ACTS
The Greek manuscripts refer to this work as "Praxeis" which translates to "Acts" or by an extended title "the Acts of the Apostles"
This book is about the growth of the early church after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ to His Father in Heaven, documenting the stories of the many men and women who followed the great commission of Christ and began to spread the news of Jesus Christ, the risen Savior to the most remote parts of the known world in accordance with His commandment;
MATTHEW 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
The timing of the writing of this book is believed to be prior to 62 A.D. The reasons for this are that the book of Acts ends with Paul awaiting trial before Nero Caesar, which he did in approximately 62 A.D. The outcome of the trial is never mentioned, and neither are the persecution of Christians under Nero which began in 64 A.D.; the death of Paul in (estimated) 68 A.D.; nor the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
Luke means "Light-giving". Luke was a highly educated Greek physician, author of the Gospel according to Luke and the book of Acts. He was also a traveling companion of the apostle Paul and he was a meticulous historian. The Gospel of Luke is the only one originally written in Greek, and his writing is so highly polished that it approaches the Classical Greek in language and sentence structure.
His writings are so carefully researched that archaeologists trust him virtually without question in his accuracy, and have used his writings to locate lost Biblical sites. His books are also of great use, as he has documented everything in chronological order. And to date he has never been proven wrong.
ACTS 1 - Jesus' ascension; promise to send the Holy Spirit; Judas replaced by Matthias
ACTS 2 - Baptism of Holy Spirit; speaking in tongues; Peter's first sermon; 3000 saved
ACTS 3 - Man lame from birth healed by Peter and John
ACTS 4 - Peter and John arrested, brought before Sanhedrin, threatened and released
ACTS 5 - Ananias and Sapphira die; apostles arrested, are released from prison by angel
ACTS 6 - Seven deacons are chosen; Stephen arrested on false charges
ACTS 7 - Stephen preached to Sanhedrin, is stoned to death; Saul introduced
ACTS 8 - Saul imprisons Christians; Simon the sorcerer, Ethiopian eunuch converted
ACTS 9 - Saul sees Jesus, is struck blind; Peter resurrects Dorcas, heals Aeneas
ACTS 10 - Centurion Cornelius converted, Gentiles receive baptism of the Holy Spirit
ACTS 11 - Peter reports back to Jerusalem; believers first called "Christians" at Antioch
ACTS 12 - Herod kills apostle James, imprisons Peter; Peter released by angel; Herod dies
ACTS 13 - Sorcerer Bar-Jesus struck blind in Cyprus; Saul persecuted by the Jews
ACTS 14 - Persecution in Iconium; Saul stoned by mob in Lystra, returns to Syrian Antioch
ACTS 15 - Gentile circumcision question answered by James; Paul and Barnabas separate
ACTS 16 - Timothy joins Paul; Paul and Silas imprisoned in Philippi; jailor converted
ACTS 17 - Paul and Silas in Thessalonica, Berea, Athens; Paul preaches on Mars' hill
ACTS 18 - Paul in Corinth, focuses ministry on Gentiles; Apollos preaches in Ephesus
ACTS 19 - Paul in Ephesus; seven sons of Sceva embarrassed; Ephesians riot in Ephesus
ACTS 20 - Paul heads back to Jerusalem, visiting the Greek churches along the way
ACTS 21 - Paul arrives in Jerusalem; mobbed in Temple and rescued by Roman guard
ACTS 22 - Paul's defense before the mob; Roman commander rescues Paul again
ACTS 23 - Paul speaks to Sanhedrin; assassins plot to kill Paul; Paul sent to Caesarea
ACTS 24 - Paul accused before Roman governor Felix by High Priest and elders
ACTS 25 - Paul on trial before Roman Governor Festus and King Herod Agrippa II
ACTS 26 - Paul's defense before Herod Agrippa II; Paul appeals to be tried before Caesar
ACTS 27 - Paul sent to Italy; violent storm arises; entire crew shipwrecked on Malta
ACTS 28 - Paul heals Publius of dysentery; is sent on to Rome to await trial
ACTS 1:1-8
1 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen,
3 to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me;
5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"
7 And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Luke also wrote the Gospel of Luke to this same Theophilus. While the identity of this man is unknown, he must have been of important status for Luke in his Gospel narrative addresses him as "most excellent Theophilus", a title usually reserved for aristocracy.
(Theophilus: Greek - “Friend of God”)
LUKE 1:1-4
1 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us,
2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us,
3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus,
4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.
Note that Luke says he wrote "having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first", meaning that he had carefully researched and verified his information before setting down his account. His "orderly account" indicates that he was listing all things in chronological order, so that we know the exact sequence of that which he wrote about, whereas the other three Gospels do not follow an orderly time line in relating their accounts.
Apparently numerous others had written accounts (none of which are known to have survived) but Luke wanted to detail everything in order, so that Theophilus and any other readers would know exactly what had happened.
The apostles had thought that after Jesus' resurrection He would now show Himself as the Son of God in power and glory, restoring the kingdom of Israel and ridding them of their hated Roman conquerors. But even Jesus didn't know when He will return in power and glory; only the Father knows the exact day and hour of His Son's return. As Jesus Himself stated;
MATTHEW 24:36
36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
Jesus only knew that time would need to pass before His return in order for the Gospel to be preached to all nations, giving countless generations the opportunity to receive the salvation freely offered through His atoning death and resurrection. Therefore he cautioned the disciples to not concern themselves with the timing of His return.
It is interesting to note that Jesus had said that the disciples would be witnesses of Him in Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the Earth. When persecution broke out against the early church in Jerusalem, the disciples fled into Judea and Samaria. When Jerusalem and Judea were destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D., they were scattered throughout the Roman Empire, and to the uttermost parts of the Earth, just as Jesus had promised.
ACTS 1:9-11
9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,
11 who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."
Jesus' second coming will be from Heaven, but this time He will come in great power and glory. He came the first time as a suffering servant, humble and willing to sacrifice Himself for the sins of mankind and to teach the New Covenant that God would establish upon His death.
Note that the two angels who spoke with the disciples are not mentioned as having wings. They looked like ordinary men.
ACTS 1:12-14
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey.
13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James.
14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
This upper room is more than likely the same room in which Jesus and His disciples celebrated the Passover feast just before His crucifixion, often called "The Last Supper". Apparently even Jesus' physical brothers were finally convinced by His resurrection that He was indeed the promised Messiah that their father and mother had been telling them about for most of their lives. (Jesus' brother James would become the head of the Church in Jerusalem as we will see later).
ACTS 1:15-20
15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said,
16 "Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus;
17 "for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry."
18 (Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out.
19 And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.)
20 "For it is written in the Book of Psalms: 'Let his dwelling place be desolate, and let no one live in it'; and, 'Let another take his office.'
Judas' betrayal and death were the fulfillment of prophecies made 1,000 years before by King David;
PSALMS 41:9
9 Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.
PSALMS 55:12-14
12 For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; then I could hide from him.
13 But it was you, a man my equal, my companion and my acquaintance.
14 We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God in the throng.
PSALMS 69:25
25 Let their dwelling place be desolate; let no one live in their tents.
PSALMS 109:8
8 Let his days be few, and let another take his office.
Judas himself would have been considered to be doubly accursed, not only for his betrayal of Jesus, but by the fact that he hung himself. According to the Law, anyone who was hung from a tree was considered accursed by God;
DEUTERONOMY 21:22-23
22 "If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree,
23 "his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God.
The description given in verses 18-19 of Acts above indicate that Judas' body apparently dropped from some height and burst upon impact with the ground. I suspect that there was a small tree on a point (probably a small cliff) overlooking the field that had been purchased with the thirty pieces of silver given to Judas as payment for betraying Jesus, and Judas had hung himself from this tree. The tree then had fallen or the branch from which Judas hung had broken, dropping Judas' body into the field that his betrayal had purchased.
This is interesting for God had commanded that no one hanging from a tree was to be left overnight, so this event would have happened within the same day that Judas hung himself and would have occurred before sunset (sunset marks the beginning of a new day).
Matthew states concerning the issue;
MATTHEW 27:1-7
1 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death.
2 And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
3 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." And they said, "What is that to us? You see to it!"
5 Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.
6 But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood."
7 And they consulted together and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.
8 Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
This was also the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy by Zechariah, which stated;
ZECHARIAH 11:12-13
12 Then I said to them, "If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain." So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.
13 And the LORD said to me, "Throw it to the potter, that princely price they set on me". So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter.
ACTS 1:21-26
21 "Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 "beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection."
23 And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed and said, "You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen
25 "to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place."
26 And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Peter was looking for someone who had been with Jesus for His entire ministry, but note that he didn't ask God beforehand what His will was in the matter. This limited the Lord to two men to choose from to become the twelfth apostle.
By casting lots, they gave God only two choices, and while Matthias did indeed fit the parameters that Peter had set for Judas' replacement, nothing further is heard concerning Matthias after his selection.
ACTS 2:1-3
1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.
There were about 120 people gathered there, the same as when Peter talked to them about filling Judas Iscariot's place among the apostles. Luke is always careful to differentiate between the apostles themselves and groups of people. His phrasing here indicates that it is the same group of about 120 people mentioned in chapter 1.
Notice that it was all of the disciples of Jesus gathered together at that time in that room who received the fire of the Holy Spirit, this was not reserved for only the apostles.
This is not to demean the work of the apostles, but God knew that it would take more than 12 men to spread the Gospel throughout the world. And while others would teach and preach the Gospel with power just as the apostles did, it was through His chosen apostles that God would magnify His Word.
ACTS 2:4-11
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven.
6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language.
7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, "Look, are not all these who speak Galileans?
8 "And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?
9 "Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
10 "Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,
11 "Cretans and Arabs we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God."
There are 17 different places of origin listed here, with multiple dialects from each place being heard. It is interesting that each person heard only their own primary language spoken, as this is the language that is understood the best for anyone. Even when you learn another language, you will always fall back in times of stress to the primary language first learned as a child. This way all men would hear and understand the Gospel being spoken by the disciples.
ACTS 2:12-21
12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "Whatever could this mean?"
13 Others mocking said, "They are full of new wine."
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words.
15 "For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.
16 "But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.
18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.
21 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.'
The third hour of the day was 9:00 in the morning, way too early to be drunk. Besides, being drunk couldn't explain how Galileans, considered to be the "country bumpkins" of Jewish society, could be fluently speaking other languages from all over the Roman Empire. I think this miracle caught Satan by surprise, so he had to instantly try to come up with something to counter what was happening.
The receiving of the Holy Spirit was the beginning of the fulfillment of this prophecy from Joel and also fulfills the promise made by Jesus to all of those who believe in Him;
JOHN 7:37-39
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
There were many signs, wonders, dreams, visions, and prophetic utterances which took place when the Church was new, as it was growing and spreading just as Jesus had commissioned before He ascended to the Father. These things are still happening today in some churches, and will increase in frequency as the time of Jesus' return nears.
However, during this time Satan will also be doing his best to deceive mankind, especially the Christians. Unfortunately many Christians today are so desperate to see some kind of miracle or sign from God that they will accept openly demonic counterfeits. I have seen this myself, and Hank Hanegraaff in his book "Counterfeit Revival" relates some truly frightening stories of this.
Be very careful and remember the words of warning from John;
1 JOHN 4:1-3
1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
Anyone claiming to be a prophet, miracle worker, healer and so on who states that the works they do are from God should not mind being challenged to confess as to whether Jesus has come in the flesh as the Son of God.
If I were among them, I would rather be challenged like this than have people blindly accept what I did as proof of God's power. Having formerly been in the Occult I can testify that Satan can do some very close imitations of God's miracles and works, enough that a person without discernment could believe that it was God's power performing these things.
Please take John's words above seriously, as they will keep you from being deceived.
ACTS 2:22-37
22 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know
23 "Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;
24 "whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.
25 "For David says concerning Him: 'I foresaw the LORD always before my face, for He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.
27 For You will not leave my soul in Hell, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of joy in Your presence.'
29 "Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
30 "Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne,
31 "he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hell, nor did His flesh see corruption.
32 "This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.
33 "Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.
34 "For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: 'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand,
35 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool."'
36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"
Each of us caused Jesus to be crucified, Jews and Gentiles alike! No one is sinless! Jesus had to die and pay for all of the sins of every person who has lived or will ever live. Many blame the Jews or Romans, but it was the need to have the sins forgiven and paid for that caused the Son of God to come to Earth in a human body and suffer and pay for our guilt and sins. The sacrifices of the Law could only cover sin, not remove it completely. Jesus as the perfect and sinless sacrifice Lamb was willing to do this for all of us.
Note that none of the men Peter spoke to refuted his account. They were well aware of the events concerning Jesus' trial and execution, and had more than likely heard the rumors of His resurrection. And now here was a genuine miracle, the fulfillment of ancient prophecy right before their eyes.
ACTS 2:38-41
38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."
40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation."
41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
Note that Peter didn't send these people to the priests, or to Mary, or anyone else. He told them to repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, which is all that is needed for salvation. No "penance", no "holy water", no praying to angels or saints for intercession, no "hail Mary's", no confession to a priest or any other man-made tradition or doctrine. Just repent before the Lord Jesus, and be baptized.
ACTS 2:42-47
42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,
45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
They were living their lives for the Lord and helping each other as Jesus taught us to do. They were willing to sell their lands and belongings to help others, not being selfish and thinking of only themselves. Jesus gave everything for us, what are we willing to give for Him? Can you imagine what life would be like today if Christians followed this practice today?
ACTS 3:1-11
1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
2 And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple;
3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.
4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us."
5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.
6 Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."
7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them walking and praising God.
9 And all the people saw him walking, leaping and praising God.
10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
11 Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon's, greatly amazed.
Miracles didn't stop with Jesus' ascension. He had promised that those who would follow Him would also do miracles in His name, that He might be glorified;
JOHN 14:12-13
12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
ACTS 3:12-18
12 So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?
13 "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go.
14 "But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,
15 "and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.
16 "And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
17 "Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers.
18 "But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.
The people in the Temple must have been shocked and confused, seeing the man they knew to be lame jumping joyfully about and praising God, probably in tears also, while hanging on to Peter and John. These people had more than likely seen or heard about many miracles done by Jesus and his disciples, yet they are still amazed to see more miracles. The fact that Jesus died and arose from the dead doesn't mean that the power of God that we are allowed to use for His purposes is no longer available to His followers today.
Note that Peter gives all glory and credit to Jesus, taking none for himself. He reminded his listeners of their deeds in sending Jesus to the cross, but then showed that this also fulfilled prophecy. Peter also stung them a bit, saying that they had crucified Jesus in ignorance, for if they had understood the Scriptures and ancient prophecies, they wouldn't have been among those who had railroaded Him to the cross.
Jesus has fulfilled almost every prophecy of the Old Covenant (Old Testament) ever written of Him (some are left to be fulfilled at His return). There are over 400 prophecies concerning the Messiah according to Biblical scholars.
By using the modern day science of probability in reference to prophecies, if only eight of these prophecies were used in the probability equation, the chance that any one man who has ever lived fulfilling all 8 prophecies is 1 in 10 to the 17th power! This would be 1 chance in 100,000,000,000,000,000 (one in one hundred quadrillion)!
In order to help us comprehend this, if we took one hundred quadrillion silver dollars and laid them down on the surface of Texas, they would cover the State two feet deep. Now mark only one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the State. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wants, but he can only pick up one silver dollar and it must be the marked silver dollar. This man would have the same chances as a prophet writing eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man.
ACTS 3:19-21
19 "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
20 "and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,
21 "whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.
The sins they had committed against Jesus can be forgiven, IF they are willing to come to Him and believing in Him are willing to humbly ask for His forgiveness. Sinning in ignorance is no excuse before the Lord, and everyone knew it. Moses had been instructed concerning sins committed in ignorance;
LEVITICUS 4:1-3
1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2 "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'If a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of the LORD in anything which ought not to be done, and does any of them,
3 if the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, then let him offer to the LORD for his sin which he has sinned a young bull without blemish as a sin offering.
LEVITICUS 4:13-14
13 'Now if the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally, and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done something against any of the commandments of the LORD in anything which should not be done, and are guilty;
14 when the sin which they have committed becomes known, then the assembly shall offer a young bull for the sin, and bring it before the tabernacle of meeting.
Note that Peter didn't tell them to go to the priests with the required sacrifice, as the sacrifice had already been made in Jesus Christ with His atoning death. Peter was teaching them that the Law of sacrifices had been fulfilled in Jesus, and had been replaced with a new doctrine of repentance.
ACTS 3:22-26
22 "For Moses truly said to the fathers, 'The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you.
23 'And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.'
24 "Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days.
25 "You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'
26 "To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities."
Jesus was the fulfillment of both the Law and the Prophets, as was shown by Moses (the Law) and Elijah (the prophets) appearing to Him on the mountain when He was transfigured.
MATTHEW 17:1-3
1 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves;
2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.
LUKE 9:28-31
28 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.
29 As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.
30 And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah,
31 who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
As promised through the prophets, Jesus came to bring salvation first to the Jews, then after His resurrection salvation was offered to the Gentiles.
ACTS 4:1-4
1 Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them,
2 being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.
4 However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
The Hellenistic (Greek influenced) Sadducees didn't believe in the resurrection of the dead, as did the Pharisees. These rulers of the Jews were incensed that uneducated men were teaching the people and were especially worried concerning them teaching about Jesus. They were fearful that Peter and John could cause a riot among the people, rightfully accusing the rulers of having railroaded Jesus to the cross and would seek revenge against them.
Just as when Jesus had His ministry, they knew that if enough of the people came to follow the teachings of Jesus, the corruptions of the Pharisees, Sadducees and other officials would be further exposed and they would be in danger of losing their positions, power and wealth. So, they dragged Peter and John off to prison as sunset was drawing near, and there would be no time for an investigation until the next day.
ACTS 4:5-7
5 And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes,
6 as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.
7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, "By what power or by what name have you done this?"
This shows Luke's careful attention to detail in his writings. He calls Annas the High Priest, as Annas had been elected as the High Priest by the people (scholars are pretty sure the election was rigged), but had been deposed by the Romans. Annas had called in some political favors and had ensured that Caiaphas his son-in-law had been selected by the Roman governor to be the High Priest, thereby ensuring that he still controlled the High Priestly office through Caiaphas. And even though Caiaphas was the official High Priest, the people still deferred to Annas and considered him to be the true High Priest. Luke also mentions this in his Gospel when he said;
LUKE 3:1-2
1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
2 while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
Annas and Caiaphas had officiated over Jesus' rigged and illegal trial by the Sanhedrin, and most if not all of the men who sat in trial of Peter and John had been the same men who had condemned Jesus to death at that trial. Therefore the tension in the court must have been high when the High Priest (in this case, Annas) began questioning them.
ACTS 4:8-14
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel:
9 "If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well,
10 "let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.
11 "This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.'
12 "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.
14 And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.
Peter's words put the Sanhedrin in quite a quandary. The entire group could see that Peter and John were uneducated (the King James Version says they were "unlearned and ignorant men"), yet Peter was able to accurately quote the Scriptures to them, and they instantly knew what he was talking about.
Not only that, they recognized that Peter and John had been with Jesus, and that they had performed an undeniable miracle in the healing of the lame man who also stood with them. They also wondered because Peter and John showed no fear or nervousness before them, but boldly accused them of crucifying Jesus, rejecting the very Messiah that all of Israel had been waiting for, and accusing the Sanhedrin of putting them on trial for having done a good deed. This is ironic, as the members of the Sanhedrin must have been the nervous ones after Peter's accusation. I imagine there were some red faces too.
ACTS 4:15-21
15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,
16 saying, "What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.
17 "But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name."
18 So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.
20 "For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard."
21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done.
It's hard to believe that the Sanhedrin, in the face of a genuine, undeniable miracle, would still try to suppress the teachings of Jesus so that they could maintain their corrupt political system. This shows that they were still following their mentality concerning Jesus when they said just before His arrest and triall;
JOHN 11:47-48
47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do? For this Man works many signs.
48 If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation."
Note the order of their priorities: "our place, and our nation". They were more worried about their political offices then they were about the fact that Jesus was performing miracles! And if the people believed in Him, they would make Him King, and this would bring the Romans down on the nation. They must not have considered that Jesus could easily destroy the Romans if He wished. One would think they would like the Romans to depart, but it sounds like they had some "sweetheart deals" going with the governing authorities. The rulers ensured that the people paid Roman taxes, and the Romans allowed them limited autonomy in ruling the people.
The Romans had conquered Judea in 63 B.C., so Jesus' being crowned as King would upset over 80 years of political deals with the Roman authorities, and would expose the corruption of the entire Sanhedrin and the priesthood to the people. So they had to get rid of Jesus, or risk losing everything they had so carefully built over time.
Note that when forbidden by the Sanhedrin to preach or teach in the name of Jesus, Peter threw the issue right back at them, stating that given the choice to serve men or God, they would serve God, something the Sanhedrin should have already known. So many people had seen the miracle and heard the words spoken by these men, the rulers of the Jews could not openly punish them for fear of the people rioting against them.
ACTS 4:22-31
22 For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.
23 And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.
24 So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: "Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,
25 "who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: 'Why did the nations rage, and the people plot vain things?
26 The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the LORD and against His Christ.'
27 "For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together
28 "to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.
29 "Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word,
30 "by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus."
31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
We should take a lesson from this. The first thing they did when threatened was to go the Lord and ask for His help and guidance in this matter. Then they waited for an answer from the Lord. Also notice they didn't ask for God to take away the problems they were facing, but asked for the boldness and strength to do His will no matter what happened.
ACTS 4:32-37
32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.
33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.
34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold,
35 and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.
36 And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus,
37 having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.
Can you imagine what the world would be like today, if we did such things?
ACTS 5:1-6
1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession.
2 And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles' feet.
3 But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?
4 "While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."
5 Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things.
6 And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him.
Nobody forced Ananias to sell his possession or to promise all the proceeds to the church. But he wanted the honor of giving money to the apostles, and still have money for himself. Peter through the Holy Spirit immediately confronted him, and God took Ananias' life as an object lesson to others who might try to do things under false pretenses. Note that it says his wife Sapphira knew what he had done.
When it says that they "wrapped him up", burial customs of the time required that the dead have a long, winding sheet wrapped around them before they were taken to a burial site.
ACTS 5:7-11
7 Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
8 And Peter answered her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?" She said, "Yes, for so much."
9 Then Peter said to her, "How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out."
10 Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband.
11 So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.
Peter asked her the question he did to see if she was in collusion with her husband, and her answer showed that she was. As a result, she suffered her husband's fate, just as those who had buried her husband came into the house.
Notice that she was not judged on her husbands' sin, but on her own sin in the matter. Each person must choose for themselves whom they will serve. No one can choose for you as you will be judged according to your decision and the walk you have or don't have with Jesus. As God had said through Ezekiel, over 500 years earlier;
EZEKIEL 18:20
20 "The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
ACTS 5:12-15
12 And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon's Porch.
13 Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly.
14 And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,
15 so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.
Many people were still too afraid of the Pharisees and other rulers to openly come to hear the apostles for fear of being cast out of the synagogues, but the word was spreading and many people believed. It seems that they didn't understand that it wasn't Peter himself, but rather the power of Jesus through the Holy Spirit that healed the sick and lame people.
ACTS 5:16-20
16 Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.
17 Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation,
18 and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison.
19 But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said,
20 "Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life."
You would think that the High Priest and his henchmen would have learned, but this is apparently not the case. Satan and their own greed for power had blinded them to the truth, much as Paul said in;
2 CORINTHIANS 4:3-4
3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
Notice that the apostles didn't rant and rave against the guards, but went to prison and waited for the Lord to tell them what He wanted them to do next. And they were willing to do this, knowing that the rulers were becoming more and more desperate to shut them up, much like they had seen happen with Jesus during His ministry. They all knew full well that this could at anytime cost them their lives, but as they had told the rulers before, they must obey the Lord above any man, whatever the cost.
ACTS 5:21-26
21 And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. But the high priest and those with him came and called the council together, with all the elders of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.
22 But when the officers came and did not find them in the prison, they returned and reported,
23 saying, "Indeed we found the prison shut securely, and the guards standing outside before the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside!"
24 Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be.
25 So one came and told them, saying, "Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!"
26 Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned.
I wish I could have been a fly on the wall and have seen the looks on their faces when this happened. The prison was guarded, with guards outside of the cell doors, yet the cell for Peter and John was empty. They would have had to go past the cellblock guards as well as the guards at the prison entrance to be able to escape, yet no one saw anything! And then they find the very men they are looking for, teaching in the Temple, not trying to hide!
ACTS 5:27-33
27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them,
28 saying, "Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man's blood on us!"
29 But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men.
30 "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.
31 "Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
32 "And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him."
33 When they heard this, they were furious and plotted to kill them.
The Sanhedrin now knew that the only way to shut these men up was to have them quietly killed. They had to do so secretly, for the Romans had taken away the right of the Jewish authorities to put criminals to death, as was shown when Jesus was to be executed;
JOHN 18:31-32
31 Then Pilate said to them, "You take Him and judge Him according to your law." Therefore the Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,"
32 that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die.
Note that Peter and John didn't plan ahead of time as to what the were going to say in their defense. They merely spoke what was given to them in that moment, in fulfillment of Jesus' words, when He said;
LUKE 21:12-15
12 "But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake.
13 "But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony.
14 "Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer;
15 "for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.
The Holy Spirit is given to all of those who serve the Lord, not just the apostles who followed Jesus during His ministry.
ACTS 5:34-42
34 Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the people, and commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while.
35 And he said to them: "Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men.
36 "For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing.
37 "After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed.
38 "And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing;
39 "but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it lest you even be found to fight against God."
40 And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.
42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
This shows definite wisdom (and prophecy in this case also) on the part of Gamaliel. While apparently not certain of the truth of the apostles' teachings, he believed that if it was from God, nothing could stop it.
People have often wondered how 12 men could have shaken the world as they did, and the fact that Christianity is the #1 religion in the world. Gamaliel's thoughts should be promoted from the housetops so people will understand how Christianity has remained steadfast and has grown exponentially for 2,000 years despite repeated attempts to exterminate it.
The passage above also shows that Christians will be persecuted, beaten, and in some cases even killed. Unfortunately there are those who believe and teach that following Jesus means that everything will be safe and sound for the rest of their lives.
Many believe that there will be a "rapture" of all Christians off the Earth before the worst of the End Times begins, despite clear Scriptural proof to the contrary. Their reasoning is that a loving God would never allow His children to be hurt in any way, yet they ignore passages such as:
REVELATION 16:13-16
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
15 "Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame."
16 And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.
Note that in the passage above, Armageddon is about to start, and Jesus is still saying that He is coming like a thief! If the Christians had already been "raptured", the world would know that Jesus was returning soon. Yet verse 15 shows that He hasn't returned yet.
And as far as persecution, we are truly the Children of God, but we are also to be His willing servants, and Jesus told us that the things that they did to Him, they will do to His followers also.
JOHN 15:20
20 "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
ACTS 6:1-6
1 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.
2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.
3 "Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;
4 "but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch,
6 whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.
Just as Moses delegated authority to others to rule the Israelites effectively, the apostles did the same thing. They couldn't do everything themselves, so they chose others to take care of the things that they didn't have time to do.
Note that Luke is careful to differentiate the true Jews from the "Hellenists". (The name stems from the Greek word "Hellas", meaning Greece in the Hellinika (Greek) language). Hellenists were Jews who adopted the Greek language and many of the Greek customs passed down when Alexander the Great had conquered the Persian Empire in 333 B.C., bringing Judea which had been a conquered Persian province, under his control.
One of Alexander's strategies when conquering a nation was to "seed" its populace with Greeks who would introduce Greek culture and customs to the conquered people. By doing this, Alexander could retain control over the conquered territories and spread his fame everywhere.
ACTS 6:7-15
7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.
9 Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen.
10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.
11 Then they secretly induced men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God."
12 And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council.
13 They also set up false witnesses who said, "This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the Law;
14 "for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us."
15 And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.
This was the opportunity the Sanhedrin had been waiting for. Note that the Pharisees weren’t accusing Jesus of violating the Law, but they accused Him of violating the Man-made customs and traditions passed down by the fathers.
Just as with Jesus, false witnesses were allowed to give testimony even though the Law had forbidden such;
DEUTERONOMY 19:16-20
16 If a false witness rises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing,
17 then both men in the controversy shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days.
18 And the judges shall make careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness, who has testified falsely against his brother,
19 then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother; so you shall put away the evil from among you.
20 And those who remain shall hear and fear, and hereafter they shall not again commit such evil among you.
These false witnesses had set Stephen up to be killed, and the judges were to do to the false witnesses what they had planned to do to Stephen if they were proven to be liars. This was to be done before the trial started, but as we can see here, this didn't happen. So again, the corrupt Sanhedrin violated God's Laws to Moses which they claimed to uphold in order to serve their own ends.
ACTS 7:1-7
1 Then the high priest said, "Are these things so?"
2 And he said, "Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,
3 "and said to him, 'Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.'
4 "Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell.
5 "And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him.
6 "But God spoke in this way: that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land, and that they would bring them into bondage and oppress them four hundred years.
7 'And the nation to whom they will be in bondage I will judge,' said God, 'and after that they shall come out and serve Me in this place.'
Stephen begins his defense by reminding them of the history of the Jewish people, beginning with God speaking to Abraham. This kind of defense showed that Stephen was educated and knew the Scriptures, and the Scriptures would be the foundation of his rebuttal against his accusers and judges.
ACTS 7:8-16
8 "Then He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham begot Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot the twelve patriarchs.
9 "And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him
10 "and delivered him out of all his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
11 "Now a famine and great trouble came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers found no sustenance.
12 "But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.
13 "And the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to the Pharaoh.
14 "Then Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and all his relatives to him, seventy-five people.
15 "So Jacob went down to Egypt; and he died, he and our fathers.
16 "And they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem.
Stephen continues his defense, pointing out that God protects the righteous against the unrighteous, and hints that just as Joseph was sold because of his brothers' envy, even so was Stephen standing before them because of the envy of others.
ACTS 7:17-28
17 "But when the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt
18 "till another king arose who did not know Joseph.
19 "This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, making them expose their babies, so that they might not live.
20 "At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father's house for three months.
21 "But when he was set out, Pharaoh's daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son.
22 "And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds.
23 "Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel.
24 "And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian.
25 "For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand.
26 "And the next day he appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and tried to reconcile them, saying, 'Men, you are brethren; why do you wrong one another?'
27 "But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?
28 'Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?'
Stephen speaks of Moses, a future savior of Israel while Israel was in slavery Egypt. Moses would lead Israel out of bondage with mighty signs and wonders, just as Jesus had led Israel out of the bondage of sin with signs and wonders from God. And just as the Israelites didn't see Moses as a savior, neither would Israel see Jesus as their Savior.
ACTS 7:29-34
29 "Then, at this saying, Moses fled and became a dweller in the land of Midian, where he had two sons.
30 "And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai.
31 "When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord came to him,
32 "saying, 'I am the God of your fathers the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' And Moses trembled and dared not look.
33 'Then the LORD said to him, "Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.
34 "I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt."'
The Jews of Judea were in spiritual bondage when Jesus came. Their leaders were corrupt, with political offices being awarded to political appointees, or the highest bidder. The Pharisees and Sadducees had corrupted the teachings of the Law and the people wandered blindly about, not knowing that they were spiritually blind. Just as God sent Moses to rescue Israel from Egypt, even so did He send Jesus to rescue Israel from Satan's kingdom.
ACTS 7:35-36
35 "This Moses whom they rejected, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge?' is the one God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the Angel who appeared to him in the bush.
36 "He brought them out, after he had shown wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years.
Just as Israel rejected Moses even though he had been sent by God for their deliverance, even so did they reject Jesus, also sent by God for their deliverance. Both had performed signs and wonders to prove their commissions from God, but both were rejected.
ACTS 7:37-41
37 "This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, 'The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.'
38 "This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, the one who received the living oracles to give to us,
39 "whom our fathers would not obey, but rejected. And in their hearts they turned back to Egypt,
40 "saying to Aaron, 'Make us gods to go before us; as for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.'
41 "And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
Now Stephen starts to make his point, referring to Moses' prophecy that One would arise after him that would be superior to Moses, One that it would be imperative that Israel hear. But like the congregation in the wilderness who made a golden calf to worship, the present leaders of Judea had made themselves gods of gold, power and covetousness, rejoicing in their lofty political positions and wealth, rather than rejoice in the One Moses had promised would come.
ACTS 7:42-43
42 "Then God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the Prophets: 'Did you offer Me slaughtered animals and sacrifices during forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
43 You also took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, images which you made to worship; and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.'
Stephen spoke of God's rejection of Israel in the wilderness as spoken by the prophet Amos when they worshiped the stars, rather than the living God who had brought them from Egypt. He reminds the Sanhedrin that God had warned the Israelites through the prophets Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Isaiah that if they didn't turn away from their idols and pagan gods that He would send them captive to Babylon and beyond. He kept his promises when He allowed King Nebuchadnezzar to destroy Jerusalem and Solomon's Temple in 586 B.C. and carried the people to Babylon for 70 years of captivity.
The implication is clear: Just as the nation rejected God and was sent captive to Babylon, if they reject His Son, they will be destroyed and be led captive before their enemies again.
ACTS 7:44-47
44 "Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Moses to make it according to the pattern that he had seen,
45 "which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Joshua into the land possessed by the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the days of David,
46 "who found favor before God and asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob.
47 "But Solomon built Him a house.
Just as Israel had a symbol of God's presence in the wilderness, even so did the Jews have a symbol of God's presence with them in the Temple in which this trial was proceeding.
ACTS 7:48-50
48 "However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:
49 'Heaven is My throne, and Earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the LORD, or what is the place of My rest?
50 Has My hand not made all these things?'
God does not physically dwell in man-made structures, but His Spirit is everywhere, especially in the Holy of Holies, the most sacred room of the Temple, just a short distance away from where the trial was being held.
ACTS 7:51-53
51 "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.
52 "Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,
53 "who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it."
And now Stephen brings the focus of his discourse to bear, blasting the rulers who are supposed to shepherd God's people, yet were wolves themselves, feeding off of the flock, rather than feeding the flock as they were appointed to do.
He points an accusing finger in their faces, stating that they were no better than their fathers, but were rather worse, for they had read about the sins of their fathers and the consequences of those sins and had not only not learned from them, but did worse than their fathers by betraying and murdering Jesus, the promised Messiah. He adds the final sting in that he reminds them that they are keepers of the Law and are charged to teach the people the things of the Law, but they not only don't keep it themselves, they corrupt what they do teach.
ACTS 7:54-60
54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.
55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
56 and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"
57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord;
58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
They couldn't stand hearing the truth of the words spoken by Stephen, just as they couldn't stand the truth spoken by Jesus. The conviction of their own corruption shown so openly by the words God gave Stephen to speak enraged them to the point of murder. They wanted to stop Stephen from speaking about their sins, because the conviction was too much for them, and they wouldn't repent. And as they did with Jesus, they killed Stephen to shut him up. Note that Stephen, like Jesus, asked God to forgive those who were murdering him.
And now the focus turns to Saul of Tarsus.
ACTS 8:1-4
1 Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.
4 Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.
The persecution of the Christians caused many of them to leave Jerusalem, preaching the gospel as they went to other places. This was to begin the fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy when He said;
ACTS 1:8
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
The focus of the Scriptures now turns to Saul who would become a rabid persecutor of the followers of Jesus. It is ironic to note that even though Saul hated Christians, he was actually ignorantly fulfilling Jesus' prophecy above.
Why did persecution erupt as it did? Persecution is like a person stomping on a campfire in order to put it out. It will put out the main fire, but it will scatter burning embers in all directions which will cause new fires with the end result being greater than the original fire. It also would have caused the disciples to remember Jesus' prophecy concerning this, further confirming that He was the Son of God and it would have also kept the church from stagnating in Jerusalem.
ACTS 8:5-8
5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.
6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.
8 And there was great joy in that city.
This is interesting, for up to that point the Jews had few dealings with Samaritans. They were the descendants of the people that the Assyrians had relocated into the Galilee area after the Northern Kingdom of Israel had been destroyed in 721 B.C.
2 KINGS 17:24
24 Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they took possession of Samaria and dwelt in its cities.
After the 70 year captivity of Judah in Babylon, the remnant of the 10 tribes of Israel and the tribes of Judah and Benjamin returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and the Temple in about 519 B.C. At that time, the relocated people from Assyria wanted to join the Jews, but were rejected because they were not Jews.
EZRA 4:1-5
1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the LORD God of Israel,
2 they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers' houses, and said to them, "Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here."
3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers' houses of Israel said to them, "You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us."
4 Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building,
5 and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
The friction between the Jews and Samaritans still continued over 500 years later, shown when Jesus asked a Samaritan woman for a drink of water;
JOHN 4:9
9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
Jesus had also forbidden the disciples from preaching to the Samaritans during His time on Earth, for He had been sent only to preach to the Jews during His time on Earth.
MATTHEW 10:5-6
5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.
6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
The people of Samaria were considered by the Jews to be a "mongrel race", for they had also intermarried with the Greeks that Alexander the Great in 333 B.C. had invited to dwell in the lands he had conquered. The Greek influx into northern Israel had become so great that 10 cities in Galilee were loosely called "Decapolis" (Greek: Deca Polis “10 cities”) because of their Greek population.
Yet the Holy Spirit directed Philip to preach to the Samaritans after Jesus' resurrection, indicating that the door of salvation was opened to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews. And Philip's miracles were in fulfillment of Jesus' promise to all who follow Him;
JOHN 14:12
12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
ACTS 8:9-13
9 But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great,
10 to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is the great power of God."
11 And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time.
12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.
13 Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.
Satan can do nothing new by himself for there is only one Creator, but he will imitate God's works as much as possible and seek to pass them off as God's works so that people will think he is God. But Luke is careful to point out that Simon was a sorcerer, not a follower of God.
Note that Simon believed based on the miracles he saw and was even baptized, but Scripture doesn't say that he accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord. Remember, even Satan believes in Jesus but does not worship or follow Him. Hold that thought for a few minutes.
ACTS 8:14-17
14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,
15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.
16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit had not fallen on all believers yet, so that the ministry of the Apostles would be magnified. Now, the Holy Spirit is immediately given to all who believe when they accept Jesus.
ACTS 8:18-25
18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money,
19 saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
20 But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!
21 "You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.
22 "Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.
23 "For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity."
24 Then Simon answered and said, "Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me."
25 So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.
Here we see Simon's true intentions. He craved attention and power and wanted to dispense the Holy Spirit so that he could continue promoting himself and make money while doing so. He believed in Jesus, but Jesus was not Lord and Master of his heart.
This is an important message to believers. Like weeds among wheat, Satan will sow his servants among God's children and will attempt to pass them off as believing Christians. I have seen people who seemed to be devout Christians, but usually something in their words and/or actions eventually gave them away.
ACTS 8:26-40
26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is desert.
27 So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship,
28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet.
29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go near and overtake this chariot."
30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
31 And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so He opened not His mouth.
33 In His humiliation His justice was taken away, and who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth."
34 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, "I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?"
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.
36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?"
37 Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.
39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.
40 But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.
This eunuch from Ethiopia, being so close with the ruler of his country would now return there and spread all of the gospel he had learned from Philip throughout Ethiopia. This is a good lesson for all of us who serve the Lord. We may not understand why He tells us to do certain things, but be assured God has a reason.
The Holy Spirit instantly took Philip to the next place where Philip was to share the gospel, in this case, Azotus in southern Judea. This was not unusual, for Jesus had performed a similar miracle while here on Earth. Note carefully the last verse in the passage below.
JOHN 6:16-21
16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea,
17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.
18 Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.
19 So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.
20 But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."
21 Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.
As soon as Jesus stepped into the boat, they were instantly on the other side of the lake!!! Jesus literally warped space and time, showing His mastery of both!
ACTS 9:1-2
1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest
2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
This shows the depth of the hatred Saul had against believers in Jesus. Satan used such hatred again in the Nazis in his attempts to exterminate the Jews during WW II, in which countries as far west as France deported their Jewish populations to death camps in Eastern Europe.
The difference is that Paul ignorantly thought he was doing God's will, for he perceived Christianity as a threat to the Law of Moses and he thought he was eliminating this threat to his nation. And naturally, the corrupt High Priest, in this case Annas, gladly authorized and funded Saul to wipe out this threat to Annas' rule.
ACTS 9:3-9
3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.
4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"
5 And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads."
6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
7 And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.
8 Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.
9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
An ox goad is a rod about 8 feet long with one end sharpened. The herder would walk behind the oxen and if any lagged behind, he would poke them with the point of the goad. By the same token, if one of them strayed from the path, he would use the length of the goad to prod them back in line while keeping himself at a safe distance from the ox's horns and hooves.
What Jesus meant was that Saul was actively fighting against the Holy Spirit, who had already chosen him to minister to both Jews and Gentiles, concerning the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ. And it took a personal appearance by Jesus to stop his rebellion.
Can you imagine Saul's shock and terror when he realized that he had been fighting against God Himself? And the greater horror of knowing what he had done to the innocent followers of Jesus? His loss of sight must have been the least of his worries!!!!
ACTS 9:10-18
10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord."
11 So the Lord said to him, "Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying.
12 "And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight."
13 Then Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.
14 "And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name."
15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.
16 "For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake."
17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.
Ananias was understandably unsure of approaching Saul of Tarsus, as his reputation was well known for imprisoning the followers of Jesus. But God knew of the change in Sauls heart. Ananias showed great courage and faith in God by doing the bidding of the Lord at the risk of his own life.
Like Saul, when we come to Jesus, even though our sins are forgiven there is a punishment received from the Lord for those sins. However, the punishment will be fair and just, also remember that whatever the punishment you receive you will have Jesus helping you endure and get through it.
In Saul's case, while serving the Lord he would be beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, imprisoned, and many other things, the very things he had done (with the exception of shipwreck) to others during his persecution of Christians. Many of these happened several times, but he persevered and accomplished all the Lord had for him to do. Some of these things were punishment for the tribulations Saul had caused against Jesus' followers and some were because as followers of Jesus, trials and tribulations are a part of the life we agree to when we decide to follow Him.
As for what happened to Saul (later called Paul), in him was the Scripture fulfilled which says;
GALATIANS 6:7
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
Saul wreaked persecution, stoning, beatings and imprisonment on Christians, and God avenged them by having Saul suffer the same things.
ACTS 9:19-22
19 So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.
20 Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.
21 Then all who heard were amazed, and said, "Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?"
22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.
Saul's strong education in the Law and the prophets made him the perfect tool to use the Scriptures to prove that Jesus is indeed the Messiah. Saul was now spreading the gospel of Jesus with as much zeal if not more so than he had used to try and destroy the followers of Jesus! Truly God works in mysterious ways!!!!
This would also have greatly emboldened believers to preach Jesus without fear, for Saul's conversion would have sowed great uncertainty into their enemies, especially after hearing what had happened to him, giving them opportunities to preach without fear.
ACTS 9:23-28
23 Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him.
24 But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him.
25 Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket.
26 And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple.
27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.
28 So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out.
The hatred and desperation of the Jews must have been enormous against Saul. Saul, with his education was demolishing the Jews defenses against Christianity, and Satan, as usual was planning to kill him to shut him up. But the Lord knew what was going on, and allowed Saul to escape over the walls of the city.
The disciples in Jerusalem were wary of Saul, knowing full well what he had done. But instead of judging him on his past, they should have listened to him and verified that he was indeed a Christian. We in turn cannot judge them, for if we had been in their sandals, would we have done anything different?
Barnabas took a chance and brought Saul to the apostles to see what was to be done. They in turn, after hearing him, believed and welcomed him into their company. I imagine during this time they also taught him the commandments of Jesus, giving him more knowledge and wisdom for his upcoming ministry.
ACTS 9:29-31
29 And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him.
30 When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus.
31 Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.
Saul was from Tarsus, a Roman city in present day southern Turkey. He had been arguing (and winning) against the "Hellenists" (Jews who followed Greek customs, like the Sadducees), so again they tried to kill him to shut him up. The disciples thought it best for his own safety to send him back to Tarsus until the heat had died down.
ACTS 9:32-35
32 Now it came to pass, as Peter went through all parts of the country, that he also came down to the saints who dwelt in Lydda.
33 There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed.
34 And Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed." Then he arose immediately.
35 So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.
Peter healing this man through the power of Jesus allowed him the opportunity to preach to two more towns of people in west central Judea, Aeneas being proof of his ministry.
ACTS 9:36-43
36 At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did.
37 But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room.
38 And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them.
39 Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them.
40 But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, "Tabitha, arise." And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.
41 Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive.
42 And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord.
43 So it was that he stayed many days in Joppa with Simon, a tanner.
Joppa being a major sea port gave Peter the opportunity to preach the gospel of Jesus to people from all over the known world who would carry the news wherever they went.
Tabitha - (Hebrew) - Dorcas - (Greek) "gazelle".
ACTS 10:1-8
1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment,
2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.
3 About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, "Cornelius!"
4 And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, "What is it, lord?" So he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.
5 "Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter.
6 "He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do."
7 And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually.
8 So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.
I strongly suspect that this centurion is the same one who was spoken of in the Gospels as having had a paralyzed servant that Jesus healed;
MATTHEW 8:5-13
5 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,
6 saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."
7 And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."
8 The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.
9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!
11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour.
The ninth hour was 3:00 p.m. and was a usual time of prayer for Israel. This Roman centurion was apparently following Jewish customs when it came to prayer;
ACTS 3:1
1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
Apparently Cornelius was not alone in his faith, for note that it says he also sent a devout soldier with the servants to fetch Peter. Jesus was greatly impressed with this man’s faith, especially since he was a Gentile and a Roman as well; his faith was greater than even that of the Jews!
ACTS 10:9-16
9 The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour.
10 Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance
11 and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth.
12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air.
13 And a voice came to him, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat."
14 But Peter said, "Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean."
15 And a voice spoke to him again the second time, "What God has cleansed you must not call common."
16 This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.
The Lord was telling Peter that Jesus had made all things clean including, but not limited to foods as Peter was about to discover. After Jesus' death and resurrection the only foods considered "unclean" for those who follow Him are any foods that have been sacrificed or offered to an idol or demon.
The sixth hour would have been noon.
ACTS 10:17-23
17 Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate.
18 And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there.
19 While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are seeking you.
20 "Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them."
21 Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, "Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?"
22 And they said, "Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you."
23 Then he invited them in and lodged them. On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him.
Peter never would have gone with these men, especially to see a Roman, if it had not been for the vision given to him and the word from the Holy Spirit. But trusting the Lord, he went without question, and strangely enough, other Jews went with him. I suspect they went as witnesses to what was to happen.
ACTS 10:24-26
24 And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends.
25 As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.
26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, "Stand up; I myself am also a man."
Cornelius in ignorance worshiped Peter, but Peter was careful to instruct him to not worship men, even going so far as to touch the centurion, which to some Jews would have made him ritually unclean.
ACTS 10:27-29
27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together.
28 Then he said to them, "You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
29 "Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?"
Just as many foods and other things were unclean for the Jews, they were also forbidden to keep company with Gentiles unless the Gentile had converted to Judaism. This also changed with Jesus making all things clean. The line of division among the people when they are judged by God will not be whether a person is a Jew or Gentile, but rather if a person followed Jesus or not.
ACTS 10:30-48
30 So Cornelius said, "Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,
31 "and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God.
32 'Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.'
33 "So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God."
34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.
35 "But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.
36 "The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)
37 "that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:
38 "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
39 "And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree.
40 "Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly,
41 "not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.
42 "And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.
43 "To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins."
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.
45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.
46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered,
47 "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?"
48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.
Peter now understood that the Gentiles were to hear the Gospel as well as the Jews and that there was to be no difference between them. He preached the Word to them just the same as he did to his fellow Jews, and after that he also offered baptism to any who wanted it.
Notice that the other Jews with Peter were astounded that these Gentiles received the Holy Spirit, still retaining the ingrained restrictions concerning separation of Jews and Gentiles. If Peter was surprised he didn't show it apparently, perhaps because he had listened carefully to the Lord and had remembered the vision he had recently seen.
ACTS 11:1-18
1 Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.
2 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him,
3 saying, "You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!"
4 But Peter explained it to them in order from the beginning, saying:
5 "I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came to me.
6 "When I observed it intently and considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air.
7 "And I heard a voice saying to me, 'Rise, Peter; kill and eat.'
8 "But I said, 'Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.'
9 "But the voice answered me again from heaven, 'What God has cleansed you must not call common.'
10 "Now this was done three times, and all were drawn up again into heaven.
11 "At that very moment, three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea.
12 "Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man's house.
13 "And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, 'Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter,
14 'who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.'
15 "And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning.
16 "Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, 'John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'
17 "If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?"
18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life."
It would take time, but God was breaking down the barriers of separation between Jews and Gentiles in the hearts of the believing Jews. This would not only help the Jewish believers understand that as God is the God of all flesh, He is also the Savior of all men. This would also pave the way for Saul (Paul) to perform his coming ministry to the Gentiles.
ACTS 11:19-24
19 Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only.
20 But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus.
21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.
22 Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch.
23 When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.
24 For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.
Again we see that some still followed Jesus' commandment while He was still on Earth to preach only to the Jews. But others, either through the Holy Spirit or through having heard of what happened with Cornelius, preached to the Gentiles also.
ACTS 11:25-26
25 Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul.
26 And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
This city of Antioch was named after Antiochus I, one of Alexander's generals who ripped Syria from Alexander the Great's Greek Empire after Alexander's death. The prophet Daniel over 500 years earlier had predicted that the Greek Empire would be ripped into four pieces after the death of Alexander;
DANIEL 7:6
6 After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
DANIEL 11:3-4
3 Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.
4 And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not among his posterity nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted, even for others besides these.
This city of Antioch was called Syrian Antioch to distinguish it from the city of Antioch in Pisidia (southern Turkey), was a melting pot of cultures and religions. So to distinguish these believers from others, they were called Christians by the Romans to distinguish them from the other beliefs and sects within the city.
Apparently the Holy Spirit was ready for Saul to begin his ministry, so Barnabas went to Tarsus, found him and brought him to Antioch to finish his training.
ACTS 11:27-30
27 And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch.
28 Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar.
29 Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea.
30 This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
This famine happened in the 4th year of Claudius' rule (47 A.D.), and was confirmed by contemporary Roman historians Suetonius and Tacitus, as well as by 5th century historian Orosius who called it the "Syrian famine" and who confirmed it to be the famine described by Luke as shown above.
By warning the people of the coming famine the Holy Spirit allowed the disciples to prepare and send aid to others in need.
ACTS 12:1-5
1 Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church.
2 Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
3 And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread.
4 So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.
5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.
This Herod was a tetrarch (ruler of 1/4 of a kingdom) known as Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great, and brother of Herodias. (Herodias was Herod Antipas' brother Philip's wife. But Herod Antipas married her without her divorcing her husband Philip, bringing a thundering denunciation from John the Baptist.)
Herod Agrippa had seized the throne of his father by accusing his father Herod Antipas before Caligula Caesar of plotting against Rome. Caligula banished Herod Antipas to Lugdunum, Gaul (France) in 44 A.D.
After the death of Herod the Great, the kingdom of Judea (which also included Galilee to the north and surrounding territories) had been split between Herod's four sons;
LUKE 3:1
1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,
The territory of Judea had been ruled by Herod the Great's son Archalaeus after Herod's death, but Archalaeus had been removed by Augustus Caesar and exiled to Vienne, Gaul in 6 A.D. because of his excessive cruelty in quelling a disturbance among the Pharisees in which he had about 3,000 of them killed.
The territory of Judea was then ruled directly by Roman procurators (governors) until the destruction of Judea by the Roman X and XIII legions in 70 A.D.
Herod Agrippa I definitely took after his father Herod Antipas as far as actions! He saw that killing the apostle James (not to be confused with James, Jesus' physical brother who was the head of the church at Jerusalem) pleased the Jews. Being a political animal like his father, he saw this as a way to keep the peace in his region which in turn would keep Rome happy, securing his rule. He couldn't kill Peter until after the Passover feasting days were over, but he was taking no chances on Peter escaping either, so he assigned 16 soldiers to guard him.
The people of the church in Jerusalem did the best thing possible, they prayed to the Lord, they didn't riot or cause a great disturbance in Jerusalem, they waited for the Lord's will in the matter.
ACTS 12:6
6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.
Herod really wasn't taking any chances with Peter!!!! Not only were there two guards outside of his cell, Peter was chained between two guards inside of the cell also!!! And note that Peter trusted in the Lord, in that he was sleeping, apparently not worried about what was to happen.
ACTS 12:7-11
7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, "Arise quickly!" And his chains fell off his hands.
8 Then the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and tie on your sandals"; and so he did. And he said to him, "Put on your garment and follow me."
9 So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.
10 When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.
11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people."
There is no place that you can go or be taken that God can't keep you safe or help you to leave. Remember that God is everywhere and He is always with us.
This is fascinating in that Peter had to go through the door of his cell without the guards inside or outside of the door seeing him, past two other guard posts in the same manner and then through the iron gate of the prison itself! Note in verse 6 above, Luke says that the guards were watching the prison, meaning that they were awake.
ACTS 12:12-17
12 So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.
13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer.
14 When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate.
15 But they said to her, "You are beside yourself!" Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, "It is his angel."
16 Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.
17 But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, "Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren." And he departed and went to another place.
This presents a somewhat comical story in which Peter was miraculously freed from prison only to be left cooling his heels outside the gate of the place where the Church was praying for him! One can only imagine Rhoda excitedly jumping up and down shouting that Peter was outside, and the people inside saying that she was nuts, or that it was his spirit, while looking for a straitjacket.
All of the people had once again gathered at the house of John Mark, author of the book of Mark, to pray for Peter. This seems to be the same room that the Last Supper was celebrated in, and where the disciples received the Holy Spirit after Jesus' resurrection.
Again, this shows that James, Jesus' physical brother, was the head of the Church at Jerusalem in that Peter doesn't take command of the situation himself, but merely orders that James be told of developments so that James can make plans as to what to do from there.
ACTS 12:18-19
18 Then, as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter.
19 But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there.
Herod was no doubt enraged at the fact that Peter had escaped, and suspected either incompetence or collaboration among the guards. It was also a common practice that if guards assigned to keep a prisoner allowed the prisoner to escape, the guards were killed in retaliation as an example to others.
One case in the Old Testament is mentioned;
1 KINGS 20:38-40
38 Then the prophet departed and waited for the king by the road, and disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes.
39 Now as the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, "Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and there, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, 'Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.'
40 While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone." Then the king of Israel said to him, "So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it."
ACTS 12:20-25
20 Now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus the king's personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food by the king's country.
21 So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them.
22 And the people kept shouting, "The voice of a god and not of a man!"
23 Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died.
24 But the word of God grew and multiplied.
25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John whose surname was Mark.
According to contemporary Jewish historian Josephus, Herod Agrippa I suffered heart pains and violent abdominal pains from this and died five days later. We should never accept worship from others as God is the only One worthy to receive worship.
ACTS 13:1-3
1 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.
It is interesting that Manaen had been raised with Herod Antipas when they were children. Perhaps he was the son of a servant or a court official.
When the Lord wanted Barnabas and Saul to leave and do His will, notice that they did as directed without arguing or asking Him to wait for them to make plans. Like the patriarch Abraham before them when God sent him to Canaan, they went not knowing where they were going.
ACTS 13:4-12
4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
5 And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant.
6 Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus,
7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.
8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him
10 and said, "O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?
11 "And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time." And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.
12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
Seleucia was on the southern coast of Turkey, just above Cyprus. Salamis was on the east coast of Cyprus, and Paphos was on the southwest coast of Cyprus. Note in verse 6 it says that they went through the island, meaning they had traveled on foot across the island to Paphos.
Bar-Jesus was very much like Simon the sorcerer in Acts chapter 8 who astonished the people of Samaria with his sorcery. People tend to equate the sorcery of these men with sleight-of-hand and magicians' tricks but this is not the case with Simon the sorcerer and Bar-Jesus. Having formerly been in the Occult myself, I can personally attest that Satan does indeed have power to do strange things that are not "parlor tricks" but are true displays of power.
The Roman governor of the island apparently had heard of Paul and Barnabas, possibly hearing of miracles performed by them elsewhere on the island. God provided an interesting showdown between Bar-Jesus and Paul, much like the court sorcerers who opposed Moses in Pharaoh's court before the Exodus.
The power of God was displayed before the proconsul in that Bar-Jesus was immediately struck blind at the word of Paul, showing God's power over wickedness and showing that Paul spoke truth in his preaching. And it is even more interesting that God brought His Word through Paul and Barnabas to a Roman, who became a believer as a result.
The John referred to here is John Mark, the author of the Gospel of Mark. Saul (Hebrew: "asked for"); Paul (Greek: "little")
ACTS 13:13-14
13 Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem.
14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down.
Paul and Barnabas then traveled about 100 miles north to a major city called Antioch (not to be confused with Antioch in Syria) in the province of Pisidia in modern-day Turkey. It was a custom of the synagogues that when Jews from other areas visited they were allowed to speak to the synagogue if they had any teaching or exhortation to deliver.
ACTS 13:15-16
15 And after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, "Men and brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say on."
16 Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, "Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen:
This shows Paul's extensive training as a Pharisee, for in the manner of professional Greek and Roman orators, he stood and stretched his hand out to connect himself with his audience and began preaching the Word. He begins by reminding them of the history of the Jews that will lead them to the Messiah.
ACTS 13:17-22
17 "The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it.
18 "Now for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness.
19 "And when He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land to them by allotment.
20 "After that He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.
21 "And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
22 "And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.'
First, he reminds them of the history of the Jewish people from the time God chose them, until David the king, as a lead-in to the promise of the Messiah to come.
ACTS 13:23-25
23 "From this man's seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior, Jesus
24 "after John had first preached, before His coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
25 "And as John was finishing his course, he said, 'Who do you think I am? I am not He. But behold, there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose.'
Note that Paul didn't need to explain who Jesus and John the Baptist were, apparently the events surrounding them both were well-known throughout the Roman Empire.
ACTS 13:26-29
26 "Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent.
27 "For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him.
28 "And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death.
29 "Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.
One has to admire the boldness of Paul in accusing the High Priest and all of the rulers in Jerusalem of being in ignorance of the very things they are supposed to be in charge of and which they are required to teach the people concerning the Law and the Prophets. He was treading on very dangerous ground here.
ACTS 13:30-39
30 "But God raised Him from the dead.
31 "He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people.
32 "And we declare to you glad tidings of that promise which was made to the fathers.
33 "God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: 'You are My Son, today I have begotten You.'
34 "And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus: 'I will give you the sure mercies of David.'
35 "Therefore He also says in another Psalm: 'You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption.'
36 "For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption;
37 "but He whom God raised up saw no corruption.
38 "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins;
39 "and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Again Paul treads on very dangerous ground when he says that the Law is insufficient in providing justification from sin. This could be seen as blaspheming Moses and the Law and Paul could very well be stoned for this.
ACTS 13:40-42
40 "Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you:
41 'Behold, you despisers, marvel and perish! For I work a work in your days, a work which you will by no means believe, though one were to declare it to you.'"
42 So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.
The Gentiles spoken of here were proselytes, converts to Judaism. The Gentiles have an advantage in some ways in that they do not have the Law and all of the traditions passed down from their fathers which in many cases proves to be a stumbling block to the Jews’ acceptance of Jesus as Messiah.
They have been taught what the Rabbis have considered the qualities and traits of the Messiah and Jesus doesn't fit these preconceptions. Therefore the Gentiles can more readily believe in Jesus, having fresh hearts in which to receive Him. And even though Gentiles could convert to Judaism, they were still considered not to be equal to natural-born Jews (true even today). They were forbidden to enter the Temple, were seated in a separate place in the synagogue and were not allowed to speak in the synagogue, etc.
But here was a new doctrine in which all were equal before God, one Messiah for all men, and they were eager to hear about it. This message of salvation was first for the Jews as promised by God, but after Jesus' resurrection anyone Jew or Gentile may come to Him.
That the Gentiles would seek Him is in fulfillment of the prophecies of Isaiah in which he said;
ISAIAH 11:10
10 And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious."
ISAIAH 65:1
1 "I was sought by those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. I said, 'Here I am, here I am,' to a nation that was not called by My name.
ACTS 13:43-50
43 Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God.
45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.
47 "For so the Lord has commanded us: 'I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.'"
48 Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.
49 And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region.
50 But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.
Note that virtually the whole city came to hear the word of God preached to them. But the Jews, jealous of Paul's authority in speaking of things which they themselves didn't know about, began undermining Paul's teachings even to the point of blasphemy. They were used to being revered by the Jews and Gentiles both, and they saw their positions being endangered by Paul and Barnabas.
So they started a riot and after somehow convincing the prominent people and political authorities that Paul was a troublemaker, threw both Paul and Barnabas out of the region.
ACTS 13:51-52
51 But they shook off the dust from their feet against them, and came to Iconium.
52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
With the shaking the dust off their feet, God would only condemn those who rejected His Word. He would never condemn those who choose to follow Him. And in shaking the dust from their feet they were being obedient to Jesus' commandment of;
MARK 6:10-12
10 Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.
11 "And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"
12 So they went out and preached that people should repent.
ACTS 14:1-7
1 Now it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed.
2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren.
3 Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
4 But the multitude of the city was divided: part sided with the Jews, and part with the apostles.
5 And when a violent attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to abuse and stone them,
6 they became aware of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding region.
7 And they were preaching the gospel there.
Iconium was about 80 miles southeast of Antioch, in south-central Turkey. It is interesting to note that it seemed always to be the Jews who stirred up the trouble for the disciples, usually out of envy and jealousy. Not everyone who hears of the Lord will believe, even when signs and wonders are performed by those preaching the Word. Many don't like the conviction they feel when they hear the truth. Others just don't want to give up their lifestyles, riches, power, or social status. Still others want to continue to believe in the idols and other demon manifestations that they are most comfortable with and Satan will be busy hardening their hearts against the truth.
The choice of whether to believe or not is always theirs to make. Nobody can force someone else to believe in Jesus. He will accept only those who come to Him of their own free will. As He himself said;
REVELATION 3:20
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
Notice that Jesus said He will wait for you to open the door to your heart to Him, He didn't say He will break open the door to your heart and force His way in. He will only come in, if and when He is freely invited.
As Jesus had commanded, when persecuted in one city, they were to flee to the next;
MATTHEW 10:23
When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
Paul and Barnabas then fled to Lystra (about 10 miles south of Iconium) and Derbe (about 20 miles east-southeast of Lystra and about 20 miles west-northwest of Tarsus, Paul's home town.)
ACTS 14:8-13
8 And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother's womb, who had never walked.
9 This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed,
10 said with a loud voice, "Stand up straight on your feet!" And he leaped and walked.
11 Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!"
12 And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.
13 Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes.
When the people saw this miracle they believed that only a god could perform such a feat. Even though the Romans had defeated the Greeks many, many years before, many people still believed in and worshiped the Greek gods.
Zeus was the king of the Greek gods and Hermes was the messenger god that took messages from the other gods to the humans. When a sacrifice was offered to Zeus, it was always oxen and the symbol of Zeus was a bull. That is why the people thought Barnabas and Paul really were gods.
ACTS 14:14-18
14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out
15 and saying, "Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them,
16 "who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways.
17 "Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness."
18 And with these sayings they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them.
Notice that Paul and Barnabas didn't accept the sacrifices for themselves or any worship either. They explained the truth to these people, that they were just as human as the rest of the people, and that it was God who did the miracles as proof of their ministry.
ACTS 14:19-23
19 Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.
20 However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.
21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,
22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God."
23 So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
Remember, Jesus had prophesied to Ananias in Damascus when he had healed Saul that Saul (Paul) would suffer great things for His sake in his ministry. And remember that Saul had been not only consenting to Stephen's death by stoning, he had held the coats of those that had killed Stephen. And note that it was only Paul that had been stoned by the mob, not Barnabas. Note also that Paul never complained about what had happened. He knew the reason for what had happened to him.
We indeed reap what we sow, and Paul was reaping the punishments he sowed when he persecuted Christians before his conversion, fulfilling the prophecy of;
GALATIANS 6:7
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
They feared God, but not death as they knew they wouldn't die until the Lord decided their work for Him was finished. And with the knowledge of salvation and believing in Jesus, they knew that when they died they would go to be with Jesus forever, so death held no fear.
Note that it was the Jews, not the Gentiles who came from Antioch and Iconium for the express purpose of persecuting Paul. Paul and Barnabas then fled to Derbe (about 20 miles southeast of Lystra) and this must have been a very difficult journey for Paul, after having been stoned by the mob at Lystra. But in a tremendous show of faith and courage they not only returned to Lystra after visiting Derbe, they also went right back to Iconium and Antioch to ensure that the disciples there hadn't lost heart because of persecution.
ACTS 14:24-28
24 And after they had passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia.
25 Now when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.
26 From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed.
27 Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
28 So they stayed there a long time with the disciples.
Attalia was virtually right next door (to the west) of Perga where John Mark had left Paul and Barnabas to return to Jerusalem when they had first arrived in southern Turkey from Cyprus.
When they had completed this mission and returned to the church in Antioch, they reported all that had happened on their journey. After this they rested and had fellowship with the other believers, something all Christians need. After a long mission for the Lord He will often give you a rest time to give you time to strengthen yourself for the next mission or battle.
ACTS 15:1-6
1 And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."
2 Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.
3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the brethren.
4 And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them.
5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, "It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the Law of Moses."
6 Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter.
When a disagreement as to the requirements of following the Lord came up, they discussed all aspects and finding no consensus among the brethren, they decided to go to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. They needed to find out what the Lord would require of the Gentiles, as this situation was more complex than they could handle without discussion with the leaders of the church.
The Gentiles believing in the Lord and receiving the Holy Spirit was very new to the early Christians and they weren't sure if the requirements of the Jews and Gentiles would be the same or different, observance of the Law being a potentially major stumbling block, one that could well divide the Christian fellowship.
All Jews, even the Christian Jews, must be circumcised as the covenant of circumcision was a everlasting covenant between God and the Jewish people. The question now was, did the Gentiles who had been accepted by God through Jesus need to be circumcised as did the Jews? Would God require that the Gentiles follow the Law of Moses as did the Jews, up to and including circumcision?
ACTS 15:7-12
7 And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: "Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.
8 "So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us,
9 "and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
10 "Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
11 "But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they."
12 Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles.
Peter brought up a good point in that the covenant of circumcision was given to the Jews as a physical reminder that God had chosen them to be His people. And while circumcision was performed in obedience to the Law, it did nothing to provide salvation from sin. The Law had no provision for salvation and it is only by the grace of Jesus Christ that salvation comes to all willing to receive it.
The Law was also originally written for the Jews, although Gentiles could be adopted into Israel if they believed in the Lord and followed the Law. However, with the sacrifice of Jesus providing salvation outside of the Law, was following the Law required for the Gentiles?
ACTS 15:13-21
13 And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, "Men and brethren, listen to me:
14 "Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name.
15 "And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:
16 'After this I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up;
17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD, even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the LORD who does all these things.'
18 "Known to God from eternity are all His works.
19 "Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God,
20 "but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.
21 "For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath."
Here we see that it is James, Jesus' physical brother who is the true leader of the Church at
Jerusalem, not Peter, for it is by his judgment and decree that the issue has been settled. Peter
had put in his input, but it was James who made the final decision and settled the matter.
Thus the claim by the Roman Catholic Church that Peter was the first leader of the early
Church and was the first Pope is false. Peter was an apostle, but it was one who was not an
apostle who was the real leader of the early church. And as will be noted below, James'
decree was sent to all of the Gentile churches, showing that the Church in Jerusalem was
the primary Church, not any church based in Rome.
The reason why James decreed that the Gentiles refrain from things strangled was that eating an animal that had been strangled would violate God's commandment to Noah and to all of mankind concerning eating blood. All animals that were to be eaten were to be drained of blood first.
As God told Noah;
GENESIS 9:3-4
3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs.
4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
He told Moses;
LEVITICUS 7:26
26 Moreover you shall not eat any blood in any of your dwellings, whether of bird or beast.
The apostles and elders understood that the Gentiles are saved by faith, not by the works of the Law. Those Gentiles who come to Jesus and believe are circumcised in the heart and need not be circumcised in the flesh.
As Paul would later explain to his Gentile audience;
COLOSSIANS 2:11-14
11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
EPHESIANS 2:10-22
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands
12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,
15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,
16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.
17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.
18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
ACTS 15:22-29
22 Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren.
23 They wrote this letter by them: The apostles, the elders, and the brethren, to the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings.
24 Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, "You must be circumcised and keep the Law" to whom we gave no such commandment
25 it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth.
28 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things:
29 that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.
They sent the letter with Paul and Barnabas to settle the dispute, but also sent two members of the Church in Jerusalem to validate the truth of the letter and the words of Paul and Barnabas. These were necessary requirements to protect the believers, as all of these things are associated with rituals and traditions of those who serve Satan, demon gods and idols.
ACTS 15:30-41
30 So when they were sent off, they came to Antioch; and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter.
31 When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement.
32 Now Judas and Silas, themselves being prophets also, exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words.
33 And after they had stayed there for a time, they were sent back with greetings from the brethren to the apostles.
34 However, it seemed good to Silas to remain there.
35 Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.
36 Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing."
37 Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark.
38 But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work.
39 Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus;
40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God.
41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
While it is important to tell other about Jesus, those who are new to Jesus also need encouragement to keep growing stronger in Christ. We need to be sure that someone is there to help and encourage the new believers. Ask the Lord for guidance in the matter, and He will either send someone else or tell you to continue to help the believers in their walk with Jesus. As the author of Hebrews exhorted;
HEBREWS 10:24-25
24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Apparently the issue concerning John Mark was so sharp that it shattered the friendship between Paul and Barnabas and they went their separate ways to check on the welfare of the churches. Paul thought that Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia and Barnabas thought otherwise, or perhaps believed that Mark had changed.
ACTS 16:1-5
1 Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek.
2 He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium.
3 Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek.
4 And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem.
5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.
Timothy (Greek: Timotheus -"Venerating God").
When God brought Paul a young man named Timothy, Paul was eager to include him in his mission for the Lord. Paul understood that age has nothing to do with how well you serve the Lord or the knowledge the Lord has given to you.
I'm sure that Paul had no problem with Timothy being uncircumcised, but to prevent trouble for Timothy from Jews who believed that with a Jewish mother Timothy qualified as being a Jew (this is true today also) he had him circumcised.
Note that they delivered the decrees that James and the apostles had set down in Jerusalem concerning Gentile believers. This would benefit both the Gentiles as well as instruct the Jewish Christians concerning the requirements of Gentiles as believers.
ACTS 16:6-8
6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.
7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.
8 So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.
While it is unknown why the Spirit would not allow Paul and his companions to visit and preach in the central (Phrygia and Galatia) and northern (Mysia and Bithynia) parts of Turkey, it could have been that Paul would have been in extreme danger from the Jews there considering what had previously happened to him in southern Turkey (Lycaonia). So they passed by Mysia (northwestern coast of Turkey) and stopped on the far northwestern coast at a city named Troas.
ACTS 16:9-12
9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
10 Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.
11 Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis,
12 and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days.
Note that Luke changes his wording from "they" to "us" in verse 10. It could very well be here that Paul met Luke, and where Luke began to accompany Paul on his missionary journeys as an eyewitness.
Paul's stopping at Troas had to have been the will of the Holy Spirit, for Macedonia was only a short series of hops by ship northwestward. Samothrace was about 30 miles northwest of Troas, and Neapolis was about 50 miles further northwest, putting them on the southeast coast of Macedonia (present day Greece, just below Bulgaria). Philippi was just a few miles northwest of Neapolis. Note that Luke says it was a Roman colony, so it must have been a fairly small city.
ACTS 16:13-15
13 And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there.
14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.
15 And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." So she persuaded us.
Many have said that Paul was a woman-hater because of the restrictions he later set on a woman's conduct in the church. Yet here he speaks openly to the women who had gathered to pray there, and preached the Word to them.
It is interesting that Lydia was from Thyratira, as Thyratira was actually in Turkey, north of Sardis and south of Pergamum, two of the seven churches spoken of in Revelation. So she was quite a ways from home (about 250 miles) in selling her fabrics. It seems that she either may have had a second home in Philippi, or she had emigrated there to sell her wares.
The original color "purple" was the color of a dye made from the Murex mollusk (also known as Venus' Comb because of the spines on its shell). The color was closer to a deep crimson/red-violet color than to the modern idea of purple. Because of its incredible expense (many times more expensive than gold), in antiquity purple became a symbol of royalty because only the very wealthy could afford it. As a seller of purple, Lydia was probably quite wealthy in her own right, but money was not her God. It is interesting to note that Thyratira was located in the province of Lydia, where it is probable that Lydia received her name.
ACTS 16:16-23
16 Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling.
17 This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation."
18 And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And he came out that very hour.
19 But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.
20 And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, "These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city;
21 "and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe."
22 Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods.
23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.
Satan doesn't take the casting out of his demons lightly, and sometimes acts swiftly against those who have done so, as is shown here.
Notice that they only seized Paul and Silas who were Jews, not Timothy or Luke who were Gentiles. Paul and Silas were seen as the leaders of their group and the authorities believed that if they made examples of the leaders, the rest would either flee or stop their activities, or so they thought.
Being beaten with rods would be called "caning" today, in which the victim is beaten with one or more flexible canes. This is a horrific punishment as it not only inflicts great pain, it also produces deep welts and cuts on the skin. Some Asian nations (Singapore and Thailand) still use caning as a punishment and the international community is trying to get the practice banished as an excessively cruel punishment despite its effectiveness in deterring criminal behavior.
Notice that they were convicted and jailed without trial or allowed a rebuttal of the charges. Satan will never fight fairly, unless God commands it of him. God uses everything to His own glory, so even when Satan thinks he was outwitted God, he will always lose. As Paul would later say;
ROMANS 8:28
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
ACTS 16:24-34
24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed.
27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself.
28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here."
29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.
30 And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
31 So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household."
32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.
34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.
This was more than just an earthquake, in that all of the prisoners' chains were also loosed. Back in those days, if a prisoner escaped, the keeper of the jail could forfeit his own life. The jailor, seeing that all of the prison doors were opened, figured to take his own life quickly, rather than suffer execution which could include being burned alive.
Note that the jailor apparently had a house within the prison itself, where he kept his family. It was probably located within the prison grounds, but adjoining the prison building itself. He also showed great care by the fact that he washed their wounds, probably using wine (to prevent infection) and oil (to keep the skin soft) after washing them with water. We know the jailor believed and was saved, and chances are good that one or more of the prisoners may have believed after hearing Paul and Silas singing to God in spite of their wounds. God always uses situations for His glory, and chances are good that the prisoners may never have heard the message otherwise.
ACTS 16:35-40
35 And when it was day, the magistrates sent the officers, saying, "Let those men go."
36 So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul, saying, "The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace."
37 But Paul said to them, "They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out."
38 And the officers told these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans.
39 Then they came and pleaded with them and brought them out, and asked them to depart from the city.
40 So they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.
The reason the magistrates were so afraid when they learned that these men were Roman citizens was that their actions of punishment without a legal trial and conviction of a Roman citizen would probably be a death sentence by Caesar, if Paul and Silas chose to appeal to him. Note that Paul and Silas didn't take revenge, they trusted in God and continued their ministry.
ACTS 17:1-4
1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.
2 Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ."
4 And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.
Notice that women as well as men believed in Jesus. When it comes to salvation, each person will be judged by their own personal freewill choices. Each man or woman must make their own choice as to whom they will follow; nobody else can make that decision for you. That is why baptism is only for those above the age of accountability. Only then can you choose whom you want to serve, repent of your sins, proclaim your belief in Jesus Christ and claim Him as your Lord and Master.
The Greeks spoken of here were "proselytes", converts to Judaism. And note the difference between Hebrew and Greek culture here, in that women were respected in business and could even hold political office, unlike Jewish women who were required to be homemakers.
ACTS 17:5-9
5 But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.
6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.
7 "Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king Jesus."
8 And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things.
9 So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
The unbelieving Jews again show their hypocrisy here, in that they rejected God as King, and claimed Caesar as their king, much as they did when the Jews as a nation rejected Jesus at His trial before Pilate.
By bringing such charges against Jason and others before the magistrates it forced the magistrates to act for if they didn't, they would be seen as allowing rebellion against Caesar, a crime punishable by execution. The magistrates acted wisely in that they merely took Jason's word of honor that they were not citing rebellion and let them go.
ACTS 17:10-12
10 Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.
12 Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.
One has to respect these Jews as they listened, then checked the Word of God to verify the truth of their words. This should be an example to all of us, in that there would be far fewer denominations and outright unscriptural doctrines if people would only verify the doctrines and messages being promoted, verifying them against Scripture, in context.
Knowledge of the Scriptures is a mighty shield against false doctrines, some of which are quite believable unless one is thoroughly grounded in the Word of God. He gave us His Word to show us what is right and wrong in His sight, and to identify and condemn Satanic counterfeits which ensnare the unwary. As Peter warned;
2 PETER 2:1-3
1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.
3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.
Note that Peter says that these false teachers will be driven by covetousness (greed). How many TV evangelists do you see who are always asking for money, yet dress in expensive suits, sport expensive watches, drive in limousines and own one or more private jets? How many promise salvation and healing if you donate money to their ministry? Is this what Jesus taught? Remember, the only possessions Jesus had were the clothes on His back and even those were taken from Him at the cross.
The apostle John also warned against false doctrines brought by false prophets;
1 JOHN 4:1-3
1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
ACTS 17:13-15
13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds.
14 Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there.
15 So those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed.
Thessalonica was a major seaport in ancient Macedonia at the junction of two major Roman roads. Berea was about 35 miles west of Thessalonica, and this shows the zeal and hatred of the Jews concerning Paul in that they were willing to travel that far just to raise persecution against him. And note that as in other places, it was Paul whom they persecuted, not others with him. Timothy and Silas remained behind and were apparently not bothered by the persecutors.
I strongly suspect that much of the venom against Paul was business-related, for if people started following Paul's preaching and teachings, the people would not do business with the unbelieving Jews and they would quickly lose their livelihoods. Therefore they had to discredit Paul and drive him out of their areas so as to retain their positions and businesses.
ACTS 17:16-21
16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.
17 Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.
18 Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, "What does this babbler want to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods," because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.
19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak?
20 "For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean."
21 For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.
The Areopagus (Greek: “hill of Ares”) was the meeting place of the city Fathers and elders who exercised authority in political, educational and religious matters, and was a place studded with temples to Greek and Roman gods.
By Paul speaking in front of the Areopagus court, the words he spoke would be spread all over the entire city very quickly, as there were benches carved from the rocks where younger men of the city would come to listen to the court.
The Stoics were a curious bunch in that they believed that by strict mastery of emotions they could attain internal peace and that emotional discord (fear, anger, etc.) were cause by lack of understanding of natural law. (Gives a new meaning to the concept "self-centered" doesn't it?)
The Epicureans by contrast believed in the indulgence of modest pleasures (eating and drinking) as a method to find inner peace, but they also taught that all things were to be done in moderation so as to not lead to excess in anything. Epicureans also did not believe in any kind of divinity.
ACTS 17:22-34
22 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;
23 "for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:
24 "God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.
25 "Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.
26 "And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,
27 "so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;
28 "for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.'
29 "Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising.
30 "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,
31 "because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."
32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, "We will hear you again on this matter."
33 So Paul departed from among them.
34 However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
The Athenians weren't taking any chances on missing (and offending) any god, so they built an altar to "the unknown God" just to be sure. It may seem comical to us, but in their eyes this was a serious matter. As a cosmopolitan city and the capital of Greece, they saw many people of many different religions come through their city, and they wanted to let others know that they (and their gods) were welcome.
Paul showed them the error of believing that God, being of a divine nature, could be expressed or contained in a stone or metal idol or in a temple, which was a new concept to them as idolatry was at the core of their religious beliefs. A single God who created all things, and who didn't require an elaborate temple, or lavish gifts of gold and silver as part of worship? This was fascinating!
These ideas apparently intrigued many of the Athenians and the simplicity of Paul's message stirred some of them to believe in which two are actually named. I suspect that by their being named they were prestigious and well-known people in their own right, and anyone who wished to verify Luke's account could find and interview these people.
The preaching of the resurrection of the dead was really intriguing to the Greeks, as they believed the dead went to Hades, the dark, gloomy place of the dead and never returned, roaming about in Hades for eternity. Yet here was one preaching that the dead would be raised to life again and would stand in judgment before this new God.
Note that Paul spoke his message and then left, so that his listeners could ponder what he had taught them. He didn't badger or condemn them, he merely baited the hook and waited to see who would respond.
ACTS 18:1-4
1 After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth.
2 And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them.
3 So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers.
4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.
Emperor Claudius Caesar reigned from 41 A.D. - 54 A.D. During this time, Roman historian Suetonius mentions that Claudius expelled all Jews from Rome because of disturbances created by a new religious sect whose leader was "Chrestus" (Christ). The biggest "disturbance" was due to the fact that the Jews of this sect didn't worship Roman gods or eat swine's flesh (pork). Claudius, in order to keep the peace, banished all Jews from Rome.
Corinth was (and still is) a major city located about 40 miles west of Athens at the eastern edge of the Corinth Canal, a narrow passage that separates the Greek mainland from a major island (Peloponnesus) immediately to the west. Pontus is located on the Southern shore of the Black Sea in modern day Turkey.
Aquila (Latin: Eagle); Priscilla (Latin: Little old woman).
Paul learned tentmaking as a child before becoming a student of the Law, as it was the custom for all sons to learn a trade in childhood. This may or may not have been the trade of his father before him, as sometimes fathers would apprentice their sons to trades other than the family trade. Notice that Paul worked to earn a living while he taught the Word of God to others, that way he wasn't being a burden to Aquila and Priscilla.
ACTS 18:5-7
5 When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ.
6 But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, "Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."
7 And he departed from there and entered the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue.
This was a major turning point in Paul's ministry, in that he would now focus his efforts on bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles. He would not neglect the Jews, but his main ministry and mission would be to bring Jesus to the Gentiles. God will send people to tell the gospel to others, but if they refuse to listen sometimes God will have you leave, and will send you to speak to others who will hear His words and come to believe in the Lord Jesus.
Paul shook his clothing, similar to shaking the dust from our feet as Jesus commanded. Justus (Latin: Just).
ACTS 18:8-11
8 Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized.
9 Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent;
10 "for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city."
11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
God definitely had plans for Corinth to be a major hub of Gentile worship, in that he commanded Paul to preach freely to them without fear. God restrained Satan and his servants for Paul was able to preach and teach freely for 18 months to those willing to listen! Crispus (Latin: curled, possibly referring to having curly hair).
ACTS 18:12-16
12 When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat,
13 saying, "This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law."
14 And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, "If it were a matter of wrongdoing or wicked crimes, O Jews, there would be reason why I should bear with you.
15 "But if it is a question of words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves; for I do not want to be a judge of such matters."
16 And he drove them from the judgment seat.
An edict from Claudius Caesar has been found in Delphi (a city in central Greece) proclaiming Gallio as the proconsul (chief governor) of Achaia (the Peloponnesus peninsula). This dates Paul's visit, for the edict was issued in A.D. 51, and proconsuls served for one year. So again, history verified the meticulous accuracy of Luke's writings.
Apparently Gallio was either wise, or was aware of the friction between the Jews and Paul. This could very well be one of the first recorded instances of separation between Church and State. And Gallio publicly humiliated the jealous Jews by throwing them out of court. Remember, God had previously promised Paul that no one would hurt him in the city.
ACTS 18:17
17 Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things.
The Gentiles in Corinth were hungry for the Word of God and many had become believers. When the Jews of the synagogue tried to unjustly accuse Paul, in a case of poetic justice the Greek believers beat the leader of the accusers while still in the court area. Gallio must have subtly approved as he did nothing to stop them.
Sosthenes (Greek: Safe Strength).
ACTS 18:18-23
18 So Paul still remained a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He had his hair cut off at Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow.
19 And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.
20 When they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent,
21 but took leave of them, saying, "I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, God willing." And he sailed from Ephesus.
22 And when he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up and greeted the church, he went down to Antioch.
23 After he had spent some time there, he departed and went over the region of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples.
The custom of the time was that when a vow was taken, you were to shave your head, then no razor was to touch your head again until the vow had been completed at which time you would shave off all of your hair again, showing the completion of a vow.
Notice that Paul told the people in Ephesus that he wanted to return, but he told them "God willing", as Paul knew to put the will of God above his own will. We need to remember this in our own lives. Sometimes God wants us to do something for Him and we want to do something else or we are willing to do what He wants but at a more convenient time. As followers of Jesus we must put the will of the Lord above our own will.
MATTHEW 7:21-27
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
22 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'
23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'
24 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
25 "and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:
27 "and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."
We are to continuously encourage and strengthen each other, taking care of one another.
HEBREWS 10:24-25
24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
ACTS 18:24-28
24 Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus.
25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John.
26 So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
27 And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace;
28 for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.
Apollos means "A Destroyer". He had a heart for God, but needed more knowledge, which God supplied through Aquila and Priscilla. Notice that Aquila and Priscilla took him aside and told him about Jesus who followed after John had prepared the way for Him. They didn't publically denounce him, but with great care and the love of Christ taught Apollos the rest of the gospel that he didn't know.
ACTS 19:1-7
1 And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples
2 he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" So they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit."
3 And he said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?" So they said, "Into John's baptism."
4 Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus."
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.
7 Now the men were about twelve in all.
These men like Apollos had only heard the ministry of John the Baptist, and once Paul told them about Jesus they became believers. The Holy Spirit had not been generally given so as to continue magnifying the apostles’ ministry. One thing to note is that not everyone who receives the Holy Spirit will speak in tongues or prophesy. Just as we have a body composed of different parts having different functions, even so is the body of believers.
As Paul would later say;
1 CORINTHIANS 12:27-31
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.
29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?
30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
31 But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.
ACTS 19:8-10
8 And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God.
9 But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.
10 And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
Paul spoke to all who would listen, and when the people of the area no longer wanted to listen, the Lord told Paul to go elsewhere and continue preaching His Word. God's Word will always accomplish His purposes.
ISAIAH 55:11
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
The school that Tyrannus presided over was more than likely a school of learning of the Law, one of many such schools that rose in countries where the Jews dwelt. Note that apparently Paul's teachings spread all through Asia Minor during the two years he spent there.
ACTS 19:11-12
11 Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul,
12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.
This also shows that we never know the method God will use to accomplish His will. He delights in accomplishing things in ways that we would never have considered. Jesus also healed in unusual ways;
MARK 8:23
23 So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.
JOHN 9:6-7
6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.
7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.
ACTS 19:13-17
13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches."
14 Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.
15 And the evil spirit answered and said, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?"
16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
17 This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
Demons can control the physiology of the human body, and can increase the strength of a human greatly. They must obey Jesus, and Jesus gave His followers permission to use His name and the authority that goes with His name for these purposes. However, these men weren't followers of Jesus, and the demon knew it. They can see if we have Jesus Christ in us or not. These men had seen the popularity of Jesus' disciples and wanted some of that adulation for themselves, and took it upon themselves to use Jesus' name against the demon within the possessed man.
The measure of the demonic enhanced strength of the man is shown in that he attacked all seven of the men, tearing off their clothes and wounding them all, bringing public shame and humiliation on all of them. Apparently Paul was well-known in Satan's kingdom in that the demon definitely knew who he was.
ACTS 19:18-21
18 And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds.
19 Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver.
20 So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.
21 When these things were accomplished, Paul purposed in the Spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome."
The reason they burned their books was that when you choose to follow Jesus you must stop all service to Satan's kingdom. The books would be a continuous temptation to them and would give Satan and his demons the legal right to remain in their houses and to afflict them.
As Jesus said;
MATTHEW 6:24
24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
ACTS 19:22
22 So he sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, but he himself stayed in Asia for a time.
It is fascinating to note that a paving stone with Erastus' name has been found in the ruins of ancient Ephesus. The paving stone, (used much like a hanging sign advertising a business today) stated that Erastus was the treasurer of the city. This one of the very few cases where a believer named in the New Testament has had actual proof of their existence confirmed.
ACTS 19:23-41
23 And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way.
24 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen.
25 He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: "Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade.
26 "Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands.
27 "So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may be despised and her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship."
28 Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!"
29 So the whole city was filled with confusion, and rushed into the theater with one accord, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul's travel companions.
30 And when Paul wanted to go in to the people, the disciples would not allow him.
31 Then some of the officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent to him pleading that he would not venture into the theater.
32 Some therefore cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused, and most of them did not know why they had come together.
33 And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander motioned with his hand, and wanted to make his defense to the people.
34 But when they found out that he was a Jew, all with one voice cried out for about two hours, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!"
35 And when the city clerk had quieted the crowd, he said: "Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple guardian of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Zeus?
36 "Therefore, since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rashly.
37 "For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess.
38 "Therefore, if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a case against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another.
39 "But if you have any other inquiry to make, it shall be determined in the lawful assembly.
40 "For we are in danger of being called in question for today's uproar, there being no reason which we may give to account for this disorderly gathering."
41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
Ah, greed, one of the most powerful corrupting emotions a human can have. The disciples were not forcing anyone to believe in Jesus, but the number of people turning to Jesus had these merchants afraid of losing their livelihood. If there enough people willing to follow the Lord, He will allow His presence and those who follow Him to stay in an area and continue to preach His words. Once again the Lord took care of the situation without Paul uttering a single word of defense.
ACTS 20:1-6
1 After the uproar had ceased, Paul called the disciples to himself, embraced them, and departed to go to Macedonia.
2 Now when he had gone over that region and encouraged them with many words, he came to Greece
3 and stayed three months. And when the Jews plotted against him as he was about to sail to Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia.
4 And Sopater of Berea accompanied him to Asia also Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.
5 These men, going ahead, waited for us at Troas.
6 But we sailed away from Philippi after the Days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days joined them at Troas, where we stayed seven days.
Troas was on the north-western most part of the Asia Minor peninsula now known as Turkey.
Sopater (Savior of his father) Aristarchus (The best ruler) Secundus (Second)
Gaius (Lord) (Latin - Caius) Timothy (Venerating God) Tychicus (Fortuitous)
Trophimus (Greek - Nourishing)
Remember that during Paul's time, Macedonia was a large area to the north and east of ancient Greece and was the home of Alexander the Great and his father king Philip of Macedon. It had a huge coastline along the Aegean sea and much of their commerce was from sea trade.
Macedon was essentially a Greek kingdom but was despised by the Greeks themselves as barbarians because they didn't have well-developed city-states and political systems as did the Greeks. In 349 B.C. Philip decided to put a stop to that, and in 338 conquered all of Greece except for Sparta, uniting all of Greece under one king and putting an end to the city-states. He was later assassinated in 336 B.C. His son Alexander took over and the rest is, literally, history. Today, Greece owns all of the former land of ancient Macedonia.
Note that Luke never mentions himself in these narratives, but uses only the term "we" to include himself as being with them.
ACTS 20:7-12
7 Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.
8 There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together.
9 And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead.
10 But Paul went down, fell on him, and embracing him said, "Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him."
11 Now when he had come up, had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he departed.
12 And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted.
Eutychus (Good Fortune). Just as God allowed Paul to use the power of God to save this man's life, there are many miracles that the Lord will allow His people do in His name. Just be sure that what you do is His will, not for your own glory.
Remember Jesus' warning about these things;
MATTHEW 7:20-23
20 "Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
22 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'
23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'
ACTS 20:13-16
13 Then we went ahead to the ship and sailed to Assos, there intending to take Paul on board; for so he had given orders, intending himself to go on foot.
14 And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene.
15 We sailed from there, and the next day came opposite Chios. The following day we arrived at Samos and stayed at Trogyllium. The next day we came to Miletus.
16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the Day of Pentecost.
Assos was a short distance south from Troas, about a 20 mile walk. It is unknown as to why Paul chose to walk to this town. The other places (Mitylene, Chios, Samos and Trogyllium) seem to have been small villages along the western coast of Turkey, short hops as sailing goes. Ephesus was about 15 miles north of Miletus.
Most sailing at that time (with possible exception of the Phoenicians) was done by hugging the coasts, as deep-sea navigation wasn't that well developed yet.
ACTS 20:17-27
17 From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church.
18 And when they had come to him, he said to them: "You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you,
19 "serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews;
20 "how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house,
21 "testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
22 "And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there,
23 "except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me.
24 "But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
25 "And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more.
26 "Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men.
27 "For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.
Even though Paul knows that severe trials and tribulations will soon be upon him, he is more concerned with encouraging the elders of this young church. By reminding them of the way he lived and shared the gospel, it will help the elders to stay strong for the Lord. Paul understood that doing the will of God should be the highest priority for us, even if it means dying in His service.
As Jesus said;
MATTHEW 10:28
28 "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
ACTS 20:28-38
28 "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
29 "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.
30 "Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.
31 "Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.
32 "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
33 "I have coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel.
34 "Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me.
35 "I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.
37 Then they all wept freely, and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him,
38 sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship.
Paul warned the elders of things to come and how to overcome these tribulations. These men are the "watchmen" over this church, that is a great responsibility before the Lord. As He himself said to the prophet Ezekiel;
EZEKIEL 3:16-18
16 Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
17 "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me:
18 "When I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.
Just as Ezekiel was a watchmen to Judah, we are to be watchmen in the churches we attend, for wherever the people of God gather together Satan will have his servants among them, like weeds in a garden. Many years later when John wrote the book of Revelation, he was to write a letter to the church of Ephesus;
REVELATIONS 2:1-7
1 "To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, 'These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:
2 "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars;
3 "and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary.
4 "Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
5 "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent.
6 "But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."'
The Nicolaitans were a heretical “Christian church” that believed that the body was unredeemable and could sin all it wanted, but the spirit could remain free from sin through Jesus Christ.
ACTS 21:1-7
1 Now it came to pass, that when we had departed from them and set sail, running a straight course we came to Cos, the following day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.
2 And finding a ship sailing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail.
3 When we had sighted Cyprus, we passed it on the left, sailed to Syria, and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload her cargo.
4 And finding disciples, we stayed there seven days. They told Paul through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem.
5 When we had come to the end of those days, we departed and went on our way; and they all accompanied us, with wives and children, till we were out of the city. And we knelt down on the shore and prayed.
6 When we had taken our leave of one another, we boarded the ship, and they returned home.
7 And when we had finished our voyage from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, greeted the brethren, and stayed with them one day.
By Luke's description of passing Cyprus on the left, this indicates that they passed below the island on a basically diagonal course across the Mediterranean Sea. They apparently stopped at a port in Syria before traveling further south to the Phoenician port of Tyre in Lebanon.
I have wondered why the Spirit ordered that Paul should not yet go to Jerusalem. Curiously, Luke gives no indications as to why this is. Yet even though it was Paul's desire to go to Jerusalem, notice that He followed the will of the Lord over his own will. This is a good lesson for all of us who follow the Lord. No matter the circumstance, we must do His will above our own will, trusting that there is a good reason for it.
ACTS 21:8-15
8 On the next day we who were Paul's companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.
9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.
10 And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.
11 When he had come to us, he took Paul's belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit, 'So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'"
12 Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem.
13 Then Paul answered, "What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."
14 So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, "The will of the Lord be done."
15 And after those days we packed and went up to Jerusalem.
Agabus (Locust). Paul wasn't worried or afraid, he already knew what was coming, just not all the details. Paul just wanted to finish his race for the Lord, above all do the will of the Lord. May we all be of the same mind!
ACTS 21:16-25
16 Also some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us and brought with them a certain Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to lodge.
17 And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.
18 On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.
19 When he had greeted them, he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, "You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law;
21 "but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs.
22 "What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come.
23 "Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow.
24 "Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads, and that all may know that those things of which they were informed concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly and keep the law.
25 "But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality."
Mnason (Remembering). Again we see where James is the head of the Church, not Peter. He and the other leaders wanted the Jews of Jerusalem and Judea to understand that Paul has not forsaken the laws set down by Moses as he had been accused of doing.
The four men in question were more than likely men who had taken the Nazirite vow of holiness before the Lord;
NUMBERS 6:1-5
1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2 "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When either a man or woman consecrates an offering to take the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD,
3 he shall separate himself from wine and similar drink; he shall drink neither vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from similar drink; neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins.
4 All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, from seed to skin.
5 All the days of the vow of his separation no razor shall come upon his head; until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the LORD, he shall be holy. Then he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.
When the vow of a Nazirite was completed, there were definite expenses involved in the purification of the one who had made the vow;
NUMBERS 6:13-18
13 'Now this is the law of the Nazirite: When the days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall be brought to the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
14 And he shall present his offering to the LORD: one male lamb in its first year without blemish as a burnt offering, one ewe lamb in its first year without blemish as a sin offering, one ram without blemish as a peace offering,
15 a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and their grain offering with their drink offerings.
16 'Then the priest shall bring them before the LORD and offer his sin offering and his burnt offering;
17 and he shall offer the ram as a sacrifice of a peace offering to the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread; the priest shall also offer its grain offering and its drink offering.
18 Then the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offering.
Note that the Nazirite was required to shave his head when their vow was completed. James mentioned that the men whose expenses Paul was to cover were to shave their heads during the purification process. This indicates to me that they had taken a Nazirite vow.
By having Paul cover the expenses of the fulfillment of the Nazirite vow, he would be showing his approval of the Law and his willingness to follow it's dictates before all of the Jews.
Sadly, even today some Jewish people believe that when a Jew comes to believe in Jesus the Messiah, they stop being a Jew. Some families even hold "funerals" for the believer, or disown them completely, calling them a Gentile and will actively shun them. Some have reported that family members have actually spit in their faces to show their disgust.
Being a Jew comes through your bloodlines, and it doesn't matter if you believe in Jesus or not, if you were born a Jew you will be a Jew for your entire lifetime. Nothing can or should change that. There are certain requirements for the Jews that God set as statutes to be followed forever. These must be followed by all Jews, whether they are believers or not. But Gentiles who are believers are not required to follow these statutes, as the Law was never written for the Gentiles. However there are things that ALL Jews and Gentiles are to keep completely away from:
1) Things offered to idols - These foods and other things will have demons attached because they have been dedicated to demon gods. If you freely accept any of these things this will give the demons legal access to you.
2) Blood - even before the Law was given to Moses, God set this statute.
GENESIS 9:3-5
3 "Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs.
4 "But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
5 "Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man's brother I will require the life of man.
3) Things strangled -when an animal was strangled, the blood was not properly removed. The blood would be absorbed by the surrounding tissues in the animal and would be impossible to remove properly, which would break the statute to not consume blood.
4) Sexual immorality -This has been a statute in both Testaments, and is specifically condemned in the New Testament.
GALATIANS 5:19-23
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
ACTS 21:26-30
26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having been purified with them, entered the temple to announce the expiration of the days of purification, at which time an offering should be made for each one of them.
27 Now when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him,
28 crying out, "Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place."
29 (For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)
30 And all the city was disturbed; and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple; and immediately the doors were shut.
Paul was tried and convicted by these men without proof of a crime. When a group of people are stirred up, they don't think or ask if the accusations are true, they simply follow the agitators in the crowd.
Those who agitate and stir up crowds, even today, seldom use the truth, or if they do it is a warped version of the truth. This is a popular tactic for those who want power, but those who truly follow Jesus and speak the truth have no need to agitate crowds with half-truths and falsehoods to incite rioting. Jesus never screamed or yelled when He spoke with and taught the people, and He always taught the truth.
In the days when the Temple still stood, there was a courtyard outside of the Temple itself called "The Court of the Gentiles". This is where Gentile followers of the Law could congregate and discuss matters of faith and the Law, but they were not allowed into the Temple itself, as it would defile the Temple. In fact, in 1871 a stone block was discovered with an inscription in Greek forbidding Gentiles from entering the Temple sanctuary upon pain of death.
The Temple Guard was created to keep order within the Temple and to carry out this death sentence if any Gentile tried to enter the Temple itself.
ACTS 21:31-40
31 Now as they were seeking to kill him, news came to the commander of the garrison that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.
32 He immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down to them. And when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
33 Then the commander came near and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and he asked who he was and what he had done.
34 And some among the multitude cried one thing and some another. So when he could not ascertain the truth because of the tumult, he commanded him to be taken into the barracks.
35 When he reached the stairs, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob.
36 For the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, "Away with him!"
37 Then as Paul was about to be led into the barracks, he said to the commander, "May I speak to you?" He replied, "Can you speak Greek?
38 "Are you not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?"
39 But Paul said, "I am a Jew from Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city; and I implore you, permit me to speak to the people."
40 So when he had given him permission, Paul stood on the stairs and motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, saying,
The Romans were quite strict concerning riots in any province under their control, and they were not averse to breaking heads to put a stop to such.
The garrison commander of Jerusalem was at that time under direct command of either king Herod Agrippa I (ruled from 37 - 44 A.D.); or one of the procurators of that time frame: Cuspius Fadus (44 - 46 A.D.), Tiberius Alexander (46 - 48 A.D.), or Ventidius Camanus (48-52 A.D.). Luke does not give a time frame reference for this event, but it was apparently before the time of Antonius Felix (52 - 59 A.D.) and king Herod Agrippa II (53 - 93 A.D.), who are mentioned later in the Book of Acts. In any case, the Roman commander immediately found out what the problem was, and pulled Paul to safety, with the Roman soldiers having to carry Paul on their shoulders to keep the crowd from striking him and grabbing him.
Apparently the garrison commander thought Paul was the ringleader of a group of assassins (called Zealots) which had created a riot some years earlier. The Zealots were political assassins who murdered anyone they felt was cooperating with the Romans and even killed Roman soldiers when they could. They would slip up behind their target in a crowd, stab the victim with a short dagger (called a "sica" by the Romans) and then would disappear in the crowd. The Romans called them "Sicarii" (dagger men), and hated and feared them.
This Zealot group spoken of by the Roman commander was led by an illiterate Egyptian who called himself a "prophet", and who had gathered the Zealots together and commanded that the walls of Jerusalem fall down before him as a symbol of his power. The Romans immediately marched out against him and his army, and thousands of zealots were slaughtered. The Egyptian apparently escaped.
Common Greek (called Koine Greek) was used as a common language between nations at that time, which is why the Roman commander was surprised that Paul spoke Greek to him, as he knew the illiterate Zealots could not speak Greek. Paul shows his polished training as a Pharisee, in that it was the mark of trained Greek and Roman orators and speakers to motion toward the audience with their hand to connect them to their audience when they was about to make an oration or speech.
ACTS 22:1-3
1 "Brethren and fathers, hear my defense before you now."
2 And when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent. Then he said:
3 "I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers' law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today.
Note how Paul connects with his audience by calling them "brothers and fathers". In this, he is proclaiming that he is as much a Jew as they are, and cements this relationship by speaking to them in Hebrew, rather than the common Greek or Aramaic language that was used all over the Middle East.
By proclaiming that he had been taught by the famous Jewish teacher Joseph ben Gamaliel, he was showing that he indeed understood the Oral Law, having received instruction in the strictest sect of the Pharisees. (This is the same Gamaliel who in Acts chapter 5 counseled the Sanhedrin to not kill Peter and John when they were put on trial for preaching and healing in Jesus' name.)
ACTS 22:4-5
4 "I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women,
5 "as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished.
Paul is quite bold in admitting that he persecuted and imprisoned Christians, even going so far as to travel to Syria to arrest them and calls on the High Priest and the elders of the Sanhedrin to bear witness to the fact that they had supported him in his efforts. (I'm sure the High Priest and the elders weren't exactly thrilled with Paul's comments).
Paul is attempting to show his previous zealousness in persecuting Christians, freely admitting that he was rabid in his efforts to follow the Law and stamp out any form of heresy even to the point of arresting and jailing those in other countries. He is doing this to show how wrong in God's eyes he was, even though he himself thought he was doing God a service in his efforts.
ACTS 22:6-13
6 "Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me.
7 "And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?'
8 "So I answered, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said to me, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.'
9 "And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me.
10 "So I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord said to me, 'Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.'
11 "And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.
12 "Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there,
13 "came to me; and he stood and said to me, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight.' And at that same hour I looked up at him.
Again Paul connects with the Law by mentioning that he had been healed by Ananias, who was a devout follower of the Law. By doing this Paul was about to lead into the fact that according to the Law, he was blameless in his actions, but was guilty according to the new covenant in Jesus Christ.
Paul also states that there were witnesses to what had happened to him, people who could verify his story. The fact that they were traveling with him as he went to Damascus with arrest warrants from the High Priest (more than likely Joseph ben Caiaphas who presided over Jesus' trial) shows that they were of some significance religiously and politically. Therefore their testimony would hold great weight if questioned about the incident.
ACTS 22:14-21
14 "Then he said, 'The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth.
15 'For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.
16 'And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.'
17 "Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance
18 "and saw Him saying to me, 'Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.'
19 "So I said, 'Lord, they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believe on You.
20 'And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.'
21 "Then He said to me, 'Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.'"
Paul finally wraps up his defense by leading into the fact that even though he was blameless according to the Law, in the sight of God he was guilty of grave sins in persecuting Jesus Christ and His followers. He began as a vessel of dishonor, but became a vessel of honor for the Lord. As he would later teach his fellow traveler Timothy;
2 TIMOTHY 2:20-21
20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.
21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
Paul tried to show them that God had personally chosen him and had forewarned him of the persecutions that would be raised against him by the Jews, and that he had been specifically commissioned by God to go to the Gentiles which he had been faithful to do.
ACTS 22:22-24
22 And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!"
23 Then, as they cried out and tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air,
24 the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and said that he should be examined under scourging, so that he might know why they shouted so against him.
Mentioning the Gentiles was apparently the wrong thing, as it triggered the riot again. The Jews were not necessarily biased against the Gentiles, but the Law had hardened some of them to the point of where they believed that if God's laws were given to the Gentiles, their special place as God's chosen people would diminish. Even Peter learned a hard lesson when he and those with him were astounded when the Holy Spirit fell on Roman centurion Cornelius and those of his household. (Acts chapter 10)
Scourging was a horrifying punishment, and most criminals would confess their crimes just by being threatened with scourging. During scourging, the victim was stripped and bound so that they were bent over, with the skin of the back and legs made tight and exposed.
Then a pair of soldiers would stand on either side of the victim and whip them repeatedly with leather thongs which were tipped with dumbbell shaped lead pieces. The result would be deep bruising and tearing of the skin and muscles, and internal bleeding. Many victims died of the trauma of scourging. Even battle-hardened Roman soldiers were frightened of being scourged. But the Romans considered it to be a most effective way of wringing information from prisoners.
ACTS 22:25-30
25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?"
26 When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, "Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman."
27 Then the commander came and said to him, "Tell me, are you a Roman?" He said, "Yes."
28 The commander answered, "With a large sum I obtained this citizenship." And Paul said, "But I was born a citizen."
29 Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.
30 The next day, because he wanted to know for certain why he was accused by the Jews, he released him from his bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down and set him before them.
Being a Roman citizen included many rights guaranteed under Roman law. Being born a citizen gave you more rights that someone who bought their citizenship. Anyone who denied or violated the legal rights of a Roman citizen could be charged with treason against Caesar.
Some of the rights granted to Roman Citizens were:
1) The right to not be subjected to torture or scourging, unless directly commanded by Caesar.
2) The right to appeal the decisions of magistrates before a higher court, even all the way up to Caesar himself.
3) The right to have a trial and be allowed to defend themselves.
4) Roman citizens could not be crucified, unless convicted of a capital crime such as treason.
ACTS 23:1-5
1 Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, "Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day."
2 And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.
3 Then Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the Law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the Law?"
4 And those who stood by said, "Do you revile God's high priest?"
5 Then Paul said, "I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, 'You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'"
Paul, having studied under famous Rabbi Gamaliel was an expert in the Law, so he knew that Ananias' (Ananias ben Nebedius: 46-52 A.D.) order to strike him was illegal according to the Law, which the Sadducees claimed to faithfully follow. Apparently this was a typical response of Ananias and his henchmen to those who stood in judgment before him. Note here the similarity to what happened during Jesus' trial before High Priest Annas;
JOHN 18:19-24
19 The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine.
20 Jesus answered him, "I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing.
21 Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know what I said."
22 And when He had said these things, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, "Do You answer the High Priest like that?"
23 Jesus answered him, "If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?"
24 Then Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the High Priest.
Note carefully again here that Luke calls both Annas and Caiaphas the High Priests as was discussed in the study of the book of Luke.
In a fascinating proof of Luke's accuracy in his writings, in November of 1990 the limestone ossuary (coffin) of Joseph ben Caiaphas was discovered in Jerusalem by excavators who accidentally broke into the burial chamber. The bones were of a man who died at the age of about 60 years, with no date given for the date of his death.
Paul had been gone for quite a while on his missionary journeys, and Ananias must not have been wearing his High Priest robes for Paul to not have recognized that he was the High Priest. Chances are pretty good that there had been several changes in men holding the office of the High Priest since Paul's conversion (8 High Priests during the 10 years between Caiaphas and Ananias alone).
It is fascinating that Ananias apparently died within the same year of Paul's trial, for Paul was later sent to Governor Felix who started his procuratorship in 52 A.D., and Ananias apparently died in 52 A.D. God had indeed struck down the "whitewashed wall" as Paul had predicted.
ACTS 23:6-11
6 But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, "Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!"
7 And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided.
8 For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both.
9 Then there arose a loud outcry. And the scribes of the Pharisees' party arose and protested, saying, "We find no evil in this man; but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God."
10 Now when there arose a great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks.
11 But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, "Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome."
This was a shrewd maneuver on Paul's part. He could see by the manner of dress among the Sanhedrin that part were Pharisees and part were Sadducees and he used the rivalry and division between them to his advantage. According to the Law he could not be convicted unless there was a consensus between the members of the Sanhedrin that he was guilty and by dividing the Sanhedrin they could not convict him.
I doubt that the trial took place within the Temple, seeing as how the Romans came in and removed Paul by force from among the members of the Sanhedrin. Gentiles were forbidden to enter the Temple on pain of death, and to keep the peace the Romans respected this, so this trial must have been in a different location, perhaps in the Court of the Gentiles outside of the Temple itself. But as Luke doesn't say, we can only speculate.
Jesus that night let Paul know that he would be going to Rome to continue sharing the gospel, so Paul knew that he would not be put to death in Jerusalem.
ACTS 23:12-24
12 And when it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.
13 Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy.
14 They came to the chief priests and elders, and said, "We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul.
15 "Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning him; but we are ready to kill him before he comes near."
16 So when Paul's sister's son heard of their ambush, he went and entered the barracks and told Paul.
17 Then Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, "Take this young man to the commander, for he has something to tell him."
18 So he took him and brought him to the commander and said, "Paul the prisoner called me to him and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to say to you."
19 Then the commander took him by the hand, went aside, and asked privately, "What is it that you have to tell me?"
20 And he said, "The Jews have agreed to ask that you bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire more fully about him.
21 "But do not yield to them, for more than forty of them lie in wait for him, men who have bound themselves by an oath that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him; and now they are ready, waiting for the promise from you."
22 So the commander let the young man depart, and commanded him, "Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me."
23 And he called for two centurions, saying, "Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at the third hour of the night;
24 "and provide mounts to set Paul on, and bring him safely to Felix the governor."
This indicates the depth of hatred and fear that the Jews had of Paul, in that 40 men swore not to eat or drink until they had killed him. I have often wondered if they broke their vow when Paul was spirited away by the Romans. More than likely they found excuses to break their vow.
It is interesting that while the Sanhedrin was made aware of the plan, they did nothing to stop it. But in this fashion, they would not be connected to Paul's murder should the plan be successful, but could continue their whitewashed piety before the people. Even then "plausible deniability" was in practice!
The Roman commander wasn't taking any chances. He probably understood that the 40 men who were planning to kill Paul were more than likely Zealots, professional assassins, known to be fanatical fighters. So, he ordered an escort of 470 soldiers to escort Paul starting at 9:00 P.M. northward to Caesarea, where the governor of Judea Marcus Antonius Felix (listed as ruling from 52-59 A.D.) resided. There was a strong Roman garrison in Caesarea and the Roman commander knew that not only would Paul would be safe there, but that Paul needed to be judged before the governor concerning the accusations against him.
ACTS 23:25-35
25 He wrote a letter in the following manner:
26 Claudius Lysias, To the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings.
27 This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them. Coming with the troops I rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman.
28 And when I wanted to know the reason they accused him, I brought him before their council.
29 I found out that he was accused concerning questions of their law, but had nothing charged against him deserving of death or chains.
30 And when it was told me that the Jews lay in wait for the man, I sent him immediately to you, and also commanded his accusers to state before you the charges against him. Farewell.
31 Then the soldiers, as they were commanded, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris.
32 The next day they left the horsemen to go on with him, and returned to the barracks.
33 When they came to Caesarea and had delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him.
34 And when the governor had read it, he asked what province he was from. And when he understood that he was from Cilicia,
35 he said, "I will hear you when your accusers also have come." And he commanded him to be kept in Herod's Praetorium.
Claudius Lysias knew that the accusations brought against Paul were outside of his jurisdiction, so he sent him to Felix for judgment. Apparently the soldiers went as far as Antipatris (formerly known as Aphek of the Philistines) about 30 miles northwest of Jerusalem, and about 20 miles south of Caesarea.
This must have been quite a forced march by the soldiers to have covered 30 miles in one night! The soldiers left Paul with the heavy cavalry and went back to Jerusalem while the cavalry went with Paul to Caesarea.
Once in Caesarea, Felix commanded that Paul was to be kept in the Roman barracks for safekeeping.
Felix ("Happy");
Claudius ("lame"); Lysias ("disillusion").
ACTS 24:1-9
1 Now after five days Ananias the high priest came down with the elders and a certain orator named Tertullus. These gave evidence to the governor against Paul.
2 And when he was called upon, Tertullus began his accusation, saying: "Seeing that through you we enjoy great peace, and prosperity is being brought to this nation by your foresight,
3 "we accept it always and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness.
4 "Nevertheless, not to be tedious to you any further, I beg you to hear, by your courtesy, a few words from us.
5 "For we have found this man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.
6 "He even tried to profane the temple, and we seized him, and wanted to judge him according to our law.
7 "But the commander Lysias came by and with great violence took him out of our hands,
8 "commanding his accusers to come to you. By examining him yourself you may ascertain all these things of which we accuse him."
9 And the Jews also assented, maintaining that these things were so.
Tertullus was apparently a great orator as one can tell by his flattering opening remarks, apparently chosen by the Sadducees to present their case before the governor. I think that they figured Tertullus with his polished speech style could present their case before Felix better than they could. The Jews were prepared to accuse Paul, but brought no proof or witnesses with them.
ACTS 24:10-23
10 Then Paul, after the governor had nodded to him to speak, answered: "Inasmuch as I know that you have been for many years a judge of this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself,
11 "because you may ascertain that it is no more than twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem to worship.
12 "And they neither found me in the temple disputing with anyone nor inciting the crowd, either in the synagogues or in the city.
13 "Nor can they prove the things of which they now accuse me.
14 "But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets.
15 "I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.
16 "This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.
17 "Now after many years I came to bring alms and offerings to my nation,
18 "in the midst of which some Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, neither with a mob nor with tumult.
19 "They ought to have been here before you to object if they had anything against me.
20 "Or else let those who are here themselves say if they found any wrongdoing in me while I stood before the council,
21 "unless it is for this one statement which I cried out, standing among them, 'Concerning the resurrection of the dead I am being judged by you this day.'"
22 But when Felix heard these things, having more accurate knowledge of the Way, he adjourned the proceedings and said, "When Lysias the commander comes down, I will make a decision on your case."
23 So he commanded the centurion to keep Paul and to let him have liberty, and told him not to forbid any of his friends to provide for or visit him.
Paul used the simple truth to defend himself. The Jews who were accusing him were not witnesses to his supposed crimes, neither were his true accusers present, nor could the Jews prove their accusations.
Paul also knew that Felix was aware of the Christian faith and had apparently not considered it to be a threat to this point. Paul also stated that he was not being accused of crimes against Roman or Judean law, but was being accused of violating the Law of Moses. Felix wisely said he would await the Roman commander's testimony before proceeding, and ordered that Paul be held under "house arrest" under the guard of a soldier at all times. By this, he showed that he did not consider Paul to be a threat or a criminal either.
ACTS 24:24-27
24 And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.
25 Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, "Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you."
26 Meanwhile he also hoped that money would be given him by Paul, that he might release him. Therefore he sent for him more often and conversed with him.
27 But after two years Porcius Festus succeeded Felix; and Felix, wanting to do the Jews a favor, left Paul bound.
Felix was appointed by Claudius Caesar and served as Roman Procurator from 52 A.D.- 60 A.D. Although he seemed to be a fair ruler, apparently he was known to be greedy for bribes and hoped that Paul would pay him to rule in his favor. But as Paul didn't pay him, he decided to leave Paul imprisoned so that there would be no problems when he left. Basically, Paul was a "hot potato" and he was leaving him for Festus to judge.
It is interesting that Felix married Drusilla, the youngest daughter of deceased Judean king Herod Agrippa I, sister of Judean king Herod Agrippa II. In 60 A.D., Nero Caesar appointed Porcius Festus to succeeded Felix as Roman Procurator of the Province of Judea.
Porcius ("swine like"); Festus (“happy, festive”);
Drusilla ("watered by dew").
ACTS 25:1-12
1 Now when Festus had come to the province, after three days he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem.
2 Then the high priest and the chief men of the Jews informed him against Paul; and they petitioned him,
3 asking a favor against him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem while they lay in ambush along the road to kill him.
4 But Festus answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself was going there shortly.
5 "Therefore," he said, "let those who have authority among you go down with me and accuse this man, to see if there is any fault in him."
6 And when he had remained among them more than ten days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day, sitting on the judgment seat, he commanded Paul to be brought.
7 When he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood about and laid many serious complaints against Paul, which they could not prove,
8 while he answered for himself, "Neither against the Law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I offended in anything at all."
9 But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there be judged before me concerning these things?"
10 So Paul said, "I stand at Caesar's judgment seat, where I ought to be judged. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you very well know.
11 "For if I am an offender, or have committed anything deserving of death, I do not object to dying; but if there is nothing in these things of which these men accuse me, no one can deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar."
12 Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, "You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go!"
The Jews apparently couldn't wait to accuse Paul before Festus, immediately bringing accusations against him as soon as he arrived in Jerusalem. But Festus had probably been briefed by his predecessor Felix concerning the case, and wisely didn't want to hear about the case until he had settled in Caesarea.
Festus more than likely didn't know about the planned ambush, but wanted to judge Paul in a more comfortable surrounding for the Jews at Jerusalem. But Paul, in an unexpected maneuver, exercised his right as a Roman citizen and appealed his case directly to Caesar himself. This immediately took the case from Festus' hands and put it in Caesar's hands (Nero Caesar).
Any Roman citizen who appealed to Caesar was guaranteed the right to be judged by Caesar himself (although it was usually heard by a deputy). Anyone who denied this right to a Roman citizen was considered to be usurping the authority of Caesar and would be tried and convicted for high treason.
ACTS 25:13-27
13 And after some days King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to greet Festus.
14 When they had been there many days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying: "There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix,
15 "about whom the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, when I was in Jerusalem, asking for a judgment against him.
16 "To them I answered, 'It is not the custom of the Romans to deliver any man to destruction before the accused meets the accusers face to face, and has opportunity to answer for himself concerning the charge against him.'
17 "Therefore when they had come together, without any delay, the next day I sat on the judgment seat and commanded the man to be brought in.
18 "When the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation against him of such things as I supposed,
19 "but had some questions against him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.
20 "And because I was uncertain of such questions, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there be judged concerning these matters.
21 "But when Paul appealed to be reserved for the decision of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I could send him to Caesar."
22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, "I also would like to hear the man myself." "Tomorrow," he said, "you shall hear him."
23 So the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great pomp, and had entered the auditorium with the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at Festus' command Paul was brought in.
24 And Festus said: "King Agrippa and all the men who are here present with us, you see this man about whom the whole assembly of the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying out that he was not fit to live any longer.
25 "But when I found that he had committed nothing deserving of death, and that he himself had appealed to Augustus, I decided to send him.
26 "I have nothing certain to write to my lord concerning him. Therefore I have brought him out before you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the examination has taken place I may have something to write.
27 "For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not to specify the charges against him."
Festus saw in the visit of King Herod Agrippa II an opportunity to have a source familiar with Jewish law hear Paul's case. His predecessor Felix had been familiar with Jewish law and Christianity, but Festus was not. So in king Agrippa's visit Festus saw an opportunity to perhaps gain more information concerning the charges against Paul so he could write an explanatory letter to Nero Caesar concerning his case.
Note: Bernice was the oldest daughter of Herod Agrippa I, while Herod Agrippa II was the son of Herod Agrippa I. Therefore Herod Agrippa II and Bernice were brother and sister, married and living in incest.
The name Augustus was added to the names of several Caesars after the death of Augustus Caesar because it was considered to be the name that identified the Emperor as the unquestionable Imperial ruler of the Roman Empire.
Herod (Hebrew: "Heroic");
Bernice (Hebrew: "Victorious");
Augustus (Latin: "Consecrated or Holy").
ACTS 26:1-3
1 Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You are permitted to speak for yourself." So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself:
2 "I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews,
3 "especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.
Paul again assumes the pose of a trained orator, extending his hand toward the king and queen so as to connect with his audience. I find it fascinating that even though Herod Agrippa II was apparently an expert in the Law and customs of the Jews, he was still living openly in incest with his sister. But Paul apparently saw this as an opportunity to fully acquaint the king and queen with the tenets of Christianity, knowing that Jesus had already prophesied concerning believers;
MATTHEW 10:18
18 You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
ACTS 26:4-7
4 "My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know.
5 "They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.
6 "And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers.
7 "To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. For this hope's sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews.
Paul gets right to the heart of the matter showing the hypocrisy of his accusers. He explains that they knew him when he first began to study the Law and they knew of his zealousness for the traditions of the Jews, yet were accusing him of violating the very Law and traditions he had sworn to uphold. Note he carefully says "IF they were willing to testify", meaning that they were notably absent from this hearing. This was not a trial, or Paul's accusers would have been ordered to attend and confront him.
ACTS 26:8-11
8 "Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?
9 "Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
10 "This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.
11 "And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
King Agrippa was well aware of the Biblical stories of God's miracles, so Paul was reminding him that Jesus being raised from the dead wasn't a precedent. Paul wasn't bragging of his persecution of Christians, he is setting up the foundation of his defense, filling in gaps that his accusers had conveniently left out. Chances are very good that Agrippa was aware of Paul's activities against his fellow countrymen.
ACTS 26:12-18
12 "While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,
13 "at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me.
14 "And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'
15 "So I said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
16 'But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.
17 'I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you,
18 'to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'
Paul carefully states that the chief priests who now accused him were in collusion with him in the persecution of Christians, and relates first-hand as an eyewitness what had happened to him while on the road to Damascus. Chances are very good that Agrippa had heard of this too, but Paul was giving him a first-hand account of the event.
ACTS 26:19-23
19 "Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,
20 "but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.
21 "For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.
22 "Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come
23 "that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles."
Paul now exposes the hypocrisy and illegal actions of his accusers in saying that they had persecuted him and had tried to kill him for doing nothing more than preaching the very things that Moses and the prophets had already done, namely repentance, turning to God and doing good works in His name.
ACTS 26:24-32
24 Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, "Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!"
25 But he said, "I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason.
26 "For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner.
27 "King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe."
28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You almost persuade me to become a Christian."
29 And Paul said, "I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains."
30 When he had said these things, the king stood up, as well as the governor and Bernice and those who sat with them;
31 and when they had gone aside, they talked among themselves, saying, "This man is doing nothing deserving of death or chains."
32 Then Agrippa said to Festus, "This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar."
Festus was fearful of what Paul was speaking and tried to pass him off as a madman. Yet king Agrippa knew that what Paul spoke was the truth, according to the Law and the prophets, and was nearly convinced to become a Christian himself. This may partially account for the fact that he survived the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans and died in Rome in 100 A.D. Agrippa understood Paul's innocence in the matter in which he was accused and would have had the authority to free Paul, if Paul had not appealed to Caesar. But even though he was a Jew, Paul's Roman citizenship was greater than Agrippa's authority.
ACTS 27:1-8
1 And when it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to one named Julius, a centurion of the Augustan Regiment.
2 So, entering a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, meaning to sail along the coasts of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us.
3 And the next day we landed at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him liberty to go to his friends and receive care.
4 When we had put to sea from there, we sailed under the shelter of Cyprus, because the winds were contrary.
5 And when we had sailed over the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia.
6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy, and he put us on board.
7 When we had sailed slowly many days, and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, the wind not permitting us to proceed, we sailed under the shelter of Crete off Salmone.
8 Passing it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea.
It was common at that time for cargo and passenger ships to skirt the coastlines of the Mediterranean Sea as deep-sea navigation wasn't as sophisticated as it is today. Many ships still filled with water and sank within sight of land during violent storms.
Adramyttium was on the northwest coast of present day Turkey, and was the probable destination of the ship that Paul traveled on. Note that Luke is careful to include himself with the passengers, saying that in verse 1 that we should sail to Italy.
Sidon was a major Phoenician seaport in Lebanon, about 10 miles north of the capital city of Tyre. Notice that the Centurion gave Paul liberties to go into port, while none of the other prisoners were extended this courtesy. Paul, had no intentions of escaping, as he was there by God's will. Going into the port city also gave him the opportunity to spread the gospel to more people. The Roman centurion apparently trusted Paul, and let him leave the ship with his friends to receive provisions or whatever he needed, probably extracting a promise from Paul to return before the ship set sail again.
From Sidon they traveled northwest using the island of Cyprus as a buffer from the winds. Sailing in the lee side of an island was a common practice during stormy weather, or when encountering unfavorable winds. The island landmass would create a calm in the leeward side of the island, making sailing safer.
After sailing out from under the lee of Cyprus they continued northwest to a point of land in southern Turkey to the city of Myra. Continuing on to Adramyttium would have taken them far out of their way, so the centurion found a ship from Egypt that was sailing west to Italy and put all aboard.
Continuing to hug the Turkish coast, they sailed with difficulty 150 miles westward to the village of Cnidus, a peninsula on the southwest coast of Turkey. From there, rather than thread the Cyclades islands off the coast of Greece, they sailed sharply south-southwest and passed under the island of Crete, again because of unfavorable winds. They put into port in a city called Fair Havens in south-central Crete, more than likely to take on provisions for the ship.
I believe the reason that God had the winds blow so contrary to their destination was to give Paul and his friends time to speak to the people on board the ship concerning Jesus.
ACTS 27:9-13
9 Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over, Paul advised them,
10 saying, "Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives."
11 Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul.
12 And because the harbor was not suitable to winter in, the majority advised to set sail from there also, if by any means they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete opening toward the southwest and northwest, and winter there.
13 When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their desire, putting out to sea, they sailed close by Crete.
The time was probably late October when this occurred, although the purpose of the fast that Paul spoke of isn't clear. But based on weather patterns and the onset of winter, a late October or early November time frame seems about right. The harbor at Fair Havens wasn't protected and any violent winds from the south would have caused any ships in the harbor to become severely damaged or sunk. The harbor of Phoenix, about 40 miles northwest up the coast seemed a better choice to the mariners.
The Centurion understandably based his decision on what he saw and heard from professional sailors, rather than Paul. But with the Lord we need to have faith and not always believe our eyes. While the helmsman knew his job, God controls the weather. And remember: the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic was built by professionals.
ACTS 27:14-17
14 But not long after, a tempestuous head wind arose, called Euroclydon.
15 So when the ship was caught, and could not head into the wind, we let her drive.
16 And running under the shelter of an island called Clauda, we secured the skiff with difficulty.
17 When they had taken it on board, they used cables to undergird the ship; and fearing lest they should run aground on the Syrtis Sands, they struck sail and so were driven.
The Euroclydon was a cyclonic storm system more commonly called a "Nor'easter" in the Atlantic, the Mediterranean form of a late fall hurricane. Clauda is a small island about 30 miles due west of Fair Havens.
Apparently they feared losing the small lifeboat which was normally towed behind the ship, so they hoisted it up and secured it on deck. Running cables under the ship helped strengthen the timbers and helped maintain the integrity of the hull.
The location of Syrtis Sands is unknown, but it was probably a series of sand bars somewhere off the coasts of Clauda, which explains why they didn't try for landfall on the island. And striking sail was a wise precaution, for the winds could easily shred the sails or snap the masts, leaving the ship helpless.
ACTS 27:18-20
18 And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship.
19 On the third day we threw the ship's tackle overboard with our own hands.
20 Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up.
When it comes to saving the cargo or saving your life, the choice is clear. A heavily-laden ship would wallow in the waves and would be in constant danger of sinking, whereas a lighter ship would fare far better. The fact that they threw all non-essential items of ship's tackle overboard shows the desperate straits they were in. This is only done as a very last resort, when there is no other hope left.
ACTS 27:21-29
21 But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, "Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss.
22 "And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.
23 "For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve,
24 "saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.'
25 "Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.
26 "However, we must run aground on a certain island."
27 Now when the fourteenth night had come, as we were driven up and down in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors sensed that they were drawing near some land.
28 And they took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and when they had gone a little farther, they took soundings again and found it to be fifteen fathoms.
29 Then, fearing lest we should run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern, and prayed for day to come.
Paul reiterates his previous warning, not to say "I told you so", but to show that he knew what he was talking about. He then told them what the angel had said, to encourage them. For if he had been proven right with the warning not to sail, he could very well be right as to their fate.
Apparently the storm had lasted for 2 weeks, when the sailors saw that the sea state had changed, indicating that they were approaching land. Soundings were taken in which they threw out a weighted rope with knots tied 6 feet apart. By counting the knots that were submerged, they could tell how many fathoms of water were beneath the keel of the ship. The first sounding was 120 feet; the second sounding was 90 feet. The water was becoming shallower. Dropping 4 anchors from the stern would hopefully keep the ship anchored in deeper water and keep it from being driven uncontrollably into a rocky shore.
ACTS 27:30-41
30 And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, when they had let down the skiff into the sea, under pretense of putting out anchors from the prow,
31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved."
32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the skiff and let it fall off.
33 And as day was about to dawn, Paul implored them all to take food, saying, "Today is the fourteenth day you have waited and continued without food, and eaten nothing.
34 "Therefore I urge you to take nourishment, for this is for your survival, since not a hair will fall from the head of any of you."
35 And when he had said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all; and when he had broken it he began to eat.
36 Then they were all encouraged, and also took food themselves.
37 And in all we were two hundred and seventy-six persons on the ship.
38 So when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship and threw out the wheat into the sea.
39 When it was day, they did not recognize the land; but they observed a bay with a beach, onto which they planned to run the ship if possible.
40 And they let go the anchors and left them in the sea, meanwhile loosing the rudder ropes; and they hoisted the mainsail to the wind and made for shore.
41 But striking a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the violence of the waves.
It must have taken a lot of faith for the centurion to order the lifeboat to be cut away. Perhaps the sailors themselves made him suspicious, but this time he listened to Paul and stopped the ship's crew from abandoning them.
The fact that the entire crew had gone for two whole weeks without eating shows the dire straits they had been in. Paul sensibly urged them to eat, seeing as they were soon to be shipwrecked and would need all of their strength for what lay ahead. After eating, they threw the rest of the cargo into the sea, and prepared for daylight.
It is interesting that Luke includes that the rudder had been tied. This was to ensure that the rudder didn't flap about from the waves which would have destroyed the rudder and possibly the ship. But also the rudder was attached to a large, long tiller bar which was used by the steersman to steer the ship. The last thing they needed was for the long, heavy tiller bar to be swinging wildly across the rolling, pitching deck! Apparently the prow was either stuck between rocks or buried itself in the sand, for the ship stuck and the surf began breaking up the back end of the ship.
ACTS 27:42-44
42 And the soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim away and escape.
43 But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land,
44 and the rest, some on boards and some on parts of the ship. And so it was that they all escaped safely to land.
The reason the soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners was that if any escaped, the soldiers were likely to be put to death. The punishments to Roman soldiers who failed in accomplishing their missions were very severe. A common punishment for failure was to be stripped naked and your clothing piled around your feet. Then your clothes were set of fire and you were burned alive.
The centurion apparently liked and trusted Paul, and seeing that things had gone exactly as Paul had predicted, ordered that all should try to make it to shore by whatever means they could.
There is a bay on the extreme northeast part of Malta that is called "Saint Paul's Bay" and is believed to be the location where Paul was shipwrecked. This could be true, for the winds had been driving from the northeast which would have pushed them southwest toward the northeastern coast of Malta.
ACTS 28:1-6
1 Now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta.
2 And the natives showed us unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold.
3 But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand.
4 So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, "No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live."
5 But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.
6 However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.
The natives of the island had apparently seen the foundering ship and had come to the rescue of the passengers and crew. Seeing that Paul had been bitten by a poisonous viper, one that the natives were obviously familiar with, they thought that divine justice had caught Paul for some crime he had done.
God has given His followers the use of His authority when needed. However Jesus told us that our focus should be on our salvation, not the authority and power of the Lord's that He allows us to use for His purposes.
MARK 16:17-18
17 "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
18 "they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
Note that this doesn't mean that we can go out and handle poisonous snakes as some Christian cults do, for that is tempting the Lord and numerous people have died from snake bite because of this.
ACTS 28:7-10
7 In that region there was an estate of the leading citizen of the island, whose name was Publius, who received us and entertained us courteously for three days.
8 And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him.
9 So when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed.
10 They also honored us in many ways; and when we departed, they provided such things as were necessary.
Dysentery is a nasty water-borne disease which causes fevers, intense abdominal cramping and bloody diarrhea. It can be fatal due to intense dehydration caused by the fever and diarrhea. Note that in verse 18 of Mark above, Jesus said we would lay hands on the sick and that they would recover.
Publius (Latin - "common or first").
ACTS 28:11
11 After three months we sailed in an Alexandrian ship whose figurehead was the Twin Brothers, which had wintered at the island.
I love Luke's attention to detail!!! Here he speaks of another Egyptian ship which had a carved figurehead of the Greek mythical Gemini twins Castor and Pollux. The figurehead was to invoke the protection of the twins during their voyages. Besides, with spending three months on the island, Paul would have had plenty of opportunity to preach the gospel to Publius, the Roman soldiers and the natives of the island.
ACTS 28:12-15
12 And landing at Syracuse, we stayed three days.
13 From there we circled round and reached Rhegium. And after one day the south wind blew; and the next day we came to Puteoli,
14 where we found brethren, and were invited to stay with them seven days. And so we went toward Rome.
15 And from there, when the brethren heard about us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum and Three Inns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage.
Syracuse was about 60 miles northeast of the island of Malta on the southeastern coast of Sicily. Rhegium was located about 40 miles north of Syracuse on the tip of the boot of Italy, just across the Straits of Messina from Sicily. Puteoli was about 200 miles north of Rhegium on the western coast of Italy itself.
The ship stopped there for a week, probably to unload it's cargo, load provisions and new cargo and take care of any business transactions that were required. Then oddly enough, the soldiers and their prisoners traveled by land toward Rome. Perhaps there was no further shipping headed to Rome at that time.
ACTS 28:16-22
16 Now when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard; but Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with the soldier who guarded him.
17 And it came to pass after three days that Paul called the leaders of the Jews together. So when they had come together, he said to them: "Men and brethren, though I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans,
18 "who, when they had examined me, wanted to let me go, because there was no cause for putting me to death.
19 "But when the Jews spoke against it, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, not that I had anything of which to accuse my nation.
20 "For this reason therefore I have called for you, to see you and speak with you, because for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain."
21 Then they said to him, "We neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brethren who came reported or spoken any evil of you.
22 "But we desire to hear from you what you think; for concerning this sect, we know that it is spoken against everywhere."
Again the centurion was kind to Paul and recommended that he be allowed to dwell outside of the prison, watched only by a single guard.
Paul wanted to talk to the leaders of the local Jewish population to be sure that they heard first hand the truth of his situation, understandably believing that the Jews of Judea had sent on false or exaggerated reports of him. But God used it as an opportunity for Paul to preach to them concerning Christianity, for although they knew of Christians, they also knew that Christians were being spoken against throughout the Empire. Here was an opportunity for them to hear the truth directly from an apostle.
ACTS 28:23-31
23 So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening.
24 And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved.
25 So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: "The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers,
26 "saying, 'Go to this people and say: "Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you will see, and not perceive;
27 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them."'
28 "Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!"
29 And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves.
30 Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him,
31 preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.
Paul dwelt in an apartment at his own expense teaching all who came to hear him. The Jews who heard him unknowingly fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy of;
ISAIAH 10:21-22
21 The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the Mighty God.
22 For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea, a remnant of them will return; the destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness.
Though the people were many, only a few will be saved, those whose hearts hear the call of God through Jesus Christ. This does not mean that we should not teach all willing to listen about the Gospel, for if they don't accept what is taught, that is between them and God.
A gardener sows seeds, not knowing which ones will germinate and grow and which ones won't. But he sows in faith, hoping that all will germinate and grow. Even so with us. We sow the seeds of the Gospel in faith and hope, but God is the only one who knows which seeds will grow.
Some grow immediately, some may take years. Still others may be like lodgepole pine seeds, which only sprout after enduring the intense heat of a forest fire, meaning that these people will come to Jesus only in the fires of persecution.
But in any case, we still need to sow the seeds, even if we don't see the growth or reap the harvest. We will see the fruits of our labors when we stand before the Lord at our judgment. Jesus taught all who would listen. Can we do any different?
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