“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come” (2Tim 4:6).
Last Call
The glass is almost empty. Just a sip or two remain. You hold it up and swirl it around a couple of times. There was a time when it was full. Maybe a little too full and overflowing down the sides. But it’s just about over. It’s last call and there are no refills.
Sounds like the kind of stuff that has filled country songs radio stations for decades, doesn’t it? From Hank Williams to George Jones to Luke Bryan. It’s where we get such classics(?) as “Light at the End of the Bottle.”
“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come” (v6). Is this the last declaration made at the end of a long night by some pour dude getting his drink on? Has someone sufficiently drowned their sorrows and needs to call an Uber?
No, we’re not talking about the end of the night at your favorite local bar or craft brew pub. This is Paul describing the end of his life in a Roman prison. The apostle is not knocking back a beverage at last call. He IS the drink. His glass of his life is just about empty. He’s poured himself out as an act of worship to Jesus. Long before Maxwell House came up with their catchy slogan, Paul’s life has been good to the last drop.
So, bottoms up!
Caesar’s SuperMax
It’s somewhere around 64-67 AD. Thirty years since Jesus rocked the world by walking out of the cemetery. The former Pharisee has spent the last three decades spreading the word about the tsunami of grace that started in Palestine and rapidly inundating the Mediterranean Rim.
But this message of God’s love is actually quite dangerous. It challenges the religious establishment of rule-following. As a result, Paul regularly finds himself behind bars. Each time before, he got out. But this time is different. This time he won’t be leaving with his life or his head.
So the man from Tarsus writes what he knows will be the very last letter of his life to his spiritual son Timothy. He’s on Death Row in Caesar’s SuperMax in Rome (2Tim 1:12, 16; 2:9). He realizes full well that he’s in the final round of what has been a very good fight (2Tim 4:7).
In these final words, he hopes Tim can make it to the prison and see him one last time before it’s too late (2Tim 4:9, 21). We really don’t know if they ever saw each other again on this side of eternity.
Paul’s Last Letter
Paul has just spent most of this last letter passing the baton of ministry to the young pastor (2Tim 2:1-4:5). How to handle spiritual con artists (2Tim 2:14-19). How to make sure he’s ready to go when Jesus calls (2Tim 2:20-21). How to steer clear of pointless controversies (2Tim 2:22-26). Warning him of the danger right around the corner (2Tim 3:1-9).
Reminding him of all he’s learned over a lifetime of hanging out with his mentor (2Tim 3:10-13). Making it clear that God’s Word has given the apostle’s protege a very particular set of skills (2Tim 3:14-17). Caring for the followers of Jesus means giving them what they need and not necessarily what they want (2Tim 4:1-4).
Paul sums up all of these instructions in what we might call his Final Four (2Tim 4:5). One, stay composed and on your toes. Two, hang tough and watch God work. Three, keep spreading the news. Four, full speed ahead and finish the mission.
No More Appeals
Which brings us back to that nearly empty glass. The apostle writes, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering” (v6). This is the end. Barring some unforeseen miraculous move by Jesus (hey, it’s happened before!), his life is coming to a close. Death is right around the corner.
His Roman captors have cranked up the Roman execution machine. The process has begun. Paul understands that clearly by using the term “already” (Gr. ηδη/ede), meaning now or at this moment. No more appeals. He’s run out of options. His death has moved from possibility to probability to certainty.
The Final Toast
The apostle sees his life as “being poured out as a drink offering” (v6). Believe it or not, this is actually just a single Greek verb: σπενδω/spendo. It means to offer a drink, pour out a beverage, or offer a liquid in sacrifice. Ancient writers used it when describing two enemies sharing a drink in peace after a period of war. It’s how the authors of the NT paint a picture of giving one’s life in sacrifice or spilling your blood in a violent death while serving God.
Paul is making the connection to his living his life as an act of worship with the system of worship and offerings in the Old Testament. When God gives His people the meticulous details of sacrifice, He wraps up just about every act of worship with a drink offering (Ex 29:40-41; Num 15:1-7; 28:1-15). It’s like lifting your glass for the final toast.
New Names, Feasts, and Vows
The first time we see a drink offering made is after Yahweh changes Jacob’s name to Israel. Right after he gets his new ID, Israel builds an altar to God and “poured out a drink offering on it” (Gen 35:14).
It was the final toast when the Israelites celebrated the Firstfruit Feast (Lev 23:13). The drink offering was the closing sacrifice at the end of each day of the Booth Feast (Num 29:16, 19, 22, 24-25, 27-28, 31, 33-34, 37-38) It’s how God wanted the sacrifice at Passover to wrap up (Num 28:16-24). It’s the last offering made during the Nazirite vow ceremony (Num 6:15, 17).
There were those dark times when God’s people played footsie with false gods poured out drink offerings to them (Dt 32:38; Is 57:6; Jer 52:19). Joel warns Yahweh’s chosen folks how these times of spiritual infidelity will lead to a time when they won’t be able to make the liquid sacrifice (Joel 1:9, 13). But because God overflows in grace and mercy, they can toast him again the moment they do a 180 of repentance (Joel 2:13-14).
Good to the Last Drop
Meanwhile back in a Roman dungeon, the apostle sees the final drops of his own life as his final toast to his Savior. He wrote something very similar to his friends in Philippi the last time he was doing hard time. “Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering (Gr. σπενδω/spendo) upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all” (Phil 2:17). In other words, when the glass of his life is finally empty, it will be worth every drop.
Bottoms up!
Wiggling off the Altar
That’s not the only time Paul connects the dots between pouring your life out in sacrifice as an act of worship. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Rom 12:1-2). As someone once said, the only problem with living sacrifices is that they keep wiggling off the altar. But given the overwhelming grace of God, how could we do anything else?
The Last Toast at the Last Supper
That picture of emptying a cup as an offering drips all through the Bible. That’s why Jesus grabs His glass and at dinner with His posse the night before His own execution. “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many” (Mt 26:28; Mk 14:24). It was the last toast at the Last Supper on the last night before His death.
The Son of God loves us so much that He was willing to spill His own precious blood on our behalf! He gave everything He had to come to our rescue. He emptied His cup as a drink offering for you and me. Paul pours himself out as an offering in an act of love and worship to the Savior who did it for him. It’s the last offering. Jesus invites us to do the same.
Free Eternal Refills
It’s at this point that you might wonder why in the world anybody would be stupid enough to pour out a perfectly good drink? Why waste a full glass? Here’s the secret. God has something SO much better for you. He can’t refill my cup if it’s still full. That’s why He invites me to die to my own selfishness and empty my life as an act of worship.
Once my glass is empty, Jesus fills it to the brim with overflowing life. “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (Jn 10:10). As a matter of fact, Christ will make sure that the cup He fills will never ever run out and we’ll never be thirsty again (Jn 4:13-14). Forget free Slurpees at 7-11. Pour yourself out as drink offering and enjoy a never-ending glass of the Living Water. We’re talking free eternal refills!
Bottoms up!
A Divine Appointment
Meanwhile back on Death Row, Paul tells Tim that the sands in the hourglass of his life have just about run out. “The time of my departure has come” (v6). The apostle understands that his execution date is actually a divine appointment. Roman officials think they’re in control of day their prisoner will day. But the former Pharisee knows full well that God is in charge of that calendar.
The writer of Hebrews tells us, “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Heb 9:27). Paul knows it’s now only a matter of time. Same for you and me. We may not walking the Green Mile with a death sentence hanging over our heads. But our time here on the third rock from the sun is limited on this side of eternity. Let’s make the most of it by loving God and loving people. Let’s pour ourselves out as an offering.
Cruising off to Paradise
The apostle doesn’t pull any punches. He knows death is right around the corner. But he sees what’s ahead with an eternal perspective. He calls it his “departure” and uses an interesting Greek word (Gr. αναλυσις/analusis) in doing so. It describes a breaking up, breakdown, or a dissolution into parts. It’s actually where we get our word “analysis.” You analyze something by taking it apart and breaking it down.
Paul’s analysis of his own date with death is that it’s only a transition. You see, the term is also a metaphor of untying a ships lines from the dock before setting sail. He understands that the end of life on this side of eternity is only a transition to the next. It’s bon voyage and time to sail away into the afterlife. And if you’re wondering, Royal Caribbean and Carnival have no cruises that come close to this trip to paradise.
We see the apostle use a very similar word in when he writes about the win/win he faces when it comes to life and death. “I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart (Gr. αναλυω/analuo) and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account” (Phil 1:23-24). Cruise away into Christ or stay here tell more people about Him? Tough call.
Don’t Knock It Back, Pour It Out
So as he’s about to cruise into the afterlife, Paul lifts one last toast. Instead of knocking it back, he pours it out. It’s a one final tribute to the One who poured Himself out for us. The One who lived the perfect life we failed to live. The One who died the death we should have died. The One who rose to the new life we don’t deserve. Let’s raise a glass and pour ourselves out as an offering in obedience to the Lord.
Bottoms up!
Last Call
The glass is almost empty. Just a sip or two remain. You hold it up and swirl it around a couple of times. There was a time when it was full. Maybe a little too full and overflowing down the sides. But it’s just about over. It’s last call and there are no refills.
Sounds like the kind of stuff that has filled country songs radio stations for decades, doesn’t it? From Hank Williams to George Jones to Luke Bryan. It’s where we get such classics(?) as “Light at the End of the Bottle.”
“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come” (v6). Is this the last declaration made at the end of a long night by some pour dude getting his drink on? Has someone sufficiently drowned their sorrows and needs to call an Uber?
No, we’re not talking about the end of the night at your favorite local bar or craft brew pub. This is Paul describing the end of his life in a Roman prison. The apostle is not knocking back a beverage at last call. He IS the drink. His glass of his life is just about empty. He’s poured himself out as an act of worship to Jesus. Long before Maxwell House came up with their catchy slogan, Paul’s life has been good to the last drop.
So, bottoms up!
Caesar’s SuperMax
It’s somewhere around 64-67 AD. Thirty years since Jesus rocked the world by walking out of the cemetery. The former Pharisee has spent the last three decades spreading the word about the tsunami of grace that started in Palestine and rapidly inundating the Mediterranean Rim.
But this message of God’s love is actually quite dangerous. It challenges the religious establishment of rule-following. As a result, Paul regularly finds himself behind bars. Each time before, he got out. But this time is different. This time he won’t be leaving with his life or his head.
So the man from Tarsus writes what he knows will be the very last letter of his life to his spiritual son Timothy. He’s on Death Row in Caesar’s SuperMax in Rome (2Tim 1:12, 16; 2:9). He realizes full well that he’s in the final round of what has been a very good fight (2Tim 4:7).
In these final words, he hopes Tim can make it to the prison and see him one last time before it’s too late (2Tim 4:9, 21). We really don’t know if they ever saw each other again on this side of eternity.
Paul’s Last Letter
Paul has just spent most of this last letter passing the baton of ministry to the young pastor (2Tim 2:1-4:5). How to handle spiritual con artists (2Tim 2:14-19). How to make sure he’s ready to go when Jesus calls (2Tim 2:20-21). How to steer clear of pointless controversies (2Tim 2:22-26). Warning him of the danger right around the corner (2Tim 3:1-9).
Reminding him of all he’s learned over a lifetime of hanging out with his mentor (2Tim 3:10-13). Making it clear that God’s Word has given the apostle’s protege a very particular set of skills (2Tim 3:14-17). Caring for the followers of Jesus means giving them what they need and not necessarily what they want (2Tim 4:1-4).
Paul sums up all of these instructions in what we might call his Final Four (2Tim 4:5). One, stay composed and on your toes. Two, hang tough and watch God work. Three, keep spreading the news. Four, full speed ahead and finish the mission.
No More Appeals
Which brings us back to that nearly empty glass. The apostle writes, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering” (v6). This is the end. Barring some unforeseen miraculous move by Jesus (hey, it’s happened before!), his life is coming to a close. Death is right around the corner.
His Roman captors have cranked up the Roman execution machine. The process has begun. Paul understands that clearly by using the term “already” (Gr. ηδη/ede), meaning now or at this moment. No more appeals. He’s run out of options. His death has moved from possibility to probability to certainty.
The Final Toast
The apostle sees his life as “being poured out as a drink offering” (v6). Believe it or not, this is actually just a single Greek verb: σπενδω/spendo. It means to offer a drink, pour out a beverage, or offer a liquid in sacrifice. Ancient writers used it when describing two enemies sharing a drink in peace after a period of war. It’s how the authors of the NT paint a picture of giving one’s life in sacrifice or spilling your blood in a violent death while serving God.
Paul is making the connection to his living his life as an act of worship with the system of worship and offerings in the Old Testament. When God gives His people the meticulous details of sacrifice, He wraps up just about every act of worship with a drink offering (Ex 29:40-41; Num 15:1-7; 28:1-15). It’s like lifting your glass for the final toast.
New Names, Feasts, and Vows
The first time we see a drink offering made is after Yahweh changes Jacob’s name to Israel. Right after he gets his new ID, Israel builds an altar to God and “poured out a drink offering on it” (Gen 35:14).
It was the final toast when the Israelites celebrated the Firstfruit Feast (Lev 23:13). The drink offering was the closing sacrifice at the end of each day of the Booth Feast (Num 29:16, 19, 22, 24-25, 27-28, 31, 33-34, 37-38) It’s how God wanted the sacrifice at Passover to wrap up (Num 28:16-24). It’s the last offering made during the Nazirite vow ceremony (Num 6:15, 17).
There were those dark times when God’s people played footsie with false gods poured out drink offerings to them (Dt 32:38; Is 57:6; Jer 52:19). Joel warns Yahweh’s chosen folks how these times of spiritual infidelity will lead to a time when they won’t be able to make the liquid sacrifice (Joel 1:9, 13). But because God overflows in grace and mercy, they can toast him again the moment they do a 180 of repentance (Joel 2:13-14).
Good to the Last Drop
Meanwhile back in a Roman dungeon, the apostle sees the final drops of his own life as his final toast to his Savior. He wrote something very similar to his friends in Philippi the last time he was doing hard time. “Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering (Gr. σπενδω/spendo) upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all” (Phil 2:17). In other words, when the glass of his life is finally empty, it will be worth every drop.
Bottoms up!
Wiggling off the Altar
That’s not the only time Paul connects the dots between pouring your life out in sacrifice as an act of worship. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Rom 12:1-2). As someone once said, the only problem with living sacrifices is that they keep wiggling off the altar. But given the overwhelming grace of God, how could we do anything else?
The Last Toast at the Last Supper
That picture of emptying a cup as an offering drips all through the Bible. That’s why Jesus grabs His glass and at dinner with His posse the night before His own execution. “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many” (Mt 26:28; Mk 14:24). It was the last toast at the Last Supper on the last night before His death.
The Son of God loves us so much that He was willing to spill His own precious blood on our behalf! He gave everything He had to come to our rescue. He emptied His cup as a drink offering for you and me. Paul pours himself out as an offering in an act of love and worship to the Savior who did it for him. It’s the last offering. Jesus invites us to do the same.
Free Eternal Refills
It’s at this point that you might wonder why in the world anybody would be stupid enough to pour out a perfectly good drink? Why waste a full glass? Here’s the secret. God has something SO much better for you. He can’t refill my cup if it’s still full. That’s why He invites me to die to my own selfishness and empty my life as an act of worship.
Once my glass is empty, Jesus fills it to the brim with overflowing life. “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (Jn 10:10). As a matter of fact, Christ will make sure that the cup He fills will never ever run out and we’ll never be thirsty again (Jn 4:13-14). Forget free Slurpees at 7-11. Pour yourself out as drink offering and enjoy a never-ending glass of the Living Water. We’re talking free eternal refills!
Bottoms up!
A Divine Appointment
Meanwhile back on Death Row, Paul tells Tim that the sands in the hourglass of his life have just about run out. “The time of my departure has come” (v6). The apostle understands that his execution date is actually a divine appointment. Roman officials think they’re in control of day their prisoner will day. But the former Pharisee knows full well that God is in charge of that calendar.
The writer of Hebrews tells us, “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Heb 9:27). Paul knows it’s now only a matter of time. Same for you and me. We may not walking the Green Mile with a death sentence hanging over our heads. But our time here on the third rock from the sun is limited on this side of eternity. Let’s make the most of it by loving God and loving people. Let’s pour ourselves out as an offering.
Cruising off to Paradise
The apostle doesn’t pull any punches. He knows death is right around the corner. But he sees what’s ahead with an eternal perspective. He calls it his “departure” and uses an interesting Greek word (Gr. αναλυσις/analusis) in doing so. It describes a breaking up, breakdown, or a dissolution into parts. It’s actually where we get our word “analysis.” You analyze something by taking it apart and breaking it down.
Paul’s analysis of his own date with death is that it’s only a transition. You see, the term is also a metaphor of untying a ships lines from the dock before setting sail. He understands that the end of life on this side of eternity is only a transition to the next. It’s bon voyage and time to sail away into the afterlife. And if you’re wondering, Royal Caribbean and Carnival have no cruises that come close to this trip to paradise.
We see the apostle use a very similar word in when he writes about the win/win he faces when it comes to life and death. “I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart (Gr. αναλυω/analuo) and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account” (Phil 1:23-24). Cruise away into Christ or stay here tell more people about Him? Tough call.
Don’t Knock It Back, Pour It Out
So as he’s about to cruise into the afterlife, Paul lifts one last toast. Instead of knocking it back, he pours it out. It’s a one final tribute to the One who poured Himself out for us. The One who lived the perfect life we failed to live. The One who died the death we should have died. The One who rose to the new life we don’t deserve. Let’s raise a glass and pour ourselves out as an offering in obedience to the Lord.
Bottoms up!
Hello Jay Jennings. I am a Pastor from Mumbai, India. I so blessed and have learned from your exposition on 2Tim 4:5. I have thoroghly enjoyed it. I am a Pastor from Mumbai, india. I am truly blessed and feel privileged and honored to get connected with you as well as know you through your profile on the blogger and the blog post. I love getting connected with the people of God around the globe to be encouraged,s trengthened and praying for one another. I have been in the Pastoral ministry for last 37 yrs in this great city of Mumbai a city with a great contrast where richest of rich and the poorest of poor live. We reachout to the poorest of poor with the love of Christ to bring healing to the brokenhearted. We also enourage young and the adults from the west to come to Mumbai to work with us during their vacation time. We would love to have you come to Mumbai with your wife and encourage the body of Christ with your preaching and Bible exposition. I am sure it will be a very rewarding time for us as well as a very blessed time for you both. God willing I will be coming to the United States in the month of May 2017 and will be so glad to stop by your place and meet you and share more about the ministry we have to the poorest of poor in the slums of Mumbai. My email id is: dhwankhede(at)gmail(dot)com and my name is Diwakar wankhede. Looking forward to hear from you very soon. God's richest blessings on you, your family and friends and also wishing you a blessed and a Christ centered restof the year 2017.
ReplyDeleteAmen to Jay's exegesis here! Prayer to you Dhwankhede and your ministry to the very poor in Mumbai. May God continue to Bless you and HIS works.
ReplyDelete