Success God’s Way: Lydia was a wealthy businesswoman who readily embraced a Christian lifestyle

Acts 16: 1-15

Lydia sat quietly by the Krenides River outside the city of Philippi, the soft babble of the murky waters coaxed her mind to focus on God. She closed her eyes to shut out the images of her small group of women that included relatives, employees, and a few slaves.

The dearth of Jewish men living in Philippi precluded the building of a synagogue. So, this river site in the district of Macedonia was important on the Sabbath; it created the perfect environment for prayers, rabbinical teachings, ritual washings, and baptism.

Lydia, adorned in vivid splotches of purple, meditated on the goodness of a God who would bless a woman originally from Thyatira not only to be successful in selling hard-to-find Tyrian purple dye but also to become a proselyte to Judaism in the Gentile community. She was accomplished with a prestigious job during this time of Christ when men still controlled and dominated. Most women were relegated to the home with children, cooking and other domestic chores. Lydia praised God for her unique blessings. Still, she felt something missing in her life.

Her tranquil meditation, fostered by the gurgling river, chirping birds and scurrying insects and animals, soon was shattered by deep voices of approaching men. Lydia looked up and saw four men: the Apostle Paul, Missionary Silas, young Timothy, and Doctor Luke. She didn’t know them by name, but they quickly introduced themselves as followers of Jesus Christ, the son of God.

Getting right to work, they plopped down by the praying women and began to teach.

The Holy Spirit already had prepared Lydia to hear the Gospel. “The Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying.” (Acts 16:14b, NLT)

Paul intuitively knew that meeting Lydia and the other women at this location during this time of the Sabbath day was orchestrated by God. This trip was a detour in his second missionary journey around AD 50 or 51. Never far from memory was his life-changing conversion to Christianity on the Road to Damascus. Now, instead of persecuting he was recruiting Christians during carefully charted trips that so far had enabled him to spread the gospel as far as Asia Minor. Originally Paul had intended to stay in Asia, but while in Troas, the Lord sent him a vision that rerouted him westward into Europe across the Aegean Sea and into Macedonia. Silas, Timothy, and Luke accompanied Paul on this impromptu journey and when they arrived in Philippi, they learned it did not have a synagogue. The men went to the river where they knew that Jews would be worshipping (Acts 16: 8-13).

A Roman Colony in Greece, Philippi was in eastern Macedonia, about 10 miles inland from the coast, directly northwest of its nearest port city, Neapolis. The city was a strategic area in ancient times because it sat on a fertile plain hosting a trade highway that linked the Aegean and Adriatic Seas. A famous school of medicine was built there too.

Many travelers passed through Philippi on their way to Rome. When founded by immigrants from Thrace, Philippi was famous for its abundant gold mines and plenteous springs of water. Around 359 BC, the city was renamed after Philip of Macedonia, father of Alexander the Great.

Lydia relocated to Philippi to become a local dealer in purple cloth. Her hometown of Thyatira, a city in the western province of Lydia in Asia Minor, was famous as a center of the indigo trade. Today, it is now the modern Turkish city of Akhisar, about 50 miles from the Aegean Sea. For Lydia during that time, Philippi was a better place for business, enabling her to establish contacts with professionals and politicians.

Spectacular purple dyed garments and robes were very expensive and popular among the rich and powerful Romans such as kings and other members of royalty. The color was given special meaning in the Bible. Owning the precious purple cloth was a symbol of status.

Researchers said that processing this Tyrian purple was a labor-intensive and time-consuming job. It was a smelly task too because it required the dye to be extracted from the glands of thousands of decaying Murex shellfish, which is a marine snail. Once extracted, the color is baked into the fabric. Such coloring could last for a hundred years, and fabric of this color was listed along with other treasured assets, such as silver and gold, according to the book of the Maccabees.

As Lydia listened to the supernatural truths of God, the emptiness that she had felt began to dissipate as feelings of warmth, contentment, satisfaction, and relief took over. God had arranged for Lydia to hear about Jesus from one of his most prominent followers, Paul, a man who knew what it meant to be redeemed and start life anew.

On the spot, Lydia accepted Paul’s message about Christ – how he died on the cross for the sins of the world and was resurrected to guarantee eternal life for believers. She readily accepted Paul’s invitation of baptism, becoming the first Christian convert in Europe. Soon, she and her household became a beacon of light for the Good News Gospel, and she opened her home for Christian service.

SOURCES:

Calpiino, Teresa, “Biblical Views: Tabitha and Lydia – Models of Early Christian Women Leaders,” (Biblical Archaeology Review, Biblical Archaeology Society), vol. 24, no. 4, July/August 2016, p.20.

Cartwright, Mark, “Tyrian Purple,” (Ancient History Encyclopedia, 21 July 2016). https://www.ancient.eu/Tyrian_Purple/

Dockery, David S., (Ed.), Holman Bible Handbook, (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 1992), p. 650.

“Lydia of Thyatira,” (Wikipedia,Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 27 October 2019).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lydia_of_Thyatira

Mowczko, Marg, “Lydia of Thyatira: The founding member of the Philippian Church, (Marg Mowczko: Exploring the biblical theology of Christian egalitarianism, 30 November 2017.

Mowczko: Exploring the biblical theology of Christian egalitarianism, 30 November 2017.

“Philippi,” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 6 November 2019).

Saxton, Jo, “Lydia: A Bold Believer,” (CT Women, Christianity Today Newsletter, August 7, 2016). https://www.christianitytoday.com/women/devoted_2016

Walker, Rev. N.S. “Robin.” (2021). Lydia: A Model for Women in Business. Women of The Bible for Women of Color (212-213). Atlanta, GA: Urban Spirit, LLC.

“Who was Lydia in the Bible?” “What is the history and significance of the church in Philippi? GotQuestions.org