Acts 16:1-5 meaning

In Acts 16:1-5, Paul and Silas continue Paul’s second missionary journey. The first order of business is to visit the churches that Paul and Barnabas planted in Galatia a few years earlier, on their first missionary journey. At the end of Chapter 15, Paul and Silas were “traveling through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.” Rather than sail across the Mediterranean to the region of Pamphylia and traveling north into Galatia, Paul has chosen to go exclusively by land on this return journey. Syria and Cilicia were Roman provinces and are part of modern-day Turkey.

From the outset of his journey, Paul went north from Antioch then due west, traveling out of Syria and through Cilicia, probably stopping in Tarsus, the place of his birth. He had apparently planted a church there in his hometown (Acts 9:30). He spent about ten years in Tarsus after he believed in Jesus, before Barnabas summoned him to teach at the new church in Syrian Antioch (Acts 11:25-26). 

Luke, the author of Acts, tracks Paul and Silas’s progress after they leave Cilicia: 

Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra (v. 1).

Continuing northwest, Paul probably went through a pass in the Taurus Mountains known as the Cilician Gates. The journey from the Cilician Gates to Derbe is about 100 miles. 

After many days of walking, Paul is able to check up on the churches he planted in the region of Galatia, starting with the last church he had planted, Derbe. 

On his first journey into the region of Galatia, Paul came to Derbe and Lystra last, but on his return journey, since he has traveled by land from the east, he comes to Derbe and Lystra first.

From Derbe, Paul would go on to Lystra, a journey of about 60 miles (taking roughly three days to walk). Lystra was where Paul was stoned by a mob of Jews who hated him and his gospel message on his first missionary journey. They thought they had killed him after the stoning was done. But Paul did not die, and instead returned to Lystra the same day of his stoning. He stayed in Lystra overnight before departing. He visited Lystra again after preaching in Derbe during his first missionary journey, establishing elders there to help lead the Lystrian believers (Acts 14:23). 

In the time gap between Acts 14 and Acts 16, the church in Lystra seems to have flourished. In Lystra, Paul is acquainted or reacquainted with Timothy:

And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek (v. 1).

Timothy was someone Paul would go on to consider his “true child in the faith”; Timothy would eventually become the pastor of the church in Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:2-3). Toward the end of his life, Paul would write two letters to Timothy which are preserved in the New Testament (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy). 

Timothy was a disciple, a believer in Jesus and a follower of His teachings, and was the son of a Jewish woman. The fact that his mother was a Jewish woman meant that Timothy was considered fully Jewish, despite his father being Greek. This is known as matrilineal descent, and is a part of Jewish tradition. 

Luke, the author of Acts, tells us that Timothy’s mother was a believer, but does not make the same claim about the father. His father may be dead or simply not a believer in Jesus. In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, we learn the name of Timothy’s Jewish mother, 

“For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.”
(2 Timothy 1:5)

Based on this, it seems that Timothy’s mother, Eunice, and grandmother, Lois, believed in the gospel before he did. Paul also notes that Timothy was taught the Old Testament while growing up, 

“from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
(2 Timothy 3:15)

It is reasonable to suppose that Eunice and Lois taught Timothy “the sacred writings” of the Bible throughout his childhood, since Luke does not describe there being a synagogue in Lystra as he does in the other Galatian and Cyprian cities (Acts 13:5, 14, 14:1). On their first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas would first preach the gospel in the synagogue, if the city had one. In Lystra, they preached in the streets to crowds mostly made up of Greeks. There had to be a minimum of ten Jewish men in a city to form a synagogue, so the Jewish population in Lystra seems to have been very small, since there was apparently no synagogue.

Eunice, Lois, and probably Timothy became believers in Jesus during Paul and Barnabas’s ministry there. It is also possible that Timothy came to believe in Jesus later on, and ever since has thrived in his walk with God. 

Timothy has a good reputation among the believers in Lystra and the nearby city of Iconium:

and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium (v. 2).

Iconium was about 20 miles north of Lystra, a day’s walk. That Timothy is well spoken of by the brethren (the believers) in both Lystra and Iconium points to a friendly relationship between the Christian communities in these neighboring cities. Timothy spent time in both cities, either due to work, or as an intermediary between the churches. That he is well spoken of by the brethren indicates he has been active in growing as a disciple, and perhaps teaching. As noted earlier, Timothy would later go on to be a preacher, leader, and evangelist himself after spending years learning from Paul (2 Timothy 4:2, 5). We can infer at this point he has already shown a gifting for ministry. 

Paul sees this potential in Timothy:

Paul wanted this man (Timothy) to go with him (v. 3). 

Not only to the other churches in the region of Galatia, nor back to Antioch, but on a second missionary journey into new cities that had not yet heard the gospel. Though the original concept for the trip was to check on the Galatian churches (Acts 15:36), Paul evidently intended to also travel to places he had not previously been in order to preach the gospel (Acts 16:6-10).

Timothy agreed to join Paul’s ministry team (which also included Silas, from Jerusalem). There was one issue. Since Timothy’s father was Greek, Timothy was never circumcised as an infant. Male Jewish offspring were circumcised eight days after birth. Timothy was uncircumcised. 

So Paul took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek (v. 3). 

The previous chapter, Acts 15, describes the Jerusalem Council and the concurrence that Gentile believers did not need to become circumcised or submit to the Law of Moses (Acts 15:10-11, 19). But Timothy was a Jewish believer, due to his Jewish heritage through his mother. 

So, before going with Paul’s missionary team, Timothy is circumcised. Luke tells us the reasoning behind this late-in-life decision: because of the Jews who were in those parts. This might be a reference to the Jews who had opposed Paul and tried to murder him by stoning him years before. 

To help protect Timothy’s life and ministry, Timothy needed to fully embrace his Jewish heritage. This was done so that there would be no legitimate basis for which the Jews could oppose Timothy. They certainly opposed Paul and the gospel on many illegitimate grounds and through illegal, immoral means, but Paul always tried to minister with the strategy of finding commonality with his audience. He writes of this evangelistic philosophy in his first letter to the Corinthians: 

“For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law…I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.”
(1 Corinthians 9:19-20, 21)

Paul continued to practice Judaism for the rest of his life, as he will assert in Acts 28:17 when he tells Jewish leaders that he had never violated the customs of their fathers. This was not because he thought it would make him more righteous or earn his approval in God’s sight. Paul made clear that justification before God came by faith alone (Romans 4:1-3). Paul’s expressed intent in upholding Jewish customs included maintaining his witness to his Jewish brethren (1 Corinthians 9:19-20). Thus, circumcising Timothy will disarm the hostile unbelieving Jews from stirring up potential controversy or creating a stumbling block that would hinder their testimony to them. 

Timothy’s circumcision could also be seen as what the Apostle Peter describes as keeping “a good conscience” so that when others slander you, their lies will be demonstrably false, and it will shame them (1 Peter 3:16). Paul speaks often in his writings about the importance of the conscience (see commentary on 2 Corinthians 1:15-22). 

Paul made clear in his teachings and writings that he was not trying to insult or get rid of the Mosaic Law (Romans 3:31, 7:12). Paul deeply respected the Old Testament as the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16). But he firmly stood against any effort to require Gentiles to convert to Judaism, the first step of which was to be circumcised (Galatians 2:3-5, 3:6-8). 

Many of Paul’s opponents could not make sense of this distinction, or just simply did not like it. They claimed he was preaching against the Law of Moses and had abandoned it, which was not true (Acts 20:21-26). Paul understood the Law of Moses to be a tutor that revealed how sinful we are, and how much we needed the Messiah Jesus to take sin on Himself and give us new hearts (Galatians 3:24-26). Paul taught that this transformation is received by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). But many Jewish opponents slandered Paul’s teaching and twisted his words in order to oppose him (Romans 3:8).

Thus, Timothy’s circumcision opens the door culturally for him to preach the gospel to the Jews. Now he can go into the synagogues with Paul and teach, as has been Paul’s practice (Acts 13:14, 14:1). No one can accuse him of not following the Law of Moses due to Timothy being uncircumcised. If they say, “Your father is a Greek, you are not circumcised,” Timothy can answer, “I am circumcised.” There is now no impediment to Timothy’s ability to go in and out among Jewish society wherever they travel. There is also no inconsistency with Paul’s teaching that Gentiles should not be circumcised because Timothy is Jewish by inheritance through his mother.

Timothy was willing to undergo this momentary physical suffering to further the gospel. His attitude was something like, “If circumcision helps give me a platform to preach the gospel to the Jews, I will do it.” There would be nothing pleasant about undergoing this painful surgery as an adult. This will be Timothy’s first suffering for the gospel due to his association with Paul, but certainly not his last. 

Paul and his team, now increased by one, depart from Lystra and Iconium and its region. Timothy tells his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois goodbye, and leaves with Paul and Silas. 

Part of Paul’s check-ups on these churches in the region of Galatia is to hand out copies of the letter written by the elders and apostles at the Jerusalem Council which made clear that Gentiles were not required to be circumcised and obey Jewish rituals in order to be saved:

Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the decrees which had been decided upon by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe (v. 4). 

The cities which they were passing through includes the previously mentioned cities of Derbe, Lystra, and Iconium.

While Pisidian Antioch is not mentioned by name, it makes sense that Paul and his team also visited the believers there and delivered the decrees to them. Pisidian Antioch had a synagogue and its church was composed of believing Jews, Gentile proselytes, and Greek Gentiles. The letter from the Jerusalem council would have been particularly relevant to their community, as it explained that Gentile believers did not need to become Jewish to be made right in God’s eyes (Acts 15:23-29). 

The letter also advised Gentiles on how to stay pure and unstained from the corruption of idolatry and the world, by avoiding food sacrificed to idols and abstaining from sexual immorality. This would help maintain a unified community among the mixed group of Jews and Gentiles. Jews would not have been allowed to fellowship with Gentiles engaging in such practices. So, by being sexually pure and staying away from idols, there would be no barriers between Gentiles and Jews. 

Luke summarizes the success of this return circuit through the churches planted in the region of Galatia thusly:

So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily (v. 5).

Paul’s ministry during these return visits of this second missionary journey are described as having two separate effects. 

Firstly, the pre-existing churches (communities of believers) were strengthened in the faith by Paul’s visit. Doubtless, he also taught while visiting each church, probably concerning many of the topics he would write about in his epistles to churches all over the Roman world. One theme he emphasized was probably about Jesus’s death covering all sin, and that the Gentile Christians would not benefit from practicing Jewish rituals since their new birth in Christ comes by grace, and is received through faith (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

It is not known when he wrote his Letter to the Galatians, which dealt with this issue, but it is possible he had written it already. This might be deduced from Paul’s assertion that “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him” in Galatians 1:6. This phrase “so quickly” indicates that Paul might have written that letter to the churches in the region of Galatia prior to this second missionary journey. 

Paul’s epistle/letter to the Galatians has an unnerved, shocked, critical tone. In Galatians, Paul directly opposes false teachers who were like the believing Pharisees in Acts 15:5, in that they also asserted that Gentiles had to be circumcised and follow Jewish rituals in order to be saved. It seems these false teachers had moved in on the Galatians in a relatively short time after the Galatians came to faith (Galatians 3:1). It is even possible that the believing Pharisees attending the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 might have hatched an intentional plan to follow Paul and overturn the council’s decision.

If the Galatians letter had already been sent, Paul was probably spending a lot of time during this visit in Acts 16 countering this false teaching. Now that Paul could speak to the Galatians in person, he can dig deeper. If they had already received his Letter to the Galatians, they would be extra familiar with Paul’s teaching on the matter. 

The Letter to the Galatians thoroughly debunks the idea that Gentiles are only saved if they become circumcised and convert to Judaism. Paul could now, face to face, go over the teaching set forth in the Galatians letter and double down on the truth of the gospel of faith, that our new birth is received by faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross, just as Jesus taught (John 3:14-15). 

Alternatively, if the Letter to the Galatians was written at a later date, at the very least Paul had brought to the Galatians the decrees undersigned by James, half-brother of Jesus and lead elder of the Jerusalem church, and the eleven Apostles of Jesus Christ. Whatever the timing of his Letter to the Galatians, Paul most likely taught against this false teaching during this return visit. The Galatians obviously needed multiple clarifications on this matter (Galatians 3:2-5, 4:18-20). 

Paul also strengthened and encouraged their perseverance in the faith. During his first mission trip to these cities, he suffered ongoing mistreatment. He was driven out of some of the cities, and stoned in Lystra. But this did not deter Paul. And whatever hostilities the churches were facing (Galatians 3:4), or would face, Paul exhorted them to trust that any “momentary, light affliction” was nothing compared to the glories God promised those who endured and remained faithful in their witness for Jesus (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

Secondly, Paul’s visit helped grow the population within the churches. Paul was an evangelist; he preached the good news of Jesus the Messiah wherever he went, if the Spirit did not forbid it (which we will see in the following passage). Though he had already preached the gospel in these cities and established churches, he and Timothy and Silas preached it again, so that the churches were increasing in number daily. More and more people were trusting in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection in Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and probably Pisidian Antioch. 

The Greek word translated churches has the root “ekklesia.” The word was used in Greek culture to refer to an assembly of people for an established purpose, as with Greek city states where citizens assembled in the street to vote. This can be seen in Acts 7:38 where “ekklesia” is translated “congregation.” This passage speaks of Jesus as being the fulfillment of the prophecy that God would raise up another prophet like Moses to speak to Israel, and refers to Israel when it journeyed from Egypt to Canaan:

“This is the one who was in the congregation (‘ekklesia’) in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you.”
(Acts 7:38)

By choosing to use this word to refer to believers who assembled together, the emphasis seems to be upon their voluntary choice to gather together to seek mutual encouragement and benefit. Hebrews 10:25 speaks of the importance to assemble together to “stir one another up to love and good works.” We can presume this was the practice and intent of these churches scattered through the region of Galatia. 

That these churches were being strengthened in the faith would equip them to stir one another up to love and good works all the more. It is inferred that their increasing in number daily was directly linked to the strength of their faith. This implies that the believers residing in the various cities in the region of Galatia had received and were practicing Paul’s admonition that faith should inform the entire lifestyle of these believers. 

As Paul asserts to the church in Rome: “the righteous man shall live by faith” quoting Habakkuk 2:4 (Romans 1:16). Paul also quoted that same Old Testament verse in his letter to the churches residing in Galatia (Galatians 3:11). Paul emphasized to other believers to apply our trust to the promise God has made, that living faithfully in Him will be worth the difficulties (1 Corinthians 2:9). We will all face the judgement, and Paul desires each believer to gain great rewards and the maximum fulfillment from living our lives on earth, rather than wasting the opportunity and suffering loss (1 Corinthians 3:12-15, 2 Corinthians 4:17, 5:10, Galatians 6:8-9).