“He went,” it says, “through” the cities “And, behold, there was a disciple, by name Timothy, who had a good report of the brethren which were in Lystra and Iconium.” (v. 41; 16:1.) Great was the grace of Timothy. When Barnabas departed (ἀ πέστη), he finds another, equivalent to him. Of him he says, “Remembering your tears and your unfeigned faith, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois, and in your mother Eunice.” His father continued to be a Gentile, and therefore it was that (Timothy) was not circumcised.
(a) Observe the Law already broken. Or if not so, I suppose he was born after the preaching of the Gospel but this is perhaps not so. (c) He was about to make him a bishop, and it was not meet that he should be uncircumcised. (e) And this was not a small matter, seeing it offended after so long a time: (b) “for from a child,” he says, “you have known the Holy Scriptures.” (d) “And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep.” For until then, there was no need for the Gentiles to keep any such.
The beginning of the abrogation was the Gentiles' not keeping these things, and being none the worse for it: nor having any inferiority in respect of faith: anon, of their own will they abandoned the Law. (f) Since therefore he was about to preach, that he might not smite the Jews a double blow, he circumcised Timothy. And yet he was but half (a Jew by birth), his father being a Greek: but yet, because that was a great point carried in the cause of the Gentiles, he did not care for this: for the Word must needs be disseminated: therefore also he with his own hands circumcised him. “And so were the churches established in the faith.”
Do you mark here also how from going counter (to his own object) a great good results? “And increased in number daily.” Do you observe, that the circumcising not only did no harm, but was even of the greatest service? “And a vision appeared unto Paul in the night.” Not now by Angels, as to Philip, as to Cornellius, but how? By a vision it is now shown to him: in more human sort, not now as before (i.e., <!--<span class="stiki"></span>-->v. 6, 7) in more divine manner. For where the compliance is more easy, it is done in more human sort; but where great force was needed, there in more divine.
For since he was but urged to preach, to this end it is shown him in a dream: but to forbear preaching, he could not readily endure: to this end the Holy Ghost reveals it to him. Thus also it was then with Peter, “Arise, go down.” For of course the Holy Spirit did not work what was otherwise easy: but (here) even a dream sufficed him. And to Joseph also, as being readily moved to compliance, the appearance is in a dream, but to the rest in waking vision. Thus to Cornelius, and to Paul himself.
“And lo, a man of Macedonia,” etc. and not simply enjoining, but “beseeching,” and from the very persons in need of (spiritual) cure. “Assuredly gathering,” it says, “that the Lord had called us.”, that is, inferring, both from the circumstance that Paul saw it and none other, and from the having been “forbidden by the Spirit,” and from their being on the borders; from all these they gathered. “Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course,” etc. That is, even the voyage made this manifest: for there was no tardiness.
It became the very root of Macedonia. It was not always in the way of “sharp contention” that the Holy Spirit wrought: but this so rapid progress (of the Word) was a token that the thing was more than human. And yet it is not said that Barnabas was exasperated, but, “Between them there arose a sharp contention.” If the one was not exasperated neither was the other.
Source: Homilies on Acts (New Advent)