Paul's Second Missionary Journey with Map

Derbe and Lystra

Events in Derbe and Lystra During Paul's Second Missionary Journey

#2 As Paul went he would strengthen all the churches and when he came to Lystra and Derbe he chose Timothy (a Gentile believer) to come with them and he had him circumcised for the sake of Jews.

Acts 16:1-3 "Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek.He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek.

Derby was one of the few places where Paul did not have some kind of an incident. It didn�t end in a riot or with Paul getting jailed or stoned or anything, he was able to leave town fairly peacefully, which was very unusual for his ministry.

Lystra on the other hand was where Paul was stoned and drug out of town thinking that he was dead (Acts 14:19). It was around 5 years or so since Paul had first visited Lystra and Timothy had probably accepted Jesus during Paul�s first visit.

So Timothy became a companion of Paul. In six of Paul�s epistles as he opens the epistle he includes Timothy in the greeting. Paul wrote two of his epistles to Timothy. Paul speaks of the help that Timothy was to him (1 Cor 16:10). He asks that they would send Timothy to him speedily bringing some of the documents and all that he was desiring (Acts 17:15). So there came a very close relationship between Paul and Timothy who Paul called my own son in the faith (1 Cor 4:17). So Timothy was one of Paul�s converts but then he was also tutored by the Apostle Paul (1 Cor 4:17).

It is interesting that Paul had Timothy circumcised when they are then going right out and telling the gentiles that you don�t have to be circumcised in order to be saved. He no doubt wanted to live peaceably among the Jews and present the gospel to them without any contention.