The Acts of the Apostles, the history of the early church, by Luke the physician - Acts 16:1-5 comments: Paul and Timothy

Acts 16:1 ¶  Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: 2  Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. 3  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. 4  And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem. 5  And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.

 

Here Paul meets Timothy from the Greek Timotheus. His immediate lineage is further named elsewhere.

 

2Timothy 1:5  When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.

 

Paul wrote later;

 

Galatians 5:6  For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

 

Paul’s behavior is a little contradictory. He will say that he is no longer going to the Jews in Acts 18:6 and yet will continue to try to preach to them, which will cause him no end of trouble. Notice that Peter also declares his mission to the Gentiles in Acts 15:7 which Paul claims in Romans 15:16 and Galatians 2:8 and other places.

 

God did ordain Paul to minister, teach, and preach.

 

Acts 9:15  But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

 

For examples, Paul preaches to the non-Jewish crowd who worship Greek gods at Lystra in Acts 14:8-18, then to a king in Acts 26, and several times he attempts to preach to the Jews who are either hostile or clueless as in the final chapter of Acts. Finally, he declares in his writing in Romans 11:13 that he is the minister to the Gentiles.

 

Paul is a complicated man, a leader like Moses, driven by his zeal for God and his own will, prejudices, and stubbornness. He will do things that he is called to do but will also do things at cross-purposes to his mission. But, still we must admire him for his determination to be a messenger, an ambassador for God who made him sit probably in chains to Roman guards to write his incredible letters.