The Silencer

“They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach” (v11).

I love Matt Foley. He’s the motivational speaker the late great Chris Farley played on Saturday Night Live who “lived in a van down by the river.” In one classic sketch, the parents bring Matt into talk some sense into their son. When the dad tries to help, Farley’s character barks, “I wish you could just shut your big yapper!” So what in the name of Lorne Michaels does Matt Foley have to do with Titus? So glad you asked. In this verse, the Apostle Paul tells the Big T that a big part of his job is to shut up and shut down a team of false teachers. “They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach” (v11). His job is to shut their big yapper. When it comes to false teachers, Titus is the silencer.

Before we dig into this verse, lets not forget the big picture here. The Gospel of Jesus has washed over the island of Crete like a supernatural tsunami. There are new believers everywhere. After being a key part of what God was doing on there, Paul is now 400 miles away in the Greek seaport of Nicopolis (Titus 3:12). He’s left his go-to guy Titus behind to accomplish three critical tasks. One, fill the leadership vacuum in all of these new churches by selecting spiritual leaders called elders (Titus 1:5). Two, stuff a sock in a team of Jewish false teachers who are tearing apart families and while conning them out of their money (Titus 1:10-11). Three, establish a sustainable structure for continuing to teach folks about who Jesus is and what He’s done (Titus 3:1-10).

In the previous verse, Paul gave us a wanted poster for these spiritual con artists. They are rebels, refusing to submit to God’s authority. They are windbags who talk all the time but actually don’t say anything. They are swindlers, looking pull a fast one on folks new to the faith. But probably the most dangerous thing about these shysters is that this is an inside job. They are members of what’s known as the “circumcision party” (Titus 1:10). These are Jews that demand that Gentiles must convert to Judaism before they can ever think of following Jesus. Think of how confusing that would be for somebody who has just placed their trust in Christ. You’ve just made a simple confession of your need for a Savior when suddenly these goofballs drop the Old Testament in your lap. “Jesus will be happy to save you. Just follow these 600-plus commands!” Yeah, there’s nothing good about their good news.

That’s exactly why they must be shut up. Later Paul tells the Big T that these scammers try to confuse folks with a lot of Jewish mumbo jumbo and confusing commands (Titus 1:14). They worm their way in by assuring these baby Christians that they have a relationship with God when they don’t (Titus 1:16). The apostle tells Titus to shut ’em up. “They must be silenced” (v11). He uses a Greek term (Gr. epistomizo) that means to stop the mouth, or prevent from talking. It literally means “over (epi-) the mouth 

(-stomizo).” Like applying a muzzle to your dog that won’t stop barking. Picture Jack Bauer slapping a piece of duct tape over the bad guy’s mouth when he won’t shut up. Paul instructs Titus to gag these grifters. Stuff a sock in it. Shut their pie hole. When it comes to false teachers, Titus is the silencer.

The apostle is very clear on who these con artists are talking to. Families. They are weaseling their way into the households of new believers and stirring up trouble. They’re “upsetting” (Gr. anatrepho) their newfound faith in Jesus. This term paints a picture getting right in the middle of a situation with the purpose of turning things upside down. They are looking to cause serious damage to what someone believes. It’s the same word John uses when Jesus goes all one-man-wrecking-crew on folks making a fast buck at the temple as He “overturned (Gr. anatrepho) their tables” (Jn 2:15). Paul knew all about false teachers who tried to flip over people’s faith. The apostle himself had to deal with a pair of knuckleheads named Hymenaeus and Philetus who went around telling folks that Jesus had already returned and were “upsetting (Gr. anatrepho) the faith of some” (2Tim 2:17-18). Before the false teachers do any more damage, they must be shut down. 

If it’s not bad enough that these goobers are flipping over the faith of these families, they’re also looking to rip them off. They’re “teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach” (v11). They are nothing more than spiritual snake oil salesmen. Paul uses almost the very same language here that he does earlier when describing that spiritual leaders should NOT be “greedy for gain” (Titus 1:7). The original text literally talks about “disgraceful (Gr. aischros) acquisition (Gr. kerdos).” They’re out to make a fast buck. This has nothing to do with teaching anything of value. This is all about making money. Before they can swindle anybody else, Titus needs to shut their big yapper.

So do we do with these two-thousand-year-old instructions? First of all, we need to be on the lookout for anyone teaching a corrupt message. Anything other than the Good News is totally bad news. We tell folks about Jesus. We point to who He is and what He’s done, not what we need to do. He lived the spotless and totally obedient life that we failed to live. He died a brutal and bloody death for our sin on a cross that we should have died. He rose to a breathtaking new life that we don’t deserve. We place our trust in what He’s done for us that we could never do for ourselves. Dropping a to-do list of commands and rules to ensure salvation is anything but the Gospel. 

We must stuff a sock in anyone teaching something other than Jesus. Do whatever you must to make sure you understand the content of their teaching. If it’s wrong, ask them to stop. If they don’t, tell them to shut it down. Local church leaders, elders, and pastors are responsible for the spiritual well-being of the people. We must have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to false teaching. 

Finally, this should cause all of us to step back and examine our motivation for working. Is it simply for the check? There’s nothing wrong with earning a living. The Bible is clear on that. Work is good. Getting a paycheck appropriate. But will I do anything to make the deal? Will I shade the truth? Will I lie? Will I cheat? Are you serving yourself and your own bank account or your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? 

But Titus’ assignment here is clear. He's the silencer. These false teachers need to shut their big yapper. They would be better off living in a van down by the river.