Acts 16:1
Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek:
Paul came to Derbe and Lystra on a return visit after the earlier violence there, to see how the work he had left behind had borne fruit. The converts had not been frightened away by persecution, but their trials had strengthened them in faith and in the conviction that suffering belongs to entering the kingdom of Christ.
At Lystra there was a certain disciple named Timotheus, the son of a believing Jewish mother and a Greek father. He had been taught the Scriptures from childhood and thoroughly educated in the Jewish religion. The faith, godly instruction, and example of his mother and grandmother shaped his character, made God's word the rule of his life, kept him pure from corrupting and evil influences, and prepared him for service and ministry.
Timothy had witnessed Paul's suffering during the earlier visit to Lystra, when Paul was stoned and left for dead and then rose bruised and bloodied while praising God and Jesus Christ for being permitted to suffer for His name. He had stood beside Paul in that hour, and the impression deepened until he was convinced to devote himself to ministry and to share Paul's work. Converted there through Paul's missionary work, their bond began then and grew through shared missionary hopes, dangers, and labor. He later became a prominent and faithful worker for Christ and the church, sharing Paul's difficult pioneering work as his companion and helper.
Paul carefully examined Timothy's character before taking him, and saw him as faithful, steadfast, and true. He chose him as a fellow worker and companion in ministry and travel, which rewarded the women who had taught him in childhood to see him join Paul in close fellowship. Paul had Timothy circumcised to remove an obstacle to preaching in Jewish synagogues and to ministry among Jews, not because God required circumcision, since the gospel mattered more than circumcision or uncircumcision. Paul's choice of Timothy as a younger worker to take on missionary journeys to gain experience for later responsibility illustrates his practice of training young men for gospel ministry and continuing to care about their work.