Under lockdown
Today South Africa went into lockdown for 21 days.There are many concerns people have and there is great uncertainty:
- Will the lockdown work?
- Will we "starve" the virus of reachable hosts?
- Will I get through 21 days of lockdown without going crazy?
- What about the economic impact?
- and I could list various other concerns people have...
Paul wrote a letter to Timothy while he was a prisoner in Rome - for the second time. The first time he was imprisoned and under house arrest, but this second time was after Nero burned Rome and so he was in a cold damp dungeon with Christians regularly being sent to the Colosseum or set on fire to illuminate Nero's gardens. It was a matter of time before Paul's time would come.
Paul's "lockdown" had challenges too:
- The political climate of Rome was a roller coaster
- The future was uncertain.
- Paul's life expectancy was uncertain. (He was eventually beheaded)
- The lives of Paul's beloved fellow believers was uncertain.
And so the request Paul makes of Timothy is unusual: "Please bring my cloak (for warmth) and my scrolls and parchments."
We can understand the request for the cloak. It was a thick blanket with a hole for the head so that it tented over the body. It would keep him warm in the cold cell.
But the request for his scrolls and parchments is remarkable. The scrolls ("biblia" for books) were likely to be the copies of the Septuagint (a Greek translation of the Old Testament) A few scholars suggest that the parchments ("membrana" (membrane) i.e. vellum skins) might have been his Roman Citizenship documents but the vast majority of scholars suggest that these were Old Testament texts and possibly even early versions of the gospels.
In the midst of very very uncertain circumstances Paul wanted to read and grow.
There's a temptation in lockdown and social distancing to gorge ourselves on social media, news and opinions or to binge-watch tv-shows and movies. We can fixate on the problems and check the stats and the news every hour. We can become consumed by worry alternating with mindless distraction.Like Paul we should make a clear and deliberate decision to grow.
Drag your eyes away from the screens for a bit.
Read something solid and worthwhile.
Fill your heart mind and soul with solid food.
Your Bible might be a good place to start...
| When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments. (2Timothy4:13) |
