Good weekend to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
If given the choice, do you prefer to travel by road, rail, air or sea? What are the deciding factors for you? Are they cost, time, weather, accommodations as you travel, safety, security, food availability en route? Yesterday I left you in Athens, Greece about 49ad with the apostle Paul who was riding a wave of high emotion. He had been invited and well received by the Areopagus, the gathering of the most intellectual and influential men of Greece.
Paul explained the one, true, living, Holy, Almighty God and the foolishness of idolatry. Paul also warned of an ultimate accounting before God for all humanity and Paul predicted that the judge in that accounting will be Jesus Christ. (Acts 17:19-31)
As we saw yesterday, the response of these intellectuals at the Areopagus was similar to most crowds who hear the truth about Jesus. Some were interested, some mocked Paul, and one member of the Areopagus named Dionysius believed and a church was started in Athens, Greece, for the glory of God!
You’ll remember that Paul was himself a scholar and intellectual, so I’ve often wondered if Paul wanted to stay longer in Athens and more fully engage with these wise scholars? But Paul was driven on by one ‘Jesus given mission’ and so Acts 18:1 tells us Paul kept traveling, I presume moved by the Holy Spirit, heading for the great city of Corinth.
Paul had two travel options, and we don’t know which he took. From the Athen’s port of Piraeus to the port of Corinth would have been one day’s sail, assuming good wind, and several ships made that trip daily. Overland it would have been a little over 52 miles via the Scironian Way, a well-traveled Roman highway. By foot that likely would have taken two or three days, depending on how urgently Paul wanted to see Corinth. My guess is Paul engaged conversation with anyone who would listen to him, either by land or sea.
If Athens was famous for intellectuals, philosophers, statues and education; Corinth was famous for business, revelry, and the darker side of life which often is found in port towns. Fairly quickly after Paul arrived, he met a man named Aquila and his wife Priscilla. They were Jews who had been forced to flee Rome because Emperor Claudius ordered all Jews out of Rome in late 49ad.
Aquila and Priscilla were tent makers. Paul had learned that skill as well, thus they connected quickly and it appears Paul found both lodging with them and helped them in their tent making business. Luke writes “Every Sabbath Paul reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.” (Acts 18:1-4)
We should presume Paul, Aquila and Priscilla spent hours each day sewing tents together and talking about Paul’s favorite subject… Jesus, as the Jewish Messiah, in fulfillment of the Old Testament prophets. Now, I don’t know exactly when, but Aquilla and Priscilla believed Paul’s explanation; trusted Jesus to be their Messiah and Savior; and then focused intently on learning all Paul could teach them. As a result, Aquila and Priscilla became passionate followers of Jesus and strong teachers of God’s Word.
Dr. Luke tells us Silas and Timothy eventually arrived from Berea where Paul had left them a few weeks before. Their arrival brought news of what was happening with the group of Christians in the towns of Thessalonica and Berea. But also, Timothy and Silas evidently found work, so Paul could focus fully on sharing the story and message of Jesus and training those who trusted his message.
Sadly, opposition rose up again as Dr. Luke describes: “When the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, Paul shook out his clothes in protest and said to them: ‘Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” (Acts 18:3-6)
This, my friends, was a significant and decisive moment in history. While Paul had been commissioned by Jesus to take the Gospel of Jesus to Gentiles, (Acts 9:15) Paul’s natural, desperate desire was that his fellow Jews would receive Paul as a transformed former Pharisee and receive Paul’s message about Jesus as their Messiah and Savior. Sadly, that happened only rarely, leaving Paul frustrated as he watched a larger response from Gentiles in every town Paul visited.
Jews in Corinth were far outnumbered by Roman citizens from many different ethnic backgrounds living busy lives in the large, bustling city of Corinth. Having made that bold declaration, Paul actually walked out of the Corinth Synagogue “went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God.” (Acts 18:7) That phrase tells me Titius Justus was a Corinthian Gentile worshiper of God who did not know of Jesus, like Lydia in Philippi, or perhaps Jason in Thessalonica, or Dionysius and Damaris in Athens.
Evidently Titius offered his house, as Lydia had done, as a place where Paul could meet with people and teach them about Jesus. Amazingly even the Jewish synagogue leader believed in Jesus as his Messiah and Savior. His name was Crispus and his entire household joined Crispus in this significant spiritual decision. In fact, Luke writes: “Many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed in Jesus and were baptized.” (Acts 18:8)
The Holy Spirit was working in the hearts and minds of many people in busy, bustling, port city Corinth. Lives were being changed as they trusted Jesus and opened their hearts to learn all they could from Paul, Silas, Timothy, Luke and now even Aquila and Priscilla. Jesus was founding and forming His church in big, bad Corinth!
In fact, Jesus gave Paul a vision one night in which Paul distinctly received a strong message, clarifying his immediate mission: “Do not be afraid, keep speaking and do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you here, because I have many people in this city.” (Acts 18:9,10)
It should not be difficult for us to imagine how encouraging that vision was to Paul. The Holy Spirit was clearly opening hearts and minds with spiritual hunger. Lives were being changed by the power of God. So, for the first time, since Paul first left Syrian Antioch, on his first missionary journey, Dr. Luke tells us Paul did something radical: “So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.” (Acts 18:11) Never before had Paul stayed in any place longer than a few weeks, other than Syrian Antioch. Can you imagine what that was like for Paul, Silas, Timothy, Luke and Aquila and Priscilla?
Let’s pause here, my friends, and rejoice that finally Paul has found a receptive community where he can invest over a long season, in the people of Corinth and their spiritual growth.
May I ask, are you well rooted where you live and are you growing spiritually in a fresh vitality? The ‘lessons learned’ notes at the link below will be very helpful as will the worship song celebrating the ‘Joy of the Lord’! And let’s meet here with Paul, in Corinth, on Monday.
Today’s Scripture: Acts 18:1-11.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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