Here is Paul urging Titus…..
Titus 2:2
“Teach the ‘older men’ to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.”
So how old is ‘old’? In this case it is older than Titus, who is the lead pastor for the Church in Crete. Titus had served with Paul in Philippi and Corinth and now gives oversight to the church plants in Crete. Like Timothy, Paul referred to him as a spiritual son;
Titus 1:4
“To Titus, my true son in our common faith.”
Titus was old enough though to be tasked with appointing new elders and doing the primary teaching. One group he is to teach are men older than him. This would likely include men the age of the Apostle Paul. These would be men that had lived longer and had more experience than Titus – but could and should listen and learn from their pastor. Discipleship is not always the older (in age) teaching the younger, but rather those a step ahead in faith and maturity inviting others to surrender and to fully follow Jesus.
*Reflection: It is likely easier for me to listen to older men but I also want to be a man who can listen and learn from younger men.
This is right on the money for our church. We are a church full of older folks and our new pastor is 28 years old. He is excellent, and everyone is impressed with his sermons. I really enjoy Sunday school class discussions with him because he prepares so well and uses his knowledge of Hebrew and Greek in the class. We can all learn from young and old.