The Acts of the Apostles are probably one of my favorite books of the New Testament. At least among the post-Gospel books. This collection of stories by Luke show us the development of the church after the ascension of Jesus and also shows what the disciples had to go through in spreading the word throughout the region. And, often, it meant sacrificing one’s own life.
But today we come to the story of Timothy. It is believed that Timothy was about 18-20 years old when Paul took him under his wing. In today’s reading, Paul finds himself in the region of Derbe and Lystra (in modern day Turkey). This is his second trip here, as we may recall him being stoned by the residents here earlier in Acts. So, it takes a great deal of courage for him to return. It is also felt that he evangelized Timothy on the first trip here.
We are told that Timothy’s Mother is a Jew and his Father was (implying that Timothy’s Father is deceased at this point) a Greek. And we learn that Timothy is not circumcised. The implication here is that his Father was not a believer and prevented the Jewish ritual from being performed on Timothy as a baby.
We learn in this reading that Paul has Timothy circumcised before leaving on their journey. Whoa!! OK. Now, I think I speak for the XY chromosome readers of A Catholic Moment when I say that I would have to think for a VERY long time about having this procedure done at 18 years of age!! I have been at a couple circumcision ceremonies (brit milah in Hebrew or just a bris in common language) and even as a baby it is not really very popular.
So here we have a grown man in Timothy and Paul saying to him essentially, “if you want to play, you gotta pay”. And he goes along with it! I don’t know about you all, but my legs were crossed as I was reading this. But why did Paul require this of Timothy. After all, hadn’t the apostles decided that a Gentile did not have to be circumcised first before becoming a follower of Christ? Yes. That is true. But consider the undertaking that Paul and Timothy were embarking on. When Paul had previously entered a town, the first place he went to preach was in the local synagogue. Already hostile territory. It is assumed, since it was highly unusual for a Jew to marry a non-Jew as Timothy’s parents were, most knew Timothy’s non-circumcised status. Therefore, his integrity as a speaker in a synagogue would be called into question. So, while undergoing the knife was not considered to be necessary to be a follower of Christ, it was expedient for the work Paul and Timothy had to do as missionaries.
Later in the reading we learn that Paul and Timothy were prevented by the spirit from preaching in Asia and in Bithynia (present day north-central Turkey). Instead they were called in a vision to travel to Macedonia (roughly the area occupied by the former Yugoslavia). From here they spread the word into Europe. Why were they prevented from entering these regions? We don’t really know. Some say because the churches in these regions had already been sufficiently implanted. Also, there is a theory that Paul was ill and would not have been able to make the journey.
But what we do know is that these disciples followed the will of God, communicated to them through the Spirit. They trusted that word and followed in faith the direction that the Spirit of God was instructing them to follow. It may very well be that Paul and his companions felt that they were needed in Asia. They could have easily assessed the situation and made what they would have considered to be a logical decision and went ahead with their own plan. Instead they followed God’s plan.
How did they know what God’s plan was? How do WE know what God’s plan is for our us? Do we let the opinions of the world we live in dictate our decisions? Do we allow ourselves to be swayed by our culture? Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel that we will be hated by the world because of our adhering to His word. For proclaiming His Gospel. This then cannot be the way we can determine what is true. What IS needed is to stay in touch with His plan for us. And how do we do this? By listening. No way Timothy would have heeded Paul’s word to have a part of his anatomy removed if Timothy had not heard Jesus’ words through Paul. He heard the truth and listened to the truth. You cannot trust in someone you do not know. We know of God’s will by listening to His word in Scripture and by talking to Him on a regular basis through prayer. By sitting quietly in His presence and waiting for the answer.
And what about Timothy’s Mother? I mean she had grown up a faithful Jew. She raised Timothy as a faithful Jew, even though she was prevented from having him Circumcised by his Father. But she developed her Faith in the Gospel through Paul, enough to allow her son to go on a journey that she had to know could very well result in him losing his life. Faith. Not a faith in the world she knew. The world of the temple, of sacrifice, and the law. It was a faith in The Way. A faith in Jesus that was planted by Paul then grown in the word and the Spirit.
So what are you willing to do for Christ? Will you post on Facebook for Him? Will you say grace before a meal at a public restaurant? Will you share your faith with non-believing family members? We may not be asked to be physically circumcised for Christ, but in some ways, He may ask us to lose a part of ourselves to join Him.
