Titus 2:1-15 (NRSV)

Friday after Ash Wednesday - Reflections on the Letters during Lent

"But as for you, teach what is consistent with sound doctrine. Tell the older men to be temperate, serious, prudent, and sound in faith, in love, and in endurance. Likewise, tell the older women to be reverent in behavior, not to be slanderers or slaves to drink; they are to teach what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be self-controlled, chaste, good managers of the household, kind, being submissive to their husbands, so that the word of God may not be discredited. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, gravity, and sound speech that cannot be censured; then any opponent will be put to shame, having nothing evil to say of us. Tell slaves to be submissive to their masters and to give satisfaction in every respect; they are not to talk back, not to pilfer, but to show complete and perfect fidelity, so that in everything they may be an ornament to the doctrine of God our Savior. For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds. Declare these things; exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one look down on you."

For me, just picking one word for today is difficult. So, if I have to choose, it would be "reprove!" Yes, reprove... according to Webster, "to correct or scold usually gently or with kind intent." I'm not sure why that word stuck out. It may have been how I read it, or it may have been the other twitchy feelings I got when I read the whole passage together.

I think that Paul is trying to teach Titus how to speak the truth in love, but he's using examples that are characteristic of time, place, and culture. For me, wives and slaves being "submissive" isn't an example that work's in our time and place. In fact, I think it was these passages in scripture that were used to justify slavery and against women's suffrage. Slavery was wrong! People are not property! Women are equal and they are not property either. I think, for the sake of compromise and maintaining good relationships, we must submit to one other at times, but this reading far from justifies people as property. It's sad that scripture was ever used that way.  

Now, some of Paul's examples work for us today: integrity, sound speech, fidelity, zealous for good deeds, sound in faith, in love and endurance, temperate... all good things to aspire to. Speaking the truth or reproving is something that none of us are very good with... we do not like to hold our brothers and sisters accountable for their behavior, for fear that it will cause a rift. That somehow, a gentle correction with kindly intent is going to ruin our relationship. The truth is hard to bare sometimes. We get upset when we are told the truth. It's definitely something everyone needs to work on. 

The call to action for me today can be found within the reading. We should live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly! Also, in with love and friendship, gently reprove one another - with the emphasis on gently. It's ok to hold each other accountable.

Titus 1:1-16 (NRSV)

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that is in accordance with godliness, in the hope of eternal life that God, who never lies, promised before the ages began— in due time he revealed his word through the proclamation with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Saviour,

To Titus, my loyal child in the faith we share:

Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour.

I left you behind in Crete for this reason, that you should put in order what remained to be done, and should appoint elders in every town, as I directed you: someone who is blameless, married only once, whose children are believers, not accused of debauchery and not rebellious. For a bishop, as God’s steward, must be blameless; he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or addicted to wine or violent or greedy for gain; but he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, prudent, upright, devout, and self-controlled. He must have a firm grasp of the word that is trustworthy in accordance with the teaching, so that he may be able both to preach with sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it.

There are also many rebellious people, idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision; they must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for sordid gain what it is not right to teach. It was one of them, their very own prophet, who said, ‘Cretans are always liars, vicious brutes, lazy gluttons.’ That testimony is true. For this reason rebuke them sharply, so that they may become sound in the faith, not paying attention to Jewish myths or to commandments of those who reject the truth. To the pure all things are pure, but to the corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure. Their very minds and consciences are corrupted. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their actions. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

How many times have we heard someone say about someone else, “They profess to know God, but they deny him by their actions.”  I personally think that is why the Christian Church suffers. It's because the leaders don't live up to the standard set by society. It is important, as Christians, that we show who we know God to be by our actions, lest we be counted with the hypocrites. I am reminded of the old camp song, We are One in the Spirit with the line "They will know we are Christians by our love!" However, we must keep in mind that we are ALL human, with all the brokenness that goes along with that. That's not an excuse, but more an overall assessment of the human condition and why we need Jesus. Jesus is the one who reconciles and restores the world to God.

The introduction of the letter from Paul to Titus is full of encouragement for Titus. But, with his newly appointed position in Crete, there comes much responsibility and accountability. Paul sets the bar high in his description to Titus of what it means to be an elder or a bishop. He sets the description in contrast to those of a lesser caliber; those he calls rebellious. Paul doesn’t hold back and warns Titus of the deceivers and rebellious people, especially those who could be sitting right next to him! Nobody is exempt from ridicule.

How do we know the others are? Who are the false prophets, idle talkers, or deceivers? I would say that we know them by their actions…  There’s an old saying that if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck then it’s probably a duck. However, if it doesn’t, then it’s probably not. So beware of those who “profess to know God, but deny him by their actions."

In relation to our Lenten journey,  this reading begs the question, “are we showing the world who we know God to be by our actions?” If not, we probably need to use this season to take a long hard look at ourselves and at what we are doing (or what we are not doing). Lent is the season of change, repentance, and turning around. In Greek, it's called metanoia. It’s never too late to turn around and get going along the right path.