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What does Acts 16 mean?

Chapter Commentary:

Acts 16 describes the second segment of Paul and Silas' missionary journey. After their first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem and received official instructions from the church leadership there that Gentiles did not have to convert to traditional Judaism; they did not need to be circumcised and follow the Mosaic law to follow Jesus, the Jewish Messiah. Silas and Judas Barsabbas escorted Paul and Barnabas back to their home church in Syrian Antioch with a letter to that effect. After a falling out over John Mark, Barnabas took Mark to the island of Cyprus and Paul took Silas and a copy of the letter to the churches around Syria and Cilicia, the territories along the northeast Mediterranean Sea (Acts 15).

Paul and Silas take the letter to the churches in Galatia that Paul and Barnabas had planted on their first trip, meet a young man named Timothy, and promptly circumcise him. Since Timothy's mother is Jewish, he is Jewish, but his father is Greek, so he was not circumcised. Paul sees leadership potential in the young man and knows Timothy will have fewer problems with older Jewish Christians if he physically conforms to the Mosaic law (Acts 16:1–5).

Traveling east, the Holy Spirit forbids Paul, Silas, and Timothy from going into Asia, the province on the southwest corner of modern-day Asia Minor, or Bithynia, along the southern coast of the Black Sea. Instead, they go to the port city of Troas where two important events occur. Paul has a vision of a man inviting him to cross the Aegean Sea to Macedonia. And the pronouns of the narrative switch from "they" to "we": Luke has joined Paul's retinue (Acts 16:6–10).

Paul and his team waste no time, sailing to Neapolis on the Macedonian coast and traveling west to Philippi. Apparently, the sizable Roman colony boasts very few Jews—at least, not enough for a formal synagogue—so the team walks to the river where they find a small group of God-worshiping women praying. The merchant Lydia responds to their message immediately. She and her household believe, and the men baptize them. She then invites them to stay at her house (Acts 16:11–15).

Pagan Gentiles of that era may have been tolerant of another's religious beliefs, but not when those beliefs interfered with business. After a demon-possessed, fortune-telling girl harasses Paul's group for several days, Paul expels the demon. Realizing their source of income is gone, the girl's owners accuse Paul and Silas of promoting the worship of an unauthorized deity. The crowd attacks Paul and Silas, the city leaders tear their clothes, law enforcement beats the missionaries, and a jailer chains the two in a prison cell (Acts 16:16–24).

What happens next demonstrates how God works in different ways depending on the situation. In Acts 12:6–11, an angel released Peter from prison and told him to flee. Here, an earthquake frees all the prisoners from their chains and opens their doors—but they stay. The jailer is dumbstruck, knowing if just one prisoner had fled, he would have been executed. He tends to Paul's and Silas's wounds and asks how he can be saved. He and his household believe and are baptized (Acts 16:25–34).

The example of Paul and Silas shows that Christians should prepare to accept persecution, but it is still proper to insist on our legal rights. When the city leaders ask Paul and Silas to leave quietly, the two refuse. They are Roman citizens, and the crowd, the magistrates, and the guards had no right to attack them. Paul and Silas could press charges, but they only demand an official apology. The city leaders comply and allow them to visit Lydia before politely requesting they move on, apparently leaving Luke in Philippi (Acts 16:35–40).

The team will face more opposition and more success as they continue their journey. In Thessalonica, the Jewish leaders drive them out then chase them out of Berea. Paul flees to Athens, where he has a debate with Greek philosophers before meeting up with Silas and Timothy in Corinth. There, he meets Priscilla and Aquila, and the expanded team sails east again to Ephesus. He leaves Priscilla and Aquila, briefly meets with the local synagogue, and sails to Caesarea Maritima on the Samaritan coast. During his hiatus, Paul takes a quick trip to Jerusalem and back north to Syrian Antioch (Acts 17:1—18:22). Acts 19—20 records Paul's third missionary journey. The rest of the book covers his arrest in Jerusalem, imprisonment in Caesarea Maritima, and voyage to house arrest in Rome.

Acts 16:1–5 records Paul doing something we might not have expected. He is with Silas in modern-day Asia Minor, telling the churches he had planted that the leadership in Jerusalem agrees Gentile Christians do not have to be circumcised. In Lystra, Paul meets a young Jewish man named Timothy—and promptly circumcises him. This is not a matter of salvation, but so older Jewish believers don't hassle the young church leader in the future (1 Timothy 4:12). Paul brings Timothy along, and the three continue visiting the churches in Galatia and Phrygia before picking up Luke and heading across the Aegean Sea to Macedonia (Acts 16:6–10).

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 16:11–15 sees Jesus' offer of salvation come to Macedonia. Paul, Silas, and Timothy have traveled through the province of Galatia, building up the churches. Now they quickly move through the western end of modern-day Asia Minor. They meet with Luke and cross the Aegean Sea. In Philippi, they meet Lydia who helps them plant the first church in Europe: the first predominantly Gentile church. The church in Philippi grows into a strong, generous body that Paul proudly holds up as an example for others.

Acts 16:16–24 shows that religiously confused Gentiles can hinder Paul's ministry as much as Jews. Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke are in Philippi on the border of Macedonia and Greece. When Paul expels a demonic spirit from a slave girl, her owners accuse Paul and Silas of illegally promoting a foreign god. The crowd and the city magistrates beat and imprison the pair. Only later do they realize their mistake: Paul and Silas are both Roman citizens (Acts 16:37), and you can't punish Roman citizens without a trial.

Acts 16:25–40 records Paul's first imprisonment. The Philippian magistrates arrested Paul and Silas and had them beaten for spreading the news about Jesus. The two are now chained in a cell, praying and singing to God. An earthquake shakes the prison, releasing all the doors and chains. Paul assures the jailer no one has left, and the jailer tends to the pair's wounds. They share Jesus' offer of forgiveness of sins, and the jailer and his household accept Christ. In the morning, the magistrates attempt to release Paul and Silas, only to be confronted with their own crime: they have illegally punished two Roman citizens. After apologizing, the magistrates ask Paul and Silas to leave town.

Chapter Summary:

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.

Chapter Context:

Acts 15 ends with Paul and Silas spreading the news that Gentile Christians don't have to be circumcised. Acts 16 begins with Paul circumcising a Jewish man, Timothy, to prevent difficulties in preaching to older Jews as the boy grows into church leadership. Paul's second missionary trip finds the church growing east, into Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth (Acts 16:11—18:18). On his way back to Syrian Antioch, Paul will stop by Ephesus and soften the Jews for the extended ministry of Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos. During his first trip, Paul planted churches and ordained elders; in his second, he commissions more missionaries.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.

Accessed 12/21/2024 12:05:07 PM