What does Acts 16:9 mean?
Troas is a port town on the westernmost shore of modern-day Asia Minor. Paul, Silas, and Timothy have traveled there, having visited the churches Paul and Barnabas planted in the center of the peninsula. And yet, the Holy Spirit has herded them away from the north and west. Now, the Holy Spirit leads them across the northern Aegean Sea to Macedonia.At that time, Macedonia covered much of the northern peninsula of Greece. The three will go and "help" the Macedonians by telling them of Jesus' offer of salvation, but their work will come at a cost. In Philippi, Paul and Silas will be beaten and jailed (Acts 16:22–34). The Thessalonians will attack the locals who accept Christ and then chase Paul and Silas out of Thessalonica, follow them to Berea, and harass Paul until he flees to Athens in Greece (Acts 17:5–15). In Athens, Paul will find very few Jews or Gentile God-followers. He will share the gospel with pagan philosophers, who will persecute him, but not as severely as he'd been attacked in other towns (Acts 17:32). Finally, in Corinth, the Jews will harass the Christians, but God will protect them (Acts 18:6–17).
Modern-day western Christians know, on an intellectual level, that spreading the message of forgiveness of sins through Jesus' sacrifice will bring persecution (John 15:18–21). And yet, those who stay in the West tend to be sheltered; at times, western Christians misidentify inconvenience with persecution. To Paul and Silas, starting a church on the bank of a river is a very minor inconvenience. Being mocked for their beliefs did not deter them. Being beaten and chained in a prison cell is persecution, but not so great that they would rather escape than keep the opportunity to share the gospel with their jailer (Acts 16:29–34). It is good for the modern church to insist on the rights promised by the secular government. It is better to accept both inconvenience and persecution while remembering what our mission is: to help others escape eternal torment and find loving reconciliation with their Creator.
Acts 16:6–10 records Paul, Silas, and Timothy striking out into new territory. They have visited the churches Paul and Barnabas planted in Galatia and given them the letter from the church in Jerusalem affirming Gentiles do not need to convert to Judaism to follow Jesus. Now they head farther west. The Holy Spirit tells them to bypass Asia and Bithynia—the districts in the far west and far north of modern-day Asia Minor—and cross the Aegean Sea. Jesus' offer of salvation is coming to Macedonia and Greece. They also meet the author of both this book and the gospel which bears his name: Luke.
Acts 16 follows Paul and Silas as they take the letter of Acts 15 into modern-day Asia Minor and Macedonia. They collect Timothy in Lystra and Luke in Troas. In Philippi, they meet Lydia and baptize her family. After expelling a demon from a fortune-telling girl, city officials illegally beat and imprison Paul and Silas. An earthquake frees them of their chains, but they stay and bring the jailer and his family to Christ. The next morning, Paul and Silas refuse to leave quietly, politely insisting that their civil rights have been violated. The officials apologize, and Paul, Silas, and Timothy go to Thessalonica.
