Head Scratcher — Eutychus - Monday
Today’s Verse
Acts 20:9
And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. (ESV)
I remember when Brewster McLeod, my youth minister at Southland, asked if I would be willing to “preach” to the elementary kids in junior church. I’m fairly certain I was in middle school at the time. I remember being terrified, but willing to give it a try. My assigned topic was Balaam and his talking donkey. Talking donkey? I don’t recall hearing the story before then. It’s an extremely odd and fascinating story. The Bible has more of those than we may realize. Another head-scratcher in the Bible is the story of Eutychus. Eutychus was believed to be a young man, possibly a teenager, and maybe even a slave, who was part of a gathering of people listening to Paul preach. Paul was leaving town the next morning, so he spoke late into the night in order to say all that he wanted them to hear. The room was packed and undoubtedly stuffy from the crowd. Eutychus was sitting in a window, maybe as an attempt to get fresh air, and maybe even to help him stay awake. But the Bible says he eventually gave in to sleep and fell out of the window, landing three stories below. Pronounced dead, Paul went to the boy and, with God’s power, brought him back to life. Lucky for Eutychus! (The name Eutychus is literally translated as fortunate!) We shouldn’t be critical of Eutychus. At least he chose to be there, probably after a long day of slave labor, with another to follow the next day.
This is a great story that can provide an opportunity for us to evaluate. Are we exhausted to the point that we’re just trying to stay awake? And why is it that getting only three hours of sleep to catch an early flight for vacation is doable, while just a few hours of sleep before work seems punishing?
REFLECTION
Do you feel rested or exhausted? What is your exhaustion keeping you from experiencing and enjoying?
