1 Now Paul also came to Derbe and to Lystra. And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek.
2 and he was well spoken of by the brothers and sisters who were in Lystra and Iconium.
3 Paul wanted this man to leave with him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
“Now Paul also came to Derbe and to Lystra. And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, and he was well spoken of by the brothers and sisters who were in Lystra and Iconium.” Paul and Silas visited the region of Galatia, where Paul and Barnabas had established churches during their first missionary journey. They first visited Derbe, then Lystra. In Lystra, there was a disciple named Timothy. Let’s list some of his characteristics.
(1) Timothy’s name in Greek, “Timotheos,” means “honored by God.”
(2) His mother was a Jewish believer (a Jew who believed in Jesus as the Messiah), and his father was Greek.
(3) Timothy was well spoken of by the churches in Lystra and Iconium.
(4) He inherited his faith from his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice (2 Tim. 1:5) and had been taught the Scriptures from a young age (2 Tim. 3:15).
(5) It is believed that Timothy was led to salvation by Paul (during the first missionary journey).
(6) When Timothy met Paul during the second missionary journey, he was likely around 20 years old.
(7) After this meeting, Timothy joined Paul as an assistant on the second missionary journey, and he would later be greatly used by God. There are instances where, after Paul left a mission field, Timothy remained to continue the work (Acts 17:14, 1 Thess. 3:2, 6). Timothy was also sent as Paul’s representative to various churches (1 Cor. 4:17, 16:10).
(8) Timothy is listed as a co-author in six of Paul’s letters: 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon.
(9) Paul wrote to Timothy, “Let no one look down on your youthfulness” (1 Tim. 4:12), but at that time, Timothy was likely in his late 30s to early 40s.
(10) After Paul’s martyrdom, Timothy continued to serve as the first overseer of the church in Ephesus. Tradition holds that Timothy was martyred during the persecution under Emperor Domitian.
Paul wanted to take Timothy along as his assistant, but the fact that Timothy was uncircumcised became a practical issue. Paul would address this problem with wisdom (we will cover this next time). We, too, need the ability to discern whether the challenges we face are directly connected to biblical truth or a practical response is possible. Let’s seek wisdom from God.
Today's prayer
Heavenly Father, please give me the discernment and wisdom to understand the nature of the challenges I face. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.