If we have died with Him, we shall live with Him; if we hold firm, we shall reign with Him.
2 Timothy 2:11
These two verses must be connected with the next two: "if we deny Him, he will also deny us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful - for He cannot deny Himself."
Many scholars believe that these four verses are a portion of a very early Christian hymn. Paul is sharing his belief that we must live our lives fully in Christ. This is why the forty days of Lent, culminating in the events of Holy Week - Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Day—must be seen as a whole. Paul knew that Jesus prepared Himself spiritually in the wilderness for His ministry, experienced the Last Supper with His loved ones, was betrayed, denied, crucified, and His dead body placed in a tomb, and on Easter was raised from the dead. In this passage Paul is sharing this hymn with Timothy to remind him of our need to experience these events with our Lord. We cannot "jump" into Easter and the Resurrection without experiencing the preparation of Lent, His Last Supper, our connection with Him being betrayed, denied, and killed. We cannot share in the Crown without sharing in the Cross. On this glorious day, I am reminded of the words from the song, The Rose: "Just remember in the winter far beneath the bitter snows lies the seed that with the sun's love in the spring becomes the rose." We must die with Him in order that, with the "Son's" love "in the spring," we will be raised with Him. Amen.
William H.C. Ticknor+ (2009)
