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. There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together. 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. But Paul went down, fell on him, and embracing him said, "Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him." Now when he had come up, had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he departed. And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted. Acts 20:7-12

The account of Eutychus falling asleep, falling out of a third story window—and then being raised from the dead—is human, somewhat humorous, and altogether miraculous.

We admitted that sleepiness in church sometimes happens. We ought to do what we can to mitigate sleepiness, when we can. At other times, it may be an unavoidable part of being human.

Eutychus’s story is also somewhat humorous. There is no humor in his falling out of a third story window, and there is certainly no humor in his death. What is a bit humorous, at least to me, is that after Paul ran down stairs and raised Eutychus from the dead, it appears that they all when back upstairs, ate, and continued the the service. Imagine that!

This true story has opened the door for preachers to say, “Hey, even Paul was long winded! He not only put people to sleep, Eutychus even died!” The humorous retort has been to say, “Yeah, but Paul was able to raise the dead, so unless you can do that, don’t be so long winded!”

A humorous application for us from this account is, “If you are tired at church, don’t sit on the sill of an open third story window!”

Next time: The human aspect of Eutychus’s story.