Titus on Crete

A ship pulls away from a rocky harbour. On the shore, one man stays behind, watching it go. He has been given a big island, a handful of young churches, and a letter of instructions.

Crete is a long, mountainous island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Greece, dotted with towns and villages. Christians had begun to gather in many of them. But the churches were new and unsettled. Some people were causing trouble, talking a lot and teaching things that were not true. Paul had worked there with his trusted helper Titus, a Greek believer who had travelled with him for years. When Paul moved on, he left Titus behind to finish the job. Then he sent him a letter.

Paul opens the letter by reminding Titus what it is all for. He is a servant of God, he says, for the sake of the faith of God's chosen people, and their knowledge of the truth, in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the world began. Then he gets to business. This is why I left you in Crete, Paul says. To put in order what was left unfinished, and to appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. Leaders were needed, in every town, so that each little church would have someone to care for it and teach it. But not just anyone would do.

So Paul describes what a good leader looks like. Notice, he does not ask for someone clever, or rich, or popular. He asks about character. An elder must be blameless, faithful in his marriage, with a well-ordered family. Not arrogant. Not quick-tempered. Not a drunkard, not violent, not greedy for money. Instead, he must be hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, fair, holy and self-controlled. And he must hold firmly to the trustworthy message, so he can encourage people with sound teaching, and correct those who oppose it. In a place where some people were stirring up trouble, Titus needed leaders whose lives matched their words.

Then Paul turns to the whole church family. Teach what fits sound doctrine, he tells Titus. And he goes through the generations, one by one. Older men should be steady, worthy of respect, sensible, sound in faith, in love and in patience. Older women should live in a way that honours God, not gossiping, and teaching what is good, so they can train younger women to love their husbands and children. Younger men should be encouraged to be self-controlled. And then Paul speaks to Titus himself. In everything, set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching, show integrity and seriousness, and speak in a way no one can fault, so that anyone who opposes you will be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about us. On a difficult island, the best argument for the gospel would be a church of people, young and old, living good lives together.

Crete appears more than once in the New Testament. On the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem, Cretans were among the crowd who heard the apostles speaking in their own languages. And on Paul's voyage to Rome as a prisoner, his ship sheltered at a Cretan harbour called Fair Havens, before a storm drove it out to sea.

Titus on Crete. You'll find Paul's instructions in Titus chapter one, verses one to nine, and chapter two, verses one to eight. God's church grows strong through people of good character, of every age, showing others the way. So here is a question to carry with you. Who is an example of good living to you, and who might be watching your example?