God’s Word for You

Acts 16:8 The Trojan Doctor

by Pastor Timothy Smith on Tuesday, September 22, 2020

8 So, passing through Mysia, they went down to Troas.

Paul and his companions took a route that brought them quickly out of the interior of Asia Minor and down to the coast in the northwest: the port city of Troas. It was a short distance from the ruins of ancient Troy (the coastline has moved since ancient times).

Ancient Troy was involved in a war during the period of the Judges in the Bible (1200 BC); this was the legendary Trojan War, a favorite topic of poets and playwrights in Greece and Rome. Homer’s famous Odyssey is a fictionalized account of one soldier’s travels as he tried to return home after the war. Troy’s location was discovered by Scottish and German archaeologists in the 19th century.

It was here in Troas that Paul and his companions met Luke. Already a Christian, Luke (a physician) joined them as they prepared for the next leg of their journey. While the meeting of Luke and Paul isn’t presented here or anywhere else in the Bible, a simple hint is given in the text of this chapter when Luke begins to say “we” rather than “they” in verses 10 through 40. At verse 40, he will revert to “they,” which shows that Luke stayed where he was (Philippi) while Paul, Silas and Timothy moved on to Thessalonica.

Luke’s great gift was to be a writer. Luke contributed more of the New Testament than any other inspired author. Without Luke’s contribution, we would know almost nothing of Paul’s travels. We would have no context at all for any of the Epistles. We would have vague ideas about the way Christianity spread, but almost all of those ideas would be based on intuition rather than any evidence. Returning to Luke’s Gospel, without this man’s account we would be lacking almost all of the Christmas story and the angels’ visitations to Zechariah and to Mary, as well as many important events and parables in the ministry of Jesus.

Luke was a physician. He was probably practicing medicine there in Troas when Paul met him. Perhaps it was because of an illness that they met. It’s remarkable that Luke was able to pack up and leave with Paul and the others when the time came. Perhaps he wanted to travel to Greece, and being a mature Christian, his service was especially useful to the Spirit’s mission work.

Since we don’t know more about Luke’s situation, we can’t make a definite application apart from this: If you have a gift that God is able to use in his service, praise the Lord and use that gift when you are able. Luke was a physician by trade, but his work as a gospel-writer and church historian as well as an evangelist, preaching and teaching the word of God, was truly priceless. And so are you. Do whatever work it is that the Lord our God places in your hands. Give him glory and be faithful in your task.

Gospel stories that are unique to Luke include:

• Birth of John the Baptist foretold (Luke 1:5-25)
• Birth of Jesus foretold to Mary (Luke 1:26-38)
• Mary visits Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-45)
• Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:46-56)
• The Birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:57-66)
• Zechariah’s Benedictus (Luke 1:67-80)
• The Birth of Jesus (Luke 2:1-7)
• The Shepherds visit Jesus (Luke 2:8-20)
• Jesus presented in the temple (Luke 2:21-40)
• The boy Jesus in the temple (Luke 2:41-52)
• Jesus rejected at Nazareth (Luke 4:14-30)
• The Lamp on a Stand (Luke 8:16-18)
• The terrible death of the Galileans (Luke 13:1-5)
• The Parable of the Fig Tree (Luke 13:6-9)
• The healing of the crippled woman (Luke 13:10-17)
• The narrow door (Luke 13:22-30)
• The cost of being a disciple (Luke 14:25-34)
• The Parable of the Lost Coin (Luke 15:8-10)
• The Parable of the Lost (Prodigal) Son (Luke 15:11-32)
• The Parable of the Shrewd Manager (Luke 16:1-15)
• The rich man and poor Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)
• Ten lepers healed (Luke 17:11-19)
• The Parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8)
• The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14)
• The meeting with Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10)
• The full account of the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35)
• The resurrection appearance with broiled fish (Luke 24:36-49)
• The ascension (Luke 24:50-53)

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith

 

Browse Devotion Archive