“I Have Done My Work” – 4:1-8

The section that begins now in particular resembles a testament. The apostle Paul had done his work, now it was time to hand over the responsibility of proclaiming the gospel to others.

In verse 2, there is a reason why Paul does not say "in an appropriate and inappropriate way" but "in season and out of season". Perhaps Paul had in mind the words of Governor Felix: “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.” (Acts 24:25, NKJV). For an unrepentant person, no time is suitable for hearing the gospel.

Preaching the Gospel is not becoming easier with time, on the contrary: people are constantly seeking new teachers so that they do not need to hear the true teaching (verse 3, cf. John 9:4). The Christian faith is not about telling people what they want to hear, but about telling them what God wants them to hear.

Where the gospel is not heard and believed, life is filled with other kinds of teachings (verse 4, compare Matthew 12:43-45). Paul had warned about “myths” earlier (1 Tim 1:4). Timothy must not allow the favor of false teachers or the opposition of his listeners to drive him astray, but must know what is truth and proclaim it, that is, the gospel of God (verse 5).

Paul had done so (verse 7). Now his death was near (verse 6). Paul says: “I am already being poured out as a drink offering” (verse 6: literal translation, see Numbers 15:7: "And for the drink offering you shall offer a third of a hin of wine"; Numbers 28:7,24). According to a fairly reliable Christian tradition, Paul was executed by the sword: he shed his blood for his faith.

The departure from this time (verse 6) meant for Paul the entrance into Christ (Philippians 1:23), receiving the crown of righteousness (verse 7) as a sign of victory.

Again Paul compares the Christian walk to an athletic competition (verse 6, compare with 1 Cor 9:24-27, Phil 3:12-16, 1 Tim 6:11-12, 2 Tim 2:5). Paul saw that this life is not everything, but only after the end of this life we will be there (v. 8, Acts 20:24, 2 Cor 5:1-10). Paul expected that Emperor Nero would declare him guilty and sentence him to death. Then God would declare him righteous, give him a crown of righteousness, and eternal life.

Practical instructions – 4:9-15

At the end of the fourth chapter, as many as 17 people are mentioned by name.

Paul hoped that Timothy would come to him as soon as possible (verse 5, cf. 2 Tim 1:4), at the latest before winter (verse 21), when sailing was at a standstill from mid-November to early March. It would also have been good to have a cloak (verse 13) before the cold of winter. The journey from Rome to Ephesus took about two weeks, meaning that Timothy would have reached Paul in a month at the earliest.

The fate of Demas (verse 10) has aroused much discussion. "in love with this present world" later meant fleeing martyrdom, not necessarily giving up the faith. Perhaps Demas “saved his own skin,” left Paul, and returned to his hometown of Thessalonica (compare 2 Tim 1:16). A legend from the 10th century says that Demas joined the heretic Hermogenes (2 Tim 1:15). Earlier (Col 4:14, Philem 24) Demas is mentioned as a companion and coworker of Paul.

Crescens (verse 10) is unknown to us, he is mentioned only this once in the New Testament. Galatia has been suggested here to mean Gaul. The Galatians were from Gaul. Galatia is probably the correct option. Dalmatia or Illyria (Romans 15:19) was located in the area of ​​modern Albania and southern Yugoslavia. Luke (verse 11) is also mentioned in Col 4:14 and Phil 24. He is the author of the third gospel and the book of Acts.

Paul did not want to take Mark with him on the second missionary journey, since he had left the first one incomplete (Acts 15:38). At that time, Paul and Barnabas parted ways. Now the relationship between Paavali and Markus was fine again. Mark is also mentioned in Col 4:10 and Phil 24. God had repaired what had been broken, and Paul and Mark had become fellow workers again.

Tychicus often served as the carrier of Paul's letters (Eph 6:21-22, Col 4:7-8, Titus 3:12); it is thought that he also took the Second Epistle to Timothy to Ephesus. Perhaps Paul also sent Tychicus to Ephesus as a "deputy" for Timothy so that he could go to Rome to meet the apostle.

Based on verse 13, it has been suggested that Paul was captured and imprisoned in Troas. This would explain why the cloak and the precious books were left there. Verse 13 is also an indication that Second Timothy was written by Paul: what significance would the fate of the apostle's cloak have had for later writers?

Alexander (verse 14) could be the same man mentioned in 1 Timothy 1:20. The Alexander who spoke during the Ephesus riot (Acts 19:33-34) was a Jew, so hardly the same man as the Alexander mentioned here. It has been suggested that Alexander would have betrayed Paul to the Roman authorities and therefore Paul would tell Timothy to beware of him (verse 15). But this remains a guess.

"The Lord will repay him according to his deeds" (verse 14) means that Timothy or the congregation need not and should not take revenge, but leave the matter in God's hands (compare 2 Sam 3:39).

The Apostle Left Alone – 4:14-18

Some consider verse 16 to describe Paul's first trial and imprisonment in Rome (Acts 28:16,30-31), and verse 17 to describe the journey to Spain. However, this interpretation is not the most natural option.

Paul's case had been investigated, but the Christians in Rome did not come to his defense. The First Letter to Clement (5:5) states that a major reason for Paul's condemnation to death was that the Christians in Rome did not support him (compare Phil 1:15-18). Paul forgives them (verse 16, compare Jesus' words on the cross, Luke 23:34: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”).

Even in court, Paul testified about his faith: “Since you are asked about Christianity, then I will tell you...” (verse 17, compare Acts 24:10-21, 26:1-32, 27:23-24, see also Acts 23:11).

As a Roman citizen (Acts 22:25-29), Paul would not have been thrown into the arena to be eaten by lions, so the expression in verse 17 is a figure of speech that means getting out of a difficult situation. In 1 Peter 5:8, Satan is called a lion.

Verse 18 reminds us of the Lord's Prayer: "Deliver us from evil" (Matthew 6:13).

Final greetings – 4:19-22

Prisca and Aquila (verse 19) were a Jewish Christian couple who had to leave Rome after Emperor Claudius expelled the Jews from the city (Acts 18:2). They met Paul in Corinth and became co-workers. They went with Paul to Ephesus, where they stayed while Paul continued on to Jerusalem (Acts 18:18-28). Paul sent them greetings in his letter to the Romans (16:3), so they had returned to Rome by that point. Now they were back in Ephesus. Paul evidently sent First Corinthians from Ephesus, and it ends with a greeting from Prisca and Aquila to the recipients (1 Cor. 16:19).

Onesiphorus (verse 19) was also mentioned at the beginning of the letter (2 Tim 1:16-18). Erastus (verse 20) was the city treasurer of the city of Corinth (Romans 16:23) and also a coworker of Paul - and Timothy (Acts 19:22). Trophimus (verse 20) was from Asia Minor (Acts 20:4) and he was in Paul's traveling party on the third missionary journey, all the way to Jerusalem (Acts 21:29), so the stay in Miletus does not fit the description of the third missionary journey, but must have happened later.

Miletus was a port city of Ephesus. It was located about 80 kilometers south of Ephesus. In the winter (verse 21) there was hardly any sailing (Acts 27:12, 28:11). Pudens and Claudia (v. 21) are Latin names, which suggests that the letter was written in Rome. Names ending in -us are Latin, those ending in -os are Greek.

The Church Fathers Irenaeus and Eusebius state that the first bishop of Rome (Pope according to Roman Catholics) after the death of Peter and Paul was Linus. The name was common, so it is not certain whether this is the same man mentioned in verse 21.

Verse 21 reveals that Paul was not entirely alone. There were still a few loyal friends, and those who had not had to leave Rome (compare verse 16).

The final greeting is in the plural (verse 22). The letter was meant for public use. That the letter was written specifically to Timothy is evident from the fact that verse 22 begins in the singular: “The Lord be with your spirit!”