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The Book of Acts
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BIBLE STUDY ACTS 16:1-40 REVIEW: Chapter 15 featured a “summit meeting” in Jerusalem to consider the issue of what should be required of Gentile converts. Some believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees were believed that it was necessary for them to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses – that is, to become Jews. Paul and Barnabas, on the other hand, believed that faith in Jesus should be all that was necessary for Gentile converts. After much debate, Peter endorses Barnabas and Paul’s view. (Pastor Josh noted how in Acts Peter claims that he had been the one chosen to reach out to the Gentiles (vs. 7) – while in Galatians Paul claims that this was his role and that Peter had supposedly been entrusted with proclaiming the gospel to the circumcised.) Finally, James rendered his decision that Gentile believers should only be required to abstain from pagan religious practices associated with idol worship – such as temple prostitution, and from eating animals without first draining the blood. (Paul in his account in Galatians states that they were only asked to “remember the poor”.) This decision was then communicated by a formal letter sent to the Gentile believers in Antioch and Cilicia. Finally, the chapter ends with Paul and Barnabas having a disagreement as they prepare to embark upon a journey to visit the locations they had visited before. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark (who had deserted them in Pamphylia), but Paul did not. In the end, they parted company: Barnabas took Mark with him and went to Cyprus and Paul chose Silas and went through Syria and Cilicia. Barnabas is never mentioned in Acts again. PAUL’S SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY
CHAPTER 16:1-5 “Timothy Joins Paul” “Paul went on also to Derbe and to Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer; but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him; and he took him and had him circumcised because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they went from town to town, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in numbers daily.” As we note from the map above, Paul and Silas began their journey by going through Syria and Cilcia (Acts 15:40) – probably going through Paul’s home city of Tarsus and then on to Derbe and Lystra, which Paul and Barnabas had visited in their previous journey. Lystra of course was where Paul had been stoned by a mob (Acts 14:19-20). The major item here is Paul’s choosing Timothy to accompany him as an assistant. As William Barclay notes in his Daily Study Bible commentary, it was only natural that Paul was looking for someone to take Mark’s place. It is impossible to overstate how important Timothy would become to Paul in the months and years to come. He would become Paul’s co-worker (Rom. 16:21); special representative (I Cor. 4:17; 16:10; Phil. 2:19; 1 Thess. 3:2,6); and is listed as the co-author of several of Paul’s letters (2 Cor. 1:1; Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:1; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1; Phlm); and is the “addressee” of 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy. Paul came to see Timothy as being his beloved son. The fact that Paul had Timothy circumcised is somewhat hard to understand, especially since he had obviously taken such a strong stand against having it imposed as a requirement for Gentile converts – and that after this as they went from to town “they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem” (which did not require circumcision). However, Luke notes that Timothy’s mother was Jewish even though his father was a Greek. Even today a person’s Jewish descent is traced matrilineally, that is, through the mother. The point is that Timothy was considered to be a Jew even if his father was a Gentile. Most likely he had not been circumcised earlier (at the age of 8 days) because of his father’s objections (who had authority in such matters). As noted above, the issue of circumcision was a very “sensitive” one (pun intended!). Although Paul strongly asserted that Gentile believers should not be compelled to be circumcised, he also wanted to make it clear that he was not trying to get Jewish Christian believers to abandon their traditions. Indeed, Paul himself apparently continued to observe the requirements of the Jewish law for himself personally. Later in Acts 21:17-26, Paul would actually go through the rite of purification at the temple in Jerusalem in order to specifically show that he personally “observed and guarded the law” (Acts 21:24). Paul therefore had Timothy circumcised in order to show the Jews that he was not against their traditions. If Timothy was indeed a Jew, then even though he was a believer he should continue to practice the Jewish law. The Jews would understand why Timothy had not been circumcised as an infant (because of his father), but Paul’s having Timothy circumcised now would earn them much good will that would help the gospel message to be better received among the Jews whom Paul was evangelizing. CHAPTER 16:6-10 “The Call to Proclaim the Gospel in Europe” “They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.” For a time, it seemed that all doors were shut to Paul and Silas. Luke does not explain why they had been “forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia”, but many Biblical commentators believe that this refers to local Jewish opposition – already referred to earlier in chapters 13 and 14 – to their ministry. This opposition likely spread from town to town and followed them wherever they went, making it difficult if not impossible to proclaim the gospel. Even though the gospel message is powerful, it cannot penetrate closed minds and hardened hearts. In addition to these likely circumstances, Luke also shows that Paul was receptive to visions and revelations. We know that his conversion on the road to Damascus was due to a direct encounter with Jesus – and here Luke for the only time refers to “the Spirit of Jesus”, seemingly implying that Jesus himself appeared to Paul to direct him. Finally, Luke states that Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia. Some commentators speculate that this man may actually have been Luke himself, since immediately after this Luke begins using the first person plural “WE”. Be that as it may or not, it is yet another example about Paul being guided both by practical considerations and by revelation and insight. One other thing which is especially apparent in this passage is that Paul’s “failure” in the region of Asia is what eventually led him to consider going to Europe. Perhaps that is something we all should keep in mind in our lives – that what seems to be a “failure” may actually be the means through which God calls us to consider a new direction. CHAPTER 16:11-16 “Europe’s First Convert - Lydia” “We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. On the Sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purpose cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.” The “We-narratives” in Acts are rich in detail, and that is certainly the case in this passage. Samothrace is a mountainous island in the Aegean Sea about halfway between Troas and Neapolis; Neapolis was the port for Philippi – a city about ten miles inland from the coast in Macedonia. Luke also specifically mentions that Philippi was a Roman colony. Roman colonies were usually strategic centers in which Rome gave land to groups of army veterans who had completed their military service – and these cities enjoyed special civic rights such as self-government, immunity from imperial tribute, and the same rights as Italian citizens. As William Barclay states in his Daily Study Bible commentary, in these Roman colonies “they wore the Roman dress, spoke the Roman language and used the Roman laws no matter where they were. Nowhere was there greater pride in Roman citizenship than in these outposts of Rome.” Paul’s usual practice when arriving at a new city was to begin his ministry at a synagogue, and so therefore they went to a “place of prayer” by the river (a customary place for a synagogue to be built). The first convert was a woman named Lydia, a business woman from the city of Thyatira. (Thyatira was a city of the province of Lydia in Asia Minor – so it is quite possible that “Lydia” was actually the woman’s nickname – i.e. “The Lydian”. Commentators have speculated that if that was so, her actual name could have been Euodia or Syntyche – the two women mentioned in Phil. 4:2. Indeed, “Lydia” is noteworthy by her absence in Paul’s letter to the Philippians – so I (Pastor George) believe that the theory is entirely plausible. Thyatira was noted for being a great commercial center, especially of the dyeing industry and of the trade in woolen goods. We note that when Lydia was baptized, her household was also baptized with her. It apparently was a rather standard expectation that when the head of a household embraced a faith, that the rest would as well. This would also happen with the family of the Philippian jailer later in this chapter. As a commentator in The Interpreter’s Bible notes, “This sense of family solidarity, admirable in many ways, must have led to some quite superficial “conversions.” Be that as it may, perhaps this understanding that faith is corporate rather than just individualistic is something that we would do well to remember. Finally, what is especially noteworthy about Lydia is her hospitality. As a person of some wealth, she was willing to share it for the sake of the gospel. By giving Paul and his companions a place to stay, she greatly enhanced their ministry as they could now devote more time to it rather than having to work to support themselves. Luke Timothy Johnson in his commentary notes that Lydia’s willingness to share her hospitality demonstrates that her faith is genuine – as always, Luke connects spiritual dispositions to the disposition of possessions. CHAPTER 16:16-24 “Paul and Silas Persecuted for Healing a Demented Slave-Girl” “One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.” She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour. But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, “These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.” The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.” Again and again in Acts, as soon as the gospel is proclaimed there is then a confrontation with a great opponent who represents demonic forces – such as Peter’s encounter with Simon the Magician (Acts 8:17-24) and Paul’s encounter with the magician Bar-Jesus/Elymas (Acts 13:6-11). In this case, the slave-girl is not the opponent per se, but is rather someone who is being oppressed in at least two ways: 1) by the spirit; and 2) by her owners who used her for their own gain. Paul casts out the spirit “in the name of Jesus Christ”, thus demonstrating Jesus’ power over it and all the forces of the devil. This action also provokes a reaction by the slave-girl’s owners. Instead of being happy for her in that she no longer was being possessed by the spirit, all they focused upon was that “their hope of making money was gone.” The charge against Paul and Silas was that they were Jews who were “advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.” Judaism was a religion that was tolerated by the Roman Empire, but Jews were forbidden to try to make converts of Romans (much like Christians may be tolerated within Muslim countries today, but are forbidden to proselytize their faith). This charge would especially resonate in a city that was a Roman colony. What the owners were appealing to was an instinctive anti-Semitism among the people. A “lynch mob” was stirred up, and the magistrates (most probably simply not wanting to offend the crowd – much like Pontius Pilate during the trial of Jesus) ordered Paul and Silas to be beaten with rods and then thrown into prison. Finally, we note that this scene in a way re-enacts what Peter went through in the twelfth chapter of Acts – even to Luke’s noting how securely they were imprisoned – thus setting the stage to show how miraculous God’s deliverance would be. CHAPTER 16:25-34 “The Conversion of the Philippian Jailer” “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.” We note here that even in the midst of their suffering, Paul and Silas kept on praying and singing hymns to God. Even the very worst of circumstances could not destroy their faith, and their witness definitely made an impact upon their fellow prisoners. THOUGHT: How do we act in the midst of bad times? Does our faith in God sustain us? Do our actions and our demeanor give a positive witness to our trust in Christ? The earthquake is another example of God’s miraculous deliverance of his prophets in the same way as how the angel freed Peter from prison in Acts 12:6-11. The jailer knew that the penalty for letting prisoners escape would be death (see Acts 12:18-19). When he heard from Paul that they and all the prisoners were still there, he understood this as a form of divine intervention – and was open to their message about Jesus. We note again that when he was baptized, his entire family was also baptized as well. And like Lydia earlier, he shows that his conversion is genuine in that he is then willing to offer hospitality to the apostles. CHAPTER 16:35-40 “Paul and Silas Receive an Apology for their Mistreatment” “When morning came, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.” And the jailer reported the message to Paul, saying, “The magistrates sent word to let you go; therefore come out now and go in peace.” But Paul replied, “They have beaten us in public, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and now are they going to discharge us in secret? Certainly not! Let them come and take us out themselves.” The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens; so they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. After leaving the prison they went to Lydia’s home, and when they had seen and encouraged the brothers and sisters there, they departed.” As I indicated above, it seems most likely that the magistrates did not have any personal agenda against Paul and Silas – they simply did what they did to them in order to satisfy the crowd and prevent a riot from starting. Now they wanted to get rid of their “problem” by having Paul and Silas leave Philippi in secret. In response, Paul insists upon a formal apology – not so much for his own “honor” but perhaps to give encouragement to his Philippian converts that they were not being “run out of town” (similar to Paul’s going back into the city of Lystra after having been stoned in Acts 14:20.. It was illegal to flog Roman citizens and this would be especially understood in a city that was a Roman colony – hence when the magistrates heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were afraid and were quick to come and apologize for having mistreated them. -------------------- George R. Karres, Pella Lutheran Church 418 W. Main Street Sidney, MT 59270
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