Eutychus And The Story behind The Words

Acts 20:7-12

7″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. 8 There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together.

9 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.

10 But Paul went down, fell {epepesen}on him, and embracing him said, “Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him.” 11 Now when he had come up, had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he departed. 12 And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted.”

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The Holy Spirit is quite the story teller, isn’t He?  He has structured the Bible in such a way that it is a multi-layered storehouse of treasure.  As you peel it back layer by layer, like an onion, you find the most amazing things. It is full of stories about every facet of Jesus’ beauty, His glory, His majesty, His humanity, and above all, His love for us!  This applies to the New Testament as well as the Old as you will see in this young man’s story.

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A Sleepy Young Boy.

Eutychus was a young boy who was sitting in a window on the third floor while listening to a very lo-o-o-o-ong sermon by the Apostle Paul.  It was so long that he got very drowsy, fell asleep, toppled out of the window, and was killed. Fear not, however, there’s more to this tale than meets the eye. It isn’t simply that of a young man who fell asleep during a sermon.

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Before we get into the rich meaning of this text, we’re going to learn about the four layers of Bible study, review each one, then apply them to this narrative.  It will be clear to see that, though there is a lesson to be learned about not falling asleep in church 🤭 😂, there is a completely different story behind the words and a message the Holy Spirit wants to convey. 😮

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Four Layers.

There are four levels or layers of Bible study identified by the Jewish rabbis.  They call these layers “P’shat, Remez, D’rash & Sod.”  Each one is deeper than the one before, revealing more and more wonderful truths.

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P’shat:  Basic Or Simple.

The first layer, the “P’shat,” (pronounced peh-shaht’), is very basic or simple.  It is the story you read on the surface, the that one everybody knows.  The word actually means, “Simple.”  At this level of Bible study, new believers learn basic truths and simple principles. All of us begin here, but God doesn’t intend for us to stay here.  He wants us to grow and progress in the grace and knowledge of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ; to mature and move on to deeper understanding.  That is how “grace is multiplied” in our lives, according to 2 Peter 3:18.

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Please understand that deeper meanings and understandings do not change the Bible in any way. They are not “New revelations.”  That would be scary! 😟 These meanings have always been there.  But just as your understanding of any other subject grows deeper and more detailed, so too your understanding of God’s amazing book and of Jesus also grows…..or it should.

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Remez: Hint.

#2:  The next level of study the rabbis call,“Remez,” pronounced “reh-mez.”  It means, “Hint.”  In this layer can be found another or an implied meaning which is alluded to in the text, usually revealing a deeper truth.  Any verse or passage can have multiple layers of meaning.  A perfect example of implied or “Remez” is Proverbs 20:10 below:

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“Different weights, and different measures, both of them are alike an abomination to the  Lord.”  

A P’shat meaning of this verse would only be concerned with a merchant using the same scale to weigh goods for all of his customers, not different ones to favor some and not others.  A Remez meaning, however, implies that God is hinting at something that goes far beyond weights and measures. He is using them to highlight aspects of fairness and honesty in one’s life. He wants justice to be applied fairly and equally to all, not different standards that cater to the rich and punish the poor, for example.

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D’rash: Compare And Contrast.

#3: D’rash ( pronounced “deh-rash), also called “Midrash,” is the third layer.  A D’rash understanding, like any other level of meaning, CANNOT be used to strip a passage of its p’shat, or basic, meaning, nor may any such understanding contradict the p’shat meaning of any other scripture passage.  As the Talmud states, “No passage loses its p’shat” meaning.  This layer uses scripture to interpret itself, which it does very well.  It is its own best commentary!

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The teaching, exposition, or application of the P’shat and/or Remez, in some cases, could be considered comparable to a “sermon.”  For instance, Biblical writers may take two or more seemingly unrelated verses and combine them to create a verse or verses with a third meaning.  The Holy Spirit uses a lot of this compare and contrast technique throughout the Bible, putting chapters, even whole books, side by side, to drive home a point. Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs are excellent examples.  

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These side by side books of the Old Testament are placed next to one another by Divine intent.  Ecclisiates talks all about life under the sun without The Son, gaining things by one’s own efforts, which leads to “Emptiness of Emptiness,” as King Solomon says.

Song of Songs, on the other hand, speaks of the utter fulfillment and unspeakable joy of life above this mundane existence WITH THE SON. 180 degrees different!

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(For more on this topic, you may follow the link below:

https://emmausroadministries.international/2017/04/16/the-gospels-part-1-the-key-hangs-by-the-door/)

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(Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night.)

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Another great example of Midrash is John chapters 3 and 4.  In Chapter 3, Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus by night, having questions, as most religious people do.  He was afraid other leaders might find out that he sought out Jesus for a private audience, hence the nighttime audience.

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Here he was, a leader among the Jews, and there were things that he should have known that he did not.  Jesus, like the gentleman He is, gently admonished and put him in his place. Only after he had an honest appraisal of himself could he come to a genuine understanding of the truth.

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(For more on the comparing and contrasting of these two chapters, you may follow the link below:

https://emmausroadministries.international/2017/04/17/the-gospels-part-7-john/)

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In the very next chapter, Jesus Himself PERSONALLY traveled all the way to Galilee and sought out a woman who was living in sin.  Far from being a leader, like Nicodemus, she was a Gentile. Not only that, she was a Samaritan, a race of people reviled and despised by the Jewish people, and a woman.

Jesus came TO this woman IN BROAD DAYLIGHT; high noon in fact. He actually revealed to her Who He really was: The Promised Messiah. Notice He didn’t do that for Nicodemus. Amazing! 😮 

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One came TO Jesus in the dark; the other HE SOUGHT OUT in broad daylight.

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That’s the Holy Spirit, comparing and contrasting the two chapters. The book of Luke is full of chapters just like this, compared and contrasted side by side. The rich young ruler and Zaccheus in chapters 18 and 19 comes to mind.  The Holy Spirit is comparing and contrasting Law and Grace.

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Once again, it is important to note that no layer in any way contradicts or changes any other.  They are layers of meaning that have always been there.  They simply reveal deeper truths that complement and enrich all the others.

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Sōd: Prophetic Or Hidden Meaning.

#4:  The 4th and deepest layer of study is known as the “Sōd” (pronounced with a long O as in Lore).  It Means “Hidden.”  In this layer are found the hidden, secret, or mystic meanings of the text.  Some examples of this would be the dragon, the great whore of Babylon, and number “666,” all from the book of Revelation.  Any meaning that is prophetic in nature would be a “Sod” interpretation.

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It is down in the sod where you find what I like to call, “The story behind the words.”   Our Father loves to hide meanings in both the Hebrew and Greek texts.  Hebrew, being a language of picture writing, is particularly fun and amazing! The language and even letters themselves bring out meanings that you would never get from any definition.  Include Greek and Hebrew into any study and you will find wonderful truths that warm and bless, with beautiful pictures of Jesus.  That, after all, is how we are transformed from glory to glory:  By beholding His glory!

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With all that in mind, let’s return to the story of young Eutychus.

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The Story Behind The Words.

The surface, or P’Shat, of this account is simply the story of a young man who sat in a window while listening to Paul preach, presumably to get some fresh air.  It’s a hot climate after all, they were on the third floor, and heat rises.

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Note that they were meeting together “On the first day of the week.” In other words, on Sunday. Paul, who was preaching, is the only one to whom the Gospel of Grace was fully revealed.

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One could read this story and come away simply with a lesson about the dangers of falling asleep in Church.  But I don’t think that’s the only message the Holy Spirit wants to impart here. 😊 I’m pretty sure Our Master Story Teller has more on His mind than the story of a kid who fell out of a window.  He never wastes words and this story is no exception.  There’s a very important message that applies to us here in the 21st century.  So let’s dig in and see what’s on His mind.

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Typologies.

Paul, was in a THIRD-STORY room preaching for a very lo-o-o-ong time, on the “THIRD HEAVEN.”   That’s why the young Eutychus fell asleep.  Amazingly, Eutychus’ Greek name means “Good fortune.” 😳 🤔  Falling out of a THIRD STORY window to his death doesn’t sound like very good fortune though, does it.  What does it mean?

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Many Churches today seem to have lost their “Eutyhchus.”  In other words, their “Good fortune” as it were.  Over the years, they have gradually fallen asleep until they have stopped listening entirely to the Gospel of Grace that Paul preached.  They have, in effect, “fallen” from grace, i.e., The Third Heaven.  Many Churches and ministries have either died, like Eutychus, or dried up.

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Now, falling from grace may not mean what you think it does.  One thing it does NOT mean is that you lose your salvation.  That is not even possible.  For more on the subject of what it means to fall from grace, you may follow the link below:

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https://emmausroadministries.international/2019/11/14/what-does-it-mean-to-fall-from-grace/

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Waning Church Attendance.

Over the last half of he 20th century, church attendance began to wane as more and more people just stopped going.  The 60’s saw many things happen, like the hippie phenomenon, drug abuse rising, and increasing rebellion. The Supreme Court of the United States, in an unprecedented move, threw the Bible out as the standard for jurisprudence.  From that point on, lawlessness began to increase, abortions rose, and our society in general began to unravel. 😭 😭 😭 

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But…..when the Church begins to listen again to the message Paul preached, embrace the young people with its message, they will come back to life and affect society again.  The young generation, who only appear to be dead, can be brought back up to “The third heaven” from where we can all “Break bread,” once again.  🍞 🍷

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Gematria: Meaning In Numbers.

“3” is the number of “Resurrection.”  Jesus was resurrected on the third day.  Eutychus, whose name means, “Good fortune,” fell out of a “3rd” floor window while Paul was preaching on the “3rd” heaven.  He came down, like Jesus came down, to where the fallen young man lay dead. He fell on him, embraced him, and raised him from the dead!

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The word in Greek here for fell is “epepesén,” the same word as used in Acts 10:44 when the Holy Spirit “fell” on the Gentiles for the first time; He literally gave Eutychus a Holy Spirit “bear hug!”  After he was brought back to life, Paul led the young man back upstairs and they “broke bread.”  In other words, they had communion.  The mention of so many “3’s,” i.e., the “third story and third heaven,” is a reference to events that will happen that will bless the church “on the “third day: NOW.”  

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For more on the meaning of numbers in the Bible, you may follow the link below to a brief series on that topic:

https://emmausroadministries.international/2016/03/20/bible-numerics/

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How God Reckons Time.

2 Peter 3:8 admonishes us, “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as (like)a thousand years, and a thousand years as (like)one day.”  We are the third day generation.

As God reckons time, a thousand years is AS, or like, one day TO HIM.  Doesn’t say it’s “exactly” a thousand years, but more or less that time frame. By that reckoning, Jesus has been gone from this earth only two days.  When the year 2,000 dawned, we crossed over into the early dawn hours of the THIRD DAY.

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Our Master Storyteller specifically makes mention of the fact that Eutychus was a “young man.”  Why?  Through this story of Eutychus, the Holy Spirit is painting a picture of today’s youth.

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Beyond Hope?

Ever heard anyone say that they think the young generation seems so lost that they appear to be beyond hope…..you know, DEAD…..for all intents and purposes, as dead as this young man?  Well guess what?  THEY’RE NOT DEAD–not really.  They’re only “sleeping,” like Jairus’ daughter in the story below.👇 She’s the 12 year old girl Jesus raised from the dead!

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(For more on Jairus’ daughter, you may follow the link below:

https://emmausroadministries.international/2021/10/22/talitha-cumi/)

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What will bring them back to life?  PREACHING THE REAL GOSPEL:  “GRACE.”  This is the Gospel that was exclusively given to the Apostle Paul, by the way.

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Church And True Gospel Restored!

All over the world, it may look like the Church is ineffectual, or dead in many cases.  But the real Gospel is being restored to the Church in these last days!   Like young Josiah who found the book of the law, read it, and began to follow it, commanding his people to do likewise, so the Real Gospel has been found and restored to us!  It is spreading across the globe like so much Holy fire, being accompanied by signs, wonders, and people of all ages getting saved!

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Who is preaching it? The youngest or newest “Kids” on the block. I say “Kids” because many of these men and women are the newest breed of preacher. Many have never even been to Bible school, yet they are spreading the truth being taught by the original Dealer Himself: The Holy Spirit.  You who are reading this may indeed be one of those “New kids.”

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The importance of taking communion weekly, even daily, is also being restored to the Church, being given it’s rightful place. It is effecting the blessings it was intended to bestow on God’s people.

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Out Of “Babylon”

In our day, thankfully, the Church is coming “Out of Babylon,” meaning out of confusion. The stone–the law–is being rolled away!  It will finally be completely replaced as God intended, it’s preachers taken over by shepherds who will feed the sheep, not beat them with the Law.

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So, keep on keepin’ on, people of grace.  Keep on preaching the truth.  A great and true Gospel revival is coming your way.  And keep on looking and listening for The Story Behind The Words.