(14)
Scripture Reading: Acts 18:1-22
In Acts 18 Paul goes to Corinth where he meets Aquila and Priscilla (vv. 1-4) and preaches to the Jews and encounters their opposition (vv. 5-17). In 18:18-21a Paul goes to Ephesus, and in 18:21b-22 he returns to Antioch, thus ending his second ministry journey.
Acts 18:1-2 say, “After these things he departed from Athens and came to Corinth. And having found a certain Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy, and Priscilla his wife (because Claudius had directed all the Jews to depart from Rome), he went to them.” Claudius was a Caesar of the Roman Empire. What he did here was used by the Lord for His ministry to build up His church, just as what Caesar Augustus did was used by God for the fulfillment of the prophecy concerning the birth place of Christ (Luke 2:1-7).
Verse 3 says, “And because he was of the same trade, he remained with them and they worked; for they were tentmakers by trade.” This indicates that while Paul was carrying out the ministry of the Lord, he still had a job. He refers to this in 1 Corinthians 4:12, “We labor, working with our own hands.” Furthermore, in both 1 Thessalonians 2:9 and 2 Thessalonians 3:8 Paul says that he labored day and night so as not to be burdensome to the saints.
Paul’s practice was different from that of many Christian workers today. Often when a person becomes a minister or a missionary, he will no longer do any other kind of work. But while Paul was ministering the word, he also worked with his hands in order to earn a living. This he did not only to support himself, but also to support his co-workers. Regarding this, he says in Acts 20:34 and 35, “You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my needs and to those who are with me. I have showed you all things, that toiling in this way we ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus which He Himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Once again Paul set up a good pattern.
According to a passage such as 1 Corinthians 9:3-15, the churches and the saints were not faithful in taking care of Paul as a servant of the Lord. Because they did not support him adequately, he was forced to work. Some of the Corinthians even accused Paul of trying to make a gain for himself from them. But Paul indicated that he would rather die than take anything from the Corinthians (1 Cor. 9:15).
Those who serve the Lord full-time should not regard their work for the Lord as their profession. If necessary, some may still need to work in order to make a living for themselves. Whether or not we do this depends on how much our burden occupies us. If your burden occupies you in full and the environment affords you a living, then you should certainly spend all your time on the Lord’s work. But if not, you should still work to support yourself, and not only yourself but also your co-workers, especially the younger ones.
If Paul did not receive proper financial support, how could his younger co-workers have received it? Because of the need to support himself and others, Paul was forced to work at his trade of tentmaking. This is a very good pattern for us today.
Concerning financial support, the situation of Paul and his co-workers in the New Testament was different from the priests and the Levites in the Old Testament. According to the Levitical regulations, the priests and Levites were to live on the offerings of God’s people. But in the New Testament this regulation is over.
According to Luke 8:1-3, a group of sisters ministered to the Lord Jesus and the twelve out of their possessions. The twelve disciples followed the Lord full time, and they all needed financial support. Certain women who loved the Lord and who had the substance to support the Lord and His followers met their need.
In the early years in the church in Shanghai, the financial support came mainly from the sisters. A number of sisters were nurses in a leading hospital, and these sisters supported the church and the co-workers in Shanghai. I have also observed this in other places.
In a very real sense, the sisters love the Lord much more than the brothers do. Among the twelve was a Judas, but there was no “Judas” among the sisters. Judas did not know how to love the Lord, but he certainly knew how to count money. Those who care for money in this way will never support others. The more they count their money, the more they love it and desire to keep it for themselves.
Under God’s sovereignty certain of the women in the Bible married wealthy men. Consider the case of Esther, who married a Gentile king. By exercising influence over her husband, she was able to support all the Jews.
Among the women in Luke 8:1-3 was “Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward” (v. 3). Although Roman politics persecuted the Lord Jesus, the wife of a Roman official used her husband’s money to support Him. I have known cases of sisters who have used their husband’s money to support the Lord’s work.
The point we are emphasizing regarding Acts 18:3 is that those who are burdened to serve the Lord full time should do so if the environment and the financial situation allow. But if the environment does not permit one to serve full time, he should not give up his burden. Rather, he should carry out his burden and yet at the same time be diligent to work to meet his needs, as Paul did in Acts.
Acts 18:4 says that Paul “was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath, persuading both Jews and Greeks.” Paul, of course, went to the Jewish synagogue gathering for the purpose of taking advantage of the opportunity to announce the word of God. He did not go there to keep the Sabbath, but to preach the gospel, persuading both Jews and Greeks. The mention of the Greeks in 18:4 indicates that some Greeks also attended the Jewish synagogues to listen to the word of God.
In 18:5-17 Paul preached to the Jews and encountered their opposition. Verse 5 says, “And when both Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was wholly occupied in the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ.” The Greek words rendered “wholly occupied” may also be translated “pressed by” or “constrained by.”
It was at this time in Corinth that, after the coming of Silas and Timothy from Macedonia with some information concerning the church in Thessalonica (1 Thes. 3:6), Paul wrote his first Epistle to the church there (1 Thes. 1:1). From Corinth Paul wrote that lovely letter to the dear saints in Thessalonica for their encouragement.
In Corinth Paul testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. “But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, Your blood be upon your head; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles” (v. 6). The situation with the Jews in Corinth was the same as that of the Jews in Antioch of Pisidia, who thrust away the word of God and judged themselves unworthy of eternal life (13:46). In that situation also Paul declared, “Behold, we turn to the Gentiles.”
Acts 18:7 and 8 continue, “And he left there and went into the house of one named Titus Justus, who worshipped God, whose house was next to the synagogue. And Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with his whole household; and many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized.” As in 16:31, the word “household” in 18:8 indicates that the family of the believer is a complete unit for God’s salvation, like the family of Noah (Gen. 7:1), the families partaking of the Passover (Exo. 12:3-4), the family of the harlot Rahab (Josh. 2:18-19), the family of Zaccheus (Luke 19:9), the family of Cornelius (Acts 11:14), and the family of Lydia (16:15).
According to 18:9 and 10, “The Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, Do not fear, but speak and do not be silent, because I Myself am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, because I have many people in this city.” As in 16:9 and 10, the vision in which the Lord spoke to Paul during the night was neither a dream nor a trance. In a vision such as this definite objects are visible to human eyes.
Acts 18:11 tells us that Paul “settled there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.” As we shall see, Paul stayed in Ephesus for three years. This indicates that the church in Ephesus was the leading church in Asia Minor. Likewise, the fact that Paul remained in Corinth for a year and a half indicates that the church in Corinth was the leading church in Achaia. No doubt, during his time in Corinth Paul did a great deal of work.
As we read the book of Acts we see that the resistance, opposition, and attack from the Jewish people was very strong. We are told that the Jews wanted to do away with Paul (9:23; 23:12-15, 21; 25:3). Wherever Paul went, the Jews resisted and opposed him. In Thessalonica they “set the city in an uproar” (17:5). Concerning the opposition of the Jews in Corinth against Paul, 18:12 and 13 say, “While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews rose up against Paul with one accord and brought him to the judgment seat, saying, This man incites men to worship God contrary to the law.” Using today’s terms, the proconsul in verse 12 was the governor. The Jews brought Paul to Gallic and accused him of teaching others to worship God in a way that is not according to the Mosaic law.
When Paul was about to speak, “Gallio said to the Jews, If it were indeed a matter of wrongdoing or crime, O Jews, I would for that reason tolerate you; but if it be questions concerning words and names and your own law, look after it yourselves! I do not intend to be a judge of these things. And he drove them away from the judgment seat” (vv. 14-16). Here Gallio seemed to be saying, “If a crime has been committed, I will be the judge in this case. But I have no interest in disputes concerning names and terminology and your law. I do not have time for such things. You take care of this yourselves.”
In a sense Gallio’s attitude was helpful to Paul. But in another sense it put Paul in a dangerous situation. After Gallio expressed his attitude so clearly to the Jews, they became bold. “They all laid hold of Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of the judgment seat. And Gallio was not concerned about any of these things” (v. 17). From this we see that the situation could have become very threatening to Paul.
The Sosthenes in 18:17 was probably not the same Sosthenes as in 1 Corinthians 1:1, because this Epistle was written in Ephesus (1 Cor. 16:8) not long after the apostle left Corinth, where the other Sosthenes was a ruler of the synagogue when Paul was persecuted there. The Sosthenes in 1 Corinthians 1:1, as a brother in the Lord, must have joined Paul in his traveling ministry.
Acts 18:18 says, “But Paul, having remained there yet a considerable number of days, took leave of the brothers and sailed away to Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila, having shorn his head in Cenchrea, for he had a vow.” This was a private vow performed in any place by the Jews for thanksgiving, with the shearing of the hair. It differed from the Nazarite vow, which had to be carried out in Jerusalem with the shaving of the head (21:24; Num. 6:1-5, 18; cf. 1 Cor. 11:6 where the difference between shearing and shaving is shown). Paul was a Jew and kept the vow, but he would not and did not impose it upon the Gentiles.
According to the principle of his teaching concerning God’s New Testament economy, Paul should have given up all the Jewish practices which belonged to the Old Testament dispensation. However, he still had such a private vow, and it seems that God tolerated it, probably because, being a private vow accomplished in a place other than Jerusalem, it would not have much effect on the believers.
Some expositions of Acts have tried to explain why Paul had the vow mentioned in 18:18. For the duration of the vow, his hair was allowed to grow long. When the vow was completed, his hair was shorn. According to 18:18, Paul’s vow was completed in Cenchrea with the shearing of his hair. Certain expositors say that Paul had this vow because he was grateful to the Lord for preserving his life. As a human being, Paul may have been afraid of losing his life at the hands of the Jews. He was constantly preaching and ministering. At the same time, he was always in danger of losing his life. On the one hand, Paul was willing to lose his life for the Lord’s sake. On the other hand, he was still human and was frightened. Therefore, according to some expositors, Paul had a vow of thanksgiving.
This understanding of Paul’s vow in 18:18 may be correct. When a Jew had something for which to thank the Lord, he could make a vow of thanksgiving. According to the context, Paul should have been thankful to the Lord for protecting him and preserving his life. Throughout Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Achaia, the Jews were opposing him and even seeking to do away with him. But all the way the Lord protected and preserved him. For this Paul must have been thankful.
When the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, He said to him, “Do not fear.” This word indicates that there was a fear within Paul. Therefore, the Lord came to him in an extraordinary way by night. Some may say, “Did Paul not have the Lord within him? Did he not have the essential Spirit and the economical Spirit?” Of course, Paul had the Lord within him, and he also had the essential Spirit and the economical Spirit. But there was still the need for him to be strengthened and assured. To meet this need the Lord came to Paul in a vision, saying, “Do not fear...I Myself am with you....” (18:9-10).
Paul may have had the vow because he was thankful for the Lord’s protection and preservation. This may have been the reason that, as he was on the way from Achaia to Syria, he stopped at Cenchrea to complete his vow.
After the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision, he remained in Corinth a year and six months, teaching the word of God. He surely accomplished his commission in that city and eventually a sizable church was raised up and established there.
On the way to Syria Paul also stopped at Ephesus. As he did in many other places, “he entered into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews” (v. 19). They asked him to remain, but he did not consent. Instead, he took leave of them and said, “I will come back to you again, God willing” (v. 21).
Paul put out to sea from Ephesus (v. 21b). “And coming down to Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and went down to Antioch.” This verse indicates that Paul went to Jerusalem (cf. 21:15) and then went down to Antioch. His returning to Antioch was the end of his second ministry journey, which began in 15:40.
We may wonder why Paul did not go directly to Antioch from Caesarea instead of first going up to Jerusalem. He came down to Caesarea, and then he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church there. Why did Paul go up to Jerusalem and greet the church? He did this because of the problem that was solved in chapter fifteen. After the solution to that problem, Paul took his second journey of ministry. Now at the end of this journey he went to visit the church in Jerusalem.
Luke does not give us the details regarding this visit of Paul to the church in Jerusalem. But if we delve into the depths of the Word, we shall realize that in making this visit Paul was endeavoring to keep the oneness of the Body and also to maintain a pleasant feeling between him and all the saints in Jerusalem, especially Peter and James.
Paul could have gone straight to Antioch. There was no apparent reason for him to go to Jerusalem. Nevertheless, from Caesarea he turned to the south in order to visit the church in Jerusalem. Then from Jerusalem he made the long journey to Antioch. In 18:22 Luke does not even mention Jerusalem by name. Probably Luke thought that everyone would understand what was indicated by the words “went up,” that one went up to nowhere else except Jerusalem.
We need to be impressed that Paul went up to Jerusalem in 18:22 because he was endeavoring to keep the oneness of the Body in a happy and pleasant way. He was enthusiastic in doing everything possible in his sphere to maintain the oneness of the Body and also a pleasant feeling with the saints in Jerusalem. He knew that he was the factor that caused many Jewish believers to rise up and speak against his practice. He was a factor in causing an unpleasant situation. If there had not been such a person as Paul preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, then the vast majority of believers would have been Jewish, and there would have been no problem concerning circumcision. Because Paul was the factor in an unpleasant situation, he did his best to keep the oneness with all the saints. He especially endeavored to have a pleasant feeling with those in Jerusalem. Therefore, despite a long, hard voyage, he went up to Jerusalem to visit the church. Only then did he return to Antioch, thus ending his second journey. This is very enlightening, and we need to learn of Paul’s endeavor to keep the oneness of the Body and to preserve a pleasant feeling among the saints regarding our practice in carrying out the Lord’s ministry.
