For this reason I
left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking,
and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you—
Titus 1:5
Dear Heavenly
Father, as I've heard today, prayer is an integral part to the Christian
life. It's not just an
"add-on" or "nice to have."
Prayer is essential to life. I
pray that You will conform my wishes and desires to Your will. That I will be obedient. That I will not be distracted as I study Your
Word today. In Jesus's name I pray,
Amen.
We have gone from
the sender and recipient part of the letter to the body. There isn't much of an opening for this
letter other than the sender and recipient portions. The body of the letter focuses on doctrine (Christian set of
beliefs) and encouragement. Paul opens
by describing how to order a Christian fellowship.
To bring deeper understanding to today's text, let's examine some key
words and their companion or similar verses.
"Reason"
in the Greek is charin which means in
favor of, for the pleasure of, by reason of, on account of, favor which
furnishes the reason to take action, for this cause, on this account. 1 Timothy 1:3 states "As I urged you
when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they
teach no other doctrine." Starting
a sentence with "for" will require you to examine words before it and
after it. In this case, Paul describes
what "reason" that he's talking about. Similar to the verse from First Timothy,
Paul's "reason" is for Titus to set up leadership in the church by appointing
"elders."
"Left" in
the Greek is apoleipo which means
leaves, leave behind, abandon, remain, desert, leave behind one in some
place. The word is made up of apo which means "away from" and leipo which means "leave
behind." "Crete" in the
Greek is Krete which means an island in
the Mediterranean, largest most fertile island of Mediterranean archipelago
or Aegean Sea. Paul left Titus behind on
the island of Crete to appoint elders while he continued his missionary journeys.
"Set in
Order" in the Greek is epidiorthoo
which means to correct in addition, set in order besides, put in order,
correct, straighten further. It is from
the word epi which means upon, against,
on the basis of and orthos which means
upright, straight, direct.
"Lacking" in the Greek is leipo
which means to leave, leave behind, abandon, I am wanting, am left behind, fall
short of, lack, need, remains, forsake, be inferior, absent. Along with appointing elders, Titus was to
correct on the basis of what is upright the teaching, instruction that was
unfinished when Paul left Crete.
"Appoint"
in the Greek is kathistemi which means
set in order, bring down to a place, make, constitute, exercise decisive force,
to appoint one to administer an office.
Acts 14:23 states "So when they had appointed elders in every
church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they
had believed." 2 Timothy 2:2 states
"And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit
these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." In Crete, Titus was to decisively assign
people to administer an office.
"Elders"
in the Greek is presbuteros which means
member of the Sanhedrin, elder of a Christian assembly, a mature man having
seasoned judgement, those who preside over assemblies. Let's look deeper into the phrase " a
mature man with seasoned judgement" which is to say a fully developed,
advanced stage of process, in one's prime man having experienced
judgement. Also, let's look at
"preside" which means in charge, position of authority in a meeting
or gathering. An elder is a fully
developed man who is experienced and has wise judgement. The characteristics of an elder will be
described in more detail in further verses in Titus.
"Commanded"
in the Greek is diatasso which means to
arrange thoroughly, to charge, appoint, give orders to, prescribe, to command
with detailed instructions with full authority.
"Commanded" is made up of dia
(through, thoroughly) that intensifies tasso
(to order, appoint). Paul thoroughly
ordered Titus with detailed instructions to determine mature seasoned men to
preside over the Christian assembly and to complete any teaching that was needed.
"Left" and
"Lacking" have the same root word, leipo,
which means essentially "left behind." Not
only was Titus left behind in Crete, but also unfinished things were left
behind. Paul had great faith and respect
for Titus to put right what was left. As
humans, we aren't perfect and we do tend to leave things unfinished. Even Paul was human. 1 timothy 1:15 states "This is a
faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." Even Paul needed help. He was also a sinner. We are not superheroes. We need each other. Paul needed Titus' help in Crete because the
business of the Gospel was unfinished.
Thankfully, there is
one who finishes everything, who has a plan for our lives, loves us, and
pursues us so none should perish. In
John 19:30, Jesus said "It is finished." Our penalty for our unworthiness, wickedness,
failures, and sin, Christ took for us. So, if we believe and turn away from the world, we would be forgiven and
given eternal life. It's that easy. There is no long list of tasks. There is no long list of duties. There is no payment. It has been paid. All you have to do is believe.
For this reason I
left you behind in Crete, so that you would set right what remains unfinished,
and appoint elders in every city as I directed you,
Amplified Bible
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