Apollos - Acts 18:18-28

Initially I thought that after this meeting with the Roman deputy, Paul had left Corinth, but that’s apparently not the case because even after this violent event, Paul “tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren.”  We know that he was there for at least 18 months, perhaps even longer depending on when the even with the Roman deputy was. When it came time to go, Paul took Aquila and Priscilla with him, I don’t know if they were the only ones or if Timothy and Luke went with him too. From Corinth they “sailed thence into Syria” but there is an interesting phrase in verse 18 saying that Paul “having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.” I had absolutely no idea what this meant so I googled why Paul would make a vow, and there were a few suggestions but ultimately not enough to make any definitive conclusion.

Some suggested that it was a Nazarite vow which he was most likely concluding, which is a Jewish vow direction in the book of Numbers. Why would Paul make a Jewish vow if he was in fact Christian now? On biblehub.com it is suggested that one of Paul’s motives for the vow might have included a legitimate “feeling of thankfulness for deliverance from danger… (as) St. Paul had not learnt to despise or condemn such expressions of devout feeling.” As far as he was concerned, the Nazarite vow was still a legitimate way to communicate and covenant with God, so when the situation presented itself, Paul acted accordingly.
The second reason biblehub.com gives for why Paul might have made a Jewish vow despite being Christian is to satisfy “his desire to be ‘all things to all men,’ and therefore, as a Jew to Jews. A Nazarite vow would testify to all his brethren by blood that he did not despise the law himself nor teach other Jews to despise it.” He was about to be backtracking through some of his old routes and remembers some of the opposition that he faced in these places from the Jews, who seem to have been his greatest asset and also his greatest adversary. He might have wanted to be relatable to the Jews he would encounter on his way back to Jerusalem and by living their law but also the higher law of Christianity, then he might be able to reach more people with his message of the Savior.
A third reason I read somewhere is that the vow was not being initiated but shaving the head was the manifestation that his vow had ended. This would make sense because, as the IM points out “Paul continued his ministry in Corinth for some time, and his departure from that city marked the end of his second mission.” He might have been living the vow the whole time on his mission and then now that it was ended he shaved his head to demonstrate that his vow had been fulfilled.
There really isn’t too much fanfare when Paul’s second mission ends and his third one begins. We know that Paul and Aquila and Priscilla went to Ephesus where Paul “reasoned with the Jews” but then left to “keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem.” We are then told that he travels “from Ephesus” and ends up Caesarea and then to Antioch. I don’t see anywhere else where it mentions that he goes to Jerusalem for a feast, maybe we just haven’t gotten there yet. It would make sense to me that Paul left Ephesus and went to Jerusalem for a feast and to debrief the other Apostles about his mission and then leaves again on his third mission, but the whole meeting in Jerusalem thing is just glazed over. But we are told that he goes to Caesarea, Antioch, Galatia, and Phrygia “strengthening all the disciples.”
The IM introduces Paul’s third and final mission saying, “Paul’s third missionary journey, recorded in Acts 18:23-21:15, was the longest of his missions, both in terms of duration (three and a half to four years, about A.D. 54-58) and in distance covered (over 3,500 miles of 5,600 kilometers). Paul visited congregations he had established in his first two journeys, and spent three years at Ephesus, a location he had not previously visited. The account of Paul’s third mission portrays his growing influence and effectiveness as a theologian, preacher, writer, and faithful servant of Jesus Christ. During this mission Paul wrote 1 and 2 Corinthians, Romans, and perhaps others of his epistles. During Paul’s second mission he had spread word of the need to make a collection for the poor in Jerusalem. One of his prime concerns on his third journey was to collect these donated funds.”
When I first read about Paul talking about getting money to support the saints in Jerusalem, I was a little perturbed because it made it seem like the message might have been perceived as “hey listen to me talk about a new God, oh and give me your money for the ‘poor’ back home.” Even though I knew that Paul wasn’t scamming the people, it really made me think twice about it. I had to think through a few things because I understood why it made sense for the Christians in Jerusalem might have needed financial assistance.
When we consider all the opposition that Paul and other missionaries had encountered while out preaching in the Roman empire, 98% of the time, the opposition came from the Jews. This makes sense because Christianity grew out of Judaism, so the unbelieving Jews might have been offended that their religion was being co-opted for some apostate group. And they also didn’t want any of their power base or influence to be taken away by the preachers of this “new God” so they had a personal and financial interest in the failure of Christianity. Even though these Jews throughout the empire caused quite a bit of trouble for the missionaries, they were not plentiful or powerful enough to really make an impact in the lives of those who did come to accept the gospel.
For instance, in Jerusalem, if someone accepts the gospel and is baptized, they can be put out of the synagogue, meaning that they will become socially ostracized, which means people might not buy their goods or employ their services, impacting the new believers financially and putting them in a place of poverty because of their acceptance. If we take a swath of people, mostly gentiles, who accepted the gospel during Paul’s missions we can see that the local Jewish population who might object to Christianity, were at most an annoyance, but couldn’t have convinced a majority of the people to do anything about it.
Lydia, the maker of purple, the jailer, the Athenians from Mars’ Hill, Aquila and Priscilla, all were financially successful before accepting the gospel and none of that changed once they became Christian. Sure the local Jewish population might have been mad, but their numbers and positions were so minuscule that they held no authority or influence over the general population in ruining these new converts. Therefore, most of these foreign Christians would have maintained their financial wellbeing and their social standing, which means that they would have been in a better position monetarily to give to those who were being persecuted for the faith in Jerusalem, where the enemies of Christianity held enough power to do so.
It is at this point that we are introduced to “a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.” This is a highly spiritual man who was taught the truth of what John preached and not only believed in that truth, but embraced it and was valiant in the teaching of it to others. He took what he had and magnified it immensely. This was a man who was prepared to participate in the spreading of the gospel, and because he had take full advantage of what he had already been given, the Lord created the opportunity for him to learn more and grow even stronger spiritually. When we put forth effort, the Lord rewards us with further opportunities to grow.
Apollos is in Ephesus, and let’s not forget that Paul had left Aquila and Priscilla there as well, and when they heard about this man preaching the “baptism of John” “they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.” Apollos learned more about the gospel and then went to Achaia for whatever reason and through the urging of “the brethren” was received by the local disciples there. With his new understanding and his persistent vigilance Apollos is a great asset to the church there and “when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace: for he mightily convinced the Jews, and the publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.”
This is similar to what other missionaries have done, going to the synagogues and speaking to an audience already familiar with the scriptures and demonstrating to them how the scriptures actually testify of Christ. Because he had such an extensive background in Jewish doctrine, and because his heart was open to the Spirit, Apollos was able to help others see what he understood, he was able to walk them through the logic and the Spirit to the truth. He would have been a huge asset to the community of Christians there in Achaia.