Without Let or Hinderance

Without Let or Hindrance

The beginning of Chapter 16 of Acts sees the introduction of a new face, Timothy. He is noted as a young man known well by the believers in Lystra and Iconium and well thought of. And while this is a new name, the towns should be familiar to us. Paul had traveled here during his first missionary journey, and now he has returned. This is especially notable since he first fled Iconium because there was a plot to kill him there and in Lystra he was actually taken by an angry mob out of the city and stoned. Paul returned to these places because his work was not yet finished, and there was nothing that would stand in his way to complete it. Another notable fact we find out about Timothy is that his mother was Jewish and his father was Greek. And although this seems quaint Bible trivia now, it had more profound cultural implications at the time. And we are given an inclination toward this in Acts 16:3, “Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.” 

For those who remember the discussion of the Council of Jerusalem two weeks ago, this may seem strange. Why would Paul, who argued against the necessity of circumcision for salvation, begin Timothy’s missionary career in such a fashion? Paul was concerned about nothing more than connecting with his audience. He knew that Timothy’s Greek heritage would prove a stumbling block to those who they were to bring the Message, and Paul wanted there to be nothing standing in the way. It’s reasonable to assume he had heard the words of Jesus, “If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.” (Matthew 18:8) Paul was taking the proactive approach (certainly in keeping with his personality) and removing any hindrance to others receiving the truth before it became a problem. The practical applications are endless, as a question to the measure of devotion. Timothy assented to this practice; how far are you willing to go to make a connection for God’s Kingdom?

Humble obedience is the key phrase of this chapter. Ellie pointed it out to us in the discussion, but we’ll return to that later. Acts 16:6-10 is a short section but a very telling one. In brief summary, Paul and his companions are traveling and spreading the word and are headed toward Asia (in this instance the Roman province of Asia Minor-modern day Turkey) but are kept from doing so by the Holy Spirit. Many modern Christians would grow indignant at the thought of being kept from doing what they considered to be holy work. But our plans are not God’s plans, and although we may be yearning for something we consider to be right and good and decent, that is not enough. Paul was given a vision of a man from Macedonia begging for help. So Paul obediently followed. It was during this sojourn that they met up with and included Luke in their travels. The reference changes from “they” to “we” to indicate this, and upon their arrival in Macedonia they meet Lydia, a “dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God.” (Acts 16:14b) She and her household are baptized and her home becomes an epicenter of Christian activity in the area. And from this base of operations, the message of Jesus is proclaimed in a new continent, Europe.

But not without consequence. After impinging upon the income of some of the locals, a crowd was stirred up to arrest Paul and Silas. (**Tangent**--Note that only Paul and Silas are accused and arrested here, not the Gentile Luke or Timothy, who had Greek heritage. The injustice of this Anti-Sematism is a familiar refrain in many accounts of the early Church and seems to be bubbling under the surface of society today. It was ugly then, and it is ugly now. Keep in mind the description of the New Jerusalem afforded to us in Revelation 21:12 “It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. And on the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.” It’s a fool who sets himself against God.) But Paul and Silas allow themselves to be taken away, flogged, and thrown in prison. With complete humble obedience, they followed the path God had led them on, toward torture and prison, and in the midst of this nightmarish experience what is their response? “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” (Acts 16:25). How do you respond to adversity?

The bulk of our discussion is nestled in these last passages. It was at this point an earthquake shook the prison, loosed the shackles, threw open the doors, and freed every prisoner kept therein. Upon realizing this, the jailer woke and drew his sword ready to kill himself. It was Roman practice to visit upon the jailer the punishment of any prisoner who escaped their custody. And this man knew it would have been better to greet death than to suffer the penalty he imagined he was facing. “But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” (Acts 16:28) Nathaniel brought up a very good point that the response of Paul and Silas and this unnamed jailer illustrate the difference between suffering with and without Christ respectively. One is filled with nothing but hope and the other with nothing but despair. Ilse elaborated that this can indicate which authority your life is centered around. An earthly authority only offers punishment while our Heavenly Authority offers redemption. There is an absolute difference between the two and what follows should be inspiring to us. Paul and Silas were freshly beaten prisoners, shackled uncomfortably and left to spend a night awaiting an uncertain but likely grim future. The jailer was the one with all of the power and control over their situations. In one moment God reversed their positions by putting the lie to our understanding of just how our world truly works. Acts 16:29-”The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought then out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” The jailer fell before the prisoner, even referring to them as “sirs”. God holds our entire existence in His hand, and the quicker we realize that, the better off we will be. Nothing is what we assume it is.

We spent a good deal of time discussing the importance of sharing a testimony and how impactful that can be. Paul and Silas here were able to understand keenly the situation of this jailer. He was a man condemned to die, and there was nothing, save God, that could commute that sentence. His situation is a very familiar one. Acts records for us that not only did this jailer become saved, but his whole family was as well. Once Paul and Silas were released the next day, they returned to Lydia’s house to meet with and encourage the nascent church before continuing on their way. Not one shred of this would have happened if they had not first been obedient to God’s will instead of their own. God desired to have them in Macedonia and not Asia. They followed and were rewarded with abuse, arrest, and jail. In response, they sang hymns and prayed. Is it any wonder that the jailer reacted this way? Our faith is a radical thing. It stands in stark contrast with the world’s standards and rejects its priorities entirely. By living their faith, they were sharing their faith. And when the crisis came, the jailer begged them to share with him what they knew. This leaves us with several pointed questions.

Are you only faithful when you feel peaceful? We know that Paul stands firm against actions he considers unjust. If revealing his Roman citizenship, as they did later, would have gotten him freed from the beating and imprisonment, why didn’t he speak up earlier? “They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” (Acts 16:20-21) Timothy and Luke are not recorded to have gone to prison or faced this punishment. Why did Paul and Silas assent to it? Because they did not submit to the earthly authority which is fickle, blind, and ultimately powerless. They were humbly obedient to the Heavenly Authority, in whom they had complete faith. Faith, irrespective of their feeling or circumstance. They also allowed no obstacle to their mission. Addressing an unfamiliar or even hostile culture? Take proactive steps to prove to them you are serious, even if the consequences are “permanent.” (Permanent should be distinguished here from eternal.) Unjustly imprisoned? Sing hymns so that even the prisoners can hear and listen. Suddenly freed? Consider yourself last absolutely; once redeemed you are more free than any law can make you. And even a jailer can still be held in bondage to sin. Sharing your testimony? People will only believe it if they can see it. You can have the most dramatic tale of transformation known to man, but if your actions reflect nothing new, then no one will want to hear it. The jailer begged them to be saved without hearing a word directly from Paul and Silas. Remember they were singing and praying while this jailer was asleep. By all means, share your testimony, but be prepared to prove your testimony too!

There is a saying credited to the Roman philosopher Seneca, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” If you spend your days in God’s word, discussing Him with friends and family, diminishing yourself and in prayer, then God will provide the opportunities. Paul and Silas weren’t lucky; they were prepared and obedient. Many people wish to see a miracle of God or to see Him move in dramatic fashion today. But if Paul and Silas went their own way, they would have been in Asia Minor when that earthquake hit the jail in Macedonia. What we see is a missionary journey that refuses to let anything get in the way of the Message. Circumcision, destination, incarceration, it doesn’t matter. What stands in your way? It can’t be bigger than God. Relinquish it, whether it be fear, pride, doubt, or any other possible thing. Let it go. Paul and Silas did wonderfully, but they’ve returned home now. Luke would have remembered what Jesus said in Luke 10:2a, “He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” Go, therefore, without let or hindrance, to reap what others have sown. The duty is ours, and there is work to be done.

Jordan Williamson