Daily Scripture Reading Acts 18:11-28
It is human nature to assume the majority is correct. If 95 out of 100 people have a certain belief, it is very difficult for the remaining 5 to stand firm on an opposing belief. It is even harder for one person to have an opinion that differs from 99 out of 100 people, or 999 out of 1,000 people. This is related to why we have clothing fads. People want to blend in with the larger group.
Today’s passage in Acts 18 is one of many passages in the Bible that illustrates to us that the majority is not always correct. Therefore, we need to exercise discernment so that we do not follow the crowd when the crowd is wrong.
When we stopped reading yesterday, Paul had arrived in Corinth. At first, he joined with Aquila and Priscilla making tents, but when Silas and Timothy arrived, Paul devoted all his time to the word, telling the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. The Jews resisted his message, so Paul went to the Gentiles.
Acts 18:11 And he stayed there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
The pronoun “he” refers to Paul. The pronoun “there” refers to Corinth.
Acts 18:12 ¶ But while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat,
Achaia was the province which contained the cities of Athens and Corinth.
Acts 18:13 saying, “This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.”
Look at verse 12 and note the words “one accord”. The Jews were opposed to Paul’s message, even though it was the truth, and they banded together to take legal action against Paul. In other words, the majority of the Jews were opposed to Paul, but in this case the majority was wrong, and Paul, the minority, was right.
It is human nature to assume the majority is correct. If 95 out of 100 people have a certain belief, it is very hard for any of the remaining 5 to have an opposing belief. However, the majority is not always correct. In fact, the majority is often wrong, just as the majority of the Jews were wrong about Paul’s message.
As we live our lives in the 21st century, we need to be cautious that we don’t fall into the habit of simply assuming the majority is correct. Furthermore, just as many of the Jewish leaders were wrong about Paul, so too we should not assume today’s evangelical leaders are correct. They can be, and often are, just as wrong as the Jewish leaders in the 1st century AD.
Acts 18:14 But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you;
Take notice of the words “put up with you”. The proconsul was clearly perturbed with the Jews. The proconsul had the attitude that even if the Jews had a legitimate legal case, he still would have heard them begrudgingly.
Acts 18:15 but if there are questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves; I am not willing to be a judge of these matters.”
Acts 18:16 And he drove them away from the judgment seat.
The Jews had brought a religious dispute before the Roman legal system, and the proconsul threw it out.
Acts 18:17 And they all took hold of Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of the judgment seat. But Gallio was not concerned about any of these things.
The fact that Gallio did not care that a Jew was being beaten by fellow Jews indicates the disdain Gallio had for the Jews.
Acts 18:18 ¶ And Paul, having remained many days longer, took leave of the brothers and put out to sea for Syria, and with him were Priscilla and Aquila. In Cenchreae he had his hair cut, for he was keeping a vow.
When Paul left Corinth, his goal was to to get to Syria. The church in Antioch, which was more or less Paul’s home church, was located in Syria.
Note the words “hair cut” and “vow”. Numbers 6 lists the requirements of a Nazirite vow. It included not cutting your hair during the time of the vow. It appears Paul’s vow was a Nazirite vow, although that is not clear. If it was a Nazirite vow, the next step would have been to take his hair to the temple and burn it at the temple as part of offering a sacrifice.
Syria was around 750 miles / 1,200 km away. That journey would have taken weeks.
Cenchreae, where Paul cut his hair, was only 6 miles / 10 km away from Corinth. That was about a two hour journey.
Acts 18:19 And they arrived at Ephesus, and he left them there. Now he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.
The pronoun “he” refers to Paul. The pronoun “them” refers to Priscilla and Aquilla.
It was 230 miles / 370 km from Cenchreae to Ephesus.
Acts 18:20 When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he did not consent,
Acts 18:21 but taking leave of them and saying, “I will return to you again if God wills,” he set sail from Ephesus.
Acts 18:22 ¶ And when he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and went down to Antioch.
The phrase “went up and greeted the church” means he went to Jerusalem.
When Paul left Corinth, his goal was to to get to Syria. He went from Corinth to Ephesus to Caesarea, to Jerusalem, and finally to Antioch in Syria. Luke used so few words to describe this journey that it sounds like it was a quick trip; however, due to the distances involved, it would have taken him weeks.
Acts 18:23 And having spent some time there, he left and passed successively through the Galatian region and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
Galatia and Phrygia were areas in the land known today as Turkey.
Acts 18:24 ¶ Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, arrived at Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures.
Ephesus was on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea.
Acts 18:25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John;
The text tells us Apollos was only familiar with the baptism of John. The unmentioned problem was that he was not baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
In the Western world today, Christianity is the only religion well-known for practicing baptism; therefore, many Christians have the mindset that the physical act of being baptized is what is important, while the words spoken at the baptism are secondary or perhaps not even necessary.
However, in the 1st century, the Jews were well-known for ritual bathing; therefore, when the Christians were baptized, it was important to differentiate their baptism from the ritual bathing of the Jews, as well as from the baptism of John the Baptist. They did that by baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Acts 18:26 and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
Acts 18:27 And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace,
Acts 18:28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.
As we see many times in the book of Acts, the early evangelists used what we call the Old Testament to prove Jesus is the Christ.
Paul was a Jew, and the majority of Jews opposed Paul’s message, but that did not mean Paul was wrong. Paul was right about Jesus and majority of Jews were wrong about Jesus.
What are some prevailing beliefs in modern Christianity, held by the majority of Christians, which are wrong even though they are popular beliefs?
What is your scriptural basis for knowing the majority is wrong?
What are the consequences in today’s Christianity of proclaiming the truth when the majority of Christians have an errant belief?
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”