“Let no one despise thy youth, but be thou an example to the faithful in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice” (Eccl 4:13)

“Let no one despise thy youth, but be thou an example to the faithful in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim 4:12)

Today, brethren, on the Sunday of Zacchaeus, I have chosen not to speak about Zacchaeus; although, I am sure there is a great crossover pun somewhere between St. Luke’s Gospel and St. Paul’s Epistle to St. Timothy.

“Zacchaeus, let no one despise thy youth…!” To which Zacchaeus would respond, “I am a man. Excuse me! I am a Full. Grown. Man!” Something like that… .

No, I will not speak today of the “wee little man,” but would instead, focus on another of—supposed, rather than actual—small stature: the Apostle, St. Timothy, Bishop of Ephesus.

            And so that you do not misunderstand me, I am in no way implying that St. Timothy was either short or truly of small stature, that is, status. Rather, he was young, and it is apparent from St. Paul’s admonition to him: he was young, and perceived (by some) to be a babe in the faith, and if not a babe, then simply, entirely too young to be called the Elder of the Church of Ephesus.

“[But] let no one despise thy youth, [Bishop Timothy], but be thou an example to the faithful” (italics mine).

We do not know, brethren, just how old St. Timothy was when he was ordained Bishop of Ephesus. Holy Tradition gives us some numbers to work with: sixteen at the age of his conversion; twenty-one when he accompanied Ss. Paul and Silas on the Apostle’s second missionary tour through Asia Minor, and anywhere from thirty-five to forty years of age when he received his two Pastoral Epistles from his father in the faith.

            Now, you might think, “Forty? That’s not very young!” No, it is not “young” young; St. Timothy is not a teenager at the instant of his ordination. But he is also not as old as, say, Ss. Peter and Paul, who had preceded him as bishops and founders of other churches. It is estimated by scholars that St. Paul would have been about sixty years of age at the time of his death. St. John the Theologian was at least eighty when he reposed and had been ministering to and instructing the early Christians all along. St. Timothy is not young per se, but he is relatively young, considering his immediate contemporaries also in positions of church authority.

            So, St. Timothy is young, but he is not juvenile. St. Timothy is young, yes, but he is not immature. He is accredited by the Apostle to be worthy of ordination; and he is charged by the Apostle to be “an example to the faithful in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (v. 12). Youth, brethren, does not preclude spiritual maturity. Youth does not prevent a robust spiritual testimony. What is the popular saying? “Age is just a number.” And it is true. You can be a wise youth. You can be a foolish old man. Scripture implies that age should be indicative of wisdom; that is, wisdom gained through the experience of years, a respect for one’s elders, and a willingness to glean knowledge, sense, and insight from the wise men who have gone before.

            “Wisdom is with the aged and understanding in length of days” (Job 12:12).

            “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by a righteous life” (Prov 16:31).

Old age should not be to our shame! Gray hairs, wrinkles, arms and legs that don’t move like they used to: these things ought not to be to our shame! Rather, they should suggest experience, a life well-lived, and wisdom gained through many trials (and errors), and corrections; wisdom gained through ups and downs, great successes and great failures, and many apologies accompanied by forgiveness. Old age should be—so sayeth the Scriptures—indicative of wisdom.

            Unfortunately, it so often is not, as in the case of the foolish king alluded to by the Teacher of Ecclesiastes above. Moreover, conversely, wisdom does not exclude youth on account of inexperience. “You are wise beyond your years!” we have heard it said. What a wonderful accolade! What a wonderful reality! When a good child emulates good parents and grandparents, teachers in the faith, and is accounted faithful, righteous, pure, and yes, wise beyond their years. A child—a youth, a young adult—who is obedient, holy, thoughtful, respectful, and wise, is a great joy to his parents and a great asset to his friends, and… a great shame to those older and more foolish than him. It may be reading too far into St. Paul’s epistle to his spiritual son, but we might ask, “Why? Why did some despise Timothy’s youth?” Was it truly on account of his youth, or was it on account of their own seasoned folly? Wisdom is a mirror, brethren, reflecting our own ignorance.

            Our Lord himself said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matt 19:14), and also, “Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 18:3). A child, a youth, loves indiscriminately, prays with a sincere belief in God, is innocent (or as some would say without justification, condescendingly: “naïve”). How many of us have not been moved when we see a child make the sign of the cross, when we see a child kiss an icon, or light a candle, or sing along to the Liturgy? And why are we so moved? Because it is a pure and undefiled witness, a true expression of love and devotion. A child does not view an icon the Theotokos as an artistic abstraction; carefully, skillfully depicted in wood and gold; but views her as mother, and recognizes her as a mother, and kisses her with child’s pure affection. “Be thou an example… in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (v. 12).

            May we pray for our children, that they would mature as did St. Timothy, under the attentive guidance of elders in the faith. May we pray for our youth that they would put us to shame, for our own benefit! That they would instruct us in word and in conduct, they would lead us by their young but mature examples! May we pray for all young—and pious—adults that they would not run from positions of responsibility and service on account of their youth, but would rise up to meet the call of Christ on their lives: to become leaders of parishes, teachers of sound doctrine; faithful husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, friends; to “not neglect the gift [charismatos] given to [them; v. 14]” (the gift given to us all, by the Holy Spirit of God), … “perfecting [themselves] in holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor 7:1).

Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord, Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen.

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!