Paul wraps up his letter to Timothy with some final greetings and a final word of encouragement. Before he sends the letter, he gives Timothy one final plea to come quickly.

This final passage is found in 2 Timothy 4:21-22:

In the previous verses, Paul sent a couple of quick greetings, and updates on some coworkers. In this passage, he lists a few final people who send their greetings to Timothy and the church in Ephesus.

First, however, he encourages Timothy to come quickly to him in Rome. Winter is approaching, and Paul’s life is coming to an end, and he would like to see his son in the faith once more.

From late fall to mid spring, November to March, Mediterranean travel came to a halt. That implies that Paul is writing this probably in late spring or early summer, giving time for the letter to travel to Ephesus and Timothy to return before the weather prevented him from doing so. Missing that window of opportunity meant that Timothy wouldn’t make it until the next spring. Paul didn’t expect to make it that long. According to tradition, Paul was executed in AD 68. That places this letter in the year or two before.

Some of the believers in Rome send their greetings to Timothy. Of these people listed here, very little is known, and what we do have is conjecture according to early church tradition.

• Eubulus – There is no further information about this person, either in the New Testament or other early writings.  It was a common name.
• Pudens – May be a Roman senator who was converted by Peter, or the son of a Roman senator.
• Linus – According to Irenaeus, Linus became a strong and important leader in the Roman church.
• Claudia – May have been the mother of Linus, or a princess from the British isles.
• All the brothers – Evidently there was a strong church in existence in Rome at this point, and many of the believers there sent their greetings to Timothy. The term “brothers” is not exclusively male, and is used in a general sense for all the people of that congregation.

Paul finishes his letter with two final statements.

The Lord be with your spirit

This is a benediction from Paul to Timothy. It is specifically addressed to him because the “your” used here is singular. This is Paul’s prayer that Timothy will stay strong in the face of the false teachers that he must deal with in Ephesus, and that he will remain strong as persecution will no doubt continue to increase throughout the world. Paul’s prayer is that the Lord be with Timothy as he knows he has been with Paul himself (verses 17-18).

Grace be with you

Paul leaves this closing remark to the entire church in Ephesus, since the “you” used here is plural. He apparently expected Timothy to share this letter with the church for instruction and edification.

Paul has invested much in this young protege named Timothy. Paul felt close enough to him to call him his son. It would be beneficial for each of us to identify someone to be our “Timothy,” someone who we can pour our faith into, being a mentor to them, and encouraging them to aspire to greater things for the kingdom.

These two letters from Paul to Timothy give us a great model to follow to do just that.

Question: Do you have a Timothy? If so, how are you helping him or her to grow? If not, what’s preventing you from identifying someone to help grow? You can leave a comment by clicking here.