Lift a finger to the wind

Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.  Acts 16: 1-3

So, while it shows dedication on Timothy’s part to undergo circumcision in order to “be all things to all people for the sake of the Gospel,” it is interesting that this step was taken after the Council at Jerusalem when it was firmly decided that the act of circumcision could diminish the power and beauty of Christ’s death.

And for a section of Scripture where Paul prays for guidance for each and every step in this journey it is curious that this rather dramatic decision was not noted to be bathed in prayer.  So was it human fear that drove it, as Paul was working through his understanding of these new wineskins, or was it a deliberately wise decision not to allow circumcision to be a distractor factor (cute, huh?) to the Jews to whom they were witnessing, and later on refusing to allow Titus to be circumcised as another sort of clear statement to the Jesus-is-not-enough crowd.  Who knows?

And my takeaway?  I am reminded that my steps forward are clouded by many things, not always the quiet steady light of Truth.  It is clear that I cannot depend on nice neat rules or policies that worked once, I cannot depend on what is comfortable and seems pretty good, I cannot depend on my good humor and grace (um, later on in this chapter Paul cast out a demon because “he was annoyed,” which seems a little odd), I cannot depend on logic or reason which can be used to defend anything as we all know from listening to lawyers dribble on and on and that I very carefully taught generations of middle school students, so what then?

So it is a journey, full of banged-up knees and bumps and false steps in the wrong direction and noses sore from doors slamming on them, in complete humility and gentleness; patience, bearing with each other in love. 

Blessed are those whose strength is in You, 

who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.

As they pass through the Valley of Bitterness,

they make it a place of springs;

the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

They go from strength to strength,

till each appears before God in Zion.