Acts 16

Acts 16:1

Good News for Everyone An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on the Book of Acts www.easyenglish.info Marion Adams This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

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Chapter 16 Timothy works with Paul and Silas, 16:1-5 v1 Paul went to Derbe and then he went to Lystra. A *Christian called Timothy lived there. Timothy’s mother was a *Jewish *Christian. But his father was *Greek. v2 The *believers at Lystra and Iconium said many good things about Timothy. v3 Paul wanted Timothy to travel with him. So, he *circumcised Timothy. He did this because of the attitude that the *Jews had there. They all knew that Timothy’s father was *Greek. v4 Paul and his helpers went through the towns. And they told the *believers what the *apostles and leaders in *Jerusalem had decided. They told them to obey those rules. v5 So, the Christians became stronger in the *faith and more people joined the *churches daily.

Verses 1-3 Luke introduces Timothy here. Timothy became a chief helper of Paul. We know that Timothy’s mother was called Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5). She probably became a *believer when Paul came to Lystra before. That was two or three years earlier. Timothy was young (1 Timothy 4:12). But the *believers saw that he had a good character. His father was a *Gentile. So, Timothy had received a *Greek education. But he had also learned the *Jewish *scriptures (2 Timothy 3:15). It was easy for him to mix with both *Jews and *Gentiles. He could mix with both because he understood both their cultures. This would be very useful later, when he *preached in different places.

We may want to know why Paul *circumcised Timothy. When a *Jew married a *pagan, their children were *Jewish. That is what the *Jews said. So, the *Jews considered that Timothy was a *Jew. That was because he had a *Jewish mother. He should have received *circumcision when he was a baby. Perhaps his father stopped this. Paul realised that Timothy would be an excellent helper. But Paul did not want to upset the other *Jewish *Christians. He *circumcised Timothy so that they would accept him (Timothy). This did not mean that Paul wanted *Gentile *Christians to receive *circumcision. He opposed this (Galatians 2:3-5). But Timothy was a special case because he had a *Jewish mother.

Verses 4-5 Paul and his helpers told many more Christians about the four rules. He taught them in a way that made their *faith stronger.

Luke’s report about how the *gospel spread has 6 parts. (Look at ‘Contents’. This is in the section ‘About this book’.) The 4th part ends here at verse 5. The next part is about how Paul and his helpers took the good news into Europe. Paul’s *vision about a man from Macedonia, 16:6-10 v6 Paul and his companions went through Phrygia and Galatia. But the *Holy Spirit would not let them *preach the message in Asia. v7 They came to the border of Mysia. Then they tried to enter Bithynia. But the *Spirit of Jesus would not let them do that. v8 So, they travelled through (or by) Mysia. And they went on to Troas. v9 That night, Paul had a *vision. In the *vision, he saw a man from Macedonia. The man was standing there. ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us!’ said the man. v10 After Paul had this *vision, we got ready. We left for Macedonia immediately. We decided that God had called us to *preach the *gospel there.

Verses 6-8 These verses show that Paul was always listening to the *Holy Spirit. He planned *missionary journeys carefully. But he was willing to change his plans, if God told him to do it. Paul probably wanted to continue west to Ephesus city. But the *Holy Spirit stopped them. We do not know how he stopped them. It may have been by means of a *vision. Or it may have been by means of a *prophet’s words in Lystra.

So, Paul travelled north instead. In the *province called Bithynia, there were *Greek cities and *Jewish towns. But the *Spirit of Jesus would not let them go there. The ‘*Spirit of Jesus’ is another name for the *Holy Spirit. Paul and Silas were both *prophets. Perhaps Jesus himself had spoken by means of them about this. Perhaps that is why Luke calls the *Holy Spirit ‘the Spirit of Jesus’ here.

So, ‘they travelled through (or by) Mysia’ (verse 8). The *Greek word here can mean either through or by. So, this might mean that they went round Mysia. But they probably entered it in order to reach Troas. Perhaps they passed through Mysia but they did not *preach there.

Verses 9-10 Troas was an important port. People went there when they travelled between Asia and Macedonia. The man in the *vision asked for help. He wanted *spiritual help. Paul knew that this message was from God. So, he prepared to go where God had said. It was not Paul’s plan to go to Macedonia. But it was God’s plan.

In verse 10, Luke says that ‘we’ did things, instead of ‘he’ or ‘they’. This is the first passage where Luke does that in Acts. So, Luke is now writing about events that he saw himself. So, we know that Luke went with Paul on this journey. Perhaps Luke wrote a diary about it. He may have used this diary when he wrote the passages with ‘we’. A woman in Philippi becomes a *believer, 16:11-15 v11 We sailed from Troas straight to Samothrace. The next day, we came to Neapolis. v12 From there, we went to Philippi. Philippi is a *Roman *colony. It is a city in the first district in Macedonia. We stayed there for several days. v13 On the *Sabbath, we went outside the city gate. And we went to a place by the river.

We thought that the *Jews met there for prayer. Some women came. We sat down and we talked to them. v14 One of those women was Lydia. She was from the city called Thyatira. And she sold expensive purple cloth. She *worshipped God.

The *Lord opened her spirit so that she believed Paul’s message. v15 She and all the people in her house received *baptism. Afterwards, she invited us into her home. ‘You may think that I really have *faith in the *Lord. If you do think so, then come. And stay at my house’, she said. So, she persuaded us to accept her invitation.

Verse 11 The wind was blowing in the right direction for the travellers. So, they sailed quickly across the North Aegean Sea and they finished the voyage in two days. Later, on the way back, it took 5 days (Acts 20:6).

Samothrace was an island with mountains. They did not stay there. They sailed on to Neapolis in Macedonia. Neapolis was the port for Philippi. Philippi was 16 kilometres (10 miles) away from the coast.

Luke kept a careful record about how far they travelled each day.

Verse 12 The *Romans had divided Macedonia into 4 districts with different rulers. Philippi was ‘a city in the first district in Macedonia’. It was an important city, but it was not the capital. Thessalonica was the capital of Macedonia. Philippi was on a long road called the Egnatian Way. This road linked Asia with the West.

Luke writes that Philippi was a *Roman *colony. A *Roman *colony used *Roman law. The *Romans governed it. It is important to understand that. We need to remember it because later something difficult happened to Paul in Philippi. And what happened had a connection with *Roman law.

Verse 13 There did not seem to be a *synagogue in Philippi.

To set up a *synagogue, there had to be 10 men or more. This was a *Jewish rule. But in Philippi, only women met together. They could not set up a *synagogue, so they met by the river. It was probably so that they could wash themselves. This was one of God’s commands in the *Jewish *Law.

Paul sat down with the women and he taught them. This was very unusual because the *Jews did not usually teach women. They thought that men were more clever and important.

In his *gospel, Luke tells how Jesus often spoke to women. Jesus cared about women as much as he cared about men. In ancient times, people did not consider women as important. But Luke shows that women are very important to God.

Verse 14 Lydia had her own business. She traded in purple cloth. Purple was a very expensive colour because it was difficult to make. Purple cloth was a luxury. Only rich people could afford it. So, Lydia was probably wealthy too.

‘She *worshipped God’ means that she was a *God-fearer.

‘The *Lord opened her *spirit’ means that the *Holy Spirit was working in her. When a person believes the *gospel, the *Holy Spirit makes that happen.

We must tell to people the good news about Jesus. We may be able to do this very well. Or we may think that it is difficult to do. But we must remember this: Paul said that the *gospel comes ‘not only with words. But it also comes with power. And it comes with the *Holy Spirit’ (1 Thessalonians 1:5).

Verse 15 ‘She and all the people in her house’ means her family. And it also means the people who worked for her. She probably had a large house. So, she invited the *missionaries to stay in her home. That is how the *church in Philippi began. It began with just one woman, who accepted *Christ as her *Saviour. It grew and it became a large *church (Philippians 1:1). And its members were generous (Philippians 4:15-16). A female slave with an evil *spirit, 16:16-22 v16 One day we were going to the place where people prayed. A girl who was a slave met us. She had an evil *spirit in her. It gave to her the power to know the future. She told people what would happen to them in the future. So, she earned a lot of money for her owners. v17 She followed Paul and the rest of us. And she was shouting, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God! They are telling you how to receive *salvation.’ v18 She did this for several days. At last, Paul got very upset. So, he turned round and he spoke to the *spirit. He said, ‘In Jesus *Christ’s name, I order you to come out of her!’ Immediately, the evil *spirit left her.

v19 The girl’s owners realised that she could not earn money for them in the future. So, they seized Paul and Silas. The girl’s owners dragged Paul and Silas into the market-place. There, the girl’s owners met the people who had authority. v20 Her owners brought Paul and Silas in front of the *Roman officials. They said, ‘These men are *Jews. They are making trouble in our city. v21 They are teaching customs that are against *Roman law. We are *Roman citizens and we cannot allow these customs.’

v22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas. Then the officials tore the clothes from the two men and they ordered people to whip Paul and Silas.

Verse 16 Luke chose to write about three people in Philippi. Their lives changed completely because of the *gospel.

The first person was Lydia. She was a rich lady and she had her own business.

The second person was very different. She was a slave girl and she had a big problem. An evil *spirit was controlling her. It gave to her the power to see a person’s future. Luke uses a special *Greek word for this power. This word is not anywhere else in the *New Testament. But it is in the *Greek translation of the *Old Testament. There, the writers use this word to describe false *prophets. God does not allow us to use this kind of power. It is very wrong (Deuteronomy 18:10). It is a real power. It seems that the slave girl could really see into the future. Her owners earned money from her. But the power came from *Satan, by an evil *spirit.

Verse 17 Paul and his companions often went to the place where people prayed. The slave girl continued to follow them. The evil *spirit in her recognised that they were God’s servants.

Luke writes about two similar situations in his *Gospel. Both times, the evil *spirits recognised who Jesus is (Luke 4:33-34; 41; 8:27-28).

Verse 18 The girl followed them for several days. The *Greek word that Luke uses for ‘very upset’ is ‘diaponeomai’. It also means ‘angry’ and ‘sad’. The girl’s words were true. But Paul did not want people to link God’s message with an evil *spirit. Also, he was sad and angry that the girl was suffering. But her owners did not care about it.

In the end, Paul had to do something. He ordered the evil *spirit to leave. It left immediately. Paul did this ‘in Jesus *Christ’s name’. That means that he did it with Jesus’ power and authority. (Look also at Acts 3:6, 9, 10.)

Verse 19 The girl’s owners were very angry with Paul and Silas. This was because the evil *spirit had gone. This meant that the girl did not have the power to see into the future any longer. The owners’ way to make money had gone too! They blamed Paul and Silas for that. Here Luke does not mention himself, nor does he mention Timothy. The first passage where Luke uses the word ‘we’ has ended already, at verse 17. So, perhaps Luke and Timothy were not there now.

The girl’s owners dragged Paul and Silas into the market-place. This was not only a place where people sold things. In a *Roman *colony, it was the centre of public life. Everything important happened there, for everyone to see.

Verses 20-21 A *Roman *colony had two officials who were like judges. They decided whether a person was guilty of a crime. The girl’s owners did not tell the officials why they were angry. Instead, they said that Paul and Silas had not obeyed *Roman law. They said that the *missionaries had caused trouble. The *missionaries had introduced a new religion that was not legal. These were serious crimes against *Roman law.

Also, many *Romans did not like the *Jews. The girl’s owners reminded the officials that they (the owners) were *Roman citizens (verse 21). People in a *Roman *colony were proud of that. The girl’s owners said that Paul and Silas had done bad things. They wanted the officials to hate Paul and Silas, because Paul and Silas were *Jews.

Verse 22 The people in the crowd were angry with Paul and Silas. This was because the people did not like foreigners. The officials ordered people to punish Paul and Silas. People whipped the *missionaries. *Roman whips caused a lot of pain and injuries. A prison officer becomes a *Christian, 16:23-34 v23 People whipped Paul and Silas very hard. Afterwards, they threw Paul and Silas into prison. They ordered the officer of the prison to guard Paul and Silas carefully. v24 When he received this order, the officer put Paul and Silas into the inner room. He put chains on their feet. And he tied their feet to heavy pieces of wood. v25 At about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying. And they were singing to *praise God.

The other prisoners were listening to them. v26 Then a powerful *earthquake shook the strong base of the prison. Immediately, all the doors opened and the chains fell off the prisoners. v27 The prison officer woke up. He saw that the doors were open. So, he thought that the prisoners had escaped. He took out his sword to kill himself. v28 But Paul shouted, ‘Do not hurt yourself! We are all here!’

v29 The officer of the prison asked someone to fetch a light. The officer rushed into the prison and he kneeled at Paul and Silas’s feet. His whole body was shaking. v30 He led them out. Then he asked, ‘Sirs, what must I do to receive *salvation?’ v31 They answered, ‘Believe in the *Lord Jesus and trust in him. Then you will receive *salvation. This is true for your family.

And it is true for everyone who lives with you.’ v32 Then Paul and Silas *preached the *Lord’s message to the officer of the prison. And they *preached it to everyone in his house. v33 It was still night. The officer took Paul and Silas to another place. He washed their cuts and bruises. At once, he received *baptism and so did everyone in his house. v34 The officer of the prison brought Paul and Silas into his home. He gave a meal to them.

He and his family were very happy because they believed in God now.

Verses 23-24 Luke now describes how a third person from Philippi became a *Christian. This man was neither rich nor poor. He was from the middle class. He did his job well as an officer of the prison. He did not want Paul and Silas to escape. He wanted to prevent their escape. So, he did everything that he could do for that purpose. He did not seem to be a kind man. But then he changed. He changed because he believed in Jesus as his *Saviour and *Lord. Paul and Silas felt much pain because people had whipped them. But the officer tied their feet to heavy pieces of wood. This would cause even more pain.

Verse 25 Paul and Silas were very tired and they felt terrible pain. In their situation, most people would be angry and miserable. But Paul and Silas prayed and they *praised God. They were very happy. This was not because of their circumstances. But it was because they knew Jesus. People who know Jesus are very happy. They are happy even when bad things happen to them.

The other prisoners listened. They were surprised when Paul and Silas *praised God aloud. The other prisoners knew that these men were different. God was the reason that Paul and Silas were happy.

We must always *praise God in difficult circumstances. In that way, we show something to people. We show to them that we are happy. We know that God is looking after us. That is why we are happy.

Verse 26 *Earthquakes were common in Philippi. But this *earthquake happened at exactly the right time. It was certainly very powerful. It shook the prison so that the doors opened. And the prisoners’ chains fell off.

Verse 27 The officer of the prison thought that the prisoners had escaped. So, he tried to kill himself. He wanted to die quickly. By *Roman law, if any prisoner escaped, that prisoner would receive punishment. And the officer of the prison would receive that same punishment, even if the escape was not his fault. (Look at Acts 12:19; 27:42.)

Verses 28-30 But Paul saw the officer. Paul told him that all the prisoners were still there! The officer checked that this was true. Immediately he asked Paul and Silas how to receive *salvation. Perhaps he had heard the slave girl when she was shouting about it (Acts 16:17). Perhaps he had heard Paul and Silas *preach in Philippi. Or perhaps he had heard them in the prison when they were *praising God. The *earthquake proved to him that their message was true. He was afraid. The *Holy Spirit had shown to him that he needed *salvation. So, he asked Paul and Silas about this.

Verses 31-32 Paul and Silas told the officer what to do. He needed to have *faith in Jesus. Then they explained what this meant. They told the good news about Jesus to him. And they told it to everyone in his house.

Verses 33-34 Everyone there believed the *Lord’s message. They believed that Jesus was their *Saviour and *Lord. The officer of the prison showed kindness. He washed Paul and Silas’s injuries. Afterwards, they *baptised him and they *baptised the people in his house. He continued to be kind. He invited them into his house and he gave food to them. Luke says that the officer and his family were ‘very happy’ (verse 34). So, it seems that they also received the *Holy Spirit. The *Roman officials apologise to Paul and Silas, 16:35-40 v35 Next morning, the officials sent their officers to the prison. The officers had orders to let Paul and Silas go. v36 The officer of the prison told Paul, ‘The officials have sent orders. I must let you and Silas go. You are free. Go quietly.’ v37 But Paul said to the officers, ‘We are *Roman citizens. But the officials ordered people to whip us in public.

We had not even had a *trial! Then they threw us into prison. Now they want to send us away in secret. No! The officials must come here. They themselves must let us out!’ v38 The officers told this to the *Roman officials.

When they heard this, they became afraid. They were afraid because Paul and Silas were *Roman citizens. v39 So, they went to Paul and Silas. The officials apologised and they led Paul and Silas out of the prison. They asked Paul and Silas to leave the city. v40 After Paul and Silas had left the prison, they went to Lydia’s house. There, they met the *believers. They encouraged the *believers.

Then Paul and Silas left.

Verses 35-37 The officials sent their officers with orders to let Paul and Silas go. The officials thought that Paul and Silas would just leave the city. But Paul and Silas were *Roman citizens. *Roman citizens were a special class of people. There were not many *Roman citizens in that part of the *empire.

Paul was born as a *Roman citizen. (Look at Acts 22:28.) We shall discuss this more later. *Roman law protected *Roman citizens. If people accused them of a crime, they needed to have a *trial. People should not whip them. That was a punishment for ordinary people. But that had happened to Paul and Silas. Perhaps they had already said that they were *Roman citizens. But the people in the market-place had not heard that or they had not understood it. (The female slave’s owners had taken Paul and Silas to the officials in the market-place. The officials had ordered that people should punish Paul and Silas.)

Verses 38-39 The previous day the girl’s owners had reminded the officials, ‘We are *Roman citizens’ (verse 21). But the officials did not realise that those two *Jews, Paul and Silas, were *Roman citizens too! The officials knew now that they (the officials themselves) had not obeyed *Roman law. If their leaders in *Rome knew about it, they would punish the officials. So, they did not want those leaders to hear about it. The officials wanted those two unpopular *Jews to leave. But the officials could not force them to go. That would not be legal.

So, the officials did what Paul and Silas wanted. They came and they apologised to Paul and Silas.

Verse 40 Paul and Silas returned to Lydia’s house. They encouraged the members of the new *church that met there.

Then Paul and Silas left Philippi. They went west. Luke probably stayed in Philippi to help with the *church there. Later, people *persecuted the Christians in Philippi (Philippians 1:27-30).

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This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

April 2005

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