Like a good soldier

2 Timothy 2:1-13 TNIV -

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs; rather, they try to please their commanding officer. Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

Here is a trustworthy saying:

If we died with him,

we will also live with him;

if we endure,

we will also reign with him.

If we disown him,

he will also disown us;

if we are faithless,

he remains faithful,

for he cannot disown himself.

My thoughts -

I've always hated how we seem to make everything about soldiers and war. You can't get away from the "soldier" analogy, especially if you're a football fan. The lines are "in the trenches". The players play like "warriors". Every week they "do battle". And they are to obey orders from their coaches and support their teammates like "good soldiers". War is a serious and gruesome business. It is not analogous to football.

Here Paul uses that analogy about following Christ. Whenever I hear this I am programmed to be bugged. It rankles me. Paul also compares following Christ to athletics. It seems these two have been paired together for at least 2000 years. But, my dislike for the analogy aside, what is Paul telling Timothy here?

Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs; rather, they try to please their commanding officer.

When Paul mentions "civilian affairs" here, what does he mean? My assumption is that, per this analogy, Jesus is the "commanding officer" and "civilian affairs" refers to anything not directly related to serving Christ. As for suffering, we're pretty familiar with Paul's suffering. He endured loss of freedom, loss of dignity, and ultimately loss of life for what he preached. He advanced the gospel with a blatant disregard for his own well being. He correctly identified that there is nothing in this world that can take the place of Jesus and no creature comfort greater than the peace that Jesus provides. He cast of the temporarily pleasing things of this life for that which is eternal. And he is encouraging Timothy to do the same.

I like also what Paul says in verse 7:

Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

Here's what I'm reflecting on in hopes of gaining insight, because, quite frankly, I need it. First, what does Paul mean by "The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops." The soldier and athlete analogies I feel like I understand pretty well. But who is "the hardworking farmer" here? And what are the crops? I want to say that he means that those who serve Christ most faithfully will be the most rewarded but I'm not convinced that that's it. It needs further reflection.

Second, Paul says two things in here that seem contradictory. He says both "if we disown him he will disown us" and "if we are faithless he remains faithful". These two statements seem to work against each other. There's a lot to unpack there and I am not up to the task. At least not right now. Perhaps reflection will bring insight.

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