Bible Study on Acts 10, verses 9 to 18, Peter fell into a trance

 

Acts 10:9 ¶  On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: 10  And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, 11  And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: 12  Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. 13  And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. 14  But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. 15  And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. 16  This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven. 17  Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate, 18  And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there.

 

Housetops in the Ancient Near East were places where people spent the hotter parts of the day and the evening. There are many references to housetops throughout the Bible.

 

Proverbs 21:9  It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.

 

2Samuel 11:2  And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.

 

Mark 13:15  And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house:

 

Luke 5:19  And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.

 

Peter was praying about noon, the sixth hour of the day which started at six a.m. or thereabouts.

 

Psalm 55:17  Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.

 

Peter was awake, was hungry, and wanted to eat, but fell into a trance while praying. A trance is defined as a state where one sees a vision.

 

Acts 11:5  I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision.

 

In Balaam’s blessing on Israel in spite of Balak note that his eyes were open.

 

Numbers 24:4  He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:

 

While a vision can come in a dream as in Job 33:15 a trance as the vehicle for the vision is a wide-awake state of consciousness.

 

Peter is being told something shocking. This was one of the cornerstones of the Jewish separation from the Gentiles, their dietary restrictions. The vision Peter sees and the command he is given are in direct violation of a thousand and more years of instruction from the Law given to Moses. This gives the lie to the Christian who refuses to eat pork because it is forbidden in the Mosaic Law or who imposes some other dietary restriction on themselves or others using the Law given to Moses as a reason. Dietary restrictions not of a medical nature should be a matter of conviction for that person and not imposed on others although we are also not supposed to deliberately try to offend someone who has those convictions. Read Romans 14 and 1Corinthians 8.

 

Verse 15 suggests to us that Christ’s resurrection accomplished a change in dietary restrictions formerly commanded under the Law. Remember how man’s diet changed through history under God’s command?

 

Genesis 1:29 ¶  And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

 

Indeed, this has been supported in a small way by investigation outside of the Bible for the earliest humans whose remains man has found.

“Dentition suggests an omnivorous diet, in which nuts and fruits, grubs, and perhaps some kind of vegetable shoots were more important than animal flesh.”^[1]

But, after the Flood mankind was permitted to eat the flesh of beasts.

 

Genesis 9:2  And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. 3  Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

 

Then, under the Law given to Moses there were dietary restrictions to set the Hebrews apart from the Gentile world as well as, so some speculate, to protect them from some food-borne diseases. See Leviticus 11. But, we can see by this episode in Acts Peter’s vision shows that God regards no food as unclean.  There will be only one exception, the ingestion of blood, prohibited before the Law, under the Law, and after the Law.

 

Genesis 9:4  But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

 

Leviticus 3:17  It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.

 

Acts 15:20  But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

 

There are some sermon possibilities on that regarding Christ’s blood, God’s own blood, with which He purchased us.

 

Romans 14:14  I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

 

But, read that entire chapter to understand how we are not to abuse this privilege.

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[1] William H. McNeil, Plagues and Peoples (New York: Anchor Books, 1976), 36.

Bible Study on Exodus 16, verses 13 to 21, God feeds the Hebrews

 

Exodus 16:13 ¶  And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. 14  And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. 15  And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. 16  This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. 17  And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. 18  And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. 19  And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. 20  Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. 21  And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.

God provided quails in the evening. The Bible says also that He provides the prey for the predator and food for the hungry fowls which goes against our wildlife video mentality of the drama of lions taking down Cape buffalo. The lion makes the effort but there would be no success in the hunt without God’s hand in it. Here, God is talking to Job;

Job 38:39  Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions, 40  When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait? 41  Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.

Psalm 104:21  The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.

Luke 12:24  Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?

The small, round piece of food that is left after the dew is called Manna, which Strong’s says means, “What is it?” which is also evident from the passage.

It is later called angel’s food.

Psalm 78:24  And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. 25  Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full.

But is also a reference to some event in the realm of the invisible world that we can hardly understand.

Psalm 74:12 ¶  For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. 13  Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters. 14  Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

Some of the Hebrews disobeyed in not consuming all that was given and trying to save it until the next day, incurring Moses anger, but the point here is that there was enough. The concept of having enough is very important in Christianity and very much in opposition to the American ideal of never having enough, of always wanting more. We see the Christian doctrine further illuminated in the New Testament requiring equality in the community of believers.

2Corinthians 8:7 ¶  Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also. 8  I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love. 9  For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 10  And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago. 11  Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have. 12  For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. 13  For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened: 14  But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality: 15  As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.

This is how the earliest form of the church was physically nourished although this was short-term and fell short of Christ’s commandment to go out to the world.

Acts 2:45  And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

Acts 4:35  And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

God sent persecution to them to disperse them as Christ had said;

Acts 1:8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Acts 8:1 ¶  And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

So, while Marx and Engels stole this from the Bible;

…every man according as he had need…

…it does not mean that it is not a Christian ideal. However, it is not a required method of coercion excusing governments like Lenin’s Soviet Union or America’s welfare state for their extortions on the working class in order to create not just equal opportunity but equal outcomes at the point of a gun but it is a voluntary principle commanded in the community of Christians. Still, as it is in conflict with American ideals it is pretty much a non-starter. The church is lacking in spiritual power and force as much by its acceptance of inequality in the community of believers as it is by Christians refusing to love each other as an example to the world and a symbol of their belonging to Christ.

John 13:34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

I can almost hear the teeth grinding as American Christians will be thinking that the Bible’s clear statements must be wrong because what’s mine is mine and you need to go get your own. It is said that the most repeated sermon in the late 1800’s in America was titled “Acres of Diamonds” about the virtue of obtaining wealth and how rich people were usually the best people. But, God’s word says what it says in the context in which it is said. Here in Exodus and in Acts one might argue that doctrinally it is not applicable to us but you can’t argue with Paul’s statement in 2Corinthians or in the next verse.

1Timothy 6:6 ¶  But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 9  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11  But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12  Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

Bible Study on Acts 10, verses 1 to 8, Cornelius, the centurion, sends for Peter

 

Acts 10:1 ¶  There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, 2  A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. 3  He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. 4  And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. 5  And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: 6  He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do. 7  And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually; 8  And when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa.

 

Cornelius was a centurion, an officer of eighty to a hundred men (think century for centurion), in a cohort or band of six hundred men, and that the title Italian Band suggests they were all native Romans. They would have been dedicated to serve under the Roman governor in a place where the subject nation was contentious and disorderly waiting for a messiah who would throw off the Roman yoke and lead them back into their former glory. It was not a preferred military posting you can be certain of that.

 

Caesarea Maritima was built by Herod the Great to be a major port. It was the administrative center of the Roman Empire’s province of Judea. It is on the coast of the Mediterranean south of Haifa in present-day Israel. Caesarea is often called Caesarea Maritima or Caesarea Palaestinae to differentiate it from Caesarea Philippi on the Jordan River. Joppa, also known as Jaffa, was a little over 30 miles from Caesarea. The servants must have left immediately that afternoon and arrived the following day around noon so it is likely they traveled by cart and didn’t stop.

 

Cornelius was clearly a Jewish proselyte doing good deeds in the distribution of alms to the poor and honoring the God of Israel. God blessed him by giving him a vision and speaking to him. He did as he was ordered and sent men to Joppa to bring Peter to him as ordered. One thing that is interesting to note is that there were devout Roman soldiers like Cornelius and he was not alone in his faith.

 

 It would be very hard to be a Roman soldier and a Jew considering the heavy use of pork in their diets and the imperial cult where one had to pay homage to the emperor as a god. But it would not be impossible if one walked a little on both sides of the fence as many so-called conservative Christians do today honoring the cult of the state, paying homage to the gods of the age like entertainment and mammon, and yet going faithfully to church every Sunday. Cornelius was, however, devout and another devout soldier is mentioned.

Bible Study on Exodus 16, verses 1 to 12, bread from heaven

 

Exodus 16:1 ¶  And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. 2  And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: 3  And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger. 4  Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. 5  And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily. 6  And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt: 7  And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that he heareth your murmurings against the LORD: and what are we, that ye murmur against us? 8  And Moses said, This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD. 9  And Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before the LORD: for he hath heard your murmurings. 10  And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. 11  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 12  I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God.

The Sinai mentioned in verse 1 is probably a reference to Mount Sinai as the peninsula that bears the name Sinai was not called that back then. In the time of Christ it was not called the Sinai Peninsula. Some have written that the area was called by different names at the time of Christ and before but that it was given its name for Mount Sinai because of the Bible.

We must be careful about reading more modern names back into the Bible because of some tradition that was prompted by the Bible. This can cause great confusion. As an example, in the following verse Jesus is talking about how, due to the mindset that wealth brings it is very unlikely that a rich man will enter God’s kingdom but then says that with God it is possible.

Matthew 19:23 ¶  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 25  When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 26  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Some fundamentalists and evangelicals have written that this is a reference to a gate called The Needle’s Eye in the walls of Jerusalem where a camel coming at night when the main gate was closed would have to kneel and have its burdens removed so it could go through the gate on its knees. This nonsense has no basis in fact. First, there is no reference to such a gate as existing before the Middle Ages and the legend has no basis in the Biblical text. In other words, there is no evidence that there was a gate in Christ’s Jerusalem called The Needle’s Eye. It is just a matter of reading back your wishes into the Bible and messing with the text because it sounds good to you.

The Hebrews are hungry and are now wishing they were back in Egypt where at least they had food to eat. You can imagine how daunting a task it would be to keep this large amount of men, women, children, and beasts fed.

God says He will rain bread from heaven down on them which they will gather for six days, gathering a double portion on the sixth. Jesus declares that He is that bread from heaven sent by God to give life.

John 6:28 ¶  Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. 30  They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? 31  Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. 32  Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33  For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34  Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 35  And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

As the Hebrews plunged into the wilderness and needed physical food so humanity exists in a spiritual wilderness and needs this spiritual food from God to survive.

This is also a prime example of how many Christians cannot rightly divide the word as God requires through Paul in 2Timothy 2:15. The reference in Exodus is a reference to a physical, literal food you consume with your stomach. The reference in John is a reference to a spiritual fact that happens when you believe on Christ. Both are nourishment; one temporal that needs to be renewed daily and the other is spiritual that needs to be received only once.

God is going to supernaturally feed these children of Israel as one of the signs He has already blessed them with abundantly as He states At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God.

1Corinthians 1:22  For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks [Gentiles: non-Jews] seek after wisdom:

It is amazing that these people have seen the great power of God and witnessed a sample of His glory and that they still doubt. It is no wonder that men and women who have been taught out of seeing God’s handiwork every day would question. God’s power is manifested all around us but they’ve been told that all they are seeing are perfectly natural processes that may have well invented themselves. There is no wonder when the magnificence of creation is viewed as something that just is and just happened and is of no huge importance. But, to see physical reality as a continuous miracle has to fill us with awe and even dread and fear when we realize the power and the mind of God being displayed for us constantly.

Bible Study on Acts 9, verses 32 to 43, Tabitha, arise

 

Acts 9:32 ¶  And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda. 33  And there he found a certain man named Æneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy. 34  And Peter said unto him, Æneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately. 35  And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord.

 

Palsy, like leprosy, was a catch-all term in Early Modern English for a number of illnesses which we have since defined more specifically. Typically a weakness in part of or the whole body it is often described in such a way as to sound like a stroke with the person unable to use one side of their body and affecting the speech.

 

Acts 9:36 ¶  Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did. 37  And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber. 38  And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them. 39  Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them. 40  But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up. 41  And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive. 42  And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord. 43  And it came to pass, that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner.

 

Tabitha is an Aramaic name while Dorcas is a Greek name. Strong says that Tabitha and Dorcas both mean the same thing although he says they mean, “gazelle.” Matthew Henry states that the names refer to a “pleasant creature” like a deer.

 

Here, Peter is provided two things by God. First there is an opportunity to show the power of Christ through the Apostle at the raising of a great saint, beloved by many. Then, by the fame he gains in Joppa with many people believing in Christ as a result of Peter’s ministry he stays in Joppa many days which prepares him for another significant event to come next in the salvation of the Roman centurion. God sets us up to serve Him when we are willing and open to do so and puts opportunities in our path even when we are not. But Peter is more than willing.

Bible Study on Exodus 15, verses 22 to 27, bitter waters

 

Exodus 15:22 ¶  So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. 23  And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. 24  And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? 25  And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them, 26  And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee. 27  And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.

The wilderness of Shur is east of Egypt, as we would expect. Hagar fled from Sarai to the wilderness on the way to Shur. They are now in the Sinai Peninsula it would seem.

Genesis 16:7  And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.

1Samuel 15:7  And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.

1Samuel 27:8  And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites: for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt.

Marah obviously means bitter. One can easily imagine sermons about God’s word being bitter to the unbeliever but sweet to the person who is saved by God or how God’s will is bitter to the disobedient Christian but sweet to the Christian who trusts God.

God promises the Hebrews that for their obedience the diseases that were visited upon the Egyptians will not come on them. For a large group of people to move about like this you can imagine the possibilities of epidemics afflicting them. This is an important point to consider when we get to the Law that Moses is given to give to them.

Numbers in the Bible are very interesting. Such things like twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees at Elim are good material for sermons on symbolism in the Bible. Certain numbers come up quite frequently in the Bible but a sidetrack on them would take away from the flow of the narrative. Does twelve refer to the tribes of the children of Israel? What about the seventy weeks of prophecy in Daniel?

Bible Study on Acts 9, verses 23 to 31, Saul escapes

 

Acts 9:23 ¶  And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him: 24  But their laying await was known of Saul. And they watched the gates day and night to kill him. 25  Then the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket. 26  And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. 27  But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. 28  And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem. 29  And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him. 30  Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus. 31  Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.

 

It doesn’t take long before Saul the Jewish avenger becomes Saul the hunted Christian. In one of history’s great escape stories his companions deliver him outside of the walls of Damascus in a basket. From there he returns to Jerusalem, no longer an officer of the council seeking to wreak havoc on Christians, but now a Christian evangelist trying to avoid the vengeful Jews.

 

Barnabas has faith in Saul’s conversion. Barnabas is a reconciler, a man who makes peace and is forgiving and understanding, not a very good fundamentalist.

 

Acts 4:36  And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,

 

He will eventually plead for John Mark (probably Mark of the Gospel) to be forgiven for leaving the ministry for a time and then will have such a sharp contention with Saul, then called Paul, that they will separate for a time. Barnabas will play an important part in Acts and will be mentioned in several of Paul’s letters.

 

We have here mentioned the controversy that Paul stirred up with the Greek Jews. There are mentioned numerous Greek Jews in the book of Acts and, in fact, the evangelist Timothy’s father is a Greek and apparently many Christians of Greek ethnicity.

 

Acts 6:1  And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

 

Acts 14:1  And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.

 

Acts16:1  Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek:

 

Greeks came from a background of philosophy and religion that would influence their worship and would also taint Christianity with errors from Greek philosophy. The Jewish Apostles understood and used concepts that the Greeks would understand such as John’s use of the Logos in his Gospel and letters or Jesus’s and Paul’s usage of phrases understood in the Greek world. You and I have already discussed this in John’s Gospel and earlier in Acts. However, early Christianity would also become negatively influenced by Gnosticism, intellectualism, and the draw of the many mystery religions of secret cults and rituals and initiations that affected the Roman Catholic Church in many diverse ways. There are coming many warnings against not only worldly philosophy but also Gnosticism in the writings of Paul and the other Apostles, as we will see. But, here, through God’s use of Paul the churches grew in number.

 

Here is Paul warning about philosophy and calling it a vain deceit.

 

Colossians 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

 

Here is John in one warning against Gnosticism which regarded all matter as evil and denied that Christ came in the flesh but only appeared to do so and that He was not resurrected in a literal, physical body.

 

1John 4:2  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.