We are introduced in this chapter to one of the most delightful people of the Word of God.
Unlike Elijah and Daniel, who appear larger than life, Timothy was a someone more like ourselves.
He had his flaws, but they weren’t so large that we don’t want to associate with him.
And he was a man who brought glory to his Saviour, and so we should WANT to associate with him.
If every church had a Timothy we could rejoice to know that the work of the Lord is always going to be going forward.
We see here that Timotheus was a CHOICE young man, a WILLING young man and a HELPFUL young man.
Over and over again, they broke the Lord’s commandment, and they suffered because of it.
During the days of Ezra the problem reached epidemic proportions and as in most epidemics people died.
Ahab married outside his people, and went from bad to worse as a result.
But amidst a myriad of examples of disaster flowing out of this sin, we can also see the grace of God intervening, as in this special case.
There is no place where the grace can’t reach. Amen?
None of us can speculate about why Eunice married a Lyconian man, but she did, and that was it.
I think that it’s safe to assume that the man was not even a proselyte to the Jewish faith.
And there were probably more than there should have because it was a mixed marriage,
But Timotheus could well have been raised in a peaceful household.
Was his father still alive? We are not told.
But we are told elsewhere that Timotheus’ maternal grandmother lived close by.
His mother & grandmother made sure that little Timothy was taught the Bible stories of the Old Testament.
Then on one ordinary looking day, a very extraordinary pair of men walked into Timotheus’ village.
Through the positive comments that Paul makes about Timotheus’ mother and grandmother,
I think that it would be safe to conclude that Lois and Eunice became children of God.
In II Timothy Paul wrote:
Patience, persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra;
What persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.”
I am sure that the nail of the gospel was clinched through the soul of young Timotheus by that event.
Several times already I have called Timothy “a young man.”
Exactly how old was he? I can’t tell you.
But working backwards we can get a clue or two.
The word “youth” is a relative term, and as people grow older it means different things.
To a man in his 80s or 90s a man 40-years-old might be considered a youth.
To another person in his 40s a youth would likely have to be a teenager.
Exactly why he picked that age, I really couldn’t say.
Since it appears that at least three years passed since the first evangelization of Lystra,
Then Timothy must have been about 14 or 15 years old at the time of his conversion. Possibly.
Is that reasonable? It’s not only reasonable, but we may not have any other explanation or alternative.
As I say “youth” can be a relatively relative term.
Whatever his age, we are told here in verse 2 that he was well-reported of by the brethren in the church.
That undoubtedly refers to things which impress adults about young people:
I am impressed by teenagers who are quiet and respectful.
I am impressed by teenagers to really appear to be listening to the grown-ups around them.
I am impressed by teenagers who dress and act modestly.
These are things that should be found in all teenagers, whether Christian or not.
But it appears that in addition to things like these, Timotheus displayed more than common good manners.
Perhaps when he prayed, it was as if he ascended right into the presence of the Lord.
Perhaps he was exceptional with the younger children, and had become a good teacher.
Perhaps he had been invited to speak to the entire church and had preached acceptably well.
As you can probably see, it was not an Hebrew name, but rather Greek.
And in this case, this young man was appropriately named.
It seems to me that it takes longer for kids to grow up today than we did in my generation.
And I’m sure that our parents who as teenagers went off to Korea or World War II said the same sort thing about my generation.
When Paul suggested that he join the missionary party, Timothy was ready to go.
It wasn’t that he was over confident or that he believed that he was already a great servant of God.
But he was willing to be a minister to the ministers of the Lord.
In other words, it appears that Timotheus had a servant’s heart.
Timothy became what John Mark refused to be, and what Mark never actually was.
I don’t think that I agree with that idea.
Something else arises about Timotheus’ willingness to serve the Lord.
Verse 3 says, “Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.”
When Paul went to Jerusalem over the question of the salvation of the Gentiles, he took with him another young Gentile convert: Titus.
In Galatians 2 Paul wrote:
And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.
But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.”
We do know that he didn’t have any Hebrew blood in his veins.
But here was Timothy, whom Paul arranged to be circumcised before taking him with him to the work.
One commentary that I read made the statement: “Here was a serious injury to the consistency of Paul’s teaching and preaching.”
In Galatians Paul wrote:
Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.”
Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised.
Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.”
And I would NOT say that Paul compromised his convictions when he circumcised Timothy.
There was a big difference between Titus and Timothy,
And there was an even bigger difference between what the Judaisers where trying to do and what Paul did.
Titus was full-blooded Gentile, a heathen; but Timothy possessed at least some Hebrew blood.
And that kind of attitude and sacrifice was totally consistent with Paul’s desire to be all things to all men in order to win some of them to Christ (I Corinthians 9:22).
BUT it was one thing for Paul to SUGGEST circumcision and it was another thing for Timothy to ACCEPT it.
When we first moved to New Mexico from Canada, there was a man in the church who was a Libertarian.
One of the things that he suggested to me was that Judy and I should not file any income tax returns.
And he suggested a somewhat tricky and deceitful method of paying my salary.
In other words, he wanted ME to do something that HE was unwilling to do.
Paul was an Hebrew, a Pharisee of the Pharisees;
He had undoubted been circumcised on the 8th day after his birth.
And because of his age, I’m sure that he had no remembrance of it whatsoever.
But Timotheus was NOT 8 DAYS old, but rather closer to 18 YEARS old.
Yet for the sake of Christ and the gospel, Timothy, not Paul, was making a significant sacrifice.
Timothy had a servant’s heart; he was WILLING to suffer for the sake of the glory of Christ.
Not only that – remember that he was fully aware of the persecution that befell Paul for the Gospel.
He saw Paul’s blood; he knew what the cost could be for the privilege of serving the Lord.
He should have known that he too could die under a hail of stones or to be nailed to a cross.
But like Paul, those things didn’t move him.
It should make us wonder: what would I be willing to do or to suffer for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ?
How far would I go, how much pain could I endure for the Lord, Who endured so much for me?
That were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.
And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.”
While in Galatia the missionary team continued their evangelism, sharing the letter from Jerusalem, and teaching some of the more in-depth doctrines of the Word of God.
The churches were deepened and broadened;
They were established in the faith and increased in numbers.
I was thinking about what these Gentile Christians might have thought about Jerusalem and the church so many miles away.
How important did they take the Jerusalem letter to be?
I wonder if they recognized the significance of Peter, Jesus’ disciple and James, the brother of the Lord?
But since the letter from Jerusalem didn’t really contain anything that Paul hadn’t taught them before,
One commentator that I read yesterday called that letter “The Charter of Gentile Freedom.”
I think that is going a little too far, but, still, I wonder what they thought.
He was one of the reasons that the churches in Galatia prospered.