Dot-to-dot: Resurrection to a Roman prison

Dot-to-dot: Resurrection to a Roman prison.  2 Timothy 1.1-2

Hi. 

Did you ever work dot-to-dot puzzles when you were young?  How I loved drawing lines from one number to the next, constructing the outline of some image, obscured until the lines were drawn!  Fun. Nostalgic. Sometimes it is important to connect dots in real life ways, so that we can better understand something like a historical blueprint or perspective, and even better when we are able to connect those dots to the present.  For instance, we celebrated a risen Lord on Sunday, and are ready to tackle Paul’s last known written letter, Second Timothy.  Where’s Jesus as Paul writes, and where is Jesus now, some 2000 years after his miraculous resurrection, and does it make any difference?  Ah, dots.

We have just spent a week in which Jesus entered Jerusalem to the cheers of the crowd, washed his disciples’ feet, partook of the Last Supper, prayed and agonized in the Garden of Gethsemane, was arrested, falsely accused, tried, crucified, buried, and RISEN AGAIN.  Following the resurrection, Jesus spent an additional 40 days on earth, revealing himself in his post-resurrection body, and visiting with folks on 10 different occasions. 

Then, he told his disciples, "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift My Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."² And then before their very eyes, Jesus ascended into Heaven, to take his rightful place next to God the Father, dropping the humanity that had cloaked him for 33 years.³ And sure enough, the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost, and Christ followers’ lives would be forever changed!⁴ 

The difference of being filled with the Spirit was evident immediately, as days-before-running scared Peter denies Jesus three times in the span of a couple hours, now filled and empowered with the Holy Spirit, preaches so powerfully, that 3000 folks come to believe in Jesus Christ in one day.  (I wonder how—I mean, there were no microphones or amps—how did they manage to hear his message?)  And then those who had been in town to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, went back to their towns and villages, many taking with them the saving knowledge of the resurrected Jesus, of whom they had heard told.  The Gospel message spread like wildfire. 

The new Jewish converts to Christianity loved being together—hearing more teaching about Jesus, eating together, sharing with one another—and the early Church was born.  The message was not exactly popular with some of the Jewish authorities, and certainly not with Rome, so persecution was great.  One such persecutor of the followers of The Way, (the first name for Christians), was Saul of Tarsus, or Paul, (his Greek name), as we more commonly know him.  Yet God had plans—huge plans, packed with purpose—for Paul.  Jesus stepped directly into his path, stopping him in his evil plans and revealing himself directly to Paul.⁵

And wonder of wonder, Paul could not contain himself, so great was the joy he found in meeting Jesus Christ!  He who sought to preserve his beloved Judaic life under the law by eliminating Christianity, became the first missionary, and the instrument through which Christian doctrine was formed and taught.  Paul was overwhelmed by the grace of Jesus Christ and how it changed everything in life—for it does, if we but apprehend the grace.  For almost 1500 years, folks had tried to make propitiation for their sins and shortcomings to a holy God by sacrificing spotless lambs AND upholding the Law in their lives… but then, the Son of God became the Spotless Lamb; Jesus willingly went to the Cross to pay once for all for the sins of everyone.  Paul could not get over it!  First he taught it, gathering folks together as he did so--establishing churches--and then he wrote about it in his letters back to those churches.  Paul taught frequently about the power of grace--to the Ephesians, he wrote, for by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.⁶  And to the Galatians, it was for freedom that Christ set us free!⁷  Paul’s teaching was nothing short of radical.  It is just as radical today. 

Besides writing 10 letters addressing folks in the Mediterranean churches, he also wrote the Pastoral letters, directing his teaching and thoughts to Timothy and Titus. All of the Morning Briefings on 1 Timothy and Titus are archived at www.pastorwoman.com.

So, we meet Paul here in his final known letter, Second Timothy, poised to learn from this great man of God, as he opens his letter:  “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,

To Timothy, my dear son:  Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”  That’s how we connect the dots from the Resurrection to a Roman prison where Paul now writes to his son in the faith.

Christine

PastorWoman.com

^{1 - Acts 1.4;  2 – Acts 1.9;  3 – Acts 2.4}

^{4 – Acts 9.1-22 – miraculous, inspirational account of Saul/Paul’s conversion}

^{5 – Ephesians 2.8-9;  6 – Galatians 5.1;  7 – 2 Timothy 1.1-2, NIV}