On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.
When we come across stories like this in the Bible we have to ask, “why is this story here.” This story is like a story in the Old Testament about Elisha and the floating axe head (2 Kings 6:5-7). That story, and this one, seem to be recorded and told simply to show us the power of God. There was little doctrinally truth about a prophet who borrowed an axe from a friend, only to have the head of the axe fly off and land in the water and sink to the bottom. The prophet Elisha had just taken over from Elijah. In that transfer of role and power, Elisha asked God for a double portion of Elijah’s power. Causing the iron axe to float in water was a demonstration of that power. The above story takes on a similar purpose. Paul is now being raised in influence in Luke’s account in Acts. Note what was just written a few verses back:
Acts 19:11-12 (ESV)
And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
This story is to demonstrate the power God has given to Paul during this moment of the early church. The setting is similar to any service we might have today. They were in a building with at least three stories. The service was probably on a Saturday night into Sunday morning (remember, they counted the sunset of a day to start the next day). It was late in the evening and this young man, Eutychus, was in attendance. He was probably in his early teen years. As Paul waxed eloquent, Eutychus slept deeper. This subsequent fall from an open window must have been a shock to everyone. Luke leaves out any part his parents played (or didn’t play) in this story. This is supposed to be a normal church service and a teen dies by falling out a window. Imagine our society today with this story. Yet, God uses this moment to encourage the saints and move the church forward. Eutychus now has a story to tell for the rest of his life. Would his story be about falling asleep and falling out a window, or would it be the glorious act of God’s grace to bring him back to life. Or, would be about this amazing church leader, Paul. The story is here for us to see that God can work miracles in any circumstance. His power is demonstrated in these early church days to show the legitimacy of the church. Miracles in the Bible are always to show both God’s power and the legitimacy of His plans (Moses in Egypt; Joshua in the promise land; the prophets in captivity; Jesus introducing His ministry; Peter and Paul introducing the Church). The church was comforted by this miracle. No doctrine is taught. But it does show that even in the smallest moments, that can create the greatest need, God is present to show His power.
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