Alexander the Coppersmith

There is an individual whom the Apostle Paul makes mention of in his last epistle to his disciple Timothy. The mention of this man is striking for several reasons. It comes at the end of Paul's Swan Song to Timothy, where his emotions are flowing out to those co-laborers in the gospel.

To Timothy he mentions Titus. He speaks of his close friends Luke and Mark. Paul mentions how valuable Mark is to him, stating, Take Mark and bring him with thee, for he is profitable to me for the ministry.

Paul speaks of his vast disappointment in his co-laborer Demas, for whom he says, For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world. We can all relate, friends, to Paul's hurt feelings here as he pours his heart out to his close disciple Timothy. For each of us in ministry and life have had our share of Demases who turn their backs on us in time of trial and need and turn from their friendship to us to other things.

The Demases in our life we understand, for there are many self-serving individuals in ministry and in the church. But the name that stands out in black print on white paper is Alexander the Coppersmith. There were many hurtful enemies who stood against the Apostle Paul over the course of his long and fruitful ministry.

He could have made a laundry list of them and their vicious attacks, but that was very long. He could have easily made mention of Demetrius the silversmith who incited the mob riot in Ephesus against him. But Paul is silent on these other hurtful individuals and brings up the name of this particular tradesman from Ephesus, Alexander the Coppersmith.

Alexander the Coppersmith was a Jew living in Ephesus and his opinion carried weight with the local Jews. Apparently the evil this man calls Paul struck deeply as he is sitting in chains in prison and reflecting on his life and soon departure to be with the Lord. Then Paul makes two startling statements about this man, Alexander the Coppersmith.

First he names him and notes the harm done. Alexander the Coppersmith did me much evil. Then Paul makes an imprecatory statement concerning him.

The Lord reward him according to his works. Paul knows there is a coming day of judgment for all men as stated in 2 Corinthians 5.10. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. In other words, Paul is saying that Alexander will get his due and he wants him to get his due.

Paul could still hear the roar of the crowd assembled in the great theater at Ephesus that day when Alexander beckoned with his hand, desiring to be heard against Paul, and the ensuing riot that lasted for two full hours still rang in his ears as he thought about it. Perhaps some of you friends have been in that Colosseum in Ephesus as I have. I walked up to the Topstone Bleacher one day and dropped a dime from my hand, and a friend standing down in the first level heard it perfectly.

That stadium is acoustically perfect. You can hear every word spoken from the stage, no matter where you sit, without any amplification. The Greeks built it perfectly.

Can you imagine the noise of that roaring crowd of twenty-four thousand that's been estimated that stadium can seat as those spectators cried with one accord, Great is Diana of the Ephesians! I was speaking to a pastor friend of mine recently who was thrown out of the church he had faithfully served for ten years by two wicked deacons who caused trouble and did all they could to get rid of him. Those two are his Alexander the Coppersmiths. We all have them.

We still reel from the injustice they caused us. The very thought of them still has a sting of venom in it from the evil they did to us. The Apostle Paul is not sitting in the chains of bitterness and of forgiveness here towards another.

We must not misinterpret him. In Paul's first letter to Timothy, he turns this man, Alexander, over to Satan. And Alexander, whom I have delivered unto Satan, that he may learn not to blaspheme.

Now Paul turns him over to God, turns him over to God's judgment bar, for shall not the judge of all the earth do right? As we, friends, reflect on our lives lived for God, and the unsettling faces of our Alexander the Coppersmith appears, we can rest assured that they will get what is coming to them, as we all will stand before that judgment seat as well. Let us pray.