14 Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas. Colossians 4:14
Here are two men close to Paul. At the time the letter to the Colossians was written, both deserved mention, but Luke is described as the “beloved physician,” and Demas is simply mentioned. By Paul’s final letter to Timothy, only Luke was with him, and Demas had deserted him.
Only here do we discover that Luke was a physician. We know he was a historian by his approach to writing his gospel and its sequel, the book of Acts. He was a Gentile since only Aristarchus, Barnabas’ cousin Mark, and Jesus, called Justus, were Jews of those with Paul during his house arrest. (Colossians 4:10-11) He ministered with Paul on his first foray into Europe, but stayed behind in Philippi for an extended time. He joined back up with Paul later in Troas to assist him in delivering a financial gift to the poor in Jerusalem. After Paul made his way through the court system after his arrest, Luke was with the Apostle on his treacherous journey to Rome and from there on out (see below). In his account of the doomed voyage in Acts (27:14-44), we find that the Good Doctor knew a lot about sailing (and shipwrecks).
9 Make every effort to come to me soon; 10 for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service. 2 Timothy 4:9–11
While Demas was a part of Paul’s team, a “fellow worker,” if this were a movie, you’d probably get a sense early on that he was not always on board; at least, that’s how I’d play him. Paul’s commentary on him to Timothy puts Demas in the same “doghouse” that Mark was once in, having abandoned Paul’s first missionary journey (Acts 13:13), but Mark made a major comeback. To me, it’s sad to see Demas described this way, as it is possible to become disillusioned in a ministry with time, or with its leadership, or to be called elsewhere like Crescens and Titus. But to “love this present world” is telling. Paul himself said earlier in his Colossian letter (3:2), “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” We can only hope the Lord rehabilitated Demas in Thessalonica. We know God does not abandon us.
Luke and Mark are two of my favorite Bible characters, Luke for his loyalty to Paul and his writings, and Mark for his dramatic return to Paul’s good graces. Demas will forever be the poster child for desertion, juxtaposed against Mark’s celebrated journey back to Paul’s side after his early struggles. It’s important to note that Mark in no way abandoned the faith, but was profitably engaged upon his return to Jerusalem with mentor Peter and as a gospel writer, and apparently, he eventually got used to life on the road.
One thing I’ve learned from leaving particular ministries and jobs over the years, always leave on good terms for good reasons with good intentions. “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.” Romans 12:18
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