Acts 20:9 CSB
And a young man named Eutychus was sitting on a windowsill and sank into a deep sleep as Paul kept on speaking. When he was overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead.
Have you ever struggled to stay awake in church, school, or any setting where you're listening to a public speaker? It can be brutally painful when your physical body is wanting to go to sleep and you're mentally trying to focus and stay awake. Here in Acts chapter 20, we find an interesting story of Paul preaching all night long and a young man named Eutychus bouncing all over the back of the struggle bus to stay awake.
Eutychus, who has a name that translates to “lucky,” finds himself at the center of a not-so-lucky story that warns us of the dangers of spiritual apathy. Evidently, his parents desire nothing more than to immerse him in the Word of God. They want him in church, where he will be exposed to the life-giving message of the gospel of the Kingdom.
It appears that our young man, Eutychus, doesn't share the same convictions as his parents. He positions himself on the edge of the congregation, which is an indication of where he is spiritually. He is on the edge between the Kingdom of the world and the Kingdom of God, between darkness and light.
Eutychus is interestingly sitting inside the church's walls as a member of the congregation, but he keeps as far away from the Kingdom of God as he can while still hearing the Word of God. In the Old Testament, there's a group of people who live on the edge of the faith community. In Numbers 11:1 (CSB), we find an interesting correlation: “Now the people began complaining openly before the Lord about hardship. When the Lord heard, his anger burned, and fire from the Lord blazed among them and consumed the outskirts of the camp.”
The story of Eutychus and those on the outskirts of the camp serves as a cautionary tale of the dangers of spiritually drifting from God. Many times, our physical location illustrates our spiritual location. When we begin to drift spiritually, we're not so inclined and inspired to attend church, bible studies, and fellowship with other believers. We should be highly concerned when we become apathetic, lose interest in spiritual activities, and begin to disengage ourselves from them.
Do you have a healthy love and respect for God? This is essential to keep you from drifting off and moving away from the Lord's presence. Take inventory of your life today and make sure that you're not moving towards the shadows and sitting on the edge between the Kingdom of the world and the Kingdom of God.
A healthy fear of God is not something that will push us away from God; it is something that will pull us closer to Him. From a biblical perspective, to fear God means that we love, respect, and admire Him. When these truths stir in our hearts, it's going to draw every aspect of our lives closer to the Kingdom of God. We will have an increasing desire to nourish our spiritual lives and strengthen our intimate relationship with God.
The story of Eutychus falling into darkness ends with a resurrection. His painful experience is a powerful lesson for us to stay away from the edge. Wandering out into the shadows can lead to spiritual falls, but God, in His faithfulness, grace, and mercy, is always ready to breathe life back into His children.
Acts 20:10–12 (CSB)
But Paul went down, bent over him, embraced him, and said, “Don’t be alarmed, because he’s alive." After going upstairs, breaking the bread, and eating, Paul talked a long time until dawn. Then he left. They brought the boy home alive and were greatly comforted.