There is a stark, depressing contrast between the congregation (singular) in the city of Ephesus and the congregations (plural) on the island of Crete. The city of Ephesus was known as a religious center. It was a sophisticated, progressive place known for the ways it benefited the Roman empire. In contrast, the society on Crete was known for its violence and love for money. The Cretan society for generations had been known as the place to acquire mercenaries. Their acts of piracy had at times caused major inconveniences for the Greeks and then for the Romans.
When Paul wrote in Titus 1:12, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons," he was quoting one of their own religious men and philosophers (Epimenides) who lived about 600 B.C. In the statement quoted by Paul, Epimenides was arguing that Zeus was holy and eternal, and Cretans could not be compared to Zeus. Paul was acknowledging that Cretans had a bad reputation as a society. Cicero wrote that Cretans considered highway robbery to be honorable (The Republic, 3.4.15). Polybius wrote of their love of money (Histories 6.46.1-3), declaring no financial gain was disgraceful to them. Diodorus of Sicily (Histories 6.47.5) related a story about a Cretan soldier who betrayed the Cretan army to the Roman army. When the soldier was offered Roman citizenship (extremely valuable to a person) as a reward, he rejected the citizenship, declaring he wanted money.
The Cretans distinguished themselves through greed, violence, and a devotion to physical indulgence. Stabilizing Christianity in the immoral climate of the Cretan society involved challenges that did not exist in Ephesus. The values honored in Cretan society were often in contrast to the values of Ephesus. (This by no means affirms that the values of Ephesus were moral and compatible with Christianity's values.) The immoral values in the cities of Crete were, at times, in striking contrast to the immoral values of Ephesus.
Begin by comparing the qualities given in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. Some are the same in emphasis. Some are similar in emphasis. Some are different in emphasis.
Both scriptures state that the men should be above reproach, the husband of one wife, a sound spiritual influence as a parent, hospitable, not an alcoholic, and not pugnacious (one who is violent, who uses physical force to settle disagreements).
Both scriptures have a similar emphasis in being temperate (1 Timothy) or sensible (Titus); being prudent (1 Timothy) or self-controlled (Titus); being able to teach (1 Timothy) or exhorting in healthy teaching and refuting contradictors (Titus); refusing to be contentious (1 Timothy) or refusing to be quick-tempered (Titus); and refusing to love money (1 Timothy) or refusing to be fond of sordid gain (Titus).
There are also some different emphases. 1 Timothy emphasizes that the man must be respectable, or conduct himself in good taste--he is not offensive to others; he is gentle; he is not a new convert; and he has a good reputation in the non-Christian community. In Titus, there is emphasis on being God's steward, not being self-willed, loving good, being just, and being devout (holy).
Observations: in the different emphases, in Titus there is stress on God-centered stewardship, not self-centered indulgence; loving good (as defined by Jesus Christ and not by society); on being just instead of exploiting others; and on being devout (by Jesus Christ's values, not society's values). The emphasis in the 1 Timothy values (in the differences) was focused on community relations, gentleness, and experience. The contrast is appropriate for the social environments on Crete and in Ephesus.
To be respectable and have a good reputation in Cretan society would be disastrous for Christians! Values the Cretan society honored clashed stringently with the values Christianity declared as godly. (For example, Cretan society would regard the seduction of another man's wife, the sale of one's children to be mercenaries, the financial exploitation of powerless people, or stealing from strong people, as honorable deeds. Their outlook was, "Break laws if it is to your benefit; just do not get caught.") Examine the clash between Cretan social values and Jesus Christ's values in scriptures such as Titus 1:10-16, 2:11-14, and 3:1-7. The contrast between Cretan society and the mature Christian who lived by Jesus Christ's values was striking!
Conclusion: there are some Christian values which should be stressed in all social environments. There are some Christian values that have unique application in a situation where the values of society clash with the values of Jesus Christ. In such situations, Christian values in Christ must be maturely evident in the lives of those who lead the Christian community. Crete presented such a social environment.
Elders are not interchangeable. A man who was effective in Ephesus might not have been effective in Crete, and vice versa. The mature Christian man must be effective in leadership in the environment of the Christian community. Spiritual challenges differ from place to place. The values in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 are not an "overlay" with an identical stress.
For Thought and Discussion
Link to Teacher's Guide
Lesson 9