Timothy was well thought of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium, so Paul wanted him to join them on their journey. In deference to the Jews of the area, he arranged for Timothy to be circumcised before they left, for everyone knew that his father was a Greek. [Acts 16:2-3 (NLT)]
In Acts 16, we meet Timothy, the son of a Greek Gentile and a devout Jewish woman. Paul probably met him several years earlier when he preached in Lystra or Derbe. Both Timothy and his mother were Christ followers and it was from his mother that Timothy became knowledgeable in the Hebrew Scriptures. By the time Paul returned to Lystra, Timothy was a young man who was well-regarded by the churches in Lystra and neighboring Iconium. Seeing his potential, Paul asked the young man to join him on his second missionary journey. Before departing, however, Paul asked Timothy to be circumcised.
Considering the Apostle’s vehement disagreement with the legalists in Antioch, his appeal to the Jerusalem Council, and his letter to the Galatians that clearly stated his opposition to making circumcision a requirement for salvation, Paul’s strange request seems the height of hypocrisy to a 21st century Christian. It certainly did to me until I considered Paul’s request from a 1st century Jewish point of view.
Making the transition from an exclusive group united by blood, language, Torah, tradition, and circumcision into a group that was expansive and inclusive could not have been easy for the Jewish believers. Mosaic law purposely set apart Israel from the pagan nations around them. The Torah regulated what could be eaten, how it was to be butchered, what could be done on the Sabbath, and designated what was clean and unclean. Unlike Gentiles, Jews had mezuzahs on their doorposts, were to recite the Shema twice a day, and say grace after meals. Most important, as the outward physical sign of the eternal covenant between God and Abraham, circumcision was seen as essential to being one of the covenant people.
Finding it difficult to set aside their Hebrew heritage, most new Jewish believers continued to observe Jewish customs and laws after becoming followers of Christ. A problematic group were the legalists and Judaizers with their false doctrine that circumcision and observance of the Law were necessary for salvation. Other new believers, however, were separatists. While not insisting that Gentiles observe the law, they continued to faithfully observe it themselves and distanced themselves from Gentile believers. There also were traditionalists among these new believers. Although they associated with Gentile believers, they continued to observe the familiar customs of Judaism. Even Paul, who mixed with and preached to Gentiles, continued to live as an observant Jew and urged others to “remain as you were when God called you.” [1 Co. 7:17] For Paul, being a good Christian didn’t mean he had to be a bad Jew!
As a believer, Timothy was saved, so Paul’s request wasn’t a matter of his salvation; it was a matter of Timothy’s ability to evangelize. The young man was the product of a mixed marriage—something frowned upon by Jews. Although his father was a Gentile Greek, his mother was a Jew which meant Timothy was a Jew and, as a Jew, he should have been circumcised! Without this rite, other Jews would view Timothy as an apostate Jew or a Gentile. Paul often preached in synagogues where neither apostate Jew nor Gentile would be welcome. Paul’s request wasn’t theological; it was pragmatic. Out of dedication to his calling and respect for the Jews, the young man was circumcised so that he could witness for Christ in the synagogues. Timothy became a “Jew” to the Jews so that he could bring the Jews to Jesus!
Devotions of the Heart 