The Word Made Fresh
1After this, Paul left Athens and went on to Corinth. 2In Corinth he met a Jew named Aquila who was a native of Pontus and had recently come from Italy with his wife, Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul met them 3and stayed with them because they practiced the same trade, and they worked together as tentmakers. 4Every Sabbath he would argue in the synagogue and try to win over Jews and Greeks.
5When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was already preaching the word and testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. 6They opposed him and spoke against him. So, in protest, he shook the dust from his clothing and said, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7He left the synagogue and went to the home of Titius Justus, who was a worshiper of God, and whose house was next door to the synagogue.
8The head of the synagogue, Crispus, believed in the Lord along with his whole family, and a lot of the Corinthians who heard Paul became believers and were baptized. 9One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a dream. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “And don’t be silent. Speak out! 10I am with you and no one will harm you; I have many people in this city.”
11Paul stayed there for eighteen months, teaching them the word of God. 12But when Gallio became proconsul of Achaia the Jews joined together against Paul. They brought him before the tribunal 13and said, “This man is persuading people to worship God in ways that are against the law and are not allowed.”
14Paul was ready to defend himself, but Gallio told the Jews, “If this had to do with a crime or serious offense I would be able to hear the complaint you Jews are making against him. 15But, since this is a matter of words and names and your own laws, do as you wish. I’m not going to be drawn into these things.” 16And he dismissed them. 17They seized Sosthenes, a synagogue official, and beat him in front of the tribunal, but Gallio paid no attention to them.
18Paul stayed there a long time, and then told the believers goodbye and sailed for Syria along with Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut because he had taken a vow. 19When they got to Ephesus he left them there, but first he entered the synagogue and spoke with the Jews. 20They asked him to stay longer, and he refused. 21But when he left them he said, “I’ll return if it is God’s will,” and then he set sail from Ephesus.
22He landed at Caesarea and went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church there. Then he went down to Antioch. 23After spending some time there he left and traveled through Galatia and Phrygia, encouraging all the disciples.
24A Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was well-spoken and well-versed in the scriptures, 24and had been instructed in the Way of the Lord. He spoke enthusiastically, and accurately taught the story of Jesus, although he only knew the baptism of John. 25He began to speak out in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and taught him more fully the Way of God. 26When he decided to go over to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who had become believers by the grace of God. 27He argued powerfully against the Jews in public and showed through the scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah.
Commentary
1-4: Corinth is about 45 miles west of Athens. Paul finds Aquila and Priscilla, Jews who had been forced to leave Rome by decree of the emperor Claudius. This is the first hint of organized persecution of Christians by the Roman authorities. Paul and Aquila are both tentmakers, a common and prosperous trade in the Mediterranean world of the time. Of course, Paul became a fixture at synagogue gatherings.
5-11: Silas and Timothy finally catch up to him. Paul is frustrated by the resistance he has received from those in the synagogue, and makes a public display of shaking the dust off his feet and going next door to a Gentile named Titius Justus, who is a believer. The president of the synagogue, Crispus (a Greek name!), also becomes a believer along with many others. In the glow of this success Paul experiences a vision in which Jesus tells him he will be safe in Corinth, that there are many believers in the city, and that he should be bold in spreading the good news. He remains in Corinth for 18 months.
12-17: Corinth was in the Greek province of Achaia, to which came a new proconsul, Gallio. Thinking they might persuade him to get rid of Paul some of the Jews brought charges against him. Gallio dismissed the case summarily. Mobs behave like mobs, and they seized Sosthenes, who probably had replaced Crispus as the synagogue official (see verse 8). Gallio proved to be utterly uninterested in Jewish affairs.
18-21: Paul traveled through Cenchreae on the way to the coast, making some sort of oath on the way for which he had his hair cut, probably shaved, as a sign, then sailed for Antioch, taking Priscilla and Aquila with him. The first leg of the journey was across the Aegean Sea to Ephesus on the western coast of Asia Minor where he contacted the Jews of the city. He made a favorable impression, but declined their invitation to stay. He’ll be back, though. Priscilla and Aquila remain in Ephesus.
22-23: He sails next to Caesarea, then travels inland to Jerusalem, touches base with the church there, then goes on to Antioch, his home base. In time he leaves again, returning to Asia Minor to revisit churches he established in the towns of Phrygia and Galatia.
24-28: Meanwhile, back in Ephesus, a popular preacher named Apollos from Alexandria arrived and began preaching eloquently. Priscilla and Aquila had to straighten him out on a few things, influenced no doubt by their association with Paul. They send him on to Corinth in the Greek province of Achaia where he has a successful ministry of preaching and debating with the Jews.
Takeaway
The gospel was spreading rapidly throughout the Mediterranean area because a handful of faithful followers were determined that people should hear about Jesus. That’s how the good news is spread today as well. We must each do our part by sharing what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.