Background Passage: Titus 3:1-8
Amid the endless jawing that sometimes occurs on talk radio, I heard one pundit refer to a political foe as a “Cretan.” Now that’s not a word you hear bandied about these days, but when it comes to arguing, it is an intelligent insult.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating the hurling of insults, intelligent or otherwise, as a means of proper debate and discourse. I’m simply saying, it’s not a word you hear often.
The word originates obviously as a reference to the inhabitants of the island of Crete in the Mediterranean. However, due to two literary references, the name became synonymous with people of ill-repute. Lacking in gravitas or moral character.
Epimenides, a 6th century Greek poet from Crete, insinuated that the people of Crete lacked ethical principles. Branded by their behaviors, he said they were known for stealing, harboring robbers and pirates. A few centuries later, Paul, writing to his friend and pastor, Titus, quoted from Epimenides, calling the people to whom Titus was ministering as “liars, evil beasts and lazy gluttons.”
Hang onto that thought. We’ll get back to it in a minute.
The focus of my personal Bible study in the past year centered on understanding what it means to live in the image of Christ. It was the motivation behind my last book, God’s Mirror Image. Since the book was published, my Bible studies have been more random in topic, but I’m amazed at how often the scripture I find relates to the idea of living in the image of Christ. As I studied the book of Titus this week, those instructive passages jumped out at me again.
Titus, a frequent companion to Paul during his ministry, proved to be a faithful worker and good friend to the apostle. At the beginning of his epistle to Titus, Paul called him “my true son in our common faith.” It’s a comment that suggests Paul might have been the one to lead Titus to Christ…that, as a result of the faith they shared, the bond between them was strong.
Paul commissioned Titus to serve as the pastor of the church in Crete. During the first century, there was a Jewish presence on the island, some of whom were probably present in Jerusalem during Pentecost. In Acts were told that many from Crete believed in Christ as a result of Peter’s teaching. Undoubtedly, they returned home, bringing a dynamic new faith with them.
The task of staying true to the teachings of Christ would not be easy for them in a culture that had a reputation for lacking in moral fiber. The pressure of culture on the church was the reason Paul sent Titus to strengthen the believers. To build their faith. To ground them more deeply in the scripture. To teach them how to live in the image of Christ.
I wonder what Paul might tell Titus today if he commissioned the pastor to minister to the church in the United States? What might he tell Titus today if he commissioned the pastor to minister to those of us in our country who claim to be Christians?
Our culture morphed over time from a people professing a faith and trust in God to one that too often ignores ethical principles. One that lacks in moral character. I’m not so certain that Epimenides’ rebuke of the Cretans might not be apt for Americans today.
That makes Paul’s words to Titus even more relevant for you and me for they describe the character God expects from his own. Look at Chapter 3. Find Paul’s encouragement. He tells Titus, “Remind the people…” Then, he provides Titus with a list of workable sermon titles…
“…Be obedient to authority…”
“…Be ready to do whatever is good…”
“…To slander no one…”
“…To be peaceable and considerate…”
“…To show humility to all men. “
Think about those instructions. Think about how those characteristics describe the nature of Jesus himself. What a great lesson for our personal contributions to the culture around us!
Paul suggests that our Christian humility should stem from the fact that, before Christ came into our lives, we were not that different from the rest of the world….
“…Foolish…”
“…Disobedient…”
“…Deceived and Enslaved…”
“…Living in malice and envy…”
“…Being hated and hating one another…”
As I read this passage so much of what Paul described reminded me of the divisiveness that exists in our world today. Not just the political rhetoric, but the radical anger and resentment we express toward anyone who holds opinions different from our own.
This is not the way Christians are called to live. Paul reminded Titus with a passage that hit me between the eyes. A passage that paints the perfect picture of the life of Christ that we are to model.
“But, when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.”
Remember, those words were written by the man to whom Jesus appeared when he was walking down the road to Damascus to persecute and destroy the church there. The man who held the robes of those who hurled insults and stones at a man who professed a faith in Christ.
Paul saw in that blinding light the appearance of one whose whole being radiated kindness and love. “Why are you persecuting me?” Jesus asked. Less an accusation as it was a challenge to live differently. Paul no longer saw a radical heretic when he looked at Jesus. He saw the love of God staring him right in the eyes…a love so bright it blinded him.
When Jesus, God our Savior, came into this world he was the epitome of kindness and love. He walked as those things personified. It is in kindness and love that we are to live and relate to the world around us. A life lived in the image of God.
Paul gives one further directive to his friend Titus that is so applicable today.
“I want you to stress these things so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.”
The message reverberates through the ages, as relevant in the 21st century as it was in the 1st century. To live as God requires we must take on the very appearance of Christ. Live with kindness and love in our hearts. A kindness and love so bright that it blinds others to the false beauty sin uses to entrap and enslave. Let those characteristics dictate our words and deeds. Devote ourselves to doing good in all things. Healing the broken heart rather than breaking it.
In other words, Paul tells us to stop acting like Cretans and start living like Christians.
And, that, I think, would be excellent and profitable for everyone.
*****
God’s Mirror Image is now available in hard cover, paperback or ebook at Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. Copies can also be purchased at the Barnes & Noble Book Store on Fairmont Parkway in Pasadena, TX.