Bible in One Year Day 342 (Acts 21, 2 Corinthians 6-8, Proverbs 29:1-4)

You may subscribe yourself at the Ascension site here and receive notifications in your email, or just follow along on my blog.  Bible in One Year Readings Index  

Day 342: Generous Hearts 

Agape Bible Study Acts 21 

Chapter 21: The End of the Third Missionary Journey

Acts 21:1-6 ~ St. Paul's Gracious Reception in the Gentile City of Tyre

St. Luke includes many geographical details in the narrative, all of which are correct. After Paul's emotional parting from the priests of the churches in Ephesus and probably surrounding communities, Paul sailed southeast from the Aegean Sea and into the Mediterranean Sea. It is the late spring/early summer of 58 AD. Paul and his companions (which included St. Luke) made stops along the coastland of Asia Minor at ports on the islands of Cos and Rhodes and at Patara, a seaport on the coast of Lycia (southern Turkey). Paul and his companions left Patara and sailed past Cyprus, approaching the island from the northwest and moving past the island's eastern coast before turning left and heading toward Syria. They sailed down the coast of Syria and reached the important commercial city of Tyre where St. Paul was warmly greeted by Christians living there. In his Gospel Luke recorded that people from Tyre came to hear Jesus preach (Lk 6:17), and he also wrote that Christian missionaries went to Phoenicia after Stephen's martyrdom to preach the Gospel to the Jews (Acts 11:19). Notice that the first person plural picked up again after Acts 20:15. 

As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we must trust Him in all things and that includes our joys as well as our sufferings. Paul had spent over a year gathering the contribution from the churches of Gentile Christians, and that gift from the Gentiles for Jerusalem was also of great symbolic importance.

Acts 21:7-14 ~ The Arrival at Ptolemais and Caesarea

In the past the Gentiles of Ptolemais had been very hostile to the Jews (see 1 Mac 12:45, 48) but now there was a thriving Christian faith community that had probably been founded by the Philip the evangelist in his missionary journey along the coast from Azotus to Caesarea (Acts 8:40). Paul had probably visited this faith community at least once and that was on his journey to the Council of Jerusalem from Antioch, Syria in 49/50 AD. Notice that Paul never passes up the opportunity to re-visit faith communities and to share the good news of additional conversions among the Gentiles that has resulted in the continuing growth of the Church universal.

Philip was ordained by the Apostles along with six other men to serve as the Church's first seven deacons. Luke calls him "one of the Seven" to distinguish him from Philip the Apostle. Later Philip the deacon carried the Gospel to Samaria and baptized the Ethiopian eunuch. He continued his missionary work along the Mediterranean coast from Azotos (also known as Ashdod when it was one of the cities in the Philistine Pentapolis) north to Caesarea, where he settled with his family.

Philip's daughters had evidently had taken a vow of virginity in service to the Lord and were given the gift of prophecy. The Church has always considered virginity in imitation of Christ a gift of God. Paul discusses virginity and celibacy in his letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 7:25-40), and Pope John Paul II devoted a section concerning consecrated virginity in his apostolic exhortation on the family: "Virginity or celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of God not only does not contradict the dignity of marriage but presupposes it and confirms it. Marriage and virginity or celibacy are two ways of expressing and living the one mystery of the covenant of God with his people" (Sacra virginitas, 2).

Acts 21:15-26 ~ Paul's Meeting with St. James and the Presbyters of the church in Jerusalem

Mnason is a Christian from Cyprus who is only mentioned here. His name is Greek. Luke records that he has been a disciple of Christ for a long time. Christian missionaries from Cyrene and Cyprus preached the Gospel in Phoenicia (Acts 11:20), and Mnason may have been one of them. He was the host for Paul's missionary team at their stop over on the way from Caesarea to Jerusalem.

Acts 21:27-30 ~ Paul's Presence at the Temple Causes a Riot

It is assumed that the "seven days" refer to a period of ritual purification. The only such seven day ritual required of a Jew was if he became defiled by a dead body (Num 19:11-13, 20). Perhaps St. James requested that Paul undergo a special ritual purification because of his close contact with Gentiles on his mission journey or the Pharisees had introduced some new ritual associated with the completion of a Nazirite vow. However, the Mishnah tractate Nazir which gives the commands concerning Nazirite vows does not shed any light on this seven day period other than to repeat the ritual purification of the third and seventh day for contamination by death.

Question: What are the four accusations made against Paul in verse 28?
Answer: 

1. He is accused of teaching against the people.
2. He is accused of teaching against the Law.
3. He is accused of speaking against the Temple.
4. He is accused of profaning the Temple by bringing unclean Gentiles into the Temple.

These charges brought against Paul are an echo of some of the charges brought against Stephen in Acts 6:13.

The scene descends into a riot as Paul is dragged out of the Temple. The Temple guards close the gates, probably from the Court of the Gentiles to the inner courts, to prevent the riot from profaning the Temple. One wonders if Luke sees the shutting of the Temple gates against God's agent as a prophetic sign.

Acts 21:31-40 ~ Paul is Arrested

The Roman headquarters in Jerusalem was the Fortress Antonia. It was built by Herod the Great and was connected to the Temple by steps that ended in a terrace that overlooked the Temple courts. Josephus recorded that a Roman legion was always present in the fortress during the Jewish festivals (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 18.4.3 [91-92]; Jewish Wars 5.5.8 [238-247).
As soon as the Romans saw that a riot was developing, the cohort commander, who was probably watching from the terrace of the fortress, intervened. The cohort tribune, chilearchos in Greek, means "leader of a thousand." He was the highest ranking Roman army officer in Jerusalem. A cohort ideally consisted of a thousand men (Johnson, page 383).

Question: What prophecy made previously is now fulfilled? See Acts 21:11
Answer: Agabus' prophecy that Paul would be bound and handed over to the Gentiles.

This was not the first time Paul had been saved by the Romans or their representatives; for example the proconsul Sergius Paulus in 13:6-12; the magistrates in Philippi in 16:19-40, and the town clerk at Ephesus in 19:35-40. Since the cohort commander could not understand what Paul had done to cause the riot, he had Paul arrested and was taking him to the Fortress Antonio, chained between two soldiers. So violent was the mob who shouted "Away with him!" (meaning "Kill him!") that for Paul's protection the Roman soldiers literally carried Paul up the steps from the Temple to the Fortress (verse 36).
Question: What does the cry of the Jewish crowd against Paul echo from the Gospels? See Mt 27:23; Mk 15:13 and Lk 23:18.
Answer: This scene echoes the cry of the crowd that demanded Jesus' death when He was taken to Pilate.

Acts 21:37 ~ Just as Paul was about to be taken into the compound, he said to the cohort commander, "May I say something to you?" He replied, "Do you speak Greek?" So then you are not the Egyptian who started a revolt some time ago and led the four thousand assassins into the desert?"  
Question: In what two ways has Paul's identity been mistaken?
Answer: First Paul was mistakenly identified as a Temple defiler by the Jews and now he has been mistakenly identified as an Egyptian insurrectionist by the Roman commander.

Agape Bible Study 2 Corinthians 6 - 8 

Chapter 6:1-7:4 ~ A Call to Holiness

2 Corinthians 6:1-10 ~ Paul's Ministry of Reconciliation 

 
2 For he says: "In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you." Behold, now is a very acceptable time, behold, now is the day of salvation.
In 6:2a, Paul quotes from the Septuagint translation of Isaiah 49:8. This verse is the first verse of the passage that comes between the second and third of the four "Servant-of-the-Lord" oracles in the Book of Isaiah (42:1-9; 49:1-7; 50:4-11; 52:13-53:12). In the passage of Isaiah 49:8-26, God promises the liberation and restoration of His covenant people. In quoting this verse, Paul is applying the fulfillment of the passage to Jesus' spiritual liberation and restoration of God's New Covenant people. Paul writes that God heard their desire for salvation and sent him as Christ's minister. He urges the Corinthians to respond to his appeal for reconciliation to him and his ministry, telling them "now is the day" to make a commitment to receive the on-going gift of salvation promised by God's Servant, Jesus Christ.

In 6:3-7a, Paul lists his apostolic credentials and defends the integrity of his missionary team. He insists that, as ministers of God, they have caused "no one to stumble in anything," having caused no offense and no scandal. He lists three groups of three hardships (for a total of nine) they have suffered (verses 4b-5), and two series of four virtues (using the words by, in, and with) that explain how they endured and overcame hardships (verses 6-7a). Then, after three transitional phrases (verses 7b-8a), he lists a series of seven antitheses, illustrating the paradoxes of his team's apostolic ministry (verses 8b-10):

• Hardships endured: "afflictions, hardships, constraints, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, vigils, fasts."
• Overcame hardships: "by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, in a holy spirit, in unfeigned love, in truthful speech, in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness at the right and at the left."
• Transitional phrases: "with weapons of righteousness at the right and at the left; through glory and dishonor, insult and praise."
• Seven antitheses, beginning with "We are treated":
  1. as deceivers and yet are truthful
  2. as unrecognized and yet acknowledged
  3. as dying and behold we live
  4. as chastised and yet not put to death
  5. as sorrowful yet always rejoicing
  6. as poor yet enriching many
  7. as having nothing and yet possessing all things

2 Corinthians 6:11-18 ~ Be Separated from the Unholy

Paul asks five questions in 6:14b-16a:

1. For what partnership do righteousness and lawlessness have? 
2. Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?
3. What accord has Christ with Beliar?
4. Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?
5. What agreement has the temple of God with idols?

Using the familiar Scriptural contrast of light and darkness, symbolizing holiness versus sin, Paul urges the Corinthians to live in the fellowship of the holiness of Christ as "children of light" (Eph 5:8). Their hearts must shine with "the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ" (2 Cor 4:4, 6) as opposed to consorting with the children of darkness who are doomed by their sins. Christians must not be "yoked" with unbelievers but accept the easy "yoke" of Jesus Christ (Mt 11:28-30).

 
15 What accord has Christ with Beliar? 
Beliar is a reference to Satan and is from a Hebrew word meaning "wickedness." Paul's point is that Christians, as the Temple of the "Living God," have as much in common with unrepentant sinners as Christ has with the devil.

For we are the temple of the living God
Question: Throughout 2 Corinthians, Paul answers the question "Who is God" by naming God in various ways in 1:2, 3a, 3b; 1:9; 3:3; 4:6, 14; 5:17-18 and 6:16. In what various ways does Paul name God in those verses?
Answer: 

1. He is "God our Father" in 1:2.
2. He is the "God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" in 1:3a.
3. He is "the Father of compassion and God of all encouragement" in 1:3b.
4. He is the "living God" in 3:3 and 6:16.
5. He is the "God who raises the dead" in 1:9 and "the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also" in 4:14.
6. He is the God who said "Let light shine out of darkness" in 4:6.
7. He is the God who brings "a new creation" in Christ and the "God who has reconciled us to himself through Christ" in 5:17-18.

Chapter 7: A Call for Holiness and Reconciliation

2 Corinthians 7:1-4 ~ Paul Calls for Reconciliation

The promises of the New and Eternal Covenant promised in the Scripture passages Paul referred to above oblige the Corinthian Christians to live in holiness, cleansing themselves from all sin, and to live in perfect communion with God. Paul resumes his appeal to the community to "open their hearts" to him and the other missionaries on his team. He defends his conduct, declares his love, and expresses his pride in them.

In verse 2, when Paul pleads with the Corinthian Christians to reconcile with him and his missionary team by making "room" for them in their lives, he renews the request he made previously in 6:13. 

He writes that he and his team are innocent of any wrongdoing concerning the community because they have not wronged anyone, ruined anyone, or taken advantage of anyone. 

Chapter 7:5-13 ~ Paul's Affliction and Joy in Macedonia

 

2 Corinthians 7:5-13a ~ Titus Brings Paul the News of Reconciliation

Notice that Paul continues to use the word "afflicted/affliction." However, he also continues to contrast it with the more frequent use of the word "encourage/encouraged" as he did in Chapter 1:3-8 (see encouragement/encouraged seven times in 7:4, 6 twice, 7 twice, 13 twice) . In this passage, he returns to recounting the events he began discussing in 2:13 concerning his delayed reunion with Titus in Macedonia and his joy in hearing about the Corinthian community's positive response to his earlier, "tearful letter" (2:4). 

You may recall that Paul broke off his missionary work in Troas because Titus failed to join him there as planned and traveled to Macedonia hoping to find Titus there (2:12-13). It was Titus who had been sent to deliver Pau's "tearful letter" to the Corinthians and to report back on their response. He writes that when they came to Macedonia that our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted in every way: external conflicts, internal fears. Paul uses the term "flesh" to convey human weakness and vulnerability. The word "conflicts" is literally "battles" in the Greek text. Paul uses the same Greek word in his second letter to St. Timothy in 2:23 and in his letter to St. Titus in 3:9 to indicate quarrels or controversy, as does St. James in his letter (Jam 4:1). We do not know if "external battles" refers to disputes with non-Christians (see Acts 16:16-17:15) that he encountered on his first visit to Macedonia, or if his problems came from other Christians who opposed him (e.g., Phil 3:2, 18-19) or from both groups. His "internal fears" probably refers to Titus' delayed appearance and anxiety over his report concerning the Corinthian community.

 

Once again, in verses 11-13, Paul refers to "the matter" without any explanation as to the cause of the crisis. We do not know anything about the "the one who did the wrong;" however, it would appear that the "one who suffered the wrong" is Paul. In any event, the issue is resolve, and Paul is encouraged for its resolution and the restoration of his good relationship with the Corinthian church.

 

2 Corinthians 7:13b-16 ~ Paul's Confidence in Titus and the Corinthian Church

Not only is Paul encouraged by Titus' report concerning the response of the Christians at Corinth, but Paul tells them that their repentance and contrition has "refreshed" Titus' spirit. Paul is gratified, like a proud father, that what he told Titus about the goodness of the Corinthians and the confidence he had in them proved to be true.

Chapters 8-9: The Collection for the Poor Christians of Jerusalem

2 Corinthians 8:1-6 ~ Generous Giving

Question: Why does Paul praise the Macedonian Christians?
Answer: Paul praises the Macedonian Christians who, as an act of free will, gave generously out of the poverty of their meager reserves, wanting to offer more than their strength allowed. 

Paul writes that by giving themselves wholly to God first and then to their fellow Christians with generosity, the Macedonians demonstrated their sincere desire to receive God's spiritual rewards. Paul plans to send Titus back to Corinth to encourage the Christian community there to imitate the generosity of their Christian brothers and sisters in Macedonia in the contribution they have collected over the past year (8:10). They have demonstrated their faith and obedience in other ways, and now Paul asks them to demonstrate their love in action in giving generously to the Jerusalem church.

2 Corinthians 8:7-15 ~ The Need for Charity

Paul begins by complimenting the Corinthian faith community five ways in verse 7. They excel in faith, discourse, knowledge, earnestness, and love.
The demonstration of their love for others is the best evidence of their love for Christ. It fulfills Jesus' command to love as He has loved.

Paul's point is that God takes care of those in material need by using the members of the Church so that no one suffers from a lack of material support. The Church gives us the opportunity to carry on Jesus' work on earth by feeding the hungry as He did in the miracle feedings. It is also a way for us to prepare for the Last Judgment when Christ will ask us how we ministered in love to a needy humanity (Mt 25:13-46).

2 Corinthians 8:16-24 ~ Titus' Mission

Paul plans to send Titus back to the Corinthian Christians along with another missionary brother he does not name, chosen as a representative by the Macedonian churches (verses 16-18, 22). Paul stresses their apostolic qualities, their good relations with the Corinthians, and their authority as "messengers" (using the Greek word "angelos") of Christ and His Church.

Paul doesn't name the minister who will accompany Titus; we only know that he is already known to the Corinthian community. It has been suggested the gifted orator in verse 18 is Apollos.⁽²⁾ It is evidently Paul's plan that these men will collect the contributions and carry them to Jerusalem.