Paul’s letter to Titus is almost complete. All that is left are a few personal greetings and instructions. And though these seem inconsequential, they actually provide some significant insight into Paul’s life and companions.

You can the first part of these personal greetings at Titus 3:12-13:

Throughout the letter, Paul has given some strong, long-term instructions to Titus, indicating that he was to stay in Crete. However, in his final remarks, he lets Titus know that he is considering a replacement for Titus, at least for a while, so that Titus can join him for the winter.

What this was for, we do not know. Perhaps Paul wanted to give some additional, more in-depth instruction to Titus about ministry. Perhaps he had a different task for Titus in mind.

Either way, he is considering two men as potential replacements for Titus: Artemus or Tychicus. One of these men will arrive soon after Titus receives this letter, quite possible carried by Zenas and Apollos, as indicated in verse 13.

Of the two possible replacements, we know nothing of Artemas. This is the only mention of him in the New Testament. The most logical assumption is that he is another of Paul’s pupils, and has been instructed on how to spread the message of the Gospel of Christ.

Tychicus, on the other hand is mentioned several times in the New Testament (Acts 20:4; Ephesians 6:21; Colossians 4:7; and 2 Timothy 4:12). He seems to be another of Paul’s star pupils, and was highly involved in ministry. Because of 2 Timothy 4:12, we know that he was eventually sent to Ephesus, so we are left to believe that Artemas was sent to Crete.

Titus is to leave the ministry in the capable hands of one of these men and journey to Nicopolis. There are several possibilities for the location of this city, since at least nine have been identified. The most logical one would have been located in Epirus, across the Adriatic Sea from the heel of the boot of Italy. Wintering in such a location makes sense, because travel during the winter was extremely difficult, and fraught with danger.

Finally, Titus is told to do whatever is needed to send Zenas and Apollos on their way, as was the custom for traveling missionaries. Undoubtedly, they carried Paul’s letter to Crete, and were headed on from there.

Zenas is called a lawyer, indicating he is a Roman jurist, and tradition holds that he was one of the 72 described in Luke 10:1. This is not certain however, since here is his only mention in the New Testament. Apollos is well known throughout the New Testament. He is first mentioned in Acts 18:24, when he was converted by Aquila and Priscilla. Paul mentions that he served in Corinth, and he was able to powerfully present that Christ was the promised Messiah from the Scriptures.

Titus is to help these men on their way, making sure their needs are met as they pass through Crete, headed on to the next destination.

While this passage seems to be almost a postscript, there is a lot of information that we can pull from it about Paul’s coworkers, and his plans for the coming months. Even though it is easy to skim over this in our reading, it is worth the time to pay attention to what it tells us. After all, all Scripture is beneficial to us; even such simple seeming passages as this one.

Question: Have you ever stopped to consider the people in this passage and what accomplishments they may have obtained for the Kingdom of God? You can leave a comment by clicking here.