In 2 Timothy, chapter 4, beginning with verse 9, Paul writes:
“Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you; for he is very useful to me for ministry. Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. At my first defense no one came to stand by me; all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory for ever and ever. Amen” [2 Timothy 4:9-18, Revised Standard Version].
This is Paul’s second epistle written to his beloved Timothy, his “spiritual son in the faith” [1 Corinthians 4:17; Philippians 2:22; 1 Timothy 1:2, 18; 2 Timothy 1:2]. It is Paul’s final letter—at least it is the last that has been preserved and has survived to this time. This letter was written from Rome, where Paul was in prison awaiting trial before Nero. Scholars believe that it was written somewhere between AD 64 and AD 68. Paul knew that both his ministry and his life on this earth were drawing to a close. In this epistle, he has written words of encouragement and words of exhortation to his young protégé, the young evangelist, Timothy. As Paul occasionally did at the end of his epistles, he includes some information about his present condition, along with some instructions. That is the text we have just read.
Perhaps it is the finality of this letter, or perhaps it has something to do with the intimate and personal nature of this letter, but there seems to be a fairly lengthy account that Paul has given regarding his circumstances and needs. He speaks not only of his circumstance, but also of the movements and the activities of several of his fellow workers. These individuals would have obviously been well known to Timothy. Paul devotes considerable space and words here in this section stating his need—his desire—for Timothy to come to Rome to be with him during this stage of his life. Although he knows that there will be no release from his imprisonment, Paul does foresee that he will remain in custody for a period of time before his life is ended. Thus, he urges Timothy to come to his aid, to bring him things that he needs and desires, and to be there with him.
Here we are given this picture of the great apostle Paul, advanced in years, and showing the signs and the marks of his years of faithful soldiering in the army of the Lord, literally on the front lines. He is all but alone now in a prison cell in Rome, where he awaits certain death at the hands of the Romans. I don’t mean for us to picture Paul in a sad or pathetic sort of way. Certainly he was not seeking pity from Timothy as he wrote this letter. He wasn’t seeking pity, or even concern, from anyone else. He knew the realities of his situation, and he had no fear of suffering or of death. His attitude about death had already been clearly stated during an earlier imprisonment in Rome when he had written to the church in Philippi saying, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. I am hard-pressed between the two.” He then says, “my desire is to depart and to be with Christ, for that is far better” Philippians 1:21-23 [“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.”].
This attitude, previously stated by Paul, regarding death would certainly have prevailed, even to this time. How can we be certain of that? Well, we see the same attitude in this epistle as well. Just a few verses before the text that we read, Paul will speak about knowing and realizing that his time of departure is at hand. He says that, in a way, he anticipates it and looks forward to it. [2 Timothy 4:6-8: “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing.”]
But now, I want us to focus our attention on what Paul has to say about one of his associates, named Demas. Did you notice in [2 Timothy, chapter 4,] verse 10 what he had to say about Demas? Paul says that Demas has left him—he has deserted him—and gone to Thessalonica. He has done so because of his love for this present age, his love for this world. If you want to talk about a sad and pathetic picture, it’s not the picture of the aged Paul waiting in a prison cell for his death. Rather, the sad and pathetic picture is this one, Demas, who had been a faithful companion of Paul’s, but who has now deserted him, abandoning the great apostle. The inference is very clear that, by abandoning Paul, Demas also abandoned the cause of Christ.
Why would we spend any time examining such a one as Demas? He is one who will forever be remembered as a “deserter” and “traitor” to the cause of Christ. How could we find anything in this man that might be of use to us? Let me suggest to you that a study of Demas will perhaps enable us to examine ourselves, to look at our lives and to do as Paul instructed the Christians at Corinth when he said, “Examine yourselves whether you are in the faith. Prove your own selves” 2 Corinthians, chapter 13, verse 5 [“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.”].
Where do we stand spiritually? Are we ready to stand up for the cause of Christ, even in times of hardship, in times of crisis, or even if we were to face imprisonment? What do we really love? Where is our affection?
Let’s notice the spiritual status of three individuals in this text:
First we see “steadfast Luke,” the author of the Gospel that bears his name, and also the author of the book of Acts. (Here is some interesting information, a little bit of trivia: IF Paul did NOT write the book of Hebrews, then, by quantity/volume/number of words, Luke wrote more in the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts than any other inspired New Testament writer. Paul wrote more epistles—13 of the epistles, 14 epistles if he wrote Hebrews). As we noted in reading the text, who alone has remained in Rome with Paul? It’s Luke. There were others who were with Paul, but he has dispatched them to go to other places to pursue other aspects of the ministry, or perhaps to return to places to check on some of the churches that Paul had been instrumental in establishing. Of course, Demas has deserted, and it’s Luke who remains in Rome with Paul. Luke apparently remains loyal to the very end. Perhaps Luke, at this time, was serving as Paul’s secretary, his scribe, writing this epistle as Paul dictated it to him. Certainly, Luke served Paul as his personal physician. At this time, Paul is advanced in age, perhaps suffering from many of the hardships that he has gone through in prison. It is Luke, the physician, who continues to be by his side, giving continual support and aid to him. What a wonderful example Luke is for all! He was loyal, he was faithful, he was trustworthy and he was willing to stand by the aged apostle and to meet his needs, regardless of where he was, or the circumstances. So there is “steadfast Luke.”
Then we see “reclaimed Mark.” Mark had accompanied Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey. During that journey, Mark made a very serious mistake. Acts 15:38 says that Mark deserted—he went back to Jerusalem. [“But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work.”] We don’t know why Mark “departed,” but whatever the reasons Paul held that departure against him. The next time that Paul and Barnabas were to go on a missionary journey, Barnabas desired to take John Mark with them, but Paul refused. This situation caused a serious falling-out [disagreement] between these two good men.
But now, Mark has redeemed himself. He has shown himself to be worthy of Paul’s trust and confidence. We see that now, at this stage in his life, Paul desires Mark to come to him. He wants to see him and he will even say that Mark is “very useful”for his ministry. What a turnaround Mark has made in his own life! His experiences raise questions concerning mistakes that we make in our own lives, and show the potential of being able to recover from those mistakes. We all make mistakes, some of them more serious than others. John Mark is one who made a very serious mistake, yet has now been reclaimed, reinstated, and who has become a valuable tool, or asset, to the great apostle Paul. From him, we see that it is possible to be restored to a useful service in the Kingdom. John Mark was restored and his example should encourage us and give us hope.
So we have the “steadfast Luke,” we have the “reclaimed Mark”, and now we see the “apostate Demas.” Demas had been Paul’s fellow worker. He was mentioned that way in Philemon, verse 24 [“Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow laborers” Philemon, verses 23 and 24]. Demas had been mentioned, along with others including Luke, Epaphras, Aristarchus, and Mark. He is also mentioned in Paul’s epistle to the church in Colosse, along with Luke, as sending his greetings to the brethren there, Colossians 4, verse 14 [“Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you.”].
Notice something about this situation: Paul wrote both of those epistles, the epistle to the church at Colosse and the epistle to Philemon, while he was in prison in Rome the first time. During that first imprisonment, we can surmise, or conclude, that Demas remained faithful to Paul. Now, just a few years later (depending on when 2 Timothy was written, and it may have been two years, three years, or perhaps as many as five years after Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome), Demas has deserted Paul. Sounding almost melancholy and forlorn in this text [2 Timothy 4:10], Paul says, “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed (“deserted”) unto Thessalonica…,” King James Version. The English Standard Version translates this verse: “For Demas, in love with this present world, has departed me and gone to Thessalonica…” Oh my, what a sad picture! What a tragic situation!
What happened to Demas, this one who had been faithful, this one who had been counted on by Paul as a fellow worker, this one who, even during previous hard times, had been faithful? We don’t know all of the details—the Holy Spirit did not see fit to provide those to us. But we can conclude this much: The heart of the problem was one of “misplaced affection.” We might call it “wrong love.” Demas was a person, like the rest of us, who began to travel a spiritual journey. He began travelling on the road of faithfulness—on the road of devoted service in the Lord’s Kingdom. We might refer to him as a “religious man,” or a “righteous man.” But something happened to him somewhere along the way and he began to “love the world.” There’s that “misplaced affection”—that “wrong love.”
The world that lured Demas away still exists today. It’s different than it was then in the first century. In fact, I submit to you that “this present world” is more alluring and more dangerous today than it was then. The world, with all of its temptations, surrounds us. God warns us, through His Holy Word, “Do not love the world.” John writes, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” 1 John 2:15. We can see a contrast of loves in this text. In 2 Timothy 4, verse 8, Paul said that we should love Christ’s appearing [“Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”]. Through Demas, we see a contrasting love, a love for the world, a love for this present age.
As we make this contrast between loving Christ—loving Christ’s appearing—and the love of this present age, notice that Jesus died so that we might be freed—delivered—from this present age, or from this world. Speaking of Jesus, Paul writes, “Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present world” Galatians 1, verse 4 [“Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the Will of our God and Father…”].
So, we see in Demas an example of “misplaced affection” and of “wrong love.” We see also the power of a “distorted love,” a “wrong love,” that caused Demas to forsake a great man of God. That word “forsake,” that we read in the King James Version, means “to abandon,” “to desert,” “to leave in straits,” “to leave helpless,” and “to let one down.” Wrong love and misplaced affections now cause many people to forsake—to abandon, to desert, to leave helpless, to let one down. Some Christians “forsake” the assembly of the saints. Hebrews 10:25 says, “Do not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some…” [“not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”]. Many people “forsake” their families by allowing distorted or misplaced affection—distorted love—to draw them away from their family. They have a distorted, misplaced affection, a distorted love for things like a job, alcohol, a roaming eye, or gambling. People also “forsake” such things as their health through the use of tobacco and alcohol, or not observing proper nutrition.
This “wrong love” caused Demas to go to Thessalonica. Have you ever wondered what it was in Thessalonica that lured Demas to go there? Well, one thing is obvious—it was not the work of the Lord. There was a congregation of the church there, but it’s apparent, from what Paul says about Demas, that he did not go there for the purpose of advancing the cause of Christ. Maybe Thessalonica was his home. Maybe he had grown tired or discouraged and he just wanted to go home. Were there friends or family members there? Was it fame or fortune that he was pursuing in Thessalonica? Well, we don’t know, but whatever the worldly appeal which Paul sites here, “the love of the world,” would seem to have been centered, for Demas at least, in Thessalonica. Is there a “Thessalonica” in your life and in my life? If not now, could there be one in our future? Our “Thessalonica” might look like pleasure, popularity, maybe a career, or cynicism. If we’re not careful, many things could take the form of a “Thessalonica” in our lives.
Consider the question that Jesus asked on one occasion, and Peter’s response to that question. John, chapter 6, beginning with verse 66: “From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him. Then Jesus said unto the twelve, ‘Will you also go away?’ Then Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the Words of eternal life?’” [King James Version].
Demas found something in Thessalonica that drew him away. He turned his back on the Lord, no doubt, knowing there was no other place to go. Yet he chose a love of this world over a love for Christ. What happened to Demas? Someone suggested he might have failed to count the cost. We don’t know. He may have become weary of the constant pressure, or need, to conform to Christ, weary of living the life that he needed to live faithfully. He may have grown tired of the fight, tired of all of the persecutions that he had experienced, along with the Apostle Paul. Perhaps these experiences took their toll on him. The years may have taken from Demas the excitement of Christian living and Christian ministry. He was no longer willing to run with patience [endurance] the race set before him, as spoken by the Hebrew writer in Hebrews 12, verses 1 and 2 [“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”]. The admonition to set one’s affections, that is, one’s mind, on things above becomes quite significant when we think about and really appreciate what happened to Demas. Paul writes: “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” Colossians 3, verse 2 [King James Version]. Demas was lured away by his affection for, by his love for, the world. He did not keep his mind, or his concentration, where it needed to be.
I was reading someone’s comments about this particular situation and the life of Demas. The writer made a point that I hadn’t really thought about before. He said that, you must consider the fact that Demas was serving with, arguably, the greatest apostle of all time. Paul was so faithful in his service to Christ, so loyal to the cause of Christ. He endured so much, and demonstrated his love, his faithfulness and his fidelity in so many ways. With these considerations in mind, you would think that anyone who was associated with, who worked with, Paul would be so overwhelmed and so affected by the life of this good man, that they could not possibly fall away! But in Demas, we see that faithfulness, fidelity, and love for Christ do not “rub off” on us. We see that WE are responsible for working out our own salvation. Each individual is responsible for building, for developing, their OWN faith in God and His Son. No one can build or develop someone else’s faith.
Paul had a prison cell; Demas choose the freedom of Thessalonica. Demas may have chosen the immediate blessing or taken the easy way out, but Paul chose the eternal blessing. Which is it for you? Which is it for me? Shall we be like Demas and be led away, or be affected by a love for this world? Will our choice be to abandon, or forsake, the cause of Christ? Or shall we be like Paul—faithful, loyal and diligent to the very end? I choose Paul and I know you do, too.