Treat younger men as brothers…
Summary: Paul’s instruction to Timothy about younger men is part of our Lord’s plan for setting things right in the world.
Life is hard without Jesus.
I remember, when I was very young, hearing someone say, “Too bad life doesn’t come with an instruction manual!” It was a comment that seemed to capture all the confusion of life’s many decisions and turning points.
The reality is that life does come with an instruction manual: it is called the Bible. Unfortunately, it is a book written for adults, and most of us, for most of our lives, are basically just little children. Reading something difficult is hard, so we simply don’t do it.
Yet, when we open the Bible and peek inside, there is a treasury of Answers for every question that we can possibly have.
Paul’s letter, 1 Timothy, is written to a man who is neither young nor old. Timothy is in the prime of life, likely between thirty and forty years old.* Half of the males in his world would have been older, and half younger.
From a worldly point of view, men of Timothy’s age tend to see older men as obstacles to getting what they want. Younger men are seen as competition. The older men are to be outmaneuvered or conquered. The younger men are to be intimidated and kept in their place.
Jesus upsets that applecart entirely.
The radical love of Jesus changes everything. Instead of trying to push older men out of the way and take what they have, Jesus demands that we younger men respect them. Instead of feeling threatened by younger men doing the same thing to us, Jesus insists that we ‘treat them as brothers.’
Why?
Why is it important to radically change how people relate to each other?
The answer depends on whether we acknowledge God’s authority or not. If we can’t trust God, then we have to depend on ourselves for everything. Everyone becomes competition for the things we want. If we understand that God is in charge, we can trust God for everything that is important. The things of this world are not to be coveted, but our ability to serve God and love our neighbors is.
Application: Be part of the change. Fear God, love people, not things.
Food for Thought: How does treating a younger man as a brother change things?
*Paul first met Timothy during his second missionary journey, around A.D. 49–50. If Timothy was roughly 18–25 at that time, and if 1 Timothy was written around A.D. 62–65, Timothy would have been approximately 30–40 years old when Paul wrote, “Let no one despise your youth” (1 Timothy 4:12).
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