Paul's letter to Timothy turns very personal. He is writing to his dear friend and shares his pain with him. Some of Paul's friends left him as soon as he was arrested. It was dangerous to be friends with someone who was in chains.
"Visiting a prisoner could be dangerous. A prison visitor was no longer one of the anonymous crowd. Someone might associate the visitor with the alleged crimes of the accused. The risk was even greater if the visitor was a slave. And if the prisoner was suspected of seditious acts or words—the leaders of the Roman Empire were anxious about this—a visiting slave might be required to witness to the conversations held with the accused. The interrogation would not involve simple questioning. The testimony of a slave was legally inadmissible unless it was given under torture. Thus, when early Christians obeyed their Lord and visited those who were in prison, they did more than perform an inconvenient or unpleasant act. Let down into the prison by rope, they left only at the pleasure of the guards" (Bob Fraser).
I can imagine the disappointment Paul felt when friends quickly forsook him, and how grateful he was for friends like Onesiphorus who purposely sought him out (1 Timothy 1:15-18).
Friendships are precious treasures.
