"How Many Timothys?"

“How Many Timothys?”

 

It’s interesting to think about how parents choose their children’s names. In biblical times this was often done to reflect the circumstances surrounding their birth –perhaps the best example is Jacob’s sons in Genesis 29-30. Today, however, babies are sometimes given names after respected family members or friends but mostly because the parents like the sound of them. (I inwardly chuckle of atheists’ or agnostics’ picking Joel, meaning “Jehovah is God”, or Timothy, “dear to God” or “one who honors God”. I guess they didn’t take time to research the names’ significance.)

Names run cycles in popularity, a fact illustrated by Timothy. In the 1960’s it was #13 on the list but by 2020 it had dropped to #437! (I don’t know if it’s a “coincidence” but it’s intriguing that a Bible-based name has decreased in usage as God has been elbowed out of our national life.) We had four Timothys in our New Hampshire church directory, our present church has just one and our residential community lists four. I’ve known many Timothys during my 81 years on this planet but fewer as the ages decrease.

There’s only one Timothy mentioned in Scripture: Paul’s pastoral companion. (It could be that this was a nickname based on his character as with Barnabas in Acts 4:36-37.) He had a close relationship with the Apostle, who referred to him as “…my true son in the faith….” (1 Timothy 1:2) and “…my dear son….” (2 Timothy 1:2) and of whom he said, “,,,As a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.” (Philippians 2:22). And as he faced martyrdom it was Timothy whom Paul most wanted to see (2 Timothy 1:4) and to whom he gave a final charge which has been repeated many times over at services of ordination (2 Timothy 4:1-5). Timothy was paid a high compliment when his mentor said, “I have no one else like him….” (Philippians 2:20).

How many “Timothys” (or “Timothenas”) have there been throughout church history? If we believe this to be a nickname the answer is literally every person who has ever lived because we’re all “dear to God” (“…God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son….”—John 3:16, emphasis added). But can I as a believer in Christ say, “My name is Jim (you can put your name here) but my nickname is Timothy because I want to honor God through my life and service for Him?”

 

Grace and Blessings!

                                                                       Jim McMillan