Author

The author of the Acts of the Apostles, by the unanimous consent of the early Church, is Luke, the “beloved physician,” the friend, companion, and coworker of St. Paul. The book, by its own testimony, is a sequel to the Gospel of St. Luke. Cp. Acts 1:1 with Luke 1:1-4. To all those that doubt the authorship of Luke, after comparing this book with the third gospel and noting the similarity in style, language, and vocabulary, it must be said, as one commentator has it: “The question of authorship lies between Luke and some other writer; and the adverse testimony, to be conclusive, should name that other writer.” ^■1 Luke had the best opportunity to get his information from the most authentic sources, from the apostles, especially from Paul himself, and by his own personal observation, as the so-called “we” passages show. If one takes into consideration that the Holy Spirit, in using the holy writers as His tools for the penning of the divine truths, made use of their natural gifts and acquired abilities, the “Pauline character” of the book will stand out very prominently. The Book of Acts, like the Gospel of St. Luke, is inscribed to Theophilus, very probably a Roman convert belonging to the wealthier and more influential class. It is thus addressed principally to the Gentile Christians of Italy and elsewhere, by whom the easy style and fluent Greek of the author could readily be understood.

Purpose

The aim or object of St. Luke in writing the Book of Acts appears in every chapter and almost on every page. He wanted to relate, in the first place, in what manner the gift of the Holy Ghost was given on the day of Pentecost, and that the subsequent work of the apostles was due entirely to His agency and ministry. So prominent is this feature, the Holy Ghost and His work being mentioned about seventy times, that one teacher of the Church has called the book the Gospel of the Holy Spirit. Closely connected with this feature is the fact that all the happenings in the history of the early Church are based upon, and made to appear as following out of, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For this reason another teacher of the ancient Church ^■2 called the book the Demonstration of the Resurrection. But, in the second place, Luke wanted to give an account of the spread of Christianity, not only among the Jews, but also among the Gentiles, by the missionary efforts of the apostles. “The dominant note of the book is the missionary cause.” The Book of Acts intends to supplement the history of Jesus, as found in the Gospel of Luke, with a history of the apostles, and to give a graphic account of the victorious progress of the Gospel of Jesus from Jerusalem, the capital of Jewry, to Rome, the capital of the world. But there is also a third purpose evident in the Book of Acts. “This book you should read and regard not merely as St. Luke’s record of the personal doings or history of the apostles, but this is the point you should rather note, namely, that with this book St. Luke teaches all Christendom to the end of the world the true chief article of Christian doctrine, which tells us that we must all be justified alone by faith in Jesus Christ, without the Law or our own works.” ^■3 . Hence the frequent use of the word “grace” and the continual reference to the glad tidings of the mercy of God in Christ Jesus.

Date

Concerning the time when the Book of Acts was written, it is probable that it was written soon after the gospel, before the destruction of Jerusalem, but not long before the year 70 A.D. Its last verses indicate that it must have been written before the death of St. Paul, which occurred in 67 or early in 68. Taking everything together, the conclusion seems well founded to assume the year 65 as the date of composition and Rome as the place.

The Book of Acts is readily divided into two chief parts. In the first division Luke speaks of the general history of the Christian Church up to the death of Herod (From Acts 1:1 to Acts 12:25). This part may again be subdivided, since the author relates first of all the early history of the congregation at Jerusalem (From Acts 1:1 to Acts 8:4) and then the spread of the Church through Judea, Samaria, and the surrounding country (From Acts 8:5 to Acts 12:25). The second principal division of the book brings an account of the life and labors of the Apostle Paul. We have there, in the first place, a history of his preaching tours among the Gentiles to his visit at Jerusalem (From Acts 13:1 to Acts 21:16). And the end of the book gives the history of his five years’ imprisonment.

“In the Book of Acts we see how the Church of Christ was formed and settled. The apostles simply proclaim the truth of God relative to the Passion, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ; and God accompanies their testimony with the demonstration of His Spirit. What was the consequence? Thousands acknowledge the truth, embrace Christianity, and openly profess it at the most imminent risk of their lives. The change is not a change of merely one religious sentiment or mode of worship for another; but a change of tempers, passions, prospects, and moral conduct. All before was earthly, or animal, or devilish, or all these together; but now all is holy, spiritual, and divine; the heavenly influence becomes extended, and nations are born unto God. And how was all this brought about? Not by might nor power; not by the sword, nor by secular authority; not through worldly motives and prospects; not by pious frauds or cunning craftiness; not by the force of persuasive eloquence: in a word, by nothing but the sole influence of Truth itself, attested to the heart by the power of the Holy Ghost.” ^■4 .

Purpose

This book should be read and regarded not as though St. Luke had written of the personal works and lives of the apostles for an example of good works and good lives only; though this is the way it has sometimes been taken. Even St. Augustine and many others have looked upon the fact that the apostles had all things in common with Christians as the best example which the book contains; though this did not last long and had to stop, after a time. On the contrary, it is to be noted that by this book St. Luke teaches the whole Church, to the end of the world, the true chief point of Christian doctrine; namely, that we must all be justified only through faith in Jesus Christ, without any addition of law or help from good works.

This doctrine is the chief intention of the book and the author’s principal cause for writing it. Therefore he stresses so mightily, not only the preaching of the apostles about faith in Christ and how both Gentiles and Jews must be justified by it without any merits or works, but also the examples and the instances of this teaching, telling how Gentiles as well as Jews were justified through the Gospel only, without the law. So St. Peter testifies in Acts 10:28 and Acts 15:9, that, in this matter, God made no distinction between Jews and Gentiles, but just as He gave the Holy Ghost to the Gentiles through the Gospel though they lived without the law, so He gave Him to the Jews through the Gospel, and not through the law or because of their own works and merits. Thus he puts side by side, in this book, both the doctrine about faith and the example of faith.

This book might well be called, therefore, a commentary on the Epistles of St. Paul. For what Paul teaches and insists upon with words and passages of Scripture, St. Luke here points out and proves with examples and instances which show that it has happened, and must happen, as St. Paul teaches, to wit, that no law, no work justifies men, but only faith in Christ.

Faith alone justifies

Here, in this book, you find, then, a fair mirror, in which you can see that it is true. Sola fides justificat, “faith alone justifies,” for all the examples and instances of this doctrine contained in it are sure and comforting testimonies, which neither lie nor deceive you.

For see how St. Paul himself was converted; how the Gentile, Cornelius, was converted through St. Peter’s word, the angel telling him beforehand that Peter would preach to him, and so he would be saved. Look at the proconsul Sergius, and all the cities where Paul and Barnabas preached; look at the first council of the apostles at Jerusalem, in Acts 15:2; look at all the preaching of St. Peter, Paul, Stephen and Philip; — you will find that it all comes to one thing; it is only through the faith of Christ, without law and works, that we must come into grace and be justified. By means of this book, used this way, we can stop, in masterly fashion and mightily, the mouths of opponents who point us to the law and our own works and publish their foolish unwisdom to all the world.

Therefore St. Luke says that these illustrations of faith amazed the pious Jews, who had become believers, and that the unbelieving Jews became mad and foolish over it. And this was no wonder, for they had been raised in the law and had been accustomed to it from Abraham down and it could not but vex them that the Gentiles, who were without law and God, should be, like themselves, in God’s grace.

A stern warning

But that our people, who are all Gentiles, should slander and persecute this doctrine is ten times worse; for here we see, and cannot deny, that the grace of God and the knowledge of Christ came to our forebears without law and merit, nay, when they were in horrible idolatry and blasphemy. But they will gain as much by their slander and persecution as the Jews gained by their raging and raving. He who had before threatened the Jews and had Moses sing, “I will make you wroth with that which is not my people, and with a foolish folk will I make you angry,” and said in Hosea 2:23, “I will call ‘My people’ those who were not my people” (i.e. those who live without law and works), and who kept His word, He, I say, threatens these slanderers of ours with the same things, and He will surely keep His word, as He has already begun to do; but they will not believe it until, like the Jews, they have the experience. Amen.

Verses 1-11

The ascension of Jesus

The last commission of Jesus:

“The former treatise,” the first discourse, Luke had made, namely, in his gospel, to which he here evidently refers. The present history is a sequel to the gospel narrative; as the first writing had given an account of the ministry of Jesus, so the present book is to give an account of the labors of His ministers. This book, like the gospel, is addressed and dedicated to Theophilus, who may well have been a citizen of Rome holding a high official position, probably of equestrian rank, and a resident of the imperial city. In the gospel Luke had spoken of all; he had given a complete account of the labors of Jesus. The phrase “began to do and teach” is an idiomatic expression, as much as “both did and taught” in English. But there is here also a hint of the fact that Jesus began the work of the Gospel and committed its continuance to His disciples. The teaching of Jesus continued, in a way, even after His resurrection, although He then no longer spoke before the general public, but only to the believers. In those days, up to the day of His ascension, — and especially on this day, — He commissioned the apostles, He laid a certain obligation upon them. This commission, according to the intimate union obtaining in the Godhead, He did not give in an independent way, but through the same divine Spirit whom they received in extraordinary measure shortly after His ascension. All the communications of Jesus to His disciples are transmitted through the agency of the Spirit, whom He breathed upon them on Easter evening, John 20:22. Note the distinction: Jesus had chosen the disciples out of the unbelieving world, and He had chosen the apostles from the ranks of the believers. To the latter the special apostolic commission was entrusted. Jesus Himself, at this time, was taken up, He was lifted up on high, He experienced His ascension as an act of the Father. But in the interval between His resurrection and ascension, Jesus had taken a number of opportunities to show Himself as their living Savior to His disciples. They had seen Him suffer; they had received the evidence of His death. Therefore He gave them, not only one, but many indubitable proofs of His resurrection from the dead. During a period of forty days He was seen by them on various occasions. And every new appearance was another link in the chain of convincing, certain evidence that He was living. He appeared to Mary Magdalene, John 20:14-18; to the women returning from the grave, Matthew 28:9-10; to the Emmaus disciples, Luke 24:15; to Simon Peter, Luke 24:34; to ten of the apostles, other disciples also being present, Luke 24:36; John 20:19; to the eleven disciples a week later, John 20:26; to seven of the apostles in Galilee, John 21:4; to James and 500 brethren at one time, 1 Corinthians 15:6-7; to the assembly of the disciples on Ascension Day, Luke 24:50. Note: There is no discrepancy between Luke 24:43–51 and the present passage, for in the former account Luke has contracted the interviews of the two appearances, while in this narrative he observes the distinction. At every appearance of the risen Christ His conversation and charge to His disciples concerned matters of the kingdom of God, He committed to them the charge of the truths and commands. In word and in deed the apostles and all disciples of the Lord are to proclaim that Kingdom. The one great message of the Church for all times shall be the acceptance of Jesus the Redeemer by faith, by which act the believer becomes a member of the kingdom of God.

Having thus summarized the events of the forty days intervening between the resurrection and the ascension, Luke now proceeds to give the gist of the conversation which took place on the last day of the visible Christ on earth. On this day Christ had assembled His disciples for the last time, not only the apostles, but all the believers, a crowded gathering, according to the Greek word. It was at this time that Jesus charged the assembled congregation of believers, in an emphatic command, not to journey away from Jerusalem. They were to stay there and wait for the promise of the Father, the promise of the Holy Spirit which He had made to them on the evening before His death, John 14:26; John 15:26-27; John 16:12-13. This promise they had heard, and this He calls to their remembrance. And He reminds them of another fact. John’s baptism had been with water only, it had pointed forward to another, greater baptism of which John spoke, of a baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire, Luke 3:16. The extraordinary communication of the gifts of the Holy Spirit was to take place, as Jesus promises, not many days hence, after not many days. The prophecy of Joel 3:18 was about to be fulfilled. Notice that Jesus both kindles in the hearts of the disciples a joyful longing and desire for the wonderful gift which is now so near, and exercises the faith of the apostles in His Word.

The final promise of the Holy Spirit:

When Jesus referred to the nearness of the great revelation of the Spirit’s gifts, the disciples, whose hopes of some form of temporal kingdom under the leadership of Christ had been revived since His resurrection, thought that He was referring to this blissful consummation of their hopes. Those that had come together therefore, most likely in Jerusalem, put the question to the Lord: At this time wilt Thou restore the kingdom unto Israel? Their minds had returned entirely to the earthly, carnal understanding. They understood the prophecies of old as well as the promises of the Lord of the restoration of the kingdom to Israel, to be accomplished by the utter annihilation of the enemies of God and the complete victory for the Jews. Their foolish thoughts were not effectually dispelled until the Spirit of Pentecost was shed forth upon them. Although the question of the disciples had been put in all sincerity and sobriety, it argued for a remarkable lack of proper understanding after all the patient teaching of Jesus. His answer, therefore, in a way is a reproof. For He refers them to the real Messianic kingdom, to the future Kingdom of Glory, which will see the full revelation of Christ’s majesty before the eyes of all men, very comforting to those that are to partake of this bliss with their Redeemer. Jesus here guards the royal prerogative, the exclusive rights of the Father. It is not the business of the disciples to know the times and the seasons, critical and otherwise, which are controlled by the exclusive authority and power of the Father. That most critical time and hour above all, which will decide the fate of mankind, is not theirs to inquire for. Note: Whatever pertains to the revelation of God’s majesty should not be a subject of anxious thought for the Christians; both the government of the world and the Church and the revelation of the future glory are in His hands, to be revealed at His time. Jesus rather reminds the apostles that they will receive, will be given power, strength, which they should exert and put forth in the great duties of their calling. This power would be imparted to them when the Holy Ghost would come down upon them. The power to be effective witnesses for Christ is evidently meant. Filled with this strength from above, the disciples should bear witness, should tell what they had seen and heard of Christ, whose message they were to proclaim and who was to be the content of their message. In Jerusalem their work was to begin, but not to be confined to that city. In ever-widening circles their influence should extend, by virtue of the power given them through the Holy Ghost, throughout Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the world. There is neither limit nor boundary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Note: The believers to this day have the same call and the same promise, but must observe also the same command, to be witnesses of Christ, of His salvation, to the uttermost parts of the earth.

The ascension of Christ:

Jesus had finished the words of His last commission to His disciples; He had entrusted to them the preaching of the Gospel to all nations, Matthew 28:19. But while they were still looking at Him in anxious expectation, desiring to hear more of the words of comfort and strength out of His mouth, He was lifted up before them. He was in the act of blessing them with uplifted hands when He was taken from them. That is the picture of Christ which should be most dear to the memory of a Christian, with His hands stretched out in blessing over them. And a cloud, the symbol of divine glory, a truly regal chariot, shut the Master from the view of the disciples as He entered its bosom. There was no deception, no optical illusion; the ascension of Jesus is a historical fact which cannot be doubted. The Lord went up with a shout, with the sound of a trumpet, Psalm 47:5. He has ascended up on high and led captivity captive, Psalm 68:18. He has spoiled principalities and powers, He has made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it, Colossians 2:15. He has ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things, Ephesians 4:10. By His exaltation and ascension the Son of Man, also according to His human body, has entered into the full and unlimited use of His divine omnipresence. His gracious presence is therefore assured to His congregation on earth. He is now nearer to His believers than He was to His disciples in the days of His flesh. He is now sitting at the right hand of His heavenly Father. As our Brother He has assumed the full use of the divine power and majesty. He reigns with omnipotence over all things, but especially also over His Church. God has put all things under His feet, and has given Him to be the Head over all things to the Church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all, Ephesians 1:22-23. By His Word and Sacrament He gathers unto Himself a congregation and Church upon earth. He works in and with His servants; He governs in the midst of His enemies. He preserves and protects His Church against all the enmity of the hostile world and against the very portals of hell. And His intercession before His heavenly Father makes our salvation a certainty, Romans 8:34.

While the disciples were still looking after their Lord with longing gaze, there suddenly appeared two men in white garments, in shining vestments, two angels that had just acted as escorts to the victorious Lord. These angels aroused the disciples from the revery into which they had sunk when gazing after their Lord. Addressing the apostles as men of Galilee, the heavenly messengers told them that the time spent in longingly wishing for the visible presence or return of Christ was wasted. And they gave them and all the believers a joyful assurance. This same Jesus, who was here taken up into heaven, apparently taken away from them, will come back again in the very same way in which they watched Him disappear from sight. Jesus will return visibly and bodily. With the same body, clothed in the same human nature, He will descend from heaven to judge the quick and the dead. That is the hope of all believers, that they will see Jesus with their own eyes. And in the mean time they live under His merciful reign and government, safe and secure, knowing that He is with them to the end of the world. This hope and certainty makes the believers willing to work for the Lord and to do the works of their calling on earth in His name and to His glory. The time is short, and His return is both sure and imminent, John 9:4.

Verses 12-26

The election of Matthias

The return to Jerusalem:

The ascension of Jesus took place on Mount Olivet, east of Jerusalem, not very far from the town of Bethany, Luke 24:50. Its distance from the Jewish capital is a Sabbath-day’s journey, seven and a half stadia (a little over 1,500 yards). There is no contradiction between the accounts concerning the location of the various places and the exact spot where the ascension occurred. The summit of the mountain was approximately seven and one-half stadia from Jerusalem, Bethany was almost twice that distance, and the ascension took place in the Bethany neighborhood, on the southeastern slope of the hill. After the removal of their Lord in such a miraculous manner the disciples returned to Jerusalem. Note how exactly Luke describes the geographical location for his non-Jewish readers. At Jerusalem they were to wait for the great miracle of the outpouring of the Spirit. So they went to their usual meeting-place, to the upper chamber, probably in the house of one of the disciples. The disciples held public meetings in the Temple, Luke 24:53, principally in the interest of mission-work. But for mutual consolation and encouragement they met at the houses of members of the congregation. The names of the chief men and of some of the women of this first congregation are here recorded. Peter is named first, as usual in the gospels; James, the elder, and John, the younger son of Zebedee, are next named. These three head the list as the special intimates of the Lord. Then comes Andrew, the brother of Peter; Philip, also of Bethsaida; Thomas, surnamed Didymus; Bartholomew, formerly known as Nathanael; Matthew, the publican, previously known as Levi; James, the son of Alphaeus; Simon the Zealot, of Cana; and finally Judas, the brother of James. All of these men had been preserved, though the storm of adversity occasioned by the Passion and death of Christ had struck them with great severity. But they all were now ready at their post, eager to begin their appointed work and waiting only for the promised power from on high, in the sending of the Holy Spirit. The eleven disciples spent the interval between Ascension and Pentecost in the best possible way; they were engaged continually and perseveringly in prayer, and all with one accord, in the same mind. Their prayers were both general and specific, for they deeply felt their weakness and spiritual poverty, and they were anxious to receive the gift of the Spirit, as promised by their Master. Their action is to be commended as an example for the believers of all time, to join both publicly and privately in the earnest prayer for the gift of the Holy Ghost, without whose power and enlightenment we can do nothing. In this service of prayer the apostles were not alone, for there were with them some of the faithful women, probably those that had ministered to the Lord even in Galilee, and later had made the journey to Jerusalem to be present under the cross, witness the burial, and receive the message of the risen Lord. One woman is mentioned by name, Mary, the mother of Christ. She had not returned to Nazareth, since John was faithfully carrying out the request of the crucified Jesus to consider Mary his mother. Mary was undoubtedly regarded with great respect by the apostles, but there is no indication of the idolatrous homage which was later paid to her in various churches. To this small congregation or inner circle now belonged also the brethren (half-brothers, cousins) of the Lord, who are previously mentioned as unbelieving, John 7:5. Just when they relinquished their unbelief and accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord is not recorded in the gospels, but they were staunch adherents of Jesus from this time forward. Note: No matter how energetically a person has formerly opposed the Gospel of salvation, all this should be forgotten as soon as he accepts the Gospel-truth. The conviction of faith, in such a case, is usually coupled with the firm intention to work all the more humbly and sincerely for the once despised Master.

The address of Peter:

“In those days,” on one of the ten days intervening between the ascension of Christ and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. At one of the meetings held during those days Peter assumed the initiative by rising up and standing before the disciples in addressing them on a very important matter. Upon this occasion there were some hundred and twenty disciples assembled together, probably all of those in Jerusalem that had professed adherence to the Lord at that time. Note that they are called brethren, bound together by a common faith and by a common love more closely than by the bonds of blood relationship. Mark also that Peter, although acting as spokesman, yet is one of the brethren; he acts with their consent, and does nothing in an imperious manner. Very solemnly Peter addresses the assembly as “men and brethren,” the importance of his subject being reflected throughout his discourse. He points out that it was necessary first of all for the Scripture to be fulfilled in the defection of Judas Iscariot. His betrayal of Christ had been foretold, Psalm 41:9. More than a thousand years before the Messiah had bitterly denounced the shamelessness of the traitor. It was Judas that was the leader of the enemies’ band at the capture of Jesus, that showed the soldiers and servants the way to the probable place of Christ’s abode on that night. Note with what tact Peter handles his delicate subject throughout, not heaping scorn or abuse upon the traitor, but speaking of him with all lenity. His example might well be followed at the present time, no matter whose death is spoken about. Judas had been numbered with the twelve apostles; he had been chosen by the Lord as one of the men that were to serve as His messengers and ambassadors to bring the Gospel to all people; he had obtained a lot, or share, in this ministry by actual selection of Jesus; he was supposed to receive a charge as well as the other apostles actually did. The call of Jesus is always sincere and with the intention of keeping the believer at His side; the unbeliever’s defection must be placed entirely to his own charge.

Acts 1:18-19 is probably to be regarded as a note inserted by Luke for the understanding of the Gentile readers. Judas had received a certain sum of money, thirty Denarii, the price of a slave, as the price of blood for the betrayal of his Master. When he was then seized by repentance and fear on account of his horrible deed, he brought back the money to the high priests, and since they refused to accept it, he threw it into the Temple. With this money, which the hypocritical Jewish leaders still considered as belonging to Judas, they bought the potter’s field, which thus was really the property of Judas, and might have been claimed by his heirs. Thus the reward of iniquity, of unrighteousness, bought the burial-ground for the unknown strangers. This fact, especially after the terrible end of the traitor, became known throughout the city, and that field, since all the inhabitants of the city knew the history of that piece of ground therefore soon acquired a name, in the Aramaic, or Chaldeo-Syriac, language Akeldama, which means “a field of blood,” bought with the price of the life or blood of the Lord Jesus. And Judas himself had a horrible end. It seems that after he hanged himself, the rope broke, and he pitched over backward down some declivity, with the result that his body burst open and all his intestines gushed forth. That was evidently the judgment of God upon this hardened sinner; he had gone to the place provided for such as he was — the place of the damned. But in all these happenings, horrible as they sound in the narration, Peter finds the fulfilment of Scriptures. In Psalm 69:25 the Lord had prophesied: Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents, and in Psalm 109:8: Let another take his office. The exposition of Peter shows that these passages found their strictest fulfilment in Judas Iscariot and his fate, as a warning to all men for all times. The habitation of Judas had become desolate; he had lost his ministry, his office, when he denied the faith and betrayed his Lord. Note the deep impression which the end of the traitor had made upon the other disciples, and how they heeded the warning contained in the story, just as all believers will remember the horrible end of the apostates, either here or hereafter, lest they fall into the same example of unbelief.

The choosing of Matthias:

Having briefly referred to the regrettable vacancy in the number of the apostles, Peter now makes a proposal as to the selection of a man to succeed Judas in the high office which he had held. He stated that it was necessary for them to choose some one of the disciples that had associated with them and with Jesus from the very beginning, one that had been their companion during the whole time that Jesus went in and out before them, one that had, in other words, been a witness of the whole course of Christ’s life, beginning with His baptism by John and ending with the day of His ascension from their midst. Note that Peter speaks of the ascended Christ as a human being, as being still in the flesh, although he incidentally calls Him Lord, thus yielding to Him full divine honor and majesty. But the chief point to be taken into account was this, that the man to be chosen must be a thoroughly competent witness of the resurrection of Christ. The resurrection of Christ as St. Paul shows, 1 Corinthians 15, is the seal of God upon the completed work of redemption of Jesus. Without its certainty established, Christianity becomes an illusion and a farce. It is self-evident that the experience of matters of fact went hand in hand with the possession of a firm faith in the matters witnessed. The apostles were called to testify of that which they had seen and heard with their own eyes. The Church has received the Gospel of Christ out of the mouth of credible eye- and ear-witnesses. Peter’s proposal having been accepted by the assembly, they put forward, or nominated, two men for the vacancy, one Joseph Barsabas, apparently one of the seventy disciples, whose surname Justus had been adopted after the custom of the time, and Matthias. These two men may have been the only two that possessed all the qualifications laid down by Peter. Concerning these two men, the candidates for the vacant position in the number of the apostles, the disciples assembled now made an earnest prayer. They addressed their prayer, literally, to the Heart-knower, to their risen Lord, Jesus Christ. Cp. Jeremiah 17:10. The thoughts and prayers of all true Christians are now ever directed to their exalted Lord and Savior. He knows all things; He guides all things in the interest of His believers and for their benefit. The Lord knows the hearts of men, John 2:25; He was able to judge exactly as to the qualifications of either candidate; His choosing would not have to be the result of long and deliberate weighing and reflecting. He should merely designate His choice of these two men, in order that the chosen man might take the place of the ministry and apostleship left vacant by Judas. Note once more the tactful reference to the traitor, as having gone “to his own place.” As the words read, they may refer as well to the place of reward as to that of punishment. The disciples very properly leave the decision in this grave matter to the great Judge above, and do not themselves pronounce the condemnation, although it is included that Judas went to the place to which the hypocrites and apostates go after death. Mark also: The prayer of the disciples is a model of its kind. “The petitioners had a single object for which they bowed before the Lord, and to the proper presentation of this they confine their words. They do not repeat a thought, nor do they elaborate one beyond the point of perspicuity. … So brief a prayer on so important an occasion would in this voluble age be scarcely regarded as a prayer at all.” ^■5 . Having thus sanctified the occasion with the Word of God and with prayer, the disciples were ready to proceed to the selection of the twelfth apostle. To do this, they gave forth their lots. Just how this was done is not certain. But it is probable that the usage prevailing in the Old Testament was observed. “Tablets on which the names of Joseph and Matthias were written, were employed; these were shaken in the vase or other vessel in which they had been deposited, and the lot which first fell out furnished the decision.” ^■6 . Cp. 1 Chronicles 24:5; 1 Chronicles 25:8; Leviticus 16:8; Numbers 34:13. Matthias having been designated in this manner, he was now henceforth numbered with the eleven apostles, as the twelfth. The manner of selecting the man to fill the vacancy left by the defection of Judas was an unusual one, and undoubtedly resorted to in this case by a special command of God. The method, therefore, is not to be considered an example to be followed under similar circumstances. But the use of the Word of God and the earnest appeal to the Lord to direct the choice of officers of the Church according to His will and for the welfare of His kingdom, should never be lacking at any meeting for the purpose of electing officers in a Christian congregation.

Summary

The author gives a brief account of the last speeches of the Lord, of His ascension, of the meeting of the disciples, and of the election of Matthias.

Verses 1-13

The Pentecost miracle

The apostles filled with the Holy Spirit:

In the complete fulfilling of the day of Pentecost, when the day was altogether filled up, according to Hebrew manner of speaking, when it had altogether come. As Luke used the word, it indicates that this day, at this time, brought the fulfilment of the earnest and eager expectation of the disciples, and that its importance should therefore be remembered forever. It was the day of Pentecost, the fiftieth day after Easter, the second great festival of the Jewish church-year, celebrated on the day after the completion of seven full weeks after the second day of the Passover week, when the firstlings of the barley harvest were waved before the Lord. On this day, which in that year just happened to be a Sunday, they all were assembled together. This has been understood of the twelve apostles alone, who were spoken of in Acts 1:26. But the fact that the Pentecostal gifts, though exercised by the apostles first, were not confined to them, but were used by other disciples as well, makes it more plausible to assume that the entire congregation of Jerusalem, the hundred and twenty disciples, Acts 1:15, and even others that had come to Jerusalem for the festival, were assembled together. In one place they were gathered together, and although the Temple is not specified as in other places, Acts 3:2; Acts 3:11; Acts 5:21, the fact that there was such a large assembly, and that afterwards thousands of people became witnesses of the miracle, indicates that an upper room in the city would have been inadequate, and that the miracle probably occurred in one of the Temple-halls adjoining the spacious courts. And there happened suddenly out of heaven a sound as of a mighty wind, that bore along with great power. The sound came without warning or visible cause, no storm-clouds having gathered and the serenity of the sky being unmarred by any indication of a disturbance. Out of the sky the sound proceeded with a volume of noise which immediately attracted attention to its rushing sibilance, since it was directed to that one house or hall where the disciples were assembled. The supernatural manifestation continued even inside the hall, making both walls and ceiling resound with its violence. Incidentally, a second phenomenon was made manifest. Forked tongues appeared above the disciples, like fire in their appearance and brightness. The text makes it seem as though there was originally a great flame as of fire which accompanied the rushing sound, from which now the smaller flames divided or parted themselves off. And so the semblance of fire sat upon every one of them. The fire and the flames were symbols of the audible tongues in which the apostles were presently to speak. For while the phenomenon was visible to all those present, the real and most important miracle of Pentecost took place. They were all filled with the Holy Ghost. All the preceding manifestations were but the heralds of the Spirit, who now came down to take possession of the hearts and minds of the disciples with His miraculous gifts. Not as though the apostles had not had the Spirit before. They had received Him both when they believed in Christ as their Savior and especially on Easter evening, with the commission of the Lord, John 20:22-23. But the apostles had shown only a very small measure of understanding in spiritual things, and as for power to work and courage to confess their Lord, all these had been strangely and lamentably absent. But here they received the Spirit in special measure; not only was the faith of their hearts confirmed as never before, but they were also given an unusual amount of strength, both to labor and to endure. And the strongest feature of this imparting of the Spirit consisted in the gift of miracles, which was immediately manifested in them. For they now began to speak, in connected discourse, in other, strange tongues, in languages and dialects of which, for the most part, they had probably never heard. The Holy Ghost not merely taught them the various languages for their own understanding, but actually gave them the ability to express themselves correctly in these tongues. It was a wonderful manifestation and transference of miraculous powers. The account is so clear that there can be no question in the unprejudiced mind as to the miracle set before us in this narrative, namely, that the foreign languages became to the unlearned fishermen of Galilee as their own, that they had a perfect command of the various languages and could express themselves freely, as occasion offered. And all this was wrought by the Spirit, who gave them utterance and enabled them to speak the oracles of God. “The Holy Spirit thus penetrated their hearts that in one moment they had the right understanding of God and of His Son Jesus Christ, and understood the whole Scriptures, and had such courage that they do not keep this understanding for themselves, but dare to confess it freely and openly. … He comes down and fills the hearts of the disciples, who formerly sat there in grief and fear, and gives them fiery tongues that they become courageous, and preach freely of Christ, and fear nothing.” ^■7 .

The effect of the miracle upon the multitude:

Since this was the festival of Pentecost, one of the feasts upon which all the Jews were to appear at Jerusalem, Exodus 23:13-17; Deuteronomy 16, there were people from all parts of the world living, or sojourning for the time, in Jerusalem. Many of them that had formerly lived in distant countries may have returned to the city of their fathers in order to spend their declining years in their sacred city and to die within sight of the Temple. The people here referred to were sincere, devout men, Luke 2:25, not hypocrites like the Jewish rulers. And they hailed from every nation under heaven. Since the time of the Babylonian exile the merchandizing proclivities of the Jews had drawn them out into other countries more and more. In some countries, as in Egypt, there were large colonies of them, with influential men of the class of Philo. And that they were by no means few in number throughout Asia Minor, as well as in parts of Greece and in Italy, appears from the many passages in Acts in which the synagogs of the Jews are mentioned. These Jews, known as the Jews of the Diaspora, spoke the language of the people among whom they lived, retaining the Hebrew only for Sabbath services. Now when that great sound, as of the mighty wind, was heard, the attention of all the hearers was naturally directed to the hall where the apostles and disciples were assembled, and a great multitude came together to find out the reason for this supernatural occurrence. And what they saw and heard filled their minds with such trouble and perturbation that they were no longer sure of their senses; they were altogether confounded and mixed up. For here they heard, every man, the language of the people where he had been born. There were present Eastern or Babylonian Jews, Parthians, from the region of the Caspian Sea, Medes, from the southwestern shore of the same sea, Elamites, in what is now western Persia, dwellers in Mesopotamia, along the Euphrates and Tigris rivers; there were present Syrian Jews, from Judea, the southern part of what is now Syria, from Cappadocia, in eastern Asia Minor, from Pontus, south of the Black Sea, from Asia, the parts of western Asia Minor in general, along the Aegean Sea, from Phrygia, in western Asia Minor, from Pamphylia, in southern Asia Minor; there were present Egyptian Jews, from Egypt itself, as well as from the parts of Libya in the western part, about Cyrene, the modern Tripoli; there were present Roman Jews, sojourners from that city. And finally Luke mentions Jews from the island of Crete, in the Mediterranean, and from Arabia, as being present in only small numbers. Both Jews and proselytes were represented in the assembly, such as belonged to the Jewish nation by birth, and such as had become proselytes of the gate (by acknowledging the truth of the Jewish teaching) or of righteousness (by formally accepting all the rites and ceremonies, as well as the teaching). And all the various members of this big gathering heard the apostles speak in their own tongue, fluently addressing them, as though they had spoken the dialects and languages all their life. Such a miracle was unheard of, and Luke exhausts his vocabulary in trying to describe its effect upon the multitude: they were confounded, they were amazed, they marveled, they were perplexed, they asked one another as to the meaning of the wonderful thing they were witnessing. And all the while the apostles were preaching the great and wonderful works of God, namely, that God had fulfilled the prophecies made to their fathers, that He had sent His Son Jesus to work the redemption of the whole world, and that this salvation was now being offered to all of them without exception ^■8 . But while the majority of the assembled Jews were ready to accept the evidence of an extraordinary manifestation of God’s power in these unlearned Galileans, as they called them, there were also some that scoffed and mocked, derisively declaring that the apostles were full of sweet wine, either the must of grapes still in the fermenting state or a choice sweet wine in use in Palestine. Note: Wherever the Spirit of God works through the Word, there are always some that accept the glorious truth, while others are wilfully offended and mock at the Spirit that lives in the Christians.

Verses 14-47

The sermon of Peter and its effect

The introduction of the sermon:

While the gift of tongues was being transmitted to the apostles, it was not that they were in a state of ecstasy, making them detached from the affairs going on about them. They were perfectly sane and rational. And Peter heard the remark of the scoffers. Up to this time the apostles had been sitting down; but now Peter arose, and the Eleven with him, to enter an emphatic protest against this blasphemous insinuation, which, incidentally, was very foolish. As spokesman of the Twelve, Peter purposely raised his voice in order to make himself understood by the entire audience, and then spoke solemnly and impressively, in the name of God. He addresses the assembled multitude very respectfully as “men of Judea and dwellers in Jerusalem,” thus distinguishing between the inhabitants and the sojourners for the period of the festival. He wanted to make something known to them, he wanted to bring a fact to their attention, and therefore he asks them all to give ear, to listen closely to his words, his sayings, his informal talk. He brings out, first of all, the meaning of the Pentecost miracle. First of all, he refutes the charge that these men might be intoxicated. It was now only the third hour of the day, nine o’clock in the morning, and therefore the time itself made it highly improbable that these men should be drunken. But the real refutation of the insinuation came with the explanation of the miracle. The manifestation which they had witnessed was one due to the Spirit of God, in fulfilment of the prophecy of Joel, Joel 2:28-32. God Himself had promised through this prophet that in the latter days of the world He would pour out of His Spirit upon all flesh, that as the result of this miracle both the sons and the daughters of the people would prophesy, would be able to unfold the future, that the young men would see visions and the old men would receive revelations in dreams. And still more was included in this miraculous occurrence. For even the bonded servants, the slaves, both male and female, would receive the same gift of the Holy Ghost, so that they, too, would be enabled to prophesy. Persons of all nationalities and of every rank and station in life would thus become partakers of the Spirit and His wonderful gifts. And this phenomenon would not be confined to a single occasion, but would continue until the day when God would show and give miracles in the heaven or sky above and signs of His majesty on the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and smoky vapor. The sun would be changed entirely, losing his brightness and turning into darkness, and the moon likewise would be changed into a bloody mass. Bloodshed and devastation of war would precede that last great day of the Lord, whose purpose will clearly be visible as soon as it dawns over the demoralized world. Cp. 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 1 Corinthians 1:8; 2 Corinthians 1:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:8. The awful aspects of the end of the world are here held up to the startled gaze of the multitude, as a warning cry to repentance. But, in the mean time, there is also a glorious promise held out to all that turn to the Lord in repentance and faith, and fervently call upon His name as that of the only Savior. Note: We Christians live in the time of the fulfilment of Joel’s prophecy, in the time of the New Testament Pentecost. The preaching of Christ, which was begun by the lowly fishermen of Galilee, has gone out into all the world. And through this Gospel the exalted Christ, God Himself, is sending, pouring out His Spirit. The crucified Christ, now exalted to the right hand of God, is the almighty God ^■9 . He is gathering unto Himself His Church out of all nations of the world. Sons and daughters, old and young, servants and maids, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. And though the working of the Spirit is not manifested in the same way as in the early days of the Church, in visions, in dreams, in prophecy, yet the Spirit lives in the hearts of the believers, gives them the knowledge of Jesus Christ, their Savior, and urges them to speak of that which they believe so firmly, and to call upon the name of the Lord. The pouring out of the Spirit is the last of the great miracles of God until the great day of His returning to Judgment. In the mean time, we have the comfort that our salvation is secure in Him. “What does it mean ‘to save’? It means to deliver from sin and death. For he that wants to be saved must not be under the Law, but under grace. But if he should not be under the Law, but under grace, then he must not be under sin. If he is under, in the power of, sin, then he is under the Law, that is, under the wrath of God, under eternal death and damnation, and under the power of the devil. But if he is to be saved, then all these enemies, sin, death, devil, must be removed. Therefore to save means nothing else than to deliver and make free from sin and death, from the wrath of God and the power of the devil, from the Law and from a bad conscience. Now Peter says, from the Prophet Joel: The Lord that pours out His Holy Spirit upon all flesh will save all that call upon His name, that is, by faith in Him He will deliver from sin and death.” ^■10 .

Peter’s testimony of Jesus:

Peter here launches forth into his sermon proper, to testify of Christ as David’s Son and David’s Lord. He addresses his hearers as Israelites, as members of the covenant nation of God, and asks them again to mark well his words. He places the name of Jesus the Nazarene at the head of this section, in order properly to emphasize his intention of making Jesus the center of his discussion. This Jesus had been approved by God unto them; God had clearly shown that Jesus was His ambassador to the Jews, the demonstrations of His power in the Word and work of Jesus being manifest throughout. The powers, wonders, and signs which He performed had been done through Him in their midst by God, just as He Himself had argued. Peter tells the Jews outright that they were very well aware of these facts, that it was impossible for them to deny a single one of them, John 11:47. Peter furthermore informed the Jews that it was in accordance with God’s preordained purpose, with His constituted will and foreknowledge, that Jesus was delivered into their power, affixed to the cross and slain with wicked hands, and not because He had been overcome by their strength. And he finally tells his audience boldly that God had raised Jesus from death, by loosening and taking away the pangs of death, for it was not possible for death to hold the Prince of Life. Death had ensnared Him, but could not hold his prey. Like sledge-hammer blows the powerful, brief statement of these facts falls from the lips of Peter, facts which make his hearers reel and stagger, and which force the conviction upon them that this man Peter must be telling the truth. “We might challenge the world to find a parallel to it in the speeches of her orators or the songs of her poets. There is not such a thunderbolt in all the burdens of the prophets of Israel, or among the voices which echo through the Apocalypse.” ^■11 . For us Christians it is most consoling that the climax of this section is reached in the magnificent statement: Whom God hath raised up. Upon the fact of the resurrection of Jesus we place our hope of everlasting salvation.

The proof from David:

Peter had stated to the Jews that Jesus had been delivered according to the foreknowledge of God and that God had raised Him up from the dead. Since these two statements required proof, the apostle proceeds to give it from Scriptures. He quotes Psalm 16:8-11. There David says certain facts of the Lord, and the Messiah speaks through him. The Messiah declares that He beholds the Lord, Jehovah, before His face always; He is in the bosom of the Father from everlasting to everlasting. God, His heavenly Father, is at His right hand, as His Defense and Helper, so that He could not become permanently dejected. For that reason the Messiah’s heart is full of gladness and His tongue is full of exultation, His soul is full of joyful confidence. For His flesh, His living, animate body, may dwell in cheerful hope; the Messiah’s entire life could be spent in a confident and calm contemplation of the end which was awaiting Him. For the Lord, His heavenly Father, would not give up, not desert, His soul in the kingdom of death, would not permit Him to become the permanent prey of death, neither would He give His Holy One to see corruption. He knows and is convinced that His soul will not be given up and abandoned in the abode of the dead and destruction, that His body will not rot in the grave according to the common experience of mankind. In distinction from this the Lord has made known to the Messiah the ways of life; He has filled Him with gladness as being in His presence without interruption. For the Messiah no death would, even for a moment, sever the union between Him and His God and Lord. Note: The words of the Psalm are a beautiful and clear exposition of the Messiah concerning His death and the glorification which would be His through His death.

The application of the prophecy:

Peter, in this section of his sermon, uses the intimate and confidential address “men and brethren.” He wants to make the people feel that it is in their interest to hear him out in his argument. He had quoted a passage from a Psalm which, as the people knew, was written by David, a passage held throughout in the first person. The question therefore was as to who was speaking when David wrote, he himself or some one else. Now concerning David, whom Peter here calls a patriarch, the ancestor of a kingly race, he could freely say, and without any fear of contradiction, that he died and was buried, his grave being in Jerusalem and well known to all Jews. So the death of David was a fact, and the presence of his tomb implied that this ancestor of kings, on his part, had seen corruption. Of himself David, then, had assuredly not spoken. On the other hand, as the Jews knew, he held the position of a prophet, one through whom the Lord foretold the future, and as such he knew, by a revelation of God, that God had promised him with an oath that a descendant of his would sit upon his throne. Cp. 2 Samuel 7:12-13. With this knowledge in mind, David wrote this prophecy of the 16th Psalm, speaking of the resurrection of Christ, that He would not be abandoned in the kingdom of death, and that His flesh would not see corruption. Thus Peter proved clearly from his text that Jesus suffered death according to a predetermined and expressed aim of God, but that death could not hold Him, that He plainly must and did arise from the dead. And that this prophecy has been fulfilled the apostles also, the twelve men standing before them, could testify; they were witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus. Their eyes, their senses, did not deceive them; they had been with the risen Lord; they had received His commission. This fact is of great comfort also to us, who place our faith in the message of the risen Lord, as recorded by these witnesses of His resurrection.

The conclusion of Peter’s sermon:

A powerful peroration or conclusion! After his testimony concerning the resurrection of Jesus there was one more point which Peter was bound to make, namely, the proof of Christ’s exaltation into glory, with the attendant majesty and power. In this case he did not cite the testimony of the apostles’ personal witnessing, since this step of Christ’s glorification had been hidden from human eyes. But the ascension and exaltation was a necessary consequence of the resurrection. Jesus was by the right hand of God exalted, raised by the omnipotent power of God to the highest dignity in the realms of glory; Jesus received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father; Jesus poured the Spirit out upon the disciples, as the Jews were now witnessing to their great astonishment, both with their eyes in seeing the tongues of fire and with their ears in hearing the unlearned fishermen declare the great wonders of God in more than a dozen languages and dialects. It was testimony of a kind which no sane man among the hearers would dream of calling into question. And this miracle of the exalted Christ was, in turn, predicted in the Old Testament, another fact which should convince them of the truth of Peter’s remarks. For David, as they well knew, had not ascended into heaven. The words therefore which he had written, Psalm 110:1: The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand till I place Thine enemies as a footstool for Thy feet, could not apply to David. The passage, then, as even the Jews admitted, must refer to Christ; the words had found their fulfilment in the ascension of Jesus. Having therefore, by the soundest kind of evidence, brought proof for the statements which he made in his introduction, Peter was ready for the logical, powerful conclusion and application. With convincing confidence and startling directness he appeals not only to the present hearers, but to the whole house of Israel whom they represented, to have the correct understanding of the facts brought out by his sermon, namely, that God had made that same Jesus whom they had crucified both Lord and Christ. He had made Him Lord by exalting Him to the everlasting throne of majesty and power; and He had made Him Christ by thus establishing all the prophecies of old concerning the Messiah as referring to Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus and His entire ministry were vindicated in a most glorious and incontrovertible manner. Such is the preaching of Christ which should obtain in the Christian Church at all times. That is the content of all Christian preaching: Jesus Christ, true God and man, crucified and resurrected, our Lord and Savior.

The immediate effect of the sermon:

Peter had closed his sermon with the words: Both Lord and Christ has God made this Jesus whom you crucified. These concluding words, coming after his powerful presentation of truth, could not fail to have their effect. They penetrated to the heart of the hearers, they pierced the heart. The men were moved most deeply, they were filled with compunction and remorse. They felt, with the keen misery of an evil conscience, that they were murderers in the sight of God. That is the beginning of repentance: a keen realization of sin and a deep sorrow over the offense thus offered to God. This is brought out by the eager, uneasy question of the hearers: What shall we do, men and brethren? They do not despair on account of the greatness of their sin, but turn to Peter for help in their great trouble. It was a momentous question, and it received a clear answer. The first thing Peter urges them to do is to repent truly and sincerely, to admit all guilt before the face of God without reserve and equivocation, Proverbs 28:13. And the second step is that every one of those whose heart was thus filled with sorrow and remorse should be baptized on or in the name of Jesus Christ. Christian Baptism is made in the name of Jesus, because the work of Jesus made the gift of Baptism possible, since it is made unto remission of sins. Forgiveness of sins, full pardon, is given to the poor sinner through the washing of regeneration, Titus 3:5. Baptism is not a mere symbol or form of initiation into the brotherhood of believers, nor is it a work by which remission of sins is earned. The water of Baptism, through the power of the Word which is in and with the water, transmits and gives the remission of sins as earned by Jesus Christ. Note: Peter uses both the Law and the Gospel, the former to work a full and proper realization of sinfulness, the latter to open the floodgates of God’s mercy to the poor sinners. And there is still a third point which Peter brings out. Where repentance and faith are found in the heart, there the gift of the Holy Ghost is assured, there God freely, out of pure mercy, sheds forth the Holy Ghost. The Spirit lives in the hearts of those that are baptized and believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and His constant work is to sanctify the believers. Through the indwelling of the Spirit we are enabled to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit. This application Peter makes very emphatic, declaring that the promise of God unto salvation is unto them, has reference to them and to their children, is earnestly intended for them. Note that the Gospel promise of God, also in regard to the remission of sins as transmitted through Baptism, is not only to the adults, but also to the children; the children are very decidedly included in the command to baptize. And the promise of the Gospel was not confined to the Jews and their nation, but was intended also for all those at a distance, as many as God would call to receive the benefits and blessings of His mercy. It is the gracious work of God, to exhibit the power of His mercy also among the Gentiles, to have His Word accepted among them to their salvation, to call them unto Himself, as His own children. There is no limit to the universality of this promise nor to the beauty of its import. Here Luke closes the verbal account of Peter’s discourse, merely adding that he, and undoubtedly the other apostles as well, very earnestly testified, with many additional arguments. And to his testimony he added exhortation, in order to confirm and strengthen the newborn faith of their hearts, urging them to be or become saved, to save their souls by separating themselves from the perverse, godless generation of this world. The power to do so came to them by faith, the strength of God being present in them, and they must exercise this power at once, Philippians 2:12. It is necessary that Christians at all times make use of the power of God in them which they have received by faith.

The effect of the sermon in the establishment and progress of the Church:

The Word of God which had been preached with such power and followed up with such earnest exhortations, did not remain without fruit. By the working of the same Spirit whose miraculous power was exhibited before their eyes, some of the people present, a considerable number of the hearers, received the Word by faith, they accepted Jesus of Nazareth as the promised Messiah and they were baptized. The Baptism in the name of Jesus Christ served for the strengthening of their faith in the Word of the Gospel, and for the confirming and sealing of their salvation in Christ, of which Peter had testified. It is immaterial whether this great number of people that were thus added to, that joined the ranks of, the disciples, were baptized by immersion (the necessary facilities being present in Jerusalem, as the defenders of immersion declare) or not, since the mode of Baptism is not prescribed in Holy Scriptures. There are a good many arguments of probability against immersion. But be that as it may, the fact is that these people were added to, received into, the Christian Church by the Sacrament of Baptism, their number being about three thousand souls. The souls that are won for Christ are thereby added to His Church.

Luke now sketches a picture of the first Christian congregation of Jerusalem, with the nucleus of the apostles and the hundred and twenty disciples, and with the three thousand Pentecost converts as the body. The growth of the Church was not only in numbers, but also in faith and charity. The members of the congregation continued, persevered, with great fidelity and devotion, in the teaching, in the doctrine of the apostles. These men, set and ordained by Christ as the teachers of all Christendom, were at that time the teachers of the congregation at Jerusalem. And their doctrine was the doctrine of Christ; they taught what they had heard from Christ; their word was the Word of God. By remaining steadfastly in this Word, the disciples also preserved fellowship. They were united in the same faith and love toward their Lord and Master; they were in communion with one another and in union with Christ and the Father, a wonderful, blessed intimacy, by which they were attached more closely to one another than brothers and sisters according to the flesh. Each one felt the most solicitous concern for the joys and sorrows of the other. Their intimate fellowship was expressed in the breaking of bread. If this expression does not refer exclusively to the celebration of Holy Communion, it certainly does not exclude the Sacrament. Cp. 1 Corinthians 10:16. It plainly does not refer to an ordinary meal, and was probably used by Luke to describe briefly the common meal which the believers connected with the celebration of the Lord’s Supper in the early days of the Church. And as the believers heard the Word, as they observed the Eucharist, so they also were diligent, assiduous, in public prayer. By common prayer, praise, and thanksgiving the disciples of Jerusalem manifested their brotherly fellowship and their unity of spirit. All these facts could, of course, not remain hidden from the people of the city, even if the members of the congregation had intended it so. The Christians’ mode of living was a continual confession and admonition to all the inhabitants of the city. The result was that many of the Jews, as many as came into contact with the believers, were filled with a great fear; the solemn awe which the miracles and signs of the apostles inspired was augmented by the reverence demanded by their blameless living. The presence of God and the exalted Christ, through the manifest working of the Spirit, in the midst of the congregation, had to be admitted by all that came into contact with them. And this awe served the spread of the Gospel as well; it acted as a curb upon the hatred of the Jews, hindering them from showing any open manifestation of their enmity. It was God’s intention that the young plant of His Church was to enjoy a peaceful growth for a season.

Meanwhile the brotherly love of the disciples showed its power in their life and works. They were together; their hearts and minds were directed to their common cause, a fact which naturally caused them to meet as often as possible, either in the Temple or in private houses, and not only for public services, but also for social intercourse in a true Christlike spirit. And they held all things in common; they did not practise communism, they did not abrogate the right of private property. Not the possession, but the use and benefit of the goods was common. Cp. Acts 4:32. Every member of the congregation considered his property as a talent of the Lord, with which he was to serve his neighbor. In many cases this brotherly love effected still more. Their possessions and goods, all their property, they sold and divided the proceeds among all the brethren, just as the needs demanded it. That was not a law proposed or enforced by the apostles, but a free manifestation of true charity. The well-to-do Christians were willing and eager to make these sacrifices when it was evident that this was the only way in which the needs of the brethren could be supplied. There was none of the supercilious aloofness which now characterizes the intercourse of the rich with the poor. Such expressions of love had seldom, if ever, been seen on the earth before. And all this was done without any attempt at ostentation. As a matter of course, the believers, with one accord, in full unity of the spirit, held their public meetings in the Temple, where they had an opportunity to testify to the other members of their nation concerning the hope which animated them. And not only were daily meetings held in the Temple, but they also met from house to house, mainly for the celebration of the Holy Communion and of the common meal known as the Agape, where they partook of food together with great gladness or exultation and incidentally with all simplicity of heart. The richer members were not indignant over the fact that the poorer brethren were partaking of the food provided by their bounty, nor did they deem it beneath their dignity to sit at the same table. And the poor members possessed nothing of poverty’s foolish pride on account of being obliged to accept the largess of others. They were all united in that one great work, to give praise to God for all the gifts which He had bestowed upon them. No wonder that they found favor with all the people. Every honest, upright Jew would naturally esteem the believers for the simplicity, purity, and charity of their lives. And the confession of the mouth being seconded and confirmed by the evidence of works, the result was that additions to the number of the believers were daily recorded. But Luke expressly states that the Lord added such as should be saved to the congregation. The conversion of every person is the Lord’s doing all alone, and is the result of His gracious and good will for the salvation of sinners. Note: The congregation at Jerusalem throughout is a shining example to the Christian congregations and to the believers of all times. If that same love for the Word of God, for the use of the Sacrament, if that same unselfish charity toward the brethren were evident in our days, every congregation would stand out in the same way. And such is the will of Christ, the Head of the Church.

Summary

The miracle of Pentecost is followed by a long and powerful sermon of Peter, setting forth Jesus as the Lord and Christ, whose effect is seen in the sound establishment of the first Christian congregation at Jerusalem.

Verses 1-11

The healing of the lame man

The lame beggar:

Of the many signs and wonders which the apostles performed for the confirmation of their teaching, Acts 2:43, Luke here narrates one which stands out from the rest by virtue of the amount of attention it attracted. The disciples, after the ascension of Christ and even after the Day of Pentecost, did not abandon the usages of the Jewish religion which did not conflict with the teaching of Jesus. (So also Luther, with conservative tact, did not permit iconoclastic tendencies to direct his reformatory labors.) As before, they observed the Jewish hours of prayer. At the ninth hour, that is, at three o’clock in the afternoon, the time of the evening sacrifice, Peter and John went up into the Temple to pray. At that time the prayers of the believers were wafted upwards as incense sweet in the nostrils of God, and the lifting up of their hands accompanied the bringing of the evening sacrifice. But when the two apostles arrived at the Temple, they were halted by a peculiar circumstance. A certain man, who had been lame from his birth, and could in no way walk, but had to be carried about from one place to another, was daily placed by some friends or acquaintances at that gate of the Temple which was known as “The Beautiful,” there to follow his profession as beggar by soliciting alms from the visitors to the Temple. The Temple itself was situated on an eminence overlooking the city, whence the apostles were obliged to go up to visit its courts and halls. “Either the gate that opened out of the Court of the Women to the eastward, or the one between the Court of the Women and the Court of Israel (it is uncertain which one) had been given by one Nicanor and was of fine Corinthian bronze. It was sometimes called ‘The Gate Beautiful’ and sometimes ‘Nicanor’s Gate.’ It was by this gate, and so near the treasury where people were devoting their money to religion, that Peter and John found the lame man begging.” ^■12 . The lame man had probably seen Peter and John often, but this was the occasion on which the Lord wanted to show him an act of especial mercy. He looked at the two apostles as they were about to enter, and asked to receive an alms from them.

The miracle of healing:

The attention of the apostles having thus been directed to the beggar, whom they otherwise might have passed, as they probably had done scores of times, Peter looked at him very intently. His heart was deeply moved at the helpless and pitiable condition of the cripple, and his earnest gaze may have held something of that wonderful sympathy which had so often shone forth from his Master’s face. Then he asked the beggar to look at him and John, with the intention of exciting his curiosity and attention, in order that the man might at once be conscious of the source of the miraculous cure. And as the cripple concentrated his attention upon the two apostles, expecting, of course, to receive some gift from them, Peter simply, but impressively, said to him: Silver and gold have I none; these he did not number among his possessions, thus sharing the condition of his Lord and of many servants of the Lord since his time. Worldly belongings were not included in his treasures; but what he did have was sure and lasting. And this Peter was willing to give, to share with the poor man. The power to perform miracles for the sake of establishing the Gospel had been given to the apostles, and Peter proposed to use this power for the healing of this unfortunate cripple. And so his command rang out: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth get up and walk. Peter’s power to perform miracles was not absolute, he held it only by the command, in the power, and in the interest of his Lord and Master Jesus, and could use it only in His name. And then Peter took hold of the man’s hand, grasping him firmly to give him confidence, and lifted him up, drew him upright. The miracle was performed at once. The man’s feet became solid under his weight and his ankles firm; both bones and muscles received not only the strength, but also the ability to use this strength properly. Even while Peter still had hold of his hand, he jumped up; he stood upright first, as if to test the weight on his feet, or to feel the sensation of maintaining an upright position. And then he freely walked about, with no trace of lameness; he even went with Peter and John into the Temple, into the Court of Israel, the place where the men worshiped. And again and again, in the fullness of his joy, he walked about and even leaped, as though he felt constrained to convince himself that he was not dreaming, but that the miracle was a fact. His worshiping on that afternoon was done from the depth of a heart overflowing with thankfulness, wherefore he also praised God, giving all glory and honor to Him, to whom Peter had referred in his command of healing. All this, of course, was not done without attracting notice. Great numbers of people were at this time entering the Temple for the evening sacrifice, and they recognized the man that was walking about and leaping in the joy of his heart as the beggar whom they had often seen at the gate of the Temple. The conclusion in the matter was evident. A miracle had been performed which agitated and shocked them, filled them with wonder and amazement. Their astonishment was mixed with admiration and awe verging almost upon stupor. But there could be no doubt as to the actuality of the happening. For there was the man clinging to the apostles as his benefactors; there were the expressions of his joy and gratitude; there was the fact that he could walk and leap. It was not long, therefore, before all the people that had come into the Temple, forgetting the evening sacrifice and the time of incense, crowded about Peter and John, who had now come out into the beautiful portico or hall known as Solomon’s Porch. Note: Every one that has experienced the help of the Lord should give all due praise and thanks to Him and confess His blessings before men. Mark also: Though the gifts of miracles and extraordinary performances of miracles were a special distinction of the apostolic Church, yet the Lord’s hand is not shortened for the performing of miracles in the Church. The miracles of His grace, above all, are of such a nature as to provoke the admiration of even the children of the world at times.

Verses 12-26

The address of Peter in the Temple

An emphatic application of the Law:

In this account, as well as in that of the previous chapter, one must marvel at the boldness of Peter. He who but a few weeks before had quailed before the scorn of a maid-servant and shamefully denied his Master, here speaks in the presence of a great multitude, in the Temple-hall itself, and throws the accusation of murder into the teeth of the Jews. Peter saw with dismay that the admiration of the people was directed toward John and himself. And so he proceeds at once to correct this false idea. The men of Jerusalem should not be filled with surprise and wonder, nor should they stare at them as though in their own power or on account of their own holiness they had caused the man to walk. Peter denies that he and John possessed either such a physical power as the people imagined, or such a worthy condition and ability of the soul. The admiration of the people should be directed to the real Author of the miracle, whose unworthy agents and servants the apostles but were. And in giving the glory to the heavenly Father and the exalted Christ alone, Peter brings out the guilt of the Jews all the more strongly. The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, of whom the Jews were wont boastfully to speak as the God of their fathers, had glorified His Child, His Son, in this miracle, for it was performed in the name, in the power, of Jesus Christ. In glaring contrast to this truth stood the fact that they had delivered Jesus into the power of the Roman governor, and had heaped shame and abuse upon Him. The Jews had blasphemously denied their Lord before Pilate; the heathen judge had been ready to give Him His liberty. The Holy and Just One, the only person that truly merited these attributes in all the wide world, the Jews had denied; they had demanded, with every form of cajolery and threat, that a murderous person be granted to them as a Passover boon, that Barabbas be released to them. The Jews had killed, murdered, Jesus; and He was the Prince of Life, the Author, the Source of life. Over against the entire behavior of the Jews, therefore, stands the manner of God’s witnessing for Jesus, whom He has raised from the dead, a fact to which all the apostles could bear most emphatic witness. Thus only the miracle could be explained.

The basis of the present facts in prophecy:

Peter had preached the Law to the assembled Jews; he had shown them the heinousness of their transgression against their Lord and Savior; he had forced upon them the conviction that they were most seriously guilty in the sight of God. So far as the miracle was now concerned, over which they were so astounded, the explanation was very simple. It had been performed in the name of Jesus, through His power. On the basis of faith in Jesus, by faith in Jesus, His Word and His promise, Mark 16:17-18; John 16:23, the name of Christ and the power which is contained in His name had strengthened this cripple whom they saw and knew; that was as far as the participation of the apostles in the miracle was concerned. And as for the lame man, the faith which is through Christ, which is given by Him, had granted to the unfortunate man full and perfect health and strength in the presence of this audience, before their very eyes. The explanation then, briefly, was this: The power, the majesty, of the exalted Christ had worked through the apostles, and the sick man had accepted the gift of health by faith.

So much having been established, Peter now brings the consolation of the Gospel to the sinners. He addresses the people present as brethren. He concedes that their horrible crime was committed because of ignorance, and that their rulers may be excused on the same plea. Their guilt was still there, but it was less than if they had committed the crime with full knowledge and deliberate intent. And the counsel and plan of God was thereby carried out. What He had proclaimed in advance through the mouth of all the prophets, namely, that Christ, God’s Christ, must suffer in this manner, had been fulfilled in the Passion of Jesus as it had taken place. In this way only was it possible to deliver Israel and the entire sinful world from all sin and guilt. The blood and death of Jesus is actually the ransom for the sins of the whole world. For since He is the Prince, the Source, the Author of life, it is God’s martyrdom, God’s blood, God’s death which is placed in the balance. And God the Father has accepted the sacrifice, He is reconciled to sinners. This fact He has unmistakably confirmed by raising Jesus from the dead and by glorifying and exalting Him to the right hand of His majesty. All this is heavenly comfort for poor sinners.

The way of forgiveness:

The ignorance of the Jews had been admitted by Peter in extenuation of their guilt, but it by no means rendered them innocent. He urges them therefore to repent, to have a complete change of mind and heart take place in them, and to be converted, to turn again, to turn about completely to the expunging of their sins. Every one that turns from his sins to Christ, the Savior of sinners, will have his sins taken away, blotted out completely. Faith receives the forgiveness of sins, and where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation. And this conversion should be made promptly, without delay, that there may come special seasons of refreshment, in order that times of recreation, of refreshing, of renewing from the face of the Lord may come, and also that the Christ who hath been appointed for you, even Jesus, may be sent. Jesus was not only the Messiah in whom the covenant made with David was fulfilled, but He is also the Lord, the Messianic King, who will return in glory at the last day. When Jesus, whom now, by God’s decree, the heavens have received, and who possesses all heavens, will return at the appointed time, then the everlasting seasons of the restitution of all things will begin, of which God has spoken through the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. The time when this wonderful change may be expected is altogether in the hands of God and may come without warning. It is of great importance, then, that repentance and conversion take place as soon as possible, without delay. Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation, 2 Corinthians 6:2.

A final exhortation:

That Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the Messiah appointed to the Jews, and that the prophecies were fulfilled in Him, Peter brings out in the last part of his discourse. Moses had made a clear statement in one of his last prophecies to the Israelites in the wilderness, one that did not refer to a mere human prophet, but to One whose words would demand absolute obedience. Moses had spoken of this Prophet that was to come as being like unto himself. As Moses was the mediator between God and the people, both in conveying God’s messages to them and in standing between the dead and the living, so Jesus is the true Mediator between God and sinful mankind; as Moses was the deliverer of his people when he led them out of the house of Egypt’s bondage, so Jesus had delivered all men from the bondage of sin, death, and damnation. The Prophet, therefore, whom Moses had in mind can be no one else than Jesus Christ. This greatest Prophet of all the Jews must obey, as the prophecy of Moses demanded, Deuteronomy 18:15,18-19, in all His teaching to them. The penalty of disobedience, as Moses had said, was that it would be required of every such defiant person, usually by the sentence of death, Exodus 12:15,19; Leviticus 17:4,9. Peter here gives a transcription and explanation of the words of Moses by saying that every soul that was guilty of wilfully disobeying this great Prophet should be utterly destroyed from the people, should be punished with eternal condemnation. And Moses does not stand alone with his testimony, but his prophecy is seconded and corroborated by that of all the prophets of old, beginning with Samuel, as the founder of the schools of the prophets. As many as spoke prophecies made proclamation of these days, the days of Christ and the Messianic kingdom with all their promises of salvation. All the comfort of these prophecies and promises, as Peter finally assured his hearers, was intended for them, and should be a source of rejoicing to them. The Jews were proud of their descent and of their nation, and in a way they had reasons to be. For they were children of the prophets and of the covenant which God had set forth and established with their fathers. They were heirs, above all, of the promise which God made to Abraham, Genesis 12:3; Genesis 18:18; Genesis 22:18, to Isaac, Genesis 26:4, and to Jacob, Genesis 28:14, in which He stated that all families, kindreds, generations, or peoples should be blessed in their Seed, in their great Descendant, Jesus of Nazareth. In Jesus Christ the blessing of full salvation, of complete redemption, has come to all people in the entire world, not only to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles. But the Jews had been granted the first opportunity of enjoying the blessings of the risen Lord, just as Jesus had spent the time of His ministry exclusively in their midst. God, having raised up His Child, His Son, from the dead, and thus sealed the acceptance of the redemption made by Him, sent Him to bless, to bring the blessings of this redemption to, the Jews, through the work of the apostles. All the blessings and benefits of the Savior would be transmitted to them in and by conversion, in this, that He turns every one from his iniquities. That is the will of God with regard to every sinner, that he turn from all his evil ways and transgressions and accept the blessings of Christ and His atonement.

Summary

Peter heals a lame man at the gate of the Temple, whereupon the astonishment of the people gives him occasion to speak to them of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and His atonement.

Verses 1-22

Peter and John before the council of the Jews

The arrest of the apostles:

Up to this time the Lord had permitted the growth of the Church to be undisturbed, the work of the apostles going on without interruption and the disciples having plenty of opportunity to be strengthened in the faith. But it was impossible for the old enemies of the Lord to remain idle under the circumstances. The present occasion offered them a welcome chance to interfere and to hinder the activity of the apostles. Peter had not yet finished his discourse to the people, and John also was addressing some part of the multitude, when a body of armed men came rushing across the court. There were the priests, angry, no doubt, because the people had disregarded the evening sacrifice and the hour of incense offering in their astonishment over the healing of the lame man. There was the captain of the Temple, “the man of the Temple-mount,” who had charge of the priests and Levites that guarded the Temple and its surroundings, acting also as police for the grounds. At night the number of guards for the twenty-one outer and three inner stations amounted to 240 Levites and 30 priests ^■13 . The excuse for his officiousness probably was that the peace of the Temple was being disturbed by the concourse. And there were finally, and principally, the Sadducees, the members of the high-priestly party, who felt that their grievance was especially hard to bear. For the whole brunt of Peter’s preaching was in opposition to the Sadducees’ denial of the resurrection of the dead; all the discourses of the apostles were based upon that one fact, that Jesus was raised from the dead, and that this fact proved His Messiahship. Jesus had, on one occasion, indeed, maintained the resurrection of the dead against the error of the Sadducees, Matthew 22:23-33, but they had hardened their hearts against the truth and were determined not to tolerate its teaching. The confession of the resurrection of the dead upon the basis of Christ’s resurrection is a source of mockery and enmity toward the Christians to this day. The Jewish officials knew that the success of their plan depended upon quick action. So they took time for neither expostulation nor accusation; they simply laid forcible hands upon the two apostles, arrested them, and put them into a place of custody for the night, since they intended to arraign them in the morning. In spite of this action of the rulers, however, the preaching of Peter and John was not without result. For of the people in the audience that heard the Word there were many in whose heart faith was kindled, that believed in the Lord proclaimed to them. And thus the number of believers came to be, the men only being counted, after the Oriental custom, a total of about five thousand. With the power of the Spirit in the Word influencing the hearts, the Church expanded in spite of threatening danger.

The Sanhedrin is convened:

The next morning excitement ran high in official circles at Jerusalem; for were they not about to stamp out the hated sect that was gaining adherents with such alarming rapidity in their midst? So it was a very formal and very full session of the Sanhedrin which came together as soon as they could all be notified; for the text seems to indicate that some lived outside of the city. There were the rulers and the elders and the scribes, that is, the most prominent and influential members of the priesthood, chiefly Sadducees; those whose age and learning set them apart from the rest; and the professional lawyers, who generally belonged to the Pharisees. But outranking them all were the members of the high-priestly family: Annas, although retired by the Romans, yet retaining many of the rights and obligations of the office; Caiaphas, his son-in-law, and the high priest actually in charge; John, Alexander, and whoever else belonged to the relatives of the high priest. “Annas, whom Luke both here and in his former narrative calls high priest, was the lawful high priest, but he had been deposed by Valerius Gratus, the predecessor of Pilate, and Caiaphas, his son-in-law, had been, by the same unlawful procedure, put in his place, so that, while the latter was holding the office, the other was lawfully entitled to it, and was recognized as high priest by the people.” ^■14 . After the council had been formally opened, with its members seated in a semicircle, the two apostles were placed in the midst before them. It seems from Acts 4:14 that the former cripple, not willing that his benefactors should be accused or made to suffer without his presence and sympathy, also appeared and took his position beside them. The accused were now formally asked to give an account of their action: By what power and in what name have you done this? The miracle itself could not be denied. What the supercilious and somewhat pointed question intended to bring out was what kind of power and authority the apostles were assuming; in virtue of what name they dared to perform such deeds. It appears that the court wanted to fasten the accusation of divination or sorcery upon the apostles. Cp. Deuteronomy 13. Incidentally, the Jewish leaders may have hoped that Peter and John would speak unguarded words in answering the purposely indefinite question, and thus furnish real ground for a trial.

Peter’s speech of defense:

In the case of Peter it was now fulfilled what Jesus had promised, Luke 12:12. He was filled with the Holy Ghost; the Holy Ghost took charge of his mind and his mouth and directed the action of both. The question of the council had been with reference to the name and authority by which the apostles were acting. Solemnly, emphatically, and boldly addressing them as rulers of the people and elders, Peter makes a confession of his faith and of his ministry. He does not overlook the sneering “you” of the question, but states: If, as is the case, we, upon whom you heap mockery, are examined on account, about, the good deed shown to the sick man. Note the fine bit of oratorical irony in the statement. It reproves the rulers of the Jews for making a crime of acts of kindness and beneficence. Since the members of the council wanted to know in what manner, by what means, or “in whom” this man had been thoroughly healed, it should be known, not only to them all, but also to the entire nation of Israel, that this man was standing, was presented, before them in full health in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom they had crucified, but whom God had raised from the dead. This was the answer of Peter, a statement which needed no proof; for the judges could not deny that the miracle had actually been performed with the man standing before them. And as for refuting the claim of Peter as to the manner of the miracle, they could not with any degree of probability adduce any other power or name through which such a deed might have been done. And the candidness of Peter is equaled only by his boldness. For he deliberately pushes his advantage farther by holding before the eyes of his judges the passage Psalm 118:22, which Jesus, but a short time before, had quoted to a committee of the same Sanhedrin, Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 21:17. The rulers of the Jews were like men that tried to build a house, and foolishly rejected the only stone which was available for the corner of the foundation upon which the whole building was to rest. Jesus was the Stone ordained by God as the foundation of His Church. But the Jews had rejected Christ, and thus spoken the judgment upon themselves. In spite of all that Jesus was and will remain the Corner-stone, the very Foundation of the holy temple which He is rearing to Himself. And not only that, but, as Peter joyfully cries out: In none other is there salvation, for there is also none other name under heaven that is given among men in which we must be saved. The salvation earned by Jesus is complete, and it is the only salvation to be found anywhere. His name, the Word of redemption, is given, is proclaimed in the midst of men, in all the world, and whoever will be saved must turn to this one Source and Author of everlasting life. “On the name of Christ I cannot believe in any other way but that I hear the merit of Christ preached and accept this. Therefore by believing on the name of Christ and not by trust in our works we are saved. For the word ‘name’ in this place means the reason by which and on account of which salvation comes. Therefore, to glorify and confess the name of Christ is as much as trusting in Him who alone is and is called Christ, as the cause of my salvation and my treasure, by which I am saved.” ^■15 .

The consultation of the Sanhedrin:

The Jewish rulers had expected Peter and John to show fear or timidity in their presence, to be overawed by the dignity and learning of the members of the council. Instead of that, however, there was in their bearing a freedom and confidence and in the speech of Peter a fearless candor which compelled respect on their part. The longer they contemplated the manner of the men, the more this conviction was forced upon them. And this impression was heightened by the fact that the judges had perceived, either by their dress or by their dialect, that the two men before them were really unlearned and ignorant men, that they not only were not versed in the Law and in all the Jewish learning, but actually had not been able to write, were altogether illiterate. And there was still another point which the members of the council now noted, namely, that these men had belonged to the small company of Christ’s followers. This recognition came to them at this point, since they had seen Peter and John both as attendants of Jesus, and since John was a personal acquaintance of Caiaphas, John 18:15,18. No wonder that all these facts, gradually absorbing the consciousness of the judges, caused them to sit in embarrassed silence. For as far as the miracle was concerned, any attempt at denial would have been worse than futile, since the former cripple was there before their eyes, standing upright and sound upon his feet. The evidence of the miracle spoke no less forcibly than the apostles themselves. And so the rulers had nothing to say. Finally the silence was broken by the proposal, and the command based upon it, that the men leave the council-chamber for some time, being undoubtedly taken out under guard. Now the judges felt free to consider the matter; they exchanged their thoughts and opinions of the case. The gist of the discussion is given by Luke. There was no denying that a very evident miracle had been performed, which had also come to the knowledge of all the people of Jerusalem. To attempt a denial of these facts would have been worse than useless, it would have been foolishness of the most extreme type. And yet some one proposed an effort to stop the spread of the truth, and the proposal was eagerly made a resolution. In order that the message and the movement which accompanied it might spread no farther and be dispersed among the common people, like seed that promised a bountiful crop, they resolved earnestly to threaten the apostles that they speak no more about the name of Jesus, making Him and His Gospel the subject of their discourses. With none of the people, to not a single individual, should they speak about the name revered by them above all other names. Note: The unbelieving children of this world cannot deny that the power of God is mighty in the teaching and in the lives of the Christians. And yet they remain hostile to the name of Christ and make every effort to suppress the proclamation of the Gospel. Thus the unbelievers, with their unbelief and with their enmity toward Christ, act in direct opposition to their own conscience and better knowledge.

The resolution announced to Peter and John:

Peter and John were now called back into the meeting of the council, and the resolution was made known to them in its strictest interpretation. They were in no way to utter a word nor to teach about the name of Jesus. They should not, even in any private conversation, much less before a public assembly, speak or teach a single thing concerning Jesus. It was a summary and comprehensive prohibition. But both Peter and John, disregarding their own safety as well as even the semblance of expediency, unhesitatingly avowed their purpose to disregard the order of the Sanhedrin. And in stating this, they modestly, but firmly, appealed to the consciences of the judges. Whether it be in accordance with right and justice before God to obey them rather than God they should judge for themselves. Acting as before God, and following the dictates of eternal truth and justice, we dare not be silent. It cannot be right to obey man contrary to the will and command of God. It is impossible for us not to speak that which we have seen and heard. All things are possible to the believers in Christ, but it is impossible for them to be silent where the Word and honor of God and their Lord Jesus Christ are concerned. For silence in that case is equivalent to denial, and denial means to fall from grace. So the defiant refusal was stated before the Sanhedrin, whose members found themselves unable to react. They were obliged to be content with another, with an additional, serious threat as to what would happen if they dared to disobey. So this was the sad climax of the Sanhedrin’s vengeful effort. They were obliged to dismiss the two apostles; there was no case, no cause why they might punish them. And their fear of the people was another factor which cautioned prudence. For all men were full of praise toward God over the miracle that had been performed, a deed all the more noteworthy since the former cripple had not only been lame from his birth, but was more than forty years old at the time he was healed. Privately and secretly, of course, the members of the council were nursing their resentment, firmly resolved to make use of the first opportunity that offered to strike a decisive blow. Note: The true Christians are filled with missionary zeal wherever they go and whatever they undertake. And when men attempt to hinder them, when the government prohibits the preaching of the Gospel, they refuse to accede to the will of men and are obedient to God, who has commanded them to confess Christ, to preach the Gospel.

Verses 23-37

The prayer and the further establishment of the congregation

The report of the apostles and the prayer:

By the power of the Spirit’s testimony through the mouth of the apostles the enemies had been vanquished. The two disciples were discharged for want of condemnatory matter against them. They came to their own, to their fellow-disciples, who were assembled according to their custom. To these members of the Christian community they made a report of all that the high priests and elders, the members of the Sanhedrin, had said to them. And the result was a spontaneous outburst of prayer on the part of the entire assembly, in the form of a hymn clothed in language from the Psalms. The vigorous spiritual life of the early Christians manifested itself here, and the Spirit Himself taught them the words of their powerful prayer. They addressed their prayer to the almighty Master of the universe, to Him that had made heaven and earth and the sea and all creatures that inhabit them, before whom nothing is impossible, who holds the fortunes of the entire world in the hollow of His hand, and directs them to suit His purposes. It was this God who had inspired David to pen the words of the Second Psalm, as we here learn. It was He that had asked the question through His servant David: For what reason do the nations engage in tumultuous uprisings, and the people meditate things that are vain and foolish? The haughtiness and insolence of all men by nature is equaled only by the vanity, the emptiness, of their aspirations. Here was evidence enough for the truth of the prophecy. The kings of the earth and the rulers had gathered themselves together against the Lord and against His Christ. No matter whether they were otherwise at bitter enmity toward each other, they forgot all their differences when a concerted move was planned against the Word and work of God and Christ. Assuredly, as the evidence before the eyes of all men showed plainly, in this very city they were banding together against the holy Child of God, His Son Jesus: Herod and Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, — they were all united against God’s Anointed One. They would, of course, be able to carry out and succeed in doing only that which the hand of the Lord and His counsel had seen in advance and known that it would be done. God was still controlling the destinies of nations as well as of individuals. That was the situation. The enmity was there; it was directed against the Lord and His Christ; the believers knew that nothing could happen without the foreknowledge and permission of God. Note that there is no indication of a vindictive or resentful spirit in the prayer, but only a complete trust in the Lord.

The conclusion of the prayer and its answer:

The congregation now came to its special petition. The threatenings of the enemies were being concentrated upon their small flock; the storm seemed about to break over them. Of this fact the Lord should take notice, not for the purpose of subduing or removing the trial of faith, if His wisdom should think it best to have the temptations come, but to give to them, His servants, the necessary strength to speak and proclaim His Word with all boldness, without fear or favor. He should, to this end, support the proclamation of His truth by stretching forth His almighty arm and confirming it with miracles of healing, and by showing forth signs and wonders, by having them performed through the name and in the power of His holy Child, His Son Jesus. The name of that very Man whom the Jews despised and crucified was to be magnified among them by these manifestations of His power. These were the two gifts which the congregation and all its members needed at that time: first, the power and the willingness to proclaim the Word with courage and joy, and secondly, the ability to help and to heal, as an evidence that the omnipotent God and the power of the exalted Christ was with them. While they were still engaged in this prayer, the Lord gave evidence of having heard them. For the place where they were assembled was moved, was agitated, which signified the divine presence. And, in addition, they were all filled with the Holy Ghost; there was a special demonstration of His power, enabling them to speak and proclaim the Word with all boldness and power. This was henceforth a continuous action of the disciples; without the divine power in them the growth of the Church in the face of such opposition could not be explained. Note: The Church of the Lord has ever, amid the raging and threatening of its enemies, sought and found refuge with the almighty God. For God always hears the crying of His harassed children, and grants them power and boldness to proclaim the Gospel in the midst of His enemies.

The unity and charity of the Church:

There was now a multitude of believers, a congregation of some five thousand men, not counting women and children. And of them all Luke records the highest praise which can be given to a Christian congregation. They were believers, since they adhered closely to the doctrine of the apostles, that is, the teaching of Christ. Because of this faith they were one heart and soul; there was perfect harmony in both affection and thought; there was true unity of spirit. It may seem remarkable that people from such a variety of social relations and conditions could be so thoroughly agreed and so completely harmonious, but such is the power of faith in Jesus. And there was another manifestation of the faith in, and the love toward, their Lord to be noted, namely, an unselfishness which prompted them to take care of their neighbor’s need with the same love and care as their own. The goods of every member were at the disposal of the other members, as they had need of assistance. No one claimed the right of absolute possession. This was not the expression of fantastic and illusory socialistic theories or of an absolute communism, but a spontaneous manifestation of Christian love. This spirit was kept alive and strengthened by the fact that the apostles with great power gave witness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was the spirit, the love, of the risen Christ that lived in the disciples, that actuated them and prompted them to give such evidence of true and unselfish love. It was the result of their acceptance of the resurrected Lord by faith that brought great grace upon them all, favor with God in the consciousness of His mercy, and favor with men on account of the unheard-of unselfishness and pure charity that was practised by them. Luke repeats that there was no need for any one of them to be in want or to suffer, for the richer members, those that possessed lands or houses, freely and without any urging sold them and brought the proceeds of the sale to the apostles, in order that distribution might be made to all such as were in need. The congregation at this time voluntarily yielded to the teachers the right to take charge of these moneys and supervise their proper distribution. Of the well-to-do disciples, the example of one is recorded as especially noteworthy. This was the case of one Joseph, whom the apostles had surnamed Barnabas (the son of consolation). He was a Jew and had been a Levite before his conversion. He hailed from the island of Cyprus, where he was the owner of a field. The Levites had originally not been permitted to hold possessions in land, Numbers 18:20; Deuteronomy 10:9, but since the Babylonian exile the distribution of land and the maintenance of the Levites was no longer so strictly observed according to the Mosaic Law, Nehemiah 13:10-14. Besides, they could hold land by purchase or inheritance, Jeremiah 32:7-12. Barnabas, filled with love for his needy brethren, sold his land and brought the money to the apostles, just as most of his fellow-Christians did. Note: The enmity of the world does not result to the detriment of the Church. In the midst of cross and tribulation, of hardships and difficulties, the Church is established, and faith and love are rendered strong. When the world begins to rage and to threaten, the true Christians cling all the more firmly to the Word, and this Word shows its power, binding their hearts together ever more firmly.

Summary

Peter and John, arraigned before the Sanhedrin, defend themselves and their cause to the confusion of their judges; they report the matter to the congregation, which lays the threatening enmity before God in prayer, and is more soundly established in faith and love.

Verses 1-11

Ananias and Sapphira

The sin and death of Ananias:

Luke had just narrated an instance of true, charitable selflessness in the conduct of Barnabas of Cyprus. Unfortunately, however, the appreciation and praise accorded to people that have shown real benevolence often prompts hypocrites to make a pretense and show of great love, in order that they may also be given words that sound pleasant to their itching ears. Into the paradise of the early Church there entered the serpent of selfishness and corruption. Luke presents no reflections and affixes no moral, adhering to his practise of simply narrating the facts of history. There was a certain man, a member of the congregation at Jerusalem, by the name of Ananias (“to whom Jehovah has been gracious”). The name of his wife, who also belonged to those that professed Christianity, was Sapphira (sapphire, “the beautiful”). To these two belonged a possession, some property, very likely a piece of improved real estate of some value. Now Ananias as well as his wife were eager to be accounted benefactors of their poorer brethren, and so they sold their property, probably with some ostentation. But their interest in the poor was only sham, and for the good will of God they cared nothing. They set apart, they appropriated for their own benefit, a certain part of the proceeds of the sale. It is expressly stated that Sapphira was fully aware of this arrangement, that it was done with her full knowledge and consent; she was just as guilty as her husband. “If we attempt to analyze the motive of the guilty pair, we shall find that their act was a compromise between two unholy desires. The desire to have the praise of men, such as had been bestowed upon Barnabas and some others, prompted the sale and the gift, while the love of money, which still held too strong a hold on them, prompted the retention of a part while they were pretending to give all.” ^■16 . Their course having been fully decided upon, Ananias took the sum of money which they decided should serve to establish their fame as dispensers of charity, brought it to the meeting-place of the apostles and the congregation, and deposited it in the customary place. The act which the guilty pair was committing was not simply their sin as individuals, but placed the whole church into great danger. For if others should learn of this subterfuge, they would be apt to practise the same hypocrisy. But if integrity and truth should disappear in the congregation, the Church of Christ would lose her brightest ornaments, and pharisaic hypocrisy would be substituted for Christian holiness. “It was, therefore, of vital importance to the Church that the introduction of an evil of such magnitude should meet with an immediate and effectual resistance.” ^■17 . Accordingly, Peter put the heart-searching question to Ananias: How is it that Satan has filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Ghost? As the devil is the author of every sin and transgression, so he here also gave the idea of wickedness and deceit into the heart of Ananias. For in pretending a benevolence which he was far from feeling, the man had lied, not so much to men, to Peter, the apostles, and the congregation, but to the Holy Ghost, who spoke and acted through the apostles, who lived and moved in the Christian congregation. He had tempted the Spirit of God, who tests heart and mind, who, as true God, knows the innermost thoughts of every man’s heart. And Peter very properly reminded Ananias that the property had been his to keep, if he so chose; there was no compulsory communism in the congregation. And if he had chosen to sell his property and to keep all the money, it was entirely in his own power. It would even have been strictly his own business if he had frankly stated that he was bringing only a part of the proceeds, since he intended to use the rest himself. But his heart had been set upon getting credit for charity and benevolence which he did not possess. “The act of selling their possession for the ostensible purpose of bringing it into the common stock left them no further control over it nor property in it; and their pretense that the money which they brought was the whole produce of the sale was a direct lie in itself, and an attempt to deceive the Holy Spirit, under whose influence they pretended to act. This constituted the iniquity of their sin.” ^■18 . Note: The fact that Satan had filled the heart of Ananias, and that he had conceived this thing in his own heart, are placed on a level. The fact that Ananias had yielded to the devil’s persuasion and temptation put the responsibility, the blame, upon him. The same holds true of every sinner in every sin which he commits, especially if it is done with such deliberate intent as in this case. Mark also: In lying to the Holy Ghost, Ananias had lied to God Himself, for the Holy Spirit is true God with the Father and the Son. Deceit and hypocrisy of every kind is open before His omniscience, as every one that is guilty of these sins will find out to his great sorrow sooner or later. The sin of Ananias received its condemnation at once, and a punishment which is intended to be a warning for all times. For no sooner had Peter finished his earnest rebuke, no sooner had the guilty man heard these words, than he fell down and breathed forth his soul; he died at once, struck by the wrath of the Holy Ghost. The execution was so obviously an act of God that a great fear fell upon all those that saw the punishment and heard the words by which it was accompanied. When God speaks, the heart of sinful man is filled with awe. And the young men of the congregation, not a special class or separate body, but the younger members of the audience, arose from their places. There was no time either for a lamentation or for an elaborate funeral ceremony, had the people present been so inclined; there was no weeping or delay. Wrapping the dead man up in his own mantle, the young men carried him out and buried him. Such is the end of those that abuse the grace of the Lord. Be not deceived, God is not mocked.

The death of Sapphira:

Whether the information concerning the death of her husband had been withheld from Sapphira by the command of Peter, or whether the awe of the incident they had witnessed kept the members from spreading the story, is immaterial. After an interval of about three hours, Sapphira, who may have become concerned over the long absence of Ananias, came to the meeting-place of the congregation. She was fully prepared to keep her agreement with her husband relative to the money, not knowing that his fate had been sealed hours before. When Peter, therefore, put the question to her whether for just that sum which was still lying there they had sold their property, she unhesitatingly replied: Yes, for just so much. Peter’s question had been a last appeal to her conscience, a last admonition to tell the truth and give all glory to God. But she disregarded the admonition, persevered in her sin, and seconded the base lie of her husband. It was a wilful persistence in sin, in hypocrisy. Note the dramatic intensity of the narrative. Peter now, in the name of God, as a prophet of the Lord, pronounced the judgment upon her. For what reason, to what end, did you agree to tempt the Spirit of God, to see whether it would be possible to deceive Him as well as His Church? The feet of those that carried out thy husband are at the door, and will carry thee out. And no sooner had Peter uttered the Lord’s judgment than Sapphira fell down, just as her husband had before her, and also breathed her last. And the young men coming in, found her dead, and buried her beside her husband, to be joined with him in death as she had been in life. That was a terrible, but just judgment which the Lord here executed in the midst of the first congregation. By this act God declared to the Church of all times that the hypocrites are an abomination in His sight. It is but seldom in our days that the Lord makes known His avenging power in the same manner as here, but His hand is not shortened even to-day when His honor is at stake. Note: There is a repetition of the sin of Ananias and Sapphira in modern church-life, also in connection with the Lord’s treasury, namely, when members of congregations make exaggerated statements of the amounts they are giving or understate their income, in order to make their contribution for the Kingdom stand out above that of others. The result of this story should rather be, as it was in those days, that a great fear comes upon the people, both upon those that are members of the Church and those that are still outside, but hear of this manifestation of God’s power. The same God that sat in judgment upon Ananias and Sapphira will, in His own way and at the time appointed by Him, not fail to visit the sins upon those that follow the example of these two hypocrites.

Verses 12-16

The prosperity of the church

The activity of the apostles, and of the congregation with them, manifested itself in two ways, by the preaching of the Word and by the performing of miracles. The prestige of the apostles was naturally increased greatly by the obvious fact that the Lord was with them in all their doing. The congregation, therefore, at least for some time, was unhindered in its public assemblies which were held in the beautiful portico on the east side of the Temple, known as Solomon’s Porch. In these public meetings the main object was to give testimony of the Gospel, to gain new adherents for the Lord. There was great unanimity both in meeting and in testifying at these regular assemblies. Incidentally, the authority of the apostles was now so great that no one ventured upon familiar intercourse with them. All the people that in any way came into contact with the congregation kept a respectful distance from the men in whom the Spirit of God lived with such manifestations of power; and they all esteemed them very highly. The veneration which they felt for God was in a measure transferred to these His servants and instruments and to the whole congregation. The natural result was that believers were added to the Lord, joined the ranks of those that put their trust in Jesus as their Savior, a multitude of both men and women; there was a steady growth in membership. Note the reference to woman disciples, which is characteristic of Luke’s writings; cp. Luke 8:2-3. It was God that wrought faith in all their hearts, and thus added them to the congregation. The apostles’ activity in preaching was supplemented by their activity in performing miracles, according to the measure of the power given to them in those days for the sake of magnifying the omnipotence of God. By their hands there were many signs and wonders performed, acts against the course of nature that incidentally expressed and emphasized God’s power. So great did the fame of the apostles become in this respect that the people even carried out their sick people to the open streets, all along the way on both sides, placing them on couches and beds, on pallets and litters. If but the shadow of Peter, as he came by, might fall upon them, they trusted that the sick would be made whole. So eager were the people that the apostles, who generally addressed the sick, prayed, and used imposition of hands, could not reach all those that were brought to them, as fast as the anxiety of their friends might wish. And the number was not confined to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, but a multitude of people came from the towns near by, bringing both such as were afflicted with ordinary diseases, and such as were vexed with unclean spirits; and they all were healed, no matter whether their illness had the one form or the other. God gave such an exhibition of His power and glory in the work of the disciples as never before in the history of the world, since His object was the firm establishment of His Church. Note: If transgressions occur in a Christian congregation, it may harm the good name and hinder the growth of the Church. But here the sudden punishment of the Lord and the behavior of the disciples in burying the guilty ones without lamentation and funeral ceremony combined to produce the opposite effect. If the Christians in this way at all times check offenses and put out of their midst those whose open transgressions are causing offense, then the congregation will not be harmed. The judgment of the congregation upon incorrigible open sinners makes a good impression upon those that are without, and may tend to influence some of them in favor of the Church and the Word of the Lord.

Verses 17-42

The imprisonment, deliverance, and defense of the apostles

Arrest and deliverance:

One storm had been safely weathered, Acts 4, but a second one was coming on which would prove a little severer than the previous one. The constant growth of the congregation and the enthusiastic praise which was given to the apostles on all sides was too much for the rulers of the Jews, especially for the Sadducees with their denial of the resurrection. To them it was an abomination that the entire preaching of the Gospel was based upon the miraculous rising of Jesus from the dead. And so their party, with the high priest at its head, who most likely also belonged to this school or party, made another formal descent upon the portico of Solomon. They were not merely filled with indignation because the disciples dared to continue their preaching in the name of Jesus, but they were literally filled with angry jealousy on account of the fact that the apostles were gaining in popular favor, that the people were giving them great awe and reverence. So these leaders laid angry, forcible hands upon the apostles and placed them into the public prison with the idea of publicly defaming and degrading them. But their triumph was of short duration. For during that very night an angel of the Lord, probably one of the highest order, like Gabriel, not only opened the doors of the Temple, but also led them forth and gave them the command to go to the Temple, to stand before the people, and to speak all the words of this life, to preach the Gospel of eternal salvation. Far from being discouraged by the treatment accorded them, the apostles were to proclaim the message entrusted to them not only boldly, but also in the most public spot in all Jerusalem. He who Himself is the Resurrection and the Life wanted the Word of this life to extend its influence not only in Jerusalem, but throughout Judea and to the end of the world. So about the time of daybreak, just as soon as the Temple-doors were opened for the bringing of the morning sacrifice, the apostles went to the Temple and resumed their teaching. The more the Word of God extends its power, the more the wrath of the world and of the prince of this world is enkindled. Many a disciple of Christ has been thrown into prison on account of the name which he believed in and confessed. But the Lord was with them and helped them according to His promise. And never in the history of the Church have the true confessors permitted themselves to be deterred, either by persecution or by imprisonment, from preaching the Word which God entrusted to them.

The Sadducees receive a surprise:

The next morning the high priest was stirring betimes. Having come to the place where the Sadducees met, he and his henchmen called a meeting, not only of the entire Sanhedrin, the highest ecclesiastical court of the Jews, but also the presbytery of the children of Israel, the old and experienced teachers of the nation that were no members of the Council. ^■19 . But when they now, after all this formal and impressive introduction, sent servants over to the prison to get the prisoners, the latter were not in evidence. The servants returned with the information that they had found the prison locked up and made secure in approved fashion, that the guards had been occupying their accustomed places, but when they had opened the doors, there had been no prisoners. The angel of the Lord had therefore not only smitten the keepers of the prison with temporary blindness, but he had also relocked the doors to remove all evidence of the miraculous deliverance of the apostles. This message produced a great deal of consternation in the Sanhedrin. And it perplexed not only the members of the Council themselves, but also the “man of the Temple-mount,” the chief of the Temple police. Clearly the hand of God had here intervened, as they admitted indirectly in their perplexity, not knowing whereunto this might grow, where it would all end at the present rate of progress. Meanwhile a man came and announced to them that the men whom they had thrown into prison were standing in the Temple, openly and boldly engaged in teaching the people. Thus many an enemy of the Lord and His Word has found himself baffled by the manner in which the Lord protects them that are His, and takes care of His own interests. It is a good plan, a safe plan, to put all trust in Him.

The arraignment of the apostles:

The chief of the Temple police acted upon the information which had been given to the Sanhedrin. Leaving the council-chamber, probably the Hall of Polished Stones, he went over with the servants to get the apostles. But instead of making it appear at all like an arrest, the chief was very careful to escort the apostles most carefully and civilly. Not for a moment did he make use of force, for the whole band had a wholesome respect for, and fear of, the temper of the people, lest they should be stoned. It was not only that the apostles were held in high esteem by the people, but it had undoubtedly appeared by this time in what manner they had been liberated from prison. It was doubtless the mass of people that they feared, since the members of the congregation would hardly have become guilty of any act of violence. The apostles, on their part, accompanied the officers without hesitation or fear, trusting simply in the Lord. And so the servants brought them into the presence of the judges, who sat in the accustomed semicircle, while the accused stood before them. The high priest now put the question to them, not without some heat, whether the Council had not very earnestly and emphatically recommended to them and urged upon them not to teach in this name. Note that the enemy of Christ will not even mention the hated name. He charges them with disobedience to the Sanhedrin and complains that they have filled all Jerusalem with their doctrine. So much the high priest had to concede, that the success of the new teaching was marvelous. But his main charge is that they are attempting to bring upon the Jewish nation and their leaders the blood of Jesus. There seems to be here a reference to the terrible curse which the Jewish rulers had spoken on the day of the Lord’s death, when they cried out: His blood be upon us and upon our children! Matthew 27:25. The resurrection of Jesus being established and therefore His eternal Sonship, it would naturally follow that those who condemned Him were murderers, having shed innocent blood. They must either let the people make this accusation, or they must suppress every witness of the resurrection with ruthless violence. Should the common people once be stirred up against the murderers of the innocent Jesus, the chances are that the latter would pay very quickly for their crime, blood for blood and life for life. Instead of abandoning the way of hypocrisy and crime, therefore, the Jewish leaders decided to choose the bad alternative of plunging in still more deeply. Note: If a person has been given reasonable proofs of having been guilty and persists in his course, stifles the voice of his conscience, and adds additional crimes to the list already charged against him, he is hardening his heart and placing himself beyond the reach of mercy.

The defense of Peter:

While Peter was the chief spokesman upon this occasion, the other apostles gave a good account of themselves, and he but voiced the conviction of their hearts. The very first words in the defense of the apostles established a great principle in the Christian Church: To obey God rather than men is the obligation resting upon us. If the rulers wanted to charge them with disobedience, that charge might well stand, and they would cheerfully plead guilty, just as they told the Jewish leaders in advance that they would not and could not obey, Acts 4:19-20. Where matters of the kingdom of God are concerned, the preaching of the Gospel, no prohibiting, threatening, mocking, or abuse would be of any avail. In these matters the government has no jurisdiction. Wherever there is a clear statement of Scriptures, there the Christians will hold fast the truth and the protection of the Lord, and were the whole world to condemn them. And so far as the second part of the high priest’s charge was concerned, that the continued preaching of the risen Christ might cause insurrection and tumult, the apostles boldly repeat what they had witnessed to before. It was not a strange and foreign God, but the God of their fathers whom they proclaimed, the God of Israel, who had raised Jesus from the dead, that same Jesus upon whom the rulers had laid unholy hands in killing Him by hanging Him to the tree of the cross. This testifying of God to the person and the work of Jesus not only proved that it was innocent blood which they had shed, but it also received further confirmation by the fact that God had exalted Him to His right hand in heaven, to the full and continual use of His divine majesty and glory. In this way the Lord has made the despised Jesus a Leader or Prince and a Savior. And Jesus was now exercising the power of His office and the duties of His ministry in the effort to give repentance to Israel and the forgiveness of sins. It is His earnest, good, and gracious will to have the people turn from their evil ways and from the hardness of their hearts and to accept the forgiveness of sins which has been merited and is ready for all men. Both repentance and forgiveness of sins are free gifts of mercy on the part of the exalted Christ. ^■20 . And of all these things the apostles are witnesses, of the death, of the resurrection, of the ascension of Christ. This testimony is moreover corroborated and confirmed by the Holy Ghost, who testifies in and with the apostles, who makes their testimony effective. This Spirit God has given to them that have the obedience of faith. On Pentecost Day the apostles had received an extraordinary demonstration of His power, but the same Spirit is ever given through the Word, by the acceptance of the great facts of our salvation, as taught by the apostles. It is this Spirit that testifies through the mouth of the Christians when they boldly give an account of their faith. This brief speech of defense here made by the apostles was in itself a gift of the Holy Spirit and a striking fulfilment of the Lord’s promise, Matthew 11:19.

The counsel of Gamaliel:

The address of Peter, in which he and also the other apostles defended themselves against the attacks of the Jewish leaders, was characterized by the candor and fearlessness which should ever mark the proclamation of the truth. But the members of the Sanhedrin, instead of giving heed to the truth and permitting repentance unto the forgiveness of sins to be worked in them, were, literally, sawed asunder to the heart, they were filled with the most violent indignation. One thought and one object therefore filled the minds of most of them, namely, to rid themselves of the disciples as they had done of the Master, to put the apostles to death. But at this crisis the calmer counsel of one of the members prevailed. For in his place in the Council arose a Pharisee by the name of Gamaliel, a learned teacher of the Law, highly respected and esteemed by all the people, whose word therefore had considerable influence, and commanded, first of all, that the accused men should be put out for a little while, since he wanted to speak in a confidential matter. Having held the floor until this was done, Gamaliel then addressed the Sanhedrin, giving them the honoring appellation of “men of Jerusalem.” He cautioned his fellow-counselors to exercise all care with respect to these men, and to weigh every act with great deliberation before putting it into execution. He substantiates his caution with a reference to historical facts, especially as to seditions and insurrections in their country. There had been one Theudas not long before this, not the one mentioned by Josephus as having found his end in 44 A.D., but another man by the same name, probably the father or some other kinsman of this later Theudas. This man had advertised himself as a somebody, as a great man, and thus managed to get a following of some four hundred men, just as any demagog may count upon some adherents. But this man had been promptly put to death, his followers had been scattered to the four winds, and the entire movement had fallen flat, without result. After this, in the days of the great census, which Luke distinguishes in this way (6-8 A.D.) ^■21 , another rebel, Judas of Galilee, arose, so called after the scene of his chief exploits, or Judas of Gaulanitis, after the place of his birth. Since this great census, under Quirinius’s second Roman administration, involved not only numbering and valuation of property, but the imposition of a tax as well, it is not surprising that Judas easily drew away much people, quickly gained a following. But his fate was the same as that of Theudas. He had also perished, he soon had found his end, and all those that had put any obedience and trust in him had been dispersed by the authorities. Gamaliel might have multiplied the number of examples, because, as Josephus reports, there were minor revolts and attempts at insurrection almost continually in some parts of Palestine, but he had said enough to make his point.

Gamaliel’s suggestion and the result:

Whether Gamaliel secretly favored the cause of Christ, but for various reasons did not join the congregation, or whether he spoke his opinion out of a natural sense of expediency and justice, cannot be decided from the Biblical account. But his purpose in adducing the examples to which he refers, the point that he wishes to make, is this, that the movement which the Sanhedrin was combating must not be suppressed with violence; in fact, there was some doubt as to the wisdom of opposing it at all. His proposition, as he stated it very clearly and emphatically, was that they should stand back from these men, the apostles, and leave them alone. And here Gamaliel adds a proverbial saying or axiom which has not lost its force to this day: If of men this counsel or this work is, it will be utterly destroyed; but if it be of God, ye can destroy neither. “If man’s it be, ’tis bound to die; if God’s it be, it cannot die.” Rightly understood, this rule finds its application at all times. It is true indeed that many a Christian congregation and national Church, which had been planted by God, as the Church of Asia Minor, has been destroyed, and that, on the other hand, many a citadel of Satan, as the kingdom of Antichrist, has continued to this day. But such conditions and circumstances are due to man’s hardness of heart, and the fact that God permits their existing is His punishment upon a stiff-necked people that will not accept the truth. Gamaliel’s advice was accepted as sound and good by all the judges, and they passed a resolution to that effect. The apostles were thereupon brought back into the council-chamber, to receive, first of all, a scourging for having transgressed the former command of the Council. Cp. Deuteronomy 25:1-3; 2 Corinthians 11:24; 2 Corinthians 12:10. Before they were released, they were then once more sternly bidden not to speak in the name of Jesus. Note: Those that refuse to accept the Gospel for the salvation of their souls are only embittered and hardened ever more and more with each proclamation of God’s mercy; for the Word of the Gospel becomes for them a savor of death unto death. Instead, however, of intimidating the apostles with this harsh treatment, the judges caused them to give a grand exhibition of faith and trust. Having received their scourging, the disciples left the council-chamber full of joy that they had been found worthy of bearing the reproach of Christ’s name, of having some of the same shame and disgrace heaped upon them that had been laid upon their Lord. And just as openly they carried out their intention not to obey the Sanhedrin in the matter of denying their Master. They ceased not, every day, in the Temple, as well as in the houses, both publicly and privately, to teach and to preach the name of Christ Jesus, the Savior. The public proclamation of the Word was supplemented by individual instruction, just as it should be in our days. Note: The Word of God cannot be hindered without God’s permission. He holds His sheltering hands over the Christians that proclaim to the world the Word of Life.

Summary

The hypocrites Ananias and Sapphira are struck by the judgment of God, after which the apostles are imprisoned by the Sadducees, delivered by the angel of the Lord, defend themselves before the Sanhedrin, and are released after a scourging.

Verses 1-8

The choosing of the first deacons

The matter laid before the congregation:

Luke, having given an account of the second persecution which struck the apostles, returns once more to his history of the progress of the Christian Church. He introduces a new recital, a new paragraph, or section. It was in those days when the number of the disciples was multiplying, was growing very rapidly, that an internal danger arose in the very midst of the congregation. “The facility with which impure elements could become associated in the Church with the pure was proportioned to its numerical increase. And when the provision which was made for the poor became more and more ample, this circumstance itself may have attracted many needy persons.” ^■22 . The disturbing, disquieting matter in this case was that an open murmuring and grumbling of dissatisfaction arose in the congregation. Two kinds of Jews were represented in the Church at Jerusalem, the Jews, or Hebrews proper, that had been born in Judea and had grown up in the midst of the old Jewish customs, and Grecian Jews, or Hellenists, Jews of foreign birth and Greek education, speaking the common Greek dialect and more or less acquainted with Greek habits of life. In general, the Hebrews and the Grecian Jews were united in the work of the congregation in full harmony, Acts 2:46; Acts 4:32. External distinctions, of wealth, social position, language, habits of living, etc., should never influence the harmonious activity of the Church in a disagreeable manner. But here a peculiar difficulty had arisen. Communism had in no way been introduced, but a very full provision had been made for the needy by the liberality of the wealthier members. The funds thus obtained were in charge of the apostles, Acts 4:35, who distributed them to the poor and to the widows. Under the circumstances: the rapid growth of the congregation, the increasing number of those that were dependent upon the bounty of the congregation, the fact that the Grecian Jews were not so well known in person to the apostles, an oversight was easily possible. One or more widows that felt themselves entitled to this service had been overlooked when the apostles made their daily rounds. And immediately the devil, the spirit of dissension and strife, inspired the thought that this was an intentional slight. Similar complaints and charges are sometimes made in our days also, and with as little ground. As long as fallible human beings are trying to serve other human beings that are just as fallible, mistakes are liable to happen, which should be adjusted without uncharitable grumbling. Whatever ground there may have been for dissatisfaction, the apostles, on their part, did not want the suspicion of partiality to rest upon them. They therefore called a meeting of the entire congregation and laid the matter before all the disciples. It certainly was not the right, the proper thing for them to abandon, to give up the Word of God, both in public preaching and in individual instruction, in order to serve at tables, to attend to a ministry which might well be done by others. Their chief, their principal work was the care of souls, the preaching of the Gospel. They proposed to the assembly, therefore, that they, as brethren, should look about for seven men. The qualifications of these men are stated by the apostles as being chiefly three. They must have a good reputation both within and without the Church, as men of integrity and blameless life; they must be filled with the Holy Ghost, who imparts to them the mercy of Christ and the power to lead a holy life; they must be filled with wisdom, with practical wisdom, with good common sense that enables men to manage complicated business affairs to the full satisfaction of all concerned. These men should be officially appointed to take care of the present need, to have charge of this business of the congregation. Note that the business side of a Christian congregation was emphasized in the first stated meeting of the first body that bore that title. “In that case this story is useful and good that we consider the example of the apostles well and learn what kind of men are to be used for that office, for which St. Stephen permitted himself to be used. … To have a good report is that one has kept himself honest and without reproach in all things, that one has not, as the world now commonly does, either been shamefully avaricious or squandered money and goods. … Then also the Holy Ghost belongs here. For to have the Holy Ghost is nothing but being a Christian, to love the Word of God, to hear it gladly, to arrange one’s life accordingly, and to maintain a good conscience. All these are the work and fruit of the Holy Ghost. But now it may well be that a person have both a good report and the Holy Ghost, and still not be fit for such office; therefore they say: Such people should also be wise, full of ability and practice. … For this office needs practical heads, if otherwise it shall be exercised with use and propriety. Lazy, unwilling, careless, unfit people cannot be used for this office.” ^■23 . These qualifications should be kept in mind also in our days, whenever officers of the church are to be elected; there is too much thoughtless, haphazard choosing, with consequent dissatisfaction and harm to the congregation. While the men that were thus to be appointed should have charge of this special service, the supplying of those things which were necessary for the bodily sustenance of the poor and the widows, the apostles themselves wanted to devote all their time and energy to prayer and the ministry of the Word; in these matters they wanted to persevere to the exclusion of everything else. The Christian preachers of all times have the office of the ministry of the Word. That is the most important service in the kingdom of God; upon it depends the salvation of souls. It is by no means a small and insignificant matter to proclaim the Word of God before the whole congregation, and also to apply it in the individual cases. And, in addition to that, this ministry is a ministry of prayer. The responsibility of every soul in the congregation rests upon the pastor, and he will bring the needs of each and all before the heavenly Father in daily prayer and intercession. Services in the congregation that interfere with this chief business should be entrusted to other men, to whom the Lord has given the necessary qualifications.

The election:

In laying their proposition before the congregation, the apostles, although the inspired teachers of the Church, made no arbitrary demands; there is no evidence of hierarchical aspirations. The congregation was to decide as to its course in this matter. But the wisdom of the solution was so obvious that the congregation did not hesitate to act upon it: The word was pleasant before them all. And so they proceeded to elect, choose, seven men that had the attributes named by the apostles: Stephen, of whom it is emphatically stated that he was full of faith, not faithfulness, but belief in the Savior, from which all virtues flow; Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, the last-named being a Jewish proselyte hailing from Antioch. It is notable that all the names are Greek names, and although the argument is not conclusive, it is very probable that the generosity of the congregation prompted them to select only Grecian Jews and Greeks for the office. Selfishness and jealousy were to be absolutely unknown in their midst. It is altogether in accordance with the Word and will of God if Christian congregations elect all their own officers and have charge of all their own affairs. And wherever there is danger of disruption, it is far better to yield in indifferent matters and to let charity alone rule. The newly elected deacons were then set before the apostles, who prayed over them with laying on of hands. This was a fine, significant ceremony, by which they were inducted into office, and is properly in use in the Christian Church to this day, but not by divine command.

By the appointment of these seven officers to have charge of the daily ministrations, the apostles gained much time for their important duties, for preaching and teaching and praying, with the result that their work was far more effective than before. The Word of God grew in power, in influence; the number of disciples in Jerusalem was greatly increased; and even a large number of priests were obedient to the faith, accepted the teaching of the faith in Jesus as their Savior. These priests, as the chief servants of the old forms, must have belonged to the most violent opponents of the Church, and their conversion signified a great victory of Christ in the midst of His enemies. It is especially notable that the wonderful change is ascribed to the Word of God, which effectually works wherever it is proclaimed. One of the most zealous exponents of the Word at this time was Stephen, one of the seven deacons that had been elected by the congregation. It is emphasized once more that he was full of faith and power. His faith in Jesus the Redeemer was soundly established. And out of this grew favor with God and man, virtue and power. “Power here means activity or act; as though he would say: He had such a great faith, therefore he also did much and was mighty in deed. For where there is the right faith, there the deed will also follow; and the greater the faith, the more active it is in doing.” ^■24 . But it was a special manifestation of the Spirit’s power which enabled Stephen to perform miracles and great signs among the people. God does His work in His own way, after His own methods, and He had need of Stephen at this time.

Verses 9-15

The testimony of Stephen

The activity which Stephen displayed in the interest of his Lord was not confined to the congregation. The zeal of every true Christian will show itself in true missionary effort, in the attempt by testimony and by apology to gain believers for Christ. Stephen soon attracted the attention and excited the jealousy and enmity of the unbelieving Jews. Among the great number of synagogs in Jerusalem (rabbinic writers state that there were 480) there were also such as were formed by Jews from certain countries in the Diaspora, since they would naturally be attracted to one another by language and customs. There was one whose membership consisted of Roman freedmen, former captive Jews that were brought to Rome by Pompey; another was made up of Jews hailing from Cyrene in Africa, a third of such as had lived in Alexandria; a fourth had members exclusively from Cilicia, a fifth such as hailed from the province of Asia on the Aegean Sea. All these synagogs sent representatives, probably to the Temple, where the public meetings of the congregation were held, to debate with Stephen in disputatious questioning. It is more than likely that among these men there was also Saul of Tarsus in Cilicia, a Pharisee of the Pharisees in orthodoxy and zeal. But whatever methods of argumentation these able debaters used, they were of no avail in this case; they were unable to withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which Stephen spoke. For it was the Holy Spirit Himself who was present and spoke in and through this disciple, Luke 21:15. The proofs which Stephen adduced in this battle of intellects were of such a nature that they could not be questioned by the opponents. They were routed all along the line and were obliged to retire in confusion.

This defeat in a field in which they had supposed themselves undisputed masters rankled in the minds of these enemies of Christ. And, open warfare having failed, they resorted to slander and violence. They deliberately suborned men, hired them to repeat certain statements under oath which were directed against Stephen. The latter had probably stated that the true believers are no longer under the Law and warned the unbelieving Jews of the judgment which was to strike the Holy City and the Temple. These words could easily be made to represent a blasphemy against the teaching of Moses in the sense of the Jews and against God. With this construction placed upon the statements of Stephen, it was an easy matter to stir up, to excite and move deeply, the fanatical Jews, the common people as well as the elders and the scribes. It was a part of the cunning design to gain the people first, since the Sanhedrin would more readily take action if they felt that the people were on their side in this matter, and no longer favored the apostles and their followers. Having thus prepared the way, they came upon Stephen suddenly, surprised him while he was still unaware of any hostile intention on their part, took him by force, and brought him before the Sanhedrin for trial. Whether the Council was in regular session or had convened in anticipation of this arrest, is immaterial. No sooner was Stephen arraigned than they brought forth their lying witnesses, who had been carefully drilled in the part they were to play. And the perjurers followed orders very strictly, testifying that they had heard the prisoner say that Jesus of Nazareth would utterly destroy this place, and would completely change the customs that had been transmitted to them by Moses. Note: The enemies of Jesus had evidently learned something from the trial of Christ and from subsequent experience. The Pharisees had definite charges framed against Stephen, and they produced witnesses that had been carefully drilled in their rôle. It was an intensely dramatic, impressive moment when the charges had been fully presented and all the testimony of the witnesses had been heard. The eyes of all the members of the Council were firmly fixed upon Stephen, expecting, of course, that he would answer upon the charges in one way or the other. And here God gave visible evidence that He supported His servant and would be with him to the end. For the judges saw Stephen’s face as though it had been the face of an angel. This is not a description of extraordinary physical beauty, but of a supernatural brightness, like that on the face of Moses after he had spoken with God. Such a heavenly brilliance was fitting on the face of one to whom the glory of the Lord had been revealed. Note: Like Stephen, every Christian preacher that testifies fearlessly concerning Christ and His Word, may easily become involved in debate with the enemies of Christ. And when the unbelievers have been conquered by facts from the Word of God, they try to take revenge by threatening and blaspheming, and, if possible, they try to suppress the truth with violence. Many a witness for Christ has thus been branded as a blasphemer, a traitor, and a rebel in both spiritual and temporal courts.

Summary

To remedy an urgent need, the congregation at Jerusalem, at the suggestion of the apostles, elects seven deacons to minister to the poor and the widows, one of whom, Stephen, testifies for Christ and is arraigned before the Sanhedrin.

Verses 1-60

The defense of Stephen and his death

Stephen refers to the call of Abraham:

The charges having been preferred, the president of the Sanhedrin, the high priest, gave Stephen permission to answer upon them. And Stephen opens his speech of defense with a respectful address to the judges, some of whom were of his own age and station, and thus might well be called brethren, while others were venerable with age, and thus should be called fathers. The very first words of his speech make it clear that he intends to correct some prevalent notions. The glory of God in the cloud of the covenant, the so-called Shechinah, was not confined to the Tabernacle or to the Temple, but the God of glory, the Possessor of the unlimited divine majesty, revealed Himself also at other places, just as it suited His purposes. It was thus that He appeared to Abraham while the latter was still living in Mesopotamia, in Ur of the Chaldees, before the entire family moved to Charran, or Haran, Genesis 11:31; Genesis 12:1. In Charran, Abraham had received the command of the Lord to leave both his country and his kindred, and to move to the country which even Terah had had in mind before his death. So Abraham, at that time Abram, had completed the removal to the land of Canaan, where he lived as a stranger among the Canaanites, not having so much as where he could place his foot to call his own. It is true, indeed, that both Abraham and Jacob had small parcels of land in Canaan, but they had them by purchase, not by God’s gift, and Abraham was even obliged to buy a burying-place for his wife, Genesis 23. Thus the promise of God to Abraham that he, and his descendants after him, should have the land as their possession, at a time when he did not even have a child of his own, required a very strong faith.

The promise to Abraham:

For Abraham the promises of God provided one trial of faith after the other. Long before he had a son, the Lord told him that his descendants would be enslaved in a strange land, where they would be kept a matter of some four hundred years, Genesis 15:13,16, the exact number being given in other passages of Scriptures, Galatians 3:17. Incidentally, however, there was comfort for Abraham in the fact that God promised to judge, to speak the condemning sentence upon, the cruel masters, in order to bring His people out eventually to serve, to worship Him in this place, in Jerusalem, Exodus 3:12. Still later God gave to Abraham the covenant and the rite of circumcision, as the first sacrament of the Old Testament Church, and when finally Isaac was born, he was received into the covenant by this rite. And so, in due course, Jacob was begotten, and finally the twelve patriarchs, the sons of Israel.

The story of Jacob and Joseph:

The account moves forward with the same interesting, graphic force as before, and is just as skilfully abridged. The brothers of Joseph were jealous of the favor in which his father held him, and in a fit of envy sold him to the Midianites and thus, through them, into Egypt, Genesis 37:4,11,28. But here again, as Stephen emphasizes, God was with Joseph, delivering him out of all his misfortunes and tribulations, which befell him also in the land of his bondage, and giving him both favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. The Hebrew slave, unknown a few hours before, was made the ruler of Egypt and the manager of the king’s house as well. Then came the famine, striking not only Egypt, but Canaan as well, and causing great suffering, making not only the ordinary bread scarce, but all food made of corn. But the news having been brought that Egypt was provided with grain for food, Jacob sent his sons down there for the first time, Genesis 42:1. At their second coming Joseph made himself known to his brethren, a fact which also made the family and the origin of Joseph known to Pharaoh. It was then that Joseph sent to fetch his aged father to Egypt and his entire relationship. Stephen here does not speak in opposition to Genesis 46:27, where only seventy souls are mentioned, but follows the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the so-called Septuagint, which is thus substantiated by the Spirit of God. For by taking the number seventy-five, the text follows the manner of the Genesis account, and includes the two sons of Manasseh, the two sons of Ephraim, and the grandson of the latter. Jacob, having removed to Egypt, died there in due time, and all his sons died there as well. By a special request and promise which Jacob had taken from Joseph with an oath, his body was taken to Canaan and buried in the cave of the field of Machpelah, Genesis 50:13. This cave Abraham had purchased from Ephron the Hittite, Genesis 23:16. Jacob had purchased a parcel of ground from Emmor, or Hamor, the father of Schechem, after whom the entire countryside was named, Genesis 33:19. There Joseph was buried, and very probably all the other sons of Jacob as well, Joshua 24:32, as Jerome, who lived in Palestine in the fourth century, reports. Thus the two accounts are contracted into one in the brief account of Stephen.

The birth and youth of Moses:

After the death of Jacob, of Joseph, and the patriarchs, the sojourn of the children of Israel in Egypt was pleasant enough for several centuries. But even as, in the same degree that, the time of their stay according to God’s promise was drawing to a close, the people grew and became plentiful in Egypt. Their rapid increase corresponded to the rapid approach of the time set by God. This remarkable growth was in accordance with the promise given to Abraham by God. This continued until a different king arose in Egypt; a new dynasty was established by conquest. The new Pharaoh very naturally neither knew of, nor cared about, Joseph and the blessing which he had brought to the land of Egypt, being concerned far more about the rapid multiplying of the strange people occupying a very desirable part of the country. So he hit upon a scheme which was certainly a wise stratagem from the standpoint of the Egyptians, although it resulted in an evil treatment of the children of Israel, in afflictions of all kinds, whose culmination, in a way, was the order to cast into the Nile the children, all the boys that were born to the Israelites, in order that they might not be preserved alive. It was when matters had come to this point that Moses was born, in conformity with God’s plan of deliverance for the Jews, as the words of Stephen indicate, for he was exceeding fair, fair to God, in the judgment of God; his was not only an extraordinary bodily beauty, but the indications of unusual mental endowment were very favorable. For three months his mother kept him hid and nourished him, gave him all the care that a child should have. And when she finally did expose him, it was, by the direction of God, at a place where Thermuthis, the daughter of Pharaoh, found the child, took him up out of his little vessel, and nourished him to be her own son. She practically, if not actually, adopted him. And in his capacity as the foster-son of the princess, Moses enjoyed unusual advantages, and Stephen here supplements the Old Testament account. Moses was brought up, taught, educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, very probably attending their great schools of learning corresponding to our modern universities, thus receiving a mental training which was second to none in the world of those days. Note: This thorough training afterwards stood Moses in good stead, for it was true then as it is now that all the arts and sciences in the world shall serve the one greatest science, theology, and the preaching of the Gospel. The result, in the case of Moses, certainly justified all efforts made in his behalf, for he was mighty in words and deeds. He was full of vigor and energy in carrying forward any project, even if he may have been lacking in facility of expression, Exodus 4:10. What he lacked in grace and polish he more than compensated for by depth and power. Herein Moses is a model for all men whom God has placed in positions of leadership in His Church.

Moses attempts to deliver his people:

The events narrated in Exodus 2 are here briefly reviewed. The entire training of Moses under the direction of his foster-mother may well have taken until he was almost forty years old, since many years were devoted to the study of mathematics, natural philosophy, and medicine, in all of which branches the advance made by the Egyptians is little short of remarkable. But he must have been fully aware of his parentage during this whole time, for his own mother had been his nurse and had undoubtedly imparted to him the promises of the Lord and the prophecy concerning the deliverance of His people from the bondage of Egypt. When Moses therefore had turned forty, the thought arose in his heart to look upon, to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. It can hardly be assumed that he had at that time received any revelation from the Lord as to his future position among his enslaved brethren, although there was a Jewish tradition which stated that Amram, the father of Moses, had received some intimation from God that his son would be the leader in the deliverance of the Jews. Upon this occasion, Moses saw that one of his brethren was being ill-treated, and he promptly sprang to his defense. He wrought speedy justice and revenge for the oppressed by killing the Egyptian that had transgressed his authority. Note: The act of Moses in this instance was not a murder, for he was an Egyptian prince with absolute power over life and death, and he is nowhere in Scriptures censured for it, but it was a rash act, since he had no right to anticipate the providence of God simply because of his personal belief in the divine destiny of Israel. The effort of Moses was premature and unauthorized. He supposed that his brethren understood that God was giving them salvation, deliverance through his hand, but they did not understand; they resented the interference of the prince of Egypt as unwarranted officiousness. When he therefore tried to reconcile two quarreling Israelites the next day and attempted to establish peace by gently rebuking them: Men, you are brethren, why do you wrong each other? he was met by a decided rebuff: Who has established thee as a ruler and judge over us? Far from rising under his leadership and striking for liberty, his countrymen rejected all his offers with vehemence and even aided in making public his effort in their behalf. So Moses fled and became a stranger in the land of Midian, out in the wilderness, where he was married to a native girl and became the father of two sons, Exodus 2:22; Exodus 4:25; Exodus 18:3-5. Moses fled from Egypt because he had nothing to hope for from his own people and also because his life was no longer safe. Many a matter which in itself is altogether praiseworthy is undertaken upon man’s own initiative without success, but the same thing is afterward, at God’s time, carried to a successful conclusion. Zeal not according to knowledge may do almost as much harm as dilatoriness and procrastination.

The call of Moses:

When forty years were fulfilled, after Moses had lived forty years in the wilderness near Mount Sinai, known then also as Horeb, a strange experience befell him. The angel of the Lord, Exodus 3:2, the angel in the special meaning of the word, indicating the revelation of the Son of God in the Old Testament, appeared to him in a flame of fire of a bush, in a thornbush that seemed all aflame. The phenomenon caused Moses to wonder and to draw nearer to consider the matter closely. And then the voice of the Lord came to him out of the bush, designating Himself as the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. Moses, now thoroughly terrified, did not so much as dare to look closely or to investigate the miracle. But the Lord immediately gave him his charge, bidding him first of all to unlace his sandals, since the place where he was standing was holy ground. And then, with all solemnity and impressiveness, came the call of the Lord itself: Seeing I have seen (I have had more than sufficient evidence of) the affliction of My people in Egypt, and I have heard their sighing, and I have come down to set them free; and now, come here, I shall send thee into Egypt. What Moses had hoped for and had attempted to carry out without success in his own power, was now to become a fact by God’s will, according to His promise. It was now a matter of God’s appointment, not of man’s choice, and therefore of God’s almighty power to back up the call. With God’s call to rely upon, with God’s command and promise clear, every servant of the Lord may set out with cheerful trust in the assured success of his venture.

Moses the deliverer:

For the sake of characterizing the Jews and emphasizing his point that they had always been a disobedient and obstinate people, Stephen here represents the whole nation as being involved in the first rejection of Moses. They had denied, had refused to acknowledge him as much as a ruler and a judge; but God, in taking the matter in hand, had made him not only the leader, or ruler, but in addition had given him more than the functions of a mere judge: He had sent him as their deliverer, with the helping and protecting hand of that Angel to assist him that had appeared to him in the bush. And Moses had performed his work as deliverer well. He had led the Israelites forth out of Egypt, after having performed wonders and signs in Egypt, as a judgment upon Pharaoh, just as he continued performing them at the Red Sea and during the entire journey through the wilderness which lasted forty years. The very person whom the Israelites had rejected and practically delivered up into the hands of Pharaoh to be slain was the one person by whom they were redeemed from their Egyptian bondage. The application to the parallel case of Jesus, which Stephen probably had in mind, may readily be made.

The disobedience of the Jews:

With the progress of his speech of defense, the impassioned fervor of Stephen’s arguments increases. He is preaching the Law, and he does not intend to soften its sledge-hammer blows by any alleviating circumstances until he has brought out his point properly. It was Moses, he once more reminds his judges, that referred to, prophesied, concerning another prophet, like unto himself, Acts 3:22, demanding that they should yield obedience to Him, Moses thus being a supporter of the claims of Christ. It was Moses, again, who, in the midst of the congregation or assembly of the children of Israel in the wilderness, alone enjoyed the personal acquaintance and intimacy of the great Angel of the Lord that had spoken with him at Mount Sinai before, and who now, as the almighty God, spoke to the entire assembled nation. It was Moses, once more, that received the living words, the lively oracles or sayings from the mouth of God to give to the people. The laws of the Jews were not intended to be a dead letter, like the communications which the heathen priests claim to receive from their gods, but they possess vital power and efficacy. But in spite of all these express manifestations and witnesses of God to confirm the call of Moses and establish his position among the people, the Israelites, the fathers of the present race, as Stephen remarks, did not want to be obedient to Moses, but repelled, rejected him, and turned their hearts toward Egypt. They demanded of Aaron that he make them some sort of gods who might hereafter be considered their rulers and leaders through the wilderness, for Moses tarried so long on the mountain that they did not know what fate might have overtaken him, as they flippantly remark. And so they, through the hands of Aaron, who proved their willing tool, in those days made the figure of a calf, and brought burnt offerings before their idol and rejoiced, found their great pleasure and happiness, in the works of their own hands. The irony of Stephen is intentional, since one of his charges is that the Jews of his day also placed their trust in externals and expected to be saved by an outward observance of customs and ceremonies, many of which they had invented themselves. There is always danger, especially in a church that has been established for some time, of a dead orthodoxy, of a clinging to external forms although life has departed.

God’s rejection of His people:

Stephen here supplements the account of the Pentateuch, of the books of Moses, with a passage from the Prophet Amos, Amos 5:25-26. After this flagrant exhibition of disobedience, God turned from His people. It was a form of His judgment that He permitted them to go on in the way of idolatry; it was a curse upon their hardness of heart that He gave them up, abandoned them, to the worship of the host of heaven, to star-worship as it was practised in Egypt, Chaldea, and Phenicia. Of this Amos had written: Did you really offer slain beasts and sacrifices to Me for the forty years in the wilderness? As though He would say: How could they possibly have been real and effectual and acceptable, as long as the people’s affections were far from the Lord, bound up in the worship of idols? And therefore the Lord answers His question Himself. While the Israelites were pretending to be interested in the true worship only, the very Tabernacle of God, as a matter of fact, became to them a tabernacle of Moloch, of the Babylonian deity that was worshiped by many heathen nations, and with revolting customs, Jeremiah 32:35; Leviticus 18:21. And thus also the Israelites had carried along with them a figure of their star-god Remphan, which seems to have been the Assyrian name for the planet Saturn. Such figures they served, giving to them the worship which was due to God only. And therefore the punishment of God’s rejection came upon them, who had them carried away, taken into exile, not only beyond Damascus, as the prophet had written, but even beyond Babylon, as Stephen here adds from the evidence of history. It was God’s condemnation upon an idolatrous nation, a lesson for all ages of the world.

The Tabernacle and the Temple:

Stephen takes up the recital of the various houses of worship among the Jews with a purpose, since he wants to show that the dependence upon the forms of external worship are vain without true faith of the heart. That advantage the children of Israel in the wilderness had: they had the Tabernacle of the witness, where God Himself appeared and witnessed unto Himself. They had made it just as God, in His long conversation with Moses, Exodus 25:40, had shown and commanded him. Moses had seen the pattern and plan of the entire tent and of all its appointments, and so it was made. And this same Tabernacle, the charge of which had been given to the people by Moses, they brought along with them as they entered into the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua, when they occupied the former possession of the Gentiles. For the latter the Lord gradually drove out, expelled, before the children of Israel during a number of centuries, at the time of the judges and of Saul, until the time of David, the beloved of the Lord. At his time the conquest of the country was practically completed, the nations that had not been destroyed having been brought into subjection. David then, since he had found favor with God and was regarded very highly before Him, not only earnestly desired, but even asked to find, to build a lasting tabernacle to the Lord; and if the Temple had actually been of the value placed upon it by the later Jews, it might have been expected that God would have given His consent. But the Temple was not built by David, but by Solomon, 2 Chronicles 6:7-9, But Stephen wants his hearers to remember that the presence of the highest God is not confined to any building, even though it were of the size and beauty of Solomon’s Temple. The builder of the first Temple had himself confessed as much, 1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chronicles 6:18. And the Prophet Isaiah had written in the same strain, Isaiah 66:1-2: Heaven is to Me a throne and the earth a stool for My feet; what manner of house will ye build to Me, saith the Lord, or what place for My resting? Has not My hand made all this? The absolute foolishness of the Jews in pinning their faith to the Temple which had taken the place of Solomon’s, and upon the city in which it had been placed, could not have been brought out with greater force than in these words. The entire worship of the Jews had degenerated to become a mere observance of forms and customs, without life and true power. And Stephen had sketched the situation with a few strong, but fitting words, in order to present it to the eyes of his judges as it actually existed.

The peroration:

Stephen had now reviewed the whole history of the Jews, showing in what manner they had at all times acted toward the Lord and the leader whom the Lord had given them, relying rather upon outward forms and ceremonies, connected with a visible sanctuary, for a justification before God. Stephen’s just indignation therefore reaches its culmination at this point of his recital. Boldly he tells his judges that they are stiff-necked, obstinate, refractory, unwilling to listen to reason, Exodus 33:3,5; Exodus 34:9; Deuteronomy 9:6. And in addition to that, they are uncircumcised both as regards heart and ears, Leviticus 26:41; Jeremiah 6:10; Ezekiel 44:7,9. These were severe terms of reproach and contempt, placing the leaders of the Jews in a class with the heathen nations and with the apostate Jews. This severe denunciation Stephen corroborates by the charge that they were always, continually, resisting the Holy Ghost, literally, throwing themselves in His way, against Him, thus shutting off the working of His grace in their hearts. The Holy Spirit wanted to convert also these enemies of Christ, He was giving them every evidence of His gracious will toward them by having the Gospel preached before them for such a long time; but they deliberately, wilfully, refused to listen to His call. And herein they were following their fathers, of whose disobedience and obstinacy Stephen cited a number of cases. Every one of the ancient prophets the Jews had persecuted in one way or the other, and those that proclaimed in advance concerning the coming of the Righteous One they had killed. The prophets foretold the coming of Jesus Christ, the Just and Holy One, and their reward, at the hand of their countrymen, was death. And the spirit of these ancestors was yet alive, for those that were sitting in the Council to judge the present case had become the betrayers and murderers of this same just and holy Christ. And not only that, but Stephen declared that the very Law which was their boast, which they had received by the disposition of angels, probably in this manner, that the Lord spoke through the mouths of angels in proclaiming the Law on Mount Sinai, this Law they had not kept. Thus Stephen, in a burst of magnificent eloquence, preached the Law to these hardened hypocrites of the Sanhedrin, in order to work in them a true knowledge of their sin which might lead to repentance and faith. Note: The sermon of Stephen admonishes us Christians to be mindful of the great blessings of God under the new dispensation, lest we also become indifferent and then callous, and finally resist the work of the Holy Ghost.

The glory of God revealed to Stephen:

Stephen’s speech was probably not finished as he had intended, but the increasing impatience and the murmuring of his hearers did not permit him to conclude in such a way as to bring Jesus into greater prominence. For the indignant words of the accused cut the judges to the heart, literally, sawed asunder in or to their hearts. In uncontrollable anger they gnashed on him with their teeth, thus cutting off every further attempt to deliver his speech properly. But Stephen was here given a special grace, a manifestation of the Holy Ghost’s power, which caused him to disregard and forget his surroundings altogether, and a revelation of God’s glory such as has been vouchsafed to but few people. He firmly fixed his eyes upward to heaven and there saw the glory and majesty of God and Jesus standing at God’s right hand, as though He were making ready to assist and to receive His servant, as one commentator has it. In a burst of ecstasy, Stephen testified to that which his eyes beheld by special grace of God. The Son of Man he called Jesus, the Redeemer, who, according to both natures, has gained a perfect redemption for all men. Note: Jesus, at the right hand of the Father, is ready to receive with open arms of love all those that rely upon the salvation earned by Him. Where He is, there shall also His servants be. He wants to receive them into His kingdom that they may see His glory and the glory and majesty of the Father. Thus the believers are, through the merits of Christ, taken from this vale of tears to their heavenly home.

The stoning of Stephen:

The last announcement of Stephen, concerning the vision which was granted to him, raised the anger of the judges to a perfect storm of fury. That this man should receive such bliss before their very eyes caused them to forget dignity, justice, humanity, all the virtues of which they usually made their boast. They cried out with a loud voice, in order to drown out any attempt of Stephen to make himself heard in the resulting din and confusion. They held their ears shut tightly lest another word from his hated lips find entrance there. They rushed upon him with one accord, like a maddened herd of cattle over which all control has been lost. They cast him forth out of the city and there stoned him. This proceeding did not have even a show of right. It was against all the rules of the Jewish criminal law. ^■25 . It can in no way even be called an execution; it can be described only by the word “murder,” committed by an infuriated mob, in violation of all law. And yet the mob retained enough sanity to observe some forms of the Law, such as taking the prisoner out of the city and also requiring the witnesses to begin the stoning. It is expressly stated that the witnesses, in making ready for their murderous attack, laid down their outer clothes at the feet of a young man by the name of Saul. As for Stephen, he died the death of a true Christian martyr. While the stones were flying around him, and after he had been struck, he called loudly upon his Lord and God, in the person of Jesus, the Savior. His first prayer was that the Lord Jesus, the exalted Christ, would receive his spirit. And having thus committed his soul into the best safe-keeping, he let his last sigh be an intercession for his murderers. Sinking down upon his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, which may, at least to one of those present, have sounded in his ears for years afterward: Lord, do not charge to them this sin. And then he calmly fell asleep in his Savior. Thus Stephen became the first martyr of the Christian Church. Since his time thousands of Christians have been martyred for the sake of the name of Jesus. And their death teaches a lesson, namely, that of cheerfully sacrificing temporal possessions and fortune for the sake of the Lord. In the end we gain everything that a reward of mercy can bestow upon us, heaven itself with all its glories. “Lastly, there is here a fine comfort that St. Stephen here sees the heavens standing open, and that he fell asleep. Here we should mark that our Lord God stands by us if we believe, and that death is not death to them that believe. Thus you have pictured here in this story the entire Gospel — faith, love, cross, death, and life.” ^■26 .

Summary

Stephen delivers an eloquent speech of defense, which angers the members of the Sanhedrin so that they cast him out of the city and stone him.

Verses 1-25

The Gospel planted in Samaria

The burial of Stephen and the hatred of Saul:

The young man Saul had been a witness of Stephen’s stoning, and had considered it an honor to watch the clothes of the men that began the stoning, Acts 7:58. It is here expressly stated that Saul consented to Stephen’s death; he felt great satisfaction, great pleasure over his death, he approved it with joy. And his feeling was shared by his fellow-Pharisees, who now started a persecution which involved the entire congregation, determined, if possible, to exterminate the Church of Jesus. The result was a general dispersal and scattering of the disciples from Jerusalem into the various Jewish provinces, especially Judea proper, the rural districts of the section about Jerusalem, but also to the regions of Samaria. Cp. Acts 1:8. It was not the fear of martyrdom, of death, which caused these first disciples to flee, but the express command of Christ, Matthew 10:23. “Had they fled through the fear of death, they would have taken care not to provoke persecution to follow them by continuing to proclaim the same truths that provoked it in the first instance.” ^■27 . Only the apostles remained in Jerusalem. The small remnant of the congregation that was obliged to remain in Jerusalem very probably consisted of such as had the greatest need of the teaching and the comfort of the Word. For a pastor to leave his post in time of persecution, when the danger threatens his members as well as himself, in most cases amounts to plain unfaithfulness. Meanwhile, however, before the general scattering of the disciples took place, the burial of Stephen was attended to in a proper manner. Devout, pious men from among his fellow-believers carried him out to his last resting-place and attended to all the matters pertaining to his burial. They then made a great lamentation over him, probably beating their breasts and their heads in token of their deep grief. It is altogether pleasing to the Lord if Christians bury their dead in an honorable fashion, and the lamenting over the death of loved ones, if kept within proper bounds, has been hallowed by the tears of Jesus Himself at the grave of Lazarus. But all these facts, even if they were known to Saul and were, in part, intended in the nature of a protest against the murder of Stephen, made no impression upon him. If anything, he became all the more unreasonable and furious in his enmity toward Christ and the Church. Without ceasing, continually, he laid waste, devastated, the Church, like a hostile army spreading ruin and devastation in its wake, Psalm 80:13. In so doing, he entered into every house which was known to belong to a Christian, particularly into those which served as places for Christian assembly. And both men and women whom he found at such times he dragged forth, he haled them out as though preparing them for trial, and committed them to prison, with the consent of the authorities gave them into the charge of the keepers of the prison. This persecution was the first real test to which the members of the congregation at Jerusalem were subjected. Till now it had all been peaceful growth; but now the storm was to test the strength of the young plant, and of every branch and shoot on the tender stem.

The missionary work of the disciples and of Philip:

While the apostles remained in Jerusalem with the small remnant of the former large congregation, escaping personal injury probably only because of a superstitious fear of their power to perform miracles, the disciples that were driven from Jerusalem by the persecution were ever mindful of the command of their Lord Jesus. They journeyed everywhere; and wherever they came, they brought the joyous message of the Word, the gracious Gospel of the Savior. Note: The men that went out at this time were not members of the teaching staff of the congregation, they were so-called lay-members, and yet they brought the message of the Gospel wherever they went. Every Christian, learned or unlearned, can and should give testimony of the faith of his heart, and thus try to gain souls for the Savior. But in all these missionary endeavors the work of one man stood out very prominently, namely, that of Philip, one of the seven officers elected by the congregation, Acts 6:5. His work as deacon having been terminated by the persecution in Jerusalem, he became an evangelist. He made the journey either to one of the cities of the region of Samaria or, more likely, to the city of Samaria, or Sebaste, the capital of the district itself. The topic of his preaching was ever the same, the one subject that can never be preached too often or too fervently: Christ, the Savior of the world. And this simple Gospel-preaching concerning the Messiah had its effect. It received a better reception than in the case of the Jews, to whose self-righteousness the Word of the cross was ever an offense. The multitudes that gathered about Philip attended carefully to the things that were spoken by Philip, and were of one mind. The combined evidence of the preaching which they heard, and of the signs which he performed as a proof of the Gospel’s divine mission, was so powerful as to convince great numbers of them. For many demoniacs were freed from the evil spirits, the unclean devils that had taken possession of them, though the spirits protested with loud cries when they were driven out, and many paralytics and lame people were healed. Note the distinction made also here between the driving out of demons and the healing of sick people. Luke’s description shows that he was well acquainted with the nature of both afflictions, and that he distinguished with a reason. The consequence of all these events was that there was great joy in that whole city. It was a time of blessing for body and soul. Philip did not belong to the tribe of the modern sensational preachers with the knack of electrifying the masses; none of their tricks were employed by him. It was the preaching of Christ that brought about the new condition, the miracles serving only for further confirmation.

The conversion of Simon:

Luke here adds a bit of local history which makes the victory of the Gospel stand out all the more strongly. A certain man there had been before these events had transpired in Samaria, whose name was Simon, and who had practised magical arts and had had the people of the city and of the region impressed to the point of stupefaction with his tricks and diabolical jugglery. He advertised himself, with the humility characteristic of the people of his type, as being something great, as possessing enchantments and powers beyond natural ability. He practised the charms and incantations so extensively employed in the Orient by both quacks and true sorcerers, that are able to perform feats that have the appearance of miracles, by the aid of the devil. So deeply impressed were the people that they regarded Simon as a manifestation of the divine power in human form. They therefore called him “Power of God which is called Great,” one that was very prominently great and divine, possessing powers which are peculiar to God. ^■28 . All this the Samaritans had done, because for a long time Simon had bewitched them with his magical tricks. They had put their own construction upon his acts, and they had believed his words. All this was changed with the coming of Philip. For when he preached the Gospel concerning the kingdom of God and of the name of Jesus Christ, when he brought to these benighted people the one message which could give them peace of mind and the blessed assurance of salvation, the Samaritans believed, faith in the Savior was wrought in their hearts, and they sought and received Baptism, the Sacrament which seals to both men and women the forgiveness of sins gained by Christ. Note: All magical tricks, even such as are performed with the aid of the devil, serve no beneficial purpose, being made only to excite idle curiosity. The miracles, on the other hand, both those that are narrated in Scriptures, and those which the Lord performs to this day, are in every case beneficent and worthy of the divine power. When Simon lost his former following so abruptly and thoroughly, he went to see and hear Philip, and was himself brought to faith. With the rest of the people, also, he was baptized and the promise of God thus sealed to him. There is no reason, from the account of Luke, to doubt the reality of Simon’s conversion at this time. It was a very striking proof of the superior power and of the divinity of the Gospel concerning Jesus the Messiah. And Simon, he that had caused astonishment in others, was here himself almost overwhelmed with stupefaction when he became an interested spectator of the signs and of the great wonders which were performed before his eyes. Note: The devil may often, by God’s permission, succeed in seducing men by means of his false miracles and tricks of jugglery, but whenever the power of God looms up by way of contrast, he and all his servants are brought to shame before the Mightier One.

Special gifts of the Holy Spirit:

The apostles never undertook to exercise hierarchical powers and to assume a jurisdiction which they did not possess. But they had been commissioned by Christ as the teachers unto all nations and therefore were anxious to establish true unity of faith in all congregations, no matter where they might be established. It was an important point in the progress of Christianity that people outside of the Old Testament covenant should receive the Gospel and be added to the Church of Christ. When the apostles therefore received the news that Samaria had received the Word of God, that its people had professed allegiance to the Redeemer, they sent Peter and John as their personal representatives to find out the truth of the report and, if so, to establish the bonds of fraternal unity. The fact of the report being certified to, Peter and John not only extended to the Samaritan Church the hand of fellowship, but also transmitted to these new converts the wonderful gifts which they themselves had received. The Samaritans had been baptized, and therefore they were in full possession of the pardon of God, as well as of the Spirit which sanctifies, Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38. But now they were equipped with extraordinary gifts, with the power to perform miracles, to speak with strange tongues, to prophesy, and to give other peculiar evidences of the Spirit’s omnipotence and divine majesty. ^■29 . These extraordinary manifestations had not yet been imparted to these believers, although all the spiritual gifts were theirs by and through Baptism. But now these powers were transmitted to them by the laying on of hands, for it was a part of the Lord’s plan in the early Church to use miracles and signs to confirm the preaching of the Gospel. “The design of such gifts, and the way in which they were exercised in the congregation, are fully set forth by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12-14. These gifts served a temporary purpose, until the facts, doctrine, commandments, and promises of the new covenant were committed to writing by inspired men, when the prophecies, tongues, and miraculous knowledge of individual teachers gave place to the written Word.” ^■30 .

The blasphemous demand of Simon:

The faith of Simon the Magician had undoubtedly been real enough in the beginning, and he had not acted the hypocrite when he asked to be baptized. But here there were two factors which were too strong for the young plant in his heart. In the first place, he was not included in the number of those to whom the extraordinary communication of the Spirit’s power was vouchsafed. And in the second place, his witnessing of this transaction had awakened the former love of money and influence over others in his heart. The combination of these facts was too strong for him, and he lost his faith. When he saw that Peter transmitted the miraculous gift of the Spirit by the laying on of hands, he brought forth money and offered it to the apostles, with the demand that they give him this power also, to impart the Holy Ghost by the imposition of hands. Simon was right in calling this gift a power, but he was wrong in thinking that it was a commodity of barter and sale. He may, in his former business, have purchased many a secret of sorcery from other masters, and therefore concluded that the same course might be followed in this instance also. But it was a blasphemous demand of covetousness, and his sin has ever since been known as simony. “This is simony, properly so called, if one buys or sells a spiritual office, possession, gift, or power for money, as Simon Magus did. When he saw that the Holy Ghost was given by the imposition of the hands of the apostles, he offered them money and said: Give me the power also, that, if I lay my hands upon some one, he receive the Holy Ghost; desiring thus that he might have the Holy Ghost, after having purchased Him for money, in his power, to have Him do what pleased him.” ^■31 . The infamous demand of Simon Magus aroused the impulsive resentment of Peter. Full of righteous indignation he calls out to him: Thy money with thee be into destruction! It is a violent expression of horror on the part of Peter that any one would even think of desecrating the most wonderful gift in the world by such blasphemous thoughts. That Simon should have gained the idea that a free gift of God might be purchased with money showed that he mistook entirely the source and meaning of the power which he desired. Peter therefore tells him that he has neither part nor lot in this matter, that he could not hope to share either the possession of the gift with the faithful, nor its ministry with any of the disciples. The demand of Simon put him entirely outside the pale of the Church; it showed that his heart was not sincere in his profession of Christianity, it could not stand without blame in the sight of God. There was only one course advisable under the circumstances, namely, that he repent of this wickedness, change his heart to a condition which would be well-pleasing to God. Incidentally, he should pray the Lord, with whom only there is forgiveness, that He might forgive him the blasphemous idea of his heart. The words of Peter do not make the matter of forgiveness after sincere repentance a doubtful thing, but he stresses the need for sincerity in regard to this grave offense. A mere lip repentance would not suffice before the eyes of the omniscient God. And the seriousness of the situation is further stressed when Peter says that he perceives Simon Magus to be in the intense, malignant, poisonous bitterness of gall and wormwood and held firmly in the bonds of unrighteousness. It seems to have been with Simon as in the story of the man that has turned out the unclean spirit, who returned with seven others worse than himself. Not the mincing of words, but the preaching of the Law in all its uncompromising severity was demanded by the situation, and Peter acted accordingly. Some effect this scathing speech of Peter certainly had, namely, that of thoroughly terrifying Simon, so far as the results of his sins were concerned. He asks the apostles to pray for him that none of the things of which Peter had spoken might strike him. His words indicate fear of the results of sin, but no change of heart in true repentance. That is all the inspired record says of the matter, and although second century traditions have added much legendary material, this seems in no way trustworthy. The story as it stands contains some very earnest lessons. Simon Magus is a type of the temporary believers, of those that have turned to Christ in faith, but were not firmly established, and succumbed to the first temptation. The example of Peter shows how such persons must be dealt with when they are exposed. The wickedness and hypocrisy of their hearts must be rebuked with all severity in order that, by God’s grace, true repentance may be worked in them for the salvation of their souls. After this disagreeable incident the apostles turned back to the real work for which they had come down. They bore witness to Christ in the most convincing manner; they spoke the Word of the Lord, thus performing the work of both testifying and teaching, according to the Lord’s commission to them. And then, having accomplished the object of their journey, they started on their return to Jerusalem. But they made the trip in a leisurely fashion, which enabled them to preach the Gospel in many villages of the Samaritans outside of the capital of the district. Their hearts were filled with true missionary zeal, which permits no opportunity for spreading the Gospel to pass by. It was a time of cheerful harvest such as the Lord had predicted, John 4:37. Such times of spiritual awakening and harvesting have been recorded since in more than one instance. In such cases it seems as though the Lord calls large masses of people simultaneously. The effect and the success of the preaching of the Gospel are in His hand, a fact of comfort to all workers in the vineyard of the Lord.

Verses 26-40

The Ethiopian eunuch

The divine commission to Philip:

Through the visit of Peter and John the congregation of Samaria had been so thoroughly established and furnished with special gifts of the Spirit that Philip could well be spared for other missionary work. And so an angel of the Lord, one of those special messengers whom the Lord makes use of in carrying out the work of His kingdom, spoke to Philip, whether in a dream by night or in a vision by day, is immaterial. He had a special order for the evangelist. He who had just preached the Gospel to hundreds and to thousands was to be sent a long way to open the Scriptures to one individual soul. Philip was to arise, be ready at once, and journey due south from Samaria down to and along the road which led down from Jerusalem (at an elevation of about 2,400 feet) to Gaza, formerly a city of the Philistines, only a few miles from the Mediterranean. There was a Roman road, built probably for military purposes, which passed from Jerusalem almost due southwest and led over Gaza down to Egypt. For a large part of the way this road led through desert places, comparatively uninhabited districts. The obedience of Philip was immediate and implicit; he did according to the word of the angel. By God’s arrangement, Philip either struck the road or was traveling along the road designated by the angel when a chariot came along. In this vehicle sat an Ethiopian man, a eunuch, who was a powerful officer of queen Candace, being her minister of finances or secretary of the state treasury. Though he was a eunuch and as such debarred from actual membership in the Jewish congregation, Deuteronomy 23:1, he could very well have been a proselyte of the gate and admitted to the Court of the Gentiles to perform his acts of worship. He was in the service of the queen of the Ethiopians, the queen of Nubia, whose official title was Candace ^■32 , and had made the long trip for the express purpose of attending to his religious duties. It is difficult to say whether he had come up in the season without festivals, or whether the fall of the year, with its Festival of New Year, Day of Atonement, and Feast of Tabernacles, had meanwhile come, the latter being very likely. In returning home, the eunuch was employing his time in the best possible manner. Sitting in his chariot, he was reading the book of the Prophet Isaiah, very probably aloud, after the Oriental fashion, Acts 8:30, and trying incidentally to get the meaning of the text. In this he gives an example which might well be emulated in our days. The Christians of our days, in many instances, read the Bible neither at home nor anywhere else, whereas this heathen proselyte was not ashamed to read it on the public road. It was not the original Hebrew text which he was conning, but the so-called Septuagint, or Greek translation, which had been made in Egypt almost two centuries before.

The text from Isaiah:

Philip had followed the command of the angel; he had gone to the place to which he was directed, and was ready for further directions. These were given him by the prompting of the Spirit telling him to stay near the chariot as it moved along, within earshot or easy hailing distance. And as Philip ran toward the chariot, he could hear the words which the eunuch was reading to himself, and recognize the passage from which they were taken. The question with which he introduced himself was not an impertinent form of address, as has been stated, but one calculated to draw out the religious position and conviction of the man: Dost thou really understand what thou readest? It is a question which all Bible readers ought to keep in mind; for there is far too much superficial reading of mere words instead of the earnest attempt to get the connection and meaning of every passage. The answer was: How do you suppose I should be able to if no one shows me the way? This does not imply that the Bible cannot be understood without hierarchical interpretation, but simply shows that a beginner in the study of the Word, one that has not yet carefully compared prophecy and fulfilment, will do well to have the aid of some help in comparing parallel passages and in pointing out the connection. The few really dark passages in the Bible are due to our lack of adequate knowledge of the original tongues and similar reasons; but none of these passages concerns any assurance of the salvation of souls or any other fundamental doctrine. The eunuch now earnestly invited Philip to have a seat at his side in the chariot. The passage which was just then troubling the reader was the beautiful section from Isaiah 53:7-8. There it is said of the Messiah that He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, that, as a lamb before the shearer is voiceless, so He opened not His mouth. It was written of the great Lamb of God, in His ministry of taking away the sins of the world. In His humiliation His judgment was taken away: in His oppression, when the wrath of the Father had struck Him as the Substitute for all mankind, the full judgment was carried out upon Him, and thus we need no longer fear judgment and condemnation, their force was exhausted in the Christ. His generation who shall declare?: He has been exalted into heaven, and now, even according to His humanity, has no end of His days, has eternal glory in His possession; for His life is taken away from the earth: it was taken from Him suddenly, by the murderous death on the cross; but the result was eternal salvation, final glorification in the interest of His believers. This was the Gospel of the Old Testament, a beautiful and clear account of the Messiah’s sacrifice, but hidden before the eyes of the eunuch, because he did not know the fulfilment.

The baptism of the eunuch:

We may well imagine the scene: a fine autumn day, the comparatively uninhabited plain extending on either side, the driver of the chariot half-dozing over his lines, the two men poring over the sacred roll. Note that Luke refers to the contents of the passage of Scripture as of a fixed quantity, a book which was known by that name to all the Jews. Having read the passage in question together once more, the eunuch asked Philip whether the prophet was here speaking of himself or referring to some one else. His knowledge of prophecy and the teaching he had had did not enable him to decide this important point. And Philip, full of the joy of the missionary when he finds an eager inquirer after the truth, opened his mouth for a long discourse. He could hardly have found a more suitable text to expound his great topic, for his subject was Jesus and the wonderful message concerning Him. Beginning with the many clear and beautiful texts of the Old Testament, he had a fine opportunity of showing the fulfilment of prophecy in the case of Jesus of Nazareth. And he undoubtedly spoke also of the great commission of the Lord which He had entrusted to His disciples, “to teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost,” Matthew 28:19. And while Philip was still picturing the glories of the Christ in glowing colors, the chariot came near one of the small streams or pools which, even in the dry season, may contain some little water. And the eunuch, half in eagerness and half in fear, points to the water and asks whether there would be anything in the way of his being baptized. Philip thereupon put the question which is fundamental in every true formula for baptizing, saying that his wish may very well be granted if he believes with all his heart. And the eunuch, filled with the sweetness and beauty of the Gospel proclamation which he has just heard, utters his confession: I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God: a short, but comprehensive formula, amounting to a confession in the Triune God. The officer then commanded the chariot to halt, and both Philip and the eunuch went down to, or into, the water, where the latter was baptized, the method not being indicated, though it was probably either by pouring or by immersion. No weight attaches to the method or form of baptism, so long as water is used and applied with the words of institution. But when they came up out of the water, the Lord, the Spirit of the Lord, performed a miracle by suddenly removing Philip from the side of the eunuch and out of his sight. However, he was no longer dependent upon this teacher; he had heard the essential facts which enabled him henceforth to compare the Old Testament with the New, and therefore went his way rejoicing. The ancient tradition has it that the eunuch brought the glorious news of the Gospel to his countrymen, and thus became the founder of the Abyssinian Church. However true this report may be, it is certain that he, for his own person at least, had found his Savior. As for Philip, he was taken to, and then found at, Azotus, the Old Testament Ashdod, another former city of the Philistines. Beginning with this town, he leisurely journeyed up the coast of the Mediterranean, preaching the Gospel wherever he went, until he reached the city of Caesarea, which was about midway between the present towns of Jaffa and Haifa. Note: The exalted Christ fixes the course of the Gospel, whether it shall be preached in populous cities or in comparatively uninhabited places. Our task is to follow His hints and to be guided by the circumstances as He places them before us, for the end is the salvation of souls.

Summary

Owing to the persecution of the congregation in Jerusalem, the Gospel is spread outside of the city, Philip founding the church at Samaria, which is established after a visit of Peter and John, while Philip is sent to teach the Ethiopian eunuch the Gospel and to baptize him.

Verses 1-31

The conversion and early labors of Paul

Paul’s continued enmity against the Church:

In marked contrast to the earnest labors of Philip in building up the Church of Christ we have here the hostile and destructive activities of Saul. With the passing of time the fire of his enmity did not abate, but was rather fanned to ever greater heat and fierceness. This state of mind had become so habitual with him that he actually breathed threats and murders against the disciples of the Lord. That was the atmosphere which he breathed, in which he lived. The threats alone were a base transgression of the Fifth Commandment, but he also actually followed them up with murder; he delivered all the disciples whom he could capture to prison and death. But his worst sin consisted in his blaspheming the name of the Lord by this opposition and persecution. Saul’s greatest delight at that time would have been to destroy both Christ and all Christendom in one day, had he been able to do so, 1 Timothy 1:13; Philippians 3:6; Galatians 1:13; 1 Corinthians 15:9. ^■33 . In this frame of mind he went to the high priest and earnestly besought him for letters, credentials setting forth his authorization in the name of the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem. For Saul’s attention had been called to the fact that Christian congregations were being established elsewhere, and the matter gave him no rest. Damascus had a large Jewish population and was the nearest foreign city of importance. To check the spread of the Gospel in this city would be a great victory for the Jews. The Sanhedrin at that time, even under Roman government, had great power and jurisdiction, both civil and criminal. Not only could it have arrests made by its own officers, but it could also deal with cases where the death penalty was not involved. And the authorities of Damascus were not liable to hinder such activities, as long as they were confined to the Jews. It was Saul’s plan, therefore, to have his credentials addressed to all the synagogs of Damascus, in order that he might have full jurisdiction to act. Should he then find any persons, either men or women, “of this way,” addicted to this new doctrine, as he supposed, he intended to bring them to Jerusalem in bonds. Note: The hostility of the vehement enemies of Christ in our days may not be able to show itself in just this way, but they make use of the flimsiest excuses and subterfuges to persecute the Church of Christ. Even as Saul, the Pharisee, sought to establish his own righteousness over against the righteousness of Jesus of Nazareth, and thus became the most dangerous enemy of Christ, so the modern Pharisees take offense at the preaching of salvation by the blood of the crucified Christ.

The miraculous vision:

Saul, having readily obtained the letters which he desired, lost no time in leaving Jerusalem. To reach his destination, he had about 140 miles to travel in a general northeasterly direction. For Damascus was the ancient capital of the province of Syria, situated about seventy miles from the Mediterranean, from which it was separated by the Lebanon and Antilebanon ranges. The Abana River flowed through it, and the Pharpar ran a few miles south of its walls. Damascus is one of the oldest cities in the world, said to have been founded by Uz, the grandson of Shem, and known to Abraham, Genesis 14:15 ^■34 . It has always been an important trade center and was also known for its manufactories. The journey, by either the caravan road through Samaria and Galilee, or by the Roman road over Jericho and through Perea and Decapolis, occupied some seven or eight days. One fact stands out with a certainty which cannot be denied, namely, that a state of mind less favorable for conversion than that of Saul when he started out on his mad expedition can hardly be imagined. He was in the very midst of Pharisaic darkness and unbelief, abhorring the very name of Christ and full of resentment and hatred toward those that confessed belief in this name. But the Lord’s manner of dealing with even the most hopeless cases and obstinate enemies passes human understanding. For it was at midday of the last day of the trip, when the travelers had left the snow-capped peak of Mount Hermon behind them, and may have been able to see the city of Damascus in the distance before them, that suddenly, without warning, an extremely bright light from heaven shone round about Saul, so bright as to render him blind. Perceiving that a miracle was happening, he fell to the ground in helpless terror. In that light, and before darkness fell upon him, Saul saw Christ, the Crucified, 1 Corinthians 9:1. And when he had fallen, he heard and plainly understood a voice, which solemnly called to him: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me? With fear and trembling, Saul asked: “Who art Thou, Lord?” either because he could not distinguish from the voice whether it was Stephen or some other victim speaking, or because he wanted to be certain that he was not beset by a hallucination. The Lord now fully revealed Himself to Saul as Jesus, whom he was persecuting by his present treatment and by his proposed measures against the believers in His name. Two facts were thus impressed upon the mind and heart of Saul, that the union between Christ and His Church is perfect and lasting, and that therefore the persecution of the believers was a persecution of Christ Himself. And the searching love of Jesus was immediately made manifest in His warning and pleading cry: It will be hard for thee to strike out against the goads, a figure taken from the driving of oxen by means of pointed sticks, against which they will sometimes attempt to kick. Here the hour of conversion was come. “For there is no heart so strong, though it were nothing but flint diamond, which could hold out and must not break.” ^■35 . The enemy was vanquished, because the Stronger had come over him and had changed his mind and heart; the Lord had revealed Himself to him, Galatians 1:16. Saul now, full of trembling and astonishment, has only one purpose in mind, to do the will of his Lord, and asks what the Lord wants him to do. “In this way we should also learn to fit ourselves properly, confess our sins and desist from them, believe on Jesus Christ, and find comfort in His sufferings, and finally yield to the right obedience to God, in order that we may not again by disobedience fall from the great grace and into the wrath of God by an unrepentant life. That means to follow the example of Paul properly, which is written for our comfort and doctrine.” ^■36 . And then the Lord gave this new convert directions as to his behavior, namely, to arise and go into the city, where he would receive such information as he needed to direct his future course. “Here we should mark especially: Although God from heaven speaks with Paul, yet He does not want to annul the office of preaching, nor make this an extraordinary case; but He directs him into the city to the pulpit and preacher; there he should hear and learn what is to be learned. For God, our Lord, wants to establish something special for no one, but gives His Baptism and Gospel to the whole world, to one as well as to the other. There one may learn how to be saved, and not wait whether God will make something new and send us an angel from heaven. For it is His will that we go and hear the Gospel from those that preach it; there we should find it, and nowhere else.” ^■37 .

The end of the vision:

Luke here for the first time mentions the companions of Saul, and describes their behavior. The men that accompanied him stood stupefied when the miracle occurred; for they heard the sound of the voice, but were unable to see any one. If we here add the witness of Acts 22:6-11 and Acts 26:13-18, in which passages the same event is described, we obtain the following picture. The great light from heaven was seen by all, but only upon Saul was its immediate effect that of throwing him to the ground. His companions stood stupefied for a few moments, as though frozen stiff with fear and apprehension, trying to realize the meaning of the vision. But after the first shock their limbs would no longer support them, and they also fell to the ground. And it was while they were lying down that the men heard the voice, the utterance of some one speaking, and Saul caught every word, but they did not hear definitely, nor could they understand who it was that spoke. And while the form of Jesus was clearly revealed to Saul in the midst of the light, the others saw nothing but the light. So much, then, these companions of Saul could testify to: that a great light appeared, that a voice was heard from the midst of it, that Saul became blind as a result of the miracle. Saul now arose from the earth, but when he tried to open his eyes, he found that he had lost his sight and could see nothing. It was necessary for his companions to take him by the hand and thus lead him into the city. And there his blindness continued for three days, during which time he neither ate nor drank. That was the result of the experience which he had gone through, by which he had been shaken in the innermost parts of his being. The conversion of a person is not always attended with such miracles as in the case of Saul, but it is always as miraculous. It is the Lord that conquers and vanquishes the sinners, His enemies. His holy Law strikes them to the ground, drives them to fear and despair. But He immediately follows with the comforting message of the Gospel, and then the wonder is performed. The resistance and enmity of the unregenerated heart is changed to a cordial acceptance of the love of God. That is the miracle of conversion.

The Lord commissions Ananias:

A certain disciple there was at Damascus, one of those whose life and liberty Saul had set out to seek. His name was Ananias (“Jehovah is gracious”), more appropriate in this case than in that of his namesake, Acts 5. Whether he was a presbyter of the congregation at Damascus, as some commentators have suggested, cannot be determined. To him the Lord appeared in a vision, whether in a dream by night or in a condition of ecstasy by day, is not stated, and called him by name. Ananias, in immediate obedience, signified his readiness to hear the command of the Lord, for he recognized in the speaker his Lord, Jesus Christ, the Head of His Church. And the Lord at once gave him the necessary, explicit directions. He was to arise and to proceed to the street which bore the name Straight, conspicuous even to-day in a city full of crooked and curved streets, as having only a few slight angles in the length of a mile. It runs westward from the eastern gate into the heart of the city. ^■38 . On this street there lived a man by the name of Judas, and in his house Saul had found lodging. The Lord had directed Saul to go to the city, where he would be told what he should do. For a matter of three days the stricken man, in total darkness, had waited for the promised message. It is often a part of God’s specific plan to lay inactivity upon some person, by sickness or by some other affliction. At such a time the heart has sufficient opportunity for earnest, prayerful communion with God. The new spiritual life of Saul was giving evidence of its presence in prayer; in prayer he was obtaining strength and patience to endure the test of the Lord to the end. And a vision had also been granted to him in which he had seen the very Ananias to whom the Lord was now speaking come in to him and restore his sight by the laying on of hands. The vision had been granted Saul partly to give him the assurance of healing, partly to make him see the hand of God in all the things which were befalling him.

The objection of Ananias answered:

The obedience of Ananias was put to a severe test by the Lord’s commission, when he heard the name Saul of Tarsus. He had heard from many people concerning this man, what and how many and how various evil things he had done to the Lord’s saints in Jerusalem. Note the honoring name “saints,” which is here given to the Christians for the first time, as such that have been cleansed and sanctified by the blood of Jesus. They are His saints, purchased and won by Him for His own; He is their Redeemer and their God. Ananias also had the definite knowledge that Saul here in Damascus had authority and power from the high priest at Jerusalem to bind and thus to arrest all those that called upon the name of Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Here is another honoring description of the believers, which also characterizes them exactly. They place their full and complete trust in their Savior, a fact which they show by their calling upon Him. But the Lord quickly silenced the objection of His servant by repeating His command: Go! And He took away all the apprehensive fears of Ananias by telling him that Saul was to be a vessel of His choosing, a vessel in which, as it were, the riches of God’s mercy would be preserved for the use of many. For in this chosen vessel, Saul of Tarsus, God had determined that His name should be carried before Gentiles and before kings and before the children of Israel. The name of the Lord Jesus Christ is like a precious jewel, for whose bearing He had selected and prepared a fitting casket. The special mission of the man who became the Lord’s apostle afterwards was here already indicated. His chief work was to be among the Gentiles, to those not belonging to the children of Abraham according to the flesh. But he was to testify also before kings and rulers, as the governors of Cyprus, of Achaia, of Judea. And lastly, his work was to include his brethren according to the flesh. The Lord here opened the door of the future wide before the eyes of Ananias, in order to work in him the proper willingness to execute the commission. But not only in witnessing for the Lord would this man Saul be found a fitting, choice vessel of the Lord, but Jesus intended also to let him experience suffering for His name’s sake. These sufferings would come upon him as a part of the obligation of the Lord’s vessel. No longer will he bring sufferings to others, but he would bend his back willingly to the load which the Lord knew to be the measure of his strength. That is the privilege of believers to this day, both to confess the name of the Lord and to endure the reproach of Christ.

The baptism of Saul:

The apprehensions of Ananias had been removed by the Lord’s revelation. Leaving his own house, he entered into that which had been designated to him by the Lord. Finding Saul, he at once laid his hands upon him to transmit to him recovery from his blindness, and at the same time addressed him as a Christian brother. His conversion had changed the raging enemy and persecutor to one that was in true communion and union with all the believers. He explained the reason for his visit by stating that the Lord had sent him, the same Jesus that had revealed Himself to Saul as he was traveling along the way. He was now both to receive his sight and to be filled with the Holy Ghost. By his conversion, Saul had received the gift of the Holy Spirit, and by the present imposition of hands, besides regaining his eyesight, he was given a new and extraordinary measure of the light and power of the Spirit, as well as the power to perform miracles, thus being prepared for the ministry for which he had been chosen. As the immediate result of the laying on of hands, sight was restored to Saul; from his eyes there fell down a deposit, or skin, like scales, either a crust due to inflammation or a growth caused by the Lord for the time being. And the baptism that followed brought the reception of the Holy Ghost, as also his formal acceptance into the Christian Church. Thus, also, Saul received the assurance and the seal of the forgiveness of his sins, Acts 22:16. Now the time of uncertainty and doubt was past, the crisis had safely been weathered. Saul now took food and strengthened himself. After the days of severe remorse he broke his fast. The Christians, contrary to popular opinion, are not given to foolish asceticism, but make use of the gifts of the Lord in a proper way. The young convert was now also introduced to the disciples, to the members of the congregation at Damascus; he openly joined their ranks and thus confessed his faith. Note: The excuse which is sometimes offered that people may be just as good Christians without belonging to the Church does not hold in the face of the example here narrated.

Saul preaches Christ:

Saul had, by the Word of the Lord through Ananias and probably also by direct command of God, received his commission as preacher and missionary. And he lost no time in entering upon his duties. Quickly, as soon as possible, he preached in the synagogs, heralding the message, proclaiming Jesus that He is the Son of God. He proved to the assembled Jews that the same Jesus that had been put to death by them could be none else than the promised Messiah, the very Son of God, concerning whom Psalm 2:7 spoke. That is the great message of the New Testament, the sum and substance of all preaching of the person and office of the Savior. The result was that all those that heard Saul speak were stupefied with astonishment, which they voiced in the excited inquiry: Is not this the man that destroyed, laid waste, in Jerusalem those that called upon this name, and has come here for the purpose of leading them bound to the high priests? The mission of Saul had become known among the Jews, probably through his companions or by message from Jerusalem, and his former hatred had been a matter of general knowledge. His complete change, therefore, was altogether inexplicable to his former companions. Meanwhile Saul was growing in spiritual and religious strength day by day, in his understanding of Scriptures and of their great central theme, and in his power to apply the import of the wonderful news to the situation before him. Whenever he had the opportunity, he argued his inexhaustible topic and confounded the Jews, literally, poured them together, mixed them up, making it impossible for them to stand up before his mighty exposition and demonstration that this man Jesus is the Christ. This truth he proved by demonstrating the agreement between the Messianic predictions and the historical facts in the life of Jesus, and he testified to it from the soundness and firmness of his conviction. The power of the Holy Spirit in his message, added to his confidence and joyfulness, could not fail to make a deep impression, even as it does to this day.

Saul in danger of his life:

“After many days were fulfilled,” at the expiration of a longer period of time. Luke does not say where Saul stayed during this time, nor does he describe his labors, but it is probable that the journey to Arabia, Galatians 1:17, took place at this time. Whether Saul was engaged in missionary labors, or whether the Lord was granting him a period of special preparation, we have no means of knowing. But having returned once more to Damascus, Saul was soon to learn that the amazement of his fellow-countrymen had worn off. The Jews planned together to kill him, to put him out of the way for proclaiming the Gospel. He experienced something of the hostile attitude and persecution which he had formerly shown to the disciples of Jesus. Saul found out about the plot to kill him and made plans to escape. The Jews, however, had laid their plans so well that they had also gained the cooperation of the ethnarch under King Aretas, 2 Corinthians 11:32, and they had guards at all the gates of the city, with orders that they should put Saul to death if he attempted an escape. Undoubtedly they hoped to have little difficulty in laying hold of him in the city, as soon as they thought the time would be ripe. In this emergency the disciples found a way to foil the pursuers. They found a house which was built next to the city wall, or even with a superstructure resting on the wall, and it was an easy matter to lower Saul from an opening in the wall, by means of a large basket, such as were used by hucksters to carry their wares. In this way the disciples of Damascus sent Saul away from the city and provided for his safety. This was about three years after his conversion, Galatians 1:18.

Saul at Jerusalem:

Three years before, Saul had left Jerusalem, an enemy and persecutor of the disciples of Christ. And now he returned to the city, himself persecuted and hunted by his former friends and companions. Just what feelings surged through his heart as he passed the place where the Lord had appeared to him, or the spot where the stoning of Stephen had taken place, may well be conjectured. But the crowning humiliation came to him in Jerusalem, in the treatment of the disciples. He tried to join himself to the members of the congregation, with the intimacy which was the rule among the disciples in those days. But his efforts were met with suspicion, since his former career was too well known. Very likely they feared that Saul was merely simulating interest and conviction for the sake of being admitted into the secrets of the congregation and of obtaining names of the prominent people connected with it, in order to pursue his old methods once more. In their distrust they felt that they needed the strongest kind of evidence for the sincerity, both of his conversion and of the honesty of his motives in desiring to join them. It may often happen that a sin of earlier days, though performed in partial or total ignorance, may harm a person’s standing in later years, in spite of the most sincere repentance. Fortunately, this distressing experience of Saul did not last too long; for Barnabas, the former Levite, Acts 4:36, who may have been acquainted with Paul even from early days in Tarsus, now undertook to vouch for him. He took him to the apostles and narrated to them at length how the conversion of the former persecutor of the Church had taken place when the Lord Himself appeared to him and spoke to him on the way, and also that Saul had spoken the great truths of the Gospel boldly at Damascus. In the name of Jesus he had spoken so freely, and had thus received the same commission as had the apostles themselves. This introduction took place to Peter and James, Galatians 1:19, the other apostles being absent from Jerusalem on matters pertaining to the Church. Barnabas having vouched for Saul, the latter was now recognized as a brother, and he went in and out among the congregation in Jerusalem; he had confidential intercourse with the apostles and with all the brethren daily. And very naturally Saul, also in Jerusalem, began to preach freely in the name of the Lord. The message of salvation whose glory and comfort he had experienced he felt constrained to bring to others, Acts 4:20. But when he also spoke and disputed with the Hellenists, to whom he himself had belonged, perhaps in the same synagog that had attempted to argue against the wisdom of Stephen, Acts 6:9, he found that they were deeply embittered against him as a deserter from their ranks. With this feeling prompting them, they undertook to kill him; they did not actually apply their hands to it, but they began to make arrangements to that effect. It was true, therefore, that the Hellenistic Jews would not accept Saul’s testimony concerning Jesus, Acts 22:22 ^■39 . The brethren found out about the intention of removing the brother whom they now highly esteemed, and foiled the evil purpose. They took Saul down to Caesarea on the Mediterranean, whence he had an opportunity to cross over to Asia Minor, to Tarsus in Cilicia, his home town. It seems to have been the opinion of the brethren that it would be best for Saul to wait in his own city until such a time as the Lord would assign some definite work to him. Here we leave Saul for a while. — Luke, in closing this section, appends the remark that all the congregations, the entire Church, since their fiercest, most zealous enemy had been vanquished, had rest, peace, and prosperity, had a fine opportunity of being established, internally and externally, throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria. The Church was edified, built up as a solid structure; its right to exist was fully vindicated; its members walked, conducted their entire lives, by or through the fear of the Lord, as a result of the faith which lived in their hearts; and they were filled with the comfort of the Holy Ghost, the promised help and sustenance of Jesus became a fact, and the result was seen also in the growing number of the disciples. It is the Lord that builds His Church, as well in the days of strife and oppression as in the days of peace and prosperity, and it is the comfort of His Spirit which makes true church-work possible, causing also the appearance of true, reverential piety in the life of the congregations.

Verses 32-43

Two miracles performed by Peter

Peter at Lydda:

It seems to have been the custom of the apostles to visit new sections of the field that were opened, new congregations that were established. Peter and John had done so in Samaria, Paul followed the same custom in his mission-work, and here we find Peter traveling throughout all quarters, throughout the sections of the provinces where congregations had lately been established. The purpose was evidently to establish and keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. In this way, Peter also came down to the saints, to the members of the congregation, in and about Lydda, the ancient Lod, Nehemiah 7:37, about two-thirds of the distance between Jerusalem and Joppa, in the beautiful valley of Sharon, some three hours from the seacoast. Here at Lydda Peter found a certain man, apparently not a member of the congregation, but one that undoubtedly had heard of its work, a Greek, or Hellenistic Jew, by the name of Aeneas. He was a paralytic and had suffered for eight years, being bedridden and unable to help himself. Note how carefully and exactly Luke, as a physician, describes the sickness. Peter spoke only a few words to this man, telling him that Jesus Christ healed him. At the same time he therefore commanded him to arise and to arrange his own pillows, to make his own bed, something which his paralyzed limbs had not permitted him to do for years. The miracle of healing was performed at once. Jesus, the exalted Christ, who now sits at the right hand of God, is everywhere near His congregation, also in all bodily needs. The miracle was so obvious that its effect was marked. Not only the people in and about Lydda, but also the inhabitants of the great valley or plain of Sharon, which extended its fertile fields northward to Mount Carmel, saw the man that had been healed, and there followed a general conversion to the Christian faith as professed by Peter and by the congregation at Lydda. The people were convinced that the claims of Jesus as the Messiah must be well established if even His servants could perform such mighty deeds.

The miracle at Joppa:

Peter may well have stayed at Lydda for some time, confirming the disciples and establishing the congregation. But he was suddenly called away to a house of mourning in Joppa, the seaport of Jerusalem. In this city there was a woman disciple, whose Aramaic name was Tabitha (splendor, beauty), given by Luke in the Greek form Dorcas (doe). She may have been known by both names. The preaching of the Gospel, probably through the efforts of Philip, who traveled through this country, Acts 8:40, had had a wonderful effect in the case of this woman. She was full of, she abounded in, good works and in deeds of mercy, in the giving of alms which she practised. She gave evidence of the power of the Gospel which lived in her heart, with the love toward Christ and her neighbor breaking forth at all times. But this good woman, about this time, took sick and died, and the people that had witnessed and enjoyed her goodness made the first preparations for her burial by washing her and laying her out in the upper room of the house. Meanwhile it had occurred to some friend that Peter, according to the general report, was in Lydda, and the disciples of Joppa resolved to dispatch two men to him with the earnest entreaty: Do not delay to come to us. The urgency of the matter should be emphasized. Whether the disciples had any definite plan as to the probable bringing back of Dorcas to life, or whether they simply wished the presence of Peter to comfort them in their sorrow, is not stated. At any rate, Peter lost no time in accompanying them, and they had about three hours’ time to discuss the situation with him as they traveled back to Joppa. Upon Peter’s arrival they immediately took him up to the upper room where the deceased sister lay. If anything was to be done, hurry was imperatively demanded, since the climate makes a speedy burial necessary. As is usual upon such occasions, all the widows that had received any kindness at the hands of Dorcas, crowded around Peter, bitterly weeping and exhibiting to him the undergarments, or gowns, and the mantles that Dorcas had made while she was still alive with them. Such works of charity, though usually hidden before the eyes of men, are valued highly in the sight of God. The simple works of Christian service, done in all simplicity of heart, the care of the household, sewing, mending, cooking, and the little helps shown to neighbors, if done for the love of Christ, are recorded with God for a reward of merit in His day. Peter, first of all, removed all these people from the room; he wanted to be all alone in prayer with his heavenly Father and with his Lord Jesus Christ. Throwing himself upon his knees, he laid the matter before God in prayer, and then, turning to the dead body, commanded: “Tabitha, arise!” And by the power of the Lord the miracle was performed. The woman that had been dead opened her eyes and, seeing Peter, sat up. And he, assisting her to her feet, called the members of the congregation and especially the widows that were so deeply grieved, and presented her alive. Jesus Christ, the Prince of Life, that had returned Aeneas to perfect health, called also this woman back to life, in order that she might continue her works of mercy in their behalf. Life and death of all Christians is in the hands of their Lord. The miracle was soon spread forth throughout the city, and many believed on the Lord. The power necessary to bring a dead person back to life impressed them, and the Gospel won their hearts for Jesus. And Peter stayed in Joppa for some time, his presence at this time being especially fortunate. A man by the name of Simon, a tanner by trade, was his host. The trade was commonly detested by the Jews, but Peter was rapidly learning to discard the old prejudices and serve all men, become all things to all men.

Summary

Saul, on his way to Damascus to persecute the disciples, is converted by an appearance of the Lord, and begins his work of testifying for Jesus, while Peter, in the course of his missionary journeys, heals a paralytic at Lydda and brings a dead woman back to life at Joppa.

Verses 1-48

Cornelius the Centurion

The vision of Cornelius:

While Saul, in his own city of Tarsus, was awaiting the time when the Lord would assign definite work among the Gentiles to him, or, as some think, was bringing the Gospel to the province of Cilicia, God was Himself stirring the hearts of some few people outside of the chosen nation. A certain man there lived in Caesarea by the seaside, the residence of the Roman governors of Judea, whose name was Cornelius. This man was a heathen by birth, as his Latin name seems to indicate. His official position was that of centurion of the company known as the Italic cohort, the tenth part of a Roman legion, which was stationed at Caesarea. The Italic cohorts were made up of volunteer Roman citizens born in Italy, and are shown by history to have existed in several eastern provinces. Cornelius was not only good and generous, but devout, pious, a God-fearing proselyte, a man who with his family, and probably his servants as well, had come to know the true God, much like the centurion of Capernaum, Matthew 8:5. From the Jews, among whom he lived for so many years, Cornelius had heard of the coming Messiah, by whose coming and work the true righteousness before God would be his; this faith had taken hold of his heart and gave sufficient evidence of its presence in his many alms and in his continual prayers to God. ^■70 . Thus Cornelius was not merely an upright, honorable man of the world, but a believer in the Messiah, whose coming he, however, with many of the devout Jews, put into the future, not knowing that all the prophecies had been fulfilled in and through Jesus of Nazareth. But the Lord knew the condition of his heart and determined to give him and his entire house the full revelation of the New Testament. Accordingly, God arranged it so that Cornelius, about the ninth hour of the day, about the time of the evening sacrifice in the Temple, one of the hours of prayer, saw in a vision distinctly, manifestly, plainly, making an illusion impossible, an angel of the Lord coming in to him with a message. The heavenly messenger, first of all, called him by name, in itself a distinction, Isaiah 43:1. But Cornelius instinctively shrank back, as sinful men are liable to do in the presence of a sinless being. His eyes were fixed upon the angel and he was filled with fear, as he said, “What is it, Lord?” for he recognized the messenger from God. But the angel’s calm words reassured him. His prayers had been heard by God, and his works of mercy had come to the attention of God; they were credited to him in the memory of the Lord. The eyes of God are ever watching those that fear Him, whose hearts trust in Him by faith, and whose hands are willing to serve Him. He hears their prayers and remembers all their works. But the angel now told Cornelius that he should send some men to Joppa as his messengers, to fetch one Simon, distinguished from other men of the same name by his surname Peter. His place of lodging was with Simon, the tanner, who lived near the sea, outside of the city proper, on account of the nature of his business. This Peter would be able and willing to give him such information as he needed at this time. For while Cornelius was a true believer according to Old Testament standards, cp. John 1:47, he lacked the knowledge of the Messiah that had appeared, and this should be supplied by Peter. Note: Although the angel might well have given Cornelius a full understanding of the Gospel, the Lord does not commission him to that end, but directs the centurion to one of His preachers of salvation. Through His holy Word, as proclaimed by the mouth of men, God calls men to salvation. ^■40 . No sooner had the angel delivered his message than Cornelius proceeded to act upon the command which he had received. Though it was now late in the afternoon, he summoned two of his own domestic servants and a soldier who, like himself, was devout and God-fearing, one who belonged to the smaller guard of sentries whom he could trust implicitly, since they were truly devoted to him. To these three messengers Cornelius explained the entire matter in all confidence, withholding nothing from them which might serve for the understanding of the situation, and then sent them off to Joppa, which was located almost due south of Caesarea, at a distance of some thirty miles. Note: The relation between Cornelius and those employed by him and under his jurisdiction, as here pictured, might serve as an example to all employers and servants alike. If such conditions of mutual respect and confidence, based upon the fear of the same God, obtain, there will hardly be a servant problem or a dissatisfaction of labor.

The vision of Peter:

The journey from Caesarea to Joppa may well have taken some nine to ten hours, thus bringing the three messengers into the neighborhood of the southern seaport about noon of the next day. But it was necessary, meanwhile, for the Lord to prepare Peter for the coming visit, lest he draw back in horror at the thought of being the guest of a Gentile. While the men were pursuing their journey, walking their way, therefore, and nearing the city of Joppa, about noon, Peter went up to the flat roof of the house where he was lodging, for the purpose of praying, since this was one of the hours of prayer observed by the devout Jews. But while he was engaged in this service of worship, he became intensely hungry, unusually eager for food, for which reason he intended to have lunch, probably stating his wishes to that effect to the people of the house at once. But while they were preparing the meal downstairs, a trance, a condition of ecstasy, came upon Peter. Not that he was unconscious, but his mind and spirit were detached from ordinary thinking and feeling, and he was enabled to hear and see things which the normal person could not have perceived. In this condition he beheld the heaven opened and descending out of the opening a vessel, or container, shaped like a large sheet, whose four ends or corners were tied in order to hold the contents together, and to enable it to be lowered down. In the container thus held before Peter’s spiritualized eyes there were all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles and fowls, the unclean mixed with the clean in a conglomerate mass, without regard to Levitical division or distinction. Cp. Leviticus 11:9; Deuteronomy 14:9. And at this moment a voice came to him inviting him to rise, to slaughter, and to eat. But the impetuous Peter, still held by the tradition of the legal distinctions concerning animal food, rejected the invitation with great emphasis: By no means, Lord, for never have I eaten anything common or unclean. At first blush he may have regarded the entire vision as a temptation to evil. But the voice rebuked him, correcting his position, by speaking to him again the second time: What God has rendered clean do not thou render profane. By the act of offering them to Peter, God had revoked the Levitical command, and cleansed the animals formerly regarded as unclean. Three times the Lord had this vision appear, three times the container was held before Peter, three times the invitation came to him, before the vessel was finally taken up to heaven again. By means of this vision God clearly indicated that the barrier between Jews and Gentiles had now been removed, that the Gentiles also should be admitted to the kingdom of God and of Christ. This lesson is necessary even to-day, when race prejudices sometimes seriously threaten to interfere with missionary efforts.

The arrival of the messengers:

The vision which God had sent to Peter troubled, perplexed him, it made him uneasy, uncertain as to what to do next. The general drift of the intended communication he observed, but its application was not clear to him. Did it mean only the abolishing of the ceremonial part of the Old Testament revelation, or was even more than this included? And to what special case did the Lord have reference? But these doubts and perplexities were quickly removed, for in the mean time the messengers of Cornelius had reached the city; they had made inquiry as to the location of the house to which they were directed; they had found the right place and were even now standing at the gate below. The vaulted passageway which, in Oriental houses, led from the street to the inner court was closed on the outside by a heavy folding gate with a small wicket kept by a porter. At this gate the messengers were standing, calling out, either to the porter or to some of the other servants in their inquiry, whether Simon, with the surname Peter, were lodging there. Peter, who knew nothing of all this commotion, was informed concerning it by the Spirit. While he was still pondering about the vision, trying to recognize the purpose of God clearly, the Spirit told him that the men were seeking him, and bade him arise, go down, and make the trip with the men, without any doubt or hesitation, since He, God Himself, had sent the men. Here Peter had the solution of the puzzling question. He was not to shrink back in horror from the idea of accompanying the strangers, but was to go willingly and gladly. Peter still did not know what special message the men were bringing, but he followed the bidding of the Spirit. Going down to the men, who seem still to have been standing at the gate or in the passageway, he informed them as to his identity, and inquired as to the reason for their presence. And the three faithful messengers made good use of the confidence which their master had placed in them, incidentally showing their love and respect for Cornelius. They refer to him as a just man, unblamable in his relations to his fellow-men according to Jewish standards, and also as a God-fearing man, one that had accepted the God of the Jews and no longer put his trust in idols. Moreover, he had a good report, was well spoken of by the entire people of the Jews; all men had the highest regard for his integrity. Of this master they report that he had been warned of God, that he had received a message from a holy angel as the messenger of the Lord, to fetch Peter into his house, in order to hear words from him. “Connecting this message, sent by the order of a ‘holy angel,’ with the vision, and with the command of the Spirit to go with the men, nothing doubting, Peter now in an instant sees that he is called by divine authority, through the angel, through the vision, through the Spirit, to do what he had always before thought sinful, to go into the house of a Gentile, and to speak to him the Word of the Lord. Nothing less than an unmistakable divine call could have induced him to do this; but now he has no alternative unless he would withstand God.” ^■41 . The first result of this clear grasp of the situation was that Peter invited the messengers in, made them his guests, and provided proper lodging for them. Peter now understood that God was not only the God of the Jews, but of the Gentiles as well, since He wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. In the whole story the hand of the Lord is evident. And so the entire course of every person’s life is in the hand of God, all circumstances being ordered by God, even the so-called chance happenings. And God ever renews evidence of the fact that He wants people to come near to the Word, and wants to bring the Word near to the people.

The meeting of Peter and Cornelius:

It was not possible for Peter to leave Joppa at once, principally because he wanted some of the brethren from Joppa to accompany him on this trip. But the next morning the messengers set out with Peter, and some of the members of the congregation at Joppa went with them. Since they did not travel quite so fast as the servants with the soldier had in coming down, they were on the road all day and did not reach Caesarea until the next morning. But Cornelius, versed in military matters, had figured out with considerable exactness when he might look for them. He was confidently expecting them on that morning, and had therefore called together his relatives and his intimate friends, such upon whose discretion he could depend, and who were probably of a like mind with him concerning the worship of the true God. The state of mind in which Cornelius found himself on this morning may be pictured from his behavior when Peter finally entered his house. Acting upon the idea, no doubt, that the servant and messenger of the Lord, whose very coming was directed by an angel, must be worthy of extraordinary reverence, he advanced to meet Peter and fell down at his feet to worship him, to honor God in him. But Peter wanted nothing of such worship. He lifted Cornelius to his feet, gently chiding him meanwhile, by bidding him get up, since he himself was only a man. Note: This plain statement of Peter ought to discourage every idea of saint worship; for if he refuses to accept such adoration while he could hear the prayers that might be directed to him, how much more must it be considered foolish and harmful to address prayers to him now that he is removed from the presence of the Christian congregation! Immediately after this greeting the two men started a conversation and, while they were conversing together, entered into the inner room, the atrium, where Peter found many people assembled, all waiting, in interested expectation, for the words which Peter was to speak to them. The apostle first of all addressed a few words to the assembly to make the situation clear; for they were very well aware how “unlawful,” how much at variance with the Law as understood by the Jews, his behavior must be, since he, a Jew, was here coming to, and intermingling with, Gentiles, people of a foreign race, in any way becoming intimate with them. Note the tact of Peter in using the word “of foreign race” instead of the harsher “heathen.” There was no express prohibition of such behavior by Moses, but the traditions of the rabbis carried the principle of separation to such an extreme. But Peter here declares, not only that God had told him, but that He had distinctly and unmistakably shown him, that he should not speak of nor call any person common and unclean. The men present in the house of Cornelius may not have been members of the Jewish Church by virtue of circumcision, but they belonged to the people for whose sake the Messiah had come, and were therefore entitled to the preaching of the Gospel. Knowing this, Peter had come to them without contradiction or resistance, in simple obedience to the word of the Lord, when they had sent for him. And now his question was for what purpose they had sent for him, what object they had in making him travel this distance and appear before them.

The explanation of Cornelius:

It was doubtless with deepest emotion that Peter entered into the door of a Gentile’s house, and Cornelius was no less deeply moved at the evident hearing of his prayer by the Lord and by the prospect which was thereby opened up to him. The two had probably agreed that it would be best for the sake of all those present to rehearse the connection of events once more, in order that the minds of all might be clear on the matter. Cornelius therefore repeats the story of the events leading up to the present moment: that four days ago, on the fourth day before, he had been engaged in prayer in his house, at the ninth hour; that a man had stood before him in a shining vestment, his humble description of the angel that had appeared to him; that this messenger had informed him of the hearing of his prayer and of the remembering of his alms before God (both his prayers and his alms had been sacrifices by which he had brought himself into God’s remembrance); that he had commanded him to send to Joppa and call thence Simon with the surname Peter, who was lodging in the house of one Simon, a tanner, by the sea; that this Peter, having come, would speak to him, bring him a very important message. All these words of Cornelius, presenting a very vivid picture, were addressed as much to his relatives and friends as to Peter. But now he turns to the apostle with a characteristic, humble, beautiful statement: Immediately, at once, without delay, I sent to thee, and thou hast done well in coming; now we all here before God are present to hear all that thou hast been charged with by the Lord to proclaim to us. There are two points of deep significance in this statement: that the entire assembly was conscious of the presence of God, and that they were all convinced that it was a message from God which Peter was charged with proclaiming. Peter therefore surely spoke under ideal circumstances, and could expect that his audience would attend with the proper diligence and reverence.

The first part of Peter’s sermon:

Under such ideal conditions, with an attentive, eager audience, it must have been an unusual pleasure to preach the Gospel. And Peter made the most of the occasion. Solemnly he began his address by stating that he now of a truth comprehended and understood fully that God is not a respecter of persons, literally, that He does not look upon the face of people. The outward face, form, and bearing of people do not influence the judgment of the Lord. In every nation of the world he that truly fears the Lord, that has his heart turned to Him in confident faith, and performs righteousness, shows by his entire manner of living that the fear of the Lord actuates him in all his doings, he is acceptable to God. This inclusive statement swept aside the confining bonds of the Mosaic covenant, and proved to be the keynote of the entire mission-work of the Church from that time forth. The reception of the salvation merited by Jesus Christ is no longer conditioned by nationality, but by the condition of the heart. The call to redemption is extended to all men, regardless of color, race, and language. After this great introductory, fundamental truth had been stated, Peter could launch forth into his favorite subject, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He told his hearers that they already knew three facts. They knew the Word which had been sent to the children of Israel as a Gospel-message from God, bringing the good and glorious news of peace through Jesus Christ. The latter Peter, in a parenthesis, distinguishes from the ordinary prophets and apostles, the servants of the Word, as the Lord over all, thus declaring His deity. They furthermore knew, he tells them, the historical fact that the Word concerning Jesus was made known, published, by Himself, in His prophetical ministry, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached. And they finally knew about the person of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, namely, that God Himself anointed Him with the Holy Ghost and with power, who then traveled through the country doing good, performing miracles as the Benefactor of mankind, and healing all those that were kept in subjection by the devil, as the Lord and Master, before whom the spirits of darkness must bow; for God was with Him. These facts, with which his hearers were familiar in whole or in part, Peter impresses upon them as facts whose knowledge is necessary for salvation. Note that Peter emphasizes the deity of Jesus also in the last statement, which says that the two unchanged natures are united in the person of Christ. ^■42 .

The last part of Peter’s sermon:

To the facts which these men of Caesarea knew, and which they had always viewed in a somewhat detached, objective way, as concerning the Jews only, Peter now adds the weight of his personal testimony, together with that of the other apostles. Witnesses they are of all the things which Jesus did in the land of the Jews, in Palestine in general and in Jerusalem; witnesses they are also of the fact that the Jews became His murderers by suspending Him on the cross. But this same Jesus God had raised up from the dead, and had granted that He should be revealed as the living Christ. But this revelation was purposely not made to all the people; the personal prophetic ministry of Jesus was brought to a close with His death. Only to those men was the living Christ revealed, to those witnesses, that had been expressly chosen by God before, and who had both eaten and drunk with Christ after His resurrection from the dead. By being made apostles, these men were also delegated as witnesses, and they were making no haphazard, dark assertions as to something which they themselves knew only at second hand, but their testimony was based upon personal experience. In addition the apostles had received the charge to act as His heralds to all the people, in proclaiming the Gospel as well as in bearing witness to the fact that Jesus has been ordained, definitely appointed, by God as the Judge of the living and of the dead, John 5:22. Peter had now stated as a basic truth the fact that race and nationality debars no one from the blessings of God; he had reminded his hearers of the Gospel history which they had heard of and had viewed in a disinterested way; he had added his personal testimony as to the great facts in the working of salvation. And now he comes to the climax of his sermon, the application of the truths just proclaimed to his own present audience, placing full emphasis upon the fact that this wonderful message was not confined to the children of Israel, but concerned every one present in a most vital way. For to Jesus, he called out, all the prophets gave witness that every one that believes on Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name. Only by accepting the great truths of the Gospel as meant especially for them would they become partakers of the peace and joy which they contained for every believer. That is the summary of Gospel-preaching. “He could not have spoken more clearly than when he says: through His name, and adds: all that believe on Him. Therefore we receive forgiveness of sins through the name of Christ, that is, for Christ’s sake, not for the sake of our merit or works, and that is done when we believe that our sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake.” ^■43 . “This He wants preached and believed in all the world, and thereby sets aside all boasting of the Jews and of all work-saints [self-righteous men], that they should know that they cannot receive the grace of God through the Law and their own works, but can receive forgiveness of sins only in the name of this Christ by faith.” ^■44 .

The effect of the sermon:

The Lord, in this instance, had evidently planned to give an unusual demonstration of His power. For as Peter was still uttering the last impressive words of his discourse, the Holy Spirit fell upon, and filled, all those that were listening to the preaching of the Word. They had been believers in the coming Messiah before, in the Christ that was to bring redemption to the Jews; they were now believers in the Christ that had died for them on Calvary, whose full salvation had been earned for them. And the Holy Spirit was imparted to them in extraordinary measure, in such a way, in fact, as to cause the greatest astonishment in all the Jews that were present, in Peter as well as in the members of the congregation at Joppa. Here they had visible evidence of the fact that the Gentiles were indeed acceptable to the Lord, for the Spirit even gave them the gift of tongues, thus enabling them to praise and magnify the God of their salvation in languages which had been unknown to them before that day. Cp. Acts 11:17. It was not mere jubilant ecstatic praising of God which Luke here records, but a repetition of the Pentecost miracle, although probably not on so great a scale. Peter, at any rate, was fully convinced. He voiced his feelings in the emphatic rhetorical question: Surely no one present would want to hinder the water that these men might not be baptized! There could be no possible reason for refusing to accept these men into the Christian Church in whose case the Lord had so plainly indicated that the Gentiles also should find admission into the kingdom of Christ. All difference between Jews and Gentiles has been removed by the death of Jesus. Full salvation and all the gifts of the Holy Ghost are ready for all the world, for all that will but accept these blessings with the hand of faith. And so Peter, who, in this instance, did not baptize himself, now gave the order, entrusting its execution probably to Philip the Evangelist, whose labors extended to this city, that they should be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and thus be sealed with all the heavenly blessings which the Savior has gained and appropriates through the water of Baptism. No wonder that Cornelius and his friends, after this experience, earnestly begged Peter to remain with them a little longer, to spend some time with them, at least a number of days. They were anxious to hear more of the wonderful testimony concerning Jesus the Savior.

Summary

Peter, having been called to Caesarea by Cornelius and prepared for the visit by a special vision from heaven, preaches the Gospel to the Gentiles, who thereupon receive the Holy Ghost and are baptized.

Verses 1-18

Peter’s defense against the Judaizing brethren

The attack:

From the entire account of Luke in the Acts it is evident that the inspiration of the apostles pertained to their office of teaching only, and that they had no unusual powers of penetration and enlightenment otherwise. Thus the apostles, together with the other members of the congregation in Jerusalem, knew nothing of Saul’s change of heart and therefore mistrusted him, Acts 9:26. And here the apostles as well as the brethren in Judea labored under the handicap of a foolish and uncharitable prejudice. The report came to them that the Gentiles, by the ministry of Peter, had received the Word of the Lord. It was a matter, not of joyful astonishment, but of serious apprehension to them. When Peter, therefore, came up to Jerusalem, returning from the lowlands of Caesarea and the Plain of Sharon, those of the circumcision, not the Jews as distinguished from the Gentiles, but the strict Judaizing Christians of Jerusalem, probably such as had been priests or had belonged to the Pharisees, contended or disputed with him, they reproached him with the fact that he had entered, on terms of equal footing and intimacy, into the home of uncircumcised men, of heathen people, and had even eaten with them, the implication being that he might easily have partaken of food which was unclean to Jews and thus have defiled himself. That the Gospel should be preached to the Gentiles also, that such as did not belong to the race of the Jews should be accepted in the kingdom of the Messiah, was against all usage and feeling of the Jewish Christians. The fact that the prophets, not once, but often, had prophesied of the entry of the Gentiles into the kingdom of Christ, Isaiah 60:3; Isaiah 49:6, seems to have escaped their minds; they had not understood these passages properly, they had to learn gradually. Note: There are many verses, passages, and sections in Scriptures which even believing Christians cannot grasp and understand at once. Even after Christ has been accepted, the enlightenment proceeds very slowly. If the Christians, however, will but continue to search, God will, step by step, lead them more deeply into the knowledge of the truth. And thus even such passages as are offensive at first reading will gradually receive their proper setting in relation to the Bible as a whole. Only we must make all parts of the revelation of God serve that one great fact, the justification of all sinners through faith in Christ Jesus, then the arrangement and the relative importance of the various parts of Scripture will follow as a matter of course.

The rehearsal of Peter:

Instead of launching forth in cleverly worded arguments to defend his action, Peter believes it best to let the facts speak for themselves, for which reason he gives them in the form of a simple recital, presenting them to the critics in order, just as they occurred, and as they have been narrated in Acts 10. Peter first told them about the peculiar vision which he had had in Joppa, when he had been in a state of ecstasy, when the container in the form of a large sheet, tied together at the four corners, was lowered out of heaven. He emphasizes that he looked very closely, and that there was no question of an illusion. He had surely seen in the container various quadrupeds and animals and reptiles of the earth and birds of heaven. He had plainly heard the voice telling him to arise, to slaughter, and to eat. He had objected very emphatically on the ground of his always having strictly observed the injunction governing unclean foods. But the voice had sounded the second time, bidding him not to regard as common what God Himself had cleansed. Three times the same thing had happened before the container had been drawn up into heaven again. And, behold, at that very moment three men had stood below, having been sent from Caesarea to fetch him, and the Holy Ghost had told him to accompany them without doubt or hesitation. They had then gone with him, and also brethren from Joppa, whose number Peter here states to have been six; these six, having returned with him to Jerusalem, could substantiate his words. They had entered into the house of the man who had sent the messengers, who had given them an account of his having seen an angel standing in his house and speaking to him. The command of this angel he had followed in sending to Joppa and fetching Simon with the surname Peter, who would speak words to him whereby he would be saved and his house. These last words, not found in the other accounts, anticipate a summary of Peter’s discourse in showing to the assembly the fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies and of New Testament preaching in Christ, the Savior of all men. Peter finally tells of the effect which his words had had upon his hearers. Before he had finished his discourse and brought out all that he might have said on that topic, which is inexhaustible, the Holy Ghost had fallen on the Gentiles in the same manner as He had been imparted to themselves in the beginning. The argument of Peter therefore was, that after seeing the vision, hearing the voice, and receiving the order of the Spirit to go with the men, he could not have done otherwise than obey and enter into the house of the Gentile at Caesarea. And the fact that the Holy Ghost had been poured out on these Gentiles was a further proof for the Lord’s acceptance of the Gentiles.

The conclusion of Peter:

Peter himself, as he here reminds his critics, had had serious scruples about the entire matter; but the succession of events could not have been the result of chance happening. And his last doubts were removed as he, at the great climax, beheld the working of the Holy Ghost in just the same way as he himself had experienced it on the great Pentecost. He had remembered the word of the Lord, the saying in which He had given the promise: John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, Acts 1:5. Peter does not selfishly limit this promise to the inner circle of the disciples, nor to the Jews alone, but wants it applied now wherever the evidence shows it as finding its application. Since God now gave the very same gift to them as He had given to the apostles, not on the basis of circumcision or uncircumcision, but on the basis of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was Peter and how could he have summoned power to hinder God? How would he have been able to withstand God, even if he had persisted in his scruples and doubts? It is the living God that directs and governs His Christian Church, showing the way in which His servants should walk. He Himself makes a pathway for His Word, that it may grow and bear fruit in abundance. And this fact the Christians at Jerusalem were now obliged to acknowledge. They held their peace, they were quiet and satisfied; they had no more objections to offer. They were rather constrained to give continuous glory and praise to God in confessing: So, then, also to the Gentiles God has granted repentance unto life. So the critics not only tacitly withdrew all that they had said in reproach of Peter, but also proclaimed the praises of God with enthusiasm. They were satisfied at once, and they continued their thanks and praises to God. Repentance, followed by faith in Christ, is the way to eternal life, God’s free gift. And all Christians will properly rejoice if God grants many sinners repentance unto life. It is unfortunate that this happy state of affairs did not continue, Acts 15:5.

Verses 19-30

The establishment of the congregation at Antioch

The founding of the congregation:

Luke here once more refers to the scattering of the disciples which followed the execution of Stephen, Acts 8:1. They were dispersed on account of the tribulation of the persecution which happened about Stephen, and in which the members of the congregation in general were involved. Some of the disciples at that time journeyed through the country to Phenicia, the country north of Galilee, along the Mediterranean Sea, whose ancient capitals had been Tyre and Sidon. Others crossed over to the island of Cyprus, which is located in the eastern part of the Mediterranean. And still others traveled up to Antioch, a city in Northern Syria, on the Orontes. It was a beautiful city and an important trade center through its harbor Seleucia, famous for its art and literature, but infamous for its luxury and the attendant vices. “The warmth of the climate disposed the natives to the most intemperate enjoyment of tranquillity and opulence; and the lively licentiousness of the Greeks was blended with the hereditary softness of the Syrians. Fashion was the only law, pleasure the only pursuit, and the splendor of dress and furniture was the only distinction of the citizens of Antioch. The arts of luxury were honored; the serious and manly virtues were the subject of ridicule; and the contempt for female modesty and reverend age announced the universal corruption of the capital of the East.” ^■45 . In visiting these various countries and their cities, the disciples at first confined their preaching to the Jews. They were all laboring under the handicap of the same prejudice as the believers at Jerusalem. But some of these men hailed from the island of Cyprus and from the province of Cyrenaica, in Northern Africa. As Hellenistic Jews they were, from the start, more liberal in their views and in their practise than the Jews of Judea. These men therefore made it a point and habit to speak the Word also to the Greeks, to the Gentiles of Antioch, preaching the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ. This was acting according to the correct conception of the universality of the Christian religion. Peter’s work in Caesarea had opened the way, but the work in Antioch was the first vigorous invasion of the Gentile world by the forces of the Lord’s army. The Lord immediately gave evidence of His complete sanction and satisfaction, for His hand was with these men, His power accompanied their efforts, and a great number of the Greeks by faith turned to the Lord. Note: The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the means of kindling faith in the hearts of men. Through the Gospel faith is engendered; every one that believes, by that token is converted. But it is the hand, the power of the Lord, which works repentance and faith by the preaching of the Word, even when this is done through the mouth of ordinary disciples, men and women that confess the conviction of their heart.

Barnabas in Antioch and Tarsus:

Jerusalem, being the headquarters of the apostles, was still considered the capital city of Christendom. But proclamation of the unity of faith, so far as the believers of Samaria were concerned, had already been made, Acts 8:14-17. When therefore the news reached Jerusalem and was brought to the attention of the congregation, the brethren formally delegated Barnabas to go down to Antioch. If the report was based upon facts, he was to establish fraternal relations with the disciples in this great metropolis also. Barnabas made the trip, came to the end of his journey, and was more than repaid. He saw the grace of God; he was fully convinced by the many evidences of the working of God’s grace on every hand; he could not but acknowledge this fact with great joy and thanksgiving. And as a true son of comfort and exhortation he encouraged and admonished all the brethren to abide unwaveringly with the Lord, to cling to Him with full devotion of heart. The benefits and blessings of faith will come only to him that remains steadfast in his faith. And that is one of the purposes of the Gospel, to keep the believers in their faith. This preaching and admonishing of Barnabas made all the more impression, since he himself was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith. His preaching and exhorting was not like saying a lesson by rote, but it flowed out of the depth of his conviction of faith and the power of the Holy Ghost, who lived in him. It is not absolutely essential for the proclamation of the Word, but it is not without influence upon the force and vividness of presentation, that the preacher have the full conviction of the truth of Scriptures and the great Gospel-facts. In Antioch the effect was immediate and wonderful: a great multitude was turned to the Lord. With the establishment of the congregation now assured and the work growing in scope every day, Barnabas thought of his friend Saul, who was only a short distance from Antioch, at Tarsus, and who, as Barnabas knew, was destined for work among the Gentiles. So Barnabas made the trip across the sea to Tarsus to look up Saul, and finding him, he led him to Antioch. For a whole year these two men now worked together in the church at Antioch, with its hundreds and thousands of souls in need of salvation. “The united labors of two such men for a whole year, in a community to which the Gospel had already been favorably introduced, could not fail of great results; and the ultimate results were far beyond any hope which they could then have entertained; for they were now erecting, as it were, the second capital of the Christian world, whence were sent forth, not long afterward, the most fruitful missions of the apostolic age.” ^■46 . Here in Antioch also a great honor came to the disciples, for here, for the first time, they were called Christians. The heathen applied this name to the believers because they professed faith in Christ. Ever since, it has been the name which the believers have deemed the greatest honor to bear. Compare Acts 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16.

Barnabas and Saul sent on a charitable mission:

“In these days,” the days of the first love, when the fires of zeal for the Lord and of love for the brethren were still burning high, there were also extraordinary gifts of the Spirit to be found in the congregations. Fraternal relations with the congregation at Jerusalem having been established, there came down from that city to Antioch some prophets, men that had received the special gift of being able to foretell the future. One of these prophets, a man by the name of Agabus, by the power of the Spirit indicated that a great famine was destined to come over the whole world. This prediction, as Luke notes, was fulfilled in the reign of the Emperor Claudius. As all the secular historians of note, Suetonius, Dion Cassius, Tacitus, and also Eusebius, bear witness, a severe famine at that time struck the entire civilized world, notably the countries along the Mediterranean. But now the love of Christ which lived in the Christians by faith became manifest. Every one of the disciples, according to his individual ability, pledged himself to send, in proportion to his means, for the service of relief to those brethren in the faith that lived in Judea. Since Antioch was a prosperous city, the chances are that many of the Christians living there partook of this prosperity in one form or the other, and were therefore in a position to give material aid to the brethren that were less fortunately situated. When therefore the need arose, the congregation at Antioch sent aid, very likely in the form of money, to the elders at Jerusalem by the hand of Barnabas and Saul. The elders, or presbyters, included all the officers of the congregation, both those that labored in the Word and doctrine, and those that did the work of deacons. The apostles were teachers extraordinary, not only of the congregation at Jerusalem, but of the entire Church. The example of the Christians of Antioch may well serve for emulation at all times. Individual Christians and entire congregations should have not only their own needs in mind, but have regard also to those of others, and remember especially such as have served them with spiritual gifts and blessings, in the preaching of the Gospel.

Summary

Peter explains and defends his action at Caesarea over against the scruples of Judaizing critics, the congregation at Antioch is founded by some of the dispersed disciples and established by Barnabas, later with the aid of Saul.

Verses 1-25

Herod persecutes the church at Jerusalem and is punished by God

James beheaded, Peter imprisoned:

At that time, at the time when Barnabas and Saul were sent on their embassy of charity, very probably in the year 45 or early in 46 A.D. Since the year 41 Herod Agrippa I, a grandson of Herod the Great, occupied the entire country which had formerly been governed by his grandfather, with the title of king, under Roman supremacy. His power exceeded that of an ordinary governor, and he took good care to maintain his standing by a proper attitude of flattering deference to the emperor. He had risen to his present station by a gradual promotion, having been given first the tetrarchy of Philip (Batanea, Trachonitis, and Auranitis), a little later the tetrarchy of Lysanias, with the title of king, soon afterward the tetrarchy of Herod Antipas (Galilee and Perea), and finally Samaria and Judea. Without any special occasion, apparently merely for the sake of showing his tyrant’s power, this Herod let his heavy hand strike certain members of the church at Jerusalem, to treat them badly, to torture and vex them. First of all he killed, deliberately murdered, James, the brother of John, with the sword. Luke purposely does not use a word to designate an execution, even with some show of right, but he applies the proper, fitting word: murder. This James the Greater, the son of Zebedee, must be distinguished from James the Less, the son of Alphaeus. The prediction of the Lord, Matthew 20:23, was here fulfilled: James, the first martyr from the ranks of the apostles, drank of the Lord’s cup, and was baptized with His baptism. This cruel and absolutely unjustified act of the king must have been the cause of great grief to the congregation at Jerusalem, removing, as it did, one of the foremost teachers of the young Church. The fires of persecution had died down to a few smoldering embers, but the action of Herod fanned them into new flame; the Jews, inveterate enemies of the Cross, were pleased with the removal of a leader of the hated sect; they found the action in total accord with their wishes. Herod, therefore, who prided himself upon his Pharisaic piety, added a second unjustified act, that of taking Peter captive, of arresting him without reason or charge, simply because it suited his fancy. Since just at that time, however, the Festival of Unleavened Bread was being celebrated, Herod, eager to show his zeal for Jewish religious customs by all means, had Peter arrested and placed into prison, his intention being to arraign him in the presence of the people after the days of the Passover Festival. The names of the feast are here interchanged, since they were applied indiscriminately. To be sure that his victim would not escape, Herod took unusual precautions, delivering him to four quaternions of soldiers, four soldiers for each of the four watches of the night, for safe-keeping. The Roman custom was probably followed, according to which the prisoner was chained to two guards in the cell, while two watched outside. With great numbers of people in Jerusalem for the festival, Herod hoped to gain further popularity by these measures, but especially by the final condemnation of the apostle in the presence of the people. He did not realize that by his action he was pitting his puny strength against the power of Almighty God and of the exalted Christ, a fact which Luke brings out by the contrast: Now Peter indeed was guarded in the prison, but prayer was made without ceasing by the congregation to God on his account. It is a sad fact that the might of prayer is not realized sufficiently in our days. If the congregations individually and collectively would but make use of prayer, unceasing, importunate prayer, the success of a great many enterprises would be a foregone conclusion. Note that the prayer of the Christians was made in behalf of Peter, very likely not exclusively for his release, though they knew that this was an easy matter for the Lord, but for strength and fortitude to bear persecution and martyrdom, if need be, for the sake of his Lord.

The miraculous deliverance:

In the mean time, while the tyrant Herod was anticipating new triumphs, and the members of the congregation were making prayer unceasing for Peter, the last day of the festival was brought to a close. And that very night, the night before Herod intended to produce his prisoner before the people to be put to death in their presence, extraordinary precautions were taken lest Peter escape. But Peter seemed little concerned about the events of the next day. He was sleeping between two soldiers delegated for that purpose, fastened to them with two chains, probably so that he was bound on either hand to each of the soldiers, “the two chains being used perhaps for greater security on account of the former escape,” ^■47 , Acts 5:19. In addition to this, sentries before the doors guarded the prison, to forestall any attempt at deliverance from without. But the Lord cannot be hindered and deterred in His plans by such flimsy precautions. The angel of the Lord, whose coming neither guards nor locked doors can prevent, suddenly appeared, standing by the side of Peter. Incidentally, a light shone in the cell, for it was needed in the dense darkness of the inner prison. It was necessary for the angel to give Peter a sharp blow on the side to rouse him from his deep sleep, for so completely did the apostle place his trust for the coming day in the Lord that he rested and slept as soundly as ever in the quietness of his own home, Psalm 127:2. Having roused Peter, the angel raised him up, bidding him, at the same time, to get up in haste. This was made possible, at the same moment, by the fact that the chains fell from his hands. But Peter was still in a half-dreamy, dazed state, not realizing what was happening, and the angel was obliged to give him directions. He was to fasten his girdle about his tunic and lace up his sandals. Peter automatically obeyed. He was to put on his thick upper mantle, throwing it around him before going out into the cold night. And Peter, in the same detached, automatic manner, followed. Note the vivid narrative, the picturesque description. Peter now followed the angel out, but his mind was not yet clear enough to tell whether that which was done to him by the messenger of God was real; he still imagined that he was seeing a vision. In this manner they passed through the first ward, where the sentries of the watch were stationed, then also through the second, where the guards of the whole prison were on duty. They came to the great iron door which leads to the city, heavy and solid enough to bar the way effectually at ordinary times. But now the heavy gate opened of its own accord, automatically, yielding them a wide opening for escape. Stepping out, they went along one street, until there were no further hindrances to the apostle’s flight, when the angel, just as suddenly as he had appeared, made his departure. It was a miraculous deliverance from prison and martyrdom which the Lord here granted to His servant, because it pleased Him to use him for the spread of His Gospel. If the Lord’s plans are to be carried out, He will deliver them that are His from chains and prison and from the very mouth of death. The army of the angels about the small band of believers protects them against all assaults and persecutions, but by the permission of the Lord.

Peter in the house of Mary:

After the departure of the angel, whom he had till then followed in such a dazed fashion, Peter at last came to himself, he became fully awake, he shook off the lethargy of sleep and regained the proper use of his senses. And now he realized also what the Lord had done for him. Now he knew for sure that the Lord had sent His angel and had delivered him from the hand of Herod and from all the earnest expectation of the people of the Jews. In no other way could it be explained that the heavy chains had been removed from his arms, that the sleep of the soldiers at his side had been so unnaturally sound, that the sentries of the two stations had been stricken with blindness and deafness, and that he was standing here, free, safe and sound. And so Peter pictured to himself the scene of the next day, the disappointment of the people, and the annoyance of the monarch whose hand and power had proved so feeble. This side of the matter presented itself to him first. But as he became still more fully conscious of the situation, it occurred to him that the Lord was here giving him a hint. And thus came the thought of escape, of what immediate steps he should take to save himself. So he turned his steps to the house of one of the disciples, Mary, the mother of John, with the surname Mark, where many of the brethren and sisters were assembled together as a congregation, busily engaged in prayer. Note: In spite of the lateness of the hour, the night being far advanced at this time, the disciples were kept awake by their loving solicitude and reverent regard for their teacher, not growing weary in praying for him and his welfare, an example which should be borne in mind at all times. Peter, having fully regained his bearings, had no difficulty, by the light of the moon now in the last quarter, in finding the house of Mary. He knocked at the wicket door of the gate leading to the vaulted entrance passage, and a maid-servant, or slave girl, by the name of Rhoda, came to answer his knock. But when, upon her challenge, she recognized the voice of Peter, she was almost beside herself with joy, forgetting even to open the gate to Peter. In fluttering eagerness she rushed back into the house and announced to the assembled disciples that Peter was standing outside. But her confident message was received with the incredulous cry: You must have lost your mind. And when she insisted with great vehemence that it was really so, that she could not be wrong in her recognition of the voice, they still would not believe, but declared that it must be his angel, Matthew 18:10; Hebrews 1:14. They were of the opinion that Peter’s guardian angel had assumed his form and voice and was standing before the door. Meanwhile Peter continued his knocking at the door, anxious to be off the street, where there was always some danger of a late pedestrian’s recognizing him. So they finally opened the door, saw and recognized him, and were greatly astonished. Their prayers had been heard far beyond their own expectations; the miracle was too great for them to grasp. Thus the Lord’s hand is with His servants to protect them in all their work of ministry for Him. Note the kindly, intimate relations between the servant Rhoda and the other members of the household. If this story were taken as an example by masters and employees alike, there would be no servant problem in our days.

Peter leaves Jerusalem:

Peter was now again completely master of himself and of the situation. He realized that any outburst of joy might not only attract attention in the neighborhood, but would also result in the loss of valuable time. So he raised his hand in a gesture commanding silence, and quickly narrated to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison by a supernatural deliverance through His angel. Then he asked them to tell, notify, James and the other brethren of the turn of events. This James was most likely not James the son of Alphaeus, but James the brother of the Lord, who was associated with Peter in Jerusalem at the time of Paul’s first visit and was very prominent among the elders of the congregation, Galatians 1:19; Galatians 2:9. But Peter, acting upon God’s plain suggestion, went away and journeyed to another place. His presence was no longer required in Jerusalem, but the Lord had need of him and his services elsewhere. When the morning dawned, there was great commotion and excitement among the soldiers. They had been given a prisoner to guard, very likely with instructions that they must vouch for his presence the next morning with their lives, and now the prisoner was gone; they had no idea what had become of Peter. Naturally the report had to be made to the officer in charge of the prison, who, in turn, brought it to the attention of Herod. And it may well be that the tyrant, indignant at being foiled in the very last moment, came to the prison in person to make a thorough investigation. But it availed him nothing; he did not find Peter. And so, after the peevish manner of unreasonable tyrants, he examined the guards once more and then ordered them to be put to death, very likely for gross negligence of duty or for connivance in liberating a dangerous prisoner. Just the same, Jerusalem did not seem to Herod a safe place to stay after this. Whether his conscience bothered him, or whether he dreaded the reproachful and probably triumphant glances of the Jewish leaders, does not appear. He left Judea proper and spent some time in Caesarea. The conscience of a tyrant, wilfully guilty of unjustifiable crimes, will not permit him much rest. In the midst of luxury he feels ill at ease and is driven from one place to another.

The judgment of God upon Herod:

Luke here adds a few words in regard to the cause of the death of Herod Agrippa I to round out the narrative. Herod was king of Palestine and of all the provinces south of Syria, but Phenicia, which belonged to Syria, was a thorn in his side. Whether it was merely a case of commercial warfare or of jealousy on account of some other advantage which the maritime province enjoyed, Herod was engaged in a violent quarrel with them, which might easily have culminated in some sort of bitter clash. But the cities along the coast could not afford to have such a condition obtain, since they received their grain and other foods from Palestine. Therefore they waited on him unanimously, having instructed their delegates to that effect. In addition, they managed to gain the good will of Blastus, the chamberlain, or minister of finance, of Herod, securing his good will in using his good offices for maintaining peace and removing the cause of the feud. It is by no means outside of the pale of the story or beyond reasonable possibility to suppose that bribery was resorted to, and that the king’s good will was gained in this manner. Herod was highly pleased with his success in this matter, and so on a certain set day he received the embassy of the Phenicians, arrayed in the splendor of all his royal garments and sitting upon his throne, from which he formally addressed the commissioners and the assembled people. And the entire multitude of the people, knowing that flattery will obtain in the case of a tyrant what reasonable arguments should in the case of a sensible person, cried out: The voice of a god and not of a man! Instead of reproving the flatterers with all signs of horror, the tyrant was highly pleased with their shouting. And therefore the punishment of God struck Herod at once. An angel of the Lord, as minister of the divine will, smote him for taking the glory away from God and thus becoming guilty of the basest blasphemy. He was seized with violent pains in the abdomen, caused by the fact that he was eaten by worms, lingered in great agony for five days, and then breathed his last. That was a visible judgment of God upon the persecutor of the Church. And many a tyrant since has felt the heavy hand of the Lord on account of his blasphemy, and has had a terrible end. But the death of Herod removed the pressure upon the congregations everywhere. The Word of God grew, spread, and multiplied. The removal of this obstacle gave a new impetus to the preaching of the Gospel. And Barnabas and Saul, having carried out their commission and fulfilled their service of mercy by transmitting the money that had been entrusted to them for the use of the sufferers, with the sincere good wishes of the congregation at Antioch, returned from Jerusalem, taking along with them John, with the surname Mark. He was their companion on this journey back to Antioch, and incidentally received some training in actual ministerial work, always of value to a young man that intends to enter the service of the Lord as a preacher.

Summary

Herod has James beheaded and Peter imprisoned, the latter being delivered by an angel of the Lord, while the king is stricken by God; whereupon the Church again enters upon a season of prosperity.

Verses 1-12

Paul and Barnabas on the island of Cyprus

Barnabas and Saul delegated as missionaries:

Luke here begins the second great part of his book of the Acts. After having narrated the story of the establishment of the Church, he now proceeds to furnish a biographical account of the missionary labors of Paul and of his captivity in Caesarea and Rome. In the local congregation at Antioch there were, as important and influential members, certain prophets and teachers, men to whom the Spirit had given the power to uncover the veil of the future whenever He so directed, and men that had the gift of teaching in an unusual measure. In some of them, as in the case of Paul, both gifts may well have been united, Galatians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 12:1. Whether these men actually belonged to the presbyters of the congregation or not is immaterial; at any rate, they held positions of honor and importance among the brethren in the congregation. From the text it would almost seem to follow that the first three were especially distinguished for their prophetic ability, the last two for their gift of teaching. Barnabas is named first, as the man to whom the congregation really owed its sound establishment, then Simeon with the surname Niger, then Lucius of Cyrene, probably one of the disciples who first preached at Antioch, Acts 11:20. In the second group are mentioned Manaen, a man of some influence, having enjoyed the distinction of having been brought up with, educated together with, Herod Antipas, as some think, his foster-brother, and finally Saul. The order in which they are given shows the relative importance accorded them, as usual in the careful writing of Luke. While these men were serving the Lord in the ministry of the Word, in the teaching and praying of public worship, and also observing the custom of fasting which they had taken over from the Jewish regulations, but probably did not observe on the same day, choosing Wednesday and Friday rather than Monday and Thursday, the Holy Ghost gave them a charge. Either in a vision or by direct prophetic communication to the one or the other of these men He commanded that Barnabas and Saul should now be set aside, placed in a class by themselves, for the purpose of performing the work for which He had called them. Not only Saul, therefore, but also Barnabas had been selected by the Lord for some special work in the interest of His kingdom, for the proclamation of the Gospel among the Gentiles. The will of God having been thus revealed, the congregation held a solemn service of ordination. Having fasted in preparation for the event, they joined in urgent prayer that God would bless and prosper the two chosen servants in their work, and then laid their hands on them in token of blessing and of official appointment. This was the method of separating or delegating them for the office or service for which the Lord intended them. Note: On similar occasions, even in our days, if a man is separated for the ministry of the Word, or if a pastor is called to a new field, it is altogether proper and well-pleasing to God for those concerned in the movement, through their pastors or church officers, to lay their hands on them, and the custom of fasting, of making it a solemn occasion, is by no means to be despised. After this ceremony the two missionaries were sent away, dismissed, by the congregation. They were going forth as the delegates of the Church, as the representatives of the entire congregation, to proclaim the Gospel to the Gentiles. This fact is often lost sight of in our days, and consequently the feeling of responsibility for the missions of the Church is not so keen as it well might and should be. There is need for much improvement in this respect.

On the island of Cyprus:

Barnabas and Saul, being sent forth by the Holy Spirit, their visible separation had taken place before and in the name of the congregation, but they had been designated by a special revelation of the Spirit, and therefore the call proceeded from the Spirit and was merely transmitted through the congregation and its officers. With this certainty in mind, the missionaries of our days, having received the call of the Lord through the congregation or its representatives, may set out upon the work of their ministry just as cheerfully and confidently as the two men who left Antioch in Syria early in that eventful year of 46 A.D. Traveling first of all down to Seleucia, the port of Antioch, which was situated at the mouth of the Orontes, they embarked for the island of Cyprus. They crossed the arm of the Mediterranean Sea, a distance of some sixty miles, and landed at Salamis, a harbor on the southeastern coast. John Mark was with them as a servant, as a younger brother that might very well aid them in any clerical work, while having the benefit of their instruction. At Salamis the two missionaries made arrangements at once to proclaim the Word of God in the synagogs of the Jews. That was the rule which they observed: first the Jews, then the Greeks. In this way they journeyed slowly through the entire island, which at that time was thickly settled. It was a distance of some hundred miles to the western end of the island, to the capital, Paphos, where there was a famous shrine devoted to the heathen goddess Venus, and where, therefore, idolatry was practised to a frightful extent. Here resided the proconsul of the island, Sergius Paulus by name, a prudent man, clear-sighted, possessed of a good measure of common sense. Note: The reliability of Luke as a historian has been vindicated against foolish attacks in regard to this passage. Cyprus had anciently been governed by a propraetor, but in 22 B.C. it had been transferred by Augustus to the senate, and therefore proconsul is the correct title ^■48 . A peculiar character was attached to the household of the proconsul in the person of one Bar-Jesus, a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet, a kind of court-sage, magician, and confessor. People of his kind were found in many of the courts in those days and often wielded great influence over their masters. But Sergius Paulus was evidently tired of the spiritual food which this Jewish magician was able to dispense, and the oracles and auguries, after all, did not satisfy one that wanted a sound basis for belief. So he sent for Barnabas and Saul and earnestly desired to hear the Word of God. It is probable that he plied them with questions concerning the Word and their service in its interest, and while he was by no means predisposed to the acceptance of the Gospel, he by no means ridiculed its preaching before examining its claims. If the people of our day and age that claim for themselves both a thorough education and a fair degree of common sense and open-mindedness would but follow the example of the Cyprian proconsul and make a frank examination of the merits of the Gospel, the chances are that their natural prejudice would quickly be removed.

The opposition of Elymas:

Barnabas and Saul were making some progress with the proconsul, when they met with opposition from a very dangerous adversary. For this counselor of the proconsul, who had cleverly insinuated himself into the intimacy of his master, bearing the name Elymas, “the sage,” as a sort of surname, used all his influence to foil the attempts of the missionaries for the conversion of Sergius Paulus, his purpose being to divert him from the faith. The governor probably showed a strong inclination to accept the truth of the Gospel, and the sorcerer knew that such an event spelled the ruin of himself, the loss of his position. In this emergency, Saul assumed the leadership, which till now he had yielded to Barnabas, and from this time forth Saul was the more prominent of the two. This Luke indicates by inserting here the name by which Saul was henceforth known, which marked his apostleship to the Gentile world. Paul here became subject to an extraordinary manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s influence, in whose power he attacked the magician in the very presence of the proconsul. Fixing his eyes upon the hypocritical Jew, he said to him: Thou son of the devil, full of deceit, guile, craft, and all wickedness. The sorcerer’s present opposition showed him to be the natural enemy of the messengers of God, and of all righteousness, which they were trying to spread. Would he not cease, Paul asked, would he not give up acting as one that perverted, that made it his habit to mix up and turn aside, the straight and correct ways of the Lord? And the punishment of the Lord followed. At the words of Paul the hand of the Lord was laid heavily upon Elymas, causing him to become stone-blind and unable even to distinguish the light of the sun for some time, until such a time as it would please God to restore his sight. And there was no delay in the coming of the curse. At once, at the same moment, a dark mist fell upon him; he groped about, calling on one and another of the frightened bystanders to lead him by the hand and show him the way out of the presence of Paul; he was obliged to have such assistance since his blindness was absolute. This exhibition of the power of God convinced the proconsul; he was astounded at the doctrine, overwhelmed by the teaching of the Lord and about the Lord; he believed, faith in Jesus, the Savior, was engendered in his heart. Certain inscriptions which have been found in the last decades tend to show that Sergius Paulus was henceforth a firm believer in Christ, that he was enrolled with the Christians ^■49 . Note: Even to-day it is the guile and craft of the devil that tends to hinder the conversion and salvation of men, the efficacy of the divine Word, by sending false prophets and errorists. These are full of guile and fraud and enemies of true righteousness. But Christ, the Lord of His Church, is stronger than Satan, and carries out His work for the salvation of souls. But the apostles of darkness are finally condemned to spiritual blindness and darkness, making it impossible for them to find the right way.

Verses 13-52

At Antioch, in Pisidia

The journey and the arrival:

Some time after the events related by Luke in the first verses of this chapter, Paul and his companions left Paphos, sailing thence in a northwesterly direction a distance of some 170 miles to the bay of Attalia. They did not land in Attalia, however, but went up the river Cestrus to the city of Perga, the capital of Pamphylia, a little more than seven miles from the sea. It is probable that Paul intended to push on from here immediately into the interior of the country, which was then infested with lawless bands, concerning whose robberies and murders many tales were circulating. John Mark, therefore, did not prove equal to the occasion, but left the two missionaries for some carnal reason and returned to his home at Jerusalem. It often takes not only natural fortitude and strength, but especially the courage and power from on high to brave the difficulties and dangers of bringing the Gospel-message to foreign shores, and the absence of accustomed luxuries and even comforts must be endured cheerfully for the sake of the cause. The defection of Mark, however, did not interfere with the plans of Paul, for he and Barnabas left Perga and pushed on through the wild and lawless country of the Pisidian highlands to the valleys beyond until they reached the city of Antioch, about a hundred miles from the Mediterranean. It was situated in a strategic position, on a low plateau, which at the present time presents a desolate waste. It had been a Roman colony since 25 B.C., and, although situated in the district of Pisidia, was at that time considered a city of the Roman province of Galatia, the Romans having embodied a part of ancient Phrygia and all of Lycaonia and Pisidia in this larger province for administrative purposes ^■50 . Thus Pisidian Antioch was geographically and partly also linguistically Phrygian, but politically Galatian ^■51 . It was in the late summer, probably in August of the year 46, that Paul and Barnabas reached Pisidian Antioch. With characteristic energy they went to work. They went into the one synagog of the city on the Sabbath and sat down. The usual order of services was followed. A section of the Law was read, then one from the prophets; then came exhortations based upon the passages read. It was the custom of the synagogs to invite a visiting rabbi to address the assembly at this point, and therefore the rulers of the synagog, who occupied raised seats before the congregation, sent word to Paul and Barnabas by the servant, the invitation: Brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation, of counsel, for the people, say it. Whether Paul and Barnabas had previously introduced themselves to the rulers of the synagog or not, is of little importance, but the kind request fitted in altogether with their purpose.

Paul begins his discourse:

Whether the invitation came to Paul with or without his seeking, he at once made use of it. Arising and holding out his hand in a gesture inviting attention, he addressed his hearers as men of Israel and those that feared God. The many references to the history of the children of Israel, which are found also in the sermons of Peter, but especially in that of Stephen, would interest not only the Jews, but prove highly instructive to the proselytes and strangers present as well. There is a certain amount of appeal to the national pride of the people, for it was the God of this nation of Israel that chose their fathers as His own from among all nations of the world. By His blessing they increased not only in numbers, but in strength and power as well, while they were strangers in the land of Egypt. With uplifted arm, then, by the application of His almighty strength, He led them forth from the land of Egypt. For forty years, out in the wilderness, He surrounded and bore them with solicitous care in spite of all their ingratitude. In the land of Canaan, to which the Lord brought the children of Israel, He destroyed utterly seven heathen nations before them, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, Exodus 23:23; Joshua 3:10, dividing the land to the conquerors by lot. A space of some four hundred and fifty years, counting from the arrival of the people in Canaan to the final subjugation of the heathen nations at the time of David, was needed to carry out this command of the Lord. The last and most renowned of the judges was Samuel, the prophet. When Samuel had grown old, the people demanded of him a king, and God gave them Saul, the son of Kis, who reigned for forty years. But Saul did not bring his people the promised salvation, it being necessary for God to remove or depose him from the throne, 1 Samuel 15:16; Daniel 2:21. But after Saul’s removal the throne was given to David, whom God raised up from the lowly in the land, and of whom He bears witness that He found David, the son of Jesse, to be a man according to His own heart, willing and able to perform all His will. In ascribing these words to God, Paul bears witness to the inspiration of the Old Testament, for his words, instead of being a quotation of one single passage, are a compilation from several verses, Psalm 89:20 and 1 Samuel 13:14. The testimony of the Old Testament, in all its parts, is true, since the Lord spoke through His servants.

The promise of the Messiah:

With the mention of David, the great hero of Jewish history, Paul had opened the way to his main theme, the promise, the appearance, and the work of David’s promised Son. It was no longer necessary for the Jews or for any other nation in the world to look forward to the Messiah’s coming, since God had, according to His promise, 2 Samuel 7:12, brought to Israel, out of the offspring of David, Jesus, the Savior. And this event had received further confirmation by the fact that John, in preparation for His coming, before the face of His entering in, had preached a baptism of repentance to the entire people of Israel. John’s was also a baptism of repentance; by coming to the baptism of John, the sinner made a public acknowledgment of the fact that he was a sinner, and that he sought remission of sins by the water of Baptism. And as John was fulfilling his course, near the end of his career as preacher of repentance, he had publicly testified in favor of Christ: Whom do you suppose me to be? I am not He; but He comes after me whose sandals I am not worthy to bear, Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:7; Luke 3:16; John 1:19-27.

Prophecy fulfilled in the death of Jesus:

Very abruptly Paul changes from the simple historical exposition to a direct appeal that his hearers feel a personal interest in the matters which he is presenting to them. He includes them all in the address of brethren, both the children of the family of Abraham, the Jews by descent and birth, and the other devout men present, assuming that they all were filled with fear and reverence toward God. The Word of this salvation is sent forth to them, concerns every one of them vitally. Unless a person realizes that the work of Christ, the entire redemption, is of the most extreme importance to himself, the preaching of the Gospel is without value to him. It was necessary for Paul to make this urgent appeal, for his next statements might seem an attack upon the leaders of the Jews at Jerusalem. The inhabitants of the capital and their rulers did not know Christ, they did not recognize Him for what He was in truth, and they did not understand the voices of prophecy, the references in all the books of the prophets, though they were read in the synagogs every Sabbath. If they had had a proper understanding, they surely would not have become guilty of the wrong which they finally committed, Acts 3:17. But in their very misunderstanding of the prophecies and the resultant condemnation of Christ they fulfilled the prophecies; for although they found no cause of death in Him, they yet demanded that Pilate must slay Him by crucifixion. And when they had carried out all that had been written of Him, then they, speaking generally, some of the Jews, took Him down from the cross and laid Him into a tomb. Very likely Luke’s report of Paul’s sermon is a brief summary. But the point which Paul wants to make stands out very plainly; for the crucifixion of Jesus, which in itself would be regarded as evidence that He was not the Messiah, was turned into an unanswerable argument in His favor. And incidentally the peculiar, carnal conception which the Jews held in regard to the Messiahship was properly corrected. The same argument may well be employed in our days, since the facts of Gospel-history, compared with the clearness of the Old Testament prophecies, carry conviction with overwhelming force.

The argument from the resurrection of Christ:

Paul boldly places the statement at the head of this section of his discourse: But God raised Him from the dead. The full importance of the resurrection of Jesus for Christian faith must ever be kept in mind, since it is fundamental for the understanding of Christ’s redemption. The first proof which Paul brings for the resurrection is the testimony of the eye-witnesses. Jesus was seen many days by those that had traveled with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who were now kept busy bearing witness of that fact to the people. Because of the certainty of this miracle not only the eye-witnesses, but also the present speaker and Barnabas were bringing their hearers the Gospel-news, that the promise given to the fathers God had fulfilled for those that were present, their children, in this fact, that He raised Jesus from the dead. And in case the testimony of the eye-witnesses were not deemed sufficient by them, Paul brings proof from Scriptures. There were the words of the Second Psalm: Thou art My Son, to-day have I begotten Thee. He was the eternal Son of God, in full possession of eternal life. It was impossible for Him, therefore, to remain in death; He must arise and give full expression to the life which was His from eternity. The second Scripture-passage which Paul adduces to prove that the resurrection of Christ was in accordance with prophecy, that God raised Him up from the dead, and that He should never return to corruption and decay, which seemed to envelop Him as He lay there in the tomb, was taken from Isaiah 55:3, quoted from the Greek text. There God promises His people to make an everlasting covenant with them by giving them the holy and sure blessings of David. The sacred promises given to David could be realized only in the triumph, the resurrection, of God’s Holy One; only by the living Christ can the blessings of the Gospel be ratified and assured. “If now this Christ, through whom this covenant is made, true man, as He was promised to David of his blood and flesh, should bring and give eternal grace, for which reason He must be God, to whom alone it pertains to give this: then He must not remain in death, though He die like a natural man, but Himself must rise from the dead, in order that He may deliver others also from death and give them eternal life, that He may in truth be called and be an eternal King of grace, righteousness, and life, as God has firmly promised.” ^■52 . The final passage which Paul quotes is the same one which Peter had used in his great Pentecost sermon, Psalm 16:10: Thou wilt not give Thy Holy One to see corruption. For, as the speaker rightly argues, these words cannot apply to David, since he, after having performed the work of his office for his own generation, fell asleep according to the will of God and did see corruption and decay in death. But this Christ, whom God raised up from the dead and also exalted to heavenly glory, did not see corruption, did not become subject to decay. A more direct and explicit prediction of the resurrection of Jesus cannot be found in the entire Old Testament, and the force of the words must have been felt by all the hearers.

The conclusion of the sermon:

Since the facts adduced by Paul proved the Messiahship of Jesus, he could now continue his discourse by offering to his hearers the benefit of Christ’s mediation before God. He wants it clearly understood by all that through Christ, through the power and completeness of His redemption, forgivenes of sins is announced to them, not as a prize to be earned or merited, but as a gift to be accepted. Paul literally declares: And from all that they could not receive absolution and righteousness from in the Law of Moses, in this every one that believes is justified. Far from yielding to the Law any ability to justify, as some commentators have believed, Paul rather denies that there is such a thing as justification by the Law. He appeals to the experience of his hearers. In spite of all their efforts to fulfil the Law, they must have had the feeling that all such attempts were hopelessly inadequate. The harder they tried to live up to every demand of the Law, the more they must feel the condemnation, not the justification, of the Law. All the more necessary, then, it was for them to turn to Christ, in whom every one that believes is justified. His words imply that the justification, the righteousness of Jesus, is present before all men, but that only such as accept its blessings by faith actually join the ranks of those that are justified before God. To impress these last points upon his audience, Paul adds a final word of warning. They should beware lest the saying in the book of the prophets find its application with them, Habakkuk 1:5: See, you shameless people, and wonder, and perish, for a work I do in your days, a work which you will not believe, even if some one explain it to you. That is the punishment which strikes such as despise the message of the Gospel and harden their hearts against its glories. They see, but do not understand; they wonder, but do not believe; they become the prey of spiritual and, finally, of eternal death. The great work of redemption through the merits of Christ, done before their very eyes, they will not, and therefore finally they cannot believe, no matter how often it is pictured to them. This warning is fully in order to-day. Every one that hears and reads the Word of the Gospel should be sure to make the application to himself and accept the comfort of the forgiveness of sins earned by Christ, lest he receive the mercy of God in vain. The discourse of Paul made a deep impression, even though no immediate emotional reaction occurred. As he and Barnabas were leaving the synagog, those that were present earnestly begged them to repeat all these words, to proclaim the Gospel-message to them again on one of the days between the Sabbath, that is, on Monday and Thursday, when services were also held in the synagog. And when the services of the morning had been closed and the assembly dismissed, many of the Jews, the descendants of Abraham, as well as pious proselytes, such Gentiles as had accepted the Jewish doctrine and by circumcision become proselytes of the covenant, followed Paul and Barnabas, and the missionaries took the opportunity to talk to them and to exhort them to hold firmly to the grace of God. When people have once shown an interest in the message of the Gospel, they must be encouraged again and again to put their trust in, and cling firmly to, the grace of God. The power of the Spirit in the message will do the rest.

Opposition on the part of the Jews:

On the following Sabbath the fruit of Paul’s first sermon and of the labors of both missionaries during the week became apparent. Almost the whole city came together to hear the Word of the Lord, surely the largest assembly which the synagog had ever seen. But when the Jews saw the multitudes that gathered for the purpose of hearing the Gospel, they were filled with unreasonable jealousy. They tried to persuade themselves that this demonstration amounted to a disparagement of the Law of Moses, and began to contradict the words of Paul and finally even to blaspheme. Note: All wilful contradiction of the Gospel and its glories is a blasphemy of Christ and His salvation, and if the name of Christ is reviled in addition, the transgression assumes a very severe aspect. But now Paul and Barnabas were filled with the courage to state their position fearlessly and plainly. They told the angry Jews that it was necessary for the Word of God to be preached to them first, for so the command of the Lord must be understood, Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47, and therefore they had observed the rule: Jews first. But since now they were deliberately thrusting the Gospel aside and repelling its blessings, and were thus judging themselves as not worthy of eternal life, the apostles no longer felt the slightest hesitation about turning to the heathen. For this course agreed exactly with the prophecy, which now assumed the force of a command, Isaiah 49:6 ^■53 : I have set, appointed, Thee as a light of the Gentiles, to be salvation, to bring redemption, to the end of the earth. Such had been the promise of God, in words addressed to the Messiah, in the Old Testament, and these words should find their fulfilment in the New Testament. Note: When a person has the opportunity of hearing the Gospel and accepting its saving message, and then deliberately thrusts it aside, he has no one but himself to blame for the resulting condemnation and damnation. “For since our nature is corrupt through sin, worthy and deserving of God’s wrath and of damnation, therefore God owes us neither Word, Spirit, nor grace, and when He gives it out of grace, we often thrust it aside, and make ourselves unworthy of everlasting life.” ^■54 .

Success and persecution:

The reference of Paul and Barnabas to the passage from Isaiah and its application to the present situation filled the heathen that were present with great joy. With many others, they may have had the idea that the redemption was for the Jews only, or at least that the only way of obtaining its blessings was by joining the Jewish Church first through the rite of circumcision. So they praised the Word of the Lord, through which they were assured of acceptance into the kingdom of God directly, without the intermediate process of joining the Jewish synagog. And they believed, not all, but as many as were ordained or appointed unto eternal life by God, not in consequence of an absolute decree, but in Christ Jesus, through the redemption in His blood, Ephesians 1:4-5. Their belief was the result of this gracious determination and foreknowledge, predestination, of God, which is spoken of at length in other passages of Scriptures, Ephesians 1:3-6; Romans 8:28-30. And this fact is a source of great comfort. The faith of a Christian and his preservation in this faith is not a matter which depends upon his own reason and strength, a precarious basis at best, but upon the grace of God in Christ Jesus, assured to him before the foundation of the world. “The eternal election of God not only sees and knows in advance the salvation of the elect, but also by the gracious and good will of God in Christ Jesus is a reason which effects, procures, helps, and promotes our salvation, and what pertains thereto; whereon also our salvation is so firmly founded that the portals of hell cannot prevail against it, as is written … : ‘As many as were ordained to eternal life believed.’” ^■55 . The result of this enthusiastic acceptance of the Word was also felt in ever-widening circles, for the Word of the Lord was carried through this entire region. It was spread not only in Antioch, but went far and wide through the entire district of Pisidia adjacent to the city. But the Jews, now angrier than ever on account of the success of the Gospel, urged on, incited, the devout women of the leading and influential families of the city as well as the first, the representative men, whom they probably approached through their wives. The best families in the city, including the administrative class, were involved, the social and political forces of the district were arrayed against them. So a persecution was stirred up against Paul and Barnabas, and they were expelled from the city, not by mob law in this instance, but by magisterial action. They were probably ordered to leave the city at once and accompanied, none too gently, by the police officers. But the missionaries, nothing daunted, shook off the dust of their feet against them, as a protest, a testimony, and a warning, Matthew 10:14; Mark 6:11; Luke 9:5, and proceeded to the city of Iconium as their next station. And the disciples that had been gained, far from being discouraged or being filled with grief and fear, were rather strengthened in their faith and filled with joy and the Holy Ghost. Even the ignominious expulsion of the teachers was a further proof of the truth of the Lord’s words, and so far as their faith was concerned, its certainty and its joy no human power could deprive them of, since these were gifts of the Holy Spirit. Hatred and enmity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ will result in persecution as often as the enemies can get or make an opportunity. But the more the world jeers and the unbelievers rage, the greater is the comfort which the Christians have of their faith.

Summary

On their first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas make a tour of Cyprus, then cross over to Perga, in Pamphylia, and travel to Pisidian Antioch, where Paul preaches the Gospel with great success; but both teachers are expelled from the city, due to Jewish hatred and jealousy.

Verses 1-18

Paul and Barnabas at Iconium and Lystra

Success and persecution at Iconium:

On leaving Antioch, Paul and Barnabas turned toward the east, pursuing their course for a distance of sixty miles over a table-land filled with countless herds of grazing sheep and goats, then crossed a small mountain ridge, and reached the thriving city of Iconium, which is still in existence as Konieh. It is situated at the head of a vast plain stretching toward the east, well watered and therefore important both for agriculture and for grazing. Many travelers compare Iconium with Damascus, both as to location and beauty. In both cases, also, the early history is shrouded in the mists of prehistoric times. It should be remembered that the Roman province of Galatia occupied the eastern end of ancient Phrygia, and included both the districts of Pisidia and Lycaonia. Therefore Iconium, the metropolis of western and central Lycaonian Phrygia, and thus thoroughly Phrygian in language, was a city of Galatia according to its administration. “The Romans naturally spoke of Iconium as lying in the half barbaric Lycaonia; but the people always distinguished themselves from the Lycaonians, preferring to think of themselves as citizens of a Phrygian-Hellenic city. Even the cities farther from North Galatia spoke of themselves as ‘Galatian’ and enjoyed being addressed thus. The city was strongly Roman and was given an imperial name A.D. 41.” ^■56 . Iconium being an important trade center, there was a strong Jewish population and therefore also a synagog. According to their custom, Paul and Barnabas went into the synagog and addressed the audience present, which consisted not only of Jews, but also of Greek proselytes, and probably of other Greeks that were favorably disposed toward the religion of the Jews. And their speaking, their testimony, made such an impression that a great multitude both of Jews and of Greeks believed. The conclusiveness of the evidence of the Gospel, the earnestness with which it was presented, and especially the power of the Spirit in the Word carried conviction to the hearers. But it was not long before the same thing happened here as at Antioch. For a considerable time indeed the missionaries were unhindered in speaking fearlessly of the Lord, who also confirmed the Word of His grace, which both proclaimed and transmitted this grace, by the testimony of signs and wonders which were done by the hands of the apostles. But the success which thus attended the preaching of the Word grated upon those Jews that refused to believe. They therefore began, and persisted in their efforts, to incite and exasperate the souls of the people, the feelings of the Gentiles, against the brethren. As a consequence of this persistent agitation the populace of the city was divided, some people taking the part of the disaffected Jews, others that of the apostles; but the party which stood for truth and fairness, as usual, was not so active as that bent upon mischief. So the agitators finally worked up their adherents and others to such a pitch of excitement that a mob was formed consisting of both Gentiles and Jews with their rulers. The tumult with hostile intention was just about to break forth, the general plan being to abuse Paul and Barnabas, to treat them despitefully, and to stone them, when the intended victims found out about the brewing violence. Since a mob is absolutely without reason and sense, intent only upon shedding blood, and amenable only to a sudden display of effective spiritual or physical power, the missionaries did not believe it would serve the cause of the Master to await the onslaught, but fled from the city. Since Iconium was not far from the boundary of the district of Lycaonia, they crossed the frontier and went to Lystra, a distance of some eighteen miles. ^■57 . This was a hill-town and a Roman colony, a Roman garrison being stationed there at least for some time. The native language therefore had to combat the influence of the Latin tongue. The surroundings of the city were more thoroughly pagan and less permeated by Jewish bias than in either Iconium or Antioch. The other town, Derbe, named as a town of the district to which Paul and Barnabas fled, was also in Roman Lycaonia, on the extreme southeastern edge of the Lycaonian plain, in the northern foothills of the Taurus Mountains, near a conical mountain now known as Hadje-Baba, not so very far from the pass known as the Cilician Gates, which leads down to Tarsus. In this region, the extreme frontier of Roman influence, Barnabas and Paul were now engaged for some time in preaching the Gospel, apparently without opposition. Thus the persecution and the flight of Christians has ever served to aid the spread of the Gospel.

A miracle and its effect upon the people:

Since there was apparently no synagog at Lystra, Paul and Barnabas very likely preached in the open space near the gates or in the market-place. Now a certain man of Lystra had been lame ever since his birth and had no strength in his feet to hold him up. He had never been able to take a step, but usually sat on the ground near the places where people assembled or passed. So his history from infancy was well known in the city. This man listened carefully and earnestly as Paul was speaking and addressing the crowds that would assemble from time to time, and, the attention of Paul being directed to the cripple, he fixed his eyes upon him to determine by this scrutiny whether the unfortunate man had learned and understood enough of the power of the Savior to believe that he could be healed. Having satisfied himself on this point, Paul cried out to the cripple with a loud voice: Stand up straight on thy feet. And without any assistance the man jumped to his feet and began to walk about. The power of the exalted Christ, through the mouth of Paul, had performed this miracle. The crowds present saw what Paul had done, and after the shock of the first surprise had only one explanation to offer, the one which was immediately suggested to their heathen minds, namely, that some of their gods, having assumed the likeness of men, had come down to them. In accordance with this idea, which they expressed in their native tongue, that of Lycaonia, although they knew and understood Greek very well, they suggested that Barnabas be called Zeus (Jupiter), who was considered the chief God of the Greeks and Romans, and Paul Hermes (Mercury), since he was supposed by them to be the messenger of the gods to men, and Paul had usually led the discussions. An inscription found a few years ago in some ruins near ancient Lystra shows that these two gods were classed together by the inhabitants of that region. ^■58 . Now there was a temple or a place of sacrifice to Jupiter before the city, and the heathen priest attached to this place of worship immediately had the servants bring oxen and wreaths of flowers to the gates of the city, near the vaulted entrance arches where the people were assembled. His intention was to bring sacrifice to the two missionaries together with the people. This scene shows the darkness and blindness of heathenism. Not only do the heathen serve dead idols, but they even take men for gods and offer them sacrifices and worship. And it surely is a sign of the times that it is becoming customary to extol up to heaven the merits of such as have done the country an extraordinary service, literally, to idolize them and to worship before them. This is not only revolting from the standpoint of human reason, but indicates that the fashionable world of our days is rapidly sinking back to the level of the heathen.

The horrified speech of Paul:

Evidently there was here a bilingual situation which complicated matters. While the inhabitants of the city were fully able to use the Greek language in business and matters of every-day life and could also understand the missionaries very well, their language of religion was the tongue which they had always employed for that purpose. Very likely Paul and Barnabas did not understand the outcries of the people, for though Paul, at least, had the gift of tongues, 1 Corinthians 14:18, it does not follow that it was in his power at all times. But the news of the intended sacrifice was soon brought to the ears of the two apostles, either while they were still busy with their teaching, or when they had returned to their lodgings. Shocked beyond measure by the very thought of the pretended sacrifice, Paul and Barnabas both tore their mantles in token of deep grief, distress, and horror, Genesis 37:29,34; Joshua 7:6, and sprang out among the crowd, shouting loudly meanwhile to attract attention quickly. They called out: Men, what is this that you are doing? They explained that they were men, human beings, with the same affections as the citizens of Lystra. They had the same powers and appetites, needed food and clothing in the same way, and were subject to death like all other human beings. They did not preach themselves nor present themselves for adoration, but were messengers with a good, a wonderful news of salvation, namely, that the people of Lystra should turn themselves, turn entirely away from these vanities which they were professing and practising, their idols and their worship. In doing so, they should turn to the living God, the one God who was the Author and Dispenser of life. For this true God it was that had made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything that is in them. Cp. Acts 17:24. The living God had given evidence of His power and life in the act of creation; the God of creation and the God of redemption is one. Paul here, as a wise and careful missionary, appealed to the knowledge of natural religion, in order to build upon it the beauty of revealed religion. In the admonition of Paul that the people should turn from the vanity and foolishness of their idolatry it was implied that their ways had been wrong ways. God had, in times that were now past and should never return, shown great forbearance and patience in letting all the nations go their own ways. He did not strike down and destroy the heathen that had turned to idolatry, but permitted them to live, since there was always the chance of their searching for, and learning to know, the true God, Acts 17:30. Nevertheless, as Paul points out, even during those times God did not leave Himself unattested. His continuous beneficent activity and goodness was manifested in His doing good, in His granting from heaven, whence all good things come, James 1:17, rains and fruitful seasons, in His filling their hearts with food and good cheer. Purposely he says “hearts” and not “bodies,” since he wants to lead his hearers away from a mere care of the body and this present life to the care of their immortal soul. It was a tactful, but none the less impressive reminder of the fact that they had not been guiltless in times past, since the evidence of God’s creative power and of His providence had been apparent on every hand to lead them to search more diligently for the true God. The speech barely quieted the people and prevented their carrying out the intention of offering sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas. The behavior of the two missionaries serves as an example for the missionaries of our days. To yield to, to accommodate the Christian religion to, sinful, idolatrous practises, with the specious plea that it is necessary to gain the people’s confidence, is always foolish. The confidence of people cannot be held by a denial of the truth. Every form of enmity toward God, of idolatry, of the service of mammon, of the world, of sin, must be branded as such, not by a tactless zeal, but as the matters come forward for attention. Upon the basis of such instruction the preaching of the Gospel may then be built up and true and saving faith be wrought by the Spirit of God.

Verses 19-28

The return journey to Syria

Mob violence in Lystra and the Gospel in Derbe:

The news of that strange happening, in which men had almost been worshiped as gods, traveled quickly along the trade routes, reaching Iconium first and soon after even Antioch, in Pisidia, and the Jews immediately concluded that the two men could be no others than Paul and Barnabas whom they had persecuted. The fact that these men were carrying on their work in other cities of the province so angered some of the Jews that they did not hesitate to make the long journey to Lystra. Here they worked assiduously to persuade the multitudes, soon converting them into a mob and thus demonstrating again the uncertainty of temper and the fickleness of favor which characterizes crowds. It seems that the attack upon Paul was sudden, while he was attending to his duties. They stoned him and then dragged him out of the city, supposing him to have died, and ready to leave his body to its fate, like that of some wild beast. But when the murderers had left the scene, the disciples, some of whom had been gained also in this city, came out to investigate, and when they stood around Paul, probably considering the best way of burying him, he arose and went into the city. The Lord had held His sheltering hand over His servant and prevented the stones from having mortal effect upon his body. But it was clear to the apostle that under the circumstances he could not hope to have success in this city; the agitators were still present, and the minds of the people had been prejudiced against the Gospel. So on the very next day he set out with Barnabas for Derbe, a distance of some twenty miles, almost on the Cilician frontier. Here quick success attended their efforts: they preached the Gospel continuously, bringing the glad tidings to that city; they made many disciples, thus founding a congregation also here, where it must have been almost, if not entirely, composed of Gentiles. Paul now might easily have made the journey down to Tarsus, to strengthen himself and recuperate from the strenuous exertions of this missionary trip. But his love and solicitude for the newly gained converts moved him to make the return journey back over the same route, stopping at Lystra, at Iconium, and at Antioch, in order. In every city he confirmed, strengthened, the souls of the disciples by sound Gospel-preaching and by evangelical admonition. Since persecution had come upon them at least indirectly through the removal of Paul, he exhorted them, he earnestly urged them, to remain in, to abide in, to stay with the faith. Having accepted Christ in firm trust as their Savior, they should not permit tribulations and persecutions to take this faith out of their hearts. For that is true in general of the Christians: Through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God. That is the inevitable lot of the believers, that is what they must expect in the midst of a sinful and hostile generation. The Christians of all times have need of such encouragement to be firm in the midst of cross and persecution. On the same trip also Paul and Barnabas had the congregations in each city elect, by popular vote, by a show of hands, elders in every congregation. The Christians themselves established the office of the ministry in their midst for the continual teaching of the Word of God, in order that the disciples might be kept in the faith, and that ever more souls might be won for Christ. Note: The apostles here did not make use of any hierarchical powers, but put the matter of electing their ministers into the hands of the congregations. The Christian congregation makes use of this peculiar church power and should retain this right at all times. Paul and Barnabas finally commended all the brethren to the Lord by prayer with fasting. In the keeping, in the charge, of the Lord they are safe; His care can protect them against enmity and comfort them in persecution. Those that believed the apostles committed to the Lord; for only by faith is the communication with the Lord established, only by faith can it be maintained.

The last part of the return journey:

It was impossible for Paul to be inactive in the service of his Lord while he was traveling back to Syria. So he and Barnabas made a missionary trip through Pisidia, the province adjoining Roman Galatia on the south. Thus they reached Pamphylia and now took time to speak the Word of God in Perga, where they do not seem to have stopped on the journey to the upper country, Acts 13:13. Incidentally they seem to have waited for an opportunity of setting sail for Syria. But when no chance offered, they went down to the seacoast, to the harbor of Attalia, in Lycia, whence they sailed to Antioch. In this city they had been appointed to their office as missionaries and committed to the grace of God for the work which they had now finished. They had enjoyed the singular, merciful blessing of God on their journey, and had, above all, received abundant assurance that it is the grace of God which enables a man to do work in the Gospel, Ephesians 3:8. So it was with a heart full of thankfulness that they returned to the congregation at Antioch. Just as soon after their arrival as it could be arranged, there was an assembly of the congregation, in which the two missionaries reported in full on the success of their labors, as they stated it, how many and how great things God had done with them as the instruments of His grace, and also on their behalf, in being with them and aiding them, both in performing the work of their calling and in enduring the persecutions that had come upon them. It is God who must give the increase whenever and wherever the Gospel is preached. It was He that had opened to the Gentiles the door of faith, making their hearts willing, and giving them free access to the salvation of Jesus Christ. Note: It is altogether well-pleasing to God if the missionaries at home and abroad make reports of their work to the congregations that have sent them forth, thus showing that God is with the work, and that He opens the doors to the preaching of the Gospel. After this, Paul and Barnabas both spent a long time with the disciples of Antioch, probably more than a year, busy with their work of preaching and gaining new members for the congregation of Christ.

Summary

Paul and Barnabas preach the Gospel at Iconium, at Lystra, and at Derbe, enduring persecution for the sake of the Lord, and then retrace their steps for the sake of strengthening the brethren, continue their work in Pisidia and Pamphylia, finally returning to Antioch, in Syria.

Verses 1-35

The convention at Jerusalem

The question about circumcision:

The Christian congregations of Palestine and Syria were now enjoying a season of external peace and prosperity, and therefore Satan, as a sower of discord, determined to create internal dissension, thus working a most severe form of harm. There had been some dissatisfaction among those of the circumcision in Jerusalem at the course of Peter in entering into the house of Cornelius, Acts 11:2-3. At that time the matter had been adjusted satisfactorily when Peter had narrated the facts pertaining to the case. But it seems that certain members of the Church had since grown restive once more, their Jewish prejudices being unable to feel satisfied concerning conditions. Some of these purposely, as it seems, made the journey down to Antioch in Syria, and not only expressed it as their opinion, but began to teach, they made every effort to force their teaching on the brethren of the congregation, declaring that unless they received circumcision according to the usage of Moses, they could not be saved. They thus made circumcision, an Old Testament sacrament, a condition of salvation in the New Testament. Naturally the matter caused a very heated controversy and discussion, since Paul and Barnabas could not possibly keep silence at such an open attack of their work in Antioch, on Cyprus, and in Asia Minor. The Judaizing teachers, then, were responsible for the threatening discord; they began the questioning and disputing. It is difficult to realize the distress and confusion which must have followed and racked the minds of the brethren while the controversy was in progress. With such bitter emphasis did the men from Judea insist upon their point that Paul and Barnabas did not succeed in silencing them. So the congregation finally resolved and determined that Paul and Barnabas and some other men out of their midst should make the trip up to Jerusalem to settle this question of dispute, if possible. Paul and Barnabas were thus commissioned by, they acted as delegates of, the congregation at Antioch. Among their companions was Titus, Galatians 2:1,3. Note: This procedure of the northern congregation was not an appeal to a higher tribunal nor even to a representative body, but simply a mission or delegation of one congregation, in itself independent and autonomous, to another of the same rank. Having been sped on their journey by their congregation, very probably in this manner, that the members accompanied them out for some distance, an action which both emphasized the solemnity of the occasion and the interest which the brethren took in the matter, the little party slowly traveled down along the coast through Phenicia, then cutting across Samaria toward the southeast. Wherever they found brethren, they narrated to them in full the conversion of the Gentiles as they had witnessed and experienced it. And in all places they found sympathetic listeners, to whom their recital of the wonderful mercy of the Lord brought great gladness. As they neared Jerusalem, they left behind them a string of congregations where the hearts were uplifted to the Lord in pure joy over the wonder of His redemption to all men. Upon their arrival at Jerusalem, Paul and his companions were received by the entire congregation, as well as by the apostles then present in the capital and by the elders of the local body, and they rendered a complete report, telling how many and how great things God had done with them as His instruments of grace, and on their behalf, in giving testimony to the Word as it was preached by them.

The demand of the former Pharisees and Peter’s answer:

Matters seemed to be adjusting themselves very nicely, when opposition developed. Some men that had formerly been members of the sect of the Pharisees had been overcome by the evidence of the Gospel and had accepted Jesus in true faith. But some of their former ideas concerning the necessity of keeping the Law persisted. These now arose in the meeting and stated with great emphasis their opinion, namely, that it was absolutely necessary for all the converts among the Gentiles to be circumcised and to observe the Law of Moses, that is, the ceremonial law, as it concerned the people of God in the Old Testament. It is the same false and dangerous doctrine which has cropped up in the Church at all times, namely, that the keeping of the Law is essential for meriting salvation. This was a very serious objection, a discordant note in the harmony of the meeting, so serious, in fact, that the assembly adjourned to meet once more at another time. When the convention, the apostles and elders, together with the entire congregation, Acts 12:22,25, assembled again, it was with the express purpose to look closely into this matter, to reach a definite conclusion with regard to the threatening dissension. The meeting did not open very auspiciously. There was a heated debate with many pointed questions, the Pharisaic party insisting upon having its opinions accepted. But after this discussion had been going on for some time, Peter arose and took the floor. In a perfectly cool and objective way he presented his views. Addressing the assembly as “men and brethren,” he reminded them that they had found out, and were therefore fully aware of the fact, that from the earliest days, almost from the founding of the Church, in fact, God had chosen that by his, Peter’s, mouth the heathen should hear the Word of the Gospel and come to faith. He referred to the demonstration given by the Lord in the case of Cornelius. At that time God, who knows the hearts and minds of all men, Acts 1:24, had borne testimony in favor of the Gentiles, by giving them the Holy Ghost, just as He had given Him to the apostles and the other Jewish disciples. God had made no distinction, no discrimination between Jews and Gentiles, but had given to the latter the full purity of heart by faith. Though they were uncircumcised, the Spirit had been granted them, just as well as to those of the circumcision. The outward purification which attended the Jewish rite is here contrasted with the full and complete purification of the heart which follows belief in Jesus the Savior. “Therefore this faith of which the apostle speaks is not a simple knowledge of the story, but it is a strong, powerful work of the Holy Ghost which changes the hearts.” ^■59 . Since these things were true, Peter argues, why should they tempt God, why should they put Him to the proof, why should they try out His patience and forbearance, by an intimation as though He had admitted unworthy members into His Church? Why should they want to lay upon the necks of these people, whom God had admitted without the Jewish rite, a yoke, the yoke of the ceremonial law, which neither their fathers nor they themselves had been able to bear? The detailed injunctions governing even the minutest acts of every-day life had ever proved a heavy burden to all the Jews, and it would be wrong to transmit this burden to the Gentiles. And this argument bore all the more force since they all, both Jews and Gentiles, hoped to be saved through grace, through the unmerited grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every rule and order that emphasized merits and works on the part of man would naturally detract from the glory of the free grace of the Lord, and would make salvation itself a matter of doubt. The arguments of Peter were unanswerable and caused the opponents to become and remain silent. Moreover, the general debate was not again resumed, for now Barnabas and Paul took the floor, and the entire multitude listened to them as they narrated how many and how great signs and miracles God had performed among the heathen through them. Note that Luke here again places the name of Barnabas first. It was Paul that had spoken to the sorcerer Elymas; it was Paul that had healed the lame man at Lystra; and it naturally fell to Barnabas to recount these facts. By confirming the Word of the Gospel among the Gentiles in this way, when Paul and Barnabas were inviting the heathen and organizing them into congregations without laying upon them the demands of Mosaic legislation, the Lord gave proof of His approbation of the work and emphasized the Gospel of free grace in Christ Jesus.

The proposal of James:

By the time Barnabas and Paul had finished their rehearsal of the success which attended their labors, the hearers could not have had any other impression but that the conversion of the Gentiles was a work of God, and that their discipleship, even without the observance of the ceremonial law, must necessarily be acceptable to Him. No one else, therefore, having asked for the privilege of the floor, James, that is, James the Just, the brother of the Lord, one of the pillars of the congregation at Jerusalem, according to common report its head after the removal of the apostles, arose and added the evidence of prophetical prediction to that of the facts presented by the previous speakers. Requesting the audience to listen carefully, he opened his remarks with a reference to the report of Peter: Simeon has explained in what manner God at first, from the beginning, resolved to gain a people out of the Gentiles unto His name, for the glory and praise of His holy name, and called by His name, as His children. With this fact agree the words of the prophets. Although James quotes only one of the prophets, he may either have had in mind the book of the prophets or implied that the other prophets make similar statements. He quotes the words Amos 9:11-12 according to the Greek translation. There the Lord had promised to return after this, at the time fixed by Him in the future. He would then build anew, erect once more, the tent of David which had been destroyed, laid low. He does not speak of the Old Testament Church as the house of David, as in other places, but as a tent, a booth, a hut that had decayed and fallen into ruins. But this hut which was lying on the ground as though struck down by a storm the Lord wanted to build anew and to set upright again as the tabernacle of the New Testament. This rebuilding of the ruins took place in and through Jesus Christ, in order that those that remained of the people should seek the Lord most diligently, that the rest of men, that is, all the heathen, without respect of persons and of works, all upon whom His name is pronounced in the preaching of the Gospel, should strive to possess the blessings of the Lord. It was this Lord that was doing all these things, whose manner of performing them could not be gainsaid. For He was not in the habit of performing any of His works in a haphazard manner, but had worked according to definite plans from the beginning of the world. And He had made these facts known of old, from the beginning of the world. On the basis of this clear prophetical statement, whose fulfilment no one could deny after hearing the reports made to the assembly, James now ventured an opinion, not necessarily as the president of the meeting, but as a speaker that presents the result of his deliberations in the form of a resolution. He offered the motion that they should not trouble or molest in any way those people among the Gentiles that were turning to God, and had been accepted by Him in faith. But he suggested that letters be sent to them warning them against the contamination of idol worship, against committing fornication, against partaking of meat of strangled animals, and against eating blood. In the worship of idols was included idolatrous feasts, where meat was served that had been sacrificed to false gods. To some extent, also, the sins against the Sixth Commandment were practised in connection with the temples of the idols, though these sins were prevalent otherwise as well, nameless breaches of the Christian law of purity taking place as a matter of fact. That is the will of God to the Christians of all times, that they avoid fornication and all uncleanness, and that they remain unspotted from the world and its lusts, including the unclean, idolatrous joys and delights of the world. But that James wanted to add the prohibition concerning the eating of animals that had been stunned or strangled without the loss of blood, and that of blood itself, Leviticus 17:13; Deuteronomy 12:16,23; Deuteronomy 15:23, was done for another reason. These practises had been forbidden in the Old Testament and were considered especially disgusting by the Jews, an abomination before the Lord. And the Jewish Christians had not yet been able to throw off this feeling of loathing and disgust. In the opinion of James, therefore, the Gentile Christians might well be asked to have some consideration for their Jewish brethren in this case. Christian charity demanded as much, especially where meals were eaten in common. James added, in concluding his speech, that Moses from ancient times had men in all cities that proclaimed him in the synagogs, since he was read in the services on every Sabbath, that is, his books were read and explained in the services. The chances were, therefore, that these Mosaic customs would be well known everywhere, and their non-observance might cause offense, as though the way of salvation in the New Testament were different from that of the Old. Then, also, there was danger that the intercourse between Jewish and Gentile Christians would cease entirely unless the latter would be willing, for charity’s sake, to observe a decree which would make brotherly communion possible. And finally, those that still clung to the outward observance of the Mosaic customs need not be apprehensive, since Moses was at this time still being read. James knew very well that this would change in time, but did not propose to force the issue by tactless haste. Note: The draught which James proposed was not a compromise resolution, as has been stated. It was not his opinion that the heathen Christians should indeed not be burdened with the entire Law of Moses, but only with certain ordinances. Even the smallest particle of the Mosaic Law, laid upon them as a condition of salvation, would have taken away the faith of the Christians in the free grace and mercy of the Savior. His suggestion was merely a proposal for the sake of Christian order, not to burden believing hearts, but to simplify the problem of uniting two races in the same congregations without the danger of continual friction. These directions did not concern the way of salvation, for this the Gentile Christians had learned from the Gospel.

The resolutions of the assembly:

The speech of James ended the discussion. The opposition could not hold out against this clear presentation. The manner employed by this assembly serves as an example to this day. Suppose there are differences of opinion in a congregation or in a church-body, especially such as concern some Christian doctrine. In that case, it is a matter for the Christians to discuss and settle in meetings, in congregational or synodical assemblies. And the Word of God decides all questions. When a point of doctrine has been plainly set forth from Scriptures, then all good Christians will gladly consent to the truth and repudiate error. The matter being settled so far as Jerusalem was concerned, the apostles and elders, together with the entire congregation, decided to choose men out of their own midst and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. The election resulted in the choice of two men that were prominent among the brethren, namely, Judas Barsabas and Silas (the latter being identical either with the Silvanus of 2 Corinthians 1:19 or with Tertius, Romans 16:22). These representatives, or delegates, of the congregation were furnished with proper credentials, or letters of identification, addressed not only to the congregation at Antioch, but also to those throughout Syria and Cilicia, the provinces where the controversy was probably known by this time. The apostles and elders and brethren disclaimed, first of all, any and all responsibility for the words of those men that, claiming to come from the congregation at Jerusalem, had disquieted and unsettled the brethren with their teaching and disturbed their souls by the unauthorized statements concerning the necessity of circumcision and the need of keeping the Law. These false teachers had acted without authority and commandment of the mother congregation, altogether in an arbitrary fashion. Therefore the assembly at Jerusalem, represented by the senders of the letter, having come to one opinion and being now of the same mind, had decided to elect men and to send them to Antioch with their own delegates, Paul and Barnabas. The two latter men are distinguished highly and praised as men that have offered up their souls, risked their lives, for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the persecutions which had come upon them these men had, to all intents and purposes, been martyrs, though the Lord had spared their lives. Such men are needed in the Church to this day, missionaries that are willing to offer themselves, all their gifts, abilities, and powers, to the service of the Lord. Judas and Silas were the delegates from Jerusalem in this matter, and they were well qualified to explain, without the suspicion of prejudice, whatever in the written document might appear obscure to any one. And then the resolution is given. It had seemed the right and proper thing to the Holy Ghost and to the entire congregation, through whom the Holy Ghost had made known His will. The Holy Spirit, speaking through the Word, was really the Author of the decree, but the congregation, in voicing His pleasure, showed that they were altogether willing to accept the decision, although they themselves belonged to the Jewish race. No extra burden was to be placed upon the Gentile Christians; they were not to be made subject to the Law of Moses, but they should feel themselves obliged to yield to this necessary rule, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from the eating of blood, from the flesh of strangled animals, and from fornication, from sexual vice in any form. The resolution was thus given practically as proposed by James. In accepting this charge, the Gentile Christians would in part be carrying out the will of the Lord as contained in the Moral Law and in part the demands of brotherly love. In any event, it would be well with them, because the peace and concord which would thereby be established in the various Christian communities would be to their own interest. The letter closed with the customary farewell greeting. Note: The so-called Council of Jerusalem was in no sense a general council, and offers no basis for hierarchical claims. “The so-called Council of Jerusalem in no way resembled the general councils of the Church either in its history, its constitution, or its object. It was not a convention of ordained delegates, but a meeting of the entire church of Jerusalem to receive a deputation from the church at Antioch.” ^■60 . The resolution of the meeting is most significant in its clear statement concerning evangelical freedom and the rejection of works. “This point mark well, for herein everything is included. The resolution … is this: The Law of Moses should not be imposed upon the disciples from the Gentiles, but they should be taught to be saved by faith, without the Law of Moses. Here observe whether they place doctrines of men above the Word of God or elevate themselves above it; yea, be careful, for they do not set up anything but the true chief part of Christian doctrine, namely, faith and Christian liberty, and they watch with great earnestness, lest a greater burden be placed upon the disciples. But they should be permitted to stay in the faith, as Christ teaches and had confirmed from heaven through the Holy Spirit.” ^■61 .

The delegates in Antioch:

The delegates of the congregation at Jerusalem having received their credentials, they were sent away, together with Paul and Barnabas, in a spirit of brotherly love, and probably after a special farewell service; for the apostles and elders were well aware of the importance of their mission. The whole company went down to Antioch, traveling the entire distance by land. There they called a meeting of the multitude, of the entire congregation, and formally delivered the letter. And when the brethren that had been disturbed so seriously by the Judaizing teachers had read the communication, they rejoiced greatly over the consolation which it brought them. The entire congregation, being liberated from the sense of oppression which had weighed them down during the last weeks, hailed the relief of the letter with joy. This impression was further strengthened also by Judas and Silas, who, being themselves prophets, and thus endowed by God with extraordinary gifts of applying the comfort of the Gospel, personally encouraged the brethren with many a word of counsel and led them back to firm trust in the Lord’s Word and work. As a result of this mission it was clearly shown that the Lord, out of Jews and Gentiles, had made one body, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints. Having spent some time in the midst of the congregation at Antioch, the delegates from Jerusalem were dismissed in peace, in perfect harmony, by the brethren, to return to those that had delegated them. Thus the unity of spirit found its proper expression in the fine fraternal relationship that obtained between these two congregations, which knew themselves to be one in the Lord. Opportunities for mission-work were by no means exhausted in Antioch, a fact which induced Paul and Barnabas to remain in Antioch, to spend some time there in earnest work, teaching privately whenever catechumens were found, and preaching the Gospel publicly. And in this work they were not alone, but found able assistants in others who were also constrained by the love of Christ to witness in His interest, to proclaim His Word. In this way, peace was fully restored, and the congregation soon returned to its former state of quiet growth. By the grace of God, periods of disturbance in a congregation will make the Christians more fervent in prayer, more zealous for the cause of the Lord, and more firmly established in the Word of Grace.

Verses 36-41

The beginning of Paul’s second missionary journey

After some days, after some time had elapsed, Paul suggested to Barnabas that they return, that they reenter the road over which they had traveled, and visit the brethren in every city in which they had proclaimed the Word of the Lord, to see how they were getting along. A true missionary is not satisfied with merely organizing mission-stations and congregations, but is interested also in their establishment and growth in spiritual knowledge. The suggestion seems to have appealed to Barnabas, but when they were talking over their plans as to companions, he strongly advised taking his nephew John Mark along, and practically insisted upon it. But as even the best of friends may differ on questions of expediency and of personal preference, so it happened here. Paul believed that it was not fair to themselves and to their work to take the younger man along, whose defection at Perga, Acts 13:13, had probably seriously inconvenienced them. Paul may have thought that Mark still did not possess the necessary maturity and strength of character for such difficult work. The difference of opinion proceeded to a point where there was a serious outbreak of anger, causing them to part company. “There is little doubt that severe words were spoken on the occasion. It is unwise to be overanxious to dilute the words of Scripture, and to exempt even apostles from blame. … We cannot, however, suppose that Paul and Barnabas parted, like enemies, in anger and hatred. It is very likely that they made a deliberate and amicable arrangement to divide the region of their first mission between them, Paul taking the continental and Barnabas the insular part of the proposed visitation. Of this at least we are certain, that the quarrel was overruled by Divine Providence to a good result. One stream of missionary labor had been divided, and the regions blessed by the waters of life were proportionally multiplied.” ^■62 . That the estrangement was not permanent appears from the fact that Paul refers to Barnabas as a fellow-worker unto the kingdom of God, Colossians 4:10-11; 1 Corinthians 9:6, and that he speaks of Mark as profitable to him for the ministry, 2 Timothy 4:11. But the brethren in Antioch evidently believed Paul to be in the right, for when Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, there was no special leave-taking, whereas when Paul chose Silas, the prophet from Jerusalem, as his companion, he was commended by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. Very likely there was a meeting of the congregation and a farewell service as when Paul left on his first journey. So Paul left Antioch with his companion, traveling by land, in order to visit the congregations of Syria and Cilicia which had been founded either by some of the scattered brethren after the execution of Stephen or by Paul himself at a time concerning which we have no further data, Galatians 1:21. Wherever the two missionaries came, they confirmed the congregations, they made them firm in faith and trust by proper instruction and exhortation. Visitations of this kind are bound to result in blessings for the congregations thus visited.

Summary

On account of threatening dissension caused by Judaizing brethren, Paul and Barnabas are delegated to the congregation at Jerusalem for advice; an assembly is held, and the results sent to the brethren at Antioch in a letter delivered by Judas and Silas; Paul chooses Silas as his companion on his second journey after an altercation with Barnabas.

Verses 1-10

Paul and Silas in Asia Minor

Timotheus, the Christian disciple:

Paul and Silas had entered Asia Minor in the extreme southeastern corner, through the pass known as the Syrian Gates, or Beilan Pass, in Mount Amanus. From the Cilician lowland, where Paul may have passed through Mopsuestia, Adana, and Tarsus, the journey went up over the rugged and beautiful Taurus Mountains and through the pass known as the Cilician Gates to the great Lycaonian plain. Derbe being the nearest city to the Cilician frontier, the first stop was made here. But the apostle evidently did not tarry long in any city which he visited, since he had a definite plan in mind. For at Lystra, where he had spent some time on the first journey and had also been stoned by the mob, Acts 14:8-20, there was a certain disciple by the name of Timotheus, one of those converted by Paul on the previous visit. His mother was a Jewess that had retained her faith, but his father was a Greek, and evidently not a proselyte. Marriages with heathen were forbidden by the Jewish law, Deuteronomy 7:3; Exodus 34:16; Ezra 10:2. But the prohibition was not strictly observed, especially not among the Jews outside of Palestine, where colonies had been established for many years, and where the Jews had accommodated themselves to, and accepted all but the religion of, their fellow-citizens. Here marriages of Jewesses with influential Gentiles were by no means uncommon. Timothy had been instructed in the Holy Scriptures from infancy, 2 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 3:14-15, and, like many another true Israelite, had soon learned to know the proper application of the prophecies to Jesus Christ of Nazareth. And he was well spoken of, not only in his home town, Lystra, but even at Iconium, the brethren of the congregations all having the very highest opinion of his Christian character. These and other qualities recommended the young man very highly in the eyes of Paul, who wanted him to become a companion and an assistant on his journey. Young men that have a good reputation in the Christian congregation for soundness of Christian character, and otherwise show ability and willingness for the work, are in great demand in the vineyard of the Lord. Having made the necessary arrangements by which Timothy was to accompany him, Paul first performed the rite of circumcision in his case. This was not necessary from a Scriptural standpoint; it had expressly been rejected at the meeting in Jerusalem and had not been done in the case of Titus, Galatians 2:3-4. But in this case Paul showed his tact and wisdom. The Jews in that entire region, knowing Timothy’s parentage, would be apt to take offense at his preaching and ministering, and thus hinder his work there and elsewhere. Thus Paul became a Jew unto the Jews, a Greek unto the Greeks, in order that he might gain both Jews and Greeks, 1 Corinthians 9:20-21. Wherever a Christian, and especially a Christian preacher or missionary, is able to remove a cause of offense without denying the truth of the Gospel, he should do so by all means, for it may mean souls won for Christ.

Through Asia Minor to Troas:

The zeal of Paul knew neither weariness nor rest; he was ever active for his Lord. As he traveled through the cities where congregations had been founded through his own efforts or those of disciples that had become missionaries, he and his companions delivered to them all the resolutions which had been fixed by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. All the congregations were admonished to observe these decrees, although they were directed only to the congregations in Syria and Cilicia. Uniformity of practise, especially in such important matters, is to be recommended very highly for churches of the same confession. In this way the congregations everywhere were established in the faith; the encouraging admonitions of the apostle and his companions strengthened their faith. And a second result of the visitation was that the churches increased in numbers day by day. Thus Paul made the rounds of the congregations in this entire district, which was racially Phrygian, but administratively Galatic: Iconium, Antioch, and all the stations that were connected with these cities. He may even have extended his labors into North Galatia, though recent investigations seem to oppose this assumption. ^■63 . Many congregations sprang into existence under his labors in Galatia, 1 Corinthians 16:1, and he was always united with these disciples by the ties of a fervent love. Having carried out his missionary labors to the extent which he had intended in this province, Paul planned next to visit the province of Asia, a maritime province in southwestern Asia Minor, on the Aegean Sea. But he was hindered, prevented, from speaking the Word in this province by the Holy Spirit. This was done either by an inner revelation or by a prophetic intimation which permitted of no misunderstanding. So they journeyed to Mysia, into the borders of this province, west of Phrygia, and there made the attempt to turn northward into Bithynia, a province on the Black Sea. But again the Spirit of Jesus intervened and hindered them. Note: The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus Christ, Romans 8:9, as well as the Spirit of the Father, Matthew 10:20. Nothing now remained for them to do but to travel due west to Troas, a seaport on the Aegean, opposite Greece. It is the Lord that directs and governs the course of the Gospel on earth. All the matters and circumstances are arranged by Him in such a way as to serve the Gospel according to His will.

The vision:

The reason for all this maneuvering now became apparent. During the night, apparently the same night after they had arrived in Troas, a vision appeared to Paul by which the Lord intended to communicate His will to the apostle. A man from Macedonia was standing before him, either in a dream or in a condition of ecstasy, addressing him in words of earnest pleading: Cross over into Macedonia; help us! When Paul had seen this vision, he and his companions, to whom Luke had now been added, at once made earnest efforts to leave for Macedonia, for they were firmly agreed that the Lord had chosen this method of calling them to preach the Gospel in Europe. The little company now consisted of Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke, one as anxious as the other to secure early passage on some boat that plied between the Aegean ports. Note: Whenever the directions of the Lord as to some work to be done are plain, all those that are concerned should be filled with the same anxiety to enter upon the work; for His business requireth haste.

Verses 11-40

Paul and his companions at Philippi

The voyage to Philippi:

In those days of active commercial intercourse between the various Aegean ports, it did not take long for them to find a ship upon which they could take passage. Paul and his companions therefore drew away, they set sail from Troas, being favored by a good stiff breeze from the south and east, which enabled them to make a straight run past the island of Imbros to that called Samothrace, one of the northernmost islands of the Grecian archipelago. Here they turned toward the west and sailed past the island of Thasus to the Macedonian port of Neapolis, the latter part of the journey taking only one day. Thus the voyage had been undertaken under unusually propitious circumstances and completed in an exceptionally short time. The missionaries did not remain in Neapolis, however, but pressed on to the larger city of Philippi, which was a Roman colony, both coins and inscriptions corroborating the words of Luke ^■64 . Near it was fought the great battle between Augustus and Antony on one side, and Brutus and Cassius, the murderers of Julius Caesar, on the other, the battle which decided that Rome would be an empire, and not a republic. In honor of this event Philippi had been granted the rights of a Roman colony, as the name “praetors,” used by Luke to designate the officials of the city, also shows. And Philippi was the first city in that district, or division, of Macedonia. For almost two centuries before, Macedonia had been divided into four districts, whose general boundaries were still recognized, although they were no longer accepted by the government as political districts. That Philippi was the first, the most important city of that part of Macedonia was due to its location on the great Egnatian Way, the main Roman road between Europe and Asia. It was in those days what Byzantium, or Constantinople, later became, the gateway to the Orient ^■65 . The Roman province of Macedonia lay between Greece and the Aegean Sea, on the south, and the Balkan Mountains, on the north. In Philippi, then, where the East and the West met, these travelers from the Orient spent some time, anxious to gain some souls for the Lord. Since the Jewish population of the city at that time was not large enough to support a synagog, and the Jews had therefore the custom of gathering outside of the city gates, on the banks of a river, by the riverside, and of holding their meetings of prayer there, this site had become known as the place of prayer. To that spot, therefore, Paul and his companions also went on the Sabbath, to the river Gangas or Gangites. There was probably no formal worship, as in the synagogs, although there may have been leaders of the devotions. At any rate, Paul accommodated himself to the conditions. He sat down with his party among the worshipers and spent the morning talking to the women that had come together there. It seems, then, that the Jews and proselytes of the city consisted largely of women, many of whom occupied positions of considerable freedom and social influence, a fact which is fully borne out by careful historical research. Note: It may have seemed strange to Paul, after all the elaborate preparations, to find only a handful of women assembled, but God has His own ways of doing things and conducting the affairs of His kingdom, as the subsequent condition of the Philippian congregation shows.

The conversion of Lydia:

In the audience on the river bank, on that memorable morning when the first Christian service was conducted on European soil, was a certain woman, a merchant by the name of Lydia, the name by which she was probably known for business purposes, since she hailed from Thyatira in Lydia, a district of proconsular Asia. She was a dealer in purple, that is, in garments dyed with a very costly dye, and must therefore have been comparatively well-to-do. “Thyatira was noted for its dyeing. Madder root, with which they dyed a Turkey-red, grows abundantly in the neighborhood. As the ancients employed the names of colors with great laxity, this was often termed purple.” ^■66 . Lydia was a God-fearing woman, that is, she was a Jewish proselyte, she believed in and reverenced the God of the Jews, whose worship had been taught her. She listened carefully to the entire discourse, and the Lord opened her heart fully to attend to the matters which were explained by Paul, the news that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah. So thoroughly was she and all the members of her household (she may have been a widow with a number of children, as well as a number of servants) convinced of the truth of the Gospel that she and they all confessed their faith forthwith and were baptized — a fine nucleus for a congregation in whose welfare Paul always took great interest. The gratitude of Lydia for the blessings of which she had now been made a partaker prompted her to extend a cordial invitation to the missionaries to accept her hospitality. It was in the form of earnest pleading that she said to them: If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, since the fact that you baptized me seems to argue that you consider me a believer in the Lord, please come to my house and abide there. And she did not rest until she had persuaded them to come and be her guests. Such hospitality in return for the great spiritual gifts received is a proof for the change of heart produced by faith, and is well-pleasing to the Lord.

The encounter with the spirit of divination:

Even in Philippi, although there was no synagog there, Paul and his companions continued to observe the hours of prayer. But as they were on their way to the place of prayer, presumably the bank of the river, they were molested by a certain slave girl, who, literally, possessed a python spirit. But she was not merely an artist in ventriloquism, as the word is often understood in secular accounts, but she had a spirit of divination, with prophetic power; she was possessed of a demon. This slave, who brought much gain, a great deal of money, to her owners and masters by her soothsaying, made it a habit, day after day, to meet the party of Paul and then follow closely at his heels, crying out meanwhile, with a loud voice: These men are servants of God the Most High, who also are proclaimers of the way of salvation to you. The girl was not mistress of herself in crying out thus. As one commentator has it, the girl at one time was overmastered by the evil spirit, who was her real lord; at another she felt a longing for deliverance from her bondage. The evil spirit in her was quaking at the sight of Christ’s servants and could not help but acknowledge the truth. But Paul was finally filled with annoyance, with grief, pain, and anger. The Lord does not want to be preached by evil spirits, as His conduct in the gospels shows. Besides, according to the meaning associated with the girl’s words by the multitude, they might believe the missionaries to be ministers of superstition or of magic. ^■67 . Therefore Paul spoke, not to the slave, but to the evil spirit that possessed her, charging him in the name of Jesus Christ to come out from her. And in that same hour, according to the Greek way of speaking, in the same moment, according to ours, the spirit and her power left her. Note: The diviners, soothsayers, and fortunetellers of our days also make use of the name and the Word of God, but only for the purpose of deceiving the poor misguided souls that consult them, and thus of holding the souls all the more firmly in their doctrine and devilish tricks. It is our duty, therefore, to expose the evil intention and the deceit of the devil. For even if he makes predictions and performs acts which seem to be miraculous, they are never done with the command and promise of the Lord and are always detrimental to the salvation of souls.

Paul and Silas imprisoned:

When the evil spirit went out of the slave-girl, the hope of gain of her masters also went out, as Luke notes, in a fine play upon the word. The income from this source was not only endangered, but was cut off entirely, a fact which touched them in their most sensitive spot. But when the owners of the girl realized this, they were filled with anger. Laying hold upon Paul and Silas, they half pulled and half dragged them to the market-place, to the forum, before the magistrates of the city. Here they became a little less turbulent in their behavior, leading their prisoners up to the praetors with some semblance of order and decency. The praetors were the chief authorities of the city, whose duty it was to try all cases of a political nature. The official title of the two men was duoviri, but they often styled themselves praetors. The charge of the masters of the slave was somewhat peculiar. They declared that Paul and Silas, Jews as they were, were not only creating a disturbance in the city, but were agitating the town by proclaiming such religious customs as would not be proper for them to accept and to exercise, since they were Romans. The complaint then was, in brief, that the apostles were upsetting the entire social and religious system of the city, a fact all the more to be condemned since the accused belonged to the despised Jews. The insinuation, which hinted at the introduction of prohibited religious customs of a particularly objectionable kind, as well as the fact that the men were Jews, was sufficient to rouse the multitude present in the forum, a mob which was easily incensed and swayed. Without so much as giving the prisoners an opportunity of defending themselves against the charges, the praetors led in the assault upon them by causing their clothes to be torn from their bodies and then commanding them to be beaten with rods, a grievous and degrading punishment. Only after many lashes had been laid upon Paul and Silas was the first fury satisfied. But then came the further indignity, according to which the praetors cast them into prison and gave the keeper of the jail the earnest charge to keep them safely with all diligence and rigor. This command the keeper interpreted in his own way, influenced possibly also by his own feeling in the matter, for he not only put them into the inner prison, with several walls between them and freedom and a minimum of light and air to cheer them, but he also secured their feet in the stocks, a wooden instrument of torture in which the feet were tightly clamped, holding them firmly in one position and thereby causing a good deal of pain. The clamping of the feet in the stocks interfered with the circulation and cramped the muscles, a torture which became more unendurable with every minute. Note: Every confessor of Christ and of the Gospel is liable to be treated in the same way, to become a partaker of the reproach of Christ. And those men especially that proclaim the way of salvation are considered disturbers of the peace and insurrectionists by the children of the world.

The earthquake at midnight:

Peter had calmly slept in prison on the night before his execution was to take place, Acts 12:6. And here these two disciples, with their backs aching and bleeding from the merciless whipping, with their legs cramped in the instrument of torture, and their minds smarting with the sense of injustice which they had suffered, were able to put all thoughts of the torture aside and to pray. And in prayer they even got the necessary strength to sing hymns to God, to praise Him in psalms. Paul and Silas were singing, and the other prisoners were listening with attentive interest. It was a service of praise and thanksgiving such as had been rarely seen in this world, the first one of many similar ones held by Christian martyrs in the dungeons. But suddenly a great earthquake rocked the prison, with such force as to shake its very foundations. And as a result of the shaking not only were all the doors opened at that same moment, but also the fetters of all the prisoners were loosened, taken off. The Lord of the Christians is stronger than the enemies that attempt to murder His servants. It is an easy matter for Him to save them that are His own. The jailer, awakened from his sleep by the shock, came to the full realization of the situation with one sudden shock. One glance sufficed to show him the open doors of the prison, and since he concluded that the prisoners must surely have escaped, he drew his sword from its sheath with the intention of committing suicide; for death was the penalty for allowing prisoners to escape. All this, of course, did not occur without some commotion and outcry, a fact which quickly informed Paul of the situation, who thereupon with a loud voice both hindered the proposed suicide and gave the jailer the reassurance which was most apt to restore his self-control: Do nothing of harm to yourself; all of us are here. Not one of the prisoners had made an attempt to escape, though there was nothing to hinder them. It was either that they were panic-stricken on account of the earthquake, or that the behavior of Paul and Silas had so deeply impressed them that they were lost in admiration of the courage exhibited by the two tortured prisoners. Many of them undoubtedly saw a connection between the prayer of the apostles and the earthquake, and were moved to admire the almighty power of God.

The conversion of the jailer:

In the excess of his first terror, the keeper of the prison had not even thought of a torch, being concerned only about the prevention of any escape on the part of the prisoners. But now he called to the guards to provide lights, and rushed into the inner prison, and in a state of the greatest emotion and terror, from anguish of conscience and the fear of the supernatural, fell down before Paul and Silas. He probably remembered now that Paul, who had called to him, had been preaching salvation in the name of Jesus, and he assumed that there must be some connection between the rocking of the earth and the calm assurance of the apostle. The jailer therefore led Paul and Silas ^■69 outside and asked them what he must do to be saved, the most important question which a man may possibly think of in his whole life. And this question of troubled and terrified souls must always be met with the answer as here: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved and thy house. Paul and Silas did not accept the title “lords,” but pointed the inquirer to the one true Lord and Master over all, in whom alone there is salvation. Faith in Jesus Christ delivers from death, hell, wrath, and judgment, and brings eternal salvation. Having given the jailer the great central thought and doctrine of the entire Christian religion, the missionaries now explained the way of salvation more fully, telling him and proclaiming to him the Word of the Lord, together with all those that belonged to his household, children and servants, freedmen and slaves. It was a brief, but comprehensive instruction preceding baptism. And so deeply was the man’s heart moved by the events of the night and by the voice of God in these events that he took the two prisoners in that same hour of the night, — for he could not wait to fulfil this necessary duty till morning, and washed off their stripes, both to remove the clotted blood and to ease the smarting of the blows. And Paul and Silas, in turn, gave to both the jailer and all the members of his household a washing to remove all the stains on their souls, by baptizing them all without delay. This Sacrament assured to the poor, harrowed man the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, which he needed so greatly on account of the feeling of guilt and damnableness which had come upon him with the realization of his sin. Now the jailer took both Paul and Silas into his house as honored guests; the table was set for them and a meal served altogether unlike that which they had gotten in prison. And the jailer rejoiced greatly, with intense, exulting gladness, in which all the members of his household joined him, that faith in God had been worked in their hearts. The fact that the Lord works faith in the heart of any person, and also makes him willing to give evidence of such faith in deeds of kindness and brotherly love, is a source of continual rejoicing to every Christian.

The release of the prisoners:

In the morning a peculiar surprise came to the imprisoned missionaries. For hardly had the day dawned when the duoviri, or praetors, of the city sent the lictors to the prison with the order to dismiss the prisoners. The lictors were the police officers of the Roman magistrates, the insignia of their office being a bundle of rods tied around a hatchet. Whether the earthquake had caused the authorities to believe that they had offended some god on the day before, or whether on second thought their treatment of the apostles seemed to them too hasty and severe, or whether they believed that their purpose had been accomplished in silencing the clamor of the mob, cannot be determined from the text. Enough that the jailer informed the prisoners of the gracious order that the praetors had sent word to release them. And he was glad to give them their liberty and have them go forth in peace, without further molestation. The order of the duoviri had been given in haughty and contemptuous terms; as transmitted and paraphrased by the jailer, the words were a kind announcement and invitation to accept the gift of liberty. But now Paul refused to leave the prison. In the clamor and tumult of the assault on the previous day he had not gotten a chance to make himself heard, even if he had made the attempt. But now he makes a very serious charge against the magistrates of the city. Although he and Silas were Roman citizens, the praetors had both caused them to be beaten in public, not only uncondemned, but even without trial, without investigating the case ^■68 , and had also thrown them into prison. According to the laws of Rome, Roman citizens were exempted from stripes and torture, and the violation of the rights of citizens was regarded as treason and, as such, severely punished. And after all these outrages, which Paul might very well have repaid with a summary vengeance, if he had not been a Christian, Romans 12:19, the praetors proposed to turn them out of the prison secretly? Indeed not! The least the praetors must do was to come and lead them out, as one form of apology. When the lictors reported these statements to the praetors, the latter were thoroughly frightened, and with good reason, wherefore they lost no time in coming personally, in apologizing and earnestly entreating the apostles to be satisfied. They then conducted them out of the prison and begged them, courteously requested them, to leave the city of their own free will. Paul and Silas accepted the apology and got ready to leave the city, but without undue and suspicious hurry. They first went to the house of Lydia, which may have become a meeting-place of the disciples that had been gained. Here they saw the brethren, comforted and encouraged them, and then left Philippi. Note: It was not only the sense of justice which made Paul insist upon some form of public apology, but also the fact that the public disgrace to which he and Silas had been subjected might seriously hinder the spread of the Gospel-message, on account of the prejudice which many people might have against a man that had been beaten in public. In our days also we Christians should be perfectly willing to suffer wrong and shame, but under circumstances, especially if the course of the Gospel is endangered, it is altogether in accordance with God’s will that we insist upon our rights as citizens. We may find it imperative to insist upon recognition as honest and desirable members of the community.

Summary

Paul and Silas make a visitation and missionary trip through Asia Minor and are then directed by the Spirit to Macedonia, where they begin their labors in the city of Philippi.

Verses 1-14

Paul and Silas in Thessalonica and Berea

Preaching at Thessalonica:

As the change of pronouns at this point indicates, Luke remained at Philippi, and it may be that Timothy remained there with him. There was much to be done in establishing the congregation and in organizing it for successful work, and these two disciples labored with great success in bringing about stable conditions. But Paul and Silas traveled toward the southwest, first of all to Amphipolis, thirty-three miles from Philippi, the capital of this district, but second in importance to the metropolis. The missionaries did not stop in this city, probably because there was no synagog there, but pushed on, first to Apollonia, thirty miles farther along the coast, and then to Thessalonica. They went along the Roman military road, the famous Egnatian Way, which ran for a distance of five hundred miles from the Hellespont to Dyrrachium on the Adriatic. The two intermediate places are probably mentioned as Paul’s resting-places for the night. Thessalonica, formerly called Thermae, situated at the head of the Thermaic Bay, was during Roman times the capital of the second of the four districts of the province of Macedonia, the largest as well as the most populous city in the province, a great commercial center. The city, now known as Saloniki, is important to this day. Paul, with his usual wisdom and foresight, chose this center of civilization and government in the district as a place from which the Gospel-message might radiate in every direction. Here was also a synagog of the Jews, and the apostle continued his method of choosing the Hellenist Jews as the medium through which he might reach the Gentiles. According to his custom, therefore, Paul went in unto them, he visited their congregation in the synagog. For three Sabbaths, and during the week when there was an assembly of the Jews, and thus for a matter of almost four weeks, he reasoned or argued with them from the Scriptures, basing all his remarks upon the acknowledged canonical text of the Old Testament. His method was to open up the meaning of the Scriptures, to explain them by bringing forward the proof-passages, and thus to set forth clearly the connection between prophecy and fulfilment. He showed the progress of prophecy concerning Christ; he proved clearly that Christ had to suffer, that this was predicted, and was an essential mark of the true Messiah; and he explained that, according to prophecy, it was just as necessary for Christ to rise from the dead. Then he applied the prophecy to Jesus of Nazareth, showed the exact fulfilment, and presented the conclusion that this same Jesus whom he preached could be none other than the Messiah. This form of argument, effective at all times in preaching the Gospel, was especially demanded by the position of the Jews, to whom the cross and the crucifixion was an offense and a stumbling block, and their prejudices had to be removed by a convincing presentation based upon their acknowledged Scriptures. And Paul’s method was fully justified by the results: some of the hearers were persuaded and associated with Paul and Silas as disciples of the faith, not only Jews, but also of the God-fearing Greeks, the proselytes of the gate, a large multitude, and even a considerable number of the leading women of the city, such as were socially prominent. The prominence assigned to women in Macedonia is altogether in accord with the best historical accounts. The preaching of Jesus Christ, the Crucified and Resurrected, on the basis of the Bible, is the one means of gaining true converts for Christ and His kingdom, and must never be replaced by the methods in vogue at the present time, by which Jesus Christ is relegated to a very hazy and obscure background, methods which are altogether out of harmony with the dignity of the Gospel, and will never result in real additions to the Church.

The tumult raised by the Jews:

The experience which Paul had had in Pisidian Antioch, Acts 13:50, was here repeated. The great mass of the Jews refused to believe his message, and these men became violently jealous, not only on account of the preaching of the Messiah, but also because of the success which attended the efforts of Paul and Silas. So they resorted to methods which are often employed by men of their stamp. They went to the forum and got hold of some of the idle, pettifogging lawyers, a pest then as now, market-place agitators ^■71 , always ready for any kind of mischief. With their aid they soon gathered a mob of hoodlums and set the city in an uproar. It was a typical case of mob rule, with the authorities indifferent or helpless. They stormed the house of Jason, where the apostles were lodging, or where the Christian assemblies were held; their main intention was to bring out Paul and Silas to the people, to the free assembly of all the people as a political party with executive rights. The thoughts upon which this movement was based may well have been that the entire populace could be swayed to take summary vengeance on the missionaries then and there. But since they did not find Paul and Silas, they dragged Jason and some of the other Christians out before the politarchs of the city (for that is the title which the rulers of this city bore) ^■72 . Their charge against these men, which they literally bawled out in their baffled rage, was given a political tinge, namely, that Jason had received into his house and was harboring some dangerous political agitators, men that had upset the whole world, caused disturbances throughout the Roman Empire, and had now come here. Insurrectionists all of them were, men that were always acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar pertaining to treason by declaring that another man is king, one Jesus. It was the same accusation which had been made in the case of Jesus, Luke 23:2, and it came upon the disciples in accordance with the prediction of Jesus that His disciples must expect to share the lot of the Master. The fact that the kingdom of Christ is not of this world, and that its subjects never interfere with temporal power and government so long as they are conscious of their distinction, was not understood or was deliberately ignored by the accusers. And their bold statement succeeded in exciting both the people and the politarchs, since the charges pointed to the possibility of a revolution unless measures were taken at once to suppress the movement. The result was that Jason, having only entertained the missionaries, was not punished personally, but the politarchs obliged him to give bond in a large amount to keep the peace of the city, as also the other disciples that had been haled into court, after which they were released. The enemies of Christ use both subtlety and force in their ceaseless endeavor to hinder the preaching of the Gospel; but the Lord directs the affairs of His kingdom for the salvation of men.

Preaching in Berea:

If Paul and Silas had continued their work in Thessalonica after the events of that day, they would not only have risked personal violence to themselves, but would also have caused Jason and the other disciples to forfeit their bond. And so they suffered it that the brethren quickly, that very night, sent them off to Berea, a small city in a mountainous district, almost fifty miles southwest of Thessalonica. The reception of the Gospel in this city differed very radically from that which had been accorded to it in the metropolis of the province; for when the apostles arrived there, they went in, they betook themselves to the synagog of the Jews, the Jewish population being strong enough to support such an institution. And here the people, both Jews and Greeks, were more generous of mind than in Thessalonica; they were not possessed of the strife and envy of the Thessalonian Jews, they entertained nobler sentiments, they made use of greater tact and fairness. This fact they showed not only by their cheerful, unconditional willingness to accept the Word which Paul brought, but also by the earnestness and zeal with which they carefully searched the Scriptures every day, comparing prophecy and fulfilment and satisfying their own minds that the doctrine, as represented by Paul, agreed with the revelation of God. As a result of this conscientious examination, under the Lord’s guidance, many of them came to faith in Jesus the Savior, together with a considerable number of prominent Greeks, both women and men. Note: The fault which must be deplored more than any other in our days is the refusal of unbelievers and critics to examine the claims of the Gospel patiently and candidly. Their ignorance, therefore, will not be accepted as an excuse, but will prove all the more damaging in their final condemnation. And for those that profess to be disciples of Christ it affords the greatest joy to search the Scriptures and find the manifold evidences of God’s truth and power.

But this pleasant and profitable relationship in Berea was soon disturbed. The news of Paul’s activity came to the attention of the Thessalonian Jews that had created the uproar in that city. The fact that Paul was proclaiming the Word of God in Berea was evidently a crime of the first magnitude in their estimation, just as it is in the eyes of many enemies of the Gospel to-day. They therefore made a special trip to Berea in order to agitate the crowds, to create uproar and disturbance. Down to the present day, as recent events have shown, this method seems to enjoy great favor with such as would stamp out the pure preaching of the Gospel. Before the riots, however, were actually incited, before any serious outbreaks of mob-rule took place, the brethren, the members of the little congregation that had been formed, quickly sent Paul off on his journey to the sea. It was against him that the attacks were chiefly directed, and he must be spared for further work in the Lord’s vineyard. It was some consolation to Paul, then, to have Silas and Timothy remain in Berea and do further work in establishing the young congregation.

Verses 15-34

Paul in Athens

The arrival and the first discussions:

The solicitude of the Berean disciples would not permit them to leave their beloved teacher travel without an escort, and some of them therefore volunteered to accompany him to a place of safety. The original intention seems to have been to conduct Paul down to the coast and have him wait there in some port until Silas and Timothy could join him once more. There he could be ready for flight across the sea at a moment’s notice. But this plan for some reason did not prove feasible, and therefore Paul’s friends conducted him all the way to Athens. This city was one of the most famous cities of the world, situated in Greece, the Roman province of Achaia, on the Attic peninsula, five miles northeast of the Saronic Gulf, and connected with its seaport Piraeus by long walls. On the hill, called the Acropolis, stood the famous temple Parthenon, and other beautiful public buildings crowned other eminences. Athens was no longer the political capital of Greece at that time, but continued to be its literary center, as it was that of the entire civilized world for several centuries after. But in spite of all its learning and philosophy, which was the boast of its proud citizens, the city had fallen a prey to social decay and moral rottenness. “In Athens itself, where flourished the most profound philosophy, the most glowing eloquence, the most exquisite poetry, and the most refined creative art which the world has ever seen, there was the most complete and studied abandonment to every vice which passion could prompt or imagination invent.” ^■73 . Having arrived at Athens, Paul dismissed the brethren that had accompanied him with the charge to Silas and Timothy to join him as quickly as possible. But while Paul was waiting for his assistants in Athens, he was by no means idle. As he wandered up and down the streets of the famous city, he was violently agitated and filled with anger, severely provoked, his spirit was so stirred up in him, because he saw that the entire city was full of idols; it was a feature which distinguished Athens among all the cities of Greece. Thousands of figures of gods and goddesses were erected along the streets, and many altars invited the sacrifices of such as still believed in the ancient form of Greek religion. The apostle’s extreme vexation over these conditions, and his earnest desire to expose such heathenish errors, caused him to reason and argue not only in the synagog, with the Jews and the proselytes whom he could meet there, but also daily on the forum, in the market-place of the city. This was not a bare or vacant lot in the middle of the town, but was surrounded with beautiful porticoes ornamented with sculpture work by famous artists, where the learned men of the day came together for philosophical discussions, and the philosophic schools had their meeting halls. The Stoa Poikile was on one side, where the philosophic school of the Stoics met, and the gardens of Epicurus were not far away, the one school teaching absolute resignation to fate, the other proclaiming intellectual and sensual enjoyment in every form. But it made no difference to Paul, who reasoned with chance comers on the market-place as well as with the members of these philosophical schools. The disputes sometimes took the form of formal encounters, heated debates, as Paul tried to convince these philosophers. And their comments upon his efforts were not at all flattering. Some jeeringly inquired what this babbler was trying to say. The meaning of this strange epithet which was applied to Paul has been made clear by recent discoveries, for it is applied to one that picks up scraps and crumbs thrown into the streets. “It evidently meant to these learned Athenians that Paul, notwithstanding his claims, was not an original philosopher, but was a picker-up of certain scraps of philosophy which had been thrown away by authorized and properly educated teachers.” ^■74 . Others sneeringly remarked that Paul seemed to be a proclaimer of foreign demons, of novel and strange divinities, of gods that had never been heard of before. This last remark was occasioned by the fact that the apostle had preached to them the Gospel-news: Jesus and the resurrection. Note: whether we are dealing with the self-righteousness of Jews or with the wisdom of Greeks, there is always and only one duty before us, to preach the Gospel of the crucified and resurrected Christ. Finally the matter came to a crisis. The men with whom Paul was debating took him and brought him to the Areopagus, with the remark in the form of a question whether it would be possible for them to find out what this novel teaching as proclaimed by him was about. Paul did not speak about a doctrine, but he actually preached the Christian doctrine. Strange, novel matters they were which he was bringing in to their ears, startling and bewildering to people proud of their human philosophy; they were therefore determined to know what meaning they wanted to convey. Luke adds, by way of explanation, that all the Athenians, the natives of the city as well as the foreigners who resided in the city for a time, had leisure for nothing else, found no occupation more pleasant or fascinating, than that of reporting or hearing something new, novel, out of the ordinary, something to tickle their jaded intellects; the very latest news in philosophy and science was their choicest morsel. Note: The world of letters in our days has changed in appearance, but not in kind. The eternal verities of the Bible are despised as stale prattling, but every new theory of true and false science, be its argumentation never so tenuous, is hailed with delight and all too often set up as an irrefutable law.

The first part of Paul’s speech:

Paul had been placed by those men that conducted him and now stood in the midst of the Council, or Court, of Areopagus. “The Areopagus was, in ancient times, a judicial council of Athens which held its meetings on the ‘hill of Mars,’ a little west of the Acropolis, which is in full view from its summit. On the top of this hill can still be seen the rock benches on which the Areopagites sat in the open air, and the two great rocks on which the accused prisoners sat. But it is not certain that Paul was officially tried before this ancient court. He may have been taken to this place as the most appropriate spot at which to address quietly an interested audience, or this may have been merely an informal inquiry made by the members of the court concerning his teaching. Yet from all the evidence available it seems certain that this council had the right to pass upon the qualifications of all lecturers either in the university or in the city, and the official arrest of this unauthorized lecturer is by no means impossible.” ^■75 . But whether the council heard Paul formally or informally, whether he spoke on the hill adjoining the Acropolis or in one of the great halls near the forum (Stoa Basileios), where the people had a better opportunity of hearing him, his address before this select company of the world’s foremost wise men was an uncompromising stand for repentance and faith. He addresses the assembly in the customary manner as “Men of Athens.” That they were a very religious people (literally, demon-fearing in a very high degree) he had observed, so it appeared to him to be; they carried their religious reverence very far. For as he was wandering through the streets of their city and making it a point to consider with attentive interest their objects of religious veneration, the temples, groves, altars, statues which they considered sacred, he had found also an altar with the inscription: To an Unknown God; an epigraph since found on at least one altar, and referred to occasionally in ancient writings. There can be no doubt, on the basis of Romans 1:18-20, for which many parallels from secular sources may be adduced ^■76 , that many heathen felt the insufficiency and the inadequacy of their religion. Their natural knowledge of God led them to doubt, and often to condemn, the idolatry as practised by their own people, and should have prompted them to search so long until they had found the revelation of the true God; for there never was a time in the history of the world in which the worship of the God of heaven was not proclaimed somewhere. The altars to the unknown God seem to have been a semiconscious admission of the vanity and emptiness of idolatry. The Athenians thus worshiped what they knew not; they acknowledged with reverence a divine existence which was nameless to them. But what they thus worshiped devoutly, without knowing it, Paul proclaimed to them.

After this short introduction, Paul set forth the true God to them, that they might both know His name and knowingly reverence Him. The God that made the world, the created universe, and everything it contains, He, natural Lord as He is of heaven and earth, does not make His dwelling in temples made by the hands of men. Paul deliberately contrasts the true God with the idols whose dwelling was in temples made with hands, and whose statue often filled only a small niche of such a temple. The true God is also not served or worshiped with gifts or sacrifices made by the hands of men, as though He did not possess perfection and a full measure of everything, but was still in need of something. It is rather, on the contrary, He Himself who gives life and breath to all men, and all things which they are in need of. To attempt to dispense to the Giver of all good gifts what He Himself has always possessed is obviously a foolish proceeding, since the very life of men, as well as their continued existence, depends upon Him alone. And this almighty Creator made out of one, by making Adam the father of the entire human race, every race of people for the purpose of dwelling on the entire face, in every part, of the earth. There is no need of theory and guess-work, of false philosophy; Adam is, by the will of God, the ancestor of the entire human race. And this same God has also fixed, determined, the times that were appointed beforehand and the boundaries of the abodes of men. By His will and arrangement there are periods during which nations may retain possession of the territory which they have occupied, and there are points of time when they shall be dispossessed. Thus God, who has created all men, also controls the history of all nations. And the purpose which God has in thus manifesting His almighty power and providence is that men should seek the Lord, if by any means their minds might grasp some of His essence and they might thus find Him. They should be induced to obtain the very knowledge of God which Paul is here trying to impart to them. It may be a groping, as that of a blind man, and with all efforts it would result in only partial recognition of the essence of God; but it would lead onward, and should then be supplemented by the knowledge of revelation. For He, the Creator, is not far from every single human being, His personal presence is with every one of His creatures, not with any idea of pantheism, but with a personal relationship which shows His tender care for every single life. It is in Him that all men live, and move, and exist, are personal beings. If it were not for God who sustains us, we could not give evidence of life, it would be impossible for us to move, we could, indeed, not even exist. The knowledge which Paul thus advanced might be gained even by a contemplation of the works of God, as passages from the Greek poets tended to show, which Paul briefly quotes: For we His offspring are. The words are found in the poems of Aratus and of Cleanthes, and were familiar to all that knew anything of Greek poetry. That Paul here applied words from a heathen poem to the true God should give all the less offense since the poets were undoubtedly voicing the natural knowledge of God, which they had strengthened by a careful observation of the world and its government. Thus Paul, basing his remarks upon the natural knowledge of a divine being which is found in the hearts of men even after the fall of man, had given his hearers some idea of the true God and of their relation to Him in creation and preservation. The same arguments may well be applied under similar circumstances to this day.

The conclusion of Paul and the effect of his sermon:

If his hearers have kept the facts in mind concerning the essence of God and the relation of men to God, so the argument of Paul runs, and if they accept the statement that men are the offspring of God, that they, as creatures of God, are sustained by His providence, then it follows that idol worship is altogether unworthy of the lofty descent of human beings. They must conclude not only against the worship of images, but also against the habit of thought which made such worship possible, as both foolish and senseless. It is not only an affront to God, but an insult to sound common sense to think that the Godhead is like gold or silver or stone, fashioned and sculptured by the art and produced according to the deliberation of a man. What a man’s mind, his imagination, had designed, what the skill of his fingers had then executed in metal or marble, this surely could not be reasonably endowed with the qualities of the Deity! And in addition to this his hearers were to know that God had indeed overlooked the times of ignorance, not as though He had not punished the sins of the heathen, but that He showed great patience with and forbearance toward them in not punishing them in the degree which their idolatry had merited. Now, however, since the full revelation of God has been made in Jesus Christ, God demands a change of mind and of life, complete repentance on the part of all men; this message comes in the nature of an emphatic demand. They should give heed, therefore, since God has fixed, or set, a day in which He intends to judge the entire world, all men without exception, in righteousness, in such a way that every one will receive full justice. This judgment will be executed in the person of a Man, through a Judge whom God has appointed for that purpose, John 5:22. But in the mean time God is offering faith to all men, having raised this man, Jesus Christ, from the dead. To all men without exception faith is brought near, is offered, the faith based upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ, made possible by that great miracle of God’s grace. So the address of Paul ends in a triumphant burst of Gospel-preaching, intended to impress these Gentiles with the wonderful beauty of this message and to open their hearts for Christ. But the idea of a resurrection of the dead, so indissolubly connected with Christian teaching, was to these wise Athenians the acme of foolishness. As long as Paul had demonstrated the folly of their idolatrous worship, they had listened with respectful attention, but now that he brought the essential teaching of Christ, some of the men in the audience interrupted him with cries of derision, while others, rendered thoughtful by the powerful exposition, did not merely express a cold interest in the matters presented, but voiced their willingness to hear him again at some other time. They wanted some time to think over the truths which they had heard so far. So Paul left the assembly of the Court without further opposition. And the Word also in Athens was not without immediate fruit, for there were several people in the audience in whose hearts faith had been kindled, and who therefore joined Paul as his companions and as disciples of the Lord. Among these was a member of the Athenian Council, a man of distinction in the city, by the name of Dionysius, and a woman, very likely a foreign woman, well educated and influential, and a few others with them. In the midst of His enemies Christ reigns and gains victories, though proud Athens yielded only a few converts, 1 Corinthians 1:26-27. Let all the wisdom and art of this world proudly exclaim in denunciation of the Gospel-truth, yet the foolishness of God is wiser than men; it teaches the heavenly wisdom which was revealed in Christ.

Summary

Paul and Silas preach the Gospel in Thessalonica and Berea, Paul traveling ahead of his companions from the latter city to Athens, where he also preaches the truth of the Scriptures and faith in Jesus.

Verses 1-17

Paul at Corinth

Aquila and Priscilla and the beginning of the work:

Paul had intended to wait for Silas and Timothy in Athens, but conditions caused him to leave this city before they arrived. He departed, journeying out, away from Athens, the city that took no interest in the Gospel-message. A little more than forty miles west by a good Roman road, on the isthmus between Hellas and the Peloponnesus, lay the city of Corinth, the capital of the Roman province Achaia, and the center of government and commerce. It was a rich and beautiful city, some of whose temples and public buildings ranked with those of Athens. Its wealth came pouring in through its eastern harbor, Cenchreae, on the Saronic Gulf, and on the west by way of the Bay of Corinth. But with all its external beauty, its wealth and fame, Corinth had become a byword for vice and infamy, for corruption and licentiousness. Centuries before, the Phenicians had established the worship of the Semitic goddess Astarte on the Corinthian Acropolis, and the open consecration of shameless impurity in the service of this temple of Venus, as the Roman name has it, almost passes belief. Nevertheless, Paul was acting with careful calculation when he chose this city as a missionary station, for it was one of the knots on the line of communication, the point of convergence for many subordinate roads. At Corinth also Paul could follow his usual method of gaining access to the people, since the commercial advantages of the city had attracted many Jews, and there was a synagog with a flourishing congregation. After Paul had reached the capital of Achaia, he found, not by deliberate search, but by chance, — he ran across, — a Jew by the name of Aquila, who hailed from Pontus in Asia Minor, a province southeast of the Black Sea. This man had but recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because the Roman emperor Claudius, in 50 A.D., had expelled all Jews from Rome by an imperial decree. So it must have been in the fall of this year that Paul met Aquila and his wife and made arrangements to lodge with them. Whether Priscilla was of high social rank, as has been conjectured, or not, and whether she had been the first to turn to Christ, or whether her husband had led her to the salvation which he had found first, cannot be definitely shown. But it is certain that she was very prominent in church-work, Romans 16:3; 1 Corinthians 16:19; 2 Timothy 4:19 ^■77 , and that she had great fervency of spirit and much executive ability. The arrangement by which Paul boarded with these people proved to be mutually agreeable and satisfactory, for they were fellow-craftsmen, their trade being that of tent-makers. Very likely it was not necessary for them to weave their material themselves, since the finished product of Cilicia and other Asiatic provinces could easily be procured in a commercial city like Corinth. So Paul worked at his trade and earned his living during the week by the labor of his hands, Acts 20:34-35; 1 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:8; 1 Corinthians 4:11-12; 2 Corinthians 11:9; Philippians 4:12; but on the Sabbath he followed his old custom of arguing in the synagog and trying to persuade both the Jews and the Greeks, the proselytes that attended the synagog worship. Whether Paul was ill at this time, or whether he lacked his usual fervor and aggressiveness: he seems, at any rate, not to have been able to make the usual impression upon his hearers. But with the coming of Silas and Timothy from Macedonia, who remained with him for at least a part of his stay, 2 Corinthians 1:19, being named also in the salutations of the two letters to the Thessalonians, a change occurred. Probably his two assistants brought him some financial support from the congregation at Thessalonica, for he was now entirely occupied with the teaching of the doctrine of salvation, devoting all his time and energy to preaching the Gospel as found in prophecy and fulfilment, and testifying with great power and success to the fact that Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah. As usual, this fearless proclamation precipitated a crisis. The Jews arrayed themselves in opposition to him and to his message; they not only abused Paul, but blasphemed his Gospel and the name of Christ. And therefore Paul solemnly and impressively shook out his mantle, shook the very dust of their synagog off his clothes for a testimony against them, telling them, at the same time, that their blood was upon their own heads, that they could hold no one but themselves responsible for their damnation. He knew that he was clean, innocent, free from guilt; he had done his full duty in their behalf. From that time forth he intended to go to the Gentiles. Whatever bloody end the inevitable divine punishment would bring to them they must ascribe entirely to their own hard-heartedness; his conscience absolved him from all further responsibility. Note: If all efforts to bring the Gospel to a certain region or city come to naught on account of the refusal of the inhabitants, the consequences of their opposition may well be announced to the people in terms similar to those used by Paul; for God is not mocked.

Success in preaching to the Gentiles:

Having gone out from there, from the synagog, having departed, removed himself, from the midst of the blaspheming Jews, Paul was not long at a loss for a suitable meeting-place. He entered at once into the house of one Titus Justus, a God-fearing man, a proselyte, evidently a Roman citizen of some influence and means, through whom Paul could gain access to the educated classes of the city. The action of the Jews, therefore, instead of harming the apostle, redounded to the benefit of the Gospel, as often happens. The location of the house of Justus was also favorable, since it adjoined the synagog, and was thus convenient of access to both Jews and Greeks. And that not all the Jews joined in blaspheming the Gospel-message is apparent from the fact that the ruler of the Corinthian synagog, Crispus, in this crisis came forward boldly for the cause of the Lord; he believed on the Lord with his entire house, with all the members of his family and his household, his children and his servants, 1 Corinthians 1:14. And the movement gained in force, for many of the Corinthians, Gentiles, when they heard the Word, believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and were baptized. The spread of the new faith was gradual, but continuous. The decisive action of Paul in confessing his Lord had not hindered, but furthered the course of the Word. And he was now strengthened in his aggressive labor by a vision by night in which the Lord told him not to be afraid of the continued malicious opposition of the Jews nor of any other danger, but to continue speaking and testifying, and by no means to hold his peace, never to stop. And this command the Lord reenforced by the encouraging promise that He Himself, the almighty God, was with him, and that no one would lay hands upon him to do him harm. Any one under the protection of the Lord is more secure than if all the armies of the world were summoned and arrayed in his defense. And in Corinth, as the Lord said, He had a great many people who were yet to be gained by the preaching of the Gospel. God knew that His merciful will in their case would be carried out, that they would learn to believe in their Savior Jesus Christ. Thus the Lord, in the midst of the Corinthian people, whose moral plane was as low as that of any city in the empire, had chosen a congregation to be sanctified through the blood of Christ, by faith in His salvation. Christianity here wrought its miracle, as one commentator has it, for in Corinth the Gospel was put to a supreme test, and nowhere did it triumph more gloriously. And though God chiefly chose the lowly among the people, 1 Corinthians 1:26-27, His call included also men of high station, a Crispus, a Gaius, a Stephanas, and an Erastus, the public treasurer of the city, Romans 16:23. With such splendid success attending his labors, Paul dwelt, settled, in Corinth for the time being; he carried on a quiet and settled work of establishing the congregation and seeing it grow in faith and sanctity, his entire stay consuming a year and six months. The Word of the Lord he preached, no foolish fancies of his own imagination or of man’s philosophy; for the latter will never build the Church of Christ, no matter how attractively it may be presented.

The insurrection at the time of Gallio:

Gallio became proconsul of Achaia and took charge of the affairs of the province in the summer of 51 A.D., almost a year after Paul had come to Corinth. “Another proof of St. Luke’s accuracy. Achaia from B.C. 27 (when it had been separated from Macedonia, to which it had been united since B.C. 146, and made into a separate province) had been governed by a proconsul. In A.D. 15 Tiberius had reunited it with Macedonia and Mysia, and it was therefore under an imperial legatus as an imperial province. But a further change occurred when Claudius, A.D. 44, made it again a senatorial province under a proconsul.” ^■78 . Evidently the Jews thought this a propitious time to inaugurate a tumult, for they arose against Paul with one accord, as one man, and led him to the judgment-seat of the proconsul. They may have thought that the new proconsul would want to make a favorable impression and gain the good will of all his subjects at once, and therefore would grant their request. Their charge against Paul was that he, against the law, was persuading the people to worship God. The wording of the accusation showed great skill, for in a certain sense the word “law” might include both the Roman law and the Jewish law, the first being fixed by the government, the second being permitted by a special decree. In stating that Paul’s teaching was illegal, they meant to convey the impression that he was spreading a prohibited religion, while in their own hearts they had reference only to their ceremonial law and to the traditions which they held sacred. So the Jews here made use of boldness mingled with cleverness. Paul was just about to open his lips to make a suitable reply to this sophistical charge when Gallio gave the Jews an answer which showed that he drew a hard and fast line between a charge of unlawful action against the state and against Jewish law and custom. He explained that if it were a case of an unlawful action, of a breach of state law, or if it were an actual crime, a moral wrong, with which they were charging Paul, he would sustain them, he would look into the case, according to right and justice. But so far as any discussion regarding a word and names of their law was concerned, they would have to see to that themselves; he did not propose to act as judge in such matters. Gallio was not altogether clear in his mind what the whole controversy was about; he may have heard some references to the Word of God, to the name of Jesus, to the customs and usages of the Jews. And it was not necessary for him, in his capacity as secular judge, to be familiar with these matters. But he certainly proved that the high praise bestowed upon him by the historians, in calling him a man of admirable integrity, amiable and popular, was not misplaced. In this he might well serve as an example to state officers everywhere, in showing them that the business of the state deals with transgressions of the second table of the Law only, and should not interfere with the exercise of religion. The prompt and energetic action of the proconsul, not only in rendering a clear opinion without the least delay, but also in dismissing the importunate Jews with some sharpness, in clearing the court, made a very favorable impression upon the people that were gathered in the forum, and turned the tide of popular prejudice in favor of Paul. The Greeks that were present immediately laid hold of Sosthenes, the successor of Crispus as the ruler of the synagog, and gave him a sound thrashing in full view of the judgment-seat, and Gallio took no official notice of the beating, assuming, no doubt, that there was some bitterness against the Jews which might find its vent in this comparatively harmless way. And thus, in accordance with the Lord’s promise that no harm should befall the apostle, the purpose of Gallio to confine himself strictly to his business of proconsul was a means of saving Paul from persecution and probably even death.

Verses 18-28

The return trip to Antioch and the beginning of the third journey

From Corinth to Antioch:

After the unsuccessful uprising of the Jews, which must have occurred in the fall of 51 A.D., Paul remained in Corinth a matter of another half year, many days, as Luke reports, showing that there was no more difficulty, but that the Gospel could be preached freely. Then, however, he made his farewells to the brethren and embarked for Syria, he set about to make his voyage, with Syria as his goal. Priscilla and Aquila, his hosts and dear friends, accompanied him. Note that Luke places the woman’s name first, as the more active and energetic in the work of the Lord. They went down to the eastern harbor of Corinth, the town of Cenchreae, first, for here the ships landed that carried on the trade with Asia. Before going aboard, Paul had his head shaved and took the hair along with him, for he had a vow which he intended to pay to the Lord, probably on the coming Passover festival in Jerusalem, Numbers 6:13-21 ^■79 . He had been under a Nazirite’s vow, and now resumed the regular cutting of his hair, which, according to special provisions intended to cover just such cases, could then be taken to the door of the Temple and burned there. Paul, as a Jew, still observed the customs of the Jewish law and tradition which did not interfere with the exercise of the Christian religion. In the same way Luther did not permit iconoclastic motives to govern him, but retained such customs of external worship as are not in themselves sinful. Sailing eastward from Cenchreae, Paul and his companions crossed the Aegean Sea, with its many beautiful and historic islands, a distance of some 250 miles, to Ephesus, the capital of the Roman province of Asia, a city which he had intended to visit in the beginning of the present journey. Here the apostle left his companions, who probably intended to stay here a while for the purpose of assisting in mission work. Paul himself, while his ship was in the harbor for some days, could not deny himself the pleasure of visiting the synagog on the Sabbath, since he was desirous that others should partake of his hope of eternal salvation through the merits of Jesus. To this end he argued with the Jews from the Scriptures, not without making an impression upon them, for they begged him to remain there for a longer time. But he felt constrained to refuse the invitation and therefore bade them farewell, saying that he must by all means celebrate the coming festival, most likely that of the Passover, in Jerusalem. But he comforted them with the promise that he would return to them, if it was the will of God. Note the example which Paul sets with his conditional promise. Leaving Ephesus, Paul continued his voyage around the southwestern coast of Asia Minor, thence past the little isle of Rhodes in a southeasterly direction, leaving Cyprus on the left, till the ship reached Caesarea, the city of the centurion Cornelius ^■80 . Without delay he made the trip up to the mountains where Jerusalem was located (altitude about 2,500 feet), saluted the congregation, paid his vow, attended the festival, but then left at once to travel overland down to Antioch, where he doubtless received a glad welcome from the church. It was the end of his second long missionary journey, on which he had been absent for almost three years.

The beginning of the third missionary journey:

Paul had probably reached Antioch in the early summer of the year 52, but he did not spend much time there. His zeal for the Lord and the Gospel did not permit him to rest. Even before the heat of the summer set in, he was once more on the way, traveling overland over the same route which he had taken on the previous journey, Acts 15:41, through Syria into Cilicia, and from there by way of the Gates of Cilicia into the Lycaonian plateau. Here he continued his missionary journey through Southern Galatia, in the districts of Lycaonia and Phrygia, through Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Pisidian Antioch. Judging from the rapidity of his journey, as indicated in the words of Luke, Paul must have found all the churches of these regions in such a condition that a longer visit on his part was not necessary. Still he made good use of every opportunity to admonish, encourage, and confirm all the disciples, urging them earnestly to cling to the faith in the Lord Jesus as it had been delivered to them. Paul, with his energy and with his capacity for work, is a model missionary for all times; he did not spare himself in the labor of his Lord. But while he was spending the latter part of summer and the early fall in the center of Asia Minor, events in Ephesus were preparing the way for his labors in that important city. For a certain Jew by the name of Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, his parents and forefathers having lived in that Egyptian city for many years, thus making him a native of Alexandria, though a Jew by descent and education, came to Ephesus, settled there for a time. He was both eloquent and learned, and well read in the Scriptures; he was at home in them and could adduce the most important passages in any emergency and in the defense of any doctrine. This man had received catechetical instruction in the way of the Lord; he knew the divine plan of salvation which aimed at the redemption of Israel; while he was not acquainted with any other baptism but John’s, he may have known a good deal of Christ’s words and deeds as gained from such accounts as Egyptian Jews brought back from their visits to the Jewish capital. But what he lacked in accuracy of knowledge, he fully made up in fervor. He was burning in his spirit with zeal for the Lord, and he made it his regular custom to speak and teach the things concerning Jesus Christ with all accuracy; both in private conversation and in public discourse he set forth the facts which had been taught him as exactly as he could. Weak as he was in Christian knowledge, he began to speak freely even in the synagog, for he had the courage of his convictions. And Aquila and Priscilla, who had not found it necessary to separate themselves from their countrymen at Ephesus, hearing him speak, showed fine tact and solicitude in his behalf. They recognized his excellencies as well as his deficiencies, and therefore took him with them and set the way of the Lord before him with greater exactness, supplying what he still lacked in knowledge from the information which they had gained from Paul. That was a fine indication of the right spirit toward a brother that was still weak in knowledge; and the fact that Apollo accepted this service in the spirit in which it was rendered shows that he was not puffed up with pride over his abilities and knowledge. Some time afterwards, therefore, after he had been thoroughly established in the full Christian knowledge, when he planned to go over into Achaia, to Corinth, for a stay of some time, the Christian brethren of Ephesus wrote a letter of recommendation for him, urging the disciples in the Greek capital to make him welcome. This service of love deserves to be imitated a little oftener in our days; for not only the relatives and close friends, but all Christian brethren should take an interest in the spiritual welfare of such as remove to a different part of the country. But the example of Apollo is also significant, for he at once sought out the brethren in Corinth, and in conference with them proved of great aid to them that had become believers by grace. What Paul had planted Apollo watered; but it was God that gave the increase. His grace worked faith in the hearts of the believers, as it does to this day. The success of Apollo’s labors was due in no small measure to the fact that he, powerfully, vehemently, argued down the Jews; he confuted them, even if he could not convince them; for before all the people, in public meetings, he demonstrated from the Scriptures, from the Old Testament writings as they were universally accepted by the Jews, that Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth, who was crucified at Jerusalem, could be no one else than the Christ, the Messiah of the world. It is a blessing, a gift of God, if a teacher of the Church has the ability to confute the gainsayers and to bring out the glorious facts of salvation with the proper force.

Summary

Paul labors at Corinth under the special protection of God, returns to Antioch by way of Ephesus, Caesarea, and Jerusalem, and sets out upon his third missionary journey, Apollos doing some advance work for him in Ephesus.

Verses 1-20

Paul’s work at Ephesus

Paul’s arrival at Ephesus:

While Apollos was in Corinth, having made the voyage across the Aegean after his stay in Ephesus, Paul, having finished his visitation trip in the upper, the mountainous, districts of Asia Minor, came down to Ephesus. Apparently Paul did not take the main road from Pisidian Antioch, which passed through Colossae and Laodicea (cp. Colossians 2:1), but took the very shortest route, farther north, down the Cayster Valley. So he found himself in Ephesus within the briefest possible time. Ephesus, the capital of Proconsular Asia, was, like Athens, a typical city of heathendom, the “home of every Oriental quackery and superstition in combination with its Hellenism.” ^■81 . It stood a mile from the Aegean Sea, fronting an artificial harbor. On the hill above the city rose the Temple of Artemis, one of the most magnificent buildings in Asia Minor. For Paul’s purposes it was especially valuable that the system of Roman roads from every quarter of the province made Ephesus easily accessible. Upon his arrival in the city the apostle found a peculiar, a singular condition obtaining in the congregation. Due to the efforts of Aquila, Priscilla, and Apollos, there was an assembly of brethren there, of men and women that accepted Jesus as their Savior; but there was a wide difference in the state of Christian knowledge. For Paul here found twelve men whom he proceeded to question as to the extent of their knowledge of Christian doctrines. One of his questions was whether they had received the Holy Ghost at the time when they became believers, the sense of the inquiry being whether they had received the extraordinary gift of the Holy Ghost which had been vouchsafed to so many converts. Their answer was rather surprising, for they stated that they had not even heard of the existence of a Holy Ghost in connection with their conversion. Upon Paul’s further question into what, then, they had been baptized, that is, what form of baptism they had received, they answered that they had been baptized into the baptism of John. This answer showed Paul that they were lacking in the proper understanding, and he proceeded to give them the necessary instruction, namely, that John had baptized with the baptism of repentance, incidentally telling the people that they should believe on Him that was coming after him, that is, on Jesus Christ ^■82 . This explanation of Paul fully opened their understanding, and they received Baptism into the name of the Lord Jesus, thus being added to the number of those that belonged to Christ as His own. “The papyri have shown that where the phrase ‘baptized into’ occurs, that the person baptized becomes the property of the divine person indicated.” ^■83 . And when Paul, who seems to have performed the baptizing personally, laid his hands upon the men, the Holy Ghost came upon them with extraordinary gifts, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.

The story of these twelve men, as here related, seems very strange if viewed in the light of present knowledge, but the strangeness disappears when we take the circumstances into account. The case is on the order of that of Apollos, whose ignorance of what certainly is an important part of Christian doctrine was just as profound. We must distinguish between the baptism which John personally administered, and that of his later disciples, which is commonly referred to as the baptism of John. The baptism with which John, by a special command of God, baptized, was a valid sacrament, which gave to those that confessed their sins, and believed the preaching of John, forgiveness of sins and the grace of God ^■84 . But John the Baptist was merely the precursor of Christ; his preaching, as his baptism, was a testimony of Christ, who was to come after him, and who, through His suffering and death, was to earn salvation and forgiveness for all sinners. After Christ had been revealed to Israel and had formally entered upon His ministry, the time of preparation was ended, the work and the office of John ceased to have value. And when Christ then, by His death, had finished His work and after His resurrection had given His disciples the command to baptize all nations in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost; when, above all, the Day of Pentecost had come, and the disciples of the Lord were now baptizing in the name of Jesus Christ, the crucified and resurrected, then the baptism of John no longer had any value, just as the Old Testament sacrament of circumcision, though still practised by the Jewish Christians, was regarded as a mere ceremony.

But not all the disciples of John had entered into the discipleship of Christ. We find, even after the death of John and after the death of Christ, a small association or communion of disciples of John that did not unite with the Church. They thus became a sect, regarded John as their head, and acted contrary to the will and command of their own master. And therefore their baptism, which they performed and proclaimed as the continuation of the baptism of John, was no real baptism, but a mere dead ceremony. This ceremony had been performed in the case of the twelve disciples in Ephesus, the one that had administered it to them very likely not testifying to them in the form and with the power of John, that Christ had baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire. But these men had now heard the story of Jesus in Ephesus; through the mercy and the power of the Holy Ghost they had come to faith. And now they also, by the administration of the sacrament which was the real Baptism, received the extraordinary gifts which had been given to other baptized Christians ^■85 .

The success of the Gospel:

Also in Ephesus Paul followed his usual method of going into the synagog of the Jews first and making a sincere attempt to win them for the kingdom of God. He spoke boldly, without reserve, in an altogether fearless manner. For three months he pursued this course of bringing the soundest arguments, the most persuasive points in regard to the kingdom of God. He preached that Kingdom, the fact that God wanted all men to enter into it by faith; he exerted all his strength to win souls for the Lord. But in spite of all his efforts some of the hearers hardened themselves; gradually, from day to day, they became more obstinate, more positive in their refusal to accept the message of the Gospel, 2 Corinthians 2:16. Finally they openly avowed their disbelief and reviled the way of the Lord, the doctrine and practise of Christianity, before the entire assembly that gathered in the synagog for worship. Cp. Acts 18:6. This ungrateful and blasphemous behavior at length induced Paul to do two things. For himself, he renounced all fellowship with the synagog, and he separated all the disciples from the members of the Jewish congregation, with whom they had till now worshiped. And now, instead of meeting with the believers only once, or at the most three times a week, Paul could hold daily services. For he made arrangements to have the use of a lecture-hall belonging to one Tyrannus, very likely a public teacher of philosophy or rhetoric. The time of services could easily be fixed so that all were able to attend and to bring many others to the preaching of the Gospel. And so satisfactory did this plan prove to be that it was followed, in an uninterrupted manner, for the space of two years. The results of such intensive work, under the leadership of such an energetic worker, were proportionately gratifying. Not only the city of Ephesus itself, but all the inhabitants of Proconsular Asia, of the entire province, both Jews and Greeks (speaking generally), heard the Word of the Lord. Either they personally came to Ephesus to hear the great preacher of Christianity, or they heard the Word from the many disciples that went out from the city. Owing to this great missionary effort, we later have seven churches of Asia, Revelation 1:4, all within the territory of Ephesus. The effect of Paul’s preaching was greatly enhanced by the fact that the Lord testified to it by special manifestations of His power. He performed extraordinary miracles through the hands of Paul, signs that were unusual even in those days of astonishing deeds. When the apostle could not come in person, people took his sudaries, or handkerchiefs, and his little aprons, such as he girded about him as a sort of girdle, garments that had come in contact with his skin, and brought them to the sick, the result being that the sicknesses left, and that the evil spirits went forth, a graphic way of describing the complete healing of all manner of afflictions. All of these people put their faith in the Lord, whose servant Paul was, and therefore received this evidence of the Lord’s power. Note that Luke also here makes a distinction between sickness and demon possession.

The encounter with the exorcists:

The success of Paul in expelling demons made a great impression upon some Jewish exorcists that were in Ephesus at that time. It seems that this form of demoniac healing was practised by certain wandering or strolling exorcists, who went from one city to another and attempted to drive out the evil spirits by adjuring them in the name of some prophet, the men in this instance being the seven sons of a Jew named Skeua, either the head of one of the twenty-four courses of priests at Jerusalem, or related to the high-priestly family. These men in the present case undertook to use the name of the Lord Jesus as a spell to charm with, to gain power over the evil spirit. Their formula, which they individually used, was: I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches. It is a stratagem and deceit of the devil to use the Word of God, the name of God and the name of Jesus, to perform his dark and devilish tricks. It was an abuse of the name of God, a criminal, blasphemous game, which they were playing. But they found their punishment with unexpected suddenness. For the evil spirit in the man whom they were trying to heal answered them that he knew Jesus, was fully familiar with His power and authority, and that he was also acquainted with Paul, some other spirits having experienced the miraculous power that dwelt in him, but who might they be, to use the name of both in such an assured manner? That was an expression of sneering contempt, since the devil would not recognize their superiority and refused to heed their adjuration. And what is more: their self-satisfied assurance filled the evil spirit with fury. The man whose body he controlled sprang upon them like an infuriated beast, mastered them with the greatest ease (two of them being present upon this occasion), and overpowered them completely; they were like helpless infants in his hands. With their clothes torn from their bodies and covered with wounds they fled out of the house which they had entered with such great confidence. Instead of coming back in triumph, they crept back in shame and disgrace. And the story became known to all the inhabitants of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, causing fear to fall upon them all. As a consequence, the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified, was highly praised, and continued to receive praise from an increasing number of disciples. Thus the plans of the devil to hinder and interfere with the work of the Lord only result in the furtherance of His kingdom.

A further result of this event:

The beating which the exorcists received in consequence of their unwarranted use of the name of Jesus had a good effect also upon the disciples that had come to faith, that had joined the congregation at Ephesus. The fear that Jesus was mightier than all idols and demons was spread far and wide. Now, the city of Ephesus, like most of the large cities of that day, was full of witchcraft and superstition. And this fact was here brought out in a remarkable way, since fear of punishment opened the mouth of many. They confessed, openly declared, their wrong-doings in this respect; they disclosed the magic spells which they had used. And many of those that had practised magical arts collected their books on these subjects, burning them openly, in the sight of all the people. They also computed the price of these books and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver, almost ten thousand dollars ^■86 . “Their value depended not so much on their number or their size as on their contents; for they contained plainly written directions for the performance of tricks of jugglery and magic, and the purchaser, by a little practise, could be just as skilful a juggler as the original owner.” So did the Word of the Lord grow with power, with such irresistible force did it persuade the hearts of men and gain new converts. And such strength did it exhibit in changing the hearts of these converts that they voluntarily renounced all connection with superstition and witchcraft. This power of God, even to-day, is exerted through the Word and shows the same results. The foolishness of men’s perverted minds, together with the power of the kingdom of darkness, is helpless before the power of God in His Word.

Verses 21-41

The tumult of Demetrius

Some plans of Paul:

After these things had been accomplished, after the Gospel had scored this great victory over the powers of darkness and over the hearts of men, Paul made up his mind, not according to some temporary notion, but under the direction of the Holy Ghost. As the work of the Church at all times is under His government, so He, in those early days, directed the steps of His missionaries in wonderful ways, Acts 16:6-10. Paul planned to make a missionary trip through Macedonia and Achaia, where the congregations at Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, and Corinth, and possibly one at Athens and in a number of other cities, could well make use of his counsel, encouragement, and admonition, after which he intended to travel to Jerusalem. His own personal wish and desire was, after he had made these journeys, to see Rome, the capital of the entire empire. Since he could not leave at once, he sent two of his assistants in advance, two of the younger men that ministered to him while they were perfecting their knowledge of theology, namely, Timothy and Erastus. These two were to proceed to Macedonia first, but with instructions to visit Achaia also and there to inform the congregation at Corinth concerning Paul’s ways and teaching, 1 Corinthians 4:17; 1 Corinthians 16:10. Paul himself stayed in Ephesus for some time longer, though the congregations in the house of Aquila and Priscilla and elsewhere in the province were by this time well established, 1 Corinthians 16:19. This addition to this stay (Acts 19:10) made the total length of time spent in Ephesus nearer three years than two, Acts 20:31.

The speech of Demetrius:

At that same time, when the apostle had sent Timothy and Erastus ahead to Macedonia, a tumult of no small proportions was started in Ephesus on account of the way which Paul taught, the Gospel proclamation with all it included. For in the city lived a certain man, a silversmith, Demetrius by name, the master of the guild for that year, as some think. An ancient inscription even makes it probable that he was the president of the city board of magistrates at that time. The silversmiths of Ephesus did a lucrative business in those days by selling small models of the shrine of the goddess Diana, of the great temple of Ephesus, as souvenirs. This temple was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, 425 by 220 feet in size, and gloriously beautiful with its white marble columns supporting the roof. Some of the porphyry columns now in Santa Sophia at Constantinople are said to have been taken from it. “The temple was venerated over all of western Asia Minor. To it came many pilgrims every year, to whom Ephesian silversmiths sold little replicas of the temple. It was because Christianity became so popular through the preaching of Paul that the profitable sale of these shrines was interfered with, that the riot in Ephesus occurred.” ^■87 . “These ‘shrines’ were not mere statuettes of the goddess, but were probably miniature representations of the temple shrine which were sometimes dedicated to the goddess as votive offerings, sometimes, doubtless, kept in the homes, or placed in graves by the side of the dead.” ^■88 . Naturally, this business brought a great deal of money to the silversmiths, and, just as naturally, anything that tended to interfere with this business and thus touch the craftsmen in their most sensitive spot, the question of income, was denounced with great resentment. The speech of Demetrius to his fellow-craftsmen, a formal meeting of whom he had called, contains the charges in a very frank way, namely, that Paul was hurting their business, and that he was interfering with the worship of Diana. They all knew that they were making a very comfortable living out of this business. And now they saw it before their eyes and heard it daily that the activities of this man Paul were not confined to the city of Ephesus itself, but that he had, in almost the entire province of Asia, persuaded and turned away a great multitude from the ancient form of worship, because he said that those figures which are made by the hands of men are no gods. This testimony out of the mouth of one of the enemies, although it must be discounted to some extent as an exaggeration with the purpose of making an impression, still paints an impressive picture of the success of Paul’s labors. If the amount of business had been reduced to such an extent that all the members of the craft felt the effects, the number of converts to Christianity, together with the moral influence of their outspoken or implied disapproval, must have been very large. But Demetrius skilfully puts his emphasis on the second charge. He implies that the loss of their income might be borne yet, that the danger which was threatening this branch of their trade in bringing it into contempt was not the most serious aspect of the situation, but this he urges as his real complaint, that the sanctuary of the great goddess Artemis (Diana) would fall into bad repute, would no longer be regarded, and that she would even be deposed from her magnificence, and her majesty, glory, and praise be lowered, although, as the speaker points out, all of Asia and the whole world worshiped her. Both the Greeks and the Romans revered this goddess very highly, and though only the people of Asia Minor made regular pilgrimages to this temple, it was known in every part of the civilized world, and was duly given the homage which the average heathen gave to the gods about whom he received instruction. The speech of Demetrius was that of a shrewd demagog, who knew well how to play upon the passions of the people by touching upon their most sensitive points: love of money and religious superstition.

The effect of the speech:

If Demetrius intended to kindle a fire, he certainly was successful beyond his design. No sooner had he closed his speech than some member of the guild or some other person in the audience coined a catchy phrase which struck the popular fancy: Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! And, full of anger as they were, the others took up the cry and carried it out to the street. In less time than it takes to tell about it, the disturbance had spread to all quarters; it filled the city, and surged back and forth like various liquids that have been poured together and cannot become settled. The streets being far too narrow for a proper show of mob violence, agitators and rabble alike were struck by the idea at the same time and rushed into the large theater, probably the largest in the world, its diameter being 495 feet and its capacity 24,500 people. But on their way, in their mad rush, they managed to seize and to carry along with them two fellow-lodgers of Paul, the Macedonians Gaius and Aristarchus. The latter is mentioned also in other passages as a native of Macedonia, of the city of Thessalonica, Acts 20:4; Acts 27:2. It is probable that these two men, here mentioned as attendants of Paul, were delegates of the Thessalonian congregation who were with Paul carrying the contribution to the congregation at Jerusalem. These faithful men being in danger of their lives, Paul firmly intended to go out and face the angry mob, in order to shield them with his own life; but this the members of the congregation would not permit. To the infuriated mob his appearance at that time would have been like a red rag, and, according to all possibility, could have accomplished nothing. And the disciples were seconded in their endeavors by some of the leading men of the city, the Asiarchs, the chief priests of the Roman Empire in the provinces, whose duties included also the providing of games for the people. Some of these influential men were decidedly friendly to Paul, as this act of kindness shows, since they took the trouble of sending to him and earnestly begging him not to venture forth into the theater. In the mean time, the members of the mob were working themselves into a fine frenzy, for they continued to shout, some one thing and some another. There was no unity of thought and of leadership: it was an unlawful, tumultuous assembly, poured together like liquids that will not mix properly. And, as usual, when a rabble, a mob, springs from the ground upon such occasions, the majority of the people had no idea why they had really come together. At this point the Jews of the city, fearing that the fury of the mob might turn against them also, since Paul was a Jew, and since they themselves were opposed to idolatry, made the attempt to have one of their own number, a man by the name of Alexander, explain the situation to the surging multitude. The man tried to follow the instructions which he had received as the Jews pushed him to the front. But no sooner did he raise his hand, indicating to the people that he wanted to speak, and, in this case, to hold a speech of defense, than the intelligence went the rounds that he was a Jew. Whether they could all see plainly enough to distinguish his dress and features, or whether those nearest to the arena or stage passed the word along, — the entire multitude, the infuriated mob, with one voice from them all, like the bellowing of some enraged monster, took up the phrase which had caught their fancy as one of the silversmiths had shouted it: Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! It was a wild demonstration of a lawless mob, but a comparatively harmless enjoyment, at that: it satisfied their idea of worship without hurting any one. The city authorities therefore did not interfere at this point, since any opposition would have inflamed the mob to acts of violence. They were evidently well versed in the psychology of the mob and bided their time.

The end of the riot:

With two hours’ continuous yelling, the fury of the mob had spent itself, its members were exhausted. And now the secretary of the city had no difficulty in quieting the people. “He was the most influential person in Ephesus, for not only were the decrees to be proposed drafted by him and the Strategoi [the magistrates], and money left to the city was committed to his charge, but as the power of the Ecclesia, the public assembly, declined under imperial rule, the importance of the secretary’s office was enhanced, because he was in closer touch with the court of the proconsul than the other city magistrates, and acted as a medium of communication between the imperial and municipal government.” ^■89 . Addressing the assembly as citizens of Ephesus, he asks whether there is really any man that does not know the city of Ephesus to be the temple-keeper of the great Artemis and of the figure that fell down from heaven. The image of Artemis the Fruitful, a figure representing the goddess as life-giver and nourisher, was said to have fallen down from the sky, having been thrown down from the throne of Zeus, or Jupiter, their highest God. The speaker represented these things as facts, as self-evident, as unchallenged by any one, with the implication, of course, that there was no need of all this excitement, since all that they had said about their goddess was universally acknowledged. Now, he argued, since these things were without contradiction, since no one had publicly attacked these statements, the obvious duty of every one there present was to keep the peace and not to do anything rash. As for Gaius and Aristarchus, the two men whom they had accused indirectly, even if they did not bring a direct charge against them, they were neither robbers of the temple, nor had they blasphemed their goddess. The speaker here ignores the real charge against the disciples, that of denying that images made with hands are gods. He did not state the whole truth, being perhaps not even acquainted with it, but simply judged from the case as it appeared before him. Paul and his companions had never, as later fanatical missionaries and iconoclasts did, thrown down and destroyed heathen images, nor had they attempted to gain their point by abuse and bluster, but they had simply taught the truth and tried to convince the heathen of the vanity of their idols. If therefore Demetrius and his fellow-craftsmen felt that they had a case against any one, the court-meetings were going on at that very moment, sessions of the court were being held and the judges were present, the proconsul was on duty; let them therefore bring their charge. These simple rules, which must obtain in a well-ordered state, should be followed, then there would be justice for all. But if the assembly desired to have any resolution passed concerning the future conduct of citizens or of residents of the city, such things were to be decided in a legal meeting, called in a legal manner and empowered to pass such resolutions, the present meeting not coming under this heading. He finally reminded the people of the possible consequences of their foolish acts. They all were in danger of being called to account for the riot of that day, in itself a serious matter, since it would not be possible for them to show any reason for this tumult. And the crowning bit of tactful diplomacy was the action of the secretary in dismissing the assembly. The words imply the usual formal dismissal, a motion to adjourn having been called for by the moderator and duly passed by the assembly. This trick would tend to give the meeting a lawful aspect and help to shield the people in case of an investigation. It was thus a skilful device of the secretary both to make the people still more heartily ashamed of themselves, and to make them feel indebted to him for keeping them out of greater difficulties. Note: The riot at Ephesus has its parallels in contemporary church history. The true preachers of the Gospel are no robbers of churches, no iconoclasts, no senseless blasphemers; but their duty is to show the heathen of our days the vanity of the modern idols, of the lust of the flesh, of the lust of the eyes, of the pride of life. And this position is bitterly resented by those that feel their guilt. Whenever they have an opportunity, therefore, they incite thoughtless people against the Church. The days of mob-rule are evidently not past yet. Since, however, an infuriated mob has no reason, the Christians will quietly wait and place their cause into the hands of God until they may confess the Word once more and build their Lord’s kingdom. The exalted Christ watches over His own in the midst of all dangers.

Summary

Paul labors at Ephesus for almost three years with great success, although the opponents try to harm the cause of Christ by inciting a tumult.

Verses 1-16

The journey to Macedonia and back to Miletus

The second visit to Macedonia and Greece:

Paul had intended to make a trip to Macedonia and Achaia, Acts 19:21. That the riot in the city materially hastened his departure, or that the work of the Lord in Ephesus had come to a standstill or even received a severe setback, is not included in the text, 1 Corinthians 16:8-9. Not one of the disciples had been harmed in the tumult, and the speech of the secretary of the city must certainly be considered favorable, although in a negative way, rather than anything else. After the uproar had ceased, after the last excitement attending the riot had died down, which may have taken days and even weeks, Paul decided that the time for departure had come. So he called a special meeting of all the disciples of Ephesus, for there must have been other house congregations besides that of Aquila and Priscilla, 1 Corinthians 16:19. At this last service he gave them a farewell address of admonition and encouragement; he then took leave of them with the usual form of salutation and started on his trip to Macedonia. Sailing up the Aegean Sea, he landed at Troas, where he had expected to meet Titus, 2 Corinthians 2:12-13. But since he did not find him, he lost no time in pushing on to Macedonia. Here he made his missionary journeys in the accustomed way, visiting all the districts where congregations had been established, Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea. In all these cities his words of encouragement and admonition, of which he was not sparing, tended to establish the brethren in the faith and in sound Christianity. He even extended his journey over into the borders of Illyricum, west of Macedonia, Romans 15:19. But then he turned southward into Greece, or Achaia, where his principal errand was to the congregation at Corinth, some trouble there requiring his attention. He made a stay of fully three months here, intending after that to make the voyage directly to Syria. It was most likely at this time that he wrote the letter to the Galatians and also that to the Romans. But his plans were crossed by the enmity of the Jews, who plotted against his life, either by waiting for him at Cenchreae or by hiring assassins to murder him aboard the vessel. Paul therefore quickly changed his mind and his plans and traveled overland through Macedonia, in order to embark in one of those harbors. He was not alone on this trip, but had a number of companions, six of whom, with Luke as the seventh in Philippi, traveled with him all the way, while two went ahead to await his coming in Troas. There was Sopater, or Sopater Pyrrus, of Berea, there were Aristarchus and Secundus of Thessalonica, there were Gaius of Derbe and Timothy of Lystra, there was Luke of Philippi; and finally, there were Tychicus and Trophimus, both of them probably from Ephesus. As one commentator explains, the discovery of the Jewish plot altered Paul’s plan, and that at the last moment, when delegates from the various congregations had already assembled. The European delegates had intended to sail from Corinth, with Paul, and the Asian from Ephesus, but the latter, having received word of the change of plans, went as far as Troas to meet the others, and accompanied them the rest of the way. Note: In all these accounts the loving intimacy between Paul and the Christian congregations is evident, a splendid example in these days of indifference and selfishness.

Paul at Troas:

Paul and his companions from the European congregations, including Luke, celebrated the Passover in Philippi. After the festival they sailed from the harbor of Neapolis, but on account of adverse winds did not reach Troas until the fifth day, whereas with favorable winds the trip could be made in two, Acts 16:11-12. In Troas all the delegates that were to represent the various congregations in Jerusalem, in bringing them the collection which Paul had ordered, were now together. Here Paul made use of the “open door” of which he speaks elsewhere, 2 Corinthians 2:12, remaining in the city as long as he dared without endangering his plans as to the time of arrival in Jerusalem. On the first of the Sabbaths, on the first day of the week, the disciples came together for services, mainly to break bread, to celebrate Holy Communion. Here we have the first reliable account of the choice of Sunday as the day of worship. Because the faith of the Christians is based upon the resurrection of the Lord, they chose this day, not from necessity or by divine command, but to hear the Word of God and to use the holy Sacraments. It was an evening service, since Paul intended to leave in the morning. Paul himself addressed the assembly in a long didactic sermon, prolonging his address till midnight. It was his desire to give the disciples all possible instruction and admonition while he was still with them. Luke relates that they had many lights in the upper chamber of the house which served as their place of worship, not to guard against the suspicion of sinful practises among the Christians, but simply as a bit of vivid description, and to account, at least in part, for the sleepiness of the young man, whom the many lights, with their fluttering flame, undoubtedly made drowsy, as well as his effort to follow the words of Paul closely. This young man, whose name was Eutychus, had chosen the window-sill as his seat and was there gradually borne down, overcome, by sleep. Nobody seems to have noticed him until it was too late; for his sleep finally became so sound that he lost his balance and fell out of the window of the third floor down to the pavement below. The noise drawing the attention of the assembly to the accident, they hurried down, but only to pick up the young man dead. But Paul, who had also come down, stretched himself upon him and held him closely to the warmth of his body. After that he told the anxious brethren not to make any outcry, since his soul was now in him. It was a miracle of bringing a dead person back to life, much like that of the Shunammite’s son, 2 Kings 4:33-35. Paul then returned to the assembly-room, celebrated the Holy Communion with the brethren and apparently also the feast which was held by the early Christians in connection with the Sacrament. After the close of the regular service, the apostle still spoke to the assembled disciples in a more informal way, explaining to them many points upon which they were in need of information. Until the dawn of the new day the meeting lasted, when Paul set forth on his trip southward. But the disciples of Troas brought the boy alive and well, and were filled with great consolation and strength of faith. They realized that it was the power of God in Paul that had performed this miracle, and that this work therefore testified to the truth of Paul’s preaching. This same doctrine is the basis of every Christian’s faith to this day.

From Troas to Miletus:

The companions of Paul went down to the ship and embarked without him, sailing down to the city of Assos on the Adramyttene Gulf. The distance by water is about forty miles, while the trip overland is only about half as far. Paul had so ordered it, intending to make the trip afoot and to have them take him into the ship, to pick him up in the evening or on the next day. Paul was worn out with the labors and the excitement of the past weeks, not to speak of the constant menace due to Jewish hatred. A small journey afoot, therefore, though it was made after a night without sleep, would give him the opportunity to be alone in prayer with his Lord, besides affording the diversion of constantly shifting scenery along the way, a relief for body and mind. Note: There is much room for thought here for such as can read between the lines, both as to the burdens borne by a faithful preacher and to the necessity of solitude and recreation at times. When Paul had joined his companions on the ship at Assos, either the same evening or the next morning, and had been picked up by them, they went on to Mitylene, a harbor on the eastern coast of the island of Lesbos, where they anchored for the night, the channel being somewhat dangerous to navigate in the dark. The following day they made good headway, being able to reach a point near the mainland opposite the island of Chios, where they anchored for the night. Their next station was the island of Samos, south of the Caystrian Gulf, and southwest of Ephesus. To reach the island, they struck directly across the gulf and thus did not land at Ephesus. From Samos they crossed to the mainland, having some delay at Trogyllium, probably to take on or unload a part of the cargo. But from there it was only a short run to Miletus, the port at the mouth of the Maeander, a populous and important city, with a large inland trade, where the vessel was to stay for several days. The trip from Troas to Miletus had thus taken from Monday morning to Saturday evening. And Paul did not take the time to stop off somewhere and take a coastwise boat to Ephesus, for he had decided not to stop there on this trip, the delay such an action might occasion being his main reason. His hurry was due to the fact that he wanted to be in Jerusalem for the Festival of Pentecost. This plan left him barely seven weeks from the time he had started from Philippi, and approximately three of these were now gone.

Verses 17-38

Paul and the elders of Ephesus

Paul addresses the elders of Ephesus:

Miletus was a matter of only about thirty miles from Ephesus, and connected with the capital by a good Roman road. As soon as Paul, therefore, found out that the vessel would be delayed for a number of days, he sent a message to Ephesus, earnestly asking the elders of the church to come down. The congregation at Ephesus, where Paul had labored so long, was especially dear to him, and he felt that he could not afford to let this chance go by. And when the elders had come to see him, he addressed them in words of a tender farewell. He gave them, first of all, a brief review of his labors in their city. From the day that he had first set foot into their province, his concern, during his entire stay, had been for their spiritual and temporal welfare. He had done his work as a faithful servant of the Lord and in His interest only, with such a servant’s full and complete humility. His attitude had not been one of apathy, but he had been filled with genuine sorrow for his brethren and for the world, which even manifested itself in tears. His work had been done in the midst of temptations which had surrounded him, which had stepped forward from all sides on account of and in the plots of the Jews. Their enmity had not been confined to an occasional outburst of malice, but had attended him at all time, always with the intention of making him weary in his work for the Lord. But in spite of all these and other difficulties he had not made use of reserve in teaching, as a coward might have done, but openly and candidly he had proclaimed to them what was of value and use to them. For a minister to shrink back from plain statements of truth out of fear for his own welfare is usually a sign of unworthiness, and almost invariably harms the congregation. But Paul had taught the things profitable to the salvation of the Ephesians, publicly, before the assembled congregation, and privately, in visits from house to house. His constant endeavor had been to be a fearless and worthy witness both before the Jews and the Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in their common Lord Jesus Christ. That is briefly the substance of all Christian preaching, that all men, all sinners, should acknowledge their sins and turn from them to the God of their salvation, accepting the full atonement and redemption of Christ by faith in this their Savior. “Repentance is nothing else than truly acknowledging sin, to be heartily sorry for it, and to desist from it; which knowledge comes from the Law, but is not sufficient for a saving conversion to God, unless faith in Christ is added, whose merit offers the comforting preaching of the holy Gospel to all repentant sinners that are terrified by the preaching of the Law.” ^■90 .

Paul warned of coming affliction:

There is a strain of ineffable sadness in the entire address of Paul, and the reason for the sorrowful note is here given. Although Paul himself had not received an express revelation, others had prophesied concerning the outcome of the present journey. He felt urged, compelled in the Spirit, who directed his steps on more than one occasion; it would have been an act of direct disobedience for him not to travel up to Jerusalem. He had no definite information as to the things that would happen to him in that city, that would come upon him to harm him, only that the Holy Spirit, in every city through which he had recently passed, had plainly testified that fetters, chains, and therefore also affliction, awaited him. The nearer he came to Jerusalem, the more explicit became the prophecies, Acts 21:11. From step to step, on his journey, Paul was warned and guided, and incidentally his spirit was filled with consolation and courage from above. He did not esteem his life worthy of mention, as a life that was precious to himself. As he had always subordinated his life, his abilities, his talents, his ambitions under the will of the Lord, so here also he had but one thought, namely, to finish his course, the service which he had received from the Lord Jesus, to be untiring in his testimony, to witness to the Gospel of the grace of God. This service, this ministry, had been entrusted to Paul by Jesus Himself, Acts 9:6,15; Galatians 1:1; Titus 1:3. Grace presupposes guilt, and therefore Paul had not weakened the proclamation of the Law, but his greatest joy had ever been to attest the Gospel of the grace of God in Christ Jesus, to lead poor sinners to the mercy of their Savior. The same spirit of joyful and willing service must be the driving power in every true servant of the Lord, whether engaged in the work of the formal ministry or not. All this Paul had emphasized once more, because it was his personal conviction, based upon the prophecies which he had heard recently, that they all who were now assembled before him, through whose midst he had journeyed with the proclamation of the kingdom of God, would see his face no more. All indications pointed in that direction and caused him to be very anxious and apprehensive. And this being the case, Paul called upon those present as witnesses before God on that day and in that solemn hour, that he was pure from their blood, that not a single one of them could demand his soul at the hand of the apostle from want of pastoral care; for he had not held back, he had not shrunk from proclaiming to them the entire counsel of God, the counsel of redemption and grace. “No epistle excels that to the Ephesians in the richness of its thoughts, and in its conception of a divine purpose running through the ages; no epistle dwells more fully upon the conception of the Church as the body of Christ, or exhorts more touchingly to diligence in keeping the unity of the spirit, or insists more practically upon the sanctifying power of the one Spirit and the sense of a divine membership in every sphere of human life. The rich and full teaching of the epistle is addressed to men who are able to understand the apostle’s knowledge of the mystery of Christ; in other words, to those to whom he had announced more fully than to others the counsel of God.” ^■91 .

The special charge to the elders:

With the example of the apostle before them, and with his challenge ringing in their ears, the elders of Ephesus should take heed, should attend closely, should watch over themselves. He purposely places this care first, as that which must precede the care of the flock. For only by constant watchfulness over themselves would they also be able to take proper care of the flock, of the congregation, which was in need of proper feeding and the most faithful attendance. For they are still members of the flock, though the Holy Ghost has placed them in the midst of the flock as overseers, with the one aim and purpose, namely, to feed and nourish the congregation, the Church of the Lord at this place, with spiritual food in proper amounts. Note that the elders are here addressed as bishops, or overseers, showing that in the times of the apostles there was no difference between the two offices, the names being used indiscriminately. No hierarchy has been established by God’s command ^■92 . It is most significant that Paul describes the congregation of the Lord as being purchased, acquired by purchase, through His own blood. “This is surely a clear text, from which follows without all contradiction that Christ, our Lord, through whose blood the Church was purchased, is God, to whom the Church belongs. For he says clearly: It is God, who through His blood has won the Church and whose own the Church is. Since now, as we have heard, the persons are distinct, and it still is written here that God Himself through His blood has purchased the Church, therefore the conclusion comes with great force that God has His own blood which He has shed for His Church, that is, that Christ, our Savior, is true God, born of the Father from eternity, thereafter also by the Virgin Mary in time become a man and born.” ^■93 . The responsibility being so great, therefore, with such precious souls to give an account for, Paul’s warning against two dangers which his prophetic vision could foresee, came with double emphasis. He knew that after his departure from them, in a future which was not greatly distant, there would enter into the flock from without grievous, ravening, ferocious wolves, false teachers that would have no mercy on the flock, but would use every means to disrupt the congregation, to murder the souls by trying to persuade them to accept false doctrine. And in addition there would be factionists from within, out of their own membership, men that would arise without call and authority and establish themselves as teachers, with a doctrine full of perverse and antichristian matter, with the intention of drawing away those that were already Christians, the latter thereby becoming guilty of apostasy from the truth and from the true Church of Christ. These two dangers looming up before them, the elders of Ephesus should watch, be on their guard, exert constant vigilance, always remembering that Paul, for a space of three years, in round numbers, had not ceased night and day to admonish every single one of them with tears. His faithfulness should therefore serve as a continual incentive to them in the entire work of their responsible office. Note: To this day it is the Holy Ghost that gives to the congregations the teachers of the Gospel. For though He does not call immediately, yet He uses the congregations as His instruments and directs the affairs of His Church; therefore the congregations should also accept the pastors chosen by them in this spirit, and pledge them to teach and to watch, just as Paul here did the elders of Ephesus.

Paul’s words of farewell:

Paul had held up before the elders of Ephesus his own example, and had warned them most urgently against the dangers that would threaten the congregation. He now points them to the only source of courage and strength sufficient for them, by commending them to God and His Word, the Word of Grace, the grace of God being the primary content, the summary of the Gospel. With the counsel and admonition of God, as presented in this Word, before them at all times, they could not lack in strength in the midst of all adversity. For this Word is able at all times to build up, to edify, the Christians, and not only to promise them, but actually to give them the inheritance among all the consecrated. The promises of mercy in the Word of God are so sure, so plain, that there can be no doubt of its glories as the possession of the believers. In concluding, Paul once more, in a striking appeal, with graphic vividness, holds his example before the Ephesian elders. Neither the silver nor the gold nor the clothes of any one had he coveted; he had not been in the ministry among them for money. What is more, on account of a special glory which he desired to have, he had worked, as they knew, with his own hands, whose toilworn palms he showed them, in order to provide the necessities of life for himself and for those that ministered with him. Very likely, Paul also in Ephesus had worked at his trade, either with Aquila and Priscilla or with Philemon. But this favorite boast of his was far secondary in importance to the fact that he had very strenuously labored in his ministry, and had thereby shown the Christians of Ephesus what was required in this work; he had in all things given them an example, combining his manual labors with the service of the needy. Thus it is an obligation to come to the aid of the sick and of all those that are in trouble, remembering always the words of the Lord Jesus, which He Himself had spoken, and which had been preserved by the disciples, although not included in the Gospels: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” This unselfish devotion to the service of the needy neighbor had been practised by Jesus; it had been followed by Paul; it should be emulated by all Christians, for only thus will their faith find its proper expression and application.

The elders bid their teacher Godspeed:

The touching farewell address of Paul had deeply moved all the elders of Ephesus. And this impression was heightened by the fact that, when he had finished speaking to them, he knelt down, threw himself down on his knees with them, and sent up a fervent supplication to the throne of grace, for himself, for the congregation at Ephesus, for the Church at large, imploring the protection of the Lord upon His own work. The leave-taking, after the manner of the warm-blooded Southern people, was very affectionate. Much bitter weeping of all took place, and, unable to control their feelings, they fell upon Paul’s neck and kissed him again and again; for they had been most deeply affected by the word which he told them that they would not see his face again, would never again behold him expounding to them the wonderful mysteries of God. And then, as a final show of affection and reverence, they brought the apostle on his way to the ship, the harbor being some distance from the place where they met with him. Note: Such tender affection of a congregation for the teacher that has brought them the Word of Life, with similar expressions of this love, is witnessed even in our days; and it is surely well pleasing to the Lord to see the relation take this form. Nevertheless, it must never be forgotten that the affection should center in the Gospel proclamation rather than in the person of the pastor or teacher. The Gospel and the work of saving souls must stand in the foreground at all times, and for the sake of these the servants of the Lord should be esteemed very highly, 1 Thessalonians 5:13.

Summary

Paul makes the intended journey to Macedonia and Greece, returning to Asia by way of Philippi and Troas, and meeting the elders of Ephesus at Miletus, where he addresses them in a touching farewell.

Verses 1-16

The trip to Jerusalem

From Miletus to Tyre:

The leave-taking from the elders was attended with such difficulties that Paul and his companions literally had to tear themselves from their embraces, so bitterly did they feel the parting from the beloved apostle. But they finally embarked and set sail almost due south to the island of Coos or Cos, just before the opening of the Ceramic Gulf, off the coast of Caria, a district of Proconsular Asia. With a favorable, brisk wind they made this distance in one day. On the next day, with almost equally favorable winds, they managed to reach the harbor of Rhodes, on the island of Rhodes, where the great Colossus, the light tower of the port, now lay prostrate. From here their course was almost due east, to the city of Patara, in Lycia. Here they left the vessel which had carried them from Troas, either because this was its destination, or because the ship was engaged in coastwise traffic and would prove too slow for their purpose. They engaged passage on a vessel bound directly for Phenicia, went on board, and set sail. In due time they sighted the island of Cyprus, memorable to Paul on account of the work he had done there years before; but they left it on the left hand, that is, they sailed past the island on the south on a straight course for Syria, to which province Phenicia belonged. The vessel anchored at Tyre for a week to unload her cargo, and Paul and his companions landed. The unloading was attended with considerable trouble and occupied much time, since it included also the carrying into town of the bales, bundles, and boxes. Naturally the apostle’s party lost no time in looking up the disciples, since they knew that there was a congregation in the city (a fine example for Christian travelers in our day to follow). Their quest being successful, they stayed in Tyre seven days. These disciples, some of their number, here received a special revelation through the Spirit concerning at least the general fate which awaited Paul, and they told him repeatedly not to go up to Jerusalem. This warning seems not to have been included in the revelation, but was added on account of their solicitude for the apostle’s welfare, who, however, in spite of all entreaties, was unmoved in his determination.

From Tyre to Caesarea:

When Paul and his companions had accomplished the seven days, when they had finished the time, when the stated period was up during which they had remained for the cargo to be unloaded, they went out of the city to continue their trip. And here we have a fine bit of evidence from an eye-witness to indicate the affectionate intimacy which in those days characterized the relation of the Christians in general. For the disciples of the city, the entire congregation, not only the men, but also their wives and children, escorted them on their way outside of the city. The band of mutual love, tied by their mutual faith, united them in a closer union than earthly friendship could have done. Having arrived before the city, on the sandy beach near the water’s edge, they all kneeled down and committed themselves and their cause to God in prayer. The very simplicity of the narrative at this place makes it so impressive. Then there were leave-takings from the friends of a week, more dear mutually than others of months and years, after which Paul and his company went on board, and the others returned home. The travelers now, sailing from Tyre, completed their voyage; they were on the last section of their journey, down the coast of Syria and Palestine. The voyage from Macedonia had been completed with the landing at Tyre, the short distance still remaining could be made without difficulty. Their ship ran in and anchored at Ptolemais, a harbor eight miles north of Mount Carmel, and they thus had a chance to salute the brethren in that city and to spend the day with them. But on the next day they started out and came to Caesarea, where the trip by water ended. Here they entered into the house of Philip the Evangelist, originally one of the seven deacons elected by the congregation at Jerusalem, Acts 6, but driven from the city by the persecution of Saul of Tarsus. They were entertained by Philip with all cordiality for some time. Luke, who here, together with some of his companions, made the acquaintance of Philip, records that there were four daughters in the house, virgins, who had the gift of prophecy. There is nothing in the text, however, that would oblige us to conclude that they belonged to a special order, or that they had taken the vow of chastity. They simply shared the home life of their father, making use of their extraordinary gifts only as the Spirit directed, and did no public teaching. Their case came under the heading of the fulfilment of Joel 2:29, from which no special conclusions in regard to our days may be drawn.

The prophecy of Agabus:

“Many days,” a few days more, they, Paul and his companions, remained in Caesarea. Paul had been singularly fortunate in having a speedy voyage, a fact which now gave him some extra time, at least a few days, a matter of ten or twelve days. But during this time, spent with the hospitable Philip and his family, Paul received the last and, incidentally, the most exact and explicit prophetic warning on this whole journey. For a disciple by the name of Agabus, who had the gift of prophecy, came down to Caesarea from some city in Judea, probably from Jerusalem, Acts 11:28. When this man entered the house of Philip, he proceeded to act in a manner altogether in conformity with that of the prophets of the Old Testament, in a symbolical act emphasizing the words he spoke. He took off the girdle which held the upper garments of Paul in place, bound his own feet and hands, and then explained that the Jews of Jerusalem would bind the owner of that girdle in the same way as he was now bound, and would deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. This he did not venture as his own private opinion, but expressly stated that the Holy Ghost was making the prophecy, a fact which made all contradiction and doubt impossible. The announcement naturally created the greatest consternation, not only in the circle of Paul’s companions and in the household of Philip, but in the entire congregation at Caesarea, the inhabitants of the city. And they all, including Luke himself, joined in begging Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. But Paul remained firm, not in false seeking of the martyr’s crown, for he had upon other occasions yielded to the entreaties of his friends, but for a reason which he would not divulge. He, in turn, however, earnestly begged them all to desist. He asked them what they meant by weeping, why they insisted upon thus breaking his heart. Their tender care for his welfare deeply moved him, but it could not make him waver in his determination. He declared that he was ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the sake of the Lord Jesus. The name of his Savior he could and would not deny. He was convinced that his call was taking him to Jerusalem, and that it was not a matter of free choice. The Jewish Christians that were looking upon his missionary labors with suspicion had to be persuaded of their foolishness, and the unity of the Church between Jews and Gentiles had to be definitely established. This was also the purpose of the collection which his companions were bringing to the brethren at Jerusalem. Though Paul did not explain all this at length, the brethren at Caesarea discontinued their efforts to keep him away from the Jewish capital, placing the matter and its outcome entirely in the hands of the Lord, whose will should be done. So after the days had elapsed which Paul had allowed, he and his companions collected all their baggage necessary for the journey and made the trip up to the highlands where Jerusalem was situated, a distance of a little over sixty miles. Their company was enlarged by the addition of some of the disciples of Caesarea, who aided them on their arrival at Jerusalem by conducting them to the house of one Mnason of Cyprus, in whose house they were to lodge for the time of their stay. This man was an old disciple, that is, an original disciple, one of those that had been converted on the great day of Pentecost ^■95 . Mark that the Christian virtue of hospitality was freely exercised in the early days of the Church, in every city where Paul and his party had time to stop.

Verses 17-39

The Jewish uprising against Paul

The reception at Jerusalem:

When Paul and his companions reached Jerusalem, the brethren of the congregation received them with joy, much to the encouragement of them all. The next day there was a more formal meeting, when Paul took his companions and presented them to James, the brother of the Lord, the most prominent elder of the congregation. All the other elders of the congregation were also present for the interview. After saluting them all, Paul began to narrate, literally, to give an account, one by one, in careful detail, what the Lord had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. This referred especially to the success of the second and of the third journey, for the brethren in Jerusalem had heard the story of the first journey, Acts 15:4. Very likely Paul’s recital also brought out the fact that he had lived up to the resolutions passed by the conference in Jerusalem some eight or nine years before. Reports from the mission-fields should always prove most interesting to all the Christian brethren, and should stimulate interest in the work.

A case of Jewish prejudice:

The rank and file of the congregation in Jerusalem was still strongly impregnated with Jewish prejudices, and even the elders, including James, had not reached that clearness of distinction between Christian liberty and Jewish customs which was necessary for a full appreciation of the New Testament blessings. The conference of elders responded to Paul’s report with praises to God, expressing their full accord with his manner of working. But incidentally they had a little matter which they believed of sufficient importance to bring to his attention. As they put it, Paul himself must have seen, especially in Jerusalem, that there were thousands of Jews that were believers, that had truly accepted Jesus as the promised Messiah. At the same time, however, they had remained and were ardent upholders of the Law, believing that the keeping of all the precepts and traditions was necessary and even essential. These Jews had heard the report, had received the information concerning Paul, that he taught apostasy from Moses, not in general, but to all the Jews that lived in the Diaspora, among the Gentiles abroad. This general charge was specified in two instances, namely, that Paul had taught them not to practice the rite of circumcision, and that he similarly prevailed upon them not to walk after the customs, the observances which had become obligatory by tradition and usage. As a matter of fact, these charges were not true. Paul had not taught the Jews not to circumcise their children, but had himself circumcised Timothy, a half-Jew, on account of the latter’s probable work among Jews. Paul had not taught them to forsake the customs of their fathers; for he himself, about a year before, had written to the Corinthians that he had been a Jew to the Jews, 1 Corinthians 9:20-21. He never lost sight of the distinction between that which we are at liberty to do for the sake of others, and that which we are under obligation to do in order to obey God. And this distinction had been brought out in his efforts to convince the Jews that the ancient rites were no longer binding on their consciences. The elders of Jerusalem may have been more or less aware of all this, but they were afraid that the Jewish Christians, who had not yet reached the state of knowledge for the proper understanding of the difference between the Old and the New Testament, would continue in their offense. In casting around for something that might be done under the circumstances, they felt that a meeting of the entire congregation would become absolutely necessary, for the news of Paul’s arrival had spread throughout the city by this time. To avoid any unpleasantness, therefore, they made a suggestion to Paul as to what he might do to remove all false impressions and to meet the weak brethren at least halfway. They had in the congregation four men that were under a Nazirite vow, Numbers 6:2-12, which lay upon them as an unfulfilled obligation. “This necessitated their purification, which required seven days for its completion, the shaving of their heads at the altar, the sacrifice of a sin-offering and a burnt offering for each of them, and the loss of the time passed under the vow. Paul’s part with them was, first, to be at charges for them, meaning that he paid part of or all the expenses of the victims which they had to offer; and secondly, to go into the Temple and notify the priests when their days of purification would be fulfilled, so that a priest might be prepared to sacrifice their offerings. The last they could not do themselves, because the Law shut them out of the Jewish court during their uncleanness; but as Paul was unclean, not from contact with a dead body, but from some of the many other causes mentioned in the Law, he could purify himself in a single day by washing his clothes and bathing his flesh and remaining unclean until evening, Leviticus 15:1-30.” ^■96 . This act of Paul would give them all to understand that the matters which had been reported concerning him were without foundation, and that he so comported himself as to keep the Law. And so far as the Gentile Christians were concerned, the elders of Jerusalem reassured Paul, by reminding him of their resolution passed in his presence, that they were not obliged to keep the Jewish ceremonial law, but that they should beware of eating the flesh of idol sacrifices, and blood, and the meat of strangled animals, and that they must avoid fornication, sexual vice. From this description it appears that the members of the congregation in Jerusalem were still ardent upholders of the Mosaic ceremonial law, that they continued to circumcise their children, that they regarded the purifications of the church law, though they in some cases involved the offering of sacrifices, as binding even upon the Christians of Jewish extraction, but that they imposed none of these observances upon the Gentile brethren, believing the resolution of the former conference to cover their case completely. As long as mere weakness or lack of spiritual knowledge may be assumed, such behavior may be tolerated, but as soon as matters that are in themselves indifferent are urged as laws of God, the liberty of the Gospel must be insisted upon.

The beginning of the riot:

Paul here showed that the spirit of Christ lived in him, that he was willing, for the sake of others, to take part in a ceremony of which he knew that it had lost its real significance and value and had become a mere empty form, 1 Corinthians 9:20. He took the four men with him, became their associate, performed the required rites of purification in his own case, and then entered into the Temple proper, that part which was reserved for the exclusive use of the children of Israel, giving notice there, for the convenience of the priests, of the day when the vow would be ended, and the necessary offerings brought for every one of the four. Apparently, Paul also spent most, if not all the time in the Temple during this week. Thus he became all things to all men. Note: In matters in which no fundamental Scriptural principle is involved, a Christian may accommodate himself to others; but he must be careful lest hypocrisy and fear of men furnish his motive for so doing. So far everything had proceeded with gratifying smoothness, and no cloud seemed to be darkening the horizon. All the more surprising, therefore, was the fact that the storm broke from a practically clear sky. For when the seven days of the purification of the Nazirites were about to come to an end, the time for which the apostle was associated with the men, Jews from the province of Asia, probably from Ephesus itself, that had come up for the Feast of Pentecost, saw him in the Temple, and their hatred was at once inflamed to a white fury. The very fact that this supposed despiser of the Temple should dare to enter its inner courts (which were forbidden to the Gentiles under pain of death) was an insult in their estimation. So they immediately raised a disturbance, stirred up the people, like liquids that refuse to mix and surge to and fro, and laid violent hands upon Paul. At the same time, they raised their voices, calling upon the assembled Israelites to help. The very name intended to remind them all of the dignity and glory, of the hopes and obligations, of their nation. Contemptuously referring to Paul as “this man,” this outcast, they accused him of making it a habit to teach all men, everywhere, against the people, against the Law, against this place, this city. Mark the significant coincidence that the charge against Paul is made in almost the same words as that which had been brought against Stephen, Acts 6:13. But the gravest part of the accusation was the allegation that Paul had brought Greeks into the Temple proper, inside the Soreg, or stone wall, which enclosed the sanctuary, and had thus profaned the Holy Place itself. But the latter charge was based upon a false supposition, namely, that Paul had brought Trophimus, the delegate of the Ephesian congregation, who had been seen in his company in the city, into the Temple — an altogether unwarranted deduction. But the Jews were in a mood to rest their suspicions upon even slighter evidence, if they could but succeed in removing Paul. The immediate effect of their startling and vehement charge and denunciation certainly left nothing to be desired. The entire city was moved, the excitement having spread like wildfire; there was a tumultuous concourse of the people; he was surrounded by a band of people that grabbed him and dragged him outside of the sanctuary into the Court of the Gentiles. And then the doors of the Temple, of the sanctuary, were locked by the Levites, either because they feared that the Temple would be defiled by the shedding of blood, or because they believed that this defilement had already taken place by the entrance of a Gentile into its Holy Place, and that it must be purified before it could be reopened. Note: The Jews, just like their successors in our days, were so hostile to the Gospel preached by Paul because he condemned their Pharisaic self-righteousness and testified before Jews and Greeks alike that a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the Law. The false church, boasting its own righteousness, and the honorable, virtuous world have ever been the principal enemies of the Church of Christ and of the Gospel of God’s free grace and mercy.

The captain of the Roman band interferes:

It was a typical mob, without reason and sense, that was surging back and forth in the Court of the Gentiles, every one trying to lay hold on the prisoner and do violence to him, all of them eager to kill him. But now some one brought the report to the Roman officer in the Tower of Antonia, which overlooked the Temple and its courts, that the entire city of Jerusalem was in confusion, that a riot had taken hold of all the inhabitants. And this officer, the military tribune, or chiliarch, having a thousand men under his command in the garrison, lost no time, but took several hundred men with their centurions, or officers, with him and ran down upon the seething mob, from the castle to the lower platform of the court, where the center of the riot was situated. This quick action probably saved Paul’s life; for when the people saw the tribune, they stopped beating their prisoner. As the commanding officer then came nearer, he saw that Paul was the center and, in some way, the occasion of the disturbance, and therefore very naturally concluded that he was a criminal upon whom the Jews were inflicting speedy punishment. Since this was not the time to make inquiry, he took the prisoner in charge and gave command that he be bound with two chains. Having secured him thus and shielding him at least in part against the furious onslaught of the mob, the chiliarch now tried to determine who he was and what he had done. But, as usual with mobs, there no longer was any clear notion of what it was all about; one yelled one thing, some one else another, and it soon became clear to the officer that it was impossible to learn the facts on account of the tumult. So he commanded that Paul be led to the barracks of the Tower Antonia. Thus God had once more saved the life of His servant, since He wanted him to give testimony of the Gospel before some of the mighty ones of this earth.

On the way to the barracks:

At the coming of the tribune with his cohorts, the tumult of the people had died down somewhat; but when the soldiers turned to carry out their commander’s order, a new frenzy took hold of the people since their prey seemed about to be snatched from them. So it happened that, when Paul came to the steps that led up to the Tower of Antonia, the maddened people surged about the little band of soldiers with increasing violence in an effort to reach Paul. So perilous was the situation that the soldiers were obliged to lift Paul up and carry him, on account of the fierceness of the people. For the multitude of the people persisted in following, incidentally raising the cry: Kill him! Put him to death! the cry which a Jewish mob was prone to take up, Luke 23:18; John 19:15. When the soldiers, with the prisoner in their midst, had reached the top of the stairway, with the entire Temple area below them, filled with a swirling, roaring mob, and were about to enter into the barracks, Paul turned to the commanding officer with the question whether he would be permitted to speak to him. The latter, in some surprise, asked, Why, do you understand Greek? From the violence of the mob and from other indications the chiliarch had concluded that Paul must undoubtedly be that Egyptian whom Josephus also mentions, the man who had led a band of four thousand murderers, assassins, out into the wilderness. Evidently the tribune thought that the Egyptian had ventured to return to the city after his disgraceful defeat and had now been set upon as an impostor. But Paul corrected him in a few words, telling him that he was a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, concerning which he adds, with pardonable pride, that he was a citizen of no mean city, for Tarsus was a great and flourishing city. The tribune’s grave suspicions having been removed, Paul now added the earnest request that he be given permission to address the people. It was his intention, even in this emergency, to remove their prejudice against him and the Gospel of Jesus, and thus, if possible, to gain converts for the Word of Grace. ^■94

Summary

Paul continues his voyage from Miletus to Tyre and from there to Caesarea, whence he travels to Jerusalem, where the Jews from Asia raise a tumult against him, and his life is saved only by the prompt interference of the Roman chiliarch.

Verses 21:40 – 22:21

Paul’s speech to the Jews

Concerning Paul’s early life and persecution of the Church:

The commander of the garrison granted the request of Paul to speak to the people all the more readily, since he hoped to learn from the speech the real charges laid against him. The soldiers therefore having set Paul down and loosened at least one of his chains, he stood at the head of the stairway and beckoned to the people with his characteristic gesture to indicate that he was about to address them. “What nobler spectacle than that of Paul at this moment! There he stands bound with two chains, ready to make his defense to the people. The Roman commander sits by to enforce order by his presence. An enraged populace looks up to him from below. Yet in the midst of so many dangers, how self-possessed is he, how tranquil!” (Chrysostomus). When then there was much silence, when comparative quiet had been restored, the very fact that the man whom they had just made ready to murder was seeking to impart something to them, making some impression upon them, Paul spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect, that is, in the Aramaic language as it was then spoken generally by the Jews. He addressed them as brethren and fathers. Though they had almost succeeded in taking his life and had by no means relinquished the idea, yet Paul, neither in his tone nor in his words, showed any anger or resentment. With death staring him in the face, his thought was only for the spiritual welfare of his brethren according to the flesh, whether by any means he would still be able to save some of them. He asks them to hear from his lips the defense which he proposes to make to them now. And the fact that he employed the Aramaic dialect proved a further factor in quieting the multitude; they observed all the greater silence. Many members of the mob, hearing only half the charge and not understanding it correctly, had undoubtedly supposed that the man before them was himself a Gentile and not versed in either the Jewish language or the Jewish customs. And now Paul, in the honest attempt to gain his audience for at least an attentive listening to his apology, sets forth before them a few facts from his life. He was a Jewish man, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but educated in this very city of Jerusalem, and at the feet of Gamaliel, the celebrated teacher, at that, instructed according to the full strictness of the paternal Law. The Pharisees, to whom Gamaliel belonged, prided themselves upon the exactness of their interpretation of the Law and upon the literalness which they demanded in its observation. All this Paul had learned, in it he had been drilled. And therefore he had been ardent, zealous of God and for His honor, just as his hearers had proved themselves to be on that very day, Romans 10:2. Paul’s words contain no accusation of malicious obstinacy, but are merely the statement of a fact which may well be made of use to them. Of his own zeal he says that he had persecuted this way, the persons that accepted the way of salvation through faith in the redemption of Jesus, unto death, this being his aim and interest in the matter. And in order to realize this purpose, he had bound and delivered into prison both men and women. And for the truth of this assertion the high priest of that year himself could bear witness and the entire Synedrion, for it was from them that he had received letters, credentials, to the brethren, whereupon he had traveled to Damascus, his object being to bind and to bring to Jerusalem also the disciples of that city, to lead them back in fetters, in order that adequate punishment might be meted out to them. Paul makes an open confession, withholding nothing from his hearers, and offering no excuse for his action. His narrative is a description of the state of the unconverted mind. In his unregenerate condition a person will either serve the fleshly lusts and trample upon the Law of God, or he will be zealous for an outward righteousness of the Law and despise the power and the beauty of the Gospel.

The vision on the way:

The first part of Paul’s address was intended not only to awaken sympathy for himself, but also curiosity as to the reason for his having changed so entirely in his views. The explanation is given in this part, with much vividness and attention to detail. It happened to him, as he had made the journey for which he had obtained credentials from the Jewish authorities, and had come near to the city of Damascus, that about noon, at midday, with the sun in full splendor, there suddenly, without warning, flashed about him a light out of the sky, whose brightness far surpassed that of the sun. He had fallen down to the solid ground, the pavement, of the road, and had heard and understood a voice speaking to him: Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? Upon his awe-stricken question as to the identity of the voice, which he himself had ascribed to the Lord, to Jesus, who had appeared to him in the light, he had received this information, that it was Jesus of Nazareth Himself, the One whom he was persecuting in His disciples, that had here appeared to him. His companions had seen the supernatural light, without, however, seeing Jesus, and while they had heard the sound of a voice, they had not understood the words that had been spoken. Cp. Acts 9:3-7. Upon his further timid question as to what he should do now, the Lord had given him directions to arise and go into the city of Damascus, where he would be told concerning everything which had been appointed for him to do. The Lord had arranged all in advance; his entire life and all the vicissitudes of his life had been mapped out by Jesus; his work for the remainder of his life was fully ordered and planned. And the vision, together with the voice, had not been a figment of his own imagination, for the heavenly glory of the light that had enveloped him had made him blind; he could not use his eyes, they refused their service. He had to be led by the hand, his blindness being absolute, by those that were with him, and thus came into the city. Thus the conversion of Paul was effected, and thus the conversion of every person takes place. There is no special inclination, disposition, or propensity in any human being for the faith in Jesus the Savior, but regeneration is entirely a work of the power and mercy of God. God changes the mind of man, who by his own reason and strength cannot believe in Jesus Christ, his Lord, and thus works faith in the Redeemer ^■97.

Paul and Ananias:

Paul here from his personal experience, from the events which had been impressed upon his mind with indelible characters, gives a fuller account of the words of Ananias than that which had been reported in Acts 9. This Ananias was by no means a Gentile, nor a Jew without reputation and standing, but, as Paul emphasizes, a devout man, pious in accordance with Jewish law, according to their own standard, vouched for by all the Jews that lived in Damascus. Through him Paul received the commission to preach the Gospel of Christ, especially to the Gentiles, as he here is careful to bring out. For this Ananias came to him and stood by or over him as he lay or sat there, prostrate with sorrow, addressed him as a brother, and by a simple word of command performed the miracle of restoring his sight. In the same hour, that is, in the same instant, his sight was returned to him. And then Ananias had explained to him in just what way the Lord’s plans had been carried out and were to be carried out. The God of their fathers, the true God, as the Jews worshiped Him, had appointed in advance that Paul was to know His will, to find out for what important duty he had been selected. His seeing the Just One and hearing the voice from His mouth in the vision near the city had also been arranged beforehand by God. This is an additional proof that Paul actually did see Jesus Christ. And this same voice of the Lord which had spoken to him before the city was now again addressing him with the commission that he should be a witness to the Lord to all men concerning what he had seen and heard. Why should there then be any cause for hesitation? Ananias had asked him. He had told him to arise, to be baptized, and thereby to have his sins washed away, and at the same time to call upon the name of the Lord. Note: Baptism is not a mere external form or symbol to signify the receipt of the forgiveness of sins before or after, but by the washing of the water in Baptism the sins are taken away, the filth of the soul is washed off; it is a washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, Titus 3:5. Through the name of Jesus and by faith in the Redeemer, which trusts the Word of God in Baptism, the great blessings are conferred and sealed.

The Lord’s direct command to Paul:

Paul had intended his last words to win a favorable consideration of his cause, by showing the Jews that he, who had been a persecutor like themselves, had been changed to a believer and advocate of Jesus of Nazareth by miraculous evidence from heaven. He now wanted to present evidence that his mission among the Gentiles had been determined in the same way, by a direct revelation from heaven, which he, as they well knew, would not have dared to disobey. It had been when he returned to Jerusalem, on his first visit after his conversion, while he was offering prayer in the Temple, that he fell into a trance, was seized with supernatural ecstasy, in which he saw the Lord bidding him hurry and go out of Jerusalem with all speed, since the Jews would not accept his witness concerning the Savior. This account supplements that of Acts 9:29-30, since in that passage the actual personal danger is mentioned, which is here represented as being the Lord’s motive for sending him forth. “May not St. Luke be describing the occurrence in relation to the Jews and the Church, and St. Paul in relation to his own private personal history, St. Luke giving us the outward impulse, St. Paul the inner motive, so that the two causes, the one natural, the other supernatural, are mentioned side by side?” ^■98 . Paul, as he relates, had at that time contradicted the Lord, giving as his reason that the Jews would surely receive the testimony from him of whom they knew that he had made it a practice to throw into prison and to beat the believers in Him in every synagog; also, that they were familiar with the fact of his having been present and gladly assenting, and even assuming the position of guardian of the witnesses’ clothes, when they shed the blood of Stephen, His witness. But that argument had availed him nothing over against the will of the Lord, for the latter had merely insisted with greater emphasis: Go, I will send thee afar to the Gentiles. Before a different audience, and at a different time, this vindication of Paul might have proved acceptable, for they could not gainsay one single argument. But the statement that Paul was sent away from them because they were obstinate and hard-hearted, and that, in his case at least, the Gentiles were preferred to the Jews, that his mission was primarily to the despised heathen, was too much for this audience. It has ever been thus that the full, uncompromising truth of the Word of God, even if additional evidence from history was offered, has been received partly with skepticism, partly with open enmity. The heart of natural man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.

Verses 22-30

Paul and the chief captain

Paul asserts his citizenship:

Paul’s simple declaration of fact that he was called by the Lord by a direct revelation to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles threw the fanatical Jews into a perfect frenzy of fury. Up to this point in his speech they listened to him, but now they acted like men bereft of their senses. They lifted up their voices in angry shrieks, saying that such a man should promptly be destroyed from the face of the earth, since it was no longer proper to let him live, that he was not fit to live. This yelling they kept up, incidentally tossing their garments, their mantles, about in a fit of uncontrollable rage, and throwing dust up into the air. In their actions baffled fury and extreme contempt are combined to produce such an exhibition as only a mob deprived of its victim is able to present. The tribune now commanded Paul to be taken into the barracks, directing at the same time that the question should be put to him, that a hearing of his side of the matter should be made with torture, while the scourge was applied to him. This terrible method was resorted to by the Romans in the case of prisoners, especially of the lower class, in order to force a confession from their lips, if suitable evidence was not at hand. Thus the tribune wanted to find out why it was that the people shouted at him in that way. But as they had stretched him forward by bending his back over the whipping-post and were getting ready to fasten him with straps, Paul asked the centurion that was standing by and superintending the ghastly work whether it was permitted to scourge a Roman citizen without a proper trial. The question, as humbly as it was put, was not without its irony and reproach for the proceeding adopted in his case. In great consternation the centurion made a report to his superior officer, the commander of the garrison: What are you going to do? This man is a Roman citizen. This information brought the chiliarch in a great hurry. He asked Paul directly whether he were a Roman citizen, and Paul answered in the affirmative. With some doubt in his voice, the tribune then told Paul that he had acquired his Roman citizenship by the outlay of a considerable sum of money, thus confessing to an act of bribery. For citizenship in Rome was properly obtained either by being conferred by the Roman senate for meritorious conduct, or it was inherited from a father who was a Roman citizen, or it was the birthright of him that was born in a free city. And therefore Paul, in this case, could state with justifiable pride that he had been born a Roman citizen. It is altogether right and to be approved if Christians under circumstances make use of their rights as citizens.

Arrangements for a decent hearing:

The declaration of Paul that he was a free-born Roman citizen had its immediate effect. Those that were to put the question to him with torture stepped back immediately, with alacrity, for the torture was illegal in the case of a Roman citizen, although it might be employed in the case of slaves and foreigners. Even the chiliarch felt rather uncomfortable with fear, since he had now found out that Paul was a Roman citizen, and because he had bound him. If Paul had been of a vindictive nature, he might have caused the tribune some difficulty, but revenge did not enter his thoughts, since his object had been gained. But the commander now acted more carefully. It was still his firm resolve to find out the real reason why Paul was being accused by the Jews, what the trouble really was about. So he had Paul freed from his bonds, and commanded that the high priests and the entire Synedrion come together, the hearing probably taking place in their own council-chamber or at some place in the city outside of the Tower of Antonia, most likely in the Court of the Gentiles, where the Romans were permitted to appear, since he led Paul down from the hill and placed him in front of them. Thus the prophecy of Agabus had been fulfilled, and Paul was in the hands of the Gentiles, delivered there by the hands of his own countrymen.

Summary

Paul’s speech to the Jews, first listened to in interested silence, is interrupted by shouts of anger, after which Paul saves himself from a scourging at the hands of the soldiers by declaring his Roman citizenship.

Verses 1-11

The hearing in the presence of the Sanhedrin

Paul rebukes the high priest:

The hearing had been opened by the Roman tribune, Lysias. The members of the Sanhedrin were sitting or standing around in a semicircle, with Paul facing them, and the commander with the guard near by. The Jewish rulers had been summoned by the Roman chiliarch to give testimony, to bring their charges against Paul. This fact makes the entire situation clear. “When we consider the circumstances, it is clear that this was not a formal meeting of the Council of the nation; it was an assemblage of leading men hastily summoned as advisers by the Roman officer in command at Jerusalem. The officer was in authority; he was the one man that could judge and give a decision; the rest were only his assessors. By no means could a proper meeting of the Council be called in the way followed on this occasion.” ■99 . Paul was not present as under the jurisdiction of the Sanhedrin, but as a Roman citizen in charge of the Roman commander of Jerusalem. This is evident also from his entire behavior. For, instead of waiting for the Jews to open the meeting, he looked round upon them with his characteristic steadfast, undaunted gaze, and then calmly invited their charges by stating, with evident composure, that in all good conscience he had comported himself before God until this day. Note that he addresses them as brethren, thus placing himself on a level with them. And he calmly asserts his innocence of any wrongdoing in the sense which the Jews urged, for he uses a word which literally means that he has done his full duty as a citizen of the commonwealth of God, and that he has respected and observed its laws. But Paul’s statement roused the fiercest resentment of the high priest, Ananias by name. This Ananias was not the high priest of the gospels, but had been appointed to the office by Herod of Chalcis. He was sent to Rome as a prisoner by Quadratus, governor of Syria, on account of a quarrel with the Samaritans; but he won his case and returned to Jerusalem. Forgetting that he was not the chairman of this meeting, and that Paul was not under his jurisdiction, he called out to those that stood near the accused to strike him on the mouth, thus signifying that he believed Paul to be uttering a base falsehood. Paul’s rebuke was prompt and to the point. He called him a whitewashed wall, as Christ had called the Pharisees whited sepulchers, Matthew 23:27. The coat of whitewash was intended to cover the flimsiness and the filth beneath. He had bidden Paul to be struck: God would strike him for his hypocritical behavior; for there he was sitting as one of the judges according to the Law, and against that Law he commanded Paul to be struck, Leviticus 19:35; Deuteronomy 25:1-2. The Lord did punish this high priest in a terrible way, for a few years later he perished in a tumult raised by his own son ^■100 . The bystanders, shocked by the words of Paul, asked whether he would thus revile the high priest of God, that is, God’s representative, while he was performing the duties of his ministry, Deuteronomy 17:12. Paul’s answer may be taken as an excuse, or apology. Ananias was present merely as a member of the Sanhedrin; he neither occupied the president’s chair, nor did he wear the robes characteristic of his office; and Paul did not know him personally. He therefore may have intended to acknowledge that his conduct, so far as the reviling was concerned, was not in agreement with Exodus 22:28. Luther believes with Augustine that the reply of Paul was biting irony and mockery ^■101 . It is perfectly right and justifiable, if Christians criticize and rebuke the sins of the government, but this must always be done with due respect.

A division among the members of the Sanhedrin:

Paul had come down to the meeting in the hope that there would be a real hearing. He had attempted a calm defense, which had been rudely interrupted by an unwarranted interference of the high priest. Since neither a fair inquiry nor a just decision was to be expected in the presence of such prejudiced fanatics, he now adopted a different method. Knowing that a part of the Sanhedrin, the smaller portion, consisted of Sadducees, and the other of Pharisees, he called out before them all that he was a Pharisee and a son or disciple of Pharisees. This statement was not a petty trick or malicious deception, as some have thought. Every one in the assembly knew that he was a Christian; his assertion was therefore understood by them as it should be understood by us, that he had been a member of that sect and still agreed with them, as many other former Pharisees did, in certain doctrines. It was concerning one of these that he was now on trial, namely, that of the hope and the reality of the resurrection of the dead. This was literally true, and cannot be regarded as a subterfuge; for the fundamental doctrine of the Gospel, as preached by Paul, was the fact that Christ had risen from the dead, and that because of His resurrection all believers were sure of their own rising unto eternal life. No sooner had Paul said this than there was a controversy, a dissension, a contention of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Before this the body of the Sanhedrin, the entire mass, had been united against Paul, but now they were divided into two parties, into the two factions which were usually at enmity with each other on account of their different doctrinal positions. For, as Luke here inserts by way of explanation, the Sadducees are in the habit of saying that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit. Their position was one of negation, of denial. But the Pharisees confessed and believed in both the resurrection of the dead and the existence of spirits. The uproar over the matter increased with every moment, finally becoming violent. It was the custom in the debates of the Jews to walk over to the side of him whose cause one espoused, thus incidentally recording one’s vote. And so here some of the scribes among the Pharisees openly took Paul’s part, going over and standing near him, and contending forcibly, arguing very vehemently in his favor. They maintained that they found nothing evil in the accused, and what if a spirit had spoken with him or an angel, as he had stated on the previous day? — that was no reason why the man should be condemned. Thus the Jewish rulers were in a worse predicament than ever. The commander’s purpose in calling the meeting was to have the Jews show cause why they had clamored for the death of Paul, and here they sat, not only without any accusation that would have had any weight in the eyes of the Romans, but actually engaged in a bitter controversy among themselves. Thus the dissension of the unbelievers has often redounded to the liberty or to some other benefit of the believers. That is one of the ways in which God keeps and protects His Church in the midst of this evil world, that He creates dissension in the midst of its enemies.

Paul reassured by the Lord:

As the uproar of the Jews concerning Paul became greater and more violent with every minute, the chiliarch, more of an interested spectator of the scene than an active participant, became apprehensive, began to fear that Paul would actually be torn to pieces by them. Those that took his part held him in order to protect him, others laid violent hands upon him to jerk him away, and thus he was dragged to and fro. Lysias therefore gave command by an orderly that the body of soldiers which was always in readiness should march down to the Temple area from the level of Antonia and tear the prisoner out of their midst, and then lead him to the barracks. So Lysias was once more disappointed in his attempts to find out the facts in Paul’s case; but he must certainly have concluded that the Jews had no charge of a political nature against him which they could or would formulate. But at this point the Lord came to the assistance of His servant. In the night following the arraignment before the Sanhedrin the Lord Himself, in a vision, stood by or over him as he slept, and reassured him, telling him that just as he had borne confident witness of the facts concerning Him in Jerusalem, had preached the Gospel of His grace openly and fearlessly, so it would be necessary for him, according to God’s will, to bear witness also in Rome. Paul had planned to visit Rome at the first opportunity; he had written the Christians of Rome an epistle containing a full exposition of Christian doctrine; and he would yet see the city, though probably not as he had planned. The fortunes of the Church are in the hands of the exalted Christ. He it is that is near to His faithful confessors on earth at all times, who strengthens and confirms them and directs the course of the Gospel according to His will.

Verses 12-22

The plot of the Jews

The murderous design of the Jews:

It is not difficult to imagine what happened in the assembly of the Jews after Paul had been torn from them by the Roman soldiers, how they blamed and cursed one another for their foolishness in letting their intended victim escape, how they vowed to find some way of removing the hated preacher of Christ at the first opportunity. And this chance apparently offered soon. For on the following day the Jews, a certain number of them that were exceptionally violent in the expression of their hatred against Paul, formed a conspiracy, by solemnly binding one another with an oath of execration, placing themselves under an anathema, making themselves liable to the most terrible punishments of God in case they either ate or drank before they had killed Paul ^■103 . These forty odd Jews that thus became guilty of an almost unbelievably blasphemous use of the name of God very likely belonged to that class of fierce zealots known as assassins, who shrank back from no crime in the interest of what they believed to be true orthodoxy. Evidently they felt pretty sure of their ground, for they did not hesitate to come to the chief priests and the elders and lay their plan before them, not officially, perhaps, but with the full expectation of unofficial recognition and approval. They frankly told them that they had bound themselves under a great curse to partake of no food until they had killed Paul. But they needed the cooperation of the chief priests in carrying out their murderous plan, their suggestion being, briefly, that the Jewish rulers should intimate to the Roman tribune that they had the intention, with the entire Synedrion, of making a more exact examination of Paul’s case, as though they would want to judge of his matter more accurately. For this reason the tribune should lead the prisoner down to them. And the assassins were ready, they were fully prepared, to murder Paul on the way, before ever he would come near to the place of the assembly, in order that no suspicion would attach to the members of the Sanhedrin as to complicity in the crime. It was truly a devilish scheme, apparently destined to be successful. Thus the hatred of the world against the confessors of Christ to this day will not hesitate to make use of extreme measures, of blasphemous oaths and plots and murders, to hinder the course of the Gospel.

The plot revealed:

We have here the first and only direct reference to the family to which Paul belonged, his sister’s son, his nephew, being introduced into the story. Whether Paul’s sister lived in Jerusalem, or whether the young man had come up for the festival of Pentecost, cannot be determined. In some way this young man heard of the plot, received the full information concerning the scheme of the Jews, their ambush. His hurry is apparent from the text, for he suddenly appeared at Antonia, came in upon them, and entered into the barracks. Evidently Paul’s friends were allowed to visit him, and therefore no one objected to the young man’s going to him. So he announced, related, to Paul the entire story. Paul realized at once that the plot could be foiled only by observing the utmost secrecy, that lack of proper caution might precipitate a serious crisis. So he called one of the centurions to him and requested him to lead the young man to the commander, since he had an announcement to make to him, had some news to tell him. Accordingly, the centurion had the young man accompany him to the chiliarch, where he introduced him with the remark that Paul, the prisoner, had called him and asked him to lead this young man to him, since he had something to tell him. The chiliarch felt at once that there must be something unusual in the air, and therefore he, with fine tact and with a reassuring gesture, took the young man by the hand and led him aside and asked him: What is the news that you have for me? This treatment gave the informant the necessary confidence, and he quickly told his story, adding such touches as reveal his deep interest. The Jews had taken counsel together, made the plan, to ask the commander of the garrison that he bring Paul down to the Synedrion, as though he wanted to examine his case more exactly, look into it with greater care than on the previous day. And here the excitement gets the better of the narrator, and he earnestly urges the chiliarch not to trust them, since more than forty of the Jews were lying in ambush, all of them having bound themselves under a dreadful curse neither to eat nor to drink till they had put Paul out of the way, until they had killed him. And even now they were ready, awaiting only the promise of the Roman tribune. This would be their signal to prepare for the murderous assault. In this way did the Lord, and in the same manner does He now, frustrate the evil designs of the enemies of the Church and of His servants. Without His permission not a hair of their head may fall to the ground. With a warning as to the necessity of the strictest secrecy Lysias dismissed the young man.

Verses 23-35

Paul brought to Caesarea

The preparations for the journey:

It is to the credit of Lysias that he chose the course which both justice and prudence dictated. By ignoring the information received he might have become an accomplice in the murder of Paul. By slaying the assassins as they were making their assault, he would have made the Jews his bitter enemies. But he acted quickly and prudently. He summoned two of the centurions in his command and ordered them to make ready for a march to Caesarea, have in readiness to march, about nine o’clock in the evening, two hundred men infantry, heavily armed soldiers, and seventy cavalry, and two hundred light-armed soldiers, javelin-throwers or lance-bearers. Saddle-animals were also to be provided, in order that they might set Paul on one of them, with a change, if necessary, and lead him safely down to Felix, the governor, who resided at Caesarea, the political capital of the province. If Lysias had only one thousand men in his command at Jerusalem, 760 infantry and 240 cavalry, he reduced his force considerably in order to provide a safe escort to Paul, but the gravity of the situation was fully appreciated by him, and he took his measures accordingly. He also wrote a letter to the governor as to the man higher in rank and the highest court in the province. This letter is interesting because colored by the understanding of Lysias, and because it naturally aims to place his own conduct in the most favorable light. Luke gives a summary of this letter. It opens with the usual complimentary, introductory greeting of the writer to the addressee. Lysias says of Paul, whom he mentions with respect, that he had been taken, laid hold on, by the Jews and was about to be killed by them, when he, appearing seemingly just in time with the soldiers under his command, had taken him away and thus rescued him. Here the fact that Lysias refers to the army would naturally imply that it took all the soldiers of the garrison to quell the disturbance, and would impress the governor with his circumspection. The same is true of the statement that he had done so after having learned that Paul was a Roman citizen. Here also the tribune, for the sake of emphasizing his zeal in the public service, strains the truth, for he found out only after the rescue that Paul was a Roman. The writer then continues to tell how he had earnestly wanted to find out the reason why they were accusing him, and had taken him into a meeting of their Synedrion. There he had found out only so much that he was accused concerning certain demands of the Jews’ law, but that he had committed no crime which merited death or even imprisonment. In the mean time he had been informed that some of them were plotting against this man, to take his life, wherefore he had sent to the governor without delay (again emphasizing his zeal), incidentally announcing to the accusers that they must bring their matter before the governor. The entire letter shows that Lysias was making every effort to impress Felix favorably, for in the great game of politics one never can tell just how much a good impression may be worth, and advancement was always welcome. Christians will make the application of such stories by remembering the Lord’s injunction to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves, Matthew 10:16.

The journey and the arrival in Caesarea:

The start from Jerusalem was made by night, to attract as little attention as possible, and the armed escort was so strong that it could easily have warded off the attack of a band of assassins. The fact also that the soldiers left by the road to the north served to have them escape notice. Four miles to the north they marched, over the old road whose paving stones are still visible in places, and then turned to the east across the mountains of Ephraim and down into the beautiful plain of Sharon, where Antipatris was located. This was a forced march of fully thirty miles, and must have been a great strain to Paul. But they were now beyond all possible danger of an attack from Jerusalem. The four hundred men infantry therefore turned back at this point and returned to the barracks at the Tower of Antonia in Jerusalem, letting the troopers continue the journey with Paul. These men arrived in Caesarea in due time, delivered the letter to the governor, and presented Paul to him. The procurator read the letter and then asked Paul what kind of province he belonged to, imperial or senatorial, since he needed this information to complete the report of Lysias concerning the case. “A procurator of Judea, like Felix, was subordinate only to the governor of Syria, inasmuch as the latter could bring his supreme power to bear in cases of necessity. The military command and the independent jurisdiction of the procurator gave him practically sole power in all ordinary transactions, but the governor could take the superior command if he had reason to fear revolutionary or other serious difficulties.” ^■102 . When Felix had found out that Paul hailed from Cilicia, and could thus enter the case properly, he promised him a judicial hearing as soon as his accusers would present themselves. In the mean time the governor gave command that Paul should be kept in the praetorium of Herod, the palace which Herod Agrippa I had erected there, Acts 12:19, and which contained also a guard-room, where Paul might be confined. Note: We find Paul here once more under the protection of the Roman government. For that reason the government has been ordained of God, to protect peaceful citizens, and therefore also the Christians, against sedition and violence. And thus the Lord holds His protecting hand over them that are His. Unless He permits it for reasons of His own, the raving and raging of all the enemies can bring no harm to His Church.

Summary

Paul is arraigned before the Roman tribunal in the presence of the Sanhedrin, and is made the object of a murderous plot of the Jews, upon whose exposure he is sent to Felix, the governor, by Lysias, the Roman tribune at Jerusalem.

Verses 1-22

Paul’s trial before Felix

The delegation of Jews from Jerusalem:

Paul was now once more in Caesarea, in the very city where the prophet Agabus had predicted his capture by the Gentiles, Acts 21:11. A few short weeks ago he had here enjoyed the hospitality of Philip and the friendly society of the disciples of the city, and now he was a prisoner in the hands of the Romans and for the present kept in close confinement in the palace of Herod. But after five days, counting from the day after Paul had left Jerusalem, when the Jews received formal notice from Lysias, the high priest Ananias ^■100 with several of the elders and a certain orator, Tertullus, made the journey from Jerusalem down to Caesarea. So the Jewish leaders had lost no time in selecting a representative delegation from the Sanhedrin, with Ananias himself as the head; and they had engaged the services of a Roman attorney, Tertullus, as they now had to appear in a regular Roman court and therefore must have a lawyer familiar with the procedure of such a court. This delegation, through its attorney, formally laid information against Paul before the procurator, stating their charges in the manner demanded by the Roman legal practice. When Paul was then summoned to appear before these accusers, Tertullus, with great oratorical exertion, began his speech of accusation against the prisoner. It is significant that the attorney tries to bolster up the weakness of the cause he represents by a great mass of words. The introduction of his speech was intended exclusively to flatter the governor and to engage his good will in behalf of the Jews. The speaker, in gushing terms, praised the uniform, complete peace which had come upon them, which they were enjoying through him, and the improvements, reforms, or very worthy deeds which had become the property of the people through his foresight, who had planned all these benefits for the nation in advance. And all this, as Tertullus emphasizes with great show of servility, the Jews accepted at all times and in all places, with all proper gratefulness. The full name of the most honorable Felix, as Tertullus calls the governor, the procurator of Judea, was Antonius Felix. He was a freedman of the emperor Claudius and a brother of Pallas, who was a favorite of Nero. He entered upon his duties in A.D. 53, after the deposition of Cumanus, but, as the historian Tacitus says, he exercised the power of a king in the spirit of a slave, a fact which later caused his recall. The first statement of Tertullus, that Felix had restored and maintained peace in the province, was true, in a measure, since he had suppressed some bands of robbers that had infested the country; but it was offset by the fact that he employed assassins to murder the high priest Jonathan, and that he was subject to violent and selfish passions. The attorney’s next reference to measures of reform must be discounted by the fact that the historians picture his arbitrariness, which finally made unrest and rebellion permanent. And the assertion that the Jewish nation was everywhere and always grateful to Felix for his services was afterwards shown to be untrue by the fact that the Jews themselves were his accusers in Rome. We can therefore, at best, regard the title as merely an empty form. When politeness and tact degenerate into base flattery and mock servility, truth and honesty are inevitably driven away. This impression is heightened by the next words. For Tertullus now acts as though he had not really begun to mention all the praiseworthy deeds of Felix, that, if time but permitted, he would gladly continue in the same strain indefinitely. But he intimates that the governor is so busy with all his plans for further reforms that he must not hinder and weary him by a tedious recital of all his excellencies. He will therefore consider that enough has been said, and merely beg that the governor would kindly listen to them, and, if possible, grant their desire according to his clemency. He promises to be brief, in order not to strain the courteous attention of Felix. An example of fawning, sickening hypocrisy.

The charges against Paul:

After the rhetorical promise of the introduction, the statement of the charges against Paul is all the weaker by contrast. Tertullus declares that the Jews found this man a regular pest, an exceedingly bad and wicked person; an inciter of seditions to all the Jews in the whole world, throughout the length and breadth of the Roman Empire, a destroyer of all peace and order by creating bickerings; a ringleader of the sect of Nazarenes, the contemptuous epithet applied to the followers of Jesus. This man, against whom these charges were preferred, had, as the crowning indignity of his career and as an expression of the low character ascribed to him, made an attempt to profane the Temple. The Jews had thereupon apprehended, arrested him, with the intention, as Tertullus asserts, of giving him a fair trial according to their Law. That was again straining the truth with a vengeance, for the affair in the Temple had been the action of the mob violence of the people, and could be interpreted in no other way. But Lysias, the chiliarch, as the attorney states with a great show of outraged justice, had come upon them and had led the prisoner away, out of their hands, with great force, with armed violence, thus interfering, as Tertullus implied, with the Law according to which the Jews were permitted by the Romans to put any person to death that profaned the Temple. And then Lysias had commanded the accusers of Paul to go to the governor, and the latter could now, — so the attorney concludes his speech, — by examining the prisoner, gain an understanding, come to a conclusion, in regard to the accusations which they brought against him. His decision, as the tone of Tertullus implies, could not possibly be made otherwise than in favor of the Jews. It was a fine fabric of lies which the skillful lawyer had constructed by distorting the facts, adding motives that had not existed at the time when certain deeds were performed, and making statements concerning the character of the prisoner which were nothing but calumnies. But the Jews joined in the charge, confirming their lawyer’s words, and falsely alleging that all those things were true, that such were the facts in the case. By such means do unbelievers and enemies of Christ attempt to hinder and destroy the truth.

Paul denies the charges:

Paul’s position in this matter was very unpleasant, for he was suddenly, by the beckoning hand of the governor, placed face to face with the necessity of answering to charges of a very grave nature, some of which, in fact, were serious enough, if sustained, to result in severe punishment, if not in death. But he relied upon the promise of the Lord for mouth and wisdom, Luke 21:15. His answer is conspicuously free from the fawning flattery that had been the outstanding feature of the speech of Tertullus. He relied upon the fact, which he knew to be true, that Felix had for many years been a judge to this people, that he had been the highest judicial authority in the country for some time, and had thus acquired a personal knowledge of its public affairs and some insight into the religious customs of the Jews. Felix had now been procurator of Judea some six or seven years, a comparatively long period as governorships went in that country, and was bound to have been in constant touch with Jewish life and manners. This fact therefore gave Paul the necessary courage to make his defense with all openness and confidence. As his first point Paul stated, since Felix therefrom could gain accurate knowledge of the situation, that it was not more than twelve days since he had gone up to Jerusalem to worship. This statement may easily be justified in various ways, as a number of historians have shown, the exact sequence of events being immaterial. Two facts stand out in this sentence, namely, that the express purpose of Paul in going to Jerusalem was to worship, and that the shortness of the time would not possibly have permitted him to foment an uprising. And therefore he flatly denies the charges which had been preferred by the Jews through their attorney. They had not found him disputing, arguing, quarreling with any one; they had not come upon him in the act of inciting an uprising of the people, neither in the synagogs nor in any part of the city. They could not offer or furnish any proofs to the governor concerning any of the charges which they were now bringing against him. Paul’s simple assertion of the truth was not only a general denial of the charge that he had been an agitator among the Jews in all parts of the empire, but it incidentally challenged the opponents to bring proofs of their accusations. Thus Paul had disposed of the opening charges of Tertullus in a form of self-evident truthfulness which could not fail of making a deep impression. If the same methods are followed by the Christians in our days, they will usually aid their cause better than by cowering fear and false submission.

The charge of being a Nazarene:

Paul here took up the next charge, that of being a ringleader of the Nazarenes. Without referring to the title bestowed upon him, he proudly confesses to the truth of that charge, if that be a crime, incidentally including, however, a rebuke to the Jews themselves. After the way which they were pleased to call a sect, a schismatic party, he served the God of the fathers. The thought underlying Paul’s words was that Christianity was not a separation, but rather a fulfilling of the Jewish religion and belief. There is no difference in kind, but only in degree between the Old and New Testament religion; the Jewish patriarchs were saved by their faith in the coming Messiah, while the Christians are saved by their faith in the Christ that has come and fulfilled the chief prophecies of old. In this way Paul’s faith was placed in all the things that were written throughout the Law and in the prophets; only Paul knew that the Messianic hopes had been realized in Jesus of Nazareth, while his accusers were still groping about in the darkness and blindness of a hope that would never be fulfilled. And he cherished the same hope toward God as these men also accepted, namely, that a resurrection of the just as well as of the unjust would surely take place. Note that Paul here makes no distinction between the high priest, a Sadducee, and the representatives of the Sanhedrin that were Pharisees, preferring to regard them as simply Jews that held the hope of their entire nation. For that reason, since he was firm in this belief, Paul exercised himself, he earnestly endeavored also, as they did, to have a clear conscience toward God and toward all men everywhere. The strongest motive and impelling power in a Christian is his faith in the Word of God and his hope of the resurrection of the dead. Note: The defense of Paul, in this section especially, is a fine apology of Christianity and the Christian faith. Thus the opponents of the true faith are silenced, when they cannot prove their assertions against the Christians, and when, in addition, the faith and the life of the Christians can truthfully be urged in their defense. The Christians do not constitute a new sect; their religion is the true religion, as it was in the world from the beginning; they believe in the Word of God and have the hope of the resurrection of the body and of eternal life.

The conclusion of Paul’s defense:

Having disposed of the charges of the Jews and showing their utter untenableness, Paul now turns the tables upon his accusers and mentions some considerations which place them in a very unfavorable light. He states the purpose of the present trip. After a number of years, a matter of some eight or nine years, he had come up to bring alms to his nation, the collection which had been made in the congregations of Macedonia, Achaia, and Asia, and to offer sacrifices, the usual sacrifices of the festival, or he may include the offerings made for the sake of the Nazirite Jewish Christians. In the performance of these religious duties, after he had been purified in the Temple, certain Jews from Asia had found him, but not with a crowd which he might have been trying to incite to sedition, nor with any tumult which may have resulted from any intrigues of his. These Jews were the ones that had first seized him (a delicate correction of the statement of Acts 24:6), and their place it would properly have been to be present at this trial and to make accusation if the words of Lysias had been obeyed. It was a very significant fact, as Paul indicates, that the only personal witnesses of what he did in the Temple were not present to testify against him. And to this telling shot Paul adds another semisarcastic remark. He challenges these very men present here to state what fault they found in him as he was standing before the Synedrion at the hearing of Lysias, unless it were regarding that one utterance when he cried out as he was standing there that it was on account of the resurrection of the dead that he was on trial to-day before them. This was a most effective taunt, since it would show Felix that they were moved against him by party jealousy, that the entire contention was about a matter in which the Jews themselves were at variance. Altogether, the defense of Paul was a brilliant justification of himself and his cause, utterly overthrowing the fabric of lies which Tertullus had reared. And Felix could not but feel this. But he acted in a characteristic way. He put off the Jews and remanded Paul for another hearing, as though it were not possible at once to pass a judgment of acquittal or condemnation before further inquiry in the matter. Felix had a more exact and detailed knowledge of the way, of the Christian religion, since he had not been blind all these years and there was a Christian congregation in Caesarea. He knew that the Christians were harmless, innocent persons. On the other hand, reasons of policy forbade his taking the part of Paul openly and thus provoking the enmity of the Jews. So he stated as the reason for his action that he must wait until Lysias, the chiliarch, came down, when he would be able to render a decision with reference to the testimony from all sides. Note: Felix here, like Pontius Pilate, is an example of an unjust judge, one that will indeed hinder gross violence, but at the same time courts the favor of the people and curtails the rights of the believers.

Verses 23-27

Paul retained a prisoner

The case of Paul had been continued indefinitely; he was retained in custody only for reasons of expediency and policy on the part of Felix. But the procurator at least had enough humaneness left to make Paul’s confinement as light as possible. He gave definite orders to a certain centurion to keep him in custody, thus making the officer responsible for his safekeeping. At the same time, however, he should be given indulgence, should be permitted a certain freedom of movement, and no one of his own people, the members of the local Christian congregation and others, should be hindered from serving him. Any kind of personal service, even in small matters, was allowed, the indulgence extending as far as the centurion might consider safe. Some time after, Felix with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess, came, probably having just returned to the city after a visit elsewhere, and sent for Paul. It was not a formal hearing, but a private interview, very likely because Drusilla had heard the Christian religion spoken of on so many occasions and wanted to hear this great teacher of that sect tell something about the faith in Christ. This Drusilla was the youngest daughter of Herod Agrippa I, and had been married at the age of fourteen to Azizus, the king of Emesa. Felix became acquainted with her, became enamored of her ravishing beauty, and, with the help of a Jewish sorcerer, named Simon of Cyprus, seduced her from her husband, with whom, according to the account of Josephus, she had led a very unhappy life ^■104 . So she was now, although married to Felix according to Roman law, yet, according to the Law of God, living with him in an adulterous union. Where the Word of God does not reign, every form of sin and shame is freely indulged in, as the lust of the flesh dictates. Paul willingly complied with the request and, in accordance with the order of the Lord, first exposed the sin and its condemnation. He spoke of righteousness, of the absolute need of purity in the sight of God, of sinlessness before His judgment; he spoke of temperance, of the mastery of self, of the necessity of keeping the lusts and desires of the flesh under proper control; he spoke of the future judgment, when all these matters would be revealed before the eyes of the omniscient God. “He spoke of justice to a judge, of continence to a prefect whose recklessness and licentiousness had made him notorious, and of the future judgment to a man who needed that he should be reminded of his future account.” The result was that Felix was filled with fear. “As he glanced back over the stained and guilty past, he was afraid. He had been a slave in the vilest of all positions, at the vilest of all epochs, in the vilest of all cities. He had crept with his brother Pallas into the position of a courtier at the most morally degraded of all courts. He had been an officer of those auxiliaries who were the worst of all troops. What secrets of lust and blood lay hidden in his earlier life we do not know; but ample and indisputable testimony, Jewish and pagan, sacred and secular, reveavls to us what he had been — how greedy, how savage, how treacherous, how unjust, how steeped in the blood of private murder and public massacre — during the eight years which he had now spent in the government, first of Samaria, then of Palestine. There were footsteps behind him; he began to feel as though ‘the earth were made of glass.’” ^■105 . And it is doubtful whether Drusilla felt more comfortable than her “husband” during the address of Paul. Felix had enough; he told Paul that he might go for the present; at a convenient season he would call him again. But that convenient season apparently never came. That is a favorite phrase of sinners in high and low places to this day: at some later day, after they have thoroughly enjoyed all the lusts which the world has to offer, then they will change their lives. And in the mean time sin takes possession of their hearts so completely that they cannot shake its fetters off; the convenient moment never comes, and they are lost. How little the heart of Felix had been touched by the earnest words of Paul is shown by the fact that he hoped to be given some bribe money from Paul. It was either that the circumstances of Paul had improved since the probable death of his father, or that the procurator believed the Christians would readily collect enough money for their leading teacher in order to relieve him from the disgrace of imprisonment. With this idea in mind, he sent for Paul frequently and conversed with him, very likely dropping a hint now and then as to a method by which he could soon effect his release. But Paul refused to become a party to a crime, and was deaf to all insinuations and suggestions, open and veiled. In this way two years were soon consumed, when Felix was recalled by Nero, about A.D. 59, his successor being Porcius Festus. And the very last act of Felix was an injustice to Paul, for since he desired to gain favor with the Jews for the event of a return to his position, he left Paul in custody at Caesarea. Wherever there are unscrupulous officials in public or private life, they will be found to be time-servers, always ready to yield favors at the expense of others, and to place their own conduct in the most favorable light. The fact that innocent people may thus be harmed, apparently does not enter into their reckoning. But the government of the exalted Christ goes on in spite of all such miserable subterfuges and tricks.

Summary

Paul defends himself against the charges of the Jews as preferred before Felix through their attorney Tertullus, and his case is continued indefinitely, he being retained in custody even when Felix is recalled.

Verses 1-12

Paul appeals to Caesar

The hearing before Festus arranged:

Porcius Festus, the new procurator of Palestine, is spoken of in terms of praise by Josephus ^■106 , because he succeeded in dispersing the bands of robbers and in putting to death many of the assassins that infested the country. He entered upon the province, upon his duties as governor, in the year 60 A.D., landing at Caesarea and taking possession of the administrative buildings. But very soon, after three days, he made the journey from Caesarea to Jerusalem, which was still the capital of the Jewish nation. Evidently the Jewish leaders had not forgotten their hatred of Paul during the latter’s long imprisonment; if anything, they were more vindictive than ever, since their plans had failed of success. For they took this opportunity of informing Festus against Paul, of laying formal and legal information against him as a criminal. The high priest Ananias had been deposed, and Ishmael, the son of Phabi, was acting high priest; but on this occasion all the high priests, past and present, were united, together with the foremost men of the Jewish nation, determined at all costs to put Paul out of the way. They earnestly begged Festus, requesting it as a special favor, that he should send Paul up to Jerusalem, having made an ambush to kill him along the way. Here is a combination of hypocrisy and hatred seldom equaled, rarely even approached. With their murderous designs fully matured and the assassins engaged, they act as though their only concern was a new trial, with both Festus and the chief complainants present in Jerusalem. Now Festus, anxious to gain and keep the favor of the Jews, nevertheless thought it inexpedient to have the prisoner brought to Jerusalem. Paul was then in custody at Caesarea, and his own stay at Jerusalem would be very short, since he intended to leave shortly. Thus, by the providence of God, Festus was obliged to return with speed to Caesarea that the life of Paul might be spared according to His plans. The governor added that those among the Jews that had authority to act, on account of their rank or office, those that were competent to represent the Jews in this matter, should make the journey down to Caesarea with him, and then they might lay their charges against Paul, whether there were really anything criminal in him, whether he were the malefactor which their accusations represented him to be. Note: Instead of speaking of chance and fortune, Christians should substitute the dispensation and government of God, for many matters which seem to us of very minor importance are of the greatest consequence, as the sequel proves.

The beginning of the trial:

After the interview with the Jews, Festus remained in Jerusalem not more than eight or ten days, busy all the while in trying to get acquainted with the church government and with the various customs and usages of the Jews as they were acknowledged by the Roman government. Having journeyed down to Caesarea after that, he kept his promise to the Jews by setting the trial for the very next day. The narrative implies that the Jews had come down with Festus, and also indicates his promptness. When he had taken the judge’s chair, when he had sat down on the tribunal in the judgment-hall, he commanded that Paul be brought before him. When the prisoner had entered and taken the place indicated to him, the Jews that had come down from Jerusalem crowded as near as they dared and stood round about him, their attitude being intended to intimidate him. Since any reference to their own Law and to disputes concerning their own customs would have been useless, they molded their charges to fit the occasion, bringing forth many and serious complaints. From the answer of Paul it seems that they tried to make his being a Christian a sin against their own Law, his supposed profanation of the Temple a sin against the Holy Place, and the alleged incitement of seditions a sin against Caesar. But all their assertions, with all their show of certainty, did not go for proof before the Roman tribunal, and proof the accusers were unable to bring. As for Paul, the threatening aspect, the dark scowls of the Jews, had no effect on him whatever, for with reference to every charge he was able to defend himself without the slightest difficulty. He maintained that he had committed a crime neither against the Law of the Jews, nor against the Holy Place, nor against the emperor. Thus was truth and right vindicated against falsehood and evil; thus was the trust of Paul in his Lord rewarded with the Lord’s protection.

Paul’s appeal:

Evidently the Jews, with the persistence that characterizes them, had not quite given up their project of having Paul brought to Jerusalem. At any rate, the idea that he might gain popularity by the suggestion caused Festus to ask Paul whether he wanted to go up to Jerusalem, there to be tried before him concerning these things. The real favor which Festus intended to show the Jews seems to have consisted in this, that the members of the Sanhedrin would conduct the trial in his presence. It was a most unusual suggestion, altogether at variance with Roman proceedings at law, and seems to have come as a surprise to Paul. But his answer came without hesitation. He wanted to be tried by no Jewish court; standing before the tribunal of Caesar, he was where right and justice demanded that he be tried. The court of the Roman procurator was a lower court, removed but one step from the imperial court, and the governor held court as a representative of Caesar. Paul adds that he had not harmed the Jews, that he had done them no wrong, “as thou also understandest very well,” he boldly says. Festus was finding out for himself better with each minute that the charges of the Jews were mere pretense and had no basis of fact. So far as he himself was concerned, Paul was ready to face any just trial. If he was a wrong-doer, guilty of some crime, if he had done anything that merited death according to Roman law, he would not refuse, literally, he would not beg off from, death. But if there were no matters concerning which the Jews accused him, if they were unable to substantiate their charges against him, no man had the right to deliver him up to them, to make them a present of the prisoner, to do with as they chose. And Paul closed his ringing defense of his innocence with the words: I appeal to Caesar. A Roman citizen, tried for a crime and sentenced, had the right to appeal to the emperor if he believed the ruling of the court to be unjust; but in criminal cases he might resort to this appeal at any time, if he thought that the judge was exceeding his authority and acting at variance with the laws. Such an appeal instantly suspended proceedings in the case, its effect being to condemn all magistrates and persons in authority as violators of the public peace who had put to death, tortured, scourged, imprisoned, or condemned any Roman citizen who had appealed to Caesar. In Paul’s case, therefore, the trial stopped at once. Festus merely had a short consultation with the assessors of the court, counselors or officials that were consulted in the administration of the law, the question in this instance probably being whether the appeal should be accepted, since Paul had not yet been formally tried. But the outcome of the discussion was stated by Festus: To Caesar hast thou appealed; to Caesar shalt thou go! There seems to be something of a sneer in the words, occasioned, no doubt, by the fact that the appeal at this time indicated the prisoner’s mistrust of the judge’s impartiality. But this expedient may, incidentally, have proved a relief to Festus; for now the Jews would not be able to say that he had not been willing to grant them their boon, and he was rid of the whole disagreeable matter. Thus the unbelief, the hatred of Christ on the part of the Jews and the injustice on the part of the Roman governor combined in enabling Paul to preach the Gospel also in Rome, the capital of the world. Even to-day the wickedness and enmity of the world often serve to spread the kingdom of Christ on earth.

Verses 13-27

Agrippa and Bernice in Caesarea

Festus lays the matter before Agrippa:

After a few days had passed, some time after the trial or preliminary hearing which was destined to have such far-reaching consequences, King Agrippa and his sister Bernice came to Caesarea to offer congratulations to Festus upon his entry on his office. Agrippa II was the son of Herod Agrippa I, Acts 12. Since he was only seventeen years old at the time of his father’s death, he was not given the kingdom, but was made ruler of Chalcis, a small city and district near the Antilebanon, after the death of his uncle, and also the government of the Temple was given him, with the right of appointing the high priest. Later the tetrarchies of Philip and Lysanias were added to his dominions, and he bore the title of king, though not king of Judea. Bernice, his oldest sister, had been betrothed to Marcus of Alexandria, had then married her uncle, Herod of Chalcis, a few years later, was left a widow, lived with her brother, was again married, to Polemon, king of Cilicia, whom, however, she soon left. The history of her life is that of a wanton woman with only one redeeming feature, when she tried to dissuade the procurator Florus from cutting down the Jews. The two royal visitors had been in the city for some time when Festus laid the case of Paul before the king, feeling sure that the latter’s more intimate knowledge of Jewish affairs would enable him to form a correct idea of the situation. So he explained matters as he understood them. A certain man had been left in custody by Felix, concerning whom the Jews had laid information before him when he was in Jerusalem, earnestly requesting a sentence of condemnation against him. The Jews thus appear to have tried other schemes as well as that of having the hearing transferred to Jerusalem. Festus had told the Jews that it was not the custom of the Romans to condemn one man to oblige another, before the accused have his accusers face to face and have a chance to defend himself concerning the accusation which was made against him. And when they had then come together at Caesarea, he had made no delay, he had not put off the matter another day, but on the very next day had taken his seat on the tribunal and commanded the man to be arraigned. But when the accusers stood up in court, they brought no accusation of evil concerning him as Festus had suspected. The bitterness of feeling which the chief priests and members of the Sanhedrin had exhibited in Jerusalem had led the governor to expect the charge of a very serious crime. Instead of that, as the speaker contemptuously remarks, they had certain questions about their own religion against him and concerning a certain Jesus who had died, of whom Paul insisted that he was living. During the court proceedings much must have been said on both sides which Luke did not record, since he was interested only in offering a summary of the history. In several sentences the Roman’s skepticism is revealed, as when he refers to the Jewish belief as literally demon-worship, a foolish religion, cp. Acts 17:22, and when he refers to Paul’s earnest statement as a mere assertion. The upshot of the matter had been that Festus had been in doubt, had been at a loss as to the manner of proceeding, of making his inquiry regarding these questions and had therefore asked whether Paul desired to go to Jerusalem and there be tried concerning them. But since Paul had made an appeal that his case be reserved for the decision of Augustus, the Roman emperor, the governor had given command to keep him in custody until he could send him to Caesar, to the highest court in the Roman empire. The report of Festus is fairly correct, though colored by his understanding of the case. But he was evidently still perplexed and counted upon Agrippa, his acquaintance with whom had reached that stage, to help him out with good advice.

Paul presented before Agrippa:

Agrippa was naturally interested in Paul, the great teacher of Christianity, just as his relative, some thirty years before, had been desirous of seeing Jesus, Luke 23:8. His family had always held the same relation to Christ and the Gospel. His grandfather had attempted to kill Jesus at Bethlehem in the slaughter of the innocents, his uncle had murdered John the Baptist and mocked Jesus, his father had slain James the apostle and oppressed the Church. Agrippa would probably not have gone one step out of his way to see or hear Paul, but at this unexpected opportunity to become acquainted with the doctrine of the Nazarenes he was truly pleased. So he expressed his wish that he might hear the man himself, with the understanding that he would then be enabled to render a proper opinion; and he received the promise of Festus that this opportunity would be given him the next day. At the appointed time, therefore, Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, with an extraordinary, Oriental show of splendor, very likely attired in all their regal finery and attended by a full retinue of servants, all this in the same city in which their father, upon a similar occasion, had been stricken by God and had been eaten by worms. The distinguished visitors were received and conducted, and thus entered into the hall appointed for this informal hearing, hardly the judgment-hall, since a formal trial was out of the question. The brilliancy of the occasion, which was in the nature of a reception, was enhanced by the presence of chiliarchs and of the most distinguished men of the city, surely the most brilliant audience which Paul, whom Festus now ordered to be brought in, had ever faced. Although Agrippa knew the purpose of the assembly, the governor now made a formal speech, addressed to him and to all men that were present, presenting to them the man who was causing all this excitement among the Jews. They saw before them this man, concerning whom the entire multitude of the Jews had had a conference with him, had made complaint to him, both in Jerusalem and in Caesarea. They had loudly voiced their opinion that he should no longer live. But Festus had come to the conclusion that Paul had done nothing worthy of death, and now the prisoner himself had appealed to Caesar, the Roman emperor, to the name that was given divine honor by the Romans. And so Festus had judged that he would send him. It was a solemn, impressive occasion, and the governor made the most of it by stressing its importance and exaggerating his part in the drama. But the difficulty confronting him, as he further explained, one that placed him in a bad predicament, was this, that he had nothing definite to write to his lord, the emperor, concerning Paul. For this reason he had brought him forth before this illustrious assembly and especially before King Agrippa, in order that he might, after some sort of an examination had been held, have something precise to write. For since the charge of treason had been contradicted by Paul with great emphasis, the question still remaining seemed partly obscure and partly absurd. And all this was done since it seemed unreasonable, senseless, to the governor that any one sending a man bound as a prisoner should not indicate, in the accompanying letter, what reasons he had for this step. The situation surely was awkward. He was about to send Paul to Rome, to appear in the emperor’s court, though he had not one charge against him; and at the same time he must be sent, since he had appealed to Caesar. Agrippa would therefore probably be able to help him, that he might draw up such letters in the case as not to appear a fool in Nero’s eyes. Thus Paul obtained the chance to testify of Christ before this great and magnificent assembly. And thus in many other cases sinners of all classes have the opportunity to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which alone will save their souls. O that every one of them would but hear!

Summary

Paul, arraigned before Festus, finds it necessary to appeal to Caesar, after which his case is laid before the visiting Agrippa.

Verses 1-32

The hearing before Agrippa

Paul’s introduction to his speech:

Although Festus was the procurator of the province, yet he courteously yielded to Agrippa, as his guest and as king, the rank of presiding officer. And Agrippa’s opening words show that he was just as careful in observing the demands of politeness, for he does not speak in his own name in addressing Paul, but in the third person: It is permitted thee to speak for thyself. Herewith Paul was given the floor and the privilege to present his case as he saw fit. And Paul, in opening his speech, employed the gesture which is represented in so many ancient statues. Throwing his cloak, or mantle, off his right shoulder, to be held securely by the left hand, he stretched out his right hand in a gesture commanding attention. In his defense he addressed himself first to King Agrippa directly. He considered himself fortunate because of the fact that he was about to make his defense before this king concerning all those things of which he was accused of the Jews. There was no trace of self-consciousness and of fear in the appearance of Paul. “Had he been conscious of guilt, he should have feared being tried in the presence of one who knew all the facts; but this is a mark of a clear conscience, not to shrink from a judge who has an accurate knowledge of the circumstances, but even to rejoice and to call himself happy.” (Chrysostomus.) And Paul rejoiced all the more since he knew that Agrippa, having been in charge of the government of the Temple for many years, was well versed regarding all the customs, the usages, as well as the questions, the theoretical discussions which were prevalent among Jews everywhere. Agrippa, like all the Idumeans since the time of Herod the Great, had been brought up in the Jewish faith, and for that reason had been given oversight of religious affairs in Jerusalem, although the city otherwise was under the Roman procurator. For this reason Paul asked the king to listen to him patiently, with all magnanimity. Paul’s manner of address was not that of fawning servility, but was the expression of genuine pleasure, due in part probably to the hope of gaining Agrippa for the cause of Christ. The speech of the Christians should at all times be calculated, if not to gain converts for Christ directly, at least not to harm His cause in any way.

Paul’s early life and belief:

Early in life, at the beginning of the period of his youth, Paul had come to Jerusalem. And his manner of living, the habits of his life, how he comported himself in every way: all this, since it had taken place from the very beginning of his formal education, from his early youth, in the midst of his nation and in Jerusalem itself, all the Jews knew and were familiar with, for they knew him before and from the beginning. If they would but choose to testify, they might say the truth, that in accordance with the most severe sect, the strictest body of men in their own midst (Paul here includes himself and Agrippa with the Jews), he lived the principles, followed the religious cult, as a Pharisee. The point which the apostle here makes is that he was most unlikely to violate the Jewish feeling, for their customs were inbred and ingrained in him, and according to the strictest interpretation at that. And now, with his whole life before the people like an open book and with his thorough Jewish training as an argument for his orthodoxy, he stood condemned on account of his hope in the promise made by God to the fathers. For that he was on trial in the Roman court, for that he was condemned by the Jews. And yet the twelve tribes of Israel together hoped to gain, to attain to, this same promise by a service in all intentness both by night and by day; regarding which hope he was being accused by Jews, as he emphatically declares to the king. That was to Paul the strangest feature of the whole affair, that Jews could be so blind as to deny their own teaching and belief in the attempt to do him harm. It causes him to cry out: Why is it considered incredible by you that God should raise the dead? Why should they oppose it with all the force of unbelief if God raises the dead? This puzzled question might well be repeated in our days concerning this greatest truth of revealed religion, the fact upon which the Christian religion is based. The opposition of the unbelievers results in their losing the most glorious assurance that may come to man, and we cannot see their reason for such obstinacy.

Paul’s earlier position toward Jesus:

Paul here makes a frank confession of his enmity toward Christ and His believers, in order to bring out all the more strikingly the grace he had received in his conversion. He himself in those days had been of the opinion, he had held firmly to the conviction; it was an obligation which was the result of his wilful self-delusion that he must do much against, in opposition to, the name of Jesus of Nazareth. The name of Jesus was so hateful to him that he gave himself wholly to the persecution of those that professed belief in Christianity. In those days his zeal against Christ and the Church had not been one whit behind that of the entire family of Herod: he considered it his most important duty in life to prevent the confession of the name of Jesus, and to enforce this idea with persecution and slaughter. This he did in Jerusalem, being instrumental in shutting up many of the saints in prison, holding authority to that effect from the high priests. Note that Paul here deliberately calls those people saints whom he formerly had persecuted with such unquenchable hatred. And when the believers were put to death, he cast his vote in favor of the execution, either as a member of the Sanhedrin, as some think, or he spoke in favor of the measure, throwing all his persuasive abilities into the balance against the hated name. Neither was his bloodthirstiness satisfied with the executions which he succeeded in bringing about, but in all the synagogs he punished them often, being careful not to overlook a single one, and he forced them to blaspheme, not only to deny and renounce, but even to execrate Christ, in order to save their lives; he made the attempt again and again, and it is only too probable that he had success at least in some cases. His hatred finally drove him to extreme madness, to insanity, so far as the Christians were concerned, the very thought of the extension of the faith drove him wild with fury, and he continued his persecutions of them also into other cities outside of Jerusalem. He had good reasons, therefore, to describe himself as a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious. 1 Timothy 1:13. His example is that of a man whom the enmity toward Christ will give no rest, neither by day nor by night, who feels compelled to hurt the course of the Gospel by every means at his disposal. Such people Christians must expect to meet in the performance of their duty, and the fact dare not cause them too much anxiety.

Paul’s recital of his miraculous conversion:

Paul here relates the story of his conversion substantially as it has been told by Luke, Acts 9, and by himself in his speech before the Jews, Acts 22. It was on this errand, on this business of enmity against Jesus, that he was traveling to Damascus, being armed with the authority and power of the high priests themselves; he was acting as their commissioner, as their authorized representative, and was given practically free rein to show his hatred in any way he would choose. In the middle of the day, in the clear bright light of full day, he had seen a light from heaven, brighter and more dazzling than the sun that shone round about him and those that traveled with him, that enveloped them all in its blinding brilliance. And when they had all fallen to the ground, Paul first and his companions also after a few moments of dumb and rigid astonishment, he had heard a voice speaking to him in the Hebrew, that is, the Aramaic dialect, asking him why he was persecuting Him, and telling him that it would be hard for him to kick against the goads. In the Orient the ox-goad consisted, as it does to-day, of a long stick, into the end of which a sharp iron point was fixed. Paul was like an unruly ox, kicking when goaded, and thereby adding to his own pains while he persecuted the Church, for the worse his mad enmity became, the less satisfaction did he get out of the gratification of his lust for the blood of Christians. It was a foolish and useless effort for him to try to persecute Jesus in His followers, “an effort which only inflicted deeper wounds upon himself, an effort as idle as that described by the Psalmist, Psalm 2:3-4.” ^■107 . Upon Paul’s anxious and fearful question as to the exact identity of the Lord that was speaking to him, he had received the answer that it was Jesus whom he was persecuting. The Lord had then given him the command to get up and to stand on his feet, since He had appeared to him for this purpose, to select and thus employ him as a man whom the hand of God had torn out of the midst of dangers threatening his soul to be His servant and witness of the things which he had seen, as well as of the things which the Lord still intended to show him. This the Lord had further explained by telling him that He was lifting him out, rescuing him, from the midst of his own people as well as from the Gentiles. And to the latter the Lord was now sending His apostle, to open their eyes, which were blind in spiritual matters, to turn them away from the darkness of their spiritual blindness and unbelief to the light of the Gospel and from the power of Satan, in whose dominion they were kept by nature, to God, their Savior, to receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance in the midst of those that are sanctified by faith in the Redeemer. Thus the Scriptures in this passage call natural man, so far as spiritual and divine matters are concerned, nothing but darkness ^■108 . The way of salvation, the method by which God leads sinners to His mercy, is here plainly and explicitly taught. Through the preaching of the Gospel the eyes of the sinners are opened that they might know Christ, their Savior; through the Gospel the sinners are converted that they turn away from darkness, from the service of sin, from the power of Satan, to God and to the light and salvation in Christ, so that all heathenism and superstition is left behind, and nothing but the knowledge, worship, and service of the blessed Redeemer engages their attention. Note that the faith which has worked trust in the salvation of Jesus incidentally consecrates the believer, sets him apart, sanctifies him for the service of the Lord.

How Paul had carried out the work of his call:

The miraculous vision, as well as the words of Christ in extending to him this call as apostle, had decided Paul; upon the strength of all this he had not been disobedient to the heavenly vision, the Lord’s merciful power had wrought the change in his heart, making him willing and eager to become the ambassador of the Most High, of the exalted Christ. He had begun in Damascus, preaching Christ that He is the Son of God, Acts 9:20. He had spoken boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus in Jerusalem, Acts 9:29, and throughout all the coasts of Judea. Finally, he had made at least three missionary journeys into the heathen world. And everywhere his message had been the same; it had been the message of the Baptist, it had been the message of Jesus, namely, that men should repent and turn to God. First comes the acknowledgment of sin and of its damnableness; then the sinner despairs of himself and all his own righteousness and turns to God for help and salvation as he hears the glorious news of the Gospel; and then come the works which are worthy of repentance, which measure up to the standard of actual repentance, with nothing of sham or deceit about them, but embodying the sincere effort of the Christian to live worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For these causes, for the fact that Paul proclaimed the Gospel in all its glorious purity, the Jews had seized him in the Temple and had tried violently to put him to death. All the other points which they had alleged were partly pure fiction and partly perversion of truth, in order to harm the course of the Gospel. The identical thing happens in our days whenever the enemies of Christ invent excuses to suppress the preaching of the truth. But Paul had been fortunate in obtaining help from God, and thus stood firm to that day, bearing witness before the small and the great alike, making no distinction of persons, saying nothing but that which the prophets had, literally, spoken that it was destined to happen, and also Moses. The message of the New Testament does not differ essentially from that of the Old Testament; the believers of the time before Christ had the prophecies of the salvation to come in the Messiah; the believers since His time look back to, and trust in, the salvation as it has been gained by Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection. What Moses and the prophets preached, the great central doctrine of Christianity, salvation through faith in Jesus, that is the subject of Christian preaching to the end of time: that Christ was to suffer by the will and counsel of God, that He, as the first to rise from the dead, was destined as a light to proclaim the blessings, to bring the message of light to all people, even the heathen, to Jews and Gentiles alike. As usual, Paul insisted upon it that the identity of the Messiah with Jesus of Nazareth was proved not only by His suffering, as foretold, but also by His resurrection, and by the power which the message of this resurrection was exerting in bringing the blessings of spiritual and eternal light to the hearts of men.

Paul’s foremost wish:

Paul had spoken in all simplicity and truthfulness, without attempt at oratorical effect, only one of his sentences having the force of a rhetorical period. But his seriousness, and the conviction with which he presented his case, could not remain without influence upon his hearers. And almost involuntarily Festus, carried away with the force of the argumentation, interrupted Paul with the exclamation: Thou art beside thyself. The astounding announcements which Paul had made concerning the resurrection of Jesus and of the power of His Word caused the heathen governor to surmise that he must be insane, that he could not be conscious of what he was saying. Festus believed that much wisdom, great learning, had carried the prisoner away to temporary insanity. He may have referred only to the great learning which Paul had just exhibited, or he may have inferred as much from the great number of books which Paul had with him. All this, he believed, had driven the prisoner to madness. But Paul, addressing him as the honorable Festus, Your Excellency, calmly told him that he was not mad, but was uttering words of truth and sobriety. In the judgment of the blind children of this world to this day the faith of the Christians and their calm cheerfulness is considered madness and evidence that they cannot possibly be in their right mind. But they that talk thus have not the faintest idea of what Christianity is, nor of its calm, convincing truth. For the confirmation of this fact Paul called upon King Agrippa, stating that the latter had the proper understanding regarding these things, to whom therefore also Paul had spoken with such cheerful openness. Agrippa knew that Paul’s words were sober and sound statements, and that they were based upon facts. A Christian the king was not, but for the truth of history he would surely vouch, and the apostle was fully persuaded that none of these matters were hidden from him, for the entire movement, the establishment of the Christian religion, had not been done in a corner, hidden away from the eyes of the world, but it was a movement of which every one in the entire country might have known and must have heard. Paul argued here as Jesus had done before him, John 18:21, referring to the fact that the Gospel-message had been proclaimed without the slightest attempt at secrecy. And Paul’s boldness, which he had exhibited throughout his address, now also causes him to turn frankly and address himself to King Agrippa with the direct question: Believest thou, King Agrippa, the prophets? I know that thou believest. This question was intended further to substantiate the words of Paul; for even if Festus could not consider his words as statements of truth and soberness, Agrippa could not be indifferent to them, since they were based upon the prophets, and Agrippa, as a Jew, at least nominally accepted the Old Testament books and based his belief upon them. It was a forcible appeal, and one which should have had its effect upon the heart and mind of the king. However, Agrippa would not permit himself to yield, but retorted: With but little persuasion thou wouldst fain make me a Christian? He wanted to indicate whether in irony or in cold indifference, that he could not be made a Christian so easily as all that. He wanted a stronger argument than a mere appeal to his faith to induce him to become a Christian. The sarcastic tone of the answer, however, did not intimidate Paul. With the same cheerful boldness as before he states his honest wish, that he hoped to God, whether by little or by much, not only Agrippa, but all those that heard him that day, might become Christians like himself, without, however, being obliged to wear the disgraceful marks of imprisonment, the fetters which confined him. So the apostle, who preached of love in such touching terms, 1 Corinthians 13, could not easily be provoked, and took no account of evil. In the same way all servants of the Lord must be careful to be neither dismayed nor provoked by the veiled and open taunts of the unbelievers, but continue to testify of Christ and issue invitations to all men to accept the message of the Gospel and become Christians.

The end of the hearing:

When Paul had made his last appeal, the king arose, this being the signal that he wished the hearing closed, and the governor, Bernice, and the rest of the invited company that had sat beside them. Having left the hall, they retired to another chamber to exchange their ideas. And they all agreed in saying that this man, Paul, was doing nothing that merited either death or imprisonment. This much the open and fearless speech of Paul at least had shown them. And while Agrippa would not permit himself to be persuaded in favor of Christianity, he at least felt himself obliged to state to Festus that this man might well be released if he had not appealed to Caesar. But the appeal had now been made and accepted, and Paul must be sent to Rome. Very likely this opinion as rendered by Agrippa influenced the letter which Festus addressed to the imperial court in this matter and may thus account for the treatment of Paul upon his arrival at the capital. Note: In all these facts, as here presented, the guiding hand of the exalted Christ, the Head of His Church, is plainly seen: He wanted Paul to get to Rome, but He also protected him against all harm.

Summary

Paul makes his speech of defense at the hearing before King Agrippa, which moves the latter to declare that he is innocent of any crime, and that only his appeal caused his being sent to Rome.

Verses 1-44

The voyage from Caesarea to Melita

From Caesarea to Fair Havens:

The hearing before Agrippa, which gave him as well as Festus the conviction that Paul was innocent of any offense against the empire, had one good result: it ended the uncertainty of the Caesarean imprisonment. It was determined that the trip to Italy, for which several routes were open, should be made entirely by sea. Luke here, as the text shows, again joined the company of Paul. He had probably spent the intervening two years in gathering the material which was later, under the Holy Spirit’s guidance, used in his gospel. Paul and certain other prisoners were committed to the charge of a centurion by the name of Julius, an officer of the imperial guard, or cohort, a body of soldiers that bore the emperor’s name and was probably used for confidential business between Rome and the provinces. Since they were in somewhat of a hurry, they did not wait for the coming of a large vessel, but embarked in a ship from Adramyttium, that is, from the port of Adramyttium, a harbor on the coast of Mysia, not far from Troas. This was a coastwise sailboat, engaged in local freight trade, bound for the seaports of Asia Minor. The intention of Julius was to be on the lookout for a larger vessel that was going directly to Italy, an expectation which could hardly fail of fulfilment. Paul not only had Luke as a companion, but also Aristarchus of Thessalonica, one of the men that had come up to Jerusalem with him, Acts 20:4. The fact that this man later is called a fellow-prisoner of Paul, Colossians 4:10, does not argue that he made the trip with Paul in that capacity. The chances are that Luke would have mentioned the fact of his being a prisoner, had this been his condition at the time. By the next day the boat had made a run along the coast of almost seventy miles and put in at Sidon, the former capital of Phenicia, superseded as the commercial metropolis by Tyre. Here Julius gave the first evidence of the respect and friendly feeling which he showed to Paul on the entire voyage: he treated him kindly, having probably received instructions from Festus to that effect and himself being impressed by the personal character and conduct of Paul. Probably with the soldier to whom he was chained, the apostle received permission to go to his friends in the city, the brethren of the local congregation, and to receive their care. He may not exactly have been in need of medical care, but the kind words of his fellow-Christians at this time were undoubtedly worth more to Paul than any mere entertainment for his benefit. After the business of the master of the vessel had been concluded at this port, they put to sea from there and sailed along below Cyprus, under the lee of this large island in the eastern Mediterranean. This made it necessary for the ship to sail around the long peninsula which juts out toward Syria, instead of cutting straight across the Mediterranean south of the island. But the winds were adverse. Having rounded the northeastern extremity of Cyprus, the ship crept along slowly from point to point along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, “using the local land breezes when possible, and the current constantly running to the westward along the southern coast.” ^■107 . In this way they reached the harbor of Myra, on the southern coast of Lycia, one of the great ports in the corn trade between Egypt and Rome. The centurion therefore found here a ship from Alexandria in Egypt, apparently a grain ship bound for Italy, and he transferred his prisoners and their friends to this larger merchant-vessel, put them on board, in the fond belief that the remainder of the voyage could now easily be accomplished. But for quite a number of days they made slow headway, reaching a point off Cnidus, a city on the coast of Caria, only with considerable difficulty, and were unable to enter. The wind still hindering their progress across the Aegean Sea, they turned to the south, to try the course in the lee of the island of Crete, which they reached off Cape Salmone, on the eastern extremity. And even here they sailed along the southern side of the island only with difficulty, until they reached a certain place called Fair Havens, about in the center of the southern coast, the city of Lasea being near it. The start from Caesarea having been made in the late summer or early fall of the year 59 or 60, winter was now approaching, and shipping was becoming dangerous.

The start from Fair Havens:

Due to the adverse winds and the extremely slow progress, the season was now very far advanced, and navigation had become perilous. The great fast day of the Jewish calendar was even past, that of the Day of Atonement, which was held on the tenth of Tishri (corresponding roughly to our October). In those days, navigation ceased with the coming of the stormy season, not to be resumed till spring. Paul, therefore, whether on his own initiative or by request of the centurion, issued a warning admonition that, so far as he could see, the voyage was destined to proceed only with great injury and much damage, not only of the cargo and of the ship, but also of their own lives. There would surely be injury inflicted to them and the ship by the elements, especially by the violence of the tempest; and the event fully justified Paul’s advice. But the centurion was persuaded by the master and by the owner of the ship rather than by anything Paul could say. According to some commentators, the two men were the pilot and the captain of the ship, and their interest in opposing Paul’s advice was grounded in mercenary motives, the provisions being eagerly expected in Rome and providing for the keep of a large crew during a long stay at Fair Havens being a considerable item. Then there was another factor, namely, that the harbor was not altogether suitable for wintering, not so much on nautical grounds, but for the reason that there was no large city near by, and that the sailors would suffer for want of suitable occupation. So the majority finally proposed to set sail from there with the intention, if they could make it, of wintering at Phoenix, which was a harbor of Crete fronting toward the southwest and northwest. Their opinion seemed to be sustained by the weather, for instead of the disagreeable and contrary wind from the west a moderate breeze from the south began to blow, which seemed altogether favorable to their intention of running along the coast a matter of some sixty miles. Believing, therefore, that they could carry out their intention, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete to the west, closer inshore even than before, hugging the coast. It was a perilous undertaking at best, but they were willing to risk it, just as many people to-day will endanger life and limb a thousand times in the hope of gaining a few dollars.

The hurricane:

The gentle breeze seems to have been only a lull while the storm shifted, for not long after they had started from Fair Havens, and probably before they had rounded the cape, where their course would turn toward the northwest, a tempestuous wind, a hurricane, beat down from Crete and its mountains. Its name is given as Euroclydon, or East-northeast, now known as a “Levanter,” and its force was such, after the ship had been caught by it, as to make it impossible to face the wind. So the sailors gave way to the wind, they gave the ship up to the mercy of the hurricane and were driven along. Steadily toward the southwest they were beaten until they ran under the lee of a small island called Clauda. Here the force of the storm was not quite so great as out in the open, and so the sailors were enabled to take three precautions. With some difficulty they got hold of the boat, or skiff, which usually floated at the stern, but which was now in danger of being dashed to pieces against the sides of the vessel; this they hoisted to the deck. They next undergirded, or frapped, the ship by passing cables around the hull, undoubtedly the long way in this instance, to secure the whole plankage of the ship and to break the force of the waves. The tightening was done by means of the capstan, thus affording some safety against the parting of the timbers. And finally, since the sailors were afraid that they would be driven into the dreaded Syrtis, the great banks of quicksands near the coast of Africa, they lowered the gear, the rigging of the sails, or set it so that it offered the least possible resistance to the wind, and so were driven. Their precautions seem at least to have had so much effect that the course of the ship was changed from southwest to west. The next day the tempest raged with unabated vigor, and since they were tossed about and suffered great distress because of the storm, they jettisoned, they threw overboard the cargo, or such parts of it as were loose. On the third day they threw overboard the rigging and the tackling of the ship, including all the spars and cordage. The suffering and distress of all men on board was greatly increased by the fact that they were dependent upon the stars for steering the course of the vessel, and since now neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the tempest was raging with unabated force, they finally gave up all hope of being saved. That was the result of courting danger without necessity, of pure presumptuousness.

Paul comforts crew and passengers:

For fourteen days and fourteen nights the vessel was tossed by the waves of the Mediterranean like a nutshell, during which time crew and passengers were in too great distress to think of eating; they abstained entirely. But when Paul, on one of these days, stepped into their midst and stood before them, they were willing to listen with greater respect to one whose judgment had been sounder than that of the great majority, if not of all of them. Without the slightest trace of malice in his attitude, but with the frankness which characterized him at all times, Paul told them that they should have permitted themselves to be persuaded by him and not have sailed from Crete. By not having put to sea, as he had advised, they would not have suffered this loss, they would have saved themselves both distress and injury or loss of property. But now he earnestly admonished them to be of good cheer, since there would be no loss of life in the case of any of them, unless it be of the ship. The ship would, in the events which were yet to transpire, prove a total loss, but all lives would be spared. And this admonition Paul supported by the evidence of a vision or dream. In the night that had just come to a close the angel of the Lord, whose own he was and whom he served, had stood by him and told him not to fear, since it must happen that he would be placed before Caesar, be arraigned before the emperor, and God had granted him the lives of all that were sailing with him. They were his as a present, a gift, from God, with the implication that without such gift they all would have perished. And so Paul again urges the men to be of good cheer, for he had absolute trust in the words of God that things would come to pass in exactly that way which had been told him. And in a spirit of prophecy the apostle adds: On a certain island, however, we are to be stranded. It was not a part of the angel’s message to him, but he had this information through the Spirit of God. Note: Every true Christian considers himself as belonging to the Lord, as being His own; and every Christian spends his life in the service of his Lord, even as Paul did. Mark also: God often spares the unbelievers and scoffers for the sake of the Christians, who are then to carry out, the work of the Lord with double vigor.

In sight of land:

About this time the ship, a mere plaything of the waves, was being tossed about in the Adria, in the Ionian Sea between Sicily and Greece, being driven in a uniform, continuous motion toward the west, and the fourteenth night had descended upon them. It was about in the middle of the night when the sailors surmised, not because they were able to distinguish anything in the dense darkness, but because the sound of the waves, the rolling of the breakers, seemed to indicate as much, that some land was approaching them, just as it appears to a traveler from the deck of a ship. So they quickly took soundings and found the depth to be twenty fathoms (a fathom, six feet); however, after they had traversed but a little more space and had again cast out the sounding-lead, they measured fifteen fathoms. The conclusion which they drew from these soundings made the crew fear, together with the passengers, that they would be cast on rocky ground, either on the shore or on submerged reefs. So they let down four anchors from the stern of the ship and heartily wished that day would dawn. Anchorage from the stern in this case, not knowing what was a score of feet away from them, enabled the sailors to manage the ship far more easily and would keep her under the control of the helm, in case it would prove feasible to run her ashore in the morning. Paul was on deck as were most of the passengers, and so he was enabled to thwart a treacherous plan of the crew. For the sailors desired earnestly to flee from the ship, to escape and leave soldiers, passengers, and prisoners to their fate; they lowered the small boat into the sea with the plea that they wanted to let down anchors from the bow, or prow, of the ship as well. They pretended that they must take the anchors the full cable length away. But Paul, noticing their deception, told the centurion and the soldiers that, unless these men remained in the ship, they all could not be saved. The soldiers thereupon made short work of the matter. They simply chopped off the ropes that held the boat and let her fall down, the waves at once carrying the skiff away. Thus Paul again saved the lives of all the people on the ship, for it stood to reason that neither the soldiers nor the passengers would be able to handle the vessel in an emergency like the present one. A Christian will at all times have the welfare of all men at heart and, so far as lies in his power, will advise, help, and protect them in every bodily need.

Paul again encourages his shipmates:

That the events of the last two weeks, the terrible buffeting by wind and waves, the constant danger of death, the absence of sun and stars, had had a demoralizing effect upon all men on board, is easily understood. In spite of Paul’s cheering and reassuring words when the storm was at its height, the strain had not permitted either crew or passengers to eat. The man with the greatest calmness and self-possession on the entire vessel was the apostle; he was now easily the leading spirit in the whole ship’s company. Since about midnight the ship had been straining at her anchors, in constant danger that some unusually heavy sea might cause the cables to part and throw them all on the rocky reefs. And now, finally, came the late dawn of a lowering November day. But just as day was about to break, Paul earnestly urged all men on board to take some food, reminding them that it was now the fourteenth day since they had been on the watch, on the lookout for help and deliverance, during all of which time they had been without food and had eaten nothing, had taken no regular meal. Now and then one of them might have snatched a hasty bite, but not enough to keep up sufficient strength for any emergency. “Paul suggests to the whole company to take food, in order to strengthen themselves for the escape from the ship. This was a wise and necessary act. It was forced on Paul by the situation; yet he was the only one that preserved sufficient coolness and courage to think of preparing for the immediate future.” ^■109 . Paul thus begged them to take some food and to make a good square meal of it, since this was necessary for their safety and for the work which they would have to perform to obtain deliverance from their present peril. And he again assures them that not a hair of their heads would perish; they would neither lose their lives nor suffer any serious hurt in their bodies. After these words Paul himself set a good example: he took some bread, gave thanks to God before them all, and, breaking the bread, began to eat. Note that Paul, even in the time of greatest peril, did not neglect to say grace and thank God, who had provided the food; nor did the presence of heathen hinder him from following his usual custom in this respect. The courage of Paul was infectious, for now the entire company was of good cheer; all men on board felt the need of showing more trust and manliness, and so they also themselves took some meat, partook of food, a large number, as Luke notes, a total of two hundred and seventy-six souls: they all were inspired by his confidence. When they had then eaten to their satisfaction, every one making a full meal of it, this restored them to such calmness and strength that they afterwards lightened the ship by throwing the grain, which seems to have made up a large part of her cargo, into the sea. The purpose was to have the vessel ride as high as possible in the water, thus diminishing her draught sufficiently to lift her over banks and shoals and to bring her as near to the land as possible. Note: It is always to the advantage and profit of the children of this world that Christians live in their midst. More than once, in days of great danger and distress, the advice and the prayers of the Christians have brought help.

The escape from the ship:

When it was day, when it became light enough to distinguish objects plainly, the sailors tried to get their bearings, but they did not recognize the land. They may have been at the island before, but this particular section on the northeastern shore was not familiar to them. From where they were anchored, near a rocky point, they perceived, or noticed, a small bay or inlet with a sandy beach, which looked much more inviting than the reefs farther out. Into this small bay, therefore, they wished, if possible, to drive the ship; they wanted to run her ashore on the beach. Having therefore loosed the anchors by slipping the cables which held them inside the vessel, they left them, they abandoned them in the sea. At the same time they unlashed the bands, the fastening of the rudders, of the two paddle-rudders with which the ships of those days were supplied, for they now needed them to steer the ship. And finally, they hoisted the foresail, spread its full extent to the breeze, and made for the flat beach. But as the vessel entered into the channel, it suddenly struck a submerged bank, ridge, shoal, or reef, the bow cutting deeply into the mud or sand and jamming fast, while the stern began to break up from the force of the waves. It was an extremely dangerous situation and one which almost caused the soldiers to lose their self-control and common sense. For their plan now was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them escape by swimming. Just as though there had been much danger of that in the rocky island! But here Julius, the centurion, again showed his good will. He wanted to bring Paul through safely, and therefore hindered them in their plan, put a stop to their intention. He gave the command that all those that were able to swim should jump overboard first and thus reach the land. And afterwards, when the sea about the hulk was clear of the swimmers, the rest, some on planks and some on pieces of wreckage, were to do the same thing. It was no easy task, with a heavy sea rolling and the waves sweeping high up on the shore, to reach a place beyond danger; but finally all the men that had been on the vessel, crew, soldiers, passengers, prisoners, came through in safety, according to the prediction of Paul. It was a miraculous escape. If only they had all acknowledged that it was due to the God of the Christians to whom they owed life and all blessings!

Summary

The voyage to Rome is begun at Caesarea in an Adramyttine ship, continued at Myra on an Alexandrine vessel, through the southern Aegean Sea and along the south side of Crete, where a terrible storm overtakes the ship and drives it westward to be wrecked on the island of Melita.

Verses 1-16

The journey from Melita to Rome

Paul again in peril:

When the people on the wrecked vessel had reached the land in safety, then only did they find out that Melita, or Malta, was the island’s name. They had therefore, in the two weeks, been driven a matter of almost five hundred miles; for the island is due south of Sicily, forming, with Gozo and several other smaller islands, a group now known as the Maltese Islands. Luke calls the islanders barbarians, not as a term of reproach, but because that was the name given to all foreigners, to all such as did not speak Greek, by the Greeks and Romans. The people of the island were of Phenician descent and had come under the dominion of Rome after the Second Punic War. They here proved themselves hospitable in an unusual degree; they showed the shipwrecked company extraordinary kindness. It must have been with some difficulty that they kindled a fire and received them all, gave them a warm welcome, which no doubt was rendered doubly so because they were all cold and wet to the skin; besides, there was a continued driving rain, and the cold chilled to the bone. Paul by no means stood back when the others were all engaged in replenishing the fire, but cheerfully gathered fagots with the rest of them. When, however, he was just heaping up a bundle of sticks and then laying them on the fire, a serpent, awakened by the warmth, glided out through the sticks, and, before Paul could withdraw his hand, bit him, and held fast to the wound. When the islanders saw the creature suspended from his hand thus, they were greatly shocked and expressed their opinion of the matter by saying that certainly this man must be a murderer, whom Justice had not permitted to live, though he had been saved from the sea. They knew that Paul was a prisoner because he was under guard, and their conclusion was as rash as that of most people under like circumstances. From experience they knew the virulence of the poison of these serpents, and in their eyes Paul was already dead; the goddess of justice, in whom they believed, had taken vengeance upon him. But Paul shook off the viper into the fire by a jerking movement of his hand and suffered no evil, no disagreeable consequences, of any kind. But the islanders watched him, sure that he was destined to swell up or to drop down dead suddenly. But neither of these effects took place, Luke, as a physician, being fully acquainted with such symptoms. And when they had waited a long time and watched, and yet nothing unusual happened, then the inhabitants changed their minds and said that he was a god. Their superstitious minds could reach no other conclusion; it was the way which their training had taught them to follow. Note: Modern people may want to smile deprecatingly over this show of superstition, but with almost the entire world guilty of similar beliefs in one form or another, there certainly is no room for casting stones upon others. It was the Lord that had held His sheltering hand over His servant, according to His promise, Mark 16:18.

The healing of the father of Publius:

In the same quarters, in the neighborhood of the place which is now known as St. Paul’s Bay, the Roman ruler of the island, whose title was the chief, or first man, as an ancient inscription also shows, had his estate. His name was Publius, and he showed an almost unexampled hospitality to the shipwrecked people, one well worthy of the legate of the praetor of Sicily, to whose province Malta belonged. For he welcomed and extended his hospitality at least to the passengers and to Paul, if not to the entire ship’s company, his buildings being commodious enough to make such an arrangement possible. He did this three days with the greatest courtesy and benevolence, until other means could be found. It so happened that the father of Publius was down sick, lying abed, with fevers and dysentery, as Luke, with his medical knowledge, was able to determine, and Paul, in return for the hospitality received, went in to him, prayed over him in the name of Jesus, laid his hands upon him, and made him well, healed him, gave him back his health. As in other cases, this miracle was done for the sake of glorifying Christ, of testifying to the power of the Gospel. The result was that the rest of the inhabitants of the island that had sicknesses came to Paul and were cured. It was a time of merciful visitation to the island, by which the Lord revealed Himself to many of them. The gratitude of the islanders was correspondingly great. For Paul’s sake they honored them with many honors, not pressing upon them a physician’s fees, as some have supposed, but giving them all that honored guests should enjoy in the matter of presents and entertainment; and when they sailed, they put on board, for the use of Paul and the entire ship’s company, all the supplies and comforts needed for the remainder of the voyage. Thus God controls even the so-called chance happenings of life, and directs them to the welfare of the believers and others among whom they live. Note: It was altogether proper and laudable for the inhabitants of the island to show their gratitude for the merciful visitation of God to His servants. If this pleasant relation were everywhere established, there would be less working under the handicap of groaning in the Church, Hebrews 13:17.

From Melita to Rome:

The stay at Melita was made as short as possible, since Julius was anxious to deliver his prisoners to the imperial court. After three months, or at the very latest at the end of February or the beginning of March, they all sailed in a ship from Alexandria which had wintered in the island, whose distinguishing mark, or sign, either on the figurehead at the prow or on the pennant, was the Twin Brothers, Castor and Pollux. These two heathen gods were considered the special protectors of sailors, and ships were often ornamented with their carved figures. Sailing almost due north, they put in at Syracuse, a city on the eastern coast of Sicily, where they remained for three days, probably waiting for favorable winds. When they had cast off here, the wind was still from the wrong quarter, and they were obliged to work up along the coast by tacking, and thus reached Rhegium, in the southwestern corner of Italy, on the Strait of Messina. Here they were more fortunate, for after a stay of only one day a steady south wind arose, enabling them in two days to come to Puteoli. Here the vessel ended her voyage, and Paul and his fellow-prisoners disembarked. The city was one of the leading ports of Italy in those days, its relation to Rome being about that of Liverpool to London. Here Paul and his companions looked up and found brethren, Christians forming a congregation, and were begged by them to remain for seven days before going on to the capital, some hundred and forty miles distant. That Paul received the permission from Julius to accede to the urgent request of the local Christians shows that he was held in high respect by the Roman. Thus they here, in Puteoli, reached the boundaries of the territory of Rome, for Luke carefully distinguishes between the city proper and the wider territory which was commonly reckoned with it ^■110 . News of Paul’s coming had meanwhile traveled ahead to the city, where the brethren were awaiting the coming of their great teacher with eager interest. Some of the disciples of Rome went down to meet them, as far as Appii Forum, a village on the Appian Way, forty-three miles from Rome; and ten miles nearer to the capital, at Three Taverns, there was another delegation of Christians awaiting the apostle. Though the two little towns, therefore, were of no importance otherwise, and one of them, at least, was noted for its road-houses, their names have been preserved in sacred history as halting-places of Paul’s company. This indication of respect and affection on the part of the Roman brethren filled Paul with great joy and comforted his heart, for when he saw them, he gave thanks to God and took courage. It is both elevating and strengthening to the faith when Christians on their journey through life find everywhere brethren that with them serve the true God of heaven. When Julius and his band of prisoners reached Rome, he delivered Paul to the proper officers, or to the prefect of the emperor’s guard. And the centurion’s report as well as the letter of Festus must have been very favorable; for Paul, while waiting for his case to be called and during the course of his trial, was given permission to remain in his own lodgings, having only a soldier with him as a guard. He was bound to this soldier by a light chain, a fact which may have been irksome at times, but it was almost the lightest form of imprisonment known to the Romans and gave the apostle the free opportunity to see the brethren and hold all the services that he chose to have. The exalted Christ Himself held His protecting hand over Paul, in order that the congregation at Rome might receive the benefit of Paul’s teaching and be established in the Christian doctrine.

Verses 17-31

Two years at Rome

Paul calls the Jews together:

There was a flourishing congregation in Rome at this time, and Paul could well have devoted his entire time to the believers already gathered. But, as in other places, he here deliberately called the most influential Jews together, still adhering to his rule: to the Jew first and also to the Greek, Romans 1:16. The decree of Claudius banishing the Jews from Rome, Acts 18:2, had meanwhile been recalled, and the Jews had again flocked to the capital. When the leading Jews responded to his invitation and met in the place designated by Paul, he laid some matters of a personal nature before them. He wanted, above all, to remove any prejudices that they might entertain with respect to him, first, on account of his imprisonment; secondly, on account of the fact that he had appealed to the emperor; thirdly, to remove any effects of slanderous reports which may possibly have been brought from Jerusalem. He told them that he had done nothing, was not guilty of any offense either against the people of the Jews or against the customs and usages of the fathers, and yet had been delivered into the hands of the Romans. Paul tactfully refers to his arrest as being occasioned only indirectly by the Jews. When the Romans had given him a hearing, they had wanted to release him, since they found no cause of death in him, not a single crime having been proved against the apostle. But when the Jews then objected, he had been obliged to appeal to Caesar, but not in the sense, as Paul hastens to add, as though he had any accusation to bring against his own people. But it was for this reason that he had called for them, had asked them to meet with him, in order that he might see them and speak to them, have a conference with them. For he assures them that he is wearing this chain, which they all could see, he was surrounded with this evidence of imprisonment, on account of the hope of Israel. The one hope of Israel was that concerning the Messiah; to Him all the prophets looked forward, of Him all the sages had spoken. And it was because Paul preached of the fulfilment of all these hopes and predictions and prophecies in the person of Jesus Christ of Nazareth that the enmity had struck him which resulted in his arrest.

Paul testifies of the kingdom of God:

When Paul had made his appeal for a square deal at their hands, the Jews frankly told him that they had received neither any written nor verbal communications which were unfavorable to him personally; letters they had not received from Judea, and none of the brethren that had come to Rome during the last years had reported anything bad against him. But they thought it good and proper to hear from Paul himself what he thought, to get his ideas on the whole situation, for so far as this new sect was concerned, it was known to them that it was finding contradiction and opposition everywhere. The report had been spread that the Christians were an atheistical and wicked sect, to be detested and abhorred by all mankind. But with the idea of being fair and of hearing Paul’s story in his own way, the leading Jews of Rome fixed a date on which they would come to his place of lodging in larger numbers. To all of them Paul explained and expounded, not so much in vindication of his own conduct as in testimony for Christ, the kingdom of God, showing them what the term meant, in what manner they might enter into this wonderful kingdom, what faith was, always placing into the center of his persuasive discourse Jesus the Savior. From morning till night he tried his best to convince them concerning Jesus, from the Law of Moses, from the historical books of the Old Testament, from the books of the prophets, proving by a comparison with the life of Jesus that He must be the promised Messiah. It was a day of blessings from the Lord, of His merciful call to all those that were present. But the result was the usual one under similar circumstances. Some were convinced by what Paul said, but others were obstinate and refused to believe. No matter how emphatic and overpowering the evidence, some people will persist in hardening their hearts against the gracious influence of the Gospel and thus in spurning the grace of God which is offered to them.

A word from Isaiah applied:

It was at this point in the discussion, when some were being persuaded by Paul’s words, yielding to the conviction of God’s Word, and others continued in their disbelief, and when they could not come to an agreement among themselves, that Paul reminded them of a word of the Prophet Isaiah, Isaiah 6:9-10, which caused the meeting to disperse without a definite conclusion in regard to the matter. He referred to the prophecy concerning self-hardening followed by hardening on the part of God. Isaiah had received the express command to go to the Jews of his day and tell them that they would, literally, hear with their hearing, and yet not understand; that they would see with their eyes upon the Word, and yet receive no impression on their mind. And the reason for that judgment was that the heart of the people had become callous, unfeeling, and the spiritual hearing of their ears had become difficult, and their eyes were prevented from seeing. Therefore the Lord had given them up to the hardness of their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn, be converted, and the Lord heal them. This terrible judgment upon the stubborn Jews had begun in the time of Isaiah, it had been threatened in the days of the Savior, Matthew 13:14-15; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10, and it was now about to be carried out in its final terrible curse. And they would have no one to blame for the terrible results of their enmity toward Christ and God but themselves. Formally and solemnly Paul announces to the assembled Jews this consequence of their resistance and the course which he would be compelled to adopt henceforth. He wanted to have it known, to be understood by them, that the salvation of God, in the Gospel of the Messiah, was now sent to the Gentiles, and they would hear and accept its glorious news. Note that even these last words are spoken not merely to condemn, but also to lead to repentance. It was like showing to the Jews the horrible yawning abyss at whose edge they were standing, having deliberately closed their eyes and ears against every warning. And some results seem to have attended this last warning, if the text here is correct, for when Paul said these words, they left his quarters, discussing the matter among themselves with great vehemence. If the interest thus aroused only leads to a careful searching of Scriptures, a person may feel well rewarded for even such apparently fruitless discussions.

Two years at Rome:

Paul may, at this time, have been able to purchase many conveniences for himself, or the liberality of the various congregations made it possible; at any rate, he was able to rent and live in his own lodgings for two whole years, this probably being the length of time required for his case to come up to trial and be disposed of. And he certainly was not hard to find or difficult to get to, for he received all that came to him; no matter from what congregation the brethren came, they were always welcome. He was still in custody, Philippians 1:13,17, but it certainly was of the very lightest kind. And just at this time God opened a door for His Word. For Paul spent his entire time in proclaiming the kingdom of God, not only by spoken words, but also in letters, for we have from this time of his life the epistles to the Ephesians, to the Colossians, to the Philippians, and to Philemon. In inviting men to become members of the kingdom of God, of the wonderful communion of saints, Paul always taught and repeated without rest or weariness the message concerning the Lord Jesus. With all confidence, with all open cheerfulness he preached; his sermons and private discussions were all redolent with the oil of the same bold joy with which the Lord had anointed him. And by the mercy of God he could do this unmolested, without hindrance. This must have been a great comfort to him and greatly increased his willingness and the enjoyment of his work for the Lord. The entire story shows how the Gospel of Christ gains its victories. For the same Gospel which Paul proclaimed in the capital of the world has since taken its course through the countries and is preached among the Gentiles to this day. The Church, which is established upon Jesus, the Rock of Ages, is standing to-day, and will stand to the end of time, and the portals of hell will not prevail against it.

Summary

The journey from Melita to Rome is completed without mishap, and Paul takes the opportunity in the capital to speak to the Jews and afterward to many others, preaching to them the kingdom of God and their Savior Jesus Christ.