Truth of the Spirit with Patti Brunner shares an episode about Lydia Working Woman on the series Scriptural Companions. We meet Lydia in the Acts of the Apostles where the preaching of Paul leads her to conversion. What she does next makes her famous. For audio & video links and a written script please continue reading.
Our focus on the individuals in scripture is to find a relationship with those who encountered Christ or the followers of Christ. Each character has meaning. Some characters are well known, such as Peter and Paul, Mary and Martha, even Simeon and Anna. But how many know Lydia? Lydia was a business woman who financially helped form the very first Catholic Church in Europe in the city of Philippi.
Welcome to the Truth of the Spirit and the series on Scriptural Companions. I’m your host Patti Brunner. Today we will meet Lydia the Working Woman. Lydia is the first Gentile in Europe to support the ministry of Paul. To be first at anything takes courage, perseverance and a bit of willingness to break the “status quo”!
Lydia never met Jesus Christ in person, nor did she have a vision of Jesus where He called her name the way that St. Paul did. However, this Scriptural Companion heard the truth and the truth set her free. Can you imagine Lydia gathering at the river to pray on the Sabbath with others? Can you picture her watching the ships arrive from the Mediterranean Sea and listening to the various voices that shared the Jewish faith and the news of the world? St. Paul, as a Jewish Roman and a Christian with an exciting witness to share would certainly draw her attention.
It is reported in Acts of the Apostles Chapter 15 that after the Church decided the norms for the first Gentiles converts, the Church sent a delegation with Paul to Antioch. In Acts of the Apostles Chapter 16, Paul traveled into Lycaonia with Timothy, into Europe. They sailed to Philippi, a leading city in that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. Luke tells the story in Acts 16:13, “On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river where we thought there would be a place of prayer. We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there. 14One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God,* listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. 15After she and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation: “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home,” and she prevailed on us.”
Generosity is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Paul had taken pride in supporting himself rather than asking for money. He was a tentmaker. Yet with Lydia’s support, he was able to travel farther and reach more people. In Acts of the Apostles Chapter 18 when Paul was in Corinth he stayed with Aquila and Priscilla who also made tents and preached in the synagogue there every Sabbath. Later, “5When Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began to occupy himself totally with preaching the word, testifying to the Jews that the Messiah was Jesus.” They provided for Paul either by working or maybe by bringing donations from others—perhaps from Lydia.
Let’s explore the qualities of this daughter of faith and conversion. First of all, she was a “Worshiper of God” or “God-fearer”. Others identified with this title were Cornelius in Chapter 10 of Acts, a Roman Centurion convert of Peter, and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts Chapter 8, who received mystical ministry from Philip while he was studying Isaiah.
The notes in the New American Bible tell us that “God-fearers accepted Jewish monotheism and ethic and attended the synagogue but did not consider themselves bound by other regulations such as circumcision and [obedience] observance of the dietary laws.”
Lydia was a business woman. Her trade was purple cloth which was a luxury item. Ezekiel 27:16 shares that payment for wares in the city of Tyre could be made using “garnets, purple dye, embroidered cloth, fine linen, coral, and rubies.” So, Lydia’s product could have been used like a coin for trade. Lydia’s intelligence and abilities allowed her to do much good and yet her success left her searching for more. Her fulfillment is found in Christ. Lydia, obviously, put her money where her heart was, despite the difficulties of a culture that did not elevate the rights of women in the workplace. She was ‘all in’ and dedicated to faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Lydia is a good role model to emulate. So many women in today’s society have left this important factor out of their lives. They even sacrifice their own children, through abortion, so they can do what they want to do when they want to do it. This decision is often encouraged by fathers who want to rid themselves of responsibility.
Scripture reveals that Lydia sought out the place of prayer outside the city by the river. Perhaps there was a cool breeze blowing from the river. Perhaps the Jewish synagogue was for men only—if there even was one. Maybe the community was too small for a synagogue. Perhaps, she longed to be around others outside her trade who shared her own values. She was searching for more; she was searching for truth. It is there she hears the preaching of Paul. Lydia has been able to discover a man of truth who speaks of the Giver of Truth. He shares his encounter with the Son of God, and through this truth Lydia is transformed. In Christ she finds redemption and forgiveness. Through the power of the Holy Spirit she finds hope and fulfillment. She “listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying.” [Acts 16]
Can you remember the first time you heard Paul’s story of conversion? It was such an important witness that the Acts of the Apostles tells and retells it three times! The story of Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus is told in Acts 9:1-19 and then retold by Paul in Acts 22:6-21 and Acts 26:12-18. Do you wonder how many people turned their hearts to Christ after hearing this amazing story? Do you have an amazing conversion story? How often have you shared it with others? We are called, all called, to conversion. We can have a conversion of repentance or conversion of heart. The process of conversion and repentance was described by Jesus in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The Catechism of the Catholic Church #1435 tells us that conversion is ongoing throughout our lives. Paragraph 1428, 1429 and 1430 talk about a second conversion and give Peter as an example. A second conversion is a movement of a contrite heart drawn and moved by grace to respond to the merciful love of God who loved us first. Are you ready for a second conversion?
Perhaps Lydia began to connect the dots of what had been revealed but was hidden to her because she had not seen the Light shine upon it. The revelation of Christ as true God and true man, as healer, as redeemer, as promise fulfilled, could have shown the Light in her life. There are many women who work and still have time to minister to God’s ministers. She is a model certainly for women but for men, too, who have searched for success without finding the satisfaction of fulfillment, those who have paid a price in their private lives to receive public acclaim and then discovered how empty it has been.
Later in the Chapter 16 of the Acts of the Apostles, Paul and Silas were arrested, beaten, and imprisoned after casting a demon out of a slave girl, who was used as a fortune-teller for profit. About midnight an earthquake freed them from their chains in prison but following a Word of Wisdom of the Lord, they remained there as a sign to the Jailer. The Jailer was then converted and his whole house was baptized. The next morning, the magistrates[i], who were the highest officials of the Roman colony of Philippi, ordered them released. “37But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, even though we are Roman citizens and have not been tried, and have thrown us into prison.d And now, are they going to release us secretly? By no means! Let them come themselves and lead us out.”* 38The lictors [the policemen] reported these words to the magistrates, and they became alarmed when they heard that they were Roman citizens.e 39So they came and placated them, and led them out and asked that they leave the city. 40When they had come out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house where they saw and encouraged the brothers, and then they left.”
I can imagine that the local Christians were gathered at Lydia’s house to pray for Paul and Silas. Paul came by after his release to encourage them, to let them know God had heard their prayers and worked the suffering for good. I wonder if Paul and Silas brought the Jailer with them to introduce him to Lydia. Through Lydia’s support, the new Church in Philippi was able to gather peacefully. The Philippians became a flourishing community and Paul wrote one of his letters to them. I have always thought that the Church of the Philippians was Paul’s favorite—he was so encouraging in his verses to them. The letter gives glowing compliments to this community. Paul doesn’t mention Lydia by name in his Letter to the Philippians, but her generosity certainly is accounted in his thank you in Philippians 4: 16, he says, “For even when I was at Thessalonica you sent me something for my needs, not only once but more than once.”
The New American Bible Introduction to the Letter to the Philippians[ii] explains this way, “This beautiful letter is rich in insights into Paul’s theology and his apostolic love and concern for the gospel and his converts. In Philippians, Paul reveals his human sensitivity and tenderness, his enthusiasm for Christ as the key to life and death (Phil 1:21), and his deep feeling for those in Christ who dwell in Philippi. With them he shares his hopes and convictions, his anxieties and fears, revealing the total confidence in Christ that constitutes faith (Phil 3:8–10). The letter incorporates a hymn about the salvation that God has brought about through Christ (Phil 2:6–11), applied by Paul to the relations of Christians with one another (Phil 2:1–5). Philippians has been termed “the letter of joy” (Phil 4:4, 10). It is the rejoicing of faith, based on true understanding of Christ’s unique role in the salvation of all who profess his lordship (Phil 2:11; 3:8–12, 14, 20–21).” Perhaps the witness of the number one convert of this Christian community, Lydia, set the high mark of faith and devotion that the following converts sustained!
Lydia was not a hometown girl of Philippi. She is identified as from “city of Thyatira” which is located in Asia. A lot of people in the bible are from ‘somewhere else’. The indigo plant, which is used for purple dye she used, is available in Thyatira and that city is a center for the indigo trade. Purple cloth was a luxury product. Lydia might have moved to the Mediterranean seacoast town of Philippi to sell cloth that was dyed in Thyatira; or, perhaps her husband brought her to his town of Philippi and then died. Or, perhaps God called her family to move to Philippi, bringing dye with them to a place they could purchase the cloth. And then God prospered them so that with perfect timing she was able to offer help Paul’s ministry and the early Church. Her city of Thyatira is mentioned in the Book of Revelation 2:18 as one of the churches addressed. There is not a clear indication of who evangelized the city of Thyatira, but wouldn’t you think it might be someone who knew Lydia or her household? Or perhaps Lydia herself?
What conversation could we have with Lydia? What can we learn from her? How did she make the cultural transition from Asia to Europe? What specifically touched her heart as she heard Paul preach? How did she encourage her whole household to be baptized? What allowed her to trust Paul and Timothy and then Silas and Luke to invite them into her home? We invite you to spend a few moments with our Scriptural Companion and meditate on this amazing woman of God, the first Christian convert of Europe.
You have been listening to Truth of the Spirit and Lydia the Working Woman Scriptural Companion. You can find this episode at PatriarchMinistries.com/167. To find other episodes, just visit PatriarchMinistries.com. If you are watching on YouTube, to locate other Scriptural Companions on our free channel playlist, just click on our icon next to our name in the description, and go to Videos or Playlists. We also invite you to click subscribe on YouTube or your podcast site, it’s free, and click the notification bell to find us easily next time. Please leave us a comment and click like. And then come back for more. With the Holy Spirit there’s always more! Amen.
[i] NAB reference material: * [16:20] Magistrates: in Greek, stratēgoi, the popular designation of the duoviri, the highest officials of the Roman colony of Philippi.
* [16:35] The lictors: the equivalent of police officers, among whose duties were the apprehension and punishment of criminals.
[ii] Philippians, THE LETTER TO THE PHILIPPIANS | USCCB
NAB Introduction to the Letter to the Philippians. The Acts account tells of the conversion of a business woman, Lydia; the exorcism of a slave girl; and, after an earthquake, while Paul and Silas were imprisoned in Philippi, the faith and baptism of a jailer and his family. None of these persons, however, is directly mentioned in Philippians (cf. the notes on Phil 4:2 and Phil 4:3). Acts 16 concludes its account by describing how Paul (and Silas), asked by the magistrates to leave Philippi, went on to Thessalonica (Acts 17:1–10), where several times his loyal Philippians continued to support him with financial aid (Phil 4:16). Later, Paul may have passed through Philippi on his way from Ephesus to Greece (Acts 20:1–2), and he definitely stopped there on his fateful trip to Jerusalem (Acts 20:6).
Paul’s letter to the Christians at Philippi was written while he was in a prison somewhere (Phil 1:7, 13, 14, 17), indeed in danger of death (Phil 1:20–23). Although under guard for preaching Christ, Paul rejoices at the continuing progress of the gospel (Phil 1:12–26) and expresses gratitude for the Philippians’ renewed concern and help in an expression of thanks most clearly found at Phil 4:10–20. Much of the letter is devoted to instruction about unity and humility within the Christian community at Philippi (Phil 1:27–2:18) and exhortations to growth, joy, and peace in their life together (Phil 4:1–9). The letter seems to be drawing to a close at the end of what we number as Phil 2, as Paul reports the plans of his helper Timothy and of Epaphroditus (whom the Philippians had sent to aid Paul) to come to Philippi (Phil 2:19–3:1), and even Paul’s own expectation that he will go free and come to Philippi (Phil 1:25–26; 2:24). Yet quite abruptly at Phil 3:2, Paul erupts into warnings against false teachers who threaten to impose on the Philippians the burdens of the Mosaic law, including circumcision. The section that follows, Phil 3:2–21, is a vigorous attack on these Judaizers (cf. Gal 2:11–3:29) or Jewish Christian teachers (cf. 2 Cor 11:12–23), giving us insights into Paul’s own life story (Phil 3:4–6) and into the doctrine of justification, the Christian life, and ultimate hope (Phil 3:7–21).
This beautiful letter is rich in insights into Paul’s theology and his apostolic love and concern for the gospel and his converts. In Philippians, Paul reveals his human sensitivity and tenderness, his enthusiasm for Christ as the key to life and death (Phil 1:21), and his deep feeling for those in Christ who dwell in Philippi. With them he shares his hopes and convictions, his anxieties and fears, revealing the total confidence in Christ that constitutes faith (Phil 3:8–10). The letter incorporates a hymn about the salvation that God has brought about through Christ (Phil 2:6–11), applied by Paul to the relations of Christians with one another (Phil 2:1–5). Philippians has been termed “the letter of joy” (Phil 4:4, 10). It is the rejoicing of faith, based on true understanding of Christ’s unique role in the salvation of all who profess his lordship (Phil 2:11; 3:8–12, 14, 20–21).
