My grown children talk about “eating clean.” What I think they mean by that is avoiding processed foods with additives. Today, Paul encourages Timothy to stay away from the people who bring harmful additives into the church. He encourages Timothy to cleanse himself of such things and to “shepherd clean.”
20 Ἐν μεγάλῃ δὲ οἰκίᾳ οὐκ ἔστιν μόνον σκεύη χρυσᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ ἀλλὰ καὶ ξύλινα καὶ ὀστράκινα, καὶ ἃ μὲν εἰς τιμὴν ἃ δὲ εἰς ἀτιμίαν· 21 ἐὰν οὖν τις ἐκκαθάρῃ ἑαυτὸν ἀπὸ τούτων, ἔσται σκεῦος εἰς τιμήν, ἡγιασμένον, εὔχρηστον τῷ δεσπότῃ, εἰς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἡτοιμασμένον.
Translation: ²⁰ Now in a large house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; and some are for honor, others for dishonor. ²¹ Therefore, if anyone thoroughly cleanses himself from these, he will be a vessel for honor: set apart as holy, useful to the master, made ready for every good work.
Verse 20 provides an illustration. Verse 21 provides the application. Together they explain the second half of the words written as a seal upon God’s firm foundation in verse 19: “Let everyone who professes the name of the Lord keep away from unrighteousness.”
We probably take it for granted that, compared to previous generations, we live clean. In 1940, nearly half of the homes in the Midwest did not have full plumbing. Outhouses were used by day and chamber pots by night. Paul might be referring to chamber pots and slop buckets when he says that some vessels in a big house are for dishonor. The meaning of the illustration is this: some people in the visible Christian church bring impurities into the church. Paul is talking about false teachers who speak and live contrary to God’s Word: the Dathans and Korahs of Moses’ day, the Hymenaeuses and Philetuses of Timothy’s day, and the various false teachers of our day. They are vessels for dishonor.
“Therefore, if someone cleanses himself ἀπὸ τούτων, he will be a vessel for honor.” The prefix on ἐκκαθάρῃ expresses thoroughness and separation. In the one other place this verb is used in the New Testament, it calls for cleaning the leaven out of your house (1 Cor 5:7). Faithful pastors will do all they can to cleanse themselves of false teachers and false teachings. They will stay true to God’s Word. They will “shepherd clean” for the benefit of the flock and for the glory of God.
This cleansing process is ongoing. It has to be, for the devil cannot tolerate the preaching of God’s pure Word anywhere. The devil is in the business of dispatching vessels for dishonor. The devil does this to disrupt the preaching of repentance and forgiveness in Jesus’ name, to prevent God’s name from being hallowed and his kingdom from coming.
For you, pastor, cleansing yourself involves vigilance, personal time in the Word, prayer, ongoing study, and discussion of God’s Word with brothers. This will equip you to carefully and patiently instruct others in the church and to carry out church discipline. You are a manager of God’s house—a watchman—called to shepherd clean.
Pastors who cleanse themselves are vessels for honor. Paul describes such pastors with three phrases governed by the following words: ἡγιασμένον, εὔχρηστον, and ἡτοιμασμένον. All three are describing you, dear faithful pastor!
ἡγιασμένον—This perfect passive participle is the lone word here. Set apart. Holy. You have been set apart for God in two ways. First, when you were baptized into Christ, the Holy Spirit created faith in your heart and made your body his holy temple. Second, through his church, the living God has called you to serve publicly among his people as a shepherd under Christ.
εὔχρηστον—Literally, this adjective means “of good use.” The remaining words in the phrase are surprising: “to the master.” Can it really be true that we are useful in God’s great house and to him, the master of the house? We might not be vessels of gold or silver. We identify ourselves more properly as jars of clay. But God uses us to proclaim his Gospel, to change human hearts, and to establish a kingdom that will endure forever.
ἡτοιμασμένον—This perfect passive participle appears at the end of the phrase for effect. For every good work prepared! The good works mentioned here include everything that you do in faith, according to God’s will, for his glory. They include your vocations as a family member, neighbor, and citizen. But as we will see in 3:17, Paul has in mind the good works that the “man of God” (i.e., the spiritual leader in the church) does in public ministry. Dear brother, this includes your study of God’s Word, your time spent in prayer, your preaching and teaching (and your faithful preparations to do so), your interactions with God’s people, your counseling, your administration—everything you do as a servant in God’s great house. The implication is clear: when the man of God has cleansed himself from all that is false and impure, God has made him ready for every good work.
May the Lord continue to pour out his Holy Spirit upon you, equipping you to shepherd clean!
Prayer: “Lord God heavenly Father, in Christ you have made us holy and called us to serve in your house. Keep us far from those who add impurities to your pure Word and cleanse us daily by that Word. Make us useful to you, our Master, and ready for every good work, so that we may shepherd your flock clean, for their good and for the glory of your name; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”