Bible Studies In The Word of God

ACTS 18

 

 

Verse 1. Paul is traveling without
his companions, Silas and Timotheus,
who have not reached him yet (verse
5). Corinth was another important
city of Greece, in which was planted
what became one ofthe most noted
churches of the apostolic period.

Verse 2. Aquila was not a native of
Italy but had resided for some time in
Rome. Claudius (Caesar) was the Ro-
man emperor, and for some reason
(not very clearly explained by the his-
torians and commentators) had formed
a dislike for the Jews and had ban-
ished them from the city; Paul met
this man and his wife Priscilla.

Verse 3. Same craft means the same
trade or occupation, which was tent-
making. That was Paul’s trade also,
which naturally caused them to have
a common interest in each other, so
that Paul made his stay with them.
This association gave him an oppor-
tunity to instruct them thoroughly in
the Gospel, so that they became earnest
disciples who were able to teach others.
(See verse 26).

Verse 4. Reasoned is from the same word as “disputed” in chapter 17:17.   Paul did this on the sabbath days because the Jews met then to read the spectators.

Verse 5. The original for pressed is
defined by Thayer, “to urge, impel.”
Silas and Timotheus finally reached
Paul (chapter 17 : 15), and their ar-
rival encouraged him to put all the
more pressure in his preaching of the
Gospel, affirming in the ears of the Jews
that Jesus was Christ (the Anointed).

Verse 6. Opposed themselves means
they set themselves in opposition to
the teaching of Paul. Shook his rai-
'ment was an old custom of expressing
one’s attitude toward some-thing very
evil. Blood be upon your own heads.
Whatever punishment they suffered
would be their own fault because they
had refused to hear the warnings of
the Gospel. Paul usually gave the Jews
Hrst chance in his teaching, but if they
rejected it he would turn to the Gen-
tiles. (See chapter 13: 46.)

Verse 7. Paul left the synagogue and went into a nearby house, whose owner was a worshiper of God. (See the note at Matthew 2:2 on worship.)

Verse 8. The audience in the syna-
gogue had rejected Paul’s teaching,
but the chief ruler was an exception
and became a believer, together with
the members of his household. Hear-
ing, believed, and were baptized. That
was the scriptural procedure then and
it is so today. A sinner must hear in
order to believe (Romans 10: 14), and
if he truly believes, he will be baptized
in obedience to the One in whom he
believes.

Verse 9. Be not afraid of the opposition mentioned in verse 6 or any other that might be threatened against him, but preach the Gospel to all he can meet.

Verse 10. No man, . . . to hurt thee.
Paul was to be opposed, but he would
not be overcome by the enemy because
the Lord assured him that He would
be with him. This is the same assur-
ance that he wrote to the brethren in
Rome (Romans 8: 31). I have much
people i-n, this city. This was said in
prospect because the Lord knew there
were many who would accept the Gos-
pel when Paul reached them with it.
It was said on the same principle that
Jesus meant when he said “I have
other sheep” in John 10:16.

Verse 11. Verse 8 says that many of the Corinthians became obedient believers, so it was among them that Paul taught the word. And in a period of 18 months many more would hear and obey, so that the church in that city became one of the largest in numbers.

Verse 12. A deputy was an inferior
officer in the government of Rome in
one of the provinces. Achaia was a
name given to Greece by the Romans.
The ever-envious Jews brought -Paul
before the secular ruler in a disorderly
manner.   .

Verse 13. Contrary to the law. They
charged that Paul’s teaching was con-
trary to the law of Moses. That was a
false charge, because Paul had shown
on more than one occasion that the
Gospel system had even been predicted
by the Old Testament.

Verse 14. Paul could and would have
answered the false charge; but the
“judge on the bench” interrupted him.
He told the Jews that he would hear
their complaints on any matter that
pertained to lawlessness against the
laws of the land.

Verse 15. The thought in this verse
is that the Jews were wanting this
man who was a secular judge, to hear
a -case of theirs that was strictly a re-
ligious dispute. He told them that he
would not be a judge of such matters.

Verse 16. This verse means that
Gallio dismissed the case and cleared
the court room of the complainants.
This judge set a precedent that should
be observed today. No secular court
has any business meddling in religious
controversies, and professed disciples
of Christ ought to know better than to
bring religious disputes into such
courts.

Verse 17. The Greeks were the Gen-
tile spectators in the court of Gallio
and had heard the remarks to the
Jews that he made in answer to their
complaint. Sosthenes was a Jew and
doubtless was a leader in the uprising
against Paul. Their sympathy would
naturally be for the apo-stles and
against the Jews who had not always
shown a favorable attitude toward the
Gentiles. Hearing the declaration of
Gallio, that he would not interfere
with any dispute of the Jews concern-
ing theiri religion, they decided to take
the opportunity of showing their feel-
ing against this would-be persecutor of
Paul by this personal attack. While
this action was one pertaining to “law
and order,” yet Gallio knew it was
caused by religious agitation, and, be-
ing disgusted by the attempt of the
Jews to invade hiscourt with an im-
proper issue, took some satisfaction
out of seeing them thus punished,
hence he cared for none of those
things.

Verse 18. Cenchrea was a port of
Corinth, from which Paul sailed for
the shores of Asia Minor. Shorn his
head. The Jews had a custom of mak-
ing personal vows, and at the termina-
tion of the period a man was to cut
his hair that had been let gro-w while
the vow was in force. This part of the
formality was similar to the Nazarite
vow in Numbers 6: 5-18, but it was not
otherwise bound by the other require-
ments. For the custom of voluntary
vows, see Leviticus 27: 2; 1 Samuel 1:
11; 2 Samuel 15: 7.

Verse 19. When Paul and his com-
panions, Aquila and Priscilla, arrived
at Ephesus, he separated fro-m them
and went into a synagogue as he was
accustomed to do to preach.

Verse 20. Paul’s teaching seemed to
meet with favor among his hearers,
for they asked him to remain longer,
which his plans would not permit.

Verse 21. Keep this feast. It was
the feast of Pentecost, one of the na-
tional feasts of the Jews. Paul was a
Jew and had a right to observe the
national customs of his race. (See
chapter 16: 3.) After a brief stay at
Ephesus he again sailed.

Verse 22. Paul landed at Caesarea
on the coast of Palestine. As a brief
“side trip” he went to Jerusalem to
salute the church. We are not given
any account o-f this visit further than
the present statement. After this inci-
dent the great ,apostle to the Gentiles
went to Antioch (in Syria), thus end-
ing his second missionary journey.

Verse 23. This is the beginning of
what is commonly called Paul’s third
“missionary journey.” (See the com-
ments at chapter 15: 36.)  But he
really revisited some churches that had
been started previously, to strength-en
or .establish them. A church can be
started in a little while, but it takes
time and further teaching to estab-
lish it.

Verse 24. Eloquent is defined “skilled
in speech” in Thayer’s lexicon. Mighty
in the scriptures means he was well
acquainted with the Old Testament,
and had learned something of the
early teraching pertaining to the New.
He was regarded as a- good man and
one devoted to the°Lord. 

Verse 25. Apollos was not a careless man, and always taught others accurately as far as he had learned, but at this time he knew no baptism except what John preached and practiced.  That subject will be explained at chapter 19:4.

Verse 26. Aquila and Priscilla had
been instructed by Paul (verses 2, 3),
and were able to supply the points that
Apollos lacked. It should be noted that
they expounded the way of God, show-
ing an instance where a woman helped
to get a preacher better acquainted
with the teaching of the Gospel.

Verse 27. Achaia was a name that
the Romans gave to Greece. After
Apollos was through with his work at
Ephesus he wished to go over into
Greece, and we will find that he stopped
at Corinth. He left Ephesus with the
recommendation of the brethren. After
arriving in Greece he helped the be-
lievers who had experienced the grace
of God.

Verse 28. Apollos approached the Jews with the same kind of arguments that Paul had used, namely, showing them that their own scriptures (the Old Testament) predicted the coming of Jesus as the Christ or the Anointed One.