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| 2 Timothy 1:15 |
This thou knowest, that all they
which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom
are Phygellus [fĭ-jĕl'ŭs] and Hermogenes
[huhr-MOJ-uh-neez].
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This final section of chapter 1 has four
verses:
2 Timothy 1:15-18
15 This thou knowest, that all they which are in
Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus
[fĭ-jĕl'ŭs] and Hermogenes [huhr-MOJ-uh-neez].
16 The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus
[On·e·siph'o·rus];
for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my
chain:
17 But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very
diligently, and found me.
18 The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of
the Lord in that day: and in how many things he
ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very
well.
We will begin, as we often do, with the Barclay
commentary.
THE FAITHLESS MANY AND
THE FAITHFUL ONE
2 Timothy 1:15–18
...paraphrased of the
verses
You know this, that as a whole the people who live
in Asia deserted me, and among the deserters are
Phygelus [fĭ-jĕl'ŭs]
and Hermogenes [huhr-MOJ-uh-neez].
May the Lord give mercy to the family of Onesiphorus
[On·e·siph'o·rus],
because he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed
of my chain. So far from that, when he arrived in
Rome he eagerly sought me out and found me – may the
Lord grant to him mercy from the Lord on that day –
and you know better than I do the many services he
rendered in Ephesus.
HERE is a passage in which pathos [pity,
suffering] and joy are combined. In the
end, the same thing happened to Paul as happened to
Jesus, his Master. His friends forsook him and fled.
In the New Testament, Asia is not the continent of
Asia, but the Roman province which consisted of the
western part of Asia Minor. Its capital was the city
of Ephesus. When Paul was imprisoned, his friends
abandoned him – most probably out of fear. The
Romans would never have proceeded against him on a
purely religious charge; the Jews must have
persuaded them that he was a dangerous troublemaker
and disturber of the public peace. There can be no
doubt that in the end Paul would be held on a
political charge. To be a friend of a man like that
was dangerous, and in his hour of need his friends
from Asia abandoned him because they were afraid for
their own safety.
But, although others deserted Paul, one man was
loyal to the end. His name was Onesiphorus [On·e·siph'o·rus],
which means profitable. In his book, The Problem of
the Pastoral Epistles, P. N. Harrison draws a vivid
picture of Onesiphorus [On·e·siph'o·rus]’
search for Paul in Rome: ‘We seem to catch glimpses
of one purposeful face in a drifting crowd, and
follow with quickening interest this stranger from
the far coasts of the Aegean {ih-JEE-uhn],
as he threads the maze of unfamiliar streets,
knocking at many doors, following up every clue,
warned of the risks he is taking but not to be
turned from his quest; till in some obscure
prison-house a known voice greets him, and he
discovers Paul chained to a Roman soldier. Having
once found his way Onesiphorus [On·e·siph'o·rus]
is not content with a single visit, but, true to his
name, proves unwearied in his ministrations. Others
have flinched from the menace and ignominy [ig-nuh-min-ee--disrepute]
of that chain; but this visitor counts it the
supreme privilege of his life to share with such a
criminal the reproach of the [Stake].
One series of turnings in the vast labyrinth (of
the streets of Rome) he comes to know as
if it were his own Ephesus.’ There is no doubt that,
when Onesiphorus [On·e·siph'o·rus]
sought out Paul and came to see him again and again,
he took his life in his hands. It was dangerous to
keep asking where a certain criminal could be found;
it was dangerous to visit him; it was still more
dangerous to keep on visiting him; but that is what
Onesiphorus [On·e·siph'o·rus]
did.
Again and again, the Bible brings us face to face
with a question which is real for every one of us.
Again and again, it introduces and dismisses a man
from the stage of history with a single sentence.
Hermogenes [huhr-MOJ-uh-neez]
and Phygelus [fĭ-jĕl'ŭs]
– we know nothing whatever of them beyond their
names and the fact that they were traitors to Paul.
Onesiphorus [On·e·siph'o·rus]
– we know nothing of him except that in his loyalty
to Paul he risked – and perhaps lost – his life.
Hermogenes [huhr-MOJ-uh-neez]
and Phygelus [fĭ-jĕl'ŭs]
go down in history branded as deserters; Onesiphorus
[On·e·siph'o·rus]
goes down in history as the friend who stuck closer
than a brother. If we were to be described in one
sentence, what would it be? Would it be the verdict
on a traitor, or the verdict on a disciple who was
true? ~Barclay commentary
Now to the other commentaries
The verse is generally in two parts.
1] This thou knowest, that all they which are in
Asia be turned away from me;
2] Of whom are
Phygelus [fĭ-jĕl'ŭs]
and Hermogenes [huhr-MOJ-uh-neez].
1] This thou knowest, that all
they which are in Asia be turned away from me;
This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia
be turned away from me - That is, in that part of
Asia Minor of which Ephesus was the capital. The
name Asia was often given particularly to that part
of Asia Minor. This passage proves that Timothy was
somewhere in that region when this Epistle was
written to him, for otherwise he could not be
supposed to know what is here said. When Paul says
that “all” were turned away from him, he must use
the word in a general sense, for he immediately
specifies one who had been faithful and kind to him.
~Barnes Notes
Now to the Biblical Illustrator. This
commentary is sometimes clear and at other times
complex in the text. This one is of the
latter.
All they which are in Asia be turned away from me.
To revolt and turn from our former profession is
a foul fault and great offence
For Paul doth complain against it, and sets it down
as a sin to be abandoned of all men (John 6:66; 1
Timothy1:19; 1 Timothy 5:11-12). For in so doing we
dishonour God; yea, no way more. For will not
profane men judge that there is no profit or comfort
in serving the Almighty when such forsake their
profession? For thus they will reason: if that
religion had been good, they and they would never
have cast it off. Again, we weaken, as much as in us
lies, the Church of Christ; for cut off a member,
will not the body be the less powerful? And it gives
the devil and his instruments the more
encouragement. What? and may such cedars shake,
totter, and fall? Then let the weak willows and
poplar take heed of the wind. For blessed is he whom
other men’s harms do make to beware. And it shall
not be amiss here to lay down some causes of falling
away. And they be either, first, inward, or,
secondly, outward.
The inward be four
especially.
1. Weakness. Thus many have fallen of infirmity.
2. Some affection not mortified [disciplined
or subjugate]. For one such a Jonah in
the ship will unsettle all.
3. Infidelity. When men want faith, they are
unstable in all their ways.
4. Want of experience of that secret comfort which
the Lord enfuseth into the hearts of such as stand
resolutely for His truth in an evil time.
Quoted verses:
John 6:66
From that time many of his disciples went back, and
walked no more with him.
1 Timothy 1:19 [See
Lesson]
Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some
having put away concerning faith have made
shipwreck:
1 Timothy 5:11-12
[See
Lesson]
11 But the younger widows refuse: for when they have
begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry;
12 Having damnation, because they have cast off
their first faith.
The outward causes are
principally these:
1. Persecution. This hath turned millions backward,
who in the days of peace had their faces to
Sion-ward.
2. Some wrongs or injuries.
3. Scandal, or offences taken at some doctrine.
“From that time many of His disciples went back, and
walked no more with Him” (John 6:66
...quoted above).
4. The example of great men. Doth any of the rulers
or Pharisees believe in Him? This is a cord that
pulleth thousands from the true path and rule (John
7:48).
5. When men have expected great promotion, but
seeing their hopes frustrate, they turn aside. This
is a great loadstone to draw an iron heart from the
path to [The Kingdom].
6. Too much familiarity with men unsettled in the
truth. Fearfully have some fallen by this
stumbling-block. These be some of the main causes,
both inward and outward, that have moved many to
become back sliders. So that he that will go on
constantly [in the
Salvation Process] and with resolution
must have an eye to all these things.
Quoted verse:
John 7:48
...as in saying, "If Garner
Ted were so right, why don't presidents, senators
and celebrities believe on him?
Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed
on him?
Fickle friendship
What is sweeter than a well-tuned lute, and what
more delightful than a faithful friend—one who can
cheer us in sorrow with wise and affectionate
discourse? Nothing, however, is sooner untuned than
a lute, and nothing is more fickle than human
friendship. The tone of the one changes with the
weather, that of the other with fortune. With a
clear sky, a bright sun, and a gentle breeze, you
will have friends in plenty; but let fortune frown
and the firmament be overcast, and then your friends
will prove like the strings of the lute, of which
you will tighten ten before yea will find one that
will bear the tension and keep the pitch.
Turncoats
...an example of a turncoat here where the fish is
the weak firstfruit and the element [mud, sand and
seaweed] is changing conditions.
The flounder is an ill-looking, dark-coloured, flat
fish, which creeps close along the bottom, and
frequents, for the most part, banks of mud, from
which it is almost indistinguishable. Mr. Agassiz
has experimented upon young flounders and their
power of changing colour. Placing them upon blackish
tiles, they quickly turned mud-colour; moved thence
to the “sand” tiles, only a few minutes elapsed
before their leaden skins had paled to dull,
yellowish white; transferred to the mimic
“sea-weeds,” in less than five minutes a greenish
hue overspread their skins, which would have served
well in their native element to keep them unobserved
against a mass of algae.
Note:
To see a flounder changing colors go
here and
here.
Necessity of constancy
Without constancy there is neither love, friendship,
nor virtue in the world.
Great wicked men fall by couples
(1 Timothy 1:20; 2 Timothy 2:17):—For the devil, in
all things, seeks to imitate the Lord. If God have a
Moses and an Aaron, he will have a Jannes and a
Jambres. If Christ send out His true disciples by
two and by two, Antichrist will do the like. We read
of Joshua and Caleb, and of Sanballat [san-BAL-at]
and Tobiah: of Paul and Timothy, and of Philetus [fi-LEE-tuhs]
and Alexander. Because one will toll on and tempt
another; for sin uniteth sinners, as grace doth the
godly; and by couples they seem to be the less
faulty, the more able to defend their false cause.
Learn we hence to rise by couples; turn we and
allure others to return. For woe to him that is
alone when two strong men oppose him or a true
cause. ~Biblical
Illustrator
Quoted verses:
1 Timothy 1:20 [See
Lesson]
Of whom is Hymenaeus [hi'muh-NEE-uhs]
and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan,
that they may learn not to blaspheme.
2 Timothy 2:17 [See
Lesson]
And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is
Hymenaeus and Philetus.
All they which are in Asia
- It seems as if the apostle must refer to the
Asiatic Christians which were then at Rome, or had
been lately there. Finding the apostle in disgrace,
and thinking it dangerous to own him or his cause,
they neither visited him, or confessed Christianity.
He cannot be speaking of any general defection of
the Asiatic Churches, but of those Asiatics who had
professed a particular friendship for him.
~Adam Clarke
This thou knowest, that all
they which are in Asia - Either those that
followed the apostle from Asia to Rome; or who came
from thence thither, upon business, and were upon
the spot when the apostle was in his greatest
troubles, and yet all forsook him and no man stood
by him; or else the churches and ministers in Asia,
that is, a great number of them; for it cannot be
said of every minister and church, and of all the
members of churches there, what follows,
~John Gill
be turned away from me
- were ashamed of him, because of his chain, and
despised him under his afflictions, and had him in
abhorrence and contempt, and revolted from his
doctrine; though the defection was very general, and
the apostle appeals to Timothy for the truth of it,
as a fact well known to him: "this thou knowest";
Timothy being at Ephesus, which was in Asia; and
since there was so great an apostasy in the country
where he was, the above exhortations were very
seasonable, to hold fast the form of sound words,
and keep the good thing committed to him; seeing so
many were falling off from the truth of the Gospel:
~John Gill
2] Of whom are Phygellus and
Hermogenes.
Of whom are
Phygelus [fĭ-jĕl'ŭs]
and Hermogenes [huhr-MOJ-uh-neez].
- We know nothing of these individuals but what is
here mentioned. It would seem that they were
prominent persons, and those from whom the apostle
had a right to expect other treatment. “The
ecclesiastical traditions allege that they were of
the seventy disciples, and in the end became
followers of Simon Magus. We imagine that this is
little more than conjecture.” It is a sad thing when
the only record made of a man - the only evidence
which we have that he ever lived at all - is, that
he turned away from a friend, or forsook the paths
of true religion. And yet there are many men of whom
the only thing to be remembered of them is, that
they lived to do wrong.
~Barnes Notes
Of whom are
Phygelus [fĭ-jĕl'ŭs]
and Hermogenes [huhr-MOJ-uh-neez].
- These were two of the persons of whom he
complains; but who they were, or what office they
held, or whether they were any thing but private
Christians who had for a time ministered to St. Paul
in prison, and, when they found the state determined
to destroy him, ceased to acknowledge him, we cannot
tell. ~Adam Clarke
Of whom are
Phygelus [fĭ-jĕl'ŭs]
and Hermogenes [huhr-MOJ-uh-neez].
- who very likely were ministers of the word, and
who had shone for a while, but were now stars fallen
from heaven, had erred from the faith, and were
become apostates, and proved men of corrupt minds,
and deceivers of the people; and it may be that
these were more open and infamous than some others,
or might be more known to Timothy, and therefore are
particularly mentioned. They are both of them said
to have been of the seventy disciples; See Gill on
Luke 10:1 and afterwards followers of Simon Magus.
The name of the first of these signifies a
"fugitive", and such was he from the cause of
Christ. Pliny makes mention of a town in Asia,
called Phygella
[fĭ-jĕl'la],
from the fugitives which built it; and the latter
signifies born of Mercury; there was one of the name
in Tertullian's time, against whom he wrote.
~John Gill
Quoted verse:
Luke 1:10
After these things the Lord appointed other seventy
also, and sent them two and two before his face into
every city and place, whither he himself would come.
In the John Gill notes, he lists the names of most
all of these seventy individuals and says, "Hermogenes
[huhr-MOJ-uh-neez]
and Phygelus [fĭ-jĕl'ŭs],
who followed Simon Magus."
We will finish with some quotes on Betrayal.
Quotes on betrayal:
"People are always fascinated by infidelity because,
in the end - whether we've had direct experience or
not - there's part of you that knows there's
absolutely no more piercing betrayal. People are
undone by it."
"Naturally, when one makes progressive steps, there
may be some who see it as a betrayal of their goals
and interests."
"It's particularly hard to take being stabbed in the
back close to home. There's always a feeling of
betrayal when people of your own group oppose you."
"I have never known a more vulgar expression than
betrayal and deceit."
“It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a
friend.”
“For there to be betrayal, there would have to have
been trust first.”
“If you're betrayed, release disappointment at once.
By that way, the bitterness has no time to take
root.”
This verse speaks to the subject of betrayal.
It happened in Paul's day, it has happened in God's
church today and it will happen increasingly between
now and the return of Christ and this is the lesson
of Verse 15. |
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