Scripture contains so much wisdom about the job of the pastor. No passage has shaped me more, though, than 2 Timothy 2.
Here are three reasons why.
The Focus
This passage reminds me of the focus of pastoral ministry: Jesus. “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2:1). Paul also ends this section by writing, “Remember Jesus Christ” (2:8). Pastoral ministry begins and ends with Jesus.
I’m still terrified of those concrete barriers they place on the highways. As I travel down the road at 100 kilometres an hour, I’m only inches away. As a young driver, I tried to keep my eye to the side so that I could avoid crashing into the barriers. Of course, the secret to avoiding a crash is to keep one’s eyes down the centre of the highway and to not look at the barriers at all.
I’ve found that the same is true in pastoral ministry. The more I keep my eyes on Jesus, the more I avoid going off course in my ministry. One cannot pastor well without a relentless focus on and delight in the person and work of Jesus. Good pastors keep their focus there.
The Task
God’s given us a task to do: “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2).
Our job is not to innovate. We’re custodians of a message that must not be changed. Our job is to faithfully transfer what we’ve received to others so they can pass it on, a process that’s been going on for two thousand years.
“Paul reminds Timothy that his message is not self-devised but given to him to internalize, validate by personal practice, and then publicize,” writes Robert Yarbrough.
There’s more to pastoral ministry, of course. But the core of the task is the faithful transmission of the message to others who will also be able to transmit it to others. Every pastor needs to keep this task in focus.
The Cost
“Share in suffering,” Paul writes (2:3). Ministry involves at least three kinds of suffering: the focus and obedience of a soldier, the discipline of an athlete, and the hard work of a farmer.
Make no mistake: ministry involves suffering. In fact, Paul tells us to give the suffering some careful thought. “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything” (2:7). But it’s a joyous suffering, and it’s worth it.
“Ministers, doubtless, are bound by the most solemn ties to ‘fulfil their ministry;’ not only because they have been most solemnly called to this office, and have pledged themselves to the performance of it, but because the souls of their people will be required at their hands,” writes Charles Simeon. That’s quite the charge. We need Scripture to help us stay faithful to the task God has entrusted to us. Many passages can help. 2 Timothy 2 is one that helps me stay focused on what God has called me to do.
