2 Timothy 1:5 ‘I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.’
The name ‘Timothy’ is of Greek origin and comes from the name ‘Timotheos’. It means ‘to honour God’ or ‘one who honours God’. His mother, Eunice, a Jewish woman married a Greek man. Acts 16:1 says ‘Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek’. His father being a Gentile, would not have wanted to follow Jewish teachings and traditions. For instance, Timothy was not circumcised as a child though it was an important Jewish custom. We read in Acts 16:3 ‘Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.’
However, even with a part-Gentile background, Timothy knew the scriptures from infancy. That was possible only if his mother, Eunice, had brought him up in strong faith. His upbringing would go ahead in making him to be the trusted companion of Paul in the years to come. It is vividly mentioned in 2 Timothy 3:14-15 where Paul writes ‘But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus’. His grandmother, Lois was also a woman of strong faith and was an influential part of his life. Paul refers to her along with Eunice in 2 Timothy 1:5 ‘I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.’
Timothy’s grandmother, Lois and mother, Eunice both have played a major role in the spiritual upbringing of Timothy as seen in the theme verse (2 Timothy 1:5). Both the women were Jews. Lois would have brought up her daughter, Eunice in God’s way recalling the scriptures, meditating on it, discussing it at home. Eunice, his mother, in turn, would have brought up Timothy in a similar way in the fear of God, meditating on scriptures often, passing on Godly values to her son. We have to remember that in those days there were no printed Bibles as we have now. Scripture was read out in the Synagogues and people listened to it. Printing was established in the 1430s, i.e, the 15th century. So there was no way a physical copy of the Scriptures was available in their home which could be read often. This aspect makes the effort and contribution of Lois and Eunice even more important. It could also be possible that Lois was staying with Eunice and Timothy in his growing up years and hence could have had a continual influence on him, being a Jew and a woman of faith.
We can imagine the situation at Timothy’s home in two ways as mentioned here-forth:
When Eunice decided to go against tradition and marry a non-Jew, her mother Lois would have continued to pray to God for her well-being. She would have kept all the commandments that the Jewish law proclaimed and trusted God in her heart wholesomely. As can be seen in the various verses discussed above, her daughter, Eunice continued in faith and eventually became a follower of Christ during Paul’s missionary journey through Lystra and Derbe where she lived (Acts 16:1).
Everyday, morning and evening, his mother may have called Timothy to discuss the scriptures. She may have asked him to memorize the scriptures or played a memory game with him to help him recall the scriptures that they had heard in the Synagogue that week. They would probably be discussing the Rabbi’s teachings. She would be praying for Timothy day and night, for his upbringing, that he would grow up as a child of God. It would have been tough for her having married a Greek, a non-believer. She would have accepted Christ Jesus on one of Paul’s missionary journeys (Acts 16:1). She then would have passed on Paul’s teachings about Christ to Timothy and prayed constantly that he would come to know the Lord Jesus as his Saviour (2 Timothy 1:5). We know for sure that God’s Word will achieve what it has set out for as it is written in Isaiah 55:11 ‘So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.’
It is certain from the books of the Bible that Timothy grew up to in harmony with God and man. Acts 16:2 says ‘The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him’. Going by timeline, Bible scholars believe that Timothy was in his late teens or early twenties when he accepted the Lord Jesus and became a Christian. He was noticed by Paul and became a regular participant in Paul’s missionary journeys. Paul regarded him as his son, as we read in 1 Corinthians 4:17 ‘For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord’. and in 1 Timothy 1:2 ‘To Timothy my true son in the faith’. He referred to him as ‘brother and co-worker in God’s service’ as mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 3:2 ‘We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith’. He trained Timothy throughout his journeys and often sent him to the churches that were already established, to strengthen them or to sort out issues that had cropped up there. Paul sent Timothy to at least the following regions:
Corinth: 1 Corinthians 4:17 and 16:10
Ephesus: 1 Timothy 1:3
Phillipi: Acts 19:22
Thessalonica: 1 Thessalonians 3:2
Timothy was with Paul during Paul’s house arrest in Rome as seen in various Bible references such as Colossians 1:1, Philemon 1:1 and Philippians 1:1. In fact, two of the epistles of Paul are written entirely to Timothy and form a part of the the New Testament (1 Timothy and 2 Timothy). Paul mentions Timothy in seven of his letters (epistles) to the churches. In addition, Timothy is also mentioned in two other books of the Bible (Acts and Hebrews). The list can be compiled as under:
Romans 16:21
1 Corinthians 4:17, 16:10
2 Corinthians 1:1, 1:19
Colossians 1:1
1 Thessalonians 1:1, 3:2
2 Thessalonians 1:1
Philemon 1:1, 2:19, 22
Hebrews 13:23
Acts 16:1, 17:14-15, 18:5, 19:22, 20:4
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
This indicates that Timothy was a man of strong faith as well as highly dependable and trustworthy in the ministerial work entrusted to him.
Having dwelt into the life of Timothy, we need to ask ourselves:
Do we sincerely bring up our children in the way of the Lord?
Do we pray for our children day and night that they would continue in the way of the Lord?
Do we pray for our children day and night when they go astray, that they would return to the Lord?
Conclusion: Lois and Eunice are a role-model of how mothers and grandmothers can be - how much they can be influential in a Godly way in the lives of future generations. In the days of laptops, cellphones, internet, 24x7 television and OTT channels, we can be caught up with activities that add little value to our children and grandchildren. Even when our little children and youngsters go astray, become unduly adamant, fall into wrong companionship, engage in influences such as smoking, drugs, gambling, unending web-series, pornography, etc, it is the prayers of the mothers and grandmothers (as also the fathers and grandfathers) that can set this straight.
The Bible says in Proverbs 22:6 (as noted in various versions):
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (ESV, KJV)
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. (NIV)
Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it. (NLV)
Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he grows older he will not abandon it. (NASB)
While the child in his growing up years learns a lot from the Church, Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and Yuvajana Sakhyam and in today’s times through the internet, these are secondary influences. The primary influence will still be the FAMILY. Even when the child falls away due to wrong choices or influences, God can make a difficult or bad situation turn good for the future, if we as parents and grandparents fall on our knees daily and uplift our wayward children to the care of our ever-loving God, the Father. Just as Timothy, even with a Gentile influence in his life became a staunch Christian and an unwavering disciple of Paul, as a result of Lois and Eunice bringing him up in strong faith, our children too can be steadfast disciples of Jesus Christ.