Now when it was determined that we [including Luke] should sail for Italy, they turned Paul and some other prisoners over to a centurion of the imperial regiment named Julius.

1. Who was Julius? and what was Luke dong there. 

Julius     centurion of the Augustan cohort. A cohort (regiment) of that name was stationed in Palestine during the reign of Agrippa II . Julius may have been on detached duty, performing such tasks as escorting important prisoners.

Scholars have not been able to identify the Augustan Cohort (a battalion of 1,000 soldiers, cf. 21:31) with certainty. Some of them believe this was the cohort responsible for communications and service between the emperor and his provincial armies.[1014] However this group may not have been in existence this early in Roman history. Since “Augustan” was a title of honor that the government gave to several cohorts, this simply may have been one of the Augustan cohorts that was based in the Syrian province.[1016] These Augustan cohorts served various police and judicial functions. CN

Since he was a Roman citizen who had appealed to Caesar, Paul would have enjoyed greater privileges than the other regular prisoners. Julius was another centurion (cf. Cornelius, ch. 10; 22:26; 24:23) who demonstrated fairness, consideration, and mercy, as this story will show.

2. What was Luke doing there. 

That we should sail. The use of the term “we” here shows that the author of this book, Luke, was with Paul. He had been the companion of Paul; and though he had not been accused, yet it was resolved that he should still accompany him. Whether he went at his own expense, or whether he was sent at the expense of the Roman government, does not appear. There is a difference of reading here in the ancient versions. The Syriac reads it, “And thus Festus determined that he [Paul] should be sent to Cæsar in Italy,” etc. The Latin Vulgate and the Arabic also read “he” instead of “we.” But the Greek manuscripts are uniform; and the correct reading is, doubtless, that which is in our version. BN

The use of the pronoun “we” marks the return of Paul’s close friend Luke, who has been absent since 21:18. He had likely been living near Caesarea so he could care for Paul during his imprisonment. Now he rejoined the apostle for the journey to Rome. MSBN
² And going aboard a ship from Adramyttium which was about to sail for the ports along the coast of [the province of] Asia, we put out to sea; and Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, accompanied us. ³ The following day we landed at Sidon, and Julius treated Paul in a loving way, with much consideration (kindness and care), permitting him to go to his friends [there] and be refreshed and be cared for. ⁴ After putting to sea from there we passed to the leeward (south side) of Cyprus [for protection], for the winds were contrary to us. ⁵ And when we had sailed over [the whole length] of sea which lies off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we reached Myra in Lycia.

3. How far was the voyage to Sidon and what were the conditions like?

Sidon. About 70 miles north of Caesarea.  The ship had come from Adramyttium. A harbor on the west coast of the province of Asia, southeast of Troas, east of Assos.  This was a small coast vessel fit for travel from post to post along the coast. They sought the protecting shelter of the island by sailing north on the eastern side of the island, then west along the northern side. winds were against us. Prevailing winds in summer were westerly. NIVSN

Prevailing winds in the Mediterranean during spring and fall usually blow from west to east and often from the northwest. Consequently this ship sailed north up the east side of the island of Cyprus . Proceeding north it came to the coast of Cilicia and turned west passing Pamphylia and landing at Myra in Lysia, the southernmost region in the province of Asia. CN

They made port in Sidon, a city about 70 miles north of Caesarea. Here, Julius, the centurion in charge of Paul and the other prisoners, allowed Paul to go to his friends and be cared for by them. From here on, sailing will not be smooth. When the ship set sail, they began to encounter unfavorable winds. This necessitated sailing close to the coast of Cyprus, which, to some degree, sheltered them from the contrary winds. Sailing past Cilicia and Pamphylia, they landed at Myra in Lycia.  It was here that they had to change ships. RD

 ⁶ There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship bound for Italy, and he transferred us to it. ⁷ For a number of days we made slow progress and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus; then, as the wind did not permit us to proceed, we went under the lee (shelter) of Crete off Salmone, ⁸ And coasting along it with difficulty, we arrived at a place called Fair Havens, near which is located the town of Lasea.⁹ But as [the season was well advanced, for] much time had been lost and navigation was already dangerous, for the time for the Fast [the Day of Atonement, about the beginning of October] had already gone by,

4. What did the Day of Atonement have to do with any of this?

The Jewish Day of Atonement fell in the latter part of September or in October. The usual sailing season by Jewish calculation lasted from Pentecost (May-June) to Tabernacles, which was five days after the Fast. The Romans considered sailing after Sept. 15 doubtful and after Nov. 11 suicidal. NIVSB

Travel in the open sea was dangerous from mid-Sept. to mid-Nov., after which it ceased altogether until Feb. Since the fast (the Day of Atonement) of late Sept. or early Oct. was past, further travel was already extremely hazardous. MSBN

5. Is this advice from Paul a premonition, a word from the Holy Spirit, or just some acute observation?

Apparently Paul discerned that those in charge were predisposed to sailing a little further. Paul had a fair bit of experience with sea travel. He had already survived one shipwreck, and he knew the dangers of sea travel:

Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. {I have been} on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from {my} countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren (2 Corinthians 11:25-26).

Paul spoke up, cautioning them about sailing on any further, and warning them that if they pressed on this would result in the loss of lives and property. Paul did not seek to “sanctify” his words by giving them any spiritual flavor. He did not claim to have a certain (prophetic) knowledge of what was going to happen. Indeed, the fate of the ship was not exactly as Paul had warned, for there was no loss of life.He simply spoke as a seasoned traveler, an astute observer, and one who had experienced dangers at sea. Simply put, Paul warned those making the decision about whether or not to press on that continuing on was not wise. They were not going to get to Rome until after winter was over anyway, and they could stay right where they were, with no real problems. They had little to gain and much to lose. Time would prove Paul right. RD

¹³ So when the south wind blew softly, supposing they were gaining their object, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, hugging the coast. 

¹⁴ But soon  afterward a violent wind [of the character of a typhoon], called a northeaster, came bursting down from the island.¹⁵ And when the ship was caught and was unable to head against the wind, we gave up and, letting her drift, were borne along. ¹⁶ We ran under the shelter of a small island called Cauda, where we managed with [much] difficulty to draw the [ship’s small] boat on deck and secure it. ¹⁷ After hoisting it on board, they used supports with ropes to undergird and brace the ship; then afraid that they would be driven into the Syrtis [quicksands off the north coast of Africa], they lowered the gear (sails and ropes) and so were driven along. 

6. What is this about the small boat and what does all this intricate detail tell us about the story?

to make the lifeboat secure. A small boat was being towed behind the ship. It was interfering with the progress of the ship and with the steering. It may also have been in danger of being crushed against the ship in the wind and the waves. It had to be taken aboard.

Luke’s magnificent account of the storm at sea is possibly intended to be more than just an interesting story well told. Here at the climax of his account of the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem to Rome, especially through the labors of the apostle Paul, he provides in cameo an exquisite depiction of the state of the world seen from the perspective of Paul’s gospel: The peoples of the world (represented by the ship’s passengers) stand under the threat of God’s judgment (represented by the terrible storm), with Paul and what he represents being their only hope. On board are representatives of the world’s economic, military and political powers and Jerusalem to Rome, especially through the labors of the apostle Paul, he provides in cameo an exquisite depiction of the state of the world seen from the perspective of Paul’s gospel: The peoples of the world (represented by the ship’s passengers) stand under the threat of God’s judgment (represented by the terrible storm), with Paul and what he represents being their only hope. On board are representatives of the world’s economic, military and political powers and those skilled in navigating the sea, but none of these can master the raging storm to save themselves or their possessions. They escape only as they follow Paul’s instructions. 

No other religious book gives such accurate detail of events. This just shows the credibility of the bible in general and particularly in the work of Luke as a historian. 

Sir William Ramsey first Professor of Classical Art and Archaeology at Oxford. : It is said he set off to Asia Minor with the book of Acts in one hand and his archaeological tools in the other, firmly set on disproving the biblical account. After finding so much overwhelming evidence proving the accuracy of Luke’s account, not only was Sir Ramsay forced to admit that Luke was an historian of the first order, but was compelled to accept Christ as his own personal Lord and Savior. http://creationwiki.org/William_M._Ramsay

¹⁸ As we were being dangerously tossed about by the violence of the storm, the next day they began to throw the freight overboard;¹⁹ And the third day they threw out with their own hands the ship’s equipment (the tackle and the furniture).²⁰ And when neither sun nor stars were visible for many days and no small tempest kept raging about us, all hope of our being saved was finally abandoned.²¹ Then as they had eaten nothing for a long time, Paul came forward into their midst and said, Men, you should have listened to me, and should not have put to sea from Crete and brought on this disaster and harm and misery and loss.²² But [even] now I beg you to be in good spirits and take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you but only of the ship.²³ For this [very] night there stood by my side an angel of the God to Whom I belong and Whom I serve and worship,²⁴ And he said, Do not be frightened, Paul! It is necessary for you to stand before Caesar; and behold, God has given you all those who are sailing with you.²⁵ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith (complete confidence) in God that it will be exactly as it was told me;²⁶ But we shall have to be stranded on some island.

7. Is Paul doing a “I told you so”?

The angel reaffirmed the promise Jesus Himself had earlier made to Paul (23:11).

Acts 23:11 (ESV)   The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”

²⁷ The fourteenth night had come and we were drifting and being driven about in the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors began to suspect that they were drawing near to some land.²⁸ So they took soundings and found twenty fathoms, and a little farther on they sounded again and found fifteen fathoms.²⁹ Then fearing that we might fall off [our course] onto rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and kept wishing for daybreak to come.³⁰ And as the sailors were trying to escape [secretly] from the ship and were lowering the small boat into the sea, pretending that they were going to lay out anchors from the bow,³¹ Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, Unless these men remain in the ship, you cannot be saved.³² Then the soldiers cut away the ropes that held the small boat, and let it fall and drift away.

8. Does it really matter how many fathoms the water was?

On Friday morning, February 26, 2010, on CBN’s 700 Club program, Chuck Holton submitted a report about a man who believes he found an “amazing Biblical discovery” on Malta.  This nine-minute video segment featured Robert Cornuke presenting his theory about the location of the Apostle Paul’s shipwreck on the island of Malta.
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2010/February/Searching-for-Pauls-Shipwreck-on-Malta/

Cornuke, in his persona as a “former Los Angeles crime scene investigator,” approached the account of the shipwreck of Paul in Acts 27 and 28 as a “crime scene.”  As he read the Biblical text, he concluded there were four “clues” that needed to be found in order to solve the “crime.”  He identified these as: (1) a bay with a beach; (2) a reef or sandbar where “two seas meet”; (3) a seafloor with a depth of 90 feet; and (4) a place the sailors would not have recognized.  Cornuke concludes that the shipwreck occurred on the eastern shore of Malta, not on the northern side of the island as most scholars believe.

9. Why did Paul try to prevent some form escaping the ship?

Whether by divine revelation, intuition, or by learning of their plans from some human source, Paul became aware of their intentions. He turned to the centurion and the soldiers and gave them what were really orders: “Unless these men remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved” (verse 31). If this was all that Paul said to these soldiers, he did not tell them that these men were attempting to abandon ship. He only said that their remaining on ship was necessary if these soldiers wanted to survive. The soldiers were thus acting to save themselves, as well as the rest on board. The soldiers were acting, as it were, on Paul’s orders. If the sailors didn’t believe Paul, the soldiers did. It seems that there was no protest from the sailors when the ropes to the lifeboat were cut. Now, no one had the use of this boat. RD

³³ While they waited until it should become day, Paul entreated them all to take some food, saying, This is the fourteenth day that you have been continually in suspense and on the alert without food, having eaten nothing.³⁴ So I urge (warn, exhort, encourage, advise) you to take some food [for your safety]—it will give you strength; for not a hair is to perish from the head of any one of you.³⁵ Having said these words, he took bread and, giving thanks to God before them all, he broke it and began to eat.³⁶ Then they all became more cheerful and were encouraged and took food themselves.³⁷ All told there were 276 souls of us in the ship.³⁸ And after they had eaten sufficiently, [they proceeded] to lighten the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.³⁹ Now when it was day [and they saw the land], they did not recognize it, but they noticed a bay with a beach on which they [taking counsel] purposed to run the ship ashore if they possibly could.⁴⁰ So they cut the cables and severed the anchors and left them in the sea; at the same time unlashing the ropes that held the rudders and hoisting the foresail to the wind, they headed for the beach.⁴¹ But striking a crosscurrent (a place open to two seas) they ran the ship aground. The prow stuck fast and remained immovable, and the stern began to break up under the violent force of the waves.⁴² It was the counsel of the soldiers to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim to land and escape;

10. Why kill the prisoners?

All must abandon ship now. This created a serious problem. The prisoners (at least the dangerous or violent ones) may have been in chains. If the prisoners were to make it to land, the soldiers would have to release them. The soldiers who were guarding them were not as concerned about their survival as much as the possibility of an escape. They intended to put all the prisoners to death,  thus eliminating the risk of an escape.

The centurion did not seem to be concerned with any of the prisoners, except one – Paul. He wanted to spare him, and so he forbade them from killing any of the prisoners. All of the prisoners were spared, on account of one person—Paul, just as all of the passengers were spared for Paul’s sake. These prisoners were (pardon me for this) “twice pardoned.”

The centurion commanded that all should make it to land if they could. Those who could swim should jump first, and make their way to shore. The non-swimmers could wait a little longer, perhaps for the ship to further break up, and then clinging to some piece of floating wreckage, paddle their way to shore. RD

⁴³ But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, prevented their carrying out their purpose. He commanded those who could swim to throw themselves overboard first and make for the shore,⁴⁴ And the rest on heavy boards or pieces of the vessel. And so it was that all escaped safely to land

11. So is this a good news bad news thing?

They lost the ship but all of the 276 people on board were saved.

This unusually dramatic and vivid chapter stresses God’s sovereign control over circumstances to bring His will to pass, specifically that Paul should minister in Rome. It reminds us of Jesus’ ability to control the winds and the waves of Galilee to accomplish His will and to communicate His identity. He had sent His disciples into a storm  just as He had sent Paul. Jesus had predicted that He would build His church and that Hades’ gates would not overwhelm it. This chapter shows to what lengths God will go to remain faithful to His promises. CN

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

1 He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek. 2 The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.

1. Why would Paul have Timothy circumcised?

The real difficulty of the case is made apparent by putting into juxtaposition two of Paul’s statements, and two of his deeds. He says to the Corinthians, “Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing;” yet to the Galatians he writes: “Behold, I, Paul, say to you, that if you are circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.” When he was in Jerusalem upon the appeal of the Antioch Church, brethren urgently insisted that he should circumcise Titus, who was with him, but he sternly refused, and says, “I gave place to them by subjection, no, not for an hour.” Yet we see him in the case before us, circumcising Timothy with his own hand, and this “on account of certain Jews who were in those quarters.” In order to reconcile these apparently conflicting facts and statements, we must have all the leading facts concerning this rite before us.

Circumcision preceded the Mosaic Law much like the eating of blood prohibition. Paul had no problem with Jews continuing circumcision because it was an identification of one as a descendent of Abraham therefore a separate people. Circumcision did not bring Abraham into fellowship with God. Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness. Then he was circumcised as an identification, much like baptism for the Christian.

 These two seeming contradictions can be cleared up when we understand that Titus was a gentile, so Paul refused to have him circumcised on that basis. Timothy, on the other hand was half Jewish. But the case is even more unique in that Timothy’s mother and grandmother were Jews who had converted to Christianity, and his father was a Greek. It was prohibited by Mosaic Law for a Jew to marry and gentile. Neh 13:26 “You will not marry off your daughters to their sons, and you will not take any of their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves! According to the Rabbis the mother needed permission from the father before circumcision could take place and apparently his father would not permit this when Timothy was a child. Paul obviously did not circumcise Timothy because he believed that rite was necessary for his justification or sanctification . He did so because it was necessary for effective evangelistic ministry among Jews. Unbelieving Jews would not have given Paul a hearing if he had travelled with an uncircumcised Gentile even though Timothy was half Jewish.

 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win Jews; to those under the law, like one under the law—though I myself am not under the law —to win those under the law. 21 To those who are without ⌊that⌋ law, like one without the law—not being without God’s law but within Christ’s law—to win those without the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some. 23 Now I do all this because of the gospel, so I may become a partner in its benefits.1 Cor 9:20-23

2. Is it possible that the church continued to grow as a result of the satisfactory conclusion of the issue of how gentiles were to be treated?

This issue could have split the church and left it as a bunch of faction. One of gentile Christians, one of Jewish converts who were still observing the Mosaic Law, one of Jewish converts who rejected the Mosaic Law, and then groups who tried to mix both law and grace. Paul had to use wisdom is dealing with these touchy issues. When we do the proper thing, God grows the church.

 Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia

6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

3. The Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to enter Asia?

Spirit of Jesus. As the “Holy Spirit” was used at times interchangeably with “God” (5:3–4), so here “Holy Spirit” (v. 6) is used interchangeably with “Spirit of Jesus.” not allow. We are not sure exactly how the Spirit went about “not allowing” them to go into Asia to the south.

 4. Who was this man in the dream?

“Paul could have recognized the man in his dream as a Macedonian from what he said; but it has been conjectured that the man might have been Luke himself, who indicates his presence at this point by changing the narrative from ‘they’ to ‘we’ in the following verse. If this were so, it would suggest that Luke, a Macedonian or of Macedonian ancestry, had encountered Paul at Troas, perhaps as a medical attendant, and pressed him to preach the Gospel to the Macedonians. In this case, his appearance in Paul’s dream would make him seem to be a God-sent messenger, and would clinch the matter. This is, of course, no more than an attractive speculation.”It is interesting thatLuke was probably from Greek Macedonia and that he did join the group at this time.

Macedonia was a Roman province that comprised roughly the northern half of ancient andmodern Greece. Its name honored Philip of Macedon, Alexander the Great’s father.

Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi

11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. 13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

5. Who was Lydia?

Normally Paul went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, but evidently therewas not a synagogue in Philippi. This suggests that there were probably very few Jews there since it only took 10 Jewish men to establish a synagogue. Lacking a synagogue, worshippers of Yahweh met beside the Gangites River one and one-half miles west of town to pray together and to do what the Jews did in a normal synagogue service.

 Thyatira is over in Asia Minor. It is the place where one of the seven churches was located which received admonition from our Lord in the second chapter of the Book of Revelation. This woman had come from over there. She worshiped the living and true God, but she had very little knowledge.

Lydia. A businesswoman. Her name may be associated with her place of origin, the

Hellenistic district of Lydia. Thyatira. In the Roman province of Asia, 20 miles southeast of Pergamum (in the Hellenistic kingdom of Lydia. It was famous for its dyeing works, especially royal purple (crimson).worshiper of God. Lydia was a Gentile who, like Cornelius (see 10:2), believed in the true God and followed the moral teachings of Scripture. She had not, however, become a full convert to Judaism.

 opened her heart. After the resurrection the minds of the disciples were opened to understand the Scriptures; similarly, Lydia’s heart was opened to respond to the gospel message of Paul. Lydia was a remarkable person. She was a dominant person and a leader. Apparently she was the leader of the prayer meeting. She will be the first convert to Christ in Europe. A seller of purple. Purple was a most valuable colour, obtained usually fromshell-fish. It was chiefly worn by princes, and by the rich; and the traffic in it might be very profitable. It’s interesting that she asks Paul if he considered her a believer in the Lord. Apparently he considered her a believer and baptized her along with her entire household.

 Paul and Silas in Prison

16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.

6. Since she was aware that Paul and the rest were from the Most High God, was she a prophet of God?

spirit by which she predicted the future. A demonic python spirit. The python was a mythical snake worshiped at Delphi and associated with the Delphic oracle. “a python spirit.” That expression comes from Gr. mythology; Python was a snake that guarded the oracle at Delphi. Essentially, this girl was a medium in contact with demons who could supposedly predict the future. The term “python” came to be used of the persons through whom the python spirit supposedly spoke. Since such persons spoke involuntarily, the term “ventriloquist” was used to describe them. To what extent she actually predicted the future is not known

 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, 7 And criedwith a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. 8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. 9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. Mark 5:6-9 (KJV)

Satan and his demons know who God and his workers are.

You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. James 2:19 (NLT)

19 When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

7. Why were Paul and Silas arrested?

Paul and Silas were seized not because they were preaching the Gospel but because they had disrupted a profitable business. Luke and Timothy for the time drop out of sight. Luke was concerned to trace the relations of Roman officials with the emissaries of the Gospel and to show that hostility came from other than official sources. 20. The government of a Roman colony was vested in two magistrates, sometimes called “praetors.” The Greek word translated “magistrate” is the equivalent of the Latin praetor.

21. Roman law permitted Jews to practice their own religion, but it forbade the propagating of foreign religions among Roman citizens. Paul and Silas were not recognized as Christians but as Jews who transgressed the prerogatives that Roman law allowed them.

 The judicial system at Philippi was much like here in our country. You can murder you next door neighbor and get out of prison in 7 years, but if you embezzle money from your employer, you get a 150 years sentence. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.

8. Why kill himself over a few escaped prisoners?

 If a prisoner escaped, the life of the guard was demanded in his place. To take his own life would shorten the shame and distress. It should be added, that it was common, and approved among the Greeks and Romans, for a man to commit suicide when he was encompassed with dangers from which he could not escape. Thus Cato was guilty of self-murder in Utica; and thus, at this very place at Philippi-Brutus and Cassius, and many of their friends, fell on their own swords, and ended their lives by suicide. The custom was thus sanctioned by the authority and example of the great; and we are not to wonder that the jailer, in a moment of alarm, should also attempt to destroy his own life. It is not one of the least benefits of Christianity, that it has proclaimed the evil of self-murder, and that it has done so much to drive it from the world.

28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved–you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized.

9. Does this mean that if I accept Jesus as my savior and am born again my whole family is automatically saved also?

 How can a man be saved? By believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. Could he believe for someone else? No. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and if thy household believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, they shall be saved also. That is the meaning here. All of his family, servants, and guests who could comprehend the gospel and believe heard the gospel and believed. This does not include infants.

 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God–he and his whole family. 35 When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” 36 The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.” 37 But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No!Let them come themselves and escort us out.” 38 The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed.39 They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left.

10. What was the issue about Roman citizens?

Public beating of a Roman citizen (see v. 38) was illegal, let alone a beating without a trial. Let them come themselves. Paul and Silas were not asking for an escort to salve their injured pride as much as they were establishing their innocence for the sake of the church in Philippi and its future. This was quite an embarrassment for the Roman government and could have turned into a big scandal so they wanted to hush things up, but Paul wanted a public display of his release and declaration of his innocence.

References:

Acts of the Apostles, by J. W. McGarvey 1872

ESV Study Bible Notes.

John MacArthur NASB Study Notes

NIV Study Bible Notes.

J Vernon McGee, Through the Bible Commentary

Adam Clarke’s Commentary

Barnes Notes on the New Testament

The Wycliffe Bible Commentary

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Where is the outrage about D.C.? – Letters to the Editor – Modbee.com.

Ideas have consequences. We are seeing the result of years of “conditioning” by liberal professors. Moral relativism and the lack of any absolute truth has infected our culture like a cancer. All sense of right and wrong is now governed by how we feel. There is no longer any evil, only a new disease to blame our dysfunction upon. The rule of law is now “organic” and will only be enforced if the “polls’ require it. Occupy movements now take property belonging to others. Sanctuary cities protect criminals. Border enforcement is now national joke. The present administration is only concerned with maintaining power. All socialist anti individual rights regimes can only survive by taking freedom from the people. Once the “we are the world” fairy tale storybook utopian dream begins to unravel, the next step is forced enforcement of administration philosophy. There can be no descent and all voices of absolutism must be classified as bigot and haters. 

1 Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.

 1. What is circumcision all about?

 Thus identifying the circumcised as belonging to the physical and ethnical lineage of Abraham.  But the symbolism had to do with the need to cut away sin and be cleansed. It was the male organ which most clearly demonstrated the depth of depravity because it carried the seed that produced depraved sinners. Thus, circumcision symbolized the need for a profoundly deep cleansing to reverse the effects of depravity. The crux of the issue is not simply a question of whether one should be circumcised or not. The question is: Must one do any of these things in order to be saved? The persons who taught this doctrine appear to have been converts to Christianity; but, supposing that the Christian religion was intended to perfect the Mosaic, and not to supersede it, they insisted on the necessity of circumcision, because, by that, a man was made debtor to the whole law, to observe all its rites and ceremonies. Thism question produced great disturbance in the apostolic Church.

In the first century the Judaizers did not deny the facts of the gospel — there simply were too many witnesses. Paul says that over five hundred people saw the risen Christ at one time. My friend, if you get five hundred witnesses into any law court, you will win your case! Also the apostles were witnesses to the risen Christ. They were there to testify to it. The facts of the gospel were not under question by the Judaizers.

The contention arose over the interpretation of those facts. What did Christ do for you on the Cross? Is the work of Christ adequate to save you? Do you need to go through some ritual or something else in order to be saved? Must you go through the Law? These are the questions they were asking.

 2. Why go to Jerusalem?

To some, grateful Gentile converts submitting to circumcision and to law keeping might not appear to be such a huge concession. But they did not understand the implications of circumcision. Paul did, and he, along with Barnabas, strongly opposed the teaching of these Judaizers – those who believed that Gentiles must enter into the faith byconverting to Judaism.

Paul was quite willing for Jews as Jews to practice the Law of Moses. But he insisted that when Jewish Christians came into a Gentile church, they must lay aside their Jewish scruples and enter into free fellowship with Gentiles. A divided church was unthinkable, and for Gentiles to accept the Law meant the end of salvation by grace. Paul’s viewpoint apparently prevailed, but those of the Jewish party in Jerusalem were not satisfied. They
came to Antioch again and insisted that Gentiles be circumcised to become Christians.

This caused such dissension that the church at Antioch found it necessary to have the issue decided in Jerusalem. Therefore a delegation was appointed to go to the apostles and elders and achieve a settlement of the question.

3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported
everything God had done through them. 5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.” 6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question.

 3. Believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees?

 We know that some of the Sanhedrin as well as some priests became Christians. Nicodemus was a Pharisee and apparently there were others.  As mentioned earlier the facts of the risen Christ could not be denied, so it was really just a question as to what this meant to the Jews.

These were Jewish believers (those of the Pharisee party) who were targeting newly saved Gentiles. It is interesting how some are more than willing to let others do the evangelizing, only to prey upon these new converts with their distorted doctrines

 4. Circumcision and the Law of Moses? What was the real issue?

 As a gentile must I do to be saved?  As a Jew, do I have to continue to obey the Mosaic Law? This is the classic works vs grace argument that still continues today.

 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?

5.  A yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?

A  yoke. A description of the law and the legalism of the scribes and Pharisees (Mt 23:4; cf. Lk 11:46).

Matthew 23:2-5 (NIV) ² “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. ³ So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach ⁴ They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. ⁵ “Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long;  Luke 11:46 (NIV)

⁴⁶ Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.

The legalists expected the Gentiles to carry a load they themselves were unwilling to bear. Here Peter asserts that Jewish legalism was an obligation and a burden that the Jews were unable to bear. In contrast to the burdensomeness of the Law, salvation is through grace both for Gentiles and for Jews. When Jews keep the Law, it is not as a means of salvation.

 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” 12 The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13 When they finished, James spoke up: “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. 15 The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written 16 ”‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, 17 that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things’ 18 that have been known for ages.

6. How does this verse from the Old Testament apply to this situation?

In verses 13-21, James steps forward. One does not get the impression that Peter is the dominant leader here; instead, James seems to play that role. James does something that the three before him have not done – he cites Scripture. Thus, the decision that is reached is based both upon Scripture and on experience. James follows up on what Peter has said. God has revealed His purpose to save Gentiles as well as Jews. This is the fulfillment of what the Old Testament prophets had foretold. James turns to the words of Amos 9:11-12 to establish his point:

 James is saying that the salvation of many Gentiles should come as no surprise to his Jewish brethren. This is what God long ago promised to do. This is what God has done, as evidenced by the salvation of Cornelius and his household, and now many more Gentiles in the first missionary journey. The question is no longer, “Has God chosen to save many Gentiles?”, the question is, “How should the Jewish saints deal with these
newly-saved Gentile saints?”

 19 ”It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to
them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.
21 For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

7. Idols, blood, strangled animals, sex, what does this have to do with Christianity?

1) The prohibition against eating blood is NOT from the Mosaic law. It is from Genesis
9:2-4  Every living creature of the earth and every bird of the sky will be terrified of you. Everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea are under your authority. 3 You may eat any moving thing that lives. As I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. 4 But you must not eat meat with its life (that is, its blood) in it

which obviously predates Mosaic Law. This is a universal prohibition for the entire human race and for all time. (If you try to argue that it is not, you must also argue that the prohibition against murder is not.)

(2) According to Genesis 9:3-4, blood is not food. It does not say that bloodis a forbidden food; it says that blood is not food (for, just as God defined food in Genesis 1:29 as plant matter, here He defines food as plant matter and animal flesh, excluding blood).

(3) Whenever one bleeds an animal killed for meat, he has fulfilled the command of Genesis 9 not to eat meat with the blood. (By the way, eating a rare steak is not sin, as long as the meat was properly bled when it was slaughtered. A small amount of blood always remains in meat even after bleeding. Further, cooking meat so that it no longer appears red does not remove the tiny bit of blood that remains – it simply changes its color.) To put it more precisely, in Genesis 9 God forbids the INTENTIONAL eating of blood – either by extracting blood and drinking it, or by intentionally leaving it in meat slaughtered for consumption. This is because “the life is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11) for the life of every living thing is in the blood. So I myself have assigned it to you on the altar to make atonement for your lives, for the blood makes atonement by means of the life.
There is something fundamentally wrong with eating what still has the life in it. This is related to the whole concept of sacrifice that is so central to Christ’s redeeming work, for in the spilling of blood there is the taking of life. It is also one of the reasons why many pagan religions advocate the eating of blood. (In fact, there is a whole pagan theology of eating one’s enemies in order to absorb their life-force, but that is a matter for anothertime. . . .)

(4) Fornication is also something that God universally prohibits, though it is more difficult to find this in Scripture by chapter and verse. I believe that Genesis 2:24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and unites with his wife, and they become a new family, essentially establishes the only context in which sexual relations are approved by God: marriage. This is not a merely Mosaic regulation; it is universally binding on all of mankind. It is clear that God forbids fornication (i.e. sexual immorality – any kind of sex outside of marriage) even among pagans. Again, the prohibition against fornication is not a Mosaic prohibition, but a universal one.

(5) Idolatry is obviously also something that God universally forbids. This hardly needs to be supported (see Romans 1:22-25 for just one example).

Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor their bodies among themselves. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen

(6) The conclusion is clear. The four things prohibited in the Acts 15 letter are all NON-MOSAIC, universal regulations. They are, and always have been, universally binding on all humans. They are, however, also strongly emphasized in Mosaic Law. Pagan society in the first century was woefully unaware of these universal regulations – except through the teaching of the Hebrew Scriptures (hence James’ comment in Acts 15:21).

8. For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.” What is James saying here?

 When the Jerusalem church agreed that Mosaic regulations should not be imposed on the Gentile believers, they recognized that with the rejection of Mosaic regulations as binding on Gentile Christians, it might be understood that the prohibitions against idolatry, eating blood, eating strangled meat, and fornication should also be thrown out, as they were only generally known through Mosaic law. The church was careful to restate these regulations not because they wanted to avoid scandalizing Jewish believers, but because they were and are and always will be universally binding on all mankind. They did not want to appear to be condoning what God had universally condemned

 22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers. 23 With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. 24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul– 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell. 30 The men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. 31 The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers. 33 After spending some time there, they were sent off by the brothers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. 34  35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.

 9. So at that point the Judaizers decided to leave the gentiles alone?

 Not hardly. For Paul this became a life long struggle.  He writes the Book of  Galatians in response to this cancer of Jewish legalism trying to infect the church. From this point on the church had to contend with one heresy after another and one form of legalism after another. The Roman Catholic Church has replaced the Judaizers ,and are now the center of the attack on salvation by grace through faith.
36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

 10. How did the situation with John Mark eventually resolve itself?
Barnabas and Mark do not appear again in Acts. However, in 1Co 9:6 Paul names Barnabas as setting a noble example in working to support himself. Also in Gal 2:11–13 another scene is described in Antioch that includes Barnabas. Mark evidently returned from his work with Barnabas and became associated with Peter (see 1Pe 5:13 and note). During Paul’s first imprisonment, Mark was included in Paul’s group (see Col 4:10; Phm 24). By the end of Paul’s life he came to admire Mark so much that he requested him to come to be with him during his final days. Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, or he is useful to me for service. 2 Tim 4:11

The Great Debates: (Acts 15:1-41) Study By: Bob
Deffinbaugh

The Wycliffe Bible Commentary

J.Vernon McGee Through the Bible

MacArthur Study Bible NASB

NIV Study Bible Notes 2008

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