Acts 16:1

"And he came also to Derbe and to Lystra: and behold,. certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of. Jewess that believed; but his father was. Greek"Derbe and to Lystra" "Lystra and Derbe were the last Galatian towns to have been visited on the first missionary journey. So now, as Paul approached them from the east, Derbe and Lystra were of course the first to be revisited" (Stott p. 254). Between. and. years have passed since Paul had first preached to these cities (Acts 14:6). In fact, in Lystra Paul had been stoned by an angry mob (Acts 14:19-20). To get to these cities, Paul would pass through Cilicia cross the Tarsus mountain range through. pass known as the Cilician gates. McGarvey notes the restraint of the writer, when he says, "Had he (Luke) been disposed to indulge in descriptions of scenery, which he never does, he might have given us. vivid picture of the Gates of Cilicia, the magnificent pass through the Tarsus mountains which opens. way from the lowlands of Cilicia to the uplands of Lycaonia" (p. 78). Lystra was situated some 18 miles SW of Iconium and Derbe was 30 miles SE of Lystra. "A certain disciple was there" In the last city mentioned, Lystra. "Timothy" The name means "dear to God". Timothy may have been in his late teens or very early 20's at this time, seeing that some 16 years later he is still referred to as. young man (1 Timothy 4:12). Since Paul calls Timothy his "child in the faith" (1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2; 1 Corinthians 4:15), most believe that Paul had personally converted him, along with his mother and grandmother during the first trip to Lystra."Son of. Jewess that believed" His mother was. Jewish woman who had become. Christian. Later we find that her name was Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5), and apparently her mother Lois, had also been converted (2 Timothy 1:5). "But his father was. Greek" Not. Greek who believed or. Gentile who had become. proselyte, but. Gentile who was an unbeliever. from Acts 16:3, Acts 16:3 it seems that his father had deliberately prevented Timothy from being circumcised, that is he was not. supporter of Timothy's religious training, in fact had even put his foot down when it came to having Timothy circumcised. "The statement that Timothy's Jewish mother had married. Gentile suggests that. less exclusive standard obtained in Asia Minor than in Palestine" (Bruce p. 322). In addition, we forget that this marriage may have been arranged, which means that Eunice may have had no choice in the matter. Reese notes, "What may have happened is that Eunice's father, living. long way from Palestine where the law would have been strictly enforced, had relaxed the careful observance of this" (p. 564). Here we find. great example for people who feel that their poor, disadvantaged or abusive upbringing stands as. hurdle that they can never overcome. On the one hand Timothy was an outsider to everyone. The Jewish community would not accept him (not circumcised, from. mixed marriage), but neither would the Gentile community (his mother was Jewish). On the other hand what seemed like. disadvantage would greatly assist him in preaching, for he knew both worlds well. Notice that his mother had not given up. She continued to teach him the Scriptures (2 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 3:15). Others might have said, "It's no use, your son will never be allowed to amount to anything." We may not be able to give our children every advantage, but we can prepare them to seize an opportunity. Timothy was. child caught between the conflicting values of two parents, yet Timothy's mother continued to do what she could to train her son. She did not adopt the naive belief, "I do not want to prejudice my son with my convictions."