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What Does the Bible Tell Us about Demas?
- Joel Ryan Contributing Writer
- Updated Aug 15, 2024
The apostle Paul was regularly accompanied by friends and fellow ministers who partnered with him in his mission to build up the church, disciple local believers, and bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. However, Demas was not the kind of friend we remember well.
As we see in his letters, Paul highly regarded his fellow workers. However, not all of Paul’s friends were loyal or committed. In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, we learn that Demas abandoned Paul in an hour of need (2 Timothy 4:10). But who was Demas, and what can we learn about faithfulness from his example?
Where Does the Bible Mention Demas?
The disciple Demas is mentioned three times in the New Testament, all in the writings of Paul.
Paul first mentions Demas in his letter to the Colossians, written sometime during his first Roman imprisonment around A.D. 60 or 61. As one of his four “Prison Epistles,” Paul’s letter to the Colossians had been sent with a fellow believer back to the city of Colossae, located roughly 100 miles east of Ephesus, where Paul had stayed for nearly three years during his second missionary journey (see Acts 19:10; 20:31).
When he wrote to the church in Colossae, Paul included several of his “fellow workers” (Colossians 4:14) in his salutation, men who also sent their greetings:
- Aristarchus
- John Mark
- Jesus, who was called Justus
- Luke
- Demas
In his letter to Philemon (specifically, in Philemon 1:24), Paul included similar encouragement from:
- Epaphras
- Mark
- Aristarchus
- Demas
- Luke
When Did Demas Meet Paul?
We do not know how Demas first partnered with Paul in ministry.
All we know is that Demas eventually became one of Paul’s most trusted traveling companions.
Given the fact that he, among others, would send greetings to the church in Colossae in two of Paul’s letters, we can assume that he was with Paul in Rome at the time he wrote those letters and may have been a convert and/or companion of Paul when he stayed in Ephesus on his second missionary journey.
However, this would not be the last time Paul mentioned Demas in one of his letters.
What Does Paul Say Happened to Demas?
In Paul’s second letter to his spiritual son Timothy, most likely written in the fall of A.D. 67 shortly before his death, Paul again mentions Demas, though under much different circumstances.
According to history, the Roman Emperor Nero blamed Christians for the great fire of A.D. 64, which destroyed nearly half of Rome. In response, Nero outlawed Christianity, exposing the church to immense persecution. When Paul was arrested and imprisoned shortly after, many of the believers in Asia refused to support him, fearing for their own lives (2 Timothy 1:15; 2 Timothy 4:16).
Some of Paul’s closest companions would also leave for various reasons (see 2 Timothy 4:9-12). Only Luke remained at Paul’s side during his imprisonment (2 Timothy 4:11).
Paul later says in his letter to Timothy that Demas, “having loved this present world,” deserted him and fled to Thessalonica (2 Timothy 4:10).
Here, the Greek word for “deserted” describes someone who has “utterly abandoned” another in their hour of need.
As a result, a once faithful and dependable friend abandoned Paul when he probably needed him the most. Sadly, Paul would be executed shortly after Demas had deserted him.
Fear, however, was not the primary motivation behind Demas’ departure, according to Paul.
Does the Bible Say Why Demas Deserted Paul?
Of Demas, Paul writes, “Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.” (2 Timothy 4:10)
Unlike the others instructed to leave on a mission, Demas abandoned Paul out of “love for this present world.”
But what does that mean?
To start, it is possible that Demas lost faith or faltered in his commitment when the cost of following Jesus became too great.
Like many Christians, Demas was probably enthusiastic about reaching the lost for Jesus Christ. He had been faithful in his ministry and enjoyed working with Paul to spread the gospel and minister to the church. He was “all in” as things went well, and his life was safe.
However, when the temperature of persecution began to rise, and Christians were being threatened with imprisonment and death, something shifted in Demas. Unlike Paul, he realized he was not as eager to lose his life or depart from this world, even if for the sake of the gospel (Philippians 1:21-26; Romans 1:16).
When the choice presented itself, Demas decided he would rather enjoy the comforts of this world than suffer persecution, lose his freedom, or potentially forfeit his life (Matthew 16:24-27).
In doing so, he became the exact kind of fair-weathered disciple Jesus warned about in His Parable of the Sower: “The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.” (Matthew 13:20-21).
This leads to the second flaw in Demas’ character: he loved what this world had to offer too much to forsake it.
Of course, when Paul referred to the world, he was not describing the physical, material world that God has created for us to enjoy. Rather, the Bible refers to a spiritual system of evil that is controlled by Satan and stands in direct opposition to God, His Word, and His people (see 1 John 5:19; 2 Corinthians 4:4; John 12:31).
Be it wealth, success, comfort, pleasure, safety, or some other sinful or selfish desire, Demas decided that he would rather hold onto what he knew, trusted, and loved of this world than continue to walk beside Paul and potentially suffer a similar fate.
How Is Demas Portrayed in Christian Literature?
Demas was not the only one who deserted Paul when things got tough. Paul confirms this in his second letter to Timothy when he mentions those in Asia who had stopped supporting him out of fear for their own lives. However, he would write of these, “may it not be counted against them” (2 Timothy 4:16).
Was this Paul’s attitude toward Demas? We do not know. It is safe to assume that Paul was deeply saddened and disappointed by his friend’s departure. However, he labored to find strength in Christ’s abundant grace.
Over the centuries, however, many have painted Demas as the archetypal “fair-weathered” disciple who walks away from ministry to pursue worldly pleasures.
For example, in the classic Charlotte Bronte novel Jane Eyre, clergyman St. John Rivers argues that Jane lacks the “vice of Demas” in his attempt to convince her to join him on the mission field, insinuating that she would not be enticed and drawn away by worldly lusts.
In the famous Christian allegory Pilgrim’s Progress, Paul Bunyan also writes of Demas inviting pilgrims to pursue riches and earthly treasure at a local silver mine near a hill called Lucre. Comparing Demas to Judas Iscariot and referring to him as “an enemy to the right ways of the Lord,” Christian, the protagonist, refuses to follow Demas and turn from his path, thus saving his life.
What Can Demas’ Story Teach Us about Being Faithful?
Today, Demas is a cautionary tale to those who have not considered the cost of following Jesus Christ. Accordingly, there are several things we can learn about faithfulness, commitment, and perseverance from Demas’ example. Here are four.
1. Jesus Calls All Disciples to Count the Count of Following Him
Despite what many have claimed from the pulpit over the years, the follower of Jesus Christ does not inherit an easier, carefree life at the moment of salvation. Rather, as German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer argued in The Cost of Discipleship, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him to come and die.” Jesus made this abundantly clear when He warned all would-be followers, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25; see also Matthew 10:37-39) Like a builder who abandons a project whose cost he has not properly calculated ahead of time, many Christians will walk away from the faith when they consider the true cost of following Jesus Christ (Luke 14:27-30).
2. Christians are at War with Their Sinful Nature
The Bible teaches that our sinful nature gravitates towards the short-term pleasures of this world; our redeemed nature, born again of the spirit (John 3:1-21) and made new in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17), seeks the joy of knowing Christ as well as long-term heavenly reward (Romans 8:2-8). The fruit of these two natures is evident (Galatians 5:19-21); they war with each other (Romans 7:21-25). This is why those who belong to Christ are called to “crucify the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:21). Rather than crucifying his worldly lusts, Demas had chosen to give into them, abandoning his friend, his faith, and his ministry in the process.
3. There is No Middle Ground Between Loving God and Loving the World
Demas loved the things of this world. That much is clear. Even after deserting Paul, he may have also insisted he loved Christ. However, in the Christian faith, there is no middle ground. You cannot love both God and the things of this world. “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:16). The apostle James would also write, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility towards God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4) In our lives, Jesus Christ is either lord and king over all; or He is not lord and king at all. He will not share His throne with the things of this world. Christ alone must be the sole priority of the Christian life (Philippians 3:18-21). Likewise, those who love Jesus Christ and commit to following Him should increasingly lose interest in the things of this world. As our hearts align with Christ, our desires mirror His.
4. Christ Calls Christians to Persevere
In many ways, Paul's faithfulness and perseverance contrast Demas's failures and desires. Where Demas had come to love this present world, Paul pressed on in his ministry (Philippians 3:14), knowing that what awaited him was far greater than anything he would endure in the days ahead. Paul longed to depart from this world to be reunited with Christ. “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain,” he would write (Philippians 1:21-26) and “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18). Christians are similarly called to persevere through hardship and persecution (James 1:12), not be ashamed of the gospel (Romans 1:16), and not grow weary in doing good (Galatians 6:9). For our citizenship and our reward is in heaven, not this earth (Philippians 3:18-21). Demas did not hold the same eternal perspective. As a result, he could not say with confidence what Paul would write in perhaps his final letter, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8)
Photo Credit:©GettyImages/pcess609
This article is part of our People from the Bible Series featuring the most well-known historical names and figures from Scripture. We have compiled these articles to help you study those whom God chose to set before us as examples in His Word. May their lives and walks with God strengthen your faith and encourage your soul.
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