Paul briefly mentions one institution characteristic of the early Christian church: the institution of presbyters, or elders. Judging by the fact that alongside the laying on of hands there is a mention of "prophecy" as a gift, or "prophesying" as a special spiritual state characteristic of a prophet at the moment when he experiences revelation (the corresponding Greek word can mean both), one may suppose that the community of "elders" (presbyters) was, at any rate in the Church of the earliest Christian period, a charismatic community. In any case, the laying on of hands involved prayer for God to send down the Spirit who was to renew the one for whom they prayed; and the whole Yahwistic, and later synagogue, tradition, as well as the tradition of the Jewish religious brotherhoods that existed in the Gospel era, connected such renewal with the gift of prophecy.

Of course, someone who had undergone this kind of experience did not necessarily become a prophet, but he experienced in himself the action of God's breath that, properly speaking, makes a biblical prophet a prophet. Among the people of God, certain ministries had long presupposed the need for such an experience; a well-known example is the first kings of Israel, who could not claim authority without passing through prophetic consecration (a typical example is Saul's consecration, 1 Sam. 10:1-12). However, Saul's example is also the best proof that no consecration in itself changes a person automatically, apart from his will and spiritual effort. That is why Paul urges Timothy to care for the gifts received from God during the laying on of hands, gifts that otherwise can easily be lost.

As for the community of "elders" (presbyters), it was apparently a charismatic community not in the sense that all its members were prophets, but in the sense that all of them had undergone the experience of the Spirit's descent, just as Timothy had. Probably after such a laying on of hands the one who had experienced spiritual renewal himself became a presbyter, as happened with Timothy, who before, judging by the context of the letter, had probably been an ordinary deacon heading the community. Now he became a deacon-presbyter, and, as one can see, unusually young from the standpoint of church practice that existed at that time; judging by the encouragement Paul sends his disciple, this caused some people to feel perplexity and contempt toward the young "elder."

As one can see, the apostle remembered what some of his fellow believers forgot: spiritual age and physical age are not the same thing. Physical age is determined by the number of years lived; spiritual age by the intensity of spiritual life and the measure of rootedness in the Kingdom. And Paul, as one can see, advises Timothy to care above all for the second, without giving great importance to the first.

Timothy was a member of the council of elders that headed the Church in those days, having received a certain gift from God "by prophecy through the laying on of the hands of the presbyters" (in the Synodal translation the presbyters are called "the priesthood"). In those days the Church, like other Jewish religious brotherhoods of the Gospel era, was headed by a council of elders, which was partly a representative body - it usually included representatives of the separate communities that made up the brotherhood - and partly co-opted, since new members probably could not enter the council of elders except by the agreement of all its participants.

It is no surprise that, when new members were accepted into the council, they were prayed for with the laying on of hands: this ancient practice was connected with the tradition of prophetic communities and was a kind of initiation. Entering the community, a person had to experience what was connected with the experience of that community, to understand what exactly formed the foundation of its spiritual life.

Such a practice existed in every church community, and it would be strange if it were absent from the council of elders, which was, after all, first and foremost itself a church community, not some governing and administrative center. How exactly prayer with the laying on of hands took place in the earliest Christian times, we do not know, and we can only guess what "prophecy" the apostle mentions. It is possible that something special concerning Timothy's person and his ministry was revealed to one of the church prophets, since prophetic ministry in the earliest Christian period was normal in the Church.

If so, it is no surprise that Paul urges him not to forget what he received during that prayer. Judging by the apostle's mention of "teaching," into which the apostle advises Timothy to "delve," this concerns the ministry of a church teacher-rabbi, about which Paul says quite a lot in the letter to Timothy. It should be noted that teacher-rabbis often became members of the council of elders: their ministry was considered one of the most important in any brotherhood, and their experience, connected not only with the study of sacred books but also with acquiring the inner Torah, could prove important for the whole brotherhood - in this case, for the whole Church.

Meanwhile, Timothy, judging by the mention of his "youth," was younger than members of the council of elders usually were, and this fact may have troubled someone, so that Paul had to encourage him: if the members of the council considered him worthy to enter their community, then he truly is worthy of it, despite his age. As we can see, the apostle calls Timothy to be before God who he is, remaining himself under all circumstances: precisely in this way he will best handle the ministry entrusted to him by God.

Today we read Luke the evangelist's account of the conversion of Zacchaeus. Beginning with this day, the Sunday Gospel readings will give us food for reflection and prayer that will help us prepare for Great Lent and, therefore, to a certain extent, for Pascha. And this path begins for us with the story of Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, who disregarded his social standing just to see the Lord Jesus.

A man of short stature, he could not get close to Christ because of the crowd. It is important to notice exactly what Zacchaeus had to give up. He was not only a wealthy man, but also the head of the tax office. He represented Roman authority, and his work of collecting taxes and duties touched every inhabitant of Jericho. The Jews despised tax collectors as traitors, but feared Roman power. Therefore, to "lower himself" in the eyes of the townspeople meant for Zacchaeus both countless difficulties and an outburst of social contempt. All this, to use the words of the apostle Paul, he "counted as loss."

We read this story because during the approaching fast every Christian is given the opportunity to seek Christ without thinking about how he looks in the eyes of those around him. That is why Zacchaeus's example is so important for us. And that is why it is so important that the Lord rewards him with the words: "Today salvation has come to this house."