We have only a small bit of doctrine in this chapter. However, in order to understand it, we must grasp the context in which Paul places a strong statement. This letter was written roughly the same time as 1 Timothy, when Paul had gained his release and before he headed to Spain.
During Paul’s last journey in Roman custody, the ship stopped for a short time on Crete. Paul engaged in his normal missionary activity, but it was hard going, and his stay was too brief. Since Titus was in his company, Paul left him there to get things better established.
The difficulty was Crete’s rough culture. Christian teaching was still based at that time on the Old Testament and the oral traditions of what Christ had taught based on it. The local Judaizers had a field day pretending to be Christian and slipping all kinds of Talmudic mythology into things. Because Cretans had not developed the close familial clannishness of the Hebrew culture, they were rather easily exploited. Thus, one of the first things Paul mentions is the need to appoint elders, shepherds to watch the flock, since there were none organically grown in the Cretan society.
It’s for sure Titus knew what role elders (Paul also uses the term “overseers” to describe them) played in the covenant faith community, but Paul was emphasizing certain traits that would be critical in a place like Crete. It’s not that such strong moral character was absent from the island, but it was rather rare. Titus would need to demonstrate such character and hold it up as the goal for others.
Then Paul remarks why it matters so much: Everyone was a swindler. Of course, this made it the perfect home for lowest sort of Talmudic Jews. If the mixed mob living on Crete wasn’t already bad enough, there was a substantial Jewish population making things doubly difficult for Christians on the island. Christian faith demanded far higher moral standards about honesty and kindness, making them perfect targets for Jews peddling nonsense for personal gain.
Few other places manifested the shocking difference between the ancient Hebrew mystical culture of the Bible versus the Hellenized materialism of Judaism. Paul makes a powerful mystical statement: People purified by the blood of Christ and filled with the Spirit understood the proper utility of everything in this world. There was no need for silly rules as promoted by the Judaizers. In the case of the latter, there was no possible way they could good in the first place. Their best was defiling.
It was clear that strong elders who knew the gospel message were needed in that place if the Kingdom of Heaven was going to manifest in glory.
