Contend to the End

St. Luke the Evangelist
2 Timothy 4:5-15
© 2009 Rev. Matthew L. Whitehead

If I were to say the word “contend”, certain images would undoubtedly come to mind. We would think of athletics. Probably the most iconic image that would come to our American minds is Rocky Balboa; instantly our minds would take us to those famous steps in Philadelphia, “Eye of the Tiger” would play in the background, and we would hear the Italian Stallion mumbling in that thick accent “Yo, Adrian!” Rocky gives us a good illustration of contending. In order to stay in the ring with Apollo Creed he had to train. His contending did not consist only in the magical few minutes in the ring with his opponent. For a boxer (or any athlete, for that matter), contending starts with intensive training and discipline, long before the main event.

In today’s Epistle lesson we find Saint Paul using the imagery of contending. When he wrote the second letter to his disciple Timothy, he was in a Roman prison for the second time. He had managed to be freed the first time, but this time Nero wanted blood. Paul knew that the end of this captivity would be a martyr’s death.1 The main event was coming. His whole Christian life had been a preparation for that upcoming final moment, and he reflected: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”

As Saint Paul continued his letter he mentioned a series of names, one of them being Luke. Paul stated that only Luke remained with him. The mention of his name here is why this particular selection was chosen to be read on Saint Luke’s feast day. But if the mention of his name is going to have any significance, we have to read it in the context of contending for the faith. In that light, Saint Luke becomes a great example for us, and one of the great heroes of the Church. He is an example for each of us as individuals, because he contended to the end; he is also a great hero in the Church, because he left us with a great resource for our own training to contend, namely his gospel and the Acts.

If I could paraphrase the words of Saint Paul in our lesson today, it might go something like this: “Timothy, I want you to finish well. I am finishing well. Demas has failed, but Luke and the others are contending to finish well.” The emphasis is on finishing well. In an athletic competition it does not matter how strong you are unless you complete your event. No race is won for being the fastest out of the gate; there is no victory until the finish line.

Among the list of names that Paul mentions, two should stand out: Luke, of course, and Demas. Luke and Demas are each mentioned three times in the New Testament, and always together. In his letter to Philemon Paul wrote, “There salute… Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas [that is Luke]2, my fellow-labourers.”3 In his letter to the Colossians he wrote that, “Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, [send their greetings]”.4 These letters were written sometime between the years sixty-one and sixty-three, when Paul was under house-arrest in Rome.5 Fast-forward a few years to the time when he wrote the second letter to Timothy, between sixty-five and sixty-seven, and we find what we read today: “Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica…”6 What changed? Perhaps Demas was embarrassed to be associated with ‘Paul, the Prisoner’. Perhaps he could no longer bear the financial burden and physical stress of traveling and ministering with ‘Paul, the Apostle to all Gentile Nations’. We do not know his reason, but that is inconsequential. Regardless of his reason, Demas had quit; he did not finish well. Two-thousand years later Demas is remembered not for whatever good he might have done, but for stopping short of the finish line.

In contrast to Demas, Paul wrote, “Only Luke is with me.” Demas had loved the present world, and abandoned Paul for it; Luke, by contrast, had abandoned the present world so that he might contend for a prize in the world to come. Demas fled from the company of the Apostle; Luke remained steadfast at the Apostle’s side.

For that reason, Saint Luke stands as a good example for us. The Christian life is a struggle that begins at baptism and does not end until death. We cannot stop mid-course, we must contend to the end. We discipline ourselves so that we might remain in the company of the Apostles – that we might continue in their doctrine. We are not called to contend for the innovative teachings of Medieval or modern Roman Catholicism; We are not called to contend for the reductionist and reactionary proclamations of the Reformation; We are called to contend for “the Faith once delivered unto all the saints”, which is the Faith given to us by the Apostles. May each of us, like Saint Luke, remain in the Apostles’ company.

Saint Luke is more than just an inspirational figure to us. If the Christian Life can be likened to a boxing match, then he is more than a champion, he is also one of the premiere trainers. His labours produced two Books of the Bible, which guide us in our Faith. (By the way, his are the only Biblical books written by a Gentile.)7

In verse thirteen Paul requests that Timothy bring to him “the books” and “the parchments”. Presumably these are his own writings. Saint John Chrysostom notes that Paul is already taking measures to pass on the Apostolic Faith to later generations, “to deposit these [books and parchments] into the hands of the faithful, who would retain them in the place of his own teaching.”8 In verses fourteen and fifteen he tells Timothy about his struggle against Alexander the coppersmith; He is preparing Timothy to take up and continue that struggle. If our lesson had continued through verse twenty-one we would see the name ‘Linus’, who also sent greetings to Timothy. This is not the Linus of the ‘Peanuts’ cartoon fame; this Linus happens to be the first bishop of Rome after Saints Peter and Paul.

Taking those things together, then, we get a picture of Paul passing the baton (to use another athletic metaphor). There is continuity between Paul’s teaching and what Timothy is being charged to teach. The message being passed down is to remain intact, whether it is passed down in words written by the Apostles’ own hands, or given to men whom the Apostles consecrated as their successors. The Ecumenical Councils made clear that the Creedal expressions of the Faith which they produced were in keeping with that Apostolic Faith, expressed both in Scripture and in Tradition. Saint Luke has played a great role in accommodating the continuity of the Faith through his writings. Luke’s Gospel and the Acts provide a means of continuity, that the Church may continue to contend for the Faith. In those books we see God’s revealed religion being fulfilled in Jesus Christ as the true Israel, and then stewardship of the Faith is transferred by Christ to his Apostles, and then to their successors after them.

This means for us that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves. The Church surpasses individual expression, and it lasts for all ages. As individuals we are a part of a parish, which is a part of a diocese, which is a part of a national Church (The Reformed Episcopal Church), which seeks communion with other Churches (through partnership in the Anglican Church in North America, and through other ecumenical dialogues). We also remain in eucharistic communion with those Saints who have gone before us. In Heaven they enjoy the fullness of what we now enjoy only in part. When our race is finally over we will join them. Until then, we are links in a chain that will connect the Christians of future generations with those of the past. We are stewards of the Apostolic Faith, guarding the Faith and Traditions as Saint Luke and so many others have done.

It is for good reason that we celebrate the memory of the Saints, especially one such as Saint Luke. We have him for our example, that like him we would fight the good fight, and run the race that is set before us. We have his writings for our instruction, that like him we would proclaim the true Faith. May we, like Saint Luke, be found continuing in the company of the Apostles, sharing in their worship, and taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the Earth.

1 See Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History, 2.22; in Gorday, Peter, ed. Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians, 1-2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, vol. NT IX. Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, ed. Thomas C. Oden. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2000 (ACCS). p.278. See also The Orthodox Study Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008 (OSB). Notes, p.1640.
2 The names ‘Lucas’ and ‘Luke’ are identical in the Greek text of Col. 4.14, 2Tim 4.11, and Phlm 24.
3 Phlm 23-24.
4 Col 4.14.
5 See Acts 28.16-31.
6 2Tim 4.10-11.
7 Lindemann, Fred H. Trinity Season, Second Half. Vol. IV. The Sermon and the Propers. St. Louis, MO: Concordia, 1959. p.99.
8 Chrysostom, Homilies on 2 Timothy, 10; ACCS, 278.