Luke said when Paul came to Derbe and Lystra, "behold a certain disciple was there, named Timothy..." (Acts16:1). The word "behold" is used to call special attention to someone and Timothy is certainly an individual that we should look at very closely.

Behold Timothy's character. At the time Paul met him he is called a "disciple" and "well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium." (16:1-2). Not only this, he was "faithful" (1Cor.4:7), a man "likeminded" with Paul who would "sincerely care for your state", whose character had been "proven" (Phil. 2:20-22) and whose faith was "unfeigned" (2Tim.1:5). The character profile looks like this: here is a careful student with a wide-spread reputation for good among brethren and dependable in all that was expected of him. He was of "one soul" with Paul, one who had a "distracting care" for the souls of others, a character that had been "put to the test" and come away unblemished, and a faith in which was no pretense.

Behold Timothy's work. Paul told the Thessalonians he was a "minister" and "fellow laborer in the gospel", able to "establish you and encourage you concerning your faith" (1Thess. 3:2). To the Corinthians he said Timothy would "remind you of my ways in Christ", "do the work of the Lord", and preach Jesus among you (1Cor.4:17; 16:10; 2 Cor. 1:19) and the Philippians were told "as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel" (Phil2:22). Note carefully that as Timothy confirmed and encouraged his brethren he was a servant/minister of God, Paul's co-laborer and fellow-slave who, in so doing, engaged in the Lord's work just as much as Paul.

Behold Timothy's potential excuses. Timothy could have opted for a different kind of character and a different direction in life; he had all the excuses he needed at his disposal. He came from a home that was racially, socially, and religiously divided, being the "son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was a Greek." (Acts16:1). He knew about the various "church problems" (Corinth, e.g.), was fully aware of the various difficulties Paul had experienced (2Tim.3:10-11), and had, according to the Hebrew writer, been "set free" (Heb.13:23), indicating he had been imprisoned. No "dysfunctional family" (dad not a Christian; you don't know what it's like to be half-Jewish, etc.) excuses here; his mother and grandmother gave him something solid upon which to build character (2Tim.1:5). And the mistreatment he and Paul had suffered nor the ungodly in Corinth were not used to evade responsibility; Timothy stayed the course and rose above them.

Now we know why Luke wrote "behold....Timothy" and why we should, indeed, carefully examine Paul's beloved and true son (1Tim.1:2; 2Tim.1:2). Our character and work in the Lord will be better off when we do, and our excuses for short-comings in those areas will vanish.