One of the strong features of the pastoral letters of Paul is his use of “trustworthy sayings.” He uses this phrase in 1 Timothy 1:15, 3:1, and 4:9. He uses it again in Titus 3:8. These brief summaries of Paul’s doctrine could easily be memorized and used in sharing the gospel with unbelievers.

You can see this trustworthy saying in 2 Timothy 2:11-13:

There has been some discussion about what exactly Paul is referring to with the phrase “trustworthy saying.” Is he referring to the passage just previous? Or is he referring to the poetic verses he is about to share?

Some have suggested that with this phrase, Paul is talking about the previous verses. This doesn’t seem to make much sense, because in that passage Paul is talking about his being chained and enduring suffering for the sake of the gospel. This hardly fits the description of a “trustworthy saying.”

That leaves us the passage to come, the poetic stanzas in this week’s passage. This is much more likely to fit the description of a “trustworthy saying,” but it raises its own set of questions. Is this a fragment of an early Christian hymn? Or did Paul pen these words himself? Most of the commentaries on my shelf agree that these are likely Paul’s own words.

The poetry can be broken down into four parts, or strophes. The first two are positive, while the last two are negative. Let’s take a look at it line by line.

Paul has been encouraging Timothy to endure for the sake of the gospel throughout the letter of 2 Timothy. In a fitting conclusion to that appeal, he draws everything back to the foundational element of the message of the gospel: Jesus Christ.

You can see this week’s passage in 2 Timothy 2:8-10:

The second chapter of Paul’s letter is full of different images of the believer who serves or ministers, whether that person is on staff at a church or not. We’ve looked at Paul’s comparison of the servant as a son, a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer.

In this passage, another example is given, but not as a comparison for ourselves. Rather, this illustration depicts Christ himself as our best example.

The work of Christ is the foundational to the message of the gospel. And as Timothy struggles to lead the church in Ephesus, what better example to motivate him, and us, than Christ himself to motivate us and encourage us to continue serving!

Paul asks Timothy to remember three key elements about Jesus as he serves:

So far, in the second chapter of his letter to Timothy, Paul has illustrated his point with three images, that of a son, a soldier, and an athlete. With this week’s passage, he begins a fourth image, that of a farmer.

Take a look at the passage for yourself in 2 Timothy 2:6-7:

Paul’s use of imagery throughout this chapter is very effective, though brief. Most of his illustrations only last for a verse or two, and then he is on to the next idea. However, he packs a lot of punch into each of these perspectives.

The fourth illustration is one many of his readers would have been very familiar with, coming from the world of agriculture. Farmers are hard workers. I am acutely aware of this, since we live in an area that consists of a lot of farmers. Many of the people I know who work at farming do so from very early in the morning and throughout a long day. Whether it is farming for food, or with livestock, farming is difficult labor! And when Paul uses a word that is translated as “hardworking,” the idea conveyed is that there is a heavy weariness that comes from this hard work.

It’s interesting to note that this idea of a farmer, as well as the previous two, the soldier and the athlete, are all three illustrated in 1 Corinthians 9 as well. Paul really likes these ideas.