Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does Acts Chapter 18 mean?

Paul is in the middle of his second missionary voyage. He and Silas left Syrian Antioch and traveled by foot north and west through central modern-day Turkey. In Lystra, they met Timothy; Paul saw Timothy had the potential to be a leader in the church and brought him along. The Holy Spirit forbade them to spread Jesus’ message in the large southwestern province of Asia or the northern province of Bithynia. Instead, the team traveled to the port town of Troas where they picked up Luke and sailed across the Aegean Sea to Macedonia. They had great success in Philippi, though Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned overnight. They met strong resistance in Thessalonica, and honest intellectuals in Berea. When Jews from Thessalonica came to Berea to threaten them, Paul escaped to Athens where he debated Stoic and Epicurean philosophers to modest effect (Acts 16—17).

In Acts 18:1–4, Paul travels, still by himself, to Corinth, the major city west of Athens. He quickly meets Aquila and Priscilla who fled their home in Rome due of the emperor Claudius’ persecution of the Jews. Because they are also tent-makers, Paul joins them in their trade during the week and spends Sabbaths trying to convince the Jews and Gentile God-fearers that Jesus is the Messiah.

Acts 18:5–11 finds the missions team settling in. Silas and Timothy arrive, Luke having left them in Philippi, providing Paul the opportunity to spend more time preaching. Paul is opposed and reviled in the synagogue and finally leaves there to preach to the Gentiles. He moves to the home of a Gentile believer next door to the synagogue. Crispus—the synagogue ruler—and many others believe Paul’s message. Jesus appears to Paul and tells him to stay in Corinth; he and his team will remain safe. They stay in Corinth for a year and a half.

Acts 18:12–17 recounts a story that acts as a foil for Jesus’ crucifixion. The Jews who do not follow Jesus try to convince Gallio the proconsul that Paul is an enemy of the state. Unlike Pilate, Gallio has no interest in getting in the middle of a fight between Jewish sects. He refuses to judge against Paul and does nothing when the new ruler of the synagogue is beaten.

In Acts 18:18–23, the team’s time in Corinth comes to an end. Paul, Priscilla, and Aquila travel to Cenchreae, Corinth’s port, then cross the southern Aegean to Ephesus for a very short time. The Jews in the Ephesian synagogue ask Paul to stay and tell them more, but he leaves Priscilla and Aquilla and sails home. Paul lands in Caesarea Maritima on the coast of Judea, drops by the church in Jerusalem, and returns to Syrian Antioch. After a stay in Antioch, Paul begins his third missionary trip by returning to central Turkey to, again, encourage the churches he’d planted with Barnabas (Acts 13:4—14:23).

Meanwhile, in Acts 18:24–28, Priscilla and Aquila meet Apollos, a dynamic Jewish speaker. His knowledge, however, only encompasses the baptism for repentance that John the Baptist taught and some things about Jesus. Priscilla and Aquila explain to him salvation by the death and resurrection of Jesus, and Apollos becomes a great Christian teacher. After receiving the training he needs, he goes to Corinth, building on what Paul established (Acts 19:1) and making such an impression that the church divides into unhealthy sects (1 Corinthians 1:12).

From Galatia, Paul will continue his third missionary voyage by finally reaching Asia, specifically the city of Ephesus, for a significant stay. He’ll return to Macedonia and Greece and briefly stop by Ephesus again before returning to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, he will be arrested on trumped-up charges and spend two years under house arrest in Caesarea Maritima. When he appeals to Caesar, he will face a harrowing sea voyage before finally reaching Rome, where he has wanted to go for a long time (Romans 1:9–11). Luke doesn’t tell us what happens in Rome, just that Paul is there for two years and then released (Acts 19—28).

Chapter Context
Acts 18 covers the last half of Paul’s second missionary journey and the first part of the third. He and his team have traveled down the east coast of Macedonia and Greece to Corinth (Acts 17) where they will spend eighteen months. Paul will stop briefly in Ephesus on their way back to Judea before visiting Jerusalem and Syrian Antioch. From there, Paul will return to Galatia in modern-day Asia Minor before returning to Ephesus for an extended stay (Acts 19). He will revisit the churches in Macedonia and Greece before facing arrest in Jerusalem (Acts 21).

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.

Paul is in the last half of his second missionary voyage. He and Silas started by traveling through the province of Galatia in modern-day Asia Minor where he visited the churches he and Barnabas had planted. He also met his “child in the faith” (1 Timothy 1:2), Timothy, who joined the journey. In Troas, they met Luke, the author of the account of their adventures, and sailed west to Philippi in Macedonia. After Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned for a night, they and Timothy went south to Thessalonica where the new church managed to protect them from stronger persecution. The Bereans responded to Paul’s message faithfully by investigating the Scriptures on their own, but the Thessalonian Jews arrived to drive the missionaries out. The Bereans sent Paul to Athens, alone (Acts 16:1–17:15).

“After this” refers to Paul’s encounter with Greek philosophers in Athens. Epicureans and Stoics found him preaching in the Agora, the Athenian marketplace. They forcibly invited him to the Areopagus so they could hear more clearly what he was teaching. A few of the audience believed. Most of them thought he was a “babbler”: a philosopher who picks up bits and pieces of different beliefs in the Agora like a little bird that picks up seeds from the ground. They dismissed him, and he goes to Corinth.

Corinth is a major city west of Athens on the eastern shore of Achaia, the island-like land mass that attaches to southern Greece via an isthmus. It had a population of around 200,000, twenty times more than Athens. It was known for Aphrodite’s temple with a thousand prostitutes and, understandably, pervasive sexual license. The city’s reputation was so connected to sexual sin that the name “Corinth” was turned into the verb korinthiazomai, which means “to fornicate.”

Paul doesn’t plan on staying long—he wants to get back to the church in Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 2:17–18), but though Satan keeps him from Thessalonica, God keeps him in Corinth for a year and a half (Acts 18:9–11). First, he meets Aquila and Priscilla and joins in their tentmaking business while spending Sabbaths in the synagogue showing how Jesus fulfills the prophecies of the Hebrew Scriptures. When Silas and Timothy finally join him, he dedicates more time to teaching (Acts 18:2–5).

In preserved Scripture, we have two letters Paul will later send to the Corinthians. Evidence suggests these are the second and fourth of four he wrote (1 Corinthians 5:9–11; 2 Corinthians 2:1–4). Paul will visit Corinth at least three times, including once after his house-arrest in Rome (2 Timothy 4:20). Paul’s extended involvement is due, in large part, to the Corinthians’ difficulty in living a life that honors Christ in such a sinful pagan environment. This turns out for our benefit as Paul’s letters to the church there teach us about sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:19–20), divisions in the church (1 Corinthians 1:10–13), spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4–7), and false teachers (2 Corinthians 11:13), among other things.

Context Summary
Acts 18:1–4 sees Paul arriving in Corinth. He has traveled across modern-day Asia Minor and down the eastern coast of Macedonia and Greece. From Athens, he heads west across the isthmus to the large Greek city. There, he will meet Aquila and Priscilla, refugees from Claudius’ persecutions in Rome. The couple will be a great support to him, providing him with a means of living until Silas and Timothy reach him. Priscilla and Aquila will also follow Paul to Ephesus and train Apollos, a passionate speaker who only needs to know the story of Jesus to be a great preacher (Acts 18:24–28).

Verse 2. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them,

Alone in Corinth, Paul had to leave Timothy and Silas in Berea. Jews from Thessalonica, who couldn’t find them in their own city, followed him there. The Bereans, who believed the message of salvation through Jesus, sent Paul to Athens for his safety. In Athens, Paul discussed gods and the resurrection of the dead before traveling west across the isthmus to Corinth (Acts 17:10–34).

Fortunately, Paul meets refugees and fellow tentmakers Aquila and Priscilla. The couple will become good friends to Paul and powerful missionaries. In Ephesus, they will host the church and teach Apollos about Jesus (1 Corinthians 16:19; Acts 18:24–28). They will also return to Rome and host the church there (Romans 16:3). It’s interesting to note that in the six times the couple is mentioned in the New Testament, Priscilla’s name comes first four times. It’s not clear why; it may be she was a higher social class than her husband. “Prisca” is more formal while “Priscilla” is a nickname.

Claudius was emperor from AD 41—54, although the date of the expulsion of the Jews is unknown. Cassius Dio wrote that although Claudius initially didn’t mind the Jews and wanted them to practice their own religion, later he expelled them because their numbers grew too great and he didn’t want them to organize into an opposing force. That approach sounds like that of a particular Egyptian Pharaoh (Exodus 1:8–14). Suetonius claimed Claudius evicted the Jews because of their continued argument about “Chrestus.” Unfortunately, no one knows who or what “Chrestus” meant as it was a term often used for good or useful slaves. Gallio was proconsul of Achaia for about two years somewhere between AD 50—54, but it’s unclear how his term aligns with the eighteen months Paul is in Corinth (Acts 18:11–12).

Verse 3. and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade.

Paul is in Corinth; he’d left Silas and Timothy in Berea. Although he had told his escort from Berea to Athens to send the two to him as quickly as possible (Acts 17:15), he seems to change his mind. He is worried about the harried church in Thessalonica and sends Timothy to check on them (1 Thessalonians 3:6); it’s not clear if Silas went with Timothy or stayed in Berea. They don’t rejoin Paul until he is well settled into a routine (Acts 18:5).

Fortunately, Paul meets a couple, Aquila and Priscilla, who share his trade of tentmaking. He joins them during the week and spends each Sabbath in the synagogue, trying to convince the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles that Jesus is the Messiah (Acts 18:4).

Paul’s choice to work and preach has several different facets. The Jewish school founder Hillel believed a rabbi or scribe should not make money from teaching the Torah. Paul firmly believes otherwise (1 Timothy 5:17–18). But the church in Corinth is somewhat fragile. To keep their attention on his message, he does not ask them to support him (1 Corinthians 9:4, 6–15), even though they do provide support for the church in Jerusalem (1 Corinthians 16:1–3). This contrasts with the church in Philippi which provides Paul support even when he isn’t with them (Philippians 4:15).

Paul’s experience in Corinth has given us the term “tentmaking;” this means to work full-time at a secular job in order to fund one’s ministry work. It usually refers to missionaries who take a job in their host country, such as teaching a language. The job allows them to support themselves without burdening those they serve or sponsors back home, and to get to know the people they are trying to reach in a non-threatening environment.

Verse 4. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.

Although Paul arrived in Corinth alone, he has settled into a routine. Silas and Timothy are in Macedonia and will join him before too long (Acts 18:5). Until then, Paul has met Priscilla and Aquila and joined their tentmaking business (Acts 18:2–3). On the Sabbath, Paul goes to the local synagogue.

Paul’s modus operandi when entering a new city is to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath and wait to be asked to teach. He will then open to the prophets and show how Jesus of Nazareth fulfills the prophecies of the Messiah. His hope is that all the Jews, as one body, will come to faith in Jesus. Usually, however, some Jews and a larger number of God-fearing Gentiles will believe him, he’ll get kicked out of the synagogue, he’ll find a place outside the synagogue to teach, a lot of Gentiles will join, and the non-believing Jews will harass him until he leaves the city.

Paul finds the same cycle here in Corinth. After Silas and Timothy finally arrive, the Jewish leaders in the synagogue harass Paul to the point that he leaves. Fortunately, one of the Gentile God-fearers lives next door and invites Paul to teach from his home; the leader of the synagogue follows. Despite the harassment, God tells Paul He will protect him. Paul and his team stay for a year and a half, building the church (Acts 18:6–11).

Verse 5. When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.

Paul has been in Corinth without his team for a while, but he hasn’t been alone. He left Timothy and Silas in Berea while he fled from angry Jewish Thessalonians to Athens (Acts 17:13–14). At first, he wanted his two partners to follow, but later changed his mind (Acts 17:15; 1 Thessalonians 3:6). After Athens, he went west to Corinth and met Priscilla and Aquila, two fellow tentmakers, and joined their business (Acts 18:1–3).

Each Sabbath, Paul has gone to the synagogue, “reasoning” with the Jews and Gentle God-fearers that Jesus is the Messiah promised in the Hebrew Scriptures (Acts 18:4). Luke recorded one representative version of Paul’s preaching (Acts 13:16–41) which is very close to the witness Stephen gave before his murder (Acts 7:1–53). Even though Paul is the apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13), he always starts with the Jews: God’s chosen people through whom the Savior of the world came (Romans 1:16). Some, like the leader of the synagogue, believe (Acts 18:8). Many others don’t, and Paul leaves the synagogue, moving next door to the home of Titius Justus, a Gentile God-fearer who finds salvation in Jesus (Acts 18:6–7).

Paul and his team had been run out of both Thessalonica and Berea by Jews in Thessalonica, but Paul cared about the fledgling church and sent Timothy back (Acts 17:1–14; 1 Thessalonians 3:6). Timothy brings good news. Despite the fact the unbelieving Jews had dragged some of the Jesus-followers to the city authorities (Acts 17:6–9), and continued to persecute them after Paul left, they stand strong in the faith (1 Thessalonians 3:7–10). Paul will find the churches in Thessalonica and Corinth very different. The Thessalonians’ strong faith and spiritual maturity will lead to questions about Christ’s return (1 Thessalonians 4:13—5:11). The incredibly immoral sexual culture of Corinth will lead Paul to remind them of seemingly obvious boundaries: such as not sleeping with their stepmothers (1 Corinthians 5).

Context Summary
Acts 18:5–11 describes Paul in Corinth, making tents with Priscilla and Aquila. He is waiting for Silas and Timothy to arrive from Macedonia (Acts 18:1–3). Once they come, Paul can spend more time teaching about Jesus. As usual, the synagogue eventually rejects him, and he moves to the home of a Gentile God-fearer to continue his work. Despite the harassment of the unbelieving Jews, Jesus gives Paul a message that he is to stay in Corinth, which he does for eighteen months. Even when the Jews bring him to court, the proconsul will reject their charges as irrelevant religious squabbles (Acts 18:12–17).

Verse 6. And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

Whenever Paul enters a new town to share Jesus’ offer of forgiveness, he first goes to Jews and Gentile God-fearers. If there is a synagogue, he goes there and shows how Jesus of Nazareth fulfills the prophecies about the Messiah in the Hebrew Scriptures: our Old Testament. Invariably, some Jews and a great number of Gentiles—in and out of the synagogue—believe. But Judaism is a community religion, and if the whole synagogue leadership doesn’t choose to follow Jesus, Paul must leave.

This time, in Corinth, the synagogue ruler believes (Acts 18:8), but not enough of the rest of the leadership. Paul responds with a cultural act of dismissal and a reference to a prophet.

After the Jews returned from exile in Babylon, Nehemiah traveled to Jerusalem to encourage them to rebuild the wall around the city. While there, he discovered that the rich were abusing their power and using such unfair business practices that the poor had to sell their children into slavery. Nehemiah confronted the rich, and they agreed to stop charging interest on loans and to return the land and homes they’d taken (Nehemiah 5:1–12). Nehemiah writes, “I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, ‘So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.’ And all the assembly said ‘Amen’ and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised” (Nehemiah 5:13). This parallels Jesus’ command to the disciples that if a town refused to believe His message, they should “shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them” (Mark 6:11) as if even the dust they walked on was unworthy of Jesus’ offer of salvation.

The line that their blood would be on their own heads has to do with who is responsible for whatever curse or hardship would fall upon them. Ezekiel the prophet served God in Babylon. God gave him very difficult messages to tell the exiles there, including that they would not return to Jerusalem anytime soon and that the temple would be destroyed. In Ezekiel 33:1–9, God explains that He chooses prophets to be watchmen for the people to listen to. If the people refuse to listen to the prophets, they will be responsible when God’s judgment brings their death. If the prophet refuses to share the message God has given him, the prophet is responsible.

In the case of the Corinthian synagogue, Paul has shared the message Jesus commissioned him to; he fulfilled his responsibility. He is absolved of any liability for those who refuse to believe him.

Verse 7. And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue.

Paul shares the message of Jesus’ offer of forgiveness to the Jews in the synagogue of Corinth, but not many believe him. He is frustrated because the Messiah is for the Jews. The Jews as a whole people should realize how Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah promised in the Hebrew Scriptures. They should join Paul in presenting Jesus to the whole world: the blessing of Abraham (Genesis 12:3). Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, and his whole family follow the call (Acts 18:8). Paul also cares about the Jews as a whole (Romans 9:1–5). He can’t force them, however, and when the synagogue leadership seems on the verge of expelling him , he proclaims he has fulfilled his responsibility and God will hold them accountable for their choice (Acts 18:6).

Titius Justus, as a “worshiper of God,” is a Gentile. There are three classes of people who worship the Jewish God. Jews are, obviously, the first. The second is proselytes—Gentiles who fully convert to Judaism, the males accepting circumcision. Third are the “God-fearers” or “God-worshipers”—Gentiles who follow God and go to synagogue but do not fully convert. The book of Galatians is largely about how Gentile Christians do not have to first become Jews.

This is not the last time Paul will find a long-term solution to his expulsion from the synagogue. During his third missionary journey, he will travel to Ephesus and wind up in the hall of Tyrannus for two years (Acts 19:9–10). If God wants us to minister, He will make a way.

Verse 8. Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.

The synagogue in Corinth has heard enough from Paul. He’s likely had several weeks–or months—to explain to them how Jesus is the Messiah they’ve been waiting for—how Jesus’ life is spelled out in the prophecies of the Hebrew Scriptures. His message is too much for them. They oppose and revile him, and he responds by relieving himself of responsibility for them (Acts 18:6).

Fortunately, some do believe him. First, Stephanas and his family (1 Corinthians 16:15). The Gentile God-fearer Titius Justus not only believes, he offers his home, next door to the synagogue, as an alternate meeting place. Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, follows.

“Believed in the Lord” means that Crispus believes that Jesus is the Son of God who came to earth as a human and died to cover his sin. Crispus believes that Jesus’ resurrection proves that God accepts Jesus’ sacrifice, and that it is Jesus’ work, not his own, that will reconcile him to God.

Crispus’ story provides a testimony against household salvation: the belief that if the head of a household is saved, the rest of the family automatically are, or, that if parents are saved, their children are automatically saved, as well. When Paul and Silas explain the gospel to the jailor in Philippi, casual reading of the passage suggests if he believes his household will be saved (Acts 16:31). There are other passages where the head of the house believes in Christ and the whole family is baptized (Acts 16:15). Here shows that Crispus and his family members believe. Baptism isn’t even mentioned, although, later, Paul will remind the Corinthian church that Crispus is one of the few people Paul baptized (1 Corinthians 1:14).

Verse 9. And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent,

This is a significant change in Paul’s ministry. Although he spent years in his home base of Syrian Antioch, his missionary trips have been very transient. Luke doesn’t tell us how long he spends at each city, but it’s certainly no more than a few months.

Now, he is in Corinth, a pagan city known for pervasive sexual sin. So pervasive, in fact, that a Greek term for fornication, korinthiazomai, is derived from the name of the city. Paul has left the synagogue—and the protection of Judaism—and is meeting next door at the home of a Gentile who had attended the synagogue and now follows Jesus (Acts 18:6–7). Typically, by this point, the Jews in the synagogue would be convincing the prominent Gentiles of the city to force Paul out—or worse.

This time, however, God wants Paul to stay for a while. The people of the church in Corinth will need a lot of guidance. After Paul spends eighteen months establishing the church, Apollos will come and build on Paul’s foundation (Acts 18:10–11; 1 Corinthians 3:6, 10). Paul will write four letters to the Corinthians, two of which we have as part of preserved Scripture. They show the Jesus-followers need significant help learning how to live godly lives.

Jesus appears to Paul in visions several times during his ministry. First at his conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:5), then when he returns to Jerusalem (Acts 22:17–18). In Troas, Paul has a vision telling him to go to Macedonia (Acts 16:9). After his arrest in Jerusalem, Jesus will reassure him that he will go to Rome (Acts 23:11). We should not expect the same type of interaction with Jesus that Paul experienced. The beginning years of the church, as the message of Jesus’ offer of forgiveness spread, required a lot of direct guidance. Now, God primarily speaks to us through the Bible.

Verse 10. for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”

Paul is in Corinth with Silas and Timothy. For what is likely several weeks, , he spends every Sabbath at the synagogue, trying to convince the Jews that Jesus of Nazareth is their Messiah. As in every other town, some believe but the Jewish community largely rejects his message, which means rejecting Jesus. Eventually, they “oppose and revile him” (Acts 18:6), and he takes the few who believe and moves next door to the home of a Gentile God-fearer who also believes (Acts 18:7).

Around this time in most other synagogues Paul has visited, the dissenting Jews would be stirring up the Gentiles of the city, convincing them that Paul was a menace to good order. He would leave town and sneak back in later to build up the church. In Corinth, however, God has other plans. He tells Paul, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent” (Acts 18:9).

Paul will later tell the Corinthians, “For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16). The promise that he will be safe is new. In a later letter, Paul will tell the Corinthian church how much he has suffered during his ministry:

Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. (2 Corinthians 11:24–28)

God tells Paul to stay, protected, because in this vile, sinful, pagan city are many people who belong to Him. The church in Corinth will give Paul reasons for stress for years to come. But their example proves God doesn’t choose the wise, He chooses the foolish of the world. By redeeming those who seem to least deserve His love, He shows how great His love is (1 Corinthians 2:6–16).

Verse 11. And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

This is the longest Paul has stayed in one place, besides his home church of Syrian Antioch, in quite some time. He is in Corinth, building a new church with the help of many friends.

When he first reached Corinth, he met Priscilla and Aquila, two Jewish tentmakers who had been expelled from their home in Rome (Acts 18:2). Silas and Timothy then joined them from Macedonia (Acts 18:5). When the synagogue decisively rejected Paul’s message that Jesus of Nazareth is the Jewish Messiah, a Gentile God-worshiper named Titius Justus and the ruler of the synagogue, Crispus, followed Paul (Acts 18:6–8). Now, they, as well as the family of Stephanus (1 Corinthians 16:15), serve as the base for the new church.

Despite Paul’s extended stay, the church continues to have problems after he leaves. The temple prostitutes of Aphrodite mark a particular sexual looseness among the inhabitants that creeps into the church (1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:12–20). Members of the church split into divisions, claiming to follow individual teachers (1 Corinthians 1:10–13). They believe baseless accusations that Paul merely wants their money (1 Corinthians 9). Paul becomes so hurt at news about the church he even cancels a trip to see them because he doesn’t think he can control his anger (2 Corinthians 1:23).

“Word” is from the Greek root word logos. We think of the “Word of God” as the Bible, but before the books spread throughout the church, it meant the message God wanted the church to have, mainly that Jesus’ death and resurrection offers forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God. In fact, Jesus is the logos of John 1:1. Considering the difficult time the church in Corinth has with fighting their sin, God’s forgiveness is an important concept for them to learn.

Verse 12. But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal,

The synagogue of Corinth rejects Paul’s assertions that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah as prophesied in the Hebrew Scriptures. As have synagogues in many other towns, they reject Paul. Fortunately, some believe. Titius Justus is a Gentile God-worshiper who not only chooses to follow Jesus, his home is next door to the synagogue and he offers its use to Paul. In addition, the ruler of the synagogue, Crispus, believes and follows Paul to help him build the new church (Acts 18:6–8).

The Jews are not satisfied—they want Paul out. They charge him with “persuading people to worship God contrary to the law” (Acts 18:13). In the Roman Empire, it was illegal to preach a god that was not authorized by the government. In addition, much of the wording used by Jesus-followers, including calling Jesus “king,” was in direct conflict with emperor worship.

A proconsul was the ruler of a district that did not need a standing army. He answered to the Roman Senate, not the emperor. Lucius Junius Gallio was the proconsular governor of Achaia, which included the large island-like area, where Corinth was, as well as the thin strip of land that connected it to the mainland of Greece. Gallio was the brother of Seneca the Younger, the famous Roman Stoic philosopher, and had a reputation for being funny and amiable. An inscription shows he governed Achaia in AD 51 and 52.

In Pisidian Antioch, the Jewish leaders incited the leading women and men to drive Paul and Barnabas out of town (Acts 13:50). In Iconium, they joined with the Gentiles to harass them (Acts 14:5–6). In Philippi, Paul and Silas were charged before the city magistrates (Acts 16:19–20). In Thessalonica, the Jews created a mob out of some “wicked men” (Acts 17:5) and charged them before the city authorities.

In Corinth, the Jewish leaders make especially strong efforts. A rabble can force someone out of the city, but they can’t make them stay out. Even the authority of the politarchs—city governors—of Thessalonica had limited authority. But a proconsul, backed by the authority of the Roman Senate, can restrict Paul’s movements through the entire Empire. Fortunately for Paul and his partners, Gallio doesn’t care.

Context Summary
Acts 18:12–17 describes the relatively mild resistance Paul meets as he builds the church in Corinth. Paul spends eighteen months in Corinth teaching about Jesus’ offer of forgiveness and establishing the church. The Jews who reject his message bring him to court and accuse him of teaching a new religion that isn’t authorized by the Roman government. Gallio, the proconsul, doesn’t see any socially relevant difference between the Jews and the Jesus-followers. So, he dismisses the charges. A crowd responds by seizing the leader of the synagogue and beating him, but Gallio does not give it any attention.

Verse 13. saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law.”

At least since the time of Jeroboam, rulers have known that if you can control what gods people worship, you can keep the people united (1 Kings 12:26–29). The Romans knew this, too. About a hundred years before Paul ministered in Corinth, Cicero wrote a fictional dialogue about natural law and the religious law of Rome. In De Legibus ii.8, he writes, “…let no one have private gods—neither new gods nor strange gods, unless publicly acknowledged, are to be worshipped privately…” By this, he means it should be against the law to worship gods not endorsed by the Roman government.

So, when the Jews of the synagogue in Corinth can’t get Paul to stop teaching that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah who offers reconciliation with God, they bring him before Gallio, the proconsul. There, they accuse him of breaking the Roman law that forbids the teaching or worshiping of a god Rome has not authorized. If they succeed, they will have won a great victory; a proconsul, under the authority of the Roman Senate, has the power to control where Paul can go throughout the Empire.

Unfortunately for the Jews, Gallio doesn’t care. He doesn’t see the difference between the God Paul preaches and the God the Jews worship. Or, at least, he does not see that the differences are meaningful with respect to Roman law. The Roman government already authorized the Jews to worship their God, so Gallio tells them, “since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things” (Acts 18:15).

Gallio not only refuses to charge Paul, he does nothing when a crowd grabs the leader of the synagogue and beats him in the middle of the court. Paul stays in Corinth for eighteen months, building up the church he has planted, knowing that when God makes a decision (Acts 18:9–10) He can use whatever means He wishes to fulfill it.

Verse 14. But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to accept your complaint.

The Jews of Corinth are using an old but effective method to shut down the worship of Jesus: Roman law. Years before, the Sanhedrin accused Jesus of placing Himself as king above Caesar. Pilate didn’t believe them, but he feared their ability to disrupt Jerusalem and make him look ineffective, so he bowed to their wishes and had Jesus crucified (Luke 23:1–25; John 19:12–19). Now, Paul stands accused of preaching and worshiping a deity—Jesus—not pre-authorized by the Roman government. One hundred years before this trial, Cicero wrote, “…let no one have private gods—neither new gods nor strange gods, unless publicly acknowledged, are to be worshipped privately…” in De Legibus, his discussion about the Roman law. If the Jews can convince Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia, that Paul is an enemy of the state, he could restrict Paul’s movements in the Roman Empire, or at least expel him from Corinth.

Unfortunately for the Jews, Gallio doesn’t care. As far as he’s concerned, Christianity is a Jewish sect. It’s a religious matter, not a civil issue. He tells them to handle it themselves. When Paul went to the synagogue first and convinced several Jews—including the ruler of the synagogue—Christianity effectively became a civilly-protected religion (Acts 18:4, 8).

Verse 15. But since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things.”

In the Roman Empire, there was no such thing as separation between church and state. Emperor worship bound every resident to a common religion. All gods were to be pre-approved by the Roman government. It was not legal even to privately worship a foreign god, as noted in Cicero’s De Legibus, ii.8. So, when Jews from the synagogue in Corinth accuse Paul of encouraging worship of a strange deity, they think they’ve found a way to convince the proconsul to throw him out of town.

Paul’s heart and habits have protected him. He is the apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13), but his affections will always first be for the Jews (Romans 9:1–5). To that end, whenever he enters a new town, he first looks for where the Jews meet to worship; in Corinth, as in most large cities, that is the synagogue. After teaching there for several weeks, trying to convince the Jews and Gentile God-fearers that Jesus is the Messiah, the unbelieving Jews are so disrespectful he leaves. But some believe, including Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue (Acts 18:4–8).

Paul, a Jew, teaches in the Jewish synagogue, then teaches next door at the home of Titius Justus with Crispus, the Jewish ruler of the Jewish synagogue. It’s little wonder Gallio concludes the argument is over religious interpretations, not any direct matters of civil law. The tribune in Jerusalem and Festus will have the same reaction (Acts 23:29; 25:18–19). Other sources say Gallio had health problems during the end of his installment as proconsul. He eventually left thinking Corinth was making him sick. But it was God who orchestrated Paul’s relatively peaceful, lengthy stay in Corinth (Acts 18:9–10).

Verse 16. And he drove them from the tribunal.

Paul has faced opposition before. Typically, Jews who do not believe his teaching about Jesus work with leading Gentiles of the city to drive him out (Acts 13:50; 14:5–6). In Thessalonica, the Jews found “wicked men” to do their dirty work (Acts 17:5). Conversely, in Philippi, Gentile men who resented Paul for exorcising the fortune-telling demon from their slave girl had him and Silas arrested (Acts 16:19–20).

In Corinth, Jews bring Paul before Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia—the district in the southern-most part of Greece. A proconsul was a ruler who did not keep a standing army and was therefore responsible to the Roman Senate—the council—not the emperor directly. Certain times of the day, he would sit on a raised platform, called the bema seat, at the tribunal and listen to accusations.

The Jewish leaders of the synagogue have brought Paul before the tribunal because they don’t like that he has convinced so many Jews and Gentiles that Jesus is the Son of God. Their charge is that Paul “is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law” (Acts 18:13). Cicero, in De Legibus, considered it a serious crime to promote the worship of a deity not authorized by the Roman government, or even to worship such a god in private.

If Gallio agrees with the Jews, Paul can face serious punishment. Fortunately, he doesn’t. Perhaps because Paul is a Jew who began by reasoning with other Jews in the synagogue, Gallio doesn’t see a legal difference between what Paul is teaching and what the Jews affirm. He dismisses the charges and goes on to other business as the hostile synagogue leader is beaten (Acts 18:17).

Verse 17. And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this.

It’s rare for Paul to spend much time in the cities and towns where he plants churches. Corinth is different. Not only does God tell him to stay, He also tells him he would not come to harm. God has chosen to save many people in Corinth and Paul needs time to reach them. In fact, Paul winds up staying a year and a half (Acts 18:9–11).

Paul is used to local Jews and Gentiles driving him out of town, beating him, and even stoning him (Acts 13:45–51; 14:5–7, 19). But then synagogue leadership brings him before the proconsul Gallio, charging him with encouraging the worship of a foreign god. Gallio judges that the issue is one of religion, not civil law, and dismisses the charges (Acts 18:12–16).

When the Jews in the synagogue drove Paul out, after several weeks of showing Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, the synagogue ruler Crispus followed him (Acts 18:8). Sosthenes is apparently Crispus’ replacement and the head of the group that brings Paul to trial. It’s unclear who “they all” are—presumably Gallio’s guards who want to make sure the Jews understand not to waste the proconsul’s time.

In Paul’s introduction to his letter to the Corinthian church, he writes, “Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes” (1 Corinthians 1:1). There’s no way we can know for certain, but it appears the Jewish synagogue leader so irritated with Paul that he brought him before a Roman court eventually becomes a Christ-follower. If so, there’s no doubt Paul thought his tense encounter with Gallio was well worth it.

Verse 18. After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow.

Paul is finishing up his second missionary journey. He has been in Corinth for a year and a half. As usual, he started by teaching about Jesus in the synagogue until enough of the Jewish leadership drove him out. He then moved next door to the home of a Gentile Jesus-follower, taking along the ruler of the synagogue who also put his faith in Christ. When the remaining leadership accused Paul of encouraging the worship of a god the Roman government had not authorized, the proconsul threw the case out, saying it was a matter of religious interpretation, not civil law (Acts 18:1–17).

Priscilla and Aquila were evicted from Rome by the emperor Claudius and apparently came to Christ in Corinth after Paul joined their tentmaking business (Acts 18:1–3). Paul will leave them in Ephesus where they will disciple Apollos (Acts 18:24–28). They will also host the church in Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:19) before returning to Rome (Romans 16:3).

Cenchreae was the eastern port of Corinth. Corinth was in the district of Achaia on a large island-like mass of land connected to the Greek mainland by a narrow isthmus. Cenchreae was on the east side of the isthmus while its counterpart Lechaion was on the west. Instead of taking the treacherous route around Achaia, ships often stopped at Cenchreae and were dragged over land to Lechaion where they could reach Delphi. Cenchreae and Lechaion were named after the sons of Poseidon. Phoebe, who hand-delivered Paul’s letter to the Romans, was possibly a deaconess of the church in Cenchreae (Romans 16:1).

It’s unclear what kind of vow Paul was under, but probably a Nazirite vow. A Nazirite vow was a tradition from the time of the Mosaic law where Jews would refrain from alcohol, let their hair grow, and dedicate themselves to a period of intense devotion to God (Numbers 6:1–21). Since Paul cut his hair right after he left Corinth, it was probably for his work there. Although the text says he is going to Syria, meaning Syrian Antioch, he lands in Caesarea Maritima on the Judean coast and goes to Jerusalem first. The resolution of a Nazarite vow requires an offering at the temple. “Nazirite” means consecrated, devoted, or untrimmed; it doesn’t have anything to do with Nazareth. John the Baptist and Samson were to be Nazirites for their entire lives (Judges 13:5; Luke 1:15).

Paul will return to Corinth at least twice more (2 Corinthians 12:14), either because the location is strategic or because the believers need extra help. Second Timothy 4:20 strongly suggests that after Paul is released from his house-arrest in Rome (Acts 28), he takes a fourth and final journey, stopping in Corinth.

Context Summary
Acts 18:18–21 starts with a short account of Paul’s final days in Corinth. He works there, where he met Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:2–3), for eighteen months (Acts 18:11) before taking the couple with him to Ephesus. He apparently spends only one day in the synagogue before sailing to Caesarea Maritima on the coast of Judea. He stops briefly in Jerusalem before returning home to Syrian Antioch, then travels north and west again into modern-day Turkey. Meanwhile, Priscilla and Aquila meet Apollos in Ephesus and teach him the truth about Jesus, thus equipping another powerful witness for the church (Acts 18:24–28).

Verse 19. And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.

After a long second missionary journey, Paul is traveling home. After spending a year and a half in Corinth, he and Priscilla and Aquila sail east to modern-day Asia Minor. The Holy Spirit prevented him from preaching in Asia, the western-most province on the peninsula, on their way to Macedonia, but now Paul spends a very brief time in Ephesus. Whenever Paul enters a new town, he starts by going to the local synagogue and showing how Jesus of Nazareth fulfills the prophecies of the Old Testament; his message in Pisidian Antioch is representative (Acts 13:16–41). His hope is that all the Jews, whom God chose to bring the Savior to the world, will believe him. Invariably, some of the Jews and a great deal more Gentile God-followers believe. This time, Paul barely has the time to introduce Jesus’ story.

Paul will return. During his third missionary voyage, he will teach in the Ephesian synagogue for three months and then in the school of Tyrannus for about two years (Acts 19:8–10). Until then, he leaves Priscilla and Aquila. They meet the Jewish man Apollos, a powerful speaker who knows little about Jesus but much about John the Baptist’s message of repentance. The couple pulls Apollos aside and fills in the gaps of the story. Apollos accepts their explanation and takes over for Paul, using the Hebrew Scriptures to prove Jesus is the Messiah (Acts 18:24–28).

Ephesus was a large city easily accessible by land or sea. It was known for the temple of Artemis; when Paul returns, he will make such an impact on pagan worshipers that the craftsmen who make idols of Artemis will fear for their livelihoods and cause a riot (Acts 19:23–29). Priscilla and Aquila will host the first church there before they go on to Rome (1 Corinthians 16:19; Romans 16:3), and Timothy will later be their pastor (1 Timothy 1:3). Later, the apostle John will make Ephesus his headquarters before and after his exile to the island of Patmos.

Verse 20. When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined.

Paul doesn’t usually stay very long in any given town, but it seems he is in Ephesus for only a day. He is on his way back to Syrian Antioch after trekking through modern-day Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Athens, before staying in Corinth for eighteen months. When he reaches Ephesus, he has just enough time for a quick stop at the synagogue to explain that Jesus of Nazareth is the Jewish Messiah.

After Paul visits Jerusalem and goes home to Syrian Antioch (Acts 18:22), he will return to Ephesus and stay for three years (Acts 20:31). Though many of the Jews do reject his message and drive him from the synagogue, they don’t harass him after he leaves. Instead, Paul is threatened by the silversmiths. The Gentiles so thirst for Jesus’ offer of forgiveness and reconciliation with God that they abandon their worship of Artemis and burn valuable magic books. In response, the silversmiths, who make a living selling idols, start a riot and threaten Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s companions (Acts 19).

For now, Paul will board a ship and continue his voyage home. Ephesus is near the west coast of Asia, the western-most province in Asia Minor. Paul leaves Priscilla and Aquila there and sails to Caesarea Maritima on the Judaean coast. From there, he visits the church in Jerusalem, possibly so he can complete a vow (Acts 18:18), but perhaps for Passover. After an extended stay in Syrian Antioch, Paul will go north again for his third missionary trip (Acts 18:22–23).

Verse 21. But on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus.

Paul is headed home after a long second missionary journey. He and Silas started by revisiting the churches Paul and Barnabas had planted in the province of Galatia in central modern-day Turkey. They picked up Timothy in Lystra and traveled west to Troas where they met Luke. God sent Paul a vision to come to Macedonia, so they crossed the Aegean Sea and planted churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea before Paul had to flee to Athens to escape persecution. From Athens, he went west to Corinth where he met Priscilla and Aquila. He was partway through his eighteen-month stay when Silas and Timothy rejoined him. After a tense standoff with irritated Jews and an indifferent proconsul, Paul, Priscilla, and Aquila crossed the Aegean Sea east to Ephesus (Acts 15:40—18:19).

In Ephesus, Paul visits the synagogue, as usual, and explains how Jesus of Nazareth fulfills the prophecies of the Messiah given in the Hebrew Scriptures (Acts 18:19–20). The attendees are interested and want him to stay longer, but he is apparently anxious to reach Jerusalem. Possibly because he needs to fulfill the requirements of a Nazirite vow (Acts 18:18) or, perhaps, to be there for Passover.

He will return, however. On his third missionary journey, he will spend three years there, building up the church. He will be so successful, and so many Gentiles will respond to Jesus’ offer of forgiveness, that the craftsmen who make idols for Artemis worship will find their business greatly diminished (Acts 19:17–41). On his way back to Jerusalem, He will meet the Ephesian church elders in nearby Miletus. He will encourage them and tell them he will not see them again. The elders weep and pray, and accompany him to his ship (Acts 20:17–38).

Verse 22. When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch.

Having completed his second missionary voyage, Paul is home. He set sail from Ephesus, on the western coast of modern-day Turkey, and lands in Caesarea Maritima, the major port of the eastern coast of the Mediterranean where the Romans rule over Samaria and Judea.

The text says he goes “up” to greet the church. This doesn’t refer to the church in Caesarea but in Jerusalem; Jerusalem is about 2,600 feet in elevation and Caesarea is at sea level. The “church” is the original church, started by the disciples on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit fell on 3,000 people (Acts 2), and pastored by James, the half-brother of Jesus (Galatians 2:9).

The text doesn’t say why Paul goes to Jerusalem. He may need to complete the requirements for a Nazirite vow (Acts 18:18) which includes sacrificing at the temple (Numbers 6:13–20). Although Paul relies on Jesus for salvation, he has no problem participating in Jewish rituals (Acts 21:23–26). Another possibility is that he wants to be there for the Passover. Or, he could be reporting how he planted churches in Macedonia and Greece and getting any new instruction the apostles may have for him (Acts 15:2; Galatians 2:1–2).

When Paul leaves Jerusalem, he will return to Syrian Antioch in the far northeast corner of the Mediterranean Sea. After an extended visit, he will set out for his third missionary journey, visiting the same places as the second. This time, however, when he returns to Jerusalem, he will be arrested and imprisoned (Acts 19—28)—but he will finally reach Rome where he has been longing to go for years (Romans 1:11–15).

Context Summary
Acts 18:22–23 quickly records the hiatus after Paul’s second journey and the beginning of his third. He sails from Ephesus to Caesarea Maritima and travels to Jerusalem, then his home base of Syrian Antioch. After an extended stay, he returns to the churches he and Barnabas had planted in the district of Galatia in modern-day Turkey. Next, he will go to Ephesus for three years before revisiting the churches in Macedonia and Greece. After very short stops in Troas and Miletus, Paul will go back to Jerusalem. An altercation at the temple will lead to his arrest and eventual voyage to Rome for trial (Acts 19—28).

Verse 23. After spending some time there, he departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

Paul is starting his third missionary journey. As in Acts 15:41—16:5, Luke skips over the places Paul has already visited, preferring to focus on new territory. At different times, Paul’s companions include Timothy and Erastus (Acts 19:22), Gaius and Aristarchus (Acts 19:29), Luke, and others (Acts 20:4–5).

“There” is Syrian Antioch. About twenty miles from the northeast coast of the Mediterranean Sea, it was the third largest city in the Roman Empire, after Rome and Alexandria, and an endpoint of the Silk Road. Jesus-followers from Cyrene and Cyprus first took the story of Jesus to Antioch while fleeing Paul’s persecution before his conversion. The leadership in Jerusalem heard about the growing church and sent Barnabas to validate their beliefs. He found such enthusiasm for the gospel that he went to Paul in nearby Tarsus and invited him to help teach. Jesus-followers were first called “Christians” in Antioch, and it had been Paul’s headquarters ever since (Acts 11:19–26).

Galatia is the large district in modern-day central Turkey. During Paul’s first missions journey, he and Barnabas planted churches in Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Derbe, and Lystra (Acts 13:13—14:23). On Paul’s second trip, he and Silas returned to the area, meeting Timothy in Lystra (Acts 16:1–5).

Phrygia is a smaller region with ever-changing borders between Galatia and Asia, the large district in modern-day western Turkey. It included the cities Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis. When Paul wrote his letter to the Colossians, he hadn’t been to any of these cities (Colossians 1:3–4; 2:1; 4:13), but they’re on the way to his main objective: Ephesus (Acts 19:1).

Verse 24. Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures.

This is our introduction to Apollos. He is a teacher of the Hebrew Scriptures and a close follower of John the Baptist. He knows something about Jesus, but it’s unclear if he only knows what John had taught (Mark 1:2–8) or if he heard more from believers later. If he knows that Jesus is the Messiah, he doesn’t quite understand what that means (Acts 18:25).

When Apollos arrives at Ephesus, the synagogue leaders invite him to speak. Priscilla and Aquila, having been assigned to Ephesus by Paul (Acts 18:19), realize he only needs a little more information to be a Jesus-follower. The couple show him who Jesus is and what He came to do. Apollos enthusiastically accepts their explanation, becomes a powerful evangelist, and takes Paul’s place in Corinth (Acts 18:26–28). Apollos makes such an impact on the Corinthian church that factions break out—some claiming ultimate loyalty to Paul, some Peter, some Jesus, and some to Apollos (1 Corinthians 1:12).

Alexandria was the second-largest city in the Roman Empire with half a million people. Egypt had the most Jews outside Israel, but very little is said about their communities in the New Testament. Even Apollos’s work concentrates in Corinth and Ephesus—in southern Greece and modern-day Turkey. Alexandria was known for being an academic hub; the loss of the library was a historical tragedy. In the third and second centuries BC, Jewish scholars in Alexandria translated Hebrew Scriptures into Greek; the Septuagint is the version from which Jesus and other New Testament teachers largely quoted.

Ephesus was a large port town on the western coast of Turkey known for its worship of Artemis. Paul visited there briefly (Acts 18:19–21) and will return for several years after Apollos goes to Corinth (Acts 19:8–10).

Context Summary
Acts 18:24–28 records a short interlude featuring Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos. Priscilla and Aquila became fast friends with Paul in Corinth (Acts 18:1–3). When Paul left Corinth, he brought the couple along and stationed them in Ephesus. Apollos is a Jewish teacher from Alexandria who preaches the baptism of repentance that John the Baptist taught (Mark 1:2–8). Apollos knows some about Jesus, but after Priscilla and Aquila explain how He is the Messiah who offers salvation, Apollos becomes a powerful evangelist and continues Paul’s work in Corinth.

Verse 25. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.

Apollos is a Jew from the city of Alexandria on the Egyptian coast. He is eloquent, competent in the Scriptures, fervent, and a good, accurate teacher (Acts 18:24). He has come to Ephesus with a full understanding of John the Baptist’s call to repent (Mark 1:2–8), but only nominal information about Jesus.

It’s not clear what Apollos doesn’t know. By this time, he must know about the crucifixion and resurrection, but not about being baptized in Jesus’ name. That would indicate he’s somewhere between the repentance that John preached (Mark 1:4) and the comprehensive forgiveness of sin and reconciliation to God that Jesus provides. He must know Jesus is the Messiah because that’s what John preached (John 1:19–34), but he probably doesn’t realize how big a break Jesus-followers made from Judaism. He doesn’t have the Holy Spirit and seems to share beliefs with others in Ephesus (Acts 19:1–6).

When the synagogue leadership in Ephesus invite him to speak, Priscilla and Aquila are there. The couple are refugees from Rome who learned about Jesus from Paul in Corinth (Acts 18:1–3). When Paul left Corinth, he brought the two and left them to continue the work he’d barely started (Acts 18:18–19). Priscilla and Aquila pull Apollos aside and explain to him what John meant when he said, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16). Apollos believes and goes on to build up the church Paul planted in Corinth (Acts 18:27–28).

Verse 26. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

When Paul left Corinth for Ephesus, he brought his new friends Priscilla and Aquila along. They stayed in Ephesus while Paul continued his return trip to Jerusalem and Syrian Antioch. While going to synagogue, Priscilla and Aquila hear the teaching of Apollos, a Jewish man from Alexandria. He is passionate about Jesus and boldly shares John the Baptist’s baptism of repentance. But he has limited information about Jesus (Acts 18:19–25).

The text doesn’t explain what Apollos doesn’t know. Alexandrians did know about the crucifixion and resurrection, and some brought Jesus’ offer of salvation to Syrian Antioch (Acts 11:20). Likely, Apollos knew everything John the Baptist taught, including that Jesus is the Messiah (John 1:23, 29–34), but he hadn’t experienced the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16).

Once Apollos fully understands, he’s unstoppable. He goes to Corinth and continues Paul’s work of showing how Jesus matches the description of the Messiah in the Hebrew Scriptures (Acts 18:27–28). He makes such an impression, some of the Corinthian believers break into factions, some claiming to follow Paul and some Apollos. It gets so bad Paul is led to remind the Corinthian church that Jesus is their Savior, not these mortal teachers (1 Corinthians 1:12–13).

The story of Apollos is one of humility. We don’t know why Priscilla’s name is often mentioned before her husband’s, but clearly, Apollos willingly takes correction from a woman. When Paul speaks of Apollos’s work in Corinth, he does so without jealousy. He says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6). Because the early evangelists work as a team, the message of Jesus spreads rapidly throughout the Roman Empire, just as Jesus had planned (Acts 1:8).

Verse 27. And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed,

All things considered, the Jesus-followers in Ephesus work quickly. On his way home from his second missionary journey, it appears Paul spent only one day in the synagogue, explaining how Jesus of Nazareth fits the prophecies of the Jewish Messiah. He leaves behind Priscilla and Aquila and continues on his way (Acts 18:19–21). While worshiping in the synagogue, Priscilla and Aquila hear Apollos preach. A Jew from the academic city of Alexandria, Apollos, knows John the Baptist’s message of repentance and some about Jesus, but he doesn’t seem to fully understand how Jesus offers reconciliation with God. Priscilla and Aquila pull him aside and show him (Acts 18:24–26).

Now, Apollos is ready to move on and spread the story of Jesus. He decides he needs to go to Corinth to continue the work Paul, Priscilla, and Aquila started. The church in Corinth welcomes him, some even trying to turn him into a sect leader (1 Corinthians 1:12). Paul considers him a fellow worker (1 Corinthians 3:9). Apollos builds up those who came to Christ during Paul’s eighteen-month stay and continues to try to convince the Jews in the synagogue that Jesus is the Messiah (Acts 18:11, 28).

Achaia is the province that includes the large island-like mass connected to southern Greece by a narrow isthmus. Corinth is the capital of Achaia. The “brothers” are those Jews and Gentile God-fearers who accepted Jesus as their Savior either when Paul was there or through the teaching of Priscilla and Aquila.

Verse 28. for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.

When Paul reached Corinth, he had no idea how different the experience would be. He showed up alone, having left Timothy and Silas in Berea after Thessalonian Jews drove him out. With no others to support his ministry work, he found Aquila and Priscilla, refugees of Claudius’s persecution of Jews in Rome. As all three were tentmakers, Paul joined their business during the week and went to the synagogue every Sabbath, trying to convince the Jews and Gentile God-fearers that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah of the prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures. Some time after Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, the Jews in the synagogue decided they’d heard enough and pushed Paul out. Paul moved to the home of Titius Justus next door to the synagogue, and, with the former synagogue ruler Crispus, started the church (Acts 18:1–8).

Besides what was likely Paul’s initial loneliness, this story is typical for his missionary journeys. What isn’t normal is that God gave him a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people” (Acts 18:9–10). Paul spent a year and a half in Corinth, building up the church before leaving for home (Acts 18:11).

On his return journey, Paul takes Priscilla and Aquila and drops them off at Ephesus before going on. In the synagogue, the couple hear a passionate speaker named Apollos. Apollos knows about John the Baptist’s baptism of repentance, and he knows some things about Jesus, but seemingly not how He reconciles His followers to God. Priscilla and Aquila explain to him what he is missing, and Apollos starts preaching about Jesus as powerfully as he had about repentance (Acts 18:24–26).

Not long after, Apollos decides he needs to go to Corinth and build on the church Paul planted. God had told Paul He had many people in Corinth. Paul was not able to reach all of them in eighteen months. Apollos continues the work leading the church and trying to reach the Jews who continue to reject their Messiah. Right now, Paul knows little of Apollos, if anything. Soon, he will consider the man his partner in the building of the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 3:6–9).

End of Chapter 18.

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