Head Scratcher — Eutychus - Tuesday
Today’s Verse
Mark 6:31a
And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” (ESV)
I often wonder why certain stories were included in the Bible. Clearly, there are many that were not. John 21:25 says that Jesus did innumerable things that weren’t written down. Ultimately, I trust the Holy Spirit’s work in guiding the assembly of scriptures to tell us all that’s necessary for us to know.
The story of Eutychus found in the book of Acts is a story, like so many in the Bible, that is included to teach us several things. Eutychus was a young man who fell asleep during a sermon Paul was preaching. Sitting in a window at the time, Eutychus unfortunately fell the wrong way and landed three stories below. The Bible says Paul went to him and brought him back to life with God’s help. A primary purpose in the telling and retelling of this story through the ages is to remind us of God’s power displayed through Paul. Even though Paul was not one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus, he was supernaturally and powerfully equipped to help start the church.
Another takeaway from the story of Eutychus is the need for rest. As much as the young man wanted to hear Paul, he just couldn’t stay awake. In his sermon on Sunday, Jon challenged us to think about how tired we are. If we’re exhausted, as so many of us seem to be on a regular basis, Jon's challenge for this summer is for us to live slower in order to live longer. Several years ago, Britain’s oldest man, 110 at the time, said the secret to his long life was laziness! And some studies have shown that napping can increase your lifespan! Unfortunately, our culture rewards acutely active lifestyles and decries those who are slower paced.
REFLECTION
This summer, you can say no to some things in order to say yes to what’s most important: spending time with those you love. Not convinced? Try sleeping on it.
