A CORINTHIAN IMPACT
ACTS 18:1-22
NASB
1 After these things he left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, 3 and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and they were working, for by trade they were tent-makers. 4 And he was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.
5 But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the [a]Christ. 6 But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 Then he left there and went to the house of a man named [a]Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his household, and many of the Corinthians when they heard were believing and being baptized. 9 And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; 10 for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.” 11 And he settled there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
12 But while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat, 13 saying, “This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.” 14 But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrong or of vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you; 15 but if there are questions about words and names and your own law, look after it yourselves; I am unwilling to be a judge of these matters.” 16 And he drove them away from the judgment seat. 17 And they all took hold of Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of the judgment seat. But Gallio was not concerned about any of these things.
18 Paul, having remained many days longer, took leave of the brethren and put out to sea for Syria, and with him were Priscilla and Aquila. In Cenchrea [a]he had his hair cut, for he was keeping a vow. 19 They came to Ephesus, and he left them there. Now he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he did not consent, 21 but taking leave of them and saying, “I will return to you again if God wills,” he set sail from Ephesus.
22 When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and went down to Antioch.
18:5 [a]I.e. Messiah 18:7 [a]One early ms reads Titus; two other early mss omit the name 18:18 [a]Lit having his hair cut
NLT
1 Then Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.[*] 2 There he became acquainted with a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife, Priscilla. They had left Italy when Claudius Caesar deported all Jews from Rome. 3 Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers[*] just as he was.
4 Each Sabbath found Paul at the synagogue, trying to convince the Jews and Greeks alike. 5 And after Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul spent all his time preaching the word. He testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. 6 But when they opposed and insulted him, Paul shook the dust from his clothes and said, “Your blood is upon your own heads —I am innocent. From now on I will go preach to the Gentiles.”
7 Then he left and went to the home of Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God and lived next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, and everyone in his household believed in the Lord. Many others in Corinth also heard Paul, became believers, and were baptized.
9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! 10 For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.” 11 So Paul stayed there for the next year and a half, teaching the word of God.
12 But when Gallio became governor of Achaia, some Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him before the governor for judgment. 13 They accused Paul of “persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to our law.”
14 But just as Paul started to make his defense, Gallio turned to Paul’s accusers and said, “Listen, you Jews, if this were a case involving some wrongdoing or a serious crime, I would have a reason to accept your case. 15 But since it is merely a question of words and names and your Jewish law, take care of it yourselves. I refuse to judge such matters.” 16 And he threw them out of the courtroom.
17 The crowd[*] then grabbed Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him right there in the courtroom. But Gallio paid no attention.
18 Paul stayed in Corinth for some time after that, then said good-bye to the brothers and sisters[*] and went to nearby Cenchrea. There he shaved his head according to Jewish custom, marking the end of a vow. Then he set sail for Syria, taking Priscilla and Aquila with him.
19 They stopped first at the port of Ephesus, where Paul left the others behind. While he was there, he went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews. 20 They asked him to stay longer, but he declined. 21 As he left, however, he said, “I will come back later,[*] God willing.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 The next stop was at the port of Caesarea. From there he went up and visited the church at Jerusalem[*] and then went back to Antioch.
[18:1] Athens and Corinth were major cities in Achaia, the region in the southern portion of the Greek peninsula. [18:3] Or leatherworkers. [18:17] Greek Everyone; other manuscripts read All the Greeks. [18:18] Greek brothers; also in 18:27. [18:21] Some manuscripts read “I must by all means be at Jerusalem for the upcoming festival, but I will come back later.” [18:22] Greek the church.
Culture shock can make for a difficult adjustment when moving into a new environment. Everything you take for granted must be reexamined and reevaluated, and the simplest tasks become laborious because everything works differently. The electricity will fry your appliances, signs bear images you can’t decipher, vehicles travel in the opposite direction, and before every meal you have to ask, “What is this?”
In January of 1958, I braced myself for culture shock as our troop ship headed for Yokohama, Japan. After a seventeen-day voyage on a troop ship, our Marine detachment would be granted a couple days of liberty. I looked forward to seeing a part of the world very few got to see in those days. Based on reading and what others told me, I had a sense of what to expect: a language and writing not even remotely similar to English, cuisine almost entirely based on seafood and rice, laws stemming from a completely different tradition, and forms of entertainment that a country boy from El Campo, Texas, couldn’t imagine —Kabuki theater? Gagaku music?
When I stepped off that troop ship and emerged from the naval compound, I discovered a dimension of culture shock I hadn’t expected —I encountered morality shock. Pornography and open prostitution were everywhere I turned. The first quarter mile in every direction outside the naval compound was a moral spider web designed to snag young military men. I had never seen such a cheap, carnal, relentless display of depravity as I saw in and around that Japanese seaport. Because I was firmly committed to my wife and had a strong Christian upbringing, I was able to view the scene a little more objectively than many of the younger, single fellows. By the time I returned to the ship, I felt like I had lived ten years in two days.
When Paul left Athens and arrived in Corinth, he would add to culture shock the sickening jolt of morality shock. In Athens, he had spent time at the pinnacle of religious devotion and philosophical learning. Vain as it all was, at least the people in the agora [58] and on the Areopagus aspired to nobility of thought and deed. In Corinth, however, commerce fueled city life, and sensuality ruled religion. For a monotheistic Jew and temple-trained Pharisee, Paul may not have been ready for what he would encounter. Even so, he was in it for the long haul. As long as there were ears to hear, Paul would preach and teach.
— 18:1 —
Corinth presided over the isthmus between the Gulf of Corinth and the Saronic Gulf, which gave this Roman colony incredible strategic importance. Rather than brave the dangerous journey around Cape Malea at the southernmost tip of Achaia, ship owners preferred to have their vessels dragged across this narrow strip of land. The city also controlled land travel between the mainland of Greece and the semi-attached mass of land known as the Peloponnesus, so ancient travelers called it “the bridge of Greece.”[171] Therefore, whoever controlled Corinth also controlled the flow of trade between east and west by sea and all north–south traffic by land. As Rome swept the world into its empire, a Roman general destroyed the city, exterminated the males, and sold the women and children into slavery. The city lay in ruins for nearly a century until, in 46 BC, Julius Caesar resurrected Corinth as a colony for Roman freedmen and as a means of preserving the isthmus for Roman interests.[172]
By the time of Paul, this Roman colony of approximately eighty thousand beat with the heart of Rome and strongly resembled the capital city. Corinth worshiped the emperor, upheld Roman law, pulsated with international trade, hosted athletic games, beckoned pagan worshipers, and thrived on slavery. The city became a popular refuge for Jews fleeing the expulsion of Claudius in AD 49, so a synagogue of unknown size formed amid the sprawl of pagan settlers seeking an immediate fortune and unbridled pleasure.[173]
Eric Dugdale/Wikimedia
The Acrocorinth at Corinth is the tallest point in the city and home to a temple dedicated to Aphrodite.
The city also lay in the shadow of the temple of Aphrodite, which loomed 1,900 feet overhead at the summit of the Acrocorinth and where a thousand female temple prostitutes enticed worshipers from the farthest reaches of the Roman Empire. So infamous was this city’s debauched reputation that Aristophanes coined the word “corinthianize” to mean “to practice immorality.”[174] Perhaps no city on earth presented Paul a greater challenge than the Las Vegas–like city of Corinth.
— 18:2-4 —
While ministering in Athens, Silas and Timothy had joined Paul for a time, but they apparently heard disturbing reports about persecution of the fledgling church in Thessalonica. To check on their progress and to offer assistance, Paul and Silas sent Timothy (1 Thes. 3:1-2, 5). During his absence, Paul decided to move on to Corinth, leaving Silas in Athens to wrap up their work and to wait for Timothy. It would be some time before Paul saw either of them again.
Because we think of Paul as a hero of the faith, we might think he confidently strode into Corinth, assessed the situation, and got down to business. But that’s not the picture Paul paints when describing his first encounter with the people of Corinth:
You’ll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God’s master stroke, I didn’t try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did —Jesus crucified. I was unsure of how to go about this, and felt totally inadequate —I was scared to death, if you want the truth of it —and so nothing I said could have impressed you or anyone else. But the Message came through anyway. God’s Spirit and God’s power did it, which made it clear that your life of faith is a response to God’s power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else. (1 Cor. 2:1-5, MSG)
When he first arrived, Paul knew no one. Macedonia had not been kind to him. The churches he planted in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea came at great personal cost to him physically and emotionally. He performed brilliantly in Athens, but it resulted in little fruit —only a handful of believers to show for his time there. Trouble in Macedonia weighed heavily on his mind. Now, as the apostle entered another cultural circus and felt the first tremors of morality shock, the stress undoubtedly caught up with him. He needed support. Fortunately, the Lord had prepared a married couple uniquely positioned to help meet his most pressing needs. He needed accountability and companionship; Aquila and Priscilla were Jews, expelled from Rome and new to Corinth like him. He needed income; they practiced the same trade, shared their business with him, and offered him a place to live. Luke mentions nothing about how, when, or where the couple first believed; they may have been Christians already or they came to Christ through Paul’s preaching. Regardless, while waiting for Silas and Timothy to arrive, Paul recuperated in the care and affection of these new friends.
Paul didn’t spend all his time earning a living; he kept the Sabbath, and on those days he “reasoned” (see comments on Acts 17:2-4) in the synagogue with the local Jews, in keeping with his normal procedure (18:4).
— 18:5-6 —
The arrival of Silas and Timothy from Macedonia must have been an overwhelming relief to Paul. In addition to their comfort as partners in ministry, they brought good news from the Thessalonian believers. Paul wrote to them from Corinth,
Now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you, for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith; for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord. (1 Thes. 3:6-8)
Timothy also brought financial support from the believers in Philippi. He recalled in a later letter, “You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs” (Phil. 4:15-16). Paul no longer continued his trade but devoted himself exclusively to ministry in the synagogue, trying to persuade the Jews and Gentile proselytes. Luke states that they “resisted and blasphemed,” rejecting his message in both passive and aggressive forms (Acts 18:6). We now reserve the word “blaspheme” for those who revile God, but the Greek term applies more generally to mean any speech that denigrates someone else. Indeed, they didn’t blaspheme God (at least not directly) —they blasphemed Paul. As we learned earlier, to blaspheme is to curse, slander, or treat someone with contempt. Blasphemy is any manner of speech that disregards or disrespects the value of another.
Paul’s gesture of shaking out his garments is highly symbolic and extremely offensive. People shook their garments to rid themselves of crumbs after a meal or dust after sitting for a period of time. Without words, this said, “You are now like crumbs to me; I’m shaking you off and leaving you behind.” Nehemiah used the gesture when charging a group of men to honor their promises: “I also shook out the front of my garment and said, ‘Thus may God shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who does not fulfill this promise; even thus may he be shaken out and emptied’” (Neh. 5:13). Paul accompanied the gesture with a warning that judgment would follow their rejection of the gospel. And with that, he pledged to take the Word of God to the Gentiles (cf. Acts 13:46).
— 18:7-11 —
When Paul left the Jews to preach to the Gentiles, he didn’t go very far! Titius Justus was a Gentile proselyte in the synagogue who had become a believer, presumably through Paul’s ministry (18:7). Some scholars believe he’s the same person as Gaius, who is mentioned elsewhere (Rom. 16:23; 1 Cor. 1:14), reasoning that Gaius is a first name and Titius Justus is a family name. But the evidence is too scant to make a firm determination. Regardless, he allowed Paul the use of his house, which happened to be next door to the synagogue and of sufficient size to serve as a base for ministry. Luke’s mention of the many Corinthians hearing, believing, and being baptized appears to include a number of Jews. It must have been an embarrassing sight to have the synagogue sit silent and empty as throngs filled the house next door to worship. It became even more embarrassing when the leader of the synagogue, Crispus, took his family next door as well (Acts 18:8)!
By now, Paul must have started worrying about a repeat of the painful experiences he had endured in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. He was, after all, just a normal human. Extraordinary in many ways, but no less affected by the outrage of false accusations and the physical and emotional trauma of beatings and imprisonment. Any normal person would begin to shudder at the prospect of more suffering. But the Lord reassured him, promising that this time boldly proclaiming the gospel would not result in suffering. The difference? “I have many people in this city” (18:9-10).
The phrase “many people” has two possible meanings. The first is “I have sufficient people in high places to protect you.” The second is “I have many elect in this city, so their conversion in great numbers will serve to protect you.” The latter is more likely. Even though Gallio, a high-ranking Roman, would go on to side with Paul, he wasn’t a believer. As it turns out, the church in Corinth would grow very quickly and add to their number several powerfully positioned Christians.
Luke states that Paul ministered in Corinth for a total of eighteen months —much longer than any other location thus far (18:11). This is probably because the sheer size of the city demanded that much time and because he met with relatively little opposition.
— 18:12-13 —
Gallio was born Marcus Annaeus Novatus, the son of the rhetorician Seneca the Elder, but he took the name of his adopted father, Lucius Junius Gallio. Gallio’s brother was the philosopher Seneca the Younger. Between AD 51 and 53, Gallio held the rank of proconsul in Achaia, a position reporting directly to the senate and endowed with absolute military and judicial power over the province. He eventually returned to Rome to serve as consul during the administration of Nero. His participation in a plot to kill the demented emperor cost him his life in AD 65.[175]
The unbelieving Jews who retained control of the synagogue responded much like their apostate brethren in Macedonia, Pisidia, and Galatia. They appealed to pagan government officials to destroy Paul because they couldn’t refute the gospel. Asking the Romans to intervene demonstrated their lack of loyalty to their Jewish heritage despite their supposed devotion to the synagogue. They dragged Paul before the bēma [968], the “judgment seat” in the agora [58], and lodged a complaint with the proconsul (18:12). Note their charge against Paul: “This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law” (18:13; cf. 16:21; 17:6-7, 13).
Barry Beitzel
The Bēma at Corinth.
Whose law? The Jewish leader must have appealed to the proconsul with Roman law in view. Though through Roman eyes the budding Christian movement would have likely been seen as a sect of Judaism, and therefore a legal religion under Roman law, the Jewish religious leaders were already taking steps to jettison the followers of Jesus from the synagogue. By asserting that the Christians worshiped God contrary to the law, they were saying, in effect, that Paul and the early believers were not part of the Jewish orthodoxy allowed by Rome. If the Jewish leaders could get a Roman proconsul to acknowledge the differences between Christianity and Judaism, between church and synagogue, perhaps they could stomp out the disciples of Jesus through Roman edict!
— 18:14-17 —
Paul had been in this position before. This was not his first bēma. And it rarely went well for him. On those other occasions, he had never received the opportunity to mount a defense, call witnesses, or even tell his side of the story. So, when he opened his mouth to speak and Gallio cut him off, I’m sure his stomach tightened just a little. To his delight, however, Gallio recognized the foolishness of the situation. Ironically, he pointed the Jews to their own law, as if to say, “Don’t you worry about Roman law; I’ll take care of that. You mind your own law, in which I have no interest” (18:14-16). Because the rulings of a proconsul were binding on his successors, Gallio’s decision set a crucial legal precedent in Corinth.
This hard, humiliating slap didn’t sit well with the disbelieving faction of Jews. After Crispus vacated his position as “the leader of the synagogue” (18:8), a man named Sosthenes apparently took his place and may have led the next charge against Paul. When Gallio dismissed the Jews’ complaint with some disdain, the predominantly Gentile audience began beating the Jewish leader (18:17).
In Paul’s letter to Corinth, he includes a Sosthenes in the greeting (1 Cor. 1:1). It’s possible that this is the same man; if so, this incident may have been a catalyst in his conversion.
— 18:18 —
At last, the time had come to return home, give a report, rest, and then decide what should happen next. “Syria” refers to Syrian Antioch, Paul’s sending church. He left the busy metropolis of Corinth for Cenchrea, the seaport for eastbound travelers located just 7 miles southeast. Aquila and Priscilla, Paul’s loyal new friends, accompanied him, although the reason is unclear. It appears they planned to relocate to Ephesus, either for personal reasons or as part of Paul’s ultimate plan to penetrate the province of Asia with the gospel.
Luke’s reference to Paul’s haircut indicates that he had taken a Nazirite vow (Num. 6:1-21). By this special vow, a Jewish man or woman pledged him- or herself to the Lord’s exclusive use to accomplish a specific objective. During this time, the individual agreed to abstain from any product of the vine —wine, strong drink, grapes, raisins, juice —to avoid contact with the dead, and to allow his or her hair to go uncut. When Jews saw a fellow Jew with long hair, especially a man, they immediately recognized the sign of taking a vow. According to the custom, Paul was to deliver a special sacrifice to the temple upon the conclusion of his vow (Num. 6:13-21). As an animal was burned on the altar in this elaborate ritual, he was to present his cut hair to the priest, who would burn it on the altar as a peace offering. After this ritual, the Nazirite could again enjoy the fruit of the vine.
— 18:19-21 —
On the way to Syria, Paul’s ship landed near Ephesus, where Aquila and Priscilla disembarked. He used the opportunity to visit the synagogue and “reason” (18:19; cf. 17:2-4) with the Jews and Gentile proselytes. Unlike in other locations, the people in the Ephesian synagogue received his message openly, even inviting him to stay longer (18:20). Paul must have agonized over the errands he had to run; how often he had hoped to see his kindred Jews respond to the gospel so openly. He left with a promise to return “if God wills” (18:21).
— 18:22 —
Luke concludes his account of Paul’s second journey with a brief summary of his itinerary. He landed in Caesarea, the principal seaport for Jerusalem. The phrase “went up” identifies the mountaintop city of Jerusalem as his destination, where he connected with the apostles and elders and presumably completed his Nazirite ritual in the temple. Ultimately, his journey took him back “down” to Syrian Antioch, his sending church.
APPLICATION: ACTS 18:1-22
Good Living in a Godless World
Paul had ministered in some of the most diverse and extreme cultures in the ancient world. Many were like his hometown of Tarsus, offering the best in terms of education and culture alongside the very worst opportunities for avarice and sensuality. As he ventured farther from home and closer to Rome, the balance tipped heavily toward pagan dissipation as Jewish communities made up a very small minority of the population. In Athens, Paul found virtually no Jewish influence. And Corinth? Like finding a church in the red-light district of Amsterdam.
Luke never states why Paul took his Nazirite vow. As a young Marine stepping off a ship in Yokohama, I can imagine. He arrived in Corinth alone. He was a red-blooded male, and apostles weren’t immune to temptation; in fact, they undoubtedly bore a greater share because of their work. As a young man away from home alone for the first time, I found myself surrounded by opportunities for anonymous sin, and I had a decision to make. Looking down at my wedding band made that choice easier. I had made a vow. Someone back at home was trusting in me. I would have to look her in the eye one day and tell the truth about where I had gone and what I had done. Perhaps Paul, alone and unaccountable in the cesspool of Corinth, made his vow too.
Like Paul in Corinth, we struggle to maintain high Christian standards in a world that cares less and less about morality. Paul’s experience highlights three principles that will help us survive and thrive despite the downward drag of moral decline.
First, the darker the scene, the greater the challenge. If you find yourself in an area dominated by non-Christians, this can work to your advantage. It’s easy to become lethargic and complacent in exclusively Christian environments. So use the challenge of your dark circumstances to buoy you rather than drag you down. You do that by declaring your identity early. Do it boldly, yet without being obnoxious. If you’re a college student, wear a tastefully designed Christian T-shirt that identifies you as a believer. If you’re on a new job, discreetly place a small Bible on your desk. Simply keep it handy and in plain view; don’t wave flags or erect a shrine in your office. Establishing your Christian identity early gives you something to uphold when the opportunity for anonymous sin presents itself.
Second, the weaker the spokesman, the stronger the message. I’m encouraged to know that Paul struggled with insecurity, feeling intimidated and unsure. He didn’t consider his personal limitations a liability to the gospel; on the contrary, he highlighted his weaknesses to validate the gospel message as God-ordained (1 Cor. 2:1-5). He became a successful instrument of God because he remained faithful; he kept himself away from sin.
The same can be true for us. Surrounded by all the wrong influences, we feel inadequate to address them. In fact, we are inadequate! Fortunately, God has not called us to fix the world singlehandedly, only to remain faithful to Him —to follow His promptings and to do what we can. As we obey, He will speak through us. Our weakness will exhibit His strength.
Third, the greater the resistance, the less the fear. Anybody can fight a weak opponent. Anyone can keep going when the going is easy. That requires no determination and no faith, and it results in no personal growth. When people and influences contrary to Christ surround you, however, the opportunity for closeness with the Lord grows exponentially. That’s when you discover the immense power of the Holy Spirit. When you determine to stand firm, acknowledging your own weakness, His courage takes over. Gradually and yet supernaturally, you lose your fear of ridicule and rejection. You discover the Spirit within you speaking through you without hesitation or intimidation.