Titus 3:12-15: Final Instructions to Titus
2022-05-28
These last few verses are specific instructions to Titus about upcoming events.
Titus 3:12
Paul wanted Titus to come to him at Nicopolis, on the west coast of Greece, but only when he was to send a certain messenger to do so. It might have been that Paul had not arrived there yet, and the purpose of the messenger was to signal that he was ready for him. Because winter likely made travel more difficult, Paul was going to remain in one place during that season. We see this was a common practice in other Scriptures, such as in Paul’s travels to Rome (Acts 27:12), Paul possibly using Corinth as a place to stay during the winter (1 Corinthians 16:6), and Paul’s desires for Timothy to come to him before winter comes (2 Timothy 4:21).
The two potential messengers that would signal for Titus to come would be either Artemas or Tychicus. Artemas is not mentioned elsewhere in Scripture. According to a work entitled On the Seventy Apostles of Christ, which is attributed to Hippolytus of Rome, he was one of the seventy that Jesus sent out. In this list, he is mentioned as the bishop of Lystra. However, other lists of the seventy have been circulated, and the names are not the same, so this is hearsay.
Tychicus is known in several other Scriptures. He was from Asia Minor and a companion with Paul (Acts 20:4). He presumably delivered the Pauline epistles to the Ephesians (Ephesians 6:21) and Colossians (Colossians 4:7), and otherwise was a messenger of various tasks (cf. 2 Timothy 4:12). He had proved himself in endeavors such as this, and was gifted this way, so he was a reasonable candidate to help with this.
Titus 3:13-14
Two men, Zenas and Apollos, were on some manner of mission of importance. They would be passing through Crete on this journey, and they needed Titus and the churches’ help along the way. Gaius in 3 John 1:5-10 is an example of someone who helped missionaries and Christian workers on their way. We help those because we should be “fellowhelpers to the truth” (3 John 1:8). Diotrephes, on the other hand, was throwing them out of the church. It is good practice to help such missionaries on their journey. This is what the churches of Crete needed to do for these men.
Zenas is not mentioned elsewhere in Scripture. He is mentioned as one of the seventy in the same list with Artemas. Zenas was said to be bishop of Diospolis. This is hearsay. However, in the Bible, we are told he is a lawyer. The word for lawyer is used for experts of the Jewish Law in the Gospels. This man may have had this background before he became a Christian.
Apollos is mentioned by name 10 times in the Bible. He was a Jewish man, born in Alexandria. He was eloquent in speech, so he could articulate truth very well. He also knew the Scriptures (i.e., the Old Testament) very well. He was preaching in Ephesus, knowing only through the baptism of John. Aquilla and Priscilla filled him in with the details about the Gospel more fully in Ephesus. At this point, he became a mighty preacher of the Gospel, convincing many Jews (Acts 18:24-28). He moved onto Achaia/Corinth from there.
Apollos became significant enough to be mentioned with Paul and Peter, where certain factions in Corinth claimed to follow Apollos: “Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:12).
Traveling must have been a part of his ministry, for we read, “As touching our brother Apollos, I greatly desired him to come unto you with the brethren: but his will was not at all to come at this time; but he will come when he shall have convenient time” (1 Corinthians 16:12). Though he had spent significant time in Corinth, he was not there at the time of the writing of the first epistle.
Zenas and Apollos would have been a good pair of preachers who could convince Jewish people, because of their knowledge of the Law/Old Testament. Because of their important mission, Titus and the churches of Crete would need to help them as much as possible to make sure they could accomplish their mission: “that nothing be wanting unto them.”
We spoke recently about the profit of good works; here is a good practical example of this. The good works of the Cretian churches will help them be fruitful. How can we support those who are preaching the Gospel? How can we get them on their journey more quickly? That is the question we need to ask. This was an opportunity for the Cretian churches to prove the allegations false of them being lying, lazy gluttons that some purported (cf. Titus 1:12).
Titus 3:15
Paul said those with him say “hello” to Titus. There are no names; perhaps Titus knew who was with him. Perhaps their names needed to be protected. Whatever the case, they are not named here. Titus was also to greet those with him. Once again, no names are mentioned. Those that were with Titus “love us in the faith.” They would be fellow believers that love Titus and Paul. They would not necessarily say “I love you,” but they loved them in some practical sense.
The final sentence is, “Grace be with you all. Amen.” We see a shift from the singular to the plural, so the grace Paul spoke of was to all those whom he greeted: those that “love us in the faith.” The “Amen” reaffirms and reasserts this grace.