Acts Chapter 18:18-28/Commentary

Acts Chapter 18:18-28 18:18 “Paul, having remained many days longer”: Because of the favorable decision given by Gallio, the opportunity to preach the gospel in Corinth was not hindered by persecution. “This is one of the few places where Paul was able to remain as long as he wished; the Greek says he stayed ‘sufficient days’” (Reese p. 651). Thus Paul stayed in Corinth a year and six months (18:11), plus whatever time is under consideration in this verse. During this time Paul will write two letters to the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 3:1-6). “Took leave of the brethren”: Said his goodbyes. “Put out to sea for Syria”: From verse 22, Syrian Antioch is under consideration. “With him were Priscilla and Aquila”: Who have been working with Paul in Corinth (18:2).

18:18 “In Cenchrea”: (sen krih uh). This was a seaport for Corinth that was located some seven miles to the east. Phoebe was a Christian from the congregation that met in this city (Romans 16:1). “He had his hair cut, for he was keeping a vow”: There is some question among commentators if the “he” in this verse refers to Aquila, who was just mentioned, or Paul. Grammatically, either Paul or Aquila could be the one whose hair was cut. “Because Paul is the significant person in the narrative, it is generally understood that he was the one who took the vow” (Kent p. 145). What kind of vow was this? A number of commentators have felt that it was a Nazarite vow (Numbers 6:1ff), yet the text does not say, but this is a vow in the Old Testament in which a person did not cut their hair from a period of eight days, a month or longer. Neither does the text state why this vow had been taken. Some feel that it was a vow of gratitude, because God had delivered him from persecution in this city. Others believe that Paul made a promise to God, if God would only deliver him from his troubles at the hands of the Jews. Clearly this vow is not taken because Paul or Aquila believe that they still need to follow the Old Testament. Paul is very clear on this point in Galatians 5:1ff and Romans 7:1ff. From this example we could conclude that vows or solemn promises are like fasting, still allowed in the New Testament, unregulated, very individual and voluntary.

18:19 “They came to Ephesus”: The city of Ephesus was located right across the Aegean Sea, nearly due east from Cenchrea. As we will discover in the next chapter, it was famous for the Temple of Diana, which was usually accounted as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. By ship, Paul could have arrived here from Greece in a week or less. “He left them there”: He did not abandon them, rather this couple is left in Ephesus to evangelize and prepare the ground 1

for Paul’s next journey when he will arrive here (19:1). “Now he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews”: (Acts 17:1-2).

18:20 “They asked him to stay for a longer time”: The initial Jewish reaction in Ephesus is very favorable, yet things will change (19:9). “He did not consent”: There are times when Paul must for the moment pass up what looks like a great opportunity to preach the gospel (2 Corinthians 2:12-13), because there is a more urgent matter. Some manuscripts have the statement in verse 21 “I must keep the feast that is coming in Jerusalem”, which would have been Passover. That is, Paul is trying to get to Jerusalem before this feast because more Jews would be gathered in Jerusalem at this time than any other time.

Thus, a tremendous chance to evangelize (compare with Acts 20:16).

Remember, the historical context of Acts 20:16 is one year latter. In addition, Paul may feel that it is past time to return to Antioch and report to the congregation there, before beginning the evangelization of any new areas.

Ephesus will simply have to wait.

18:21 “If God wills”: Even though he was inspired, God did not tell him everything about all the details of his life or the future. Compare with James 4:15.

In the next chapter will we learn that Paul does return and he will remain in Ephesus for three years (20:31). Notice that Paul is humble and does not presume to speak for God. So often modern religious people will think it is spiritual or a manifestation of a strong faith to say something like, “I just know that God is going to..” In contrast, Paul would say, “If God wills”. “He set sail from Ephesus”: “Ephesus, though inland, had a harbor, which required constant dredging to keep the silt carried down by the Cayster River from closing the channel. It would require about a month to sail from Ephesus to Caesarea. In chapters 20-21, it is a seven week’s voyage, but several sojourns of a week’s duration were made on that trip” (Reese p. 655).

18:22 “When he had landed at Caesarea”: This is where both Cornelius lived and Philip the evangelist (Acts 8:40; 10:1). “He went up and greeted the church”: McGarvey believes that he greeted the church in Caesarea, which could be the case. The only problem is that the terms “up” and “down” do not fit the verse if Paul is simply going from Caesarea to Antioch, but they do fit if Paul goes from Caesarea up to Jerusalem and then from Jerusalem down to Antioch. But remember that if Jerusalem is meant, Paul is not going up and checking in with the mother-church, rather, when near Jerusalem it would simply make perfect sense for him to go there and see the Christians and relate the success of the gospel among the Gentiles. “Went down to Antioch”: Down in the sense of elevation, for Antioch is located north of Palestine. He is returning to Antioch to report on his preaching trip, just as he did after the first journey (Acts 14:27). When Paul arrives his second missionary journey has been completed. The second trip lasted around three years, from 51-54 A.D. During this trip he revisited and strengthened the churches in Southern Galatia, and with

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the help of some new workers, Silas, Timothy, and Luke, there are now congregations in Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens and Corinth.

The Third Journey: Acts 18:23-21:16 18:23 “Having spent some time there”: Paul spends an unspecified amount of time in Antioch. “He departed and passed successively through the Galatian region and Phrygia”: The verb “passed through” is used in 13:6 is describe traveling and preaching. Paul takes the overland route from Antioch, north to Tarsus, then by way of the Cilcian Gates into the elevated tablelands of Lycaonia and Pisidia, which means that he is passing through the area of Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Pisidian Antioch. This would be a trip of some 500-600 miles and covers probably several months. “Strengthening all the disciples”: Grounding them in the faith (Colossians 1:23). “If a man has his doctrine right, his practice likely will be right too” (Reese p. 658).

Apollos at Ephesus and Corinth: 18:24-28 18:24 “Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth”: “Alexandria was a famous city and seaport of Egypt, twelve miles inland from the mouth of the Nile River. It had been named Alexandria in honor of Alexander the Great, who founded it in 332 B.C. A large part of the population of Alexandria was Jewish, and one of the leading Hebrew colleges was located there, as was one of the most famous libraries in all the world. ”He not only was born there, but his ancestry had been native to that city for some generations” (Reese p. 658).

“An eloquent man”: The word eloquent here can either mean skilled in the use of words, as in being an eloquent speaker, or a man eloquent in ideas and thinking, a learned man. “Came to Ephesus”: He came to Ephesus while Paul was traveling in the Galatian region. “He was mighty in the Scriptures”: He knew the Scriptures, and had not merely memorized portions, but knew the application of much of the Old Testament. Alexandria not only had a huge Jewish population, the Old Testament had been translated into the Greek language here some 200 years before Christ. Here the Philo, a Jewish scholar who was a contemporary of Jesus lived and struggled to produce an allegorical interpretation of the Old Testament that sought to harmonize the Hebrew faith with Greek philosophy. Yet, Apollos knew the Scriptures and had escaped from such a popular and prevalent error.

18:25 “This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord”: The Lord under consideration is the Lord Jesus, and notice that the Lord only has one way.

“Being fervent in spirit”: In Apollos we see a great combination of knowledge and zeal (Romans 10:1-2). He was very knowledgeable and full of enthusiasm.

Dale makes the good point that often an increase in knowledge seems to dampen the zeal of too many, and cults with half-truths and self-evident limitations in true knowledge seem to manifest a greater zeal than those who actually know the truth. “He was speaking and teaching accurately the

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things concerning the Lord Jesus”: Apollos was accurate or correct in his knowledge, but his knowledge was incomplete. The verbs “speaking” and “teaching” are both in the present tense. “Being acquainted only with the baptism of John”: These words reveal quite a bit. First, they reveal the wide extent of John the Baptist’s influence. Somehow this Jew from Alexandria had come into contact with one of John’s disciples, or someone who had been taught by them or who had learn John preach. Apollos knew about Jesus, but he only knew the “gospel” up to the baptism of Jesus. He did not know about Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, or ascension. Nor did he know about the church, the great commission and the plan of salvation, including repentance and baptism.

Neither did he know about the removal of the Moses of Laws and the New Covenant. “Since Apollos can hardly have known John’s baptism without also knowing his teaching, he must have been familiar with John’s witness to Jesus as the Messiah” (Stott p. 302). Remember the date is around 54 A.D., therefore some 24 years after the death of Jesus, or some 27 years after John’s baptism of Jesus, there is a man in Ephesus preaching what John the Baptist preached!

18:26 “He began to speak out boldly in the synagogue”: He had definite courage and convictions. “But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him”: This couple is attending the synagogue, not because they think the Old Law is still in force, but rather because they are looking for people just like Apollos to convert to Christianity. “They took him aside”: A very profitable way of correcting someone is to do it privately (Matthew 18:15), but there are times when the rebuke must be public because so much public damage has been done (Galatians 2:11ff). “They”: While some have tried to argue that this verse is an example of a woman “preacher”, it should be noted that Paul forbids such in 1 Timothy 2:11ff. Priscilla is not a preacher, rather she is a Christian woman who is assisting her husband as they both seek to help this young man understand the Scriptures. “Explained to him the way of God more accurately”: Accuracy also includes having all the necessary information and not merely being part right, or right up to a point but missing the rest. Finally Apollos hears the rest of the story that includes Jesus’ miracles, death, burial, resurrection, ascension and teachings through the apostles. What a Bible class that must have been!

Imagine hearing such things about Jesus for the first time as an adult!

We can learn a couple of things from this example. First, Priscilla and Aquila do not label Apollos as being a false teacher. Apollos learns because this everyone in this situation has godly attitudes, both the teachers and the students (Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 2:24-25). This couple deals with Apollos on a very personal level, rather than gossiping about him they seek to teach him. Yet there is a warning. If Apollos refuses the new information and keeps on teaching his incomplete gospel then he will be doing far more harm than good and he would be a false teacher at that point.

18:27 “And when he wanted to go across to Achaia”: Consider that the above teaching was probably not merely one short Bible class but a number of

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classes in which they grounded Apollos in the faith (2 Timothy 2:2). Achaia was the Roman province that included the city of Corinth, and this is where Apollos went (1 Corinthians 1:12). Apollos may have wanted to go to Corinth because he had heard from Aquila and Priscilla of the work that Paul had begun there, and the great need. In writing 1 Corinthians, Paul will note that Apollos did a good work in Corinth (1 Corinthians 3:6). “The brethren encouraged him”: The “brethren” under consideration appear to be a small group of brethren in Ephesus. Apollos was an excellent speaker and mighty in the Scriptures, and such a man needs to be encouraged to use his talents and help other congregations. “And wrote to the disciples to welcome him”: Here is an example of a letter of recommendation (see 2 Corinthians 3:1, Romans 16:1).

“The people at Corinth would have known Aquila an Priscilla, and their recommendation of Apollos would have been well received” (Reese p. 663). “He greatly helped those who had believed”: “The extent of Apollos’ influence at Corinth may be gauged from the references to him in 1 Corinthians” (Reese p.

663). Paul certainly agrees with Luke here that Apollos really helped the Corinthians (3:6). “Who had believed through grace”: This does not mean that the Corinthians were objects of “irresistible grace”, for they did have a choice (Acts 18:8). The gospel is the word of God’s grace, it exists because God is gracious and it tells us about God’s gracious gift (John 3:16). The fact that a person is even given time to hear the gospel and repent is a manifestation of God’s grace as well (2 Peter 3:9).

18:28 “For”: This is an example of how Apollos greatly helped the Corinthians.

“He powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ”: “The Greek is a compound verb, indicating he thoroughly, completely refuted them. The word does not mean that he convinced them, but only that he argued them down. By strong arguments he bore down all opposition and effectually silenced the Jews. And it was done in public, either in the synagogue or in public debate” (Reese p. 664). Carefully note that God considers successful teaching to be that which refutes the opposition, even if the opposition is not converted. In addition, from the Scriptures one can powerfully prove that Jesus is the Son of God. Concluding Comments What need to be impressed with the type of attitude that Apollos displays in this chapter. When confronted with the gaps in his knowledge, he did not get angry, he listened to further instruction (Proverbs 9:8-9), he then preached the whole truth, and as a result he helped the cause of Christ. If his attitude had been different Apollos would not have been able to help the Christians in Corinth or anywhere for that matter.

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