Timothy Joins Paul and Silas—Bi-Cultural Parents

Acts 16:1-5

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• Timothy was the son of bi-cultural parents.
• Timothy was spoken well of by the family of the way of Christ.
• Timothy assisted in delivering the guidelines given from the Chrisitan leaders in Jerusalem.

Timothy was the son of bi-cultural parents.
“Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek.” Acts 16:1 

Timothy is the person who the letters of 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy are named after. Paul was writing to this Timothy in those letters. “To Timothy, a true son in the faith…” 1 Timothy 1:2 and also “To Timothy, a beloved son…” 2 Timothy 1:2

Timothy was from a family where his parents were not united as one in their faith in Jesus Christ. His mother was a Jewish woman who said, “Yes”, to Jesus as the Christ and her Lord and Savior. Her name was Eunice, 2 Timothy 1:5. Timothy’s father was a Gentile Greek who did not accept Jesus as the Christ and Son of God. The parents of Timothy were from two different cultures, not only was one parent Jewish and the other Greek, but one lived by her faith in Jesus and the father lived in rejection of Christ Jesus.

Today, a family may consist of parents who not just from different cultures but also have different beliefs referring to the Living God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. This could be stressful on the children, especially if torn between the standards of one parent who lives for Jesus Christ and one who doesn’t. In today’s atheistic culture, a family with parents who live by different beliefs would be very tumultuous and headed for a breakup. That’s because one parent would be living by the entity that replaces the conscience and spirit [while oppressing the presence of the Holy Spirit] to give what to think, feel, do, and say. The other parent would be living for God through Jesus Christ in the presence of the Holy Spriit. The entity that gives one parent what to say, do, think, and feel despises God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. This is a very bad situation for the family.

The Holy Spirit says that God has called us to peace, and remaining in a bad relationship is not what God expects, “But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?” 1 Corinthians 7:15-16

“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.” 2 Corinthians 6:14-16

As we see in the coming verses, Paul removed Timothy from the home where his parents were living together as light with darkness, one being a Believer and the other not. Today, the odds are insurmountable for a child to be taken from a parent, or home, where the child is taught to live by the will of the entity that gives them what to think, feel, say, and do. The culture of today is built on that atheistic entity, and opposition to that is opposition to community values.

The map below can used as a reference to see where Timothy was from. Paul and Silas sailed from Antioch at Syria, to Derbe [about 3/4 of an inch northwest of Antioch at Syria], and then to Lystra. Lystra is where Paul and Silas met Timothy. There were two Antiochs, one referred to as Antioch at Syria and the other as Antioch at Pisidia. Antioch at Syria is seen to the east of the picture and about halfway up. The Antioch at Pisidia is seen north of Lystra, Lystra being just west of Derbe.

Timothy was spoken well of by the family of the way of Christ.
“He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek.: Acts 16:2-3

Paul circumcised Timothy, which says something about Timothy’s mother. She was Jewish [Acts 16:1], and by Jewish law, it was required to circumcise a child after 8 days of being born. Timothy was about 16 years of age when Paul decided to circumcise him. Either Timothy’s mother abandoned the Jewish culture [without Jesus Christ] at least 16 years ago, or she had been living for God through Jesus Christ for those 16 years. Either way, she had broken away from the laws of Judaism and raised Timothy to be accepting of non-Jewish Gentiles, as she was married to an unbelieving Greek [Acts 16:1]. She did come to Jesus Christ [Acts 16:1], exactly when is not known for sure, but probably before Timothy was born.

Why did Paul decide to circumcise Timothy? Because Paul wanted to protect the youngster, Timothy, from the heartless Jewish people who forced Judaism on anyone who said they believed in God. The Jewish laws did not permit serving God through Jesus Christ and required circumcision as a show of loyalty to the laws of Judaism. For about sixteen years, Timohty was taught by his born-again Jewish mother that God could be served through Jesus Christ, not through the letter of the laws of Judaism. The Jewish people also knew that Timothy’s father did not live for God, neither through the laws of Moses nor through Jesus Christ. In the eyes of the uncircumcised Jewish people, Timothy did not fear God, and they would not have listened to anything Timothy had to say about God. They would have accused him of blasphemy and stoned him or beat him.

The members of the way of Christ spoke well of Timothy in Lystra and Iconium, Lystra being Timothy’s hometown and Iconium being a neighboring city. Timothy was about to join Paul on a ministry to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and circumcision would make the Jewish people more receptive to Timothy.

Paul was putting into practice what he said through the Holy Spirit, and what the Holy Spirit says to us today, “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.” 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

While Paul circumcised Timothy, he also made it clear to Timothy that circumcision was not a requirement for Salvation and eternal life, as described in the coming verses of Acts 16:4-5. The Jewish leaders were learning really fast that requiring circumcision wasn’t able to remove Jesus Christ from the heart of Believers. As followers of Jesus Christ, those of this world will impose many policies, standards, and procedures upon us at school, the workplace, senior citizens home, etc. but loving God with all of our heart, soul, and mind is the center of our life. We may be told no to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but He will always live within us.

Timothy assisted in delivering the guidelines given from the Chrisitan leaders in Jerusalem.
“And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.” Acts 16:4-5

While Paul had Timothy circumcised, he also put Timothy to work in passing out pamphlets saying that circumcision wasn’t necessary. Timothy was a youngster that Paul was protecting from the heartless Jewish leaders who opposed anyone who were serving God without circumcision. Timothy was well-taught by Paul that Salvation comes by faith in Jesus Christ not from the letter of the law. The Jewish leaders also angrily realized that the external act of circumcision really meant nothing compared to Who was living within the heart and mind of the people.

The decrees to keep are described in the post on Acts 15:19-21 The four guidelines established that circumcision was not necessary, nor was living under the laws of Moses [laws of Judaism]. These guidelines were established for the non-Jewish Gentiles, you and me. Salvation came by living for God in the Spirit, through Jesus Christ, not through the letter of the law. “And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” 2 Corinthians 3:4-6

Anyone who has ever tried to read through the book of Leviticus knows how tedious it would have been for the Israelites to keep the letter of the law. The message of Jesus Christ is so liberating as He taught that only two commands really need to be obeyed, as quoted, “Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40 “So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.”

“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11