Titus 1:5 5The reason I left you in Crete was that you might add to out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.
Paul begins the body of the letter with a clear statement of Titus’ two-part mission on the island of Crete. First, Titus needed to continue what Paul left unfinished in Crete. What exactly was left unfinished is not clear, but most of Paul’s energy was focused on the mission of sharing the gospel, so it is highly likely that unfinished business had to do with evangelism. The only mention of Paul visiting Crete is found in Acts 27 while a prisoner on his way to Rome. It is possible that Paul as a highly effective witness led people to Christ even during this brief visit. Or it is possible that Paul had visited there at another point as he traversed the Mediterranean by ship. The verb add to (epidiorthōsē) can mean straighten out or amend. In this context, it seems that Paul wanted Titus to add more to what had already been started. There is a sense also of correcting what was starting to go wrong, as the second reason suggests.
The second reason adds more clarity and support for what was the unfinished work in Crete. Paul wanted Titus to find local people and train them to be leaders. This will be the key topic of verses 6-9. Training local leaders was one of Paul’s key strategies on his mission trips (Acts 14:21-23). As a major stopping place for commercial sea trade in the Mediterranean region, Crete offered a strategic place to spread the gospel but was also a melting pot of many philosophies and religions. These religions could mix with the gospel in a form of syncretism, and so confuse the new believers there. False teachers were already a problem and were leading the church away from the truth. Paul’s answer was for Titus to appoint qualified leaders who could preserve the gospel and train people in it. Paul’s vision was big because he wanted Titus to do this in every town. His strategy was a church in every town. This would give a Christian witness to a community that could be a seed for future growth. This letter pushes and inspires Titus not to give up but push hard in the ministry.
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