[00:00:05] Hello, my name is Sally Moriarty-Flask. Welcome to: From His Word to Our Hearts, my weekly Bible Study podcast.
[00:00:13] Together we will explore the readings to be proclaimed at the Catholic Mass on Sunday, June 29, 2025. The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles. This week's episode is entitled: To Two Men, One Mission, and in these readings, we will see the many ways that the faith of modern Christians rests on the shoulders of these two Apostles.
[00:00:41] As we journey through the readings this week, consider the following:
Peter and Paul were very different men, with very different backgrounds, both chosen by Jesus to spread the good news of his Passion, Death and Resurrection with determination and love. Are we willing to take up that same mission and share the good news of Jesus ourselves?
[00:01:13] So let's begin.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[00:01:18] Heavenly Father, we praise you and we thank you for the lives and examples of the saints, especially the Apostles Peter and Paul. Grant us the strength we need to continue their mission of spreading the good News of Jesus and the courage to lovingly witness to others the truth of our faith in any way that brings you glory. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[00:01:51] Now that we've opened our hearts in prayer, let's listen to what God is telling us in the Scriptures.
[00:01:56] Our Gospel this week is from Matthew 16: 13-19.
[00:02:05] “When Jesus came into the district of Caesare’a Philip’pi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do men say that the Son of man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli’jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon bar-Jona! For flesh and blood have not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’”
[00:03:14] This week we have the rare pleasure of celebrating the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul on a Sunday. This feast takes place every year on June29th, it just doesn't often fall on Sunday.
[00:03:32] Like many Solemnities, the Church does assign different readings to The Vigil Mass, so if you attend Mass on Saturday evening just be aware that you will hear different readings. But the readings I will cover in this episode are the readings for the Mass during the day.
[00:03:54] And you may remember back on Trinity Sunday I said that - after Pentecost - we were back in Ordinary Time it just didn't look like it yet?
[00:04:07] Well, that's because we've had so many Solemnities in a row, but this is the last Sunday Solemnity we will celebrate until September. So, not only will next Sunday be a regular Sunday in Ordinary Time, it will finally look like Ordinary Time! Of course, if you attend daily Mass, you've been seeing this as Ordinary Time since the Easter season ended. But now it will also look that way for the weekends.
[00:04:40] And if you are a member of my home parish, this Gospel should sound familiar, since we heard it right before the beginning of Lent when we celebrated the Anniversary of the Dedication of our Parish.
[00:04:54] The Church chose this Gospel for the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul precisely because it does focus on Peter and on his primacy among the disciples. It is here that Jesus changes Simon's name to Peter and declares that he is the rock upon which the Church will be built.
[00:05:21] As Catholics, we believe that declaration was made not to Peter alone, but to all men down through the ages that have followed in his footsteps. In fact, the entire world just witnessed that very transfer of authority when the College of Cardinals gathered in Rome to choose the next successor of Pope Francis.
[00:05:51] To say that American Catholics were stunned to see an American-born Cardinal elevated to the Papacy is an understatement.
[00:06:02] I've lived through the reigns of seven - now eight – Popes, but this is something that I never expected to see in my lifetime.
[00:06:11] So let's explore what Matthew has to say…
“When Jesus came into the district of Caesare’a Philip’pi,”
Caesarea Philippi is about 20 miles north of the Sea of Galilee. In the time of Jesus, it was the capital city of Philip the Tetrarch, son of Herod the Great. The Banias Spring is located there, which is one of three freshwater springs that form the River Jordan.
[00:06:46] And the remains of ancient pagan shrines dedicated to the Greek god Pan are also located there.
“[Jesus] asked his disciples, ‘Who do men say that the Son of man is?’”
[00:07:01] Jesus is asking his disciples about the gossip they've heard. In other words, what are people saying about Jesus?
[00:07:10] “And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli’jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’”
[00:07:19] Clearly the word circulating about Jesus is that he speaks for God as a prophet, but most people haven't given much thought to the question beyond that.
[00:07:33] “He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’”
That question is not addressed solely to Simon - it is addressed to all the disciples. And as followers of Jesus, as disciples, that question is addressed to us as well! Ten years ago, Matthew Kelly, Catholic author, motivational speaker, and founder of Dynamic Catholic, published a book called “Rediscover Jesus” in which he wrote that each one of us must answer that very question.
[00:08:22] In fact, he calls it the Jesus Question.
[00:08:27] Matthew wrote: “The question itself is like Jesus. Agree with him or disagree with him. Glorify him or vilify him. Follow him or reject him. About the only thing you cannot do when it comes to Jesus is ignore him. He changed the world - in some ways that most people are aware of and in countless ways that the average person has simply never considered. Try as you might, you cannot escape him.”
As modern Christians, we have an advantage that the disciples did not.
[00:09:12] We have the written New Testament and 2000 years of accumulated knowledge to draw upon to answer the Jesus Question… yet we still often hesitate.
[00:09:32] Let's hear again how Simon answered it…
[00:09:37] “Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’”
[00:09:44] We tend to rush by that statement rather than really dwelling with it, but Simon actually declares two different truths in that one apparently simple statement.
[00:10:00] The first truth is YOU ARE THE CHRIST - the Greek word is Christos, the Hebrew word is Messiah - but Simon is saying that Jesus is the long-awaited deliverer of the Jewish people. The second truth is that Jesus is THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD - that Jesus is divine, not just another human king, but the divine Son of God himself.
[00:10:35] “And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon bar-Jona!’”
Simon bar-Jona means Simon, son of Jonah and Jesus says that Simon is blessed - but why exactly?
[00:10:51] “For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you,”
[00:10:55] In other words, Simon's own limited human knowledge and understanding could not have reached that conclusion simply by his own efforts. So, where did the knowledge come from?
[00:11:09] “my Father who is in heaven.”
[00:11:12] Simon was inspired by God the Father to give that response and for a very specific purpose. We'll get to that in the very next sentence.
[00:11:24] “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church,”
[00:11:34] Jesus changes Simon's name to Peter and, remember name changes are always significant.
[00:11:43] Then he says on “this rock” I WILL build my Church. Not that the Church sprang up in Peter - whole and complete - with no more work to do. No, Jesus says, I WILL build my Church.
[00:12:02] Meaning that there will still be a lot of work to do.
[00:12:08] Now, one thing that tourists visiting Caesarea Philippi see today when they arrive is this massive red rock face.
[00:12:22] When Jesus said those words to Peter, they would have been standing where that rock wall is visible. And remember, the Father inspired Simon to give that response… precisely so that he CAN be the rock upon which the Church will be built and so that he will have the strength to carry out the formidable task that Jesus sets before him. I will include some photos from Caesarea Philippi on my Instagram this week.
[00:13:15] And I want to mention one other thing before we go on… this is the first time that the word Church is used.
[00:13:27] The Greek word is ekklēsian - which means to be called out.
[00:13:35] We, as Church, we are called out of our old existence into a new way of living, being, and worshiping.
[00:13:51] Jesus then goes on…
“and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”
A cave - known as the cave of Pan - can be seen at the base of the rock face there at Caesarea Philippi, and pagan worshipers used to offer sacrifices at the mouth of that cave, so it came to be known as the gates of Hades.
[00:14:18] Again, that just goes to show that Jesus knew exactly where they were, geographically, and made the most of the dramatic landscape that he had access to. I'll make sure that cave is clearly visible in one of my photos this week. But the other thing I want to do is I will include pictures from a distance - as well as pictures close up that include human beings in the pictures - so you can get a sense of just how big that rock face really is.
[00:14:58] “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,”
[00:15:02] The significance of that phrase is often missed simply because Christians are are not well versed in the lore of the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, stewards were anointed by kings and invested with keys as a symbol of their power and authority, certainly, that was one really good reason for that. But also, practically speaking, the keys granted the steward access to all the wealth of the kingdom. In the king's absence, it was the steward's responsibility to take care of the kingdom, to manage the king's assets, and rule as the king intended.
[00:15:57] And the more we read the Old Testament, the more we learn that a steward's authority was intended to be passed down.
[00:16:10] So, when Jesus gives Peter the keys to the kingdom he doesn't mean just an earthly kingdom - in fact, Jesus doesn't have an earthly kingdom. Remember, in John 36, Jesus says to Pilate: “my kingdom is not of this world.” The keys Jesus gives to Peter are the keys to the kingdom of heaven and those keys… that role… that responsibility was always intended to be passed down to earthly successors until Jesus Christ comes himself again at the end of time.
[00:17:05] And Jesus then assigns a very specific responsibility to Peter and his successors…
[00:17:14] “whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
[00:17:24] That responsibility, that task, is based on Isaiah 22, when Eliakim, the steward, is told that “what he opens, no one will shut, what he shuts, no one will open.”
[00:17:40] We can hear, in those words from Isaiah, the underpinning of Jesus' statement to Peter. And Catholics see, in Jesus words, the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
[00:17:57] When we sin, as we so often do, we have recourse to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, where we can express our sorrow and our repentance, and Jesus himself forgives our sins through the office of the priest, who grants us the absolution that reconciles us to our community and to the Church.
[00:18:25] That's the Sacrament of Reconciliation, in a nutshell. Peter was the first Pope of the Catholic Church and we, as Catholics, can trace his successors down through the centuries to our current Pope, Leo XIV.
[00:18:47] That is an awe-inspiring reality.
[00:18:56] We don't hear this in today's passage, but we know that Peter died a martyr's death, although not before a lifetime spent spreading the good news of Jesus.
[00:19:14] Now it's highly unlikely that we will be called to die as martyrs.
[00:19:21] Not unheard of, not completely outside the realm of the possible, but unlikely nevertheless.
[00:19:28] But are we willing to really live as a Christian and boldly share our faith - and the good news of Jesus - with others?
[00:19:44] That's the example Peter left for us, but are we willing to follow it?
[00:19:52] That takes us to our First Reading, which is from Acts 12:1-11.
[00:20:00] “At that time Herod the king laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the Church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword; and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. So Peter was kept in prison; but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the Church. That very night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison; and behold, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, ‘Get up quickly.’ And the chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, ‘Dress yourself and put on your sandals.’ And he did so. And he said to him, ‘Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.’ And he went out and followed him; he did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened to them of its own accord, and they went out and passed on through one street; and immediately the angel left him. And Peter came to himself, and said, ‘Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.’”
[00:22:10] We have to remember that Acts is essentially Luke 2.0, in which he tells the story of the early Church… that story prominently features the two Apostles we are commemorating in this Feast: Peter, the leader, and Paul, the missionary.
[00:22:34] This passage from Chapter 12 of Acts is the last major story about Peter, Luke then shifts his focus to Paul beginning in chapter 13.
[00:22:49] The story we hear today takes place shortly after Peter traveled to Caesarea Maritima to baptize the Gentile, Cornelius, and his entire household - we heard that story on Easter Sunday.
[00:23:05] So, let's break open this reading…
“At that time”
[00:23:11] What does Luke mean by those words? At the end of the previous chapter, the end of chapter 11, we hear that the events we hear today occurred during the Second Great Wave of Persecutions recorded in Acts. The First Wave of Persecutions began with Saul in chapter eight…. and yes, I do mean the Saul who vigorously persecuted the Church and later became Paul after he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. And yes, the same Paul who is part of this Feast.
[00:23:54] “At that time Herod the king laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the Church.”
[00:24:04] Now there were a lot of men named Herod, so let me narrow that down a bit.
[00:24:09] This is Herod Agrippa I, grandson of Herod the Great (who was king at the time of the birth of Jesus, recorded in Luke 1) and brother-in-law of Herod Antipas (the one who questioned Jesus before his Crucifixion in Luke 23).
“He killed James the brother of John with the sword;”
[00:24:39] When Luke tells us that Herod killed James with the sword, he means that Herod had him beheaded. That was a metaphor that was pretty commonly used at that time.
[00:24:53] And this James, the brother of John, is the same James that was part of Jesus' Inner Circle, making him the first member of Jesus’ Inner Circle to die.
[00:25:09] “and when he saw that it pleased the Jews,”
Again, the Jewish authorities, they were all Jews. I feel like I can't say that often enough.
[00:25:22] And by saying “it pleased the Jews,” Luke means that the Jewish authorities were already doing their best to suppress the followers of Jesus themselves so any authority that aided those efforts made them happy.
[00:25:43] Herod didn't often have the approval of the Jewish religious authorities, so when he realized that beheading James engendered such a positive response, he had no qualms going further. So…
“he proceeded to arrest Peter also.”
[00:26:06] Now, this was actually the third time that Peter was imprisoned according to the Acts of the Apostles.
[00:26:13] His earlier incarcerations took place in Acts 4 and Acts 5.
[00:26:20] “This was during the days of Unleavened Bread.”
[00:26:24] By that, we are told that it was the beginning of Passover.
“And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to guard him,”
[00:26:40] Luke's original audience would have understood what four squads of soldiers meant, but we don't understand it nearly as well… so let me explain.
[00:26:50] Four squads meant that there were four complete sets of guards comprised of four soldiers per set… meaning that there would have been two guards inside the cell with Peter and two guards outside guarding the door… and that there were enough soldiers to cover four shifts of six hours each - so Peter was guarded around the clock.
[00:27:19] That's basically what Luke means.
“intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people.”
[00:27:27] Remember, Herod had Peter arrested at the beginning of Passover and intended for him to cool his heels and contemplate his fate throughout the entire length of the feast.
[00:27:41] “So Peter was kept in prison; but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the Church.”
[00:27:50] Christians down through the ages have always believed in the power of prayer. For early Christians, however, persecution was - sadly - a common occurrence and prayer was seen as the ultimate, really the only, answer to persecution.
[00:28:14] “The very night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison;”
[00:28:29] We just learned about that, right? Two soldiers were inside the cell with Peter and two were outside guarding the cell door.
[00:28:36] “and behold, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, ‘Get up quickly.’ And the chains fell off his hands.”
[00:28:52] Normally I share pictures of my trip to Israel on Instagram, but this week I will also include pictures from a trip to Italy.
[00:29:04] And that is because there is a church in Rome, called San Pietro in Vincoli (in English that means Saint Peter in Chains). And it is a minor basilica just a short walk from the Colosseum. The importance of this basilica is that it houses the chains that bound Saint Peter in this passage, the ones we just heard fell miraculously off of his hands.
[00:29:36] Now, those very chains were originally a gift to Pope Leo I from the Empress Eudoxia, wife of Emperor Valentinian III.
[00:29:50] Empress Eudoxia received the chains as a gift from the bishop of Jerusalem during a pilgrimage of her own to that city.
[00:30:01] According to legend, when Pope Leo I compared the Jerusalem chains to the chains used to imprison Peter in Mamertine Prison in Rome, prior to his execution, the two sets of chains miraculously fused together.
[00:30:24] They can now be seen in a reliquary under the main altar. This basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli, first consecrated in 439 AD, was originally built specifically to house those chains, although it has undergone several renovations and reconstructions down through the centuries.
[00:30:51] You can also, interestingly enough, see Michelangelo's 16th century marble carving of Moses in that same church.
[00:31:03] “And the angel said to him, ‘Dress yourself and put on your sandals.’ And he did so. And he said to him, ‘Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.’”
If we put ourselves in in Peter's place, we have to imagine that he was a bit stunned at that point and would have done pretty much whatever he was told to do.
[00:31:30] “And he went out and followed him; he did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.”
That actually makes perfect sense, doesn't it? A dream or a vision would have seemed much more probable to Peter on this, his third imprisonment remember - his third imprisonment - than actually being part of a jailbreak orchestrated by an angel!
[00:32:01] “When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened to them of its own accord, and they went out and passed on through one street;”
[00:32:17] Well, why not? At this point, Peter's convinced he's dreaming anyway, so he might as well make it a good one!
“and immediately the angel left him. And Peter came to himself,”
[00:32:31] Talk about a strange awakening! We need to try imagining ourselves in Peter's position.
[00:32:40] All along he thought this was some sort of a dream or a vision, and then suddenly he found himself out on the street and safe.
[00:32:51] Divine power was clearly at work to orchestrate Peter's Great Escape.
“Peter came to himself, and said, ‘Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.’”
[00:33:12] When Luke writes here “the Jewish people” he means the Jewish authorities, because they were all Jews. And Luke means that Peter was delivered from whatever fate Herod, and the Jewish authorities, had planned for him… at that time.
[00:33:32] We can actually pretty accurately situate this event in the historical record because certain details are well documented.
[00:33:45] Herod Agrippa ruled Judea from 41 to 44 AD… that is historical fact.
[00:33:54] James, John's brother, was beheaded in 44 AD… that is another historical fact.
[00:34:04] Those two facts help us date this event to 44 AD.
[00:34:11] But we also know that Peter's freedom doesn't last forever.
[00:34:18] Sometime around 64 or 65 AD, Peter was crucified in Rome during the reign of Emperor Nero - that is also historical fact.
[00:34:33] On the Third Sunday of Easter, I talked about Saint Peter's crucifixion and the discovery, or should I say, re-discovery of his bones.
[00:34:46] If you haven't had the opportunity to read any of the books I listed on my Instagram that week, I would again urge you to do so. It is an amazing story and if you like, I can actually list those books again this week. I have since then acquired yet another book. This one is entitled: “The Tombs of Saint Peter and Saint Paul” and it was written by Engelbert Kirschbaum, SJ, one of the scholars that was involved in the excavations of the Necropolis under Saint Peter's Basilica where Saint Peter's tomb was uncovered. I haven't read that book yet, but it is on my reading list for this summer. I included the story of the relics of the Basilica of Saint Peter in Chains at the appropriate place in this story, but sometimes we get lost in the stories that are passed down to us through the tradition of the Church… sometimes we become mesmerized by the stunning art and architecture we encounter… sometimes we get caught up in the day-to-day functioning of the huge business that is the worldwide Catholic Church… sometimes we allow ourselves to be divided by factions or opinions… and - in all of that - we sometimes forget that Jesus is at the heart of everything.
[00:36:36] Or he's supposed to be! And so, sometimes we have to ask ourselves what are we doing to fulfill our most basic mission - as Christians - of sharing the good news of Jesus with others?
[00:36:58] That brings us to our Responsorial Psalm, which, this week, is Psalm 34 and the refrain is:
“The angel of the LORD will deliver those who fear him.”
[00:37:12] And here are the verses.
[00:37:14] “I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and be glad.”
“O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! I sought the LORD, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.”
“Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.”
“The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. O taste and see that the LORD is good! Happy is the man who takes refuge in him!”
[00:38:14] This is primarily a Wisdom Psalm, although I have seen it classified as a Thanksgiving Psalm with elements of a Wisdom Psalm. Either way, it is a testimonial to the power of prayer.
[00:38:33] And however scholars decide to classify it, the refrain makes it clear why it was chosen for this Feast.
[00:38:43] In the refrain, we hear the word fear – “the angel of the LORD will deliver those who fear him.” And that type of fear is not the type of fear where you're cringing in terror.
[00:38:57] What the Psalmist means is the proper reverence and awe we should have when we encounter the divine.
[00:39:09] In the first verse, the Psalmist says, “I will bless the LORD at all times” and the word “bless” there does not mean bestowing a blessing - as if any human being could add to the holiness of God… we can't. Instead, what that phrase means is that the Psalmist, and any of us that pray that Psalm as well, we are all constantly offering prayers of praise and thanksgiving… that's what that means.
[00:39:46] Then in verse three, we hear the phrase “O magnify the LORD with me” and that doesn't mean that we make God any bigger, as if we are looking at him through a magnifying glass.
[00:40:02] No, no, no! What that means is that the Psalmist is inviting us to draw closer to God so that we can see how magnificent he really is.
[00:40:20] The idea is that we SEE God's greatness rather than contribute to it, because, again, we can do nothing to add to God's greatness.
[00:40:35] Okay, I did just say that we are not able to add anything to God's greatness, which is true. But there is SOMETHING we can do.
[00:40:47] Years ago, a friend of mine shared a bit of wisdom with me - he said that each one of us is responsible for helping one other person get to heaven.
[00:41:06] So, look around. If you know someone who hasn't heard the good news of Jesus, or who may need to hear it again, or who may need someone to pray for them… start there!
[00:41:28] That takes us to our Second Reading, which is from 2 Timothy 4: 6-8, 17-18.
“I, [Paul,] am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength to proclaim the word fully, that all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
[00:42:49] This is the one reading assigned to this Feast that really focuses on Paul, and it is one of his Pastoral Letters.
[00:43:00] Interestingly enough, 2 Timothy contains - by far - the greatest amount of personal information on Paul out of all of his writings. And remember, this letter was addressed to Timothy by Paul, not written by Timothy. Timothy meant a great deal to Paul. He was a traveling companion of Paul's, he was a valued assistant in Paul's work, he was coauthor of several of Paul's letters, and Paul himself refers to Timothy as his “beloved child” at the beginning of this letter.
[00:43:53] This Second Letter to Timothy was essentially Paul reflecting on his own work and ministry, as well as being his instructions for how his work should continue after his death.
[00:44:17] As Paul is writing this letter, he is a prisoner in Rome - likely his final imprisonment before he was beheaded on Nero's orders sometime between 64 and 67 AD.
[00:44:35] This week's passage comes toward the end of this letter. So, let's hear again what Paul has to say…
[00:44:47] “I, [Paul,] am already on the point of being sacrificed;”
[00:44:53] Paul, who had established so many churches and done so much to spread the faith in Jesus, certainly sees this final imprisonment as a surrender of sorts. And he appears to be coming to terms with the fact that he is reaching not just the end of his ministry, but the end of his life as well. In the early years of the Church, martyrdom was viewed as the type of death that brought glory to God, and many early martyrs rejoiced in being found worthy to suffer for the sake of Jesus.
[00:45:38] So, Paul sees the possibility of his death, his martyrdom, as a personal act of sacrifice for Jesus.
[00:45:50] “the time of my departure has come.”
Paul uses that as a metaphor for his death.
[00:45:57] “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
[00:46:06] The first two phrases are clearly athletic metaphors, while the last phrase is a personal declaration of Paul's own perseverance in faith - but all three are intended to encourage Timothy… to convince Timothy - and us – that, no matter what, Paul never gave up and he never quit.
[00:46:37] “From now on there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness,”
[00:46:43] In the early church, Christians believed that each person would be rewarded in heaven according to their deeds on earth. (Not that we necessarily think quite so differently in modern times, but it was considered more of a measure in the early church… that the reward would be a measure of what a person did while they were on the earth). The reward of those who were the most faithful, those who were called holy ones or saints, the reward for those who persevered in faithfulness was a crown of righteousness.
[00:47:24] Now, it's no coincidence that Paul uses athletic metaphors right before he mentions a crown.
[00:47:34] As a Roman citizen, Paul would have been familiar with the laurel wreaths bestowed on winners of athletic competitions to symbolize their victory.
[00:47:47] Paul may very well have been mentally picturing a crown of righteousness being something akin to that sort of laurel wreath.
“which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day,”
[00:48:05] You can't see the text that is in front of me, but the word “Day” is capitalized.
[00:48:13] What makes that significant is that it points to only one Day - Judgment Day - the Second Coming of Jesus.
[00:48:23] “and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”
[00:48:29] I usually prefer the RSV translation for most things, but in this instance I like the words of the NAB a little better. The NAB translates that as “who have longed for his appearance.”
[00:48:44] And, since Paul has been talking about future rewards, that translation to me simply makes more sense.
“But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength to proclaim the word fully,”
[00:49:01] That is Paul's way of hinting to Timothy that he is lonely, that no one else is there to help or encourage him, that he is bereft of human companions… so he turns to the Lord.
“that all the Gentiles might hear it.”
[00:49:31] Remember, Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles - that was his mission! And Paul is saying, the Lord gave me strength to proclaim the word fully, that all the Gentiles might hear it. Paul's mission is complete… or as complete as he could possibly make it.
[00:49:53] “So I was rescued from the lion's mouth.”
Paul is alluding there to Daniel 6, when the Prophet was thrown into the lion's den by Darius, the king of Babylon, but an angel of God prevented the lions from attacking and killing Daniel.
[00:50:12] Paul, too, is imprisoned and in danger, so he is equating his delivery - his entry into the kingdom of heaven through his death - by being rescued from the lion's mouth. That's what he's really suggesting there.
[00:50:35] “The Lord will rescue me from every evil and save me for his heavenly kingdom.”
[00:50:43] That's the fuller explanation of Paul saying he was rescued from the lion's mouth. Paul knows he is approaching the end of his life, but he also knows death isn't the end. No matter what evil befalls him in this life, Paul is confident that his eternal reward will be in the kingdom of heaven.
[00:51:14] “To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
[00:51:20] That concluding statement is called a doxology.
[00:51:25] Most of Paul's letters end with what's called a benediction… there are only two instances, in fact, (this letter and Romans), where Paul closes with a doxology rather than a benediction.
[00:51:41] So what is the difference between a benediction and a doxology, you may ask? The biggest difference is that a benediction does not mention a time frame where a doxology does - here Paul says “for ever and ever,” in Romans he says “for evermore.” Even approaching the end of his life, Paul was undeterred. His letters are still there for us, still relevant today, still proclaimed. Today, through his writings, he is still sharing the good news of Jesus and inspiring others to carry on his mission.
[00:52:36] Peter and Paul were two very different men, both pursuing the same mission - to share the good news of Jesus - his life, his teachings, and his healings, certainly… but also his Passion, Death and Resurrection. Both men left behind formidable legacies without which the Church would not be the Church it is today.
[00:53:11] As I said before, it is unlikely, although not impossible, that any one of us could be martyred. It is also unlikely, although not impossible, that any one of us could have the same impact on the Church as either of those two men. Yet we are still called to take up the same mission that they embraced.
[00:53:43] So, one final time, I will ask… are we willing to share the good news of Jesus with others?
[00:53:57] If you would like to reach out to me with questions or comments, please email me at
[email protected]
Thank you for spending this time with me and until next we meet, may God shower his blessings upon you like a soft and gentle rain and may he hold you, safe and secure, in the palm of his hand.
From His Word to Our Hearts is produced by SFS Audio Solutions.
The content of the show was assembled by me, Sally Moriarty-Flask.
Our music was composed by Jimmy Flask and is used with the permission of the composer. All rights reserved.
Information regarding references used in preparing the exegesis for this podcast is available upon request.
Thank you for listening and God bless.
