To Philippi Via Circumcision

As I was studying this past week, upon reading of Timothy’s circumcision, I found myself wondering why Timothy wasn’t circumcised before and further, why Paul was circumcising him at this point in his life. Clearly, this is a bunny trail and doesn’t pertain directly to our study in Philippians. However, understanding these issues will offer insight into Timothy’s life in particular. As noted in the text of Acts 16, Timothy’s mom was a believing Jew and his father was Greek. Interesting combination. Let me offer some insights from my studies …

• Paul mentions Timothy’s mom, Eunice (named in 2 Timothy 1:5 along with his grandmother, Lois) first. Both of these women believed in Jesus, so this was already a faith that was passed on from generation to generation – pretty neat to have that so soon after Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Jewish law required that in an inter-faith situation, a child must adhere to the religion of the mother. So technically, Timothy should have been circumcised and raised a Jew. Why was that not the case? Hang with me for a moment.
• Timothy’s father is brought up next in this way, “…but his father was Greek.” Clearly the author is attempting to contrast the mother and the father by his use of the word “but.” I think we can assume that Timothy’s father was not a believer, otherwise Paul would have mentioned it and not made such a distinction between the two parents. It was also suggested by scholars that perhaps Timothy’s father was no longer living. As I stated in the comments yesterday, this is perhaps why Paul felt more inclined to view Timothy as a son. As to Greek law, the father was to dominate the home. So that law, coupled with a probable weak or lax Jewish community in which this family lived enabled Timothy to be reared predominantly as a Greek.
• Yet still, Jews regarded Timothy as a Jew, and I believe that’s why Paul went ahead and circumcised him – so that he would have rapport among the Jews. For there was nothing wrong for a Jew to continue to practice the law (Acts 21:21-26; 1 Cor. 9:19-23). What Paul and the apostles fought for at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 was distinct from this situation. They were opposed to the group of Jews (Judaizers) who were going around announcing that circumcision was mandatory for salvation for Jew and Gentile … BIG difference. Paul was vehemently opposed to such a contradiction to the gospel. Let’s not miss the boat here, people – salvation is a work of God’s grace and CANNOT be merited.
  
  Enough regarding circumcision – let’s move on in Acts 16 so we can get back to Philippians soon. I want to address a couple more things before I close out.
  
  The Work: After adding Timothy to the team, Paul and his associates travel around that area to share the results of the Jerusalem Council so that the people would abide by the decrees. Can you imagine how this high tech society could have benefited their work? But you know, it probably would have ruined their work in a sense too, or rather impaired it. The kind of interaction that they had with these churches must have been amazing as they met face-to-face rather than computer-to-computer. Ah, the blessings and curses of modern technology!
  
  The Result: As these men met with the believers in various cities, not only was their faith strengthened but their numbers continued to grow daily. What an exciting work!
  
  And eventually these men ended up in Philippi – a Greek colony that was eventually conquered by the Romans in 167 B.C. At the time Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke got there, there was no established congregation meeting. Jewish law required that ten male heads of households were needed to constitute an official congregation. Since Philippi lacked that, those who did meet for prayer did so outside in a public place. That’s where the men met Lydia and some other women who were gathered for prayer. My assumption then is that the church in Philippi began with a good core group of women … interesting.
  
  Okay, I promise I won’t always be this in-depth. I just found a lot of this info very interesting and helpful as we head into a better understanding of the book of Philippians. As we move ahead, I do hope to offer more by the way of application, for what good is it if we study the Word of God and fail to let it pierce our own hearts and mold us to be more like Christ? That is our goal, correct?
  
  Tomorrow – back to Philippians. Grace and peace to you.