Come to me, Timothy, as soon as you can. You see, Demas having loved this present age, has abandoned me, and headed off to Thessalonica. Crescens took off for Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke is the only one left. Bring Mark with you because he is useful in this work and will help look after me. I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. On your way here, pick up the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas, and bring the scrolls—especially the parchments.
Keep your eye out for Alexander the coppersmith! He came against me with all sorts of evil—the Lord will render to him according to his works — so watch your back because he has gone overboard to oppose our message.
When it was time for my first defense, no one showed up to support me. Everyone abandoned me (may it not be held against them) except the Lord. He stood by me, strengthened me, and backed the truth I proclaimed with power so it may be heard by all the non-Jews. He rescued me, pried open the lion’s jaw , and snatched me from its teeth. And I know the Lord will continue to rescue me from every trip, trap, snare, and pitfall of evil and carry me safely to His heavenly kingdom. May He be glorified throughout eternity. Amen.
There are two people who get discussed a lot in this passage: Alexander and Demas.
Alexander. It is not clear if this reference is to an Alexander that is mentioned elsewhere. He might be mentioned in 1 Timothy 1:20 and if so, he, along with Hymenaeus, had been 'handed over to Satan' which was a form of discipline that was basically being made to leave the church (the idea was that the church provided spiritual covering, so, being kicked out was ‘handing someone over to Satan with the hopes that the experience would bring them to repentance and restoration). Or…it may have been a Jewish leader involved in accusations against Paul in Ephesus in Acts 19:33. Or….it might have been another Alexander. Whoever he was, he was bad news.
Demas. Everyone agrees on this: He was at one point a co-worker who is mentioned with Luke and Mark (Colossians 4:14; Philemon 24) and who stayed with Paul when he was in prison earlier.
They also agree that Demas loved this present age. It was not unusual for Jewish people to contrast “the present age,” with “the age to come.” The present age was characterized by the suffering of God’s people (Galatians 1:4); the age to come would be wonderful rather than terrible. Everyone agrees on these two things. But how we contextualize Paul leads to some very different conclusions.
This disagreement is an ‘open hand’ issue. There is nothing that challenges the foundations of our faith lurking in the differences of opinion here. It’s a comment about a dude named Demas who Paul says abandoned him because he ‘loved this present world.’
I am going to give you the range of what people think, because whatever it means, there is something to learn about life together in the Kingdom from any of the conclusions we reach. Each time I thought, “Oh, I will go this direction with it,” I found something else that made wonder if maybe I shouldn’t go that direction with it…so I am going to go all directions with it.
1. In the most generous reading possible, Demas loved the people who suffered in this present age, and he did not want to stop his ministry. Adam Clarke, who is one of my go-to commentators has the most generous take I found.
Having preferred Judaism to Christianity; or having loved the Jews, and having sought their welfare in preference to that of the Gentiles. The הזה עולם words olam hazzeh… are generally to be understood as signifying, either the Jewish people, or the system of Judaism…This is a light in which the conduct of Demas may be viewed.
It could not have been the love of secular gain which had induced Demas to abandon St. Paul; he must have counted this cost before he became a Christian…It is not intimated that he had denied the faith, but simply that he had left the apostle and gone into Thessalonica; for which this reason is given, that he loved the present world.
Now, if αγαπησας, having loved, can be applied to a desire to save the souls of the Jews, and that he went into Thessalonica, where they abounded, for this very purpose, then we shall find all three - Demas, Crescens, and Titus, one at Thessalonica, another at Galatia, and the third at Dalmatia, doing the work of evangelists, visiting the churches, and converting both Jews and Gentiles. This interpretation I leave to the charitable reader…”
So Adam Clarke admits it’s a charitable reading, but the Jewish rabbis actually practiced doing that when a situation was unclear, so it’s not without precedent. About 180 years before Paul wrote this, a rabbi had said, “Judge each person with the scales weighted in their favor.” From that developed a practice of rabbis meeting together to practice “judging favorably” by brainstorming ways it was easy to rush to a negative judgment and then practice thinking through positive assumptions (until truth was known).
Paul once wrote, “To live is Christ; to die is gain.” Paul seems ready for the “gain” of death at this point in his life, but in Clarke’s reading, Demas was not done ‘living for Christ’ even though he knew the age to come would be gain. So he leaves Paul so that he, too, does not die, and he can display his love to the people in this age by witnessing to the gospel.
2. A second, less generous reading – but I think probably more honest – is that Demas was just not ready to die. Even if his love for the present age could be seen as a passionate heart for spreading the gospel, that wasn’t the only motivation. Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible summarizes well:
“Having loved this present world” does not mean, necessarily, that… he loved the honors or wealth of this world; but it means that he desired to live. He was not willing to stay with Paul, and subject himself to the probabilities of martyrdom; and, in order to secure his life, he departed to a place of safety… That he desired to live longer; that he was unwilling to remain and risk the loss of life, is indeed clear. That Paul was pained by his departure, and that he felt lonely and sad, is quite apparent; but I see no evidence that Demas was influenced by what are commonly called worldly feelings, or that he was led to this course by the desire of wealth, or fame, or pleasure.
”The Pulpit Commentary adds:
“It would appear from this that Demas had not the faith or the courage to run the risk of sharing St. Paul's imminent martyrdom at Rome, but left him, while he was free to do so, under pretence of an urgent call to Thessaloniea; just as Mark left Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:13).”
3. Wuest’s Commentary offers a third reading that builds on this and is more pointed and harsh as it focuses on Paul’s sense of abandonment. There seems to be something personal here. Two others left (Paul didn’t ‘send’ them like he did Tychicus), but Demas is singled out. Even though a couple verses later Paul says everyone abandoned him (it’s the same word), something is going on with Demas. I get the impression that one hurt in ways the others did not.
“Demas had not only left Paul so far as fellowship was concerned, but he had left him in the lurch also, so far as the work of the gospel was concerned. He had been one of Paul’s dependable and trusted helpers. Paul said that he let him down. The Greek word … is made up of three words, “to leave” (leipo), “down” (kata), and “in” (en), that is, to forsake one who is in a set of circumstances that are against him. It was a cruel blow to Paul.”
Gill’s Exposition agrees with this view and adds a hopeful reading to how the story of Demas ends.
“It does not appear…that he entirely apostatized; he might forsake the apostle, and yet not forsake Christ and his interest, or make shipwreck of faith and a good conscience: his faith might be right, though low, and his love sincere, though not fervent; and through a fear of persecution, and loss of life, he might be tempted to leave the apostle, and withdraw from Rome, for his own safety; which though it was far from being commendable in him, yet may be accounted for in this state of frailty and imperfection, consistent with the grace of God. And it should seem that he afterwards was delivered from this temptation… if Demas is only a contraction of Demetrius, and he is the same who is so much commended many years after this (3 John 1:12 ).”
The final and must sobering reading is that Demas abandoned the faith.
"Not lack of courage, but a lust for materialism seemed to be his downfall.”
"The prospect of worldly advantage was the motive which determined Demas. No doubt the busy commercial center of Thessalonica offered many opportunities for success in business, and love of money may have been the besetting sin of this professing Christian."
"While we are ready to think as well of Demas as we possibly can, this falling in love with the world… is here evidently the opposite of loving the Lord's epiphany which is mentioned in verse 8. We are compelled to believe that Demas gave up the love of that coming epiphany for the love of this present world's course. This is what cut into Paul's heart most deeply."
Because of the possibilities in interpretation here (once again, open hand issues; don’t die on one of these interpretive hills), there is richness here that allows us to see the complexity of the human condition. I think we can all find ourselves in the possibilities with Paul and Demas and Alexander.
Sometimes people attack our message and our faith, and it hurts (Alexander attacking Paul).
Sometimes people follow God away from us, and it gets lonely (Crescens and Titus, who ‘left’ but did not ‘abandon’).
Sometimes, the cost of discipleship seems too high, and we want to be faithful but at less cost (Demas, afraid to die).
Sometimes God motivates different kingdom priorities in different people, and there is tension (Demas loving “this age” in a good way; all of Paul’s friends leaving to evangelize elsewhere).
Sometimes it feels like people abandon us – which may or may not be the right term, but it feels that way. ( How Paul felt.)
Sometimes, our circumstances threaten to overwhelm us. (Paul; Demas fearing death)
So what do we see from this passage and Scripture about how to respond to these situations?
Sometimes people attack our message and our faith, and it hurts. Vengeance is not ours to deal. Paul lets it go: “The Lord will reward him according to his works.” Villifying, name-calling, getting revenge – not of Christ.
Sometimes people follow God away from us, and it gets lonely. Make a distinction between abandonment and God expanding His Kingdom. We can’t stay in one place and go into all the world to make disciples. We can’t expand Eden into the world if we all stay in Garden. I grew up in a farming community that used this analogy: Christians are like manure. We make great fertilizer when we are spread out, but , wow, do we stink when we stay all piled together.
Sometimes, the cost of discipleship seems too high, and we want to be faithful but at less cost. Do what Jesus encouraged his disciples to do, which is count the cost.
“27 If you don’t carry your own cross as if to your own execution as you follow Me, you can’t be part of My movement. 28 Just imagine that you want to build a tower. Wouldn’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to be sure you have enough to finish what you start? 29 If you lay the foundation but then can’t afford to finish the tower, everyone will mock you: 30 “Look at that guy who started something that he couldn’t finish!”
31 Or imagine a king gearing up to go to war. Wouldn’t he begin by sitting down with his advisors to determine whether his 10,000 troops could defeat the opponent’s 20,000 troops? 32 If not, he’ll send a peace delegation quickly and negotiate a peace treaty. 33 In the same way, if you want to be My disciple, it will cost you everything. Don’t underestimate that cost!” (Luke 14:27-33 excerpted)
Count the cost now. What is on the altar? Everything. Know what you have signed up for.
Important note: Let’s not ‘overspiritualize’ this so we can merely do what we want. I’m not talking about justifying our desires by sacrificing others or avoiding our God-prioritized responsibilities. God will not call you to turn your back on His known Kingdom priorities for you. For example, if you come to me and say, “I need to abandon my spouse and kids because they just aren’t on board with where I am sure God is taking me,” then we are going to have a chat. Read 1Corinthians 7, especially v. 32-35. Once you get married, once you have kids, you have a primary mission and obligation and mission field as God intended. They are not obstacles to be hurdled, overlooked or dismissed. They are image bearers to be stewarded.
I don’t have a Bible verse for this, but I suspect that when I give an answer on the Day of Judgment, God’s first question to me will be, “Give an account for my daughter, your wife, whom I gave to you to steward.” Everything else will come after that. That’s just one example to make this point: if it is God who is calling you, you will be convicted to put yourself on the altar, not others. And you will, in some fashion, be called to do that every day. ”I die daily,” said Paul. Be ready. Count the cost.
Sometimes God motivates different kingdom priorities in different people, and there is tension. Paul says a couple guys left him, he sent one away - and it all at least felt like abandonment. That’s hard. Practical example: I wanted Sal and Heather to stay here but I’m not the Holy Spirit. I didn’t give them my gifts and passion and vision; God gave them His gifts for them to do His work. It would be foolish and selfish of me to demand that God work in them like I see fit.
People sitting next to you have some different Kingdom priorities than you do because God saw fit to bring diverse people together in a unified mission. The offensive lineman is not the kickoff return man. The hand is not the foot. It is not our job to conform everyone to our image; we are to be conformed to Christ’s image, and I suspect it is in mosaic of the church that we at least get a glimpse of how the diversity of Christ-followers helps us to better see a unified image of Christ. The resolution is to pray for the wisdom to appreciate the diverse complexity of the whole body, fitly joined together for God’s work and purpose.
Sometimes it feels like people abandon us – which may or may not be the right term, but it feels that way. Don’t hold it against them. Paul notes that the strength and nearness of God became abundantly clear to him at the time of his greatest sense of being alone. I’ve noted before that the closest I have ever felt to God was when I stood in the rain beside my father’s freshly filled in grave. I talked to someone this week who had a profound, break-through spiritual experience with God after the death of a spouse.
Watch for God’s strength to be highlighted in what feels like times of great weakness, loneliness or abandonment. Pray for your eyes to be opened to the ever-present reality of Immanuel, God With Us.
Sometimes, our circumstances threaten to overwhelm us. God will rescue us from every trip, trap, snare, and pitfall of evil and carry us safely to His heavenly kingdom. That didn’t mean Paul did not suffer and die. He did. Even as he wrote this, his life was wrapping up here in a hard way. No, I think he meant this:
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we encounter death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us! For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39)
Let that hope fix our eyes and steady our hearts.