1Let as many as are bondservants under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name of God and the doctrine not be blasphemed. 2Those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brothers, but rather let them serve them, because those who partake of the benefit are believing and beloved. Teach and exhort these things.
3If anyone teaches a different doctrine and doesn’t consent to sound words, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, 4he is conceited, knowing nothing, but obsessed with arguments, disputes, and word battles, from which come envy, strife, insulting, evil suspicions, 5constant friction of people of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. Withdraw yourself from such.
6But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we certainly can’t carry anything out. 8But having food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9But those who are determined to be rich fall into a temptation, a snare, and many foolish and harmful lusts, such as drown men in ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some have been led astray from the faith in their greed, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
11But you, man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. 12Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you confessed the good confession in the sight of many witnesses. 13I command you before God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who before Pontius Pilate testified the good confession, 14that you keep the commandment without spot, blameless until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15which at the right time he will show, who is the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords. 16He alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen nor can see, to whom be honor and eternal power. Amen.
17Charge those who are rich in this present age that they not be arrogant, nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on the living God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy; 18that they do good, that they be rich in good works, that they be ready to distribute, willing to share; 19laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold of eternal life.
20Timothy, guard that which is committed to you, turning away from the empty chatter and oppositions of what is falsely called knowledge, 21which some profess, and thus have wandered from the faith.
Grace be with you. Amen.
In A.D. 26 Tiberius appointed Pontius Pilate as the Roman procurator of Judea, an office he held for 10 years. In this position, he was given considerable independence from Rome. He was in charge of the legion at Capernaum and the detachment in Jerusalem. Pilate was described by Philo as being “‘by nature rigid and stubbornly harsh’ as well as ‘of spiteful disposition and an exceeding wrathful man” (Wheaton, "Pilate," 929). Both Philo and Josephus, contemporaries of Pilate, record his atrocious acts against the Jewish religion and people. He vacillated between appeasing and angering the Jews. Although it was within his power to release Jesus at His trial and seems to have been reluctant to execute Him, Pilate nevertheless chose “to content the people” (Mark 15:15) so he ordered Jesus to be crucified. Years later Pilate ordered the slaughter of a group of Samaritans seeking sacred vessels, possibly the Ark of the Covenant, on Matt. Gerizim. A Samaritan delegation protested to the governor of Syria about the harsh treatment under Pilate. Pilate was removed to Rome and possibly forced to commit suicide (Wheaton, "Pilate," 929).