When I shall send Artemas to thee, or Tychicus, use diligence to come to me to Nicopolis; for I have decided to winter there.
Paul ends his letter to Titus with travel plans, not doctrine: a worker for Crete, a journey, a winter together. Those plans do more than fix a schedule — they show how Paul cared for a flock when its servant moved on.
These closing sentences look like nothing more than practical arrangements. One writer warns against reading them that way.
It is a common mistake to suppose that words as simple and ordinary as these have little value. Someone like Paul shows us the goodness of the Lord. We see it not only under great strain and difficulty, but in the most ordinary matters of daily spiritual life. Grace shapes conduct and words alike, in the least things as in the greatest.
The instruction to leave Crete tells us what Titus was — and was not — on that island.
These closing words ought to have cleared up many a controversy and corrected false tradition. Titus was in no way the fixed church ruler of Crete. He had served the Lord there in most important ways, and his work on that island was coming to a close.
Paul wanted Titus with him. But he first weighed what the Cretans still needed.
At the end of the letter we get a small glimpse of the Christian activity that the love of God produces, the pains taken so that the flock should enjoy all the help God supplies to the assembly. Paul wished Titus to come to him, but the Cretans needed his services; so the apostle makes the arrival of Artemas or Tychicus the condition of Titus leaving the field where he was working.
The wording is "Artemas or Tychicus" — an either/or, and that detail is deliberate.
But we can also see that the apostle did not think of sending both: it is "Artemas or Tychicus," not Artemas and Tychicus. Workers suitable to help the church in a large way are not many. Other places had claims no less than Crete; but it is plain that both of these workers held a personal relation to the apostle.
Artemas comes first here, though he barely appears in Scripture. That order carries no promotion.
We learn that there were men whom the Lord honoured highly who only appear in passing, like Artemas; and yet he is even placed before Tychicus. It would be wrong to conclude that he had a higher standing. The Holy Spirit does not run God's affairs the way a royal court ranks its officers. We may be sure of one thing. Paul would not have named either man unless he believed each was just as spiritually qualified as the other.
Some fear that arranging who goes where takes the work out of the Lord's hands.
It is a great mistake to suppose that there cannot be such a thing as arrangement in ministry... Paul does speak of sending to Crete one or other of his fellow-workers in whom he had confidence; and it was quite right. It is a matter that needs wisdom from above, because one might send the wrong person. But the principle is care for the work of the Lord. Taking an interest in a place where you cannot be present is not against the truth or against the Lord. Scripture allows care of this kind.
"Do your best" translates a single word, which older translations render "be diligent." One writer shows where else it appears.
In the original the word is not the usual one for "labour." Elsewhere the same word appears as "be diligent" (Titus 3:12) and "endeavouring" (Ephesians 4:3)... No moral quality is a greater asset than diligence.
Paul plans to spend a winter where he chooses. That says something about his freedom, and about where Nicopolis lay.
The apostle was not a prisoner at this time. It seems to have been after his first imprisonment at Rome, and before the second, which ended in his death. Had he not been free, how could he speak of his decision to spend a winter there? This also proves that the note tradition added to the end of the letter is wrong. Paul did not write from Nicopolis, any more than Titus was made bishop of Crete... Of the towns with that name, the most important one then standing was, beyond doubt, in Epirus, looking down on the promontory of Actium.
The winter meeting was not a holiday. What followed it points the other way.
We may be sure of this. The zeal that consumed the apostle did not call Titus there for rest, either his own or the younger worker's. The last letter the apostle ever wrote tells us that Titus went to Dalmatia, which lay near Epirus... The work of the Lord was to go forward in the West as well as in the East.
- Temporary — Titus held no permanent office in Crete; his work there was ending, and Paul called him away.
- Covered — Titus leaves only when Artemas or Tychicus arrives. The flock keeps its help.
- Unranked — Paul names Artemas first, though he barely appears in Scripture. Neither man ranks above the other.
- Diligent — Paul's word for the journey appears elsewhere as "be diligent" and "endeavouring."
- Westward — The winter at Nicopolis was no rest. From that region Titus went on to Dalmatia.
Zenas the lawyer and Apollos set forward diligently on their way, that nothing may be lacking to them;
Paul ends his letter to Titus with a travel note that carries a duty: Zenas and Apollos are on the move, and Titus must see them off with everything they need. So who provides for the Lord's workers, and whose job is it?
The word "lawyer" tells us something about the man Titus must help. One writer weighs the options and notes which name comes first.
Here again Zenas the lawyer is named before Apollos: this is the order not of the world, but of grace. It is not quite certain what sort of lawyer he was. Calvin remarks that he could not have been a lawyer in the courts, or else he would not have lacked means. A weightier but simple reason points the same way, though it is not conclusive. Everywhere else in the New Testament "lawyer" is connected with Jewish learning rather than Roman or Greek law. What is certain is that Paul assumes there might be need of the help he commands. He had accepted help of this kind himself, as his letters show, and before this he had asked for it on behalf of others.
To send someone on his way means more than a farewell wave. The same wording marks a settled practice among believers elsewhere in the New Testament.
It is right that those who have gone out "for His name's sake" should receive support and help on their way. Paul told the believers at Rome he was confident they would send him on his way to Spain (Rom. 15:24. See also 1 Cor. 16:6; 2 Cor. 1:16 and Titus 3:13). The phrase "bring forward on their journey" suggests that believers would meet the financial needs of the Lord's servants… The Hebrews had already been told: "Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God" (Heb. 13:16).
Neither Zenas nor Apollos belonged to the circle that travelled with the apostle.
This is all the more worth noticing. Neither of these two men entrusted to his care was as close to the apostle personally as many others were. We never hear of them in the group that travelled with the apostle. What is said, and what is not said, points to another set of workers. We read of them in the Acts of the Apostles and in the letters, and Apollos is the outstanding example. Yet the heart of the apostle goes out, and urges Titus in love, no less for such men than for his own well-known companions.
Another writer shows why Paul could ask this without a trace of jealousy.
Notice too that there were two kinds of workers. Some were personally connected with the apostle as fellow-workers. They travelled with him, and he sent them elsewhere to continue the work he had begun, when he could no longer carry it on himself. Others worked freely and on their own, apart from him. But there was no jealousy over this double activity. He did not neglect the flock that were dear to him. He was glad that anyone sound in the faith should water the plants he himself had planted. He encourages Titus to show them every affection, and to provide whatever they needed on their journey.
The command lands on people known for the opposite.
The last words show that Titus was a delegate, acting under the apostle's orders, and the care shown here is very blessed. The converted Cretans, once so false and lazy, were now to be the very first to help and provide what was needed. Zenas and Apollos deserved the care of true devotedness, and the habit of serving such men had to be learned.
Paul does not stop at this one journey. What he asks here shapes how believers think about their daily work and their pay.
The letter closes with a glimpse of the godly care that should exist among believers about the Lord's servants, and those who give themselves to the ministry… The apostle also wants believers to keep on with their ordinary work. This is not only to meet their own needs, but to enable them to help meet the needs of the Lord's servants, and so bear fruit that would abound to their account (Phil. 4:17-18).
- Named. Zenas is listed before Apollos: the order of grace, not of reputation. His title "lawyer" points to Jewish legal learning rather than the courts.
- Sent. To send workers on their way lacking nothing means supplying them. Paul uses the same phrase in Romans and in 1 and 2 Corinthians.
- Shared. These two were not part of Paul's travelling circle. Paul was still glad for anyone sound in the faith to water what he had planted. There was no rivalry between workers.
- Trained. The Cretans, once known as lazy and untruthful, are the very ones told to provide. Serving the Lord's servants was a habit they had to learn.
- Fruitful. So daily work is not just for your own needs. It gives you something to share, and that giving abounds to your account.
and let ours also learn to apply themselves to good works for necessary wants, that they may not be unfruitful.
Paul ends his letter to Titus with travel plans and one last instruction: the believers on Crete must learn something. The word "learn" implies they did not yet know it — so what are these "good works," and who are "our people"?
Paul has just asked Titus to help Zenas and Apollos on their journey. One writer takes "our people" to mean the believers in Crete. They must catch up with what Titus already practised.
The apostle does not stop with Titus. If Titus was not to forget fellow-labourers, how binding was it on the saints generally? That is the force of "ours also." Here "ours" seems to mean the saints in Crete. The apostle urges them to learn what Titus had long learned: to be eager in good works. Among all other calls, that includes encouraging the Lord's devoted ministers in His work.
Commentators differ here. Another takes "ours" to mean the travelling workers themselves. Then the instruction falls on those who serve, not on those who support them.
"Ours also" no doubt refers to Zenas and Apollos, or indeed any servant identified with Paul. They were not just to depend on the kindness of others. They were to be diligent in maintaining good works, whatever the needs. Diligence in practical things fits well with a gift in spiritual things. This is faithfulness in daily, practical living.
The same phrase appears earlier in the chapter, and one writer insists the two are not saying the same thing.
We should object here to lowering this expression ("to maintain good works"), as if it only echoed verse 14. It is not so. The expression may be similar, but the context is clear: God's object differs in the two verses. Verse 14 certainly has an important bearing, but it is of a narrower and lower character. In verse 8 good works have nothing to do with "necessary uses." They must be taken in all their extent.
Older Bibles printed a note in the margin with another reading: honest trades. Where the ESV has "help cases of urgent need," these writers read "for necessary uses." That makes the verse a matter of ordinary work — and of what parents pass on to their children.
It is also our duty to teach our children, in due time, some useful occupation for "necessary uses." "And let ours also learn to maintain good works — or, in the margin, profess honest trades — for necessary uses." Compare Ephesians 6:4. These are the points that severely test our practical Christianity.
A job that only covers your own bills stops short of what the verse asks.
It was not just a question of a man supplying his own wants. We ought to have a heart for others. It is a great joy that God uses one person for the good of another. He does this spiritually, and He would have the saints also see the value of an honest job — not just to provide for necessary uses, but also so that they are not unfruitful.
Paul had already quoted a Cretan poet calling his own people liars, wild animals and lazy gluttons. The closing instruction turns that description inside out.
The care shown here is very blessed. The converted Cretans had been dishonest and lazy before. Now they were to be the very first to help and provide what was needed. Zenas and Apollos deserved the care of true devotedness, and the saints had to learn the habit of serving such men.
The verse ends by naming what is at stake — fruit. Daily work becomes the channel for it.
The letter closes with a glimpse of the godly care the saints should show to the Lord's servants and to those who give themselves to the ministry... The apostle also wants believers to keep on with their ordinary work. That way they can meet their own necessary wants, and also help to meet the needs of the Lord's servants. So they bring forth fruit that will abound to their account (Phil. 4:17-18).
- Learn. The Cretans must learn what Titus already practised. Care for the Lord's workers is a habit, not an instinct.
- Labour. These "good works" are narrower than those of verse 8. They mean honest trades and useful work — something parents pass on to their children.
- Supply. That work first meets "necessary uses." It starts with the real needs of servants like Zenas and Apollos.
- Give. Earning only for yourself falls short. The aim is a heart for others, so God uses one believer for the good of another.
- Fruit. The chain ends in fruit. What you give to the Lord's servants abounds to your own account, and the lazy Cretan becomes the first to help.
All with me salute thee. Salute those who love us in [the] faith. Grace [be] with you all.
Paul ends the letter the way personal letters end: greetings passed on, then a short blessing. But who are the people who "love us in the faith," and why does Paul widen his final word from Titus alone to "you all"?
One writer points out that Paul's "with me" says more than sharing the same place:
Finally, we have the greeting "All who are with me send greetings to you." It is not merely "with me" in the sense used in Galatians 1:2. It is special connection, not simple companionship. This lends the salutation increased force. Again Paul directs Titus to greet "those who love us dearly in faith." Faith is the connecting link with all that is eternal and of the Spirit of God, yes, with God Himself.
The ESV reads simply "those who love us in the faith." The older rendering "dearly" reflects the Greek word used here — the narrower of two words for love:
Agapao is the general word for love. It applies in every direction — to superiors, inferiors and equals. It describes God's feeling toward man, and man's toward God... Phileo, on the other hand, seems to be a narrower word. It strictly means special affection and endearment, and it often describes the outward sign of fondness... Phileo cannot be reduced to merely human affection either. That is not how the Father loves the Son, or even us. Nothing could be more opposed to the true scope of 1 Corinthians 16:22, Titus 3:15, Revelation 3:19 and similar passages, where phileo occurs.
Trench traces this same word through Paul's letters:
Paul uses it only twice: 1 Corinthians 16:22, in full keeping with what we have found to be the rule in other passages, and in Titus 3:15.
The greeting reaches past Paul's companions to the believers in Crete:
Paul now sends greetings to Titus from all who were with him. He widens this to take in everyone in Crete as well. In them the truth had worked to produce love in the faith toward the Lord's servants. The grace he wishes Titus covers all of them.
One writer sets the greeting beside Paul's last instruction:
Paul urges the Cretan Christians to apply themselves to good works to meet urgent needs, so that they should not be unfruitful. That is just the opposite of their national character. Then he ends with his greeting.
Paul wrote to one man, but his last line refuses to stay that narrow:
His last word is not to Titus only, but "grace be with you all." His heart pours out a longing for God's blessing on all the believers in Crete. We know it did the same, in a general yet living way, for all such believers on earth. For the faithful stand in a special, divine, everlasting relationship, and no believer should ever forget it. That relationship brings duties as varied as their situation may demand, and Scripture provides fully for these, in the goodness and wisdom of God. But everyone needs grace, and needs it for everything. Who can wonder, then, that the apostle ends by wishing it to be with them all?
This short blessing served a second purpose. It was the mark Paul told the Thessalonians to look for, so that no forged letter could pass as his:
The apostle Paul ends his letter to Titus with "Grace be with you all" (3:15). It is a greeting to which we shall do well to pay attention. A reference to 2 Thessalonians 3:17-18 will explain its importance. Very early in the apostle's work among the Gentiles, the believers at Thessalonica received a letter claiming to come from him (2 Thess. 2:2). It was meant to make them believe that the day of the Lord had come. It was a forgery, but a forgery with a definite intent. So to guard them and others from deception later, he told them the mark that would identify his letters.
One writer compares this closing with Paul's letters to Timothy:
The apostle ends his letter with the greetings that Christian love always produces; but, as we saw at the beginning, there is not here the same expansion of heart that we find in Paul's letters to Timothy. Grace is the same everywhere; but there are special affections and relationships in the assembly of God.
- Faith is the link. The bond is faith. It connects believers to all that is eternal, and to God Himself.
- Love that is warm. The word used here is the narrower one for endearment and affection, and Paul uses it only twice in all his letters.
- Love that is produced. The truth worked in the Cretans and produced love for the Lord's servants. Those same people were told to give themselves to good works.
- Grace that widens. A letter written to one man ends with "you all," because everyone needs grace, and needs it for everything.
- Grace that signs. Paul gave this blessing as the mark of a real letter from him, so no forgery could pass as his.