John Kitto Evening Bible Devotions: December 17

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John Kitto Evening Bible Devotions: December 17

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An Ignorance

Act_18:17 to Act_19:7

Very wonderful often, and very various, are the Lord’s dealings with those whom He would bring unto himself. Some he draws gently with the cords of love; some He urges by fright and terror to flee to Him from the wrath to come; some He impels by his scourging judgments; and some He drives with the whips of men. This last seems to have been the case with Sosthenes, that ruler of the synagogue whom we yesterday beheld so active against Paul, and receiving a substantial beating before Gallio’s tribunal at the hands of the Corinthian mob. But when we next hear of this person, he is not only a convert, but a companion and trusted brother at Ephesus of that Paul whose life he had sought at Corinth. The apostle even unites Sosthenes’ name with his own in the inscription of his first epistle to the church in that city, which epistle was probably, indeed, written by his hand at the dictation of Paul, whose manner it was so to write: “Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth.” How strange and marvellous it seems to behold these two men, who had both been persecutors of the church in times and places far apart, now laboring strenuously together to build up that which they had once sought to destroy. As these lines were penned, Paul could not but deeply feel that it was, indeed, “the will of God,”—the same will of God which had made him an apostle of Jesus Christ, which had made Sosthenes a minister of Christ’s word. It was the Lord’s doing, and it was marvellous in his eyes. This remarkable analogy in their spiritual history must have imparted to Paul’s mind a peculiarly sympathizing interest in behalf of Sosthenes.

His conversion probably took place during Paul’s further residence at Corinth, which seems to have been for about a month. He then took his departure, as he intended to be present at the next feast—probably that of Pentecost—at Jerusalem, and not more than sufficient time remained for the journey. On his deliverance from the imminent danger he had been under, Paul had taken the Nazarite vow, in testimony of his thankfulness. It was usual, as Josephus informs us, for the Jews, on their recovery from severe disease, or deliverance from any great peril, to take the vow binding themselves to abstain from wine, and let their hair grow for thirty days. By the law on the subject, as stated in the book of Numbers, the vow might be of shorter or longer duration; and, at the expiration of the time, the devotee shaved his head and offered certain appointed sacrifices; but as these could not be offered out of Jerusalem, those who took this vow in foreign parts, made their offerings at their next visit to the holy city. At the eastern port of Cenchrea, where he prepared to embark for Asia, the days of Paul’s vow expired, and he shaved his head, but necessarily deferred his offerings till he should reach Jerusalem. Some have seen so much difficulty in this transaction, that they transfer the vow to Aquila. But, besides that the vow was not in itself improper, it might be an object with Paul, now proceeding to Jerusalem, to show, by the offerings he had by this act rendered himself liable to make there, that he did not, as injuriously reported, contemn or despise their law, but was himself, as a Jew, disposed to conform himself to it on every proper occasion. This could be better evinced by an obligation voluntarily incurred than in any other way. Not only Silas and Timothy, but Aquila and Priscilla, were the apostle’s companions, having, it would seem, purposed to settle at Ephesus. On reaching that place, they remained there; but Paul, with Silas and Timothy, hastened on to Caesarea, and, landing there, reached Jerusalem in time for the feast. No particulars are given of the journey or the visit, except that he went up and “saluted the church,” after which he proceeded to Antioch, from which he had so long been absent. He was probably attended by Timothy; but Silas, of whom we hear no more, seems to have remained at Jerusalem.

After spending some time at Antioch, he prepared to redeem a promise he had made during his hasty call at Ephesus: “I will return again unto you, if God will.” He proceeded thither through the interior of Asia Minor, in order to revisit the churches formerly established in those parts.

On his arrival at Ephesus, Paul of course sought out his old friends Aquila and Priscilla; and he listened with deep interest to the account which they gave him of a certain Alexandrian Jew named Apollos, who had arrived at Ephesus during his absence. Having deeply studied the Old Testament, whence he is described as “mighty in the Scriptures,” Apollos had formed correct notions of the Messiah to come; but he did not yet know that He had come, having advanced no further than John’s baptism to repentance; and by John he had perhaps been baptized. Being impressed with these views, and being “fervent in the Spirit,” he spoke in the synagogues, and arrested attention by his powerful and winning eloquence. Aquila and Priscilla, however, perceived the imperfect state of his knowledge, and having sought his acquaintance, and explained to him “the way of God more perfectly,” they showed to him that Jesus was the Messiah, and that in Him all the conclusions he had been himself enabled to deduce from the Old Testament had been fulfilled. He received these tidings with gladness; and from that time his eloquent tongue found a nobler and more animating theme. The Christ of God was no longer expected—He had already come. This theme, however, he did not enforce at Ephesus, for it was his purpose to proceed to Achaia. On learning this, the brethren furnished him with letters of introduction to the disciples at Corinth. He was well received there; and his mastery of Scripture enabled him to render great help in dealing with the Jews, showing unanswerably in the synagogues that Jesus was the Messiah.

Paul himself met with twelve persons in the same position as that which Apollos had been in before instructed by Aquila. But he seems not at first to have understood that they were not yet Christian disciples. Thus, among other questions, he asked them if they had yet received the Holy Ghost. They testified some amazement at this question, and said, “We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.”

This seems a startling declaration. The ignorance thus candidly avowed was excusable in them, seeing that, as afterwards appeared, they knew only the baptism of John. We have no such excuse. We have all of us heard that there is a Holy Ghost; and this is perhaps the sum of the knowledge concerning Him possessed by a large proportion of those who call themselves Christians. He is to them scarcely more than a name, an expression, a form of speech. Yet surely it behooves us to know Him as He is revealed to us in Scripture, and as He stands related to us in the great work of our salvation. “But this subject is mysterious!” It is so in some parts; but it is precisely that in it which is mysterious that we are not required to know, and that is not practically essential to our welfare. We may not be able to explain the precise nature of the Holy Spirit’s relation to the other persons in the blessed Trinity. His personality may be hard to understand. Even the nature of his operations upon the soul of man may be inscrutable to our present limited capacity of comprehension. Indeed, this is declared in the memorable words: “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, and canst not tell whence it cometh, nor whither it goeth. So is every one that is born of the Spirit.” Our ignorance in these respects will not be laid to our change, for God does not require us to know more than He has seen proper to reveal. That which is set forth in these matters, are simply facts for our belief, not problems for our solution. And perhaps the simply earnest mind likes to have mysteries, which it cannot at present grasp, proposed to its belief, beholding in them an earnest of that heaven where all will be made plain. No, perhaps not “all,” but all that is now too hard for us; for there may be, and probably are, mysteries in heaven, seeing that there is but One Mind to which “all things are plain and open.”

They who labor most in these high mysteries are not thereby brought nearer to God—

“These earthly godfathers of heaven’s lights,

That give a name to every fixed star,

Have no more profit of their shining nights

Than those that walk, and wot not what they are.”

So we shall never be asked; it will never be essential to our well-being, here or hereafter, whether we can explain the mystery of the Holy Ghost, but whether we have received Him in all his blessings and influences.

There is much that is very plain which it concerns us greatly to know. The Holy Spirit is not a mere quality or effluence. The acts ascribed to Him are personal acts, and the Scriptures personify him equally with the Father and the Son, and distinguish Him from both. We are baptized into his name no less than into theirs, and the apostolic benedictions are given in his name as well as in theirs. But He has his special work for us—a work which concerns us most intimately. It is He that “teaches” us; it is He that “comes” to us; it is He that “reproves” us; it is He that “guides” us; it is He that “speaks” to us and in us; it is He that “comforts” us; and it is he that “glorifies” us. Note: Joh_14:26; Joh_16:8; Joh_16:13-14. He “helps our infirmities;” He “intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be uttered.” Note: Rom_8:26. Let us therefore take heed that we “tempt” not the Spirit of God; let us be careful that we do not “resist” Him; let us beware lest we “despise” Him; and, above all, let us dread to “blaspheme” his Holy Name, for that is the inexpiable sin, the offence hardly to be forgiven in this world or in the world to come. Note: Act_5:9; Act_7:51. Heb_10:29. Mar_3:29.