a first legal hearing alone (2 Timothy 4:16-17).  Now, knowing the end is near (2 Timothy 4:6-8), Paul desires to see his gospel work and teaching continue beyond Timothy.^[2]  In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul instructs Timothy, “and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” It is vital to look closely at the words in these verses and consider the generational implications of training up and releasing others to multiply the impact of a mentor and mentee beyond the scope of their relationship to many others. 

At least six questions emerge from this verse: What has Timothy heard? Who are the witnesses? What does it mean to entrust? Who are these faithful men? What is Timothy to do with these faithful men? What is the generational implication?  Timothy heard Paul teach and defend the gospel truth for decades.  In 2 Timothy 1:13-14, Paul writes to Timothy, “Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.”  Timothy was to follow Paul’s “pattern of the sounds words with faith and love”.  The term “pattern” is a word which means “a basis for behavioral comparison, a standard.”^[3] The term “example” is used similarly in 1 Timothy 1:16.  Thomas D. Lea and Hayne Griffin explain, “The wording Paul uses describes adherence to a standard, but with a freedom to apply it. Paul desired Timothy to be loyal to the Pauline message but left him free to express it with his own personality. Paul had not delivered to Timothy a fixed creedal formula but a general outline of teaching which he was to maintain.”^[4] Timothy did not hear Paul alone.  The “witnesses” referred to in 1 Timothy 2:2 are not explicitly defined. Still, the tense of the verb phrase “you have heard” may reveal some answers. 

A second passage in 2 Timothy, which marks the importance of Paul commending Timothy to mentor and disciple others, is 2 Timothy 3:10-11. Paul writes, “You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, ¹¹ my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.”  There are seven qualities Paul lists for Timothy to imitate.  These include matters related to his gospel teaching, integrity, life-purpose, and endurance through much persecution. Chuck Lawless writes that in examining these seven qualities, “Paul summarized all Timothy had seen. The first seven elements are positive, showing that Timothy heard Paul’s teaching, saw his obedience, witnessed his faith and persistence, and experienced his love. Young Timothy saw Christ modeled in his mentor in each of these areas.”^[5]

In addition to the calls for imitation and multiplication of 2 Timothy 2:2 is one last exhortative passage of Scripture from Paul to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:1-5.  2 Timothy 4:6-8 refers to Paul’s impending death and his hopeful reward. This provides perspective for his final message to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:1-5. These are some of the last words of a mentor to his mentee. Paul writes: 

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: ² preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. ³ For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, ⁴ and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. ⁵ As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

2 Timothy 4:1-5

The sobriety of the message is conveyed as Paul charges Timothy in “the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is judge of the living and the dead”. It is an important moment in the letter, and Paul desires its weight to be felt.  In verse two, Paul shares five imperatives with Timothy: preach the word, be ready in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, and exhort.^[1] These strong words anticipate the need for a clear mind, a willingness to proclaim in difficult seasons (Vs. 2) and in combative environments with false teachers (Vs. 3-4).  In 2 Timothy 4:6, Paul writes, “As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” Paul is preparing Timothy for the suffering that is ahead.  The word “endure suffering” means “to suffer physical pain, hardship and distress.^[2] He encourages Timothy to persevere and to “fulfill your ministry”. The word “fulfill” translates πληροφορέω, ‘to fill completely,’ or ‘to fulfill and the term “ministry” is διακονία, ‘service’ or ‘office.’^[3] Paul exemplifies what it means to fulfill his ministry in 2 Timothy 4:7.  He writes he has “fought the good fight”, “completed the race”, and “kept the faith”.  Timothy can do the same as his mentor, Paul. 

In 2 Timothy 4:8, Paul gives Timothy great hope that if Timothy is endurant and faithful, as Paul his mentor was faithful, he will receive “the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” Paul ends with eternal optimism and hope for his mentee Timothy.  In summarizing this broader section of Scripture, Dean Thompson and D. Murchison write, “Thus in 2 Timothy we get a portrait of the relationship of the older and wiser apostle to his younger and earnest student. The relationship between the two is built on imitation, exhortation, and hope.” ^[4]

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^[1] Dean K. Thompson and D. Cameron Murchison, eds., Mentoring: Biblical, Theological, and Practical Perspectives (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2018), 10-13.

^[2] Thomas D. Lea and David Alan Black, The New Testament: Its Background and Message, 2nd ed. (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003), 475.

^[3] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 1042.

^[4] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 195.

^[5] Chuck Lawless, Mentor, How Along The Way Discipleship Will Change Your Life, 48. 

^[6] George W. Knight, The Pastoral Epistles: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1992), 453.

^[7] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains, 286.

^[8] Rick Brannan, Second Timothy, Lexical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles (Appian Way Press, 2018), 146.

^[9] Dean K. Thompson and D. Cameron Murcheson, Mentoring, 32.