Acts 16:1-10

Acts 16:1-10

Paul reached also Derbe and Lystra

where there was a disciple named Timothy,

the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer,

but his father was a Greek.

The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him,

and Paul wanted him to come along with him.

On account of the Jews of that region, Paul had him circumcised,

for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

As they traveled from city to city,

they handed on to the people for observance the decisions

reached by the Apostles and presbyters in Jerusalem.

Day after day the churches grew stronger in faith

and increased in number.

They traveled through the Phrygian and Galatian territory

because they had been prevented by the Holy Spirit

from preaching the message in the province of Asia.

When they came to Mysia, they tried to go on into Bithynia,

but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them,

so they crossed through Mysia and came down to Troas.

During the night Paul had a vision.

A Macedonian stood before him and implored him with these words,

“Come over to Macedonia and help us.”

When he had seen the vision,

we sought passage to Macedonia at once, 

concluding that God had called us to proclaim the Good News to them.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, guide me always with your Spirit. Help me to be docile to the Spirit’s urgings so that my faith may work through love and charity to extend your Kingdom.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Paul and Timothy: After the Council of Jerusalem in A.D. 49, Paul and Barnabas, accompanied by Judas and Silas, went to Antioch to deliver the decree of the Council (Acts 15:22-23, 30). Paul and Silas continued on to the churches of Syria and Cilicia and delivered the decisions (dogmata) that had been reached by the apostles and presbyters (priests) who were in Jerusalem (Acts 16:4). “IN the nearby city of Lystra, they were joined by Timothy, ‘the son of a Jewish woman’ (Acts 16:1) who had probably become a disciple during the earlier journey of Paul and Barnabas (see Acts 14:6-7). Although Timothy’s father was a Gentile, he would have been considered a Jew by other Jews on account of his mother, albeit one who was living in violation of the Deuteronomic Law due to his lack of circumcision. Paul therefore circumcised Timothy to avoid giving scandal to other Jews” (Pimentel, Envoy of the Messiah, 5).

2. Paul’s Second Missionary Journey: The Acts of the Apostles narrates the beginning of Paul’s Second Missionary Journey (A.D. 50-52). Paul set out and invited Barnabas to come with him, saying, “Come, let us return and visit the brethren in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are” (Acts 15:37). Barnabas wanted to take Mark with them, but Paul disagreed with Barnabas because Mark had abandoned them during the first missionary journey. Thus, Paul and Barnabas decided to separate: Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed to the cities of his homeland in Cyprus. Paul, on the other hand, took Silas with him and went through Syria and Cilicia and returned to the cities of Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch in Pisidia. During their journeys, both Barnabas and Paul were able to communicate the recent decision of the Council of Jerusalem to the newly founded churches. The Council had decided that Gentiles who came to believe in Jesus did not have to be circumcised according to the Law of Moses. There were still some difficulties in accepting this teaching. We see this in Paul’s decision to circumcise Timothy. Paul did this “on account of the Jews” of the region and because Timothy was considered a Jew, and not a Gentile, on his mother’s side. As Paul handed on the teaching of the Council to the recently founded churches, they grew stronger in faith and increased in number.

3. Persecution Awaiting in Macedonia: After ministering to the churches in Galatia, Paul and Silas wanted to go north toward Bithynia, but were prevented by the Spirit of Jesus and led instead to the port city of Troas. During the night, Paul had a vision of a Macedonian imploring him to cross over to Macedonia and help them. In the morning, Paul and Silas discerned that this was God’s will for them: they would preach the Gospel of the Kingdom in Europe. At Troas, they probably met up with Luke, who accompanied them for a time and set sail with them to Macedonia. During their evangelizing mission, Paul and Silas suffered persecution in Macedonia, especially in the city of Philippi: they were stripped, beaten with rods, and imprisoned. Jesus’ Last Supper discourse in the Gospel of John refers to the persecutions that the Apostles would endure as they spread the Gospel to all nations. Jesus’ disciples must know that the world will hate them because it first hated him. Jesus tells us (in John 7:7) that the world, considered here as something negative, hates him because he shows the world that its sinful ways are evil. As the Lamb of God, however, Jesus has come to take away the sin of the world and purify and renew it.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, when I contemplate your life, I see how you were driven by the Spirit in every moment. Your apostles, too, were led by the Spirit. I need to imitate your example and that of the saints, and discern in prayer how the Spirit is guiding my thoughts, words, and actions.

Living the Word of God: How have I been listening to the Spirit lately? What is the Spirit asking me to do? Where am I called to be a witness to the Good News of our salvation? How am I promoting and proclaiming the teachings of Jesus and the Church? How can I do better?