Read Part 1 here.
As I grew up in the church I often heard about the importance of reading a verse in context. I came to understand this to mean that we need to read the verses immediately before and after the verse we’re studying to get a bigger picture, but that was about as far as we went. Maybe we sometimes considered the paragraph as a whole, or the section between the headings.
I’ve now appreciate that often we need to step back even further to truly see the big picture and the context of a particular verse.
In the case of 1 Timothy, Paul begins the letter by stating his purpose in writing. He writes to refute false teaching and to promote faith (vs3-4) because,
The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (1 Tim 1:5)
Somehow, the church has managed to make 1 Timothy one of the most divisive books, rather than one that produces love. We accomplish this by focusing on individual issues and verses rather than considering the message of the book as a whole.
The false teaching at Ephesus clearly concerns Paul and he warns against it regularly. The letter also bursts with spontaneous praise to God. Consider,
- 1:12-17
- 3:16
- 4:10
- 6:13
In these verses Paul’s not content just to say “God” he has to keep going and describe the “God who…”. He encourages faith and love by continually reminding us of the hope and forgiveness that God has given us through the sacrifice of Christ. It’s the antidote for false teaching.
In their NT Introduction, Carson, Moo & Morris note that the letter is a protest against needless controversies and the emphasis is on character and conduct. (1992, 376)
How ironic then that chapters 2 and 3 have been some of the mostly debated and divisive passages in the whole Bible. In our quest to get every detail “right” we’ve missed the central message of the letter. We define “love” in some quirky way that allows us to treat our brothers and sisters badly. We focus on the verse and lose the context.
I’m not suggesting that 1:5 etc. presents a reason to simply ignore chapters 2 and 3 because they’re controversial. We have to continue to work at understanding and applying them in our cultural context. But when chapters 2 & 3 are used to oppress people, accumulate power, or are the basis of bitter arguments, perhaps there are some higher priorities we should study and discuss before returning to study these chapters.
- How important do you think it is for Christians to have a grasp of the overall message of Bible books? (of course we could extend that to the overall message of the whole Bible, which I guess is the ultimate context.)
- What have you found helpful as ways to teach, learn or remember the themes of particular books?
- How does the theme of 1 Timothy influence your understanding of 2:11-15?



Coincidentally, the sermon topic scheduled for this week complements the topic we’ve been discussing on Wednesday night. Any basic introduction or overview of the Gospel of Luke will mention two themes that Luke gives special attention compared to the writers of the other Gospels: the poor, and women.
Luke doesn’t do this by including lengthy diatribes on the status of women in Jesus eyes, but by simply including them in his accounts. Like the other Gospels, Luke still focuses on the ministry of Jesus and the Twelve, but he’s more deliberate in mentioning the presence and work of women.
My sermon focused on Joanna. She’s an easy person to miss since we’re not told very much about her, but since her husband managed Herod’s household (v3), she must have had a significant degree of social standing. She was apparently willing to risk her social reputation in and around Herod’s court by leaving that behind and following Jesus as he traveled from village to village. Jesus had rescued her from illness or demon possession and in return she committed her life to His ministry.
The Herod mentioned in this verse is probably Herod Antipas (since the events take place in Galilee). This is the same Herod who imprisoned and executed John the Baptiser. He also interviewed and mocked Jesus prior to his crucifixion (Lk 23:5-12). The father of Antipas, Herod the Great, had earlier killed all the infant males in Bethlehem in an effort eradicate the threat he believed Jesus posed to his position as king.
Joanna would have known Herod’s fear/hatred of Jesus and the fate of John the Baptiser, yet she took the risk and accompanied Jesus on his travels. Her acceptance of Jesus’ call is no less dramatic than that of any of the apostles (Lk 51-11; 27-31). She not only left the social circle of the royal court to follow Jesus, but also supported his ministry financially. And despite these sacrifices, she receives only the briefest of mentions, while the men are treated as heroes.
One of the lessons we can learn from Joanna, is her commitment to following Jesus, despite her lack of public recognition. Luke also mentions her presence at the tomb of Jesus as one of the women who discovered his resurrection. Despite any obstacles she encountered during the intervening period she remained faithful to her Saviour. She demonstrates endurance and persistence.
We all face the temptation of becoming demoralised when we persistently work at something and receive no recognition for our efforts. We can easily find ourselves considering the gifts God gives us and seeking a bigger stage on which to exercise them. Paul’s words in Galatians 1:10 provide an important reminder for us, “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.“
When we find ourselves limited, because of our gender, or location, or some other reason, we face the choice of whether to focus on the limitation, or the opportunities available to us within that limitation.
It was recently pointed out to me that the first step in the serpent’s temptation of Eve was to remove her attention from the innumerable blessings God had given her to instead focus upon the single restriction. I believe this continues to be a strategy of Satan that women have to resolve as they serve God within the church.
But Satan uses this strategy on all of us. I could sit around lamenting that I’m not working for a larger church, or in a bigger city, or closer to Christian college that would give me more opportunities to share my “incredible wisdom” and “awesome speaking skills” God’s given me. Or I can work in my current situation to share God’s love and Good News with everyone with whom I come in contact.
Joanna reminds us that we can work just as effectively for God away from the limelight as we can in the limelight. While many people want to deepen their pockets by raising their profile in the Lord’s work, Joanna supported the ministry of Jesus out of her own pocket. The crucial point in this whole story is that Jesus called her… and she followed, and served. Although I believe the NT does place some restrictions on the roles of women in the church (see here) it’s crucial that we recognise that Jesus called women as well as men. Jesus relied on the support of women, as well as men. The church needs to equally equip, commission, and acknowledge the work of women in God’s service.
Joanna may not have a book of the Bible named after her, but she was rewarded on that Sunday morning as the angel, in person, declared to her and the other women the Good News of a risen Saviour.
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Posted in Gospel of Luke, New Testament | Tags: 1 Tim 2, Bible, commentary, Eve, God, Herod, humility, Jesus, Joanna, pride, Scripture, sermon, service, temptation