The Bible presents many figures to us, people from whom we can learn many lessons. One of them, a young man named Eutychus in Acts 20:9, teaches us many things even though he appeared in the Bible for only a short while.
Who is Eutychus and what can we learn from him? Let's talk about that.
A notable event
Eutychus' story in Acts 20 isn't heroic or inspiring at all. It's actually tragic, something that has lessons we should take to heart, especially for the young ones. The account in Acts 20:7-12 tells us,
"Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together. And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. But Paul went down, fell on him, and embracing him said, "Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him." Now when he had come up, had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he departed. And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted."
At the time, Paul was in Troas in Greece. He met with the believers there, and because he was about to leave the following day, spent considerable time with the believers to speak to them. They gathered in an upper room that had many lamps. As the gathering continued until late in the evening, one of the people present there, a young man named Eutychus, fell asleep and fell down from the third floor window where he was sitting. He "was taken up dead."
He literally died.
Paul, embracing the young man whose name literally meant "fortunate," brought him back to life, by the power of Christ, to the comfort of the believers.
What can we learn from him?
Well, perhaps we're wondering, "what can we learn from this guy?" After all, he didn't do anything fancy, didn't preach, and died from falling while asleep. That doesn't sound so inspiring, not at all.
Still, there are a few things we can learn from him. Here are some of them:
1) Be careful always
Just because God is protecting us and keeping us safe from the enemy, that doesn't mean we should be careless. Eutychus was there listening to Paul's message alright, but he died because he sat down somewhere he shouldn't have sat, at a time he shouldn't have sat there.
We've got to exercise plain common sense.
2) We've got to balance things
As Paul kept speaking to them although already late in the evening, Eutychus felt sleepy. Here's one thing that we should then learn to manage: our health.
It's a great thing to prioritize our spiritual health, but we should also balance it with other things like physical and emotional health. The Lord Jesus Himself grew in aspects aside from the spiritual:
"And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." (Luke 2:52)
Young people in particular need to learn this. Passionate Christians can give so much of their time to church activities or work or service that they neglect their studies, their families, and even their time to rest and be alone with the Lord in prayer. Balance is key.
3) God honors our efforts for Him
Alright, Eutychus fell down from that high window because he fell asleep while listening to Paul speak. Does that mean God punished him for sleeping during the service? No, He didn't. God's response actually showed the opposite:
That He valued Eutychus' life and drive to have fellowship and break bread with fellow believers, even as it was likely beyond his bedtime. The young man died, but He brought Eutychus back to life through the hands of Paul.
God cares about every single thing that we do for Him. 1 Corinthians 15:58 tells us,
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."
The Lord Jesus Himself said in Mark 10:29-30,
"Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life."
Hebrews 11:6 also tells us,
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."
