Acts 16
Timothy Joins Paul and Silas
1 He also came to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple named Timothy was there, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but whose father was a Greek.
Lystra was the home of Timothy. The Greek word for "Timothy" is Τιμόθεος (timotheos), meaning God honored. He was mentioned as a disciple, meaning that he was already a believer. His father was Greek and his mother was Jewish. He was trained in the Scriptures from childhood (2 Timothy 3:15).
2 The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.
The believers were impressed with Timothy. Later, he would become an apostolic legate.
3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was Greek.
Paul wanted Timothy to replace Mark. The Greeks outlawed circumcision, even for Jews. Since Timothy's father was Greek, the Jews knew that Timothy was uncircumcised. This would cause problems when Paul and Timothy witnessed to the Jews, so Paul asked Timothy to be circumcised. Paul wanted Timothy be a Jew to the Jews. Also, the Abrahamic Covenant commanded that all Jews be circumcised, so this included Timothy.
4 As they went through the towns, they passed on the decrees that had been decided on by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the Gentile believers to obey.
Paul and Timothy visited the churches that Paul and Barnabas had founded on their first missionary journey. They took news to them of the decisions of the Jerusalem Council. Jews and Gentiles are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Gentiles do not have to become circumcised or keep the Mosaic Law. Gentiles are commanded to restrain from eating strangled meat and the drinking of blood. Fornication was forbidden to all (as this was a big problem in the Roman Gentile world). Meats that were offered to idols were forbidden, as long as they were in Jewish fellowship. The reason for these stipulations had nothing to do with keeping the Law for salvation, but to keep social peace between the Jews and Gentiles.
The apostles were the temporary leaders of the churches. The elders were the permanent leaders of the churches.
5 So the churches were being strengthened in the faith and were increasing in number every day.
The Greek word for "strengthened" is στερεόω (stereo), meaning to make stable, solid, immovable, or to build muscle. The church was growing in strength and numbers.
Paul’s Vision of the Macedonian Man
6 They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been prevented by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message in the province of Asia.
Paul, Silas, and Timothy went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, which was the home of two key churches, Antioch of Pisidia and Iconium. However, for some unknown reason, the Holy Spirit sent them on a different path. Paul would later travel to the province of Asia Minor on his third missionary journey, where he would establish the key churches of Ephesus and Laodecia.
7 When they came to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to do this.
Mysia was northwest of Phrygia. Bithynia was north of Galatia. The Holy Spirit did not allow them to enter this area.
8 So they passed through Mysia and went down to Troas.
Troas was a seaport city on the Aegean Sea. It was founded by Alexander the Great and later colonized by the Romans.
9 A vision appeared to Paul during the night: A Macedonian man was standing there urging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!”
Some commentators think that this man was Luke, but there is no biblical evidence for this view. Macedonia was the home of Alexander the Great. This vision will open the door to European evangelism.
10 After Paul saw the vision, we attempted immediately to go over to Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.
Notice the change of pronouns. The author was Luke, and he began to use the "we" pronoun, because he had now joined the missionary group. This is why many commentators think that Luke was the Macedonian man crying out for help.
Arrival at Philippi
11 We put out to sea from Troas and sailed a straight course to Samothrace, the next day to Neapolis.
Samothrace is an island in the Aegean Sea, mid-way between Troas and Neapolis, about eighty-five miles from Troas. It was the seat of the mystery cult known as Cabiri.
12 From there we traveled to Philippi, which is a leading city of that district of Macedonia, a Roman colony. We stayed in this city for some days.
Ancient Neapolis was a port city of Philippi which was located 175 miles from Troas and ten miles before Philippi.
13 On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate to the side of the river, where we thought there would be a place of prayer, and we sat down and began to speak to the women who had assembled there.
There were a small group of Jews present in the city, but not enough to maintain a synagogue. By Jewish law, there must be at least ten Jewish men over the age of thirteen to maintain a public synagogue. If there were not enough adult men, then worship must take place in a clear area, preferably by a river side. Paul knew this Jewish custom, so he went out by the riverside hoping to find a Jewish prayer meeting. Paul always took the gospel to the Jews first, and then the Gentiles.
14 A woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, a God-fearing woman, listened to us. The Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul was saying.
The "man of Macedonia" turned out to be a woman. She was the first European convert. Thyatira was a city famous for its purple dye, which was used by royalty. The god-fearing woman meant that she was either Jewish, or she was a Gentile proselyte. First, she heard the word of God. Then, God opened her heart. Then, she responded with belief. This are the three steps of the process of conversion. First, there was a human witness. Then, God opened her eyes and ears. Third, she believed.
15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me to be a believer in the Lord, come and stay in my house.” And she persuaded us.
Lydia and her house were baptized. She became a hostess to the missionaries.
Paul and Silas Are Thrown Into Prison
16 Now as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit that enabled her to foretell the future by supernatural means. She brought her owners a great profit by fortune-telling.
The messianic place of prayer was the location where Paul met Lydia. The Greek word for "spirit" is πνεῦμα Πύθωνα (pneuma put-on), meaning a spirit of python. The spirit of python was a divining spirit, called after the Pythian serpent said to have guarded the oracle at Delphi and been slain by Apollo. At the Delphi Oracle, a woman would be filled with drugs. Demons would speak through her in gibberish tongues. The priests would interpret her message. This pagan practice was carried into the Corinthian church. Paul's 1st letter to the Corinthians deals with these issues. This same practice is still around in charismatic churches. Just as this demon-possessed woman brought much wealth to her owners, so does this same charismatic spirit bring much wealth to the elders of the charismatic churches.
17 She followed behind Paul and us and kept crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.”
Demons know the identity of the servants of Christ. They know that God is the Most High God. They know of the way of salvation. However, they will not and cannot respond to it. "The demons also believe, and shudder." (James 2:19)
18 She continued to do this for many days. But Paul became greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out of her at once.
Paul did not want to hear testimony from a demon. Also, others in this city knew that this woman was demon-possessed. Her demonic testimony suggested that the worship of Christ was linked to the worship of Satan at the Delphi Temple. Paul used his apostolic authority to drive the demon out. This was a witness that Christ has authority over the demons at the Delphi Oracle.
19 But when her owners saw their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities.
The Delphi Oracle had existed for centuries, even foretelling the doom of Greek and Roman kings. Paul shut down this demonic operation with one sentence.
The Greek word for "seized" is ἐπιλαμβάνομαι (epilambonomai), meaning that they aggressively took hold of Paul and Silas with hostile intent. Notice that Timothy and Luke were not taken. The market place was the Roman court where the rulers assembled and law was enforced.
20 When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, “These men, being Jews, are throwing our city into confusion,”
The owners are showing anti-Semitic bias towards Paul and Silas, since they were Jewish. Satan and his occultist leaders hate the Jews, because they will eventually call on Christ to eliminate the satanic world system. This calling will take place on the last day of the Great Tribulation, when the Jews cry out, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."
21 and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us to accept or practice, since we are Romans.”
Judaism was an accepted religion in the Roman Empire, but it was unlawful for Jews to make Gentile proselytes. The owners were charging Paul and Silas with this crime. There real motive was profit, but the reason given to the city officials was religious and national.
22 The crowd joined the attack against them, and the magistrates tore the clothes off Paul and Silas and ordered them to be beaten with rods.
The crowd, including the magistrates, used mob violence to humiliate and ridicule Paul and Silas publicly. They tore off their clothes, exposing them in public, and then beat then with rods. This would be like stripping a person naked in public, forcing them to bend over, and then hit them on their bare buttocks with a wooden paddle.
23 After they had beaten them severely, they threw them into prison and commanded the jailer to guard them securely.
If this was a Jewish mob, they would have been limited to 39 stripes. Since this was a Gentile mob, they could beat them with as many lashes as possible. Paul and Silas were both Roman citizens, so this was a violation of Roman Law which would incur severe penalty. The immediate mob action may have prevented Paul and Silas from informing the mob that they were Roman citizens.
If the jailer failed to keep them safe, then he would be punished by death.
24 Receiving such orders, he threw them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
The most dangerous criminals were thrown into the inner prison. This was a dungeon without light and with very poor accommodations. It was impossible to escape from the inner prison.
The stocks were put on the feet, hands, and neck. The prisoner was stretched out in a very uncomfortable position.
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the rest of the prisoners were listening to them.
In the Book of Philippians, Paul commanded believers to have joy in all circumstances. While other prisoners were cursing their gods, Paul and Silas were praising the one true God.
26 Suddenly a great earthquake occurred, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. Immediately all the doors flew open, and the bonds of all the prisoners came loose.
At midnight as Paul and Silas were singing, a supernatural earthquake hit the prison. All of the outer and inner doors of the prison were opened. All of the bonds of the prisoners became loose. All of the prisoners had a chance to escape, meaning that the jailer would be executed.
27 When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison standing open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, because he assumed the prisoners had escaped.
It was less painful for the jailer to die by suicide than to die by the hand of the Roman system of government. The Roman government used execution as an example to other Romans that they better submit or else.
28 But Paul called out loudly, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!”
Paul saved the physical life of the jailer.
29 Calling for lights, the jailer rushed in and fell down trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas.
There were no lights in the inner cell, so he called for torches. He fell down trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas as an act of pagan worship.
30 Then he brought them outside and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
The guard brought Paul and Silas to the outer prison cells. He had heard the spiritual songs of Paul and Silas. He knew that the earthquake was supernatural. He knew that the prisoners had chosen not to escape, Now, he wanted to know how to receive eternal salvation.
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Paul, speaking by his apostolic authority, gave the message of salvation. All one has to do for salvation is to believe in the Lord Jesus. The Greek word for "Lord" is κύριος (curios), meaning deity. The word "Christ" is found in the Textus Receptus, but not the Westcott-Hort. The Greek word for Christ is Χριστός (Christos), meaning the anointed Messianic god-man-king predicted in the Old Testament. The Messiah was predicted to be both man and God, preexistent, born of a virgin, sinless, a prophet, priest, king, miracle worker, rejected, crucified, and resurrected. Messiah takes on all of these meanings. Once a person believes in Jesus as deity and Messiah, then he is saved for eternity. The jailer was not saved by water baptism, repenting of his sins, confession, saying a salvation prayer, coming up to an altar, or by doing good works. He just simply believed, and he was saved.
The father was a strong authority figure in Roman households. The "You and your household" meant that the family members had the freedom to pursue and accept Christianity underneath their father's authority.
32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him, along with all those who were in his house.
The jailer brought Paul and Silas to his own house, where the gospel was preached to his family and slaves.
33 At that hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and all his family were baptized right away.
Many of the jailer's houses were over the prison. This was the first time that the wounds of the apostles were treated. Many Roman houses possessed large baths, where baptisms could be held.
34 The jailer brought them into his house and set food before them, and he rejoiced greatly that he had come to believe in God, together with his entire household.
The jailer fed Paul and Silas, which led to fellowship with each other. The jailer rejoiced over his new position in Christ. His entire household, family, and slaves believed in Christ.
35 At daybreak the magistrates sent their police officers, saying, “Release those men.”
The Greek word for "police officers" is ῥαβδοῦχος (rabdouchos), meaning an officer that administered punishment with rods. They were commanded to let Paul and Silas leave.
36 The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent orders to release you. So come out now and go in peace.”
The jailer was happy that Paul was to be released.
37 But Paul said to the police officers, “They had us beaten in public without a proper trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and they threw us in prison. And now they want to send us away secretly? Absolutely not! They themselves must come and escort us out!”
Cicero wrote, “To fetter a Roman citizen was a crime; to scourge him was a scandal; to slay him, parricide." It was a crime to inflict blows on a Roman citizen. It was a capital offense to make a false claim against a Roman citizen. Paul demanded that the magistrates escort them out publicly. Paul used civil law for the benefit of the gospel.
38 The police officers reported these words to the magistrates. They were frightened when they heard Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.
Emperor Claudius had once deprived the City of Rhodes of its freedom for having crucified a Roman citizen. Therefore, the magistrates were scared.
39 And came and apologized to them. After they brought them out, they asked them repeatedly to leave the city.
The Greek word for "asked" is παρακαλέω (parakaleo), meaning that they continually begged them to leave the city. The last thing the magistrates wanted out was that they had beaten two Roman citizens.
40 When they came out of the prison, they entered Lydia’s house, and when they saw the brothers, they encouraged them and then departed.
The first European church was established in the house of Lydia. Paul and Silas visited the brothers, encouraged them, and then they departed. Notice that Luke changed the pronoun from "we" to "they". Luke stayed back and helped minister at the first European church.
41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.
Paul and Silas visited the churches that were planted either by Paul and Barnabas, or by the Antioch Church. Tarsus, the hometown of Paul was located in Cilicia.
The Greek word for "confirming" is ἐπιστηρίζω (epistapizo), meaning to strengthen or build upon. Paul and Silas were discipling these new churches, building upon prior knowledge, and making them stronger.
