Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee

The Epistle for the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee is 2 Timothy 3:10-15 (KJV):

¹⁰But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, ¹¹Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured:  but out of them all the Lord delivered me. ¹²Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. ¹³But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. ¹⁴But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; ¹⁵And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 3:10-11 – Persecutions Which Paul Endured

The Epistle begins, “¹⁰But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, ¹¹Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured:  but out of them all the Lord delivered me.”

The persecutions Paul suffered at Antioch are described in Acts 13.  Verse 14 tells of Paul and Barnabas arriving in Antioch, “¹⁴But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.”  The persecution is mentioned in verse 50, “⁵⁰But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.”  Acts 13:51 describes what Paul and Barnabas did next, “⁵¹But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.”  This reminds us of what Jesus commanded in Matthew 10:14-15:

¹⁴And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. ¹⁵Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

What happened in Iconium is described in Acts 13:52-14:7:

⁵²And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.  ^14:1And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed. ²But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren. ³Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands. ⁴But the multitude of the city was divided: and part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles. ⁵And when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them, ⁶They were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about: ⁷And there they preached the gospel.

The persecutions Paul suffered at Lystra are described in Acts14:19-20:

¹⁹And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. ²⁰Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.

2 Timothy 3:12 – All Who Live Godly Shall Suffer Persecution

After briefly mentioning these persecutions to Timothy, Paul continues in verse 12, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”  In John 15:20, Jesus said, “²⁰Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord.  If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.”

After the persecutions in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, we read what Paul and Barnabas did next in Acts 14:21-22:

²¹And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, ²²Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

Rather than seeking their own safety, we see that Paul and Barnabas risked their lives by returning to the cities where they had just been persecuted. 

Today, we have many who teach the “name it, claim it” prosperity gospels.  Note that neither Jesus nor Paul taught a prosperity gospel; rather, they taught that Christians will endure persecutions and tribulation.  While the prosperity gospels are popular with many who claim to be Christians, they are not Biblical and they are dangerous.

2 Timothy 3:13 – Deceiving, and Being Deceived

Paul continues with his warning to Timothy in verse 13, “¹³But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.”  He could have been writing about those who preach prosperity gospels.  This is similar to what he had written in the previous chapter, 2 Timothy 2:16, “¹⁶But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.”

This is a theme that begins in the Old Testament.  In Jeremiah 29:8-9, we read:

⁸For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. ⁹For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name:  I have not sent them, saith the LORD.

We read in Mark 13:5, “⁵And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you.”  In Ephesians 5:6, Paul wrote, “⁶Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.”  In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul wrote:

³Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; … ¹⁰And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. ¹¹And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:  ¹²That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Paul had previously warned Timothy, in 1Timothy 4:1-2, “¹Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; ²Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.”

John gives us the most detailed warning of these false teachers, deceiving and being deceived, in 1 John 4:1-6:

¹Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. ²Hereby know ye the Spirit of God:  Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:  ³And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

⁴Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them:  because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. ⁵They are of the world:  therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.  ⁶We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us.  Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

We have been warned:  just because someone comes claiming to speak the message of God does not mean he is speaking the truth.

2 Timothy 3:14-15 – The Holy Scriptures

Paul continues his instructions to Timothy:

¹⁴But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; ¹⁵And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

In 2 Timothy 1:5 and 13, Paul wrote:

⁵When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. … ¹³Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

In John 5:39, Jesus said, “³⁹Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

In Deuteronomy 4:5-6 (Thomas Nelson. “The Orthodox Study Bible.”) we read:

⁵“Surely I taught you ordinances and judgments, as the Lord commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land you go to inherit. ⁶Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the Gentiles, who will hear all these ordinances and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”

In Psalms 118 (119):98-99 (Thomas Nelson. “The Orthodox Study Bible.”) we read:

⁹⁸You make me wiser than my enemies with Your commandment,

For it is mine forever.

⁹⁹I understand more than all my teachers,

For Your testimonies are my meditation.

Six Facts That Most People Would Not Know About Me

1. I was watching a film at the Chrysler exhibit at the 1964 New York World’s Fair when I decided to go to Georgia Tech, become a mechanical engineer, and design cars at Ford (we were a Ford family; Chrysler would never do!).
2. I worked at a grocery store in Forsyth, and later Atlanta, for six years, while I was at Mary Persons High School and at Georgia Tech.
3. I attended every Mary Persons football game, home and away, during the four years I was at Georgia Tech.
4. I graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech and started work at Ford, designing trucks, not cars, in June 1978.
5. I decided to get my hair cut at a chain hair styling place at the old Houston Mall in the fall of 1988; Sherry Moxley Meyers (not her name then!) happened to cut my hair. I followed her around from place to place until she started High Maintenance Salon / Spa. She cut my hair until she changed her schedule to spend more time with her son. I still get my hair cut at High Maintenance; Awesome Jamie Dawson is my stylist now.
6. I was engaged to a pretty Romanian nurse, who lived in Italy, for about a week and a half. I have a slightly used, well traveled (been to Italy and Romania!) engagement ring, if anyone is interested….

"The Whole World's High School" - My Speech for the Mary Persons Class of '74 Reunion, May 3, 2014

We are all familiar with the William Shakespeare line, “All the world’s a stage.” There is a lot of truth to that metaphor, but tonight, I want to discuss another line from another age. In an episode of “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” Molly Ringwald’s character, Anne Juergens, says, “The whole world’s high school.”

Cliques, romances, best friends, allies, opponents – we learned about all of these through “on the job training” during our days at Mary Persons. Our teachers were our first level supervisors; the principal and vice principal our upper level management; the office administration and councilors were management staff.

Fortunately, we had the privilege of being students at Mary Persons High School – an outstanding high school, with excellent faculty, staff, and – most importantly – students. Then and now, Mary Persons has a well-deserved reputation for both academic and athletic excellence. What other high school could have possibly been a better training ground for that larger high school – the whole world – than Mary Persons?

Of course, our teachers were the most visible representatives of Mary Persons on a daily basis. We were blessed with some great teachers who were thoroughly knowledgeable of the subjects they taught and had the patience to explain the material so that every student could understand. We did not all have the same teachers, and I am sure that not all of us share the same opinions about those teachers, but I would like to mention a few of my favorites, those who taught me, inspired me, prepared me well for the larger high school that is the whole world.

Mr. Singleton inspired my passion for chemistry and physics. Mrs. Zellner and Coach Cook motivated my interest in history and political science. And Mr. Winters encouraged my love of literature and poetry. I will never forget how he taught us to interpret poetry, and in particular, that the theme of all 19th century American poetry is death.

Of course, Coach Pitts and his powerhouse football teams inspired the whole school, the whole community. The Mary Persons Bulldogs were – and are – a great source of pride for all of us who are so fortunate to be alumni.

But it was not just the great teachers who prepared us for that larger high school that is the whole world. Unfortunately, in the real world, we must deal with bad supervisors, incompetent bosses, and self-serving politicians. The bad teachers – fortunately, there were only a few of those – taught us to pick our battles, to “go along to get along” when that was the best strategy for our success.

While we were at Mary Persons, prayer was allowed at official school events; here in the Bible Belt, prayer was an integral part of any public gathering. Our graduation ceremony included two prayers: an invocation and a benediction. As plans were being made for our graduation, Mrs. McCosh asked me to give the invocation. I asked for the benediction instead, as I wanted to have the last word for the Mary Persons Class of ’74.

The faculty wanted to ensure that the graduation ceremony went smoothly, with everyone knowing what to say, when to say it, and said nothing controversial; therefore, the entire ceremony was scripted. While the speakers were allowed to write their speeches, this was done under close supervision of the teacher in charge, who had final approval authority. Mrs. McCosh wrote a nice, but long, prayer for me to deliver. Of course, being high school students, those of us with speaking roles chafed at having so little freedom in what we could say. Therefore, there was a longstanding tradition at Mary Persons graduation ceremonies that someone would rebel, would stray from the script and substitute another speech for the one that had been officially approved. After all, what could they do to us at that point? One year, supposedly all four of the speakers replaced their speeches with speeches they had written themselves.

As our graduation ceremony neared its conclusion, the faculty must have been very proud; everything had gone as planned, everyone had stayed on script. There was only my benediction left, and I’m sure they thought I was the least likely of all of us to rebel. I stepped up to the microphone, took off my cap, and said, “Let us pray.” Then, rather than reading the prayer that Mrs. McCosh had written, I said a short, simple prayer, since I wanted out class to go into the real world, that larger high school, blessed by a real prayer, not a speech written by our councilor. 

I do not remember the entire benediction, but I recall I began by saying, “Father, this is the last time that we will be together.” Sadly, it was. I never saw some of our classmates again after that night. We never all gathered as a class after our graduation, and now, a number of our classmates are no longer with us. I would like to close with a moment of silence in memory of those that have gone before us.

Thank you.