and he arrived at Ephesus, and left them there. But entering himself into the synagogue he reasoned with the Jews.
Paul makes a short stop at Ephesus. He leaves his friends there and goes into the synagogue alone, which raises two questions: why the synagogue first, and why the hurry to move on?
Ephesus was a major city known for idol worship. Paul still found people there who knew the Scriptures.
He stopped at Ephesus, the capital of the province called Asia, and reasoned with some Jews in the synagogue there. The Scriptures — that is, the ones the Jews had at the time, what we call the Old Testament — were clearly known and taught even in that centre of idol worship. Those in that small group already knew God as Creator and Lawgiver, and the Messiah as the hope of Israel.
This was not a one-off. Paul argued the case with Jews in city after city, from his earliest days as a preacher.
Paul was also allowed to speak in the synagogue at Damascus, where he showed the Jews that Jesus was the Son of God (Acts 9:20). Often afterwards he "reasoned" or "disputed" (in Greek, dialegomai) with the Jews in their synagogues (Acts 18:4, 19; Acts 19:8).
Paul carried the gospel to the nations, yet the synagogue is still his first door. One writer links this to the order Paul sets out in Romans.
God gave the apostle Paul a special call to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. Even so, he never lost sight of the unique place God had given to Israel, His earthly people. So he wrote to the believers in Rome, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16). In line with this testimony of God's ways, when Paul arrived at Ephesus, he went into the synagogue himself and reasoned with the Jews.
The friends Paul leaves at Ephesus are Aquila and Priscilla. One writer calls them "two quiet people, but faithful and consecrated to the Lord" (J. N. Darby). Their stay mattered, because a gifted preacher came to Ephesus after Paul had gone.
Apollos was a gifted speaker by nature — he was a master of words. Careful study had made him "mighty in the Scriptures." Yet when he came to Ephesus, he did not know much about what God had done in Christ. He knew only what had happened up to the time when John's baptism introduced Jesus. What he did know, he taught faithfully in the synagogue. Aquila and Priscilla heard him and saw at once what he was missing. They gladly welcomed him into their home, so they could teach him more fully about what had happened through Christ. So God used these believers, who had no public gift of their own, to launch a very gifted man into his life of service.
The Jews at Ephesus wanted to hear more, but Paul would not stay. He promised to come back if God willed it. Commentators differ on how to read this. Some note that he did come back: "we see in the next chapter that God did so will" (F. B. Hole). Others find the episode puzzling.
They welcomed him so warmly that they would gladly have kept him longer, so he could meet their need. But it is strange to find that he is not ready to stay… Whatever the reason, Jerusalem is in his heart, as what follows shows. He says nothing about keeping the feast. He hurries up from Caesarea, greets the believers there, and does not stay. We are not shown what, if anything, came of it. The visit he wanted so much leaves a strange sense of something missing.
So how should a reader treat what looks like a fault in a servant of God? One writer answers with a warning.
Nothing is easier than this. People who are only half aware of their own serious faults are quick to point, with eagerness and self-satisfaction, at anything Paul did that came from his excessive attachment to the ancient people of God — and Paul was a servant of Christ, deeply taught and devoted… Is it not wiser and holier to see instead how the sweetest affections can entangle even the most faithful and spiritual? Then we watch ourselves, so that lesser affections do not drag us into far worse wrongdoing. We are far behind him in self-denial, in tireless work, and in suffering for Christ.
- Arrived. Ephesus was the capital of Asia and full of idol worship. Even there, the Old Testament was known and taught.
- Reasoned. The word means he argued and discussed with them. This was his steady method with Jewish hearers.
- First. He carried the gospel to the nations, yet he goes to the synagogue first — "to the Jew first and also to the Greek."
- Left. Two quiet believers stayed behind. Through them God later launched a gifted preacher into service.
- Returned. He would not stay, but promised to come back if God willed it. The next chapter shows God did. Commentators differ over how to read the short visit.
And when they asked him that he would remain for a longer time [with them] he did not accede,
Paul's second journey is drawing to a close when he stops at Ephesus and speaks in the synagogue there. This time the hearers want more of him, and he still says no. What was pulling him away?
Paul was the apostle sent to the nations, yet the synagogue was still where he began.
God called the apostle Paul in a special way to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. Yet he never lost sight of the distinct place God had given to Israel, His earthly people. So when he wrote to the saints in Rome, he said, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16). Paul acted in line with this testimony of God's ways. When he arrived at Ephesus, "he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews" (Acts 18:19). The result of this first visit is that the Jews ask to hear more of Paul's ministry. Other concerns weighed on the apostle's heart, so he is not free to say yes. But he promises to come back again, if the Lord will.
The interest was real, and Paul still moved on. One writer finds that hard to explain.
Here he found such a response that they would gladly have delayed his departure. They wanted him to minister to their need. But it is indeed strange to find that he is not ready to stay. Why? … Jerusalem is in his heart, as we see from what follows. In any case the account here is brief, even hurried. One cannot see what is really accomplished.
Was this refusal God's leading or Paul's own preference? The record itself does not say.
No results of this are mentioned. Paul wanted to be in Jerusalem for a coming feast, so he left despite the invitation to stay. He promised to return if God so willed. The account does not say whether God was leading him to go to Jerusalem at this time.
How a reader handles a flaw in a great servant tests the reader's own heart.
Such statements as these test the heart of the readers. If vain or proud, irreverent or self-righteous, they will probably fall into the trap of thinking, and even speaking, disrespectfully of the great apostle. This damages their own souls and injures others. Nothing is easier than this. People barely aware of their own grave faults will eagerly and smugly point out acts of Paul that sprang from his excessive attachment to the ancient people of God. And Paul was a servant of Christ so deeply taught and devoted… Is it not wiser and holier to see how the sweetest affections may entangle even the most faithful and spiritual, and to watch ourselves?
Paul put his return under God's will, not his own. Those words should govern every plan we make.
Now this will certainly involve giving up our own will, our own plans, our own management altogether. We must follow the cloud; we must wait always — wait only on God. We cannot say, "We shall go here or there, do this or that, tomorrow or next week." Every move we make must come under the regulating power of one commanding sentence — one we often write and speak far too lightly — "If the Lord will."
Paul did not stay, but he did not leave the city empty.
When he moved on, Paul had his two friends with him, and when he felt unable to remain at Ephesus, he left them there… During their eighteen months with the Lord's servant they had clearly learned much of the truth. When Apollos came to Ephesus, "Priscilla and Aquila… took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately." Apollos was an eloquent and fervent Jew of Alexandria, mighty in the Scriptures. He spoke boldly in the synagogue about the things of the Lord as far as he knew them. But the Lord used two devoted and unassuming saints at Ephesus to open up to him truth he had never learned before.
The refusal was not the end of Ephesus for Paul.
The record a little later tells us that he did soon return to Ephesus, for one of the most blessed services even of his wonderful life.
- Door — The Ephesian synagogue asked for more teaching, an unusually warm response to a ministry that kept going "to the Jew first and also to the Greek."
- Refusal — Paul said no, with Jerusalem on his heart. One writer calls this "strange." The record never says God was leading him.
- Restraint — When a great servant's motives look mixed, scorn injures your own soul. Watching yourself profits it.
- Rule — His parting promise put the return under God's will. That sentence should regulate every plan we make.
- Return — He left Priscilla and Aquila behind, and they explained the way of God to Apollos more accurately. Paul himself came back for some of the richest service of his life.
but bade them farewell, saying, [I must by all means keep the coming feast at Jerusalem]; I will return to you again, if God will and he sailed away from Ephesus.
Paul's stay in Ephesus was short: the Jews there asked him to remain, he said no, and he left them a promise instead. Why walk away from an open door, and what does "if God wills" mean for the plans we make?
What Paul left as a condition, God answered as a fact.
With this long stay in Corinth Paul's second journey drew to its end. He left for Jerusalem and Antioch by way of Ephesus, where his stay was only short. He promised to return, "if God wills." That God did will it, we see in the next chapter.
Older Bibles include a line about keeping the coming feast at Jerusalem. Many modern ones leave it out. The evidence is split both ways.
It is well known that the clause within the brackets is not in the manuscripts of the highest character, though plenty of good authority supports it… The truth is that both may be true. Verse 21, if genuine, states what he meant to do in Jerusalem, though we are not told that he did it. Verse 22 lets us know that his heart had other objects before him than the purpose he had mentioned to the Jews of Ephesus. And the history that follows tells us that he did soon return to Ephesus for one of the most blessed services even of his wonderful life.
Paul had shaved his head for a vow, and now he gave a Jewish festival as his reason for leaving. Luke records it so that we can see what still held him.
We see how far he was still bound to Jewish customs. He takes a vow and shaves his head in Cenchrea. He feels obliged in his heart to keep the feast at Jerusalem, and he gives this to the Jews at Ephesus as his reason for not staying in their city at that time. He is a true Jew, and acts like one. The Spirit records these facts so that we may understand the bonds which still held the spirit of the apostle. The state of a soul about its religious habits is one thing; the energy of the Spirit of God in declaring the truth is another.
Paul's own letters make the step more surprising still.
The second thing we notice is that Paul should have shaved his head and taken a vow upon himself. Soon afterwards he told the Ephesian believers that he must push on to Jerusalem to keep the coming feast. Put the two together, and it is, to say the least, unexpected from the writer of the letter to the Galatians.
What we do with a servant's fault tests us more than it tests him.
If vain or proud, irreverent or self-righteous, they will probably fall into the trap of thinking and even speaking disrespectfully about the great apostle. That damages their own souls and injures others… It is easy also to forget where they got the means of judging him in this matter: his own inspired writings, more than all other sources put together… Is it not a wiser and a holier conclusion to see how the sweetest kind of affections may entangle even the most faithful and spiritual?
The condition Paul attached costs something.
Now this will certainly involve the surrender of our own will, our own plans, our own management altogether. We must follow the cloud. We must wait always — wait only upon God. We cannot say, "We shall go here or there, do this or that, tomorrow, or next week." One commanding sentence must govern all our movements — one we too often write and speak lightly — "If the Lord wills."
Leaving the phrase out is not neutral.
When we speak of the future, it is a healthy habit always to add, "if the Lord wills and we live." This is pleasing in His sight. It is a testimony of our submission to Him and our dependence on Him. Otherwise it is the boasting, self-glorying of the self-secure world, which boasts and plans without thinking of God and His will.
God had steered this whole journey, not Paul's own wisdom.
Guided by God again, the apostles remained, and met with great success. Human wisdom, it was plain, had no place in all this. So how necessary is God's direction and the Holy Spirit's oversight! Even an apostle could be mistaken about the field of work he should take up.
- Condition — Paul made his return depend on God's will, not his own timetable.
- Cost — It is not a polite phrase. It means giving up our own will, plans and management.
- Contrast — Saying it shows submission and dependence. Leaving it out is the boast of a world that plans without God.
- Caution — Old ties still pulled at Paul. A servant's fault should humble us, not turn us into his judges.
- Confirmation — Even an apostle could mistake his field of work. Yet God did will Paul's return: he came back to Ephesus for one of the most blessed services of his life.
And landing at Caesarea, and having gone up and saluted the assembly, he went down to Antioch.
One short sentence covers hundreds of miles. Paul lands on the coast, greets a church, and leaves for Antioch. Two questions follow. Where did Paul go up to, and why does Luke tell us so little about the visit?
This travel note closes one stage of Paul's work and opens the next:
Landing at Caesarea he went up and greeted the Church, and then went down to Antioch, five hundred miles away. He spent some time in his familiar quarters at Antioch. Then he started on his third missionary journey.
Luke never says where Paul "went up" to. Commentators agree it must be Jerusalem. But the text does not give his reason. One writer separates what Luke records from what readers assume:
"Going up" was certainly to Jerusalem. But it need not have been to keep a Jewish feast, unless the text said so plainly. The only thing recorded as a fact is his greeting the church... verse 22 lets us know that his heart had other aims in view than the purpose he had mentioned to the Jews of Ephesus.
What Paul does in Jerusalem is one thing only: he greets the believers there. He does not stay. One writer points out the ground he is now standing on:
Leaving Priscilla and Aquila, two quiet people, but faithful and devoted to the Lord, he goes on towards Jerusalem. There he greets the assembly. Then he sets out for Antioch, the starting-point of the gospel for the Gentiles, and the city the Holy Spirit had sent him out from. At Jerusalem he merely greets the assembly, for here we are on Christian, not Jewish, ground.
Paul had told the Jews at Ephesus why he was going up. Yet Luke records nothing of what happened when he arrived. One writer leaves that silence alone:
The sacred historian gives us no information about what happened in Jerusalem on this occasion. He only tells us that when Paul had gone up and greeted the church, he went down to Antioch. But his intense desire to pay this visit may assure us of its great importance... we need not seek to remove the veil which the Holy Spirit has drawn over this visit.
Commentators differ on how to read the gap. Another writer links the short stop to what happens to Paul later:
Instead of any word about keeping the feast, he runs up from Caesarea and greets the assembly. We have to work out which assembly he means — perhaps for him at that moment there was hardly an assembly anywhere else. Yet he does not stay. We do not see what, if anything, was done. The visit he wanted so much feels strangely unsatisfying. It may well be that he cannot stay there, as we realise from what happens later. He goes down to Antioch, the place the Spirit first called him to go out from. So his second missionary journey is over.
Antioch matters because of what began there. One writer shows what this return ties together, and where the story goes next:
Paul goes down from Jerusalem to Antioch, visiting all the assemblies he had first formed. In this way he binds his work together — Antioch and Jerusalem. So far as we know, Paul's visit to Antioch was his last... The gospel moves further and further towards the West. The inspired part of the apostle's life story, after a short stretch of deep interest in Judea, centres at last in Rome.
Verses like this show Paul still attached to his own people. That can tempt a reader to look down on him. One writer turns the passage back on the person studying it:
Statements like these test the heart of the readers... For nothing is easier. Some people are only shallowly aware of their own grave faults. They point out, with eagerness and self-satisfaction, acts of Paul that sprang from his excessive attachment to the ancient people of God. And this is a servant of Christ so deeply taught and devoted... Is it not wiser and holier to draw this conclusion: that affections of the sweetest kind may entangle even the most faithful and spiritual? Then we watch ourselves, so that we do not slip through lower affections into far worse wrongdoing.
- Landed. Paul comes ashore at Caesarea and goes down to Antioch, five hundred miles away, before starting his third journey.
- Greeted. The one recorded act at Jerusalem is a greeting to the church. There is no feast, no stay, and no stated reason for going up.
- Veiled. Luke says nothing about what happened in the city. Commentators differ. One leaves untouched the veil the Holy Spirit drew over it. Another finds the visit strangely empty.
- Sent. He goes down to Antioch, the place the Holy Spirit first sent him out from. That closes the second journey and binds the whole work together.
- Tested. Paul's lasting pull toward his own nation should humble the reader, not arm him with criticism.