Acts of the Apostles (41)
Introduction
As we continue through Acts, we come to a passage that is filled with a number of interesting details—details which spread out in different directions. And although various subjects are addressed here, we will come to see that all of it represents the grace of God to us.
The Text
“And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow. And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews. When they desired him to tarry longer time with them, he consented not; But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will . . .” (Acts 18:18–28).
Summary of the Text
Paul remained in Corinth for a bit, and then left for Syria together with Priscilla and Aquila (v. 18). Cenchrea was the eastern port for Corinth, and Paul concluded a Nazarite vow there (v. 18; Num. 6:1-21). He came to Ephesus on the way, and left Priscilla and Aquila there. He was only there for a brief time, but while there, Paul reasoned with the Jews in the synagogue (v. 19). They wanted him to stay longer, but he declined (v. 20). Paul was eager to make it back to Jerusalem by the upcoming feast, but promised to return if he could. It is uncertain which of the three pilgrimage feasts this refers to—whether Passover, Pentecost, or Tabernacles. So he then left Ephesus (v. 21). He landed at Caesarea, went up to Jerusalem to greet the church there (and to observe the feast), and then went to (Syrian) Antioch (v. 22). After some time there, he went through Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening the believers there (v. 23).
And then Luke cuts back to Ephesus. An Alexandrian Jew named Apollos had showed up there—and he was both eloquent and great in the Scriptures (v. 24). He knew the way of the Lord, he was fervent in spirit, and he taught accurately . . . but only up through John’s baptism (v. 25). He taught boldly in the synagogue in Ephesus (which had been pretty open-minded with Paul, remember). Priscilla and Aquila heard him there, took him aside, and brought him up to speed (v. 26). When he decided to go on to Achaia, the brothers wrote him a letter of recommendation (v. 27). When he arrived in Achaia, he was a big help to those who had believed through grace (v. 27). The nature of the help he brought was that he vigorously refuted the Jews, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ (v. 28).
Paul’s Orderly Walk
When Paul arrived in Jerusalem later on in Acts, the leaders there acknowledge that Paul himself was an observant Jew—“and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law” (Acts 21:24). We can see examples of that here. He concluded a Nazarite vow that had been ongoing in Corinth (Acts 18:18; Num. 6:13). This would include a sin offering, a burnt offering, and a peace offering (Num. 6:16-17). The hair that was cut off was part of the peace offering (Num. 6:18). Perhaps the hair was brought to Jerusalem because that was where the sacrifices would be offered up. And he apparently had taken another Nazarite vow later on because he agreed to purify himself with four men who had also done so, and he paid their expenses for them (Acts 21: 20-24).
The most interesting thing about this would be the fact of the blood sacrifices—but remember that the period between the Lord’s resurrection and the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. was a transitional time. “In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away” (Hebrews 8:13, NKJV).
So we can see that Paul lived his Christian life as an observant Jew. However, he fought diligently and fiercely to keep that pattern of life from being imposed on Gentile believers.
Priscilla Helps Out
We can also see in this passage that Priscilla was a true co-laborer in the gospel. Apollos showed up with a good message to preach, but he was only part way there. Priscilla and Aquila heard him speak in the synagogue, and his message was really good, but he needed further information. The text says that they took Apollos aside, and that they explained things to him more fully (ektithemi, to expound). This verb expound is in the third person plural. This means that Priscilla was talking to him also.
We know from Scripture that women are not to teach or have authority in the church (1 Tim. 2:12). So the reason why the formal leadership in our church is all male is because the Word requires this of us. But the Scriptures clearly do not prohibit what Priscilla and Aquila do here. The Bible says nothing about women keeping silence in the parking lot, or over lunch as they hosted Apollos that afternoon. Now the Christian faith is clearly patriarchal, and we have no desire to smash that kind of patriarchy. But at the same time Christian patriarchy is not the same thing as Islamic patriarchy or a reactionary manosphere patriarchy. And actually, we should note, those demented forms of patriarchy can only be defeated by a Christian patriarchy. If you try to suppress them with feminism, you will only make everything worse. What do I mean? After six decades of strident feminism, we have gotten ourselves to the point where we don’t even know what a woman is anymore. Feminism smashed something all right, but it wasn’t the patriarchy. But in the meantime, Priscilla is not in a burka, and she gets to talk.
The Value of Debate
Many people make the mistake of thinking that a public debate is useless if the person being debated is not persuaded in the course of the debate. But this is a very great mistake. Notice what it says here. Apollos vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, and this was not an encouragement to his opponents. Rather, it was an encouragement to the believers there, who were able to see the position they already held ably articulated and defended.
If an apologist has a debate with an atheist on a college campus, the atheist will likely remain unpersuaded. But there are any number of believing college students who are greatly edified as they see the false doctrines that come at them in the classroom on a daily basis being so clearly taken down.
We have here a biblical endorsement of public debates. And remember that it was through such disputations that the Reformation spread and was established. This is an apologetics tool that should not be neglected.
Believed Through Grace
Now all of this is the grace of God. And notice that it does not say here that the believers had believed in grace. It says rather that it was through grace that they had believed. Our faith is the gift of God, lest any man should boast (Eph. 2:8-10). God gives repentance to Israel (Acts 5:31). The Jews in Jerusalem rejoiced that God had given the Gentiles repentance to life (Acts 11:18). In Pisidian Antioch, who was it that believed there? The Gentiles who were appointed to eternal life did so (Acts 13:48). And why did Lydia believe? Because the Lord opened her heart (Acts 16:14).
There is true glory here, and all of it goes to God our Savior. He is the one who gives us everything. Go back to the very beginning, and He was already there first. We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). At the beginning when you offered up that first faltering prayer—”God, be merciful to me, a sinner”—even that prayer was placed in your mouth as a gift from the Holy Spirit of God. All grace, all the time.