Acts 18:5,6 - I will go to the Gentiles

18:5

Timothy and Silas arrived from Macedonia, and we learn from Phil 4:15 that they brought a gift. ESV has “Paul was occupied with the word”, NKJV has “Paul was compelled by the Spirit”, with footnote alternatives of “in his spirit”, or “in the Spirit”.  NKJV seems preferable here. One of the dominant themes of Acts is that it is the work of the Holy Spirit. This does not mean that men are not actively involved, quite the opposite, but the Spirit works, both directly, and by leading men and women. When God works men work. The heart of Paul’s message was that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. There is an interesting difference here with the approach that seems to be taken by a number of apologists today. They seem to be saying the resurrection is the only thing that matters, everything hinges on the resurrection. Now in the sense that the resurrection is unique, and if Jesus did not rise from the dead then we have nothing they are right. But in the Bible the significance of the resurrection is inherently tied in with the whole of God’s plan and purpose as revealed in the whole of Scripture.

18:6

The Jews opposed him. Now we know from a verse or two earlier, and elsewhere, that some Jews did believe, so it is important that we do not take phrases like this as meaning all Jews. The Jewish leaders as a whole opposed Paul. Paul then followed the instructions Jesus gave to His disciples and shook the dust off his feet. Like Ezekiel (Ezek 3:18-21) Paul had fulfilled his duty to the Jews, he had given them a chance, but they refused it. So Paul then decided to go to the Gentiles.

However, the Jews “opposed and reviled” him. So Paul followed Jesus’ advice to His discipled when he sent them out and he “shook his garments”. If they did not want to hear, then they would not be told. Notice also that Paul said “your blood be on your own heads”. There is a severity about the gospel that we often miss or neglect today. In Romans 11 Paul speaks of the kindness and sternness or severity of God. The gospel is God’s good news and there is a kindness and severity about the gospel. The severity or sternness comes from the mess that we are as a fallen race made up of fallen individuals, and the judgement that inevitably means will come. The kindness comes in the forgiveness given to us on the cross. But if we neglect the sternness then we will never properly appreciate the kindness of God, and if we neglect the kindness of God we will never properly understand the sternness of God.

The Jews had had their chance and had refused it, so Paul would now go to the Gentiles. We can also sense some of the struggle going on with him. We read more of this in Romans, especially 9-11.