The believers spoke well of him

“The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.” (Acts 16:2)

 

Today is Children’s Sunday of church, and we’re going to hear a lesson related to Timothy. He was a pupil of Paul the apostle, and a young man like Paul’s spiritual son. His mother was a Jew and Christian, and his father was a Greek. Timothy was, saying in present terms, a child of a multicultural family. But he grew up well and activated faithfully for Christ’s gospel. The background of being able to be so great was the faith of her mother, Eunice. Moreover it was the blessing of the icing on the cake, for he met a fine teacher Paul the apostle.

 

Timothy had a pure faith inherited from his maternal line. Paul said, in 2 Timothy 1:5, “~ your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, ~.” There are great fathers of faith, but also many mothers are great. Men have been more active relatively in social life than women in all history of the East and the West. Therefore, the number of women among distinguished people socially was not many than the men’s. However, the homely background of the excellent persons shows what their mothers played a great role. For an example, a righteous person of Independence Jung-geun Ahn’s mother, Mrs. Maria Cho Seong-nyeo, wrote to her son, who was in prison for the independence movement, “Since you did the right thing and were put in prison, it is filial way to die for the righteous cause of a nation instead of begging for life cowardly.” Though it may seem to be a weak way, mother’s prayer and education of faith rather can have surprising consequences.

 

Timothy was spoken well of himself ‘by the believers at Lystra and Iconium’ his residential districts. We can’t praise someone correctly without knowing him or her. Some compliment for an unknowing person is nothing more than an ostentatious compliment. There are flooded many praises and prizes without value generally in these days around our society. Many buy and sell praise, honor, or a certificate of merit with money or power without knowing who the person concerned is. In that reality, if one hears the praise from the neighboring acquaintances that would have real value. Jesus said to disciples, in Matthew 13:57, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.” By the way, how great is Timothy to have been praised by the believers in his home area? Our children should grow up to be honest and righteous, to be able to be praised by their families and neighbors from an early age. To do so God’s grace is absolutely required as well as parents’ exemplar and effort.

 

Timothy joined Paul’s missionary journey together, and he was worked as Paul’s spiritual successor. When Paul wanted to take him away for journey, Timothy was circumcised because of consciousness for Jews in the region. The circumcision itself was a meaningless ritual in fact, but the ritual was accepted to eliminate the unnecessary complaints and disturbances of the persons of indiscretion. We have to know knowledge is important and logical argument too, but virtue is more important than those. If it’s not any for injustice, we should put aside the knowledge and logic and anyway make an effort more to show virtue. That’s not only a way to improve oneself, but also can be a way to help others. A person in a position teaching others should do so in particular. Then the person will be a competent person to be able to do more. In order to be recognized and useful person, education such as knowledge, logic, and experience should be given from early age to children. But they can’t be a good person a great person just by those things. Than any other, it is necessary to think in other people’s situations, understand the thoughts and circumstances, and make efforts to participate in the lives with them. After all, The circumcision Timothy had was a virtuous conduct for others’ good.

 

One of the characteristics of modern times is individualism particularly. The strong tendency of selfish individualism led to more conflicts between each other, causing society to suffer a lot. Therefore, we need to cultivate altruistic consciousness. It means that we should value oneself, but consider necessary virtue for others at the same time. Exert oneself to make your children be the great talents in society as well as being praised by their families, churches and neighbors through education of their parents’ faith and leaders’ lessons.

 

(Written by Koonoh, Pastor of JDO Presbyterian Church in Korea, on May 2nd 2021)