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.

In typical Pauline fashion, Paul finishes his letter to Timothy with some personal greetings. He lists a few more names, and gives one final appeal for Timothy to come to Rome quickly, which we will look at next week.

You can see this week’s passage in 2 Timothy 4:19-20:

Paul’s letters almost always contain a closing section full of personal greetings. Some are quite short, such as this one. Others are longer, like the list found in Romans 16. But Paul usually does his best to greet and encourage those who are serving in churches where he directs a letter. This second letter to Timothy is no different.

Priscilla and Aquila

Paul first mentions two old friends. He asks Timothy to give a special greeting to his coworkers Priscilla and Aquila. It is interesting to note that these two are somewhere near where Timothy is, perhaps Ephesus. Paul first met these two as tent-makers in Corinth after they had been expelled from Rome by Claudius (Acts 18:1-3). From there, they travel with Paul to Ephesus (Acts 18:18-26), where the church meets in their home (1 Corinthians 16:19). But when Paul writes Romans, they are in Rome, serving another church in their own home (Romans 16:3-4).

What brought them back to Ephesus is unknown. Perhaps it was for similar reasons to the first time they left Rome. Or, since prominent Jewish businessmen traveled a lot in the ancient world, this may have led to several locations. We simply do not know, and can only speculate. Whatever the case, they started or served churches wherever they went, spreading the gospel across the world.

In last week’s passage, Paul reflected upon God’s presence and protection during his legal defense. As he considers what God did in that case, he expands his thought to point out a reality of God’s character.

You can see what he’s talking about in 2 Timothy 4:18:

At Paul’s first defense, no one was there to stand by him. Even though Luke was still with him, he may have had other responsibilities at that particular time. Paul longs for Timothy and John Mark to join him soon.

But even though there was no coworker with him, Paul stated that he knew God was there and strengthened him.

From there, he expands into the thought that God’s protection is a continual promise, and not just a one time event that Paul experienced.

Paul fully expects that this imprisonment will lead to his execution. It seems unlikely that this statement means that he believes God will rescue him from prison. That means that he has a larger view in mind, and something greater as an expectation.