Stay Alert and in the Light

I love the story of Eutychus in Acts 20.  I always have.  For the same reason I enjoy the story of Balaam’s donkey talking to him or the story of Elisha praying for bears to destroy the people who called picked on him for being bald.  It’s one of those comedic stories that make you scratch your head and thank God for His sense of humor.  In case you aren’t familiar with it, though, here’s the story, starting in verse 7 and ending in verse 12:

      “On Sunday we all met together to eat the Lord’s Supper.  Paul talked to the group.  Because he was planning to leave the next day, he continued talking until midnight.  We were all together in a room upstairs, and there were many lights in the room.  There was a young man named Eutychus sitting in the window.  He fell to the ground from the third floor.  When the people went down and lifted him up, he was dead.  Paul went down to where Eutychus was, knelt down beside him, and put his arms around hi.  He said to the other believers, ‘Don’t worry.  He is alive now.’  Then Paul went upstairs again, broke off some pieces of bread and ate.  He spoke to them a long time.  It was early morning when he finished, and then he left.  The lord’s followers took Eutychus home alive, and they were all greatly comforted.” 

                ~ Easy-to-Read-Version

Hilarious, right?  But I have to admit, as I was reading it this last week, God revealed a deeper meaning in this story that I find absolutely ... staggering.  While, yes, it is highly amusing, and I’m sure even the stoic Paul had a good laugh about it as he traveled on to the next village – there is something we miss if we simply look at the surface level of this story. 

Consider the details.  It says there were many lights in the room.   What does light signify to us as believers?  Light was the first thing God created in Genesis.  John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible describes it by saying, “[Light] was the first thing made out of the dark chaos; as in the new creation, or work of grace in the heart, light is the first thing produced there.”  Light is important to God.  In fact, Psalm 104:2 says that God “covers himself with light as with a garment” (King James Version) and 1 John 1:5 says that, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”  Throughout the entire Bible, we find reference after reference of it.  Psalm 27:1 says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation.”  Psalm 37:6 says, “And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light …” (Emphasis on all verses was added).  So, though the verse in Acts is probably talking about physical light, we can learn from this in our own lives.  Our lives may be filled with “light” – God’s presence, a faithful body of believers whose righteousness brings light to our lives.  However, what we do with that "light" makes all the difference.  Do we allow it to invigorate our walk with God - or do we grow accustomed to it and fall asleep, deadening our spirits to the voice of the Lord, anyway?

Consider also his location.  Eutychus was sitting in a window.  Granted, there may have been no other seats. Maybe he even gave up his seat for an older woman or something noble.  His positioning may have been out of sheer necessity.  However, think of it – while Paul is there teaching them, on what is to be his last visit there before his death, Eutychus is sitting in the window, farthest away from the speaker, where he can look out over the village and day dream, where he can hear the noises of the city street below (all the local gossip’s news, people arguing about prices or scheming against other people, camel-accidents – ok, that’s unlikely, but still, you get the point), wave to all his friends, monitor the traffic situation to see how long it will take him to get home, etc.  He's in a spot where, if things get too rowdy or if there should be persecution, he has an escape plan.  His physical location suggests he was not an active participant in the meeting, wasn't invested in the message he was hearing.  If he were, he would be near the front, sitting on the floor at Paul’s feet perhaps, leaning in, eyes ablaze, nodding and non-verbally responding to Paul’s sermon, right?  Instead, he chose a spot where he can be present physically (so all will see how “godly” he is) but does not have to be present mentally.  In fact, his seat in the window ensures that even the passersby in the street who happen to glance up will see that he is in a meeting at the Temple.  He puts on a good show, but he is not listening. 

And he fell asleep … fell out of the window … to his death. 

So what am I driving at?  What’s the point of all this?  Paul brought him back to life.  So what does it matter?  Though I love this story and enjoy its humor as much as the next person, I am trying to show you that this story is also a warning for us.  We can be surrounded by light – attend church regularly, read every Christian book on the market, hang out with Christian friends, where Christian t-shirts, sing Christian songs, etc.  But if we aren’t active participants, if our hearts and minds aren’t actively involved – we’re likely to fall, fall asleep spiritually – which is the first warning sign.  If we catch ourselves nodding in the faith, flagging in the Spirit, we must stir ourselves up, draw close to the Lord and trust Him to draw close to us in return (James 4).  We must pursue God and re-ignite the fire in our spirits.  The next fall could be deadly. 

If you’ll notice, the end of this story does not say that Eutychus went back to church, that he returned to the upper room and repented for being so lukewarm about his faith.  It says Paul returned, that he kept preaching and exhorting the believers in the Word – and that Eutychus went home with the others. 

So … go ahead and laugh.  I will continue to laugh as I read this story – but don’t take it too lightly.  Check up on yourself.  Are you slipping to the back row, to the window?  Are you looking around at other people, making to-do lists and thinking about what TV programs you are missing when you should be attending to the Word?  Are you feeling less and less stirred up by the things of God?  Are you fighting to stay awake in your spirit?  Don’t be like Eutychus.  Don't fall asleep in your inner man; don't quit going to church and get so comfortable you just "go home" with other believers hoping their light rubs off on you and makes you "good enough."  Don’t have a “falling out” with the other believers.  And if you do – for Heaven’s sake, COME BACK!   Return to the Lord!