Acts 16:1-5 (NIV)
He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek. The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.
As Paul and Silas went through Galatia, they came back to Lystra, where Paul and Barnabas had been mistaken for Greek gods, and where Paul had been stoned outside the city (Acts 14:8-20). This time the missionaries dealt primarily with the circle of believers which Paul and Barnabas had planted, but which had grown markedly during Paul’s absence.
Among these was a Jewish believer named Eunice and her mother, Lois (2 Timothy 1:5). Eunice was married to a Greek man, a gentile, and had a son, Timothy, who had also become a devout believer. Even though Timothy’s mother was Jewish, which meant that Timothy was Jewish according to the law, He had never been circumcised. His father wouldn’t allow it. In Greek culture, the human body was lifted up and celebrated. To cut part of it off in circumcision was seen as a defilement, a marring of what was already bodily perfection.
The believers spoke well of Timothy, and Paul felt moved to take him on as a protégé, and to take him along as he and Silas continue their journey westward. Timothy was of age and made the determination to go.
Some find it odd that so soon after the Jerusalem Council, and in light of all he wrote against circumcision, Paul insisted that Timothy be circumcised before he went along. But Luke clearly tells us that it was because of the Jews who lived in the area.
In reality, Paul only spoke against circumcision for gentiles. He saw it as a reliance on works of the law for salvation. But he didn’t criticize circumcision for the Jews, because God had told His people that it was to be a sign in their flesh for all generations, basically forever (Genesis 17:12-14). If Paul had taken Timothy along uncircumcised, the Jews in the area would have been able to accuse him of being a lawbreaker, and could turn Jews across the empire against him, closing many doors for future growth of the kingdom.
At the same time, Paul delivered the Jerusalem Council’s decision to the disciples in Derbe, Lystra, and all across Galatia, much to the relief and encouragement of the gentile believers. And with this new encouragement, the Churches continue to grow strongly.
Father, Jesus warned us that we were to “be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16 NIV) as we take the gospel to the people around us. And this is a good example of Paul’s doing just that. There was no contradiction in his mind or heart in having Timothy circumcised. There was only a desire to obey You wholeheartedly, and to prevent problems from cropping up further down the road, which definitely would have been possible, if not likely, if he had not been diligent here. Keep my eyes and ears open, Lord, so that I can follow You in every way, even when Your way makes scant sense to those outside. Amen.
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