In the closing verses of 2 Timothy, Paul asks Timothy to bring Mark because he is useful in ministry—a striking moment given the earlier conflict between Paul and Mark that led to a sharp separation between Paul and Barnabas. This reflection considers the beauty of relationships that change over time and the possibility of reconciliation after disappointment, conflict, or hurt. Not every relationship can return to what it once was, and reconciliation requires wisdom, but sometimes we can take the first step toward healing. Who might God be inviting you to approach with grace, mercy, and a willingness to make things right?
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Good morning! It’s good to be with you on this Wednesday morning. I hope you’re doing well and that all is good with you.
Today, we’re going to finish 2 Timothy, and then we’ll move into Titus. After that, I think we’ll keep going into Philemon, which is a book I really like. We’ll finish that out, and then it’ll be off to the Old Testament!
Today, we’re reading 2 Timothy 4, verses 9 through the end of the chapter.
Paul asks Timothy to come to him soon. He mentions several people who have gone to different places, tells Timothy that Luke is with him, and asks him to bring Mark because Mark is useful to him in ministry. Paul also asks Timothy to bring his cloak, which he left behind, along with his books and, especially, his parchments.
Paul mentions Alexander the coppersmith, who had done him considerable harm, and describes how people deserted him when he first had to defend himself. But even when others abandoned him, the Lord stood by him and gave him strength.
Paul then sends greetings to a number of people and closes the letter with a blessing of grace.
Paul always seems to end his letters with a bunch of unpronounceable names. And preachers like me have been butchering those names for centuries!
My advice is simple: When you’re reading Scripture aloud and you come to a long list of names you can’t pronounce, just say them with confidence. Say them like you mean it, and people will believe you. They don’t know how to pronounce them either!
But seriously, each of these names represents a person with a story. Particularly when Paul tells Timothy to greet certain people, he’s remembering those who have helped him along the way. These are people who have supported him, served alongside him, and been part of his ministry.
That’s always a good reminder to me when I read the ends of Paul’s letters: Ministry is never a solo endeavor.
We sometimes talk about not being the Lone Ranger in ministry, and that’s true. None of us does ministry by ourselves. We do it with the help of our community, with the support of others, and through the relationships God gives us.
We need each other. So don’t ever think you’re supposed to be a Lone Ranger in your faith or your ministry. We are called to do this together.
I also love the glimpse we get of the relationship between Paul and Timothy. Paul tells Timothy to bring his cloak, his books, and his parchments. There’s something so wonderfully ordinary about that request.
It reminds me of taking your kids to college. You know what they need, and they know what they want you to bring them. Paul is nearing the end of his life, and he’s telling Timothy, “When you come, bring my coat. Bring my books. Bring my papers.”
It’s a little glimpse into their relationship, and I think it’s beautiful.
We see that closeness elsewhere, too. In 1 Timothy, Paul gives Timothy some advice about his health. Throughout these letters, you can see the affection Paul has for Timothy. Timothy is more than a ministry colleague. He is like a son to Paul, and there is a genuine closeness between them.
But there’s something else in this passage I want us to focus on today. It’s in verse 11, when Paul says that Luke is with him and asks Timothy to bring Mark, because Mark is useful to him in ministry.
Now, Mark is one of the more interesting characters in the New Testament. He is sometimes called John Mark, and he is traditionally associated with the Gospel of Mark, the second Gospel in our Bibles.
But Mark also has an interesting history with Paul.
We first encounter him in Acts 12. Then, in Acts 13, Mark travels with Paul and Barnabas on a missionary journey. At some point, however, Mark leaves them and returns to Jerusalem. Scripture doesn’t give us all the details about why he left, but whatever happened, Paul was unhappy about it.
When Paul and Barnabas later prepare to visit the churches they had established, Barnabas wants to take Mark along. Paul refuses.
Acts 15 tells us that Paul did not want to take Mark because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. The disagreement became so sharp that Paul and Barnabas parted company. Barnabas took Mark with him, while Paul chose Silas and went in another direction.
Think about that for a moment.
Barnabas was the person who had stood up for Paul when other Christians were afraid of him after his conversion. Barnabas believed in Paul and helped bring him into the work of ministry when others were reluctant to trust him.
And now Barnabas is doing something similar for Mark. He is willing to give Mark another chance when Paul isn’t.
That’s one of the reasons Barnabas is one of my favorite people in Scripture. He’s always pulling for the underdog. He sees potential in people. He believes that a person’s failure doesn’t necessarily have to define the rest of their life.
Paul, on the other hand, had serious concerns about whether Mark could be trusted to do the work. Mark had left them before, and Paul wasn’t willing to risk taking him along again.
Their disagreement was so sharp that these two coworkers, who had served together and loved one another, went their separate ways.
And that’s where we leave the story in Acts. Barnabas takes Mark, Paul takes Silas, and the mission continues along two different paths.
But now, years later, we come to 2 Timothy 4.
Paul is nearing the end of his life. He knows his time is short. He’s asking Timothy to come to him soon. He wants his cloak, his books, and his parchments.
And then he says, “Bring Mark with you, because he is useful to me in ministry.”
Do you see what has happened?
The person Paul once refused to take along is now someone he specifically wants at his side. The person whose departure caused such a sharp disagreement has become someone Paul considers useful to his ministry.
We don’t know exactly what happened between them. We don’t know all the conversations they had or what changed over the years. We can’t fill in the details Scripture doesn’t give us.
But we do know that Paul now wants Mark with him. Whatever their history, Paul is willing to work with him again.
And I think that’s beautiful.
Forgiveness and reconciliation are powerful things.
Sometimes relationships break apart over serious disagreements. Sometimes someone disappoints us. Sometimes someone lets us down, fails to follow through, or does something that causes real harm. And sometimes the disagreement is not trivial at all. There may be legitimate reasons for the hurt and the frustration.
That was certainly the case with Paul and Mark. Paul believed that Mark had failed them in their work, and the disagreement was serious enough to separate Paul and Barnabas.
But that wasn’t the end of the story.
By the time Paul writes these words, he is asking for Mark to come to him. There is room in their story for something to change. There is room for a relationship to be different than it once was.
And that brings me to a question for you today.
Is there someone in your life with whom you need to reconcile?
Is there a relationship that has become strained or broken? Is there someone you feel has failed you, disappointed you, or hurt you? Is there someone with whom you know things need to be made right?
Now, I want to be careful here. Reconciliation doesn’t mean pretending that nothing happened. It doesn’t mean denying the harm that was done or acting as though every disagreement is insignificant. Sometimes there are real issues that need to be addressed, and rebuilding trust can take time. Reconciliation also doesn’t mean that every relationship can or should return to the way it was before.
But sometimes we reach a point when we need to ask ourselves whether the brokenness has to be the final word.
You can wait for the other person to reach out to you. You can wait for them to make the first move. And sometimes that may be necessary.
But you could also be the one who reaches out.
You could be the one who says, “Hey, can we talk? Can we try to make things right?”
You could be the one who opens the door to a conversation, even if you don’t know exactly where that conversation will lead.
Paul’s words about Mark remind us that people are more than their worst moments. A failure in the past does not have to determine every possibility for the future. Sometimes people grow. Sometimes relationships heal. Sometimes grace makes room for a new chapter.
So I want you to sit with that question today.
Who is that person in your life?
Is there someone you need to call? Someone you need to write? Someone you need to sit down with and have an honest conversation?
And if there is, what might you do to help make that relationship right?
You may not be able to control how the other person responds. Reconciliation takes more than one person, and not every attempt will be successful. But you can decide whether you are willing to take a step toward peace, where it is possible and appropriate.
Forgiveness is a powerful thing, friends. Grace is a powerful thing. Mercy is a powerful, powerful thing.
Paul and Mark’s story reminds us that our relationships can change and that yesterday’s brokenness doesn’t always have to determine tomorrow.
So let’s show some grace. Let’s show some mercy. And let’s be willing, when we can, to take the first step toward reconciliation.
Thanks for being with us today. Tomorrow, we’ll pick up with Titus.
Have a great day, friends. See you then!