Author: Charlie Garrett

Heading south toward Oregon.

Friday, 27 October 2023

On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.  Acts 21:18

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

In the previous verse, it noted that the missionaries had arrived in Jerusalem and that the brethren received them gladly. Now, the narrative continues, saying, “On the following day Paul went in with us to James.”

This is now very close to Pentecost, which was Paul’s intent from Acts 20:16. Jerusalem would be filled with many pilgrims, and it would be a great time to remember the establishment of the church and the giving of the Spirit. It was at this memorable time that they had arrived and were now meeting with James.

The highlighting of James (certainly James the Less, the brother of the Lord) gives sure proof of his office as the leader of the church and the true Bishop, or Overseer, of Jerusalem. This was seen in Acts 15, and nothing has changed in all the years since the gathering of that council. Along with him, it next says, “and all the elders were present.”

As the verb is imperfect, it means that they were arriving, not that they were sitting there in chairs like a Sanhedrin or governing council. Paul and the missionaries arrived for a gathering while the elders of the church in Jerusalem were also gathering.

This gathering, and the words conveyed during it, show that Paul and his apostolic ministry to the Gentiles were fully accepted by those in Jerusalem. There will be some points of life for Jews at that time that need to be worked through while this meeting is conducted.

The reason for what is conveyed will be explained as the narrative continues, but it is to be remembered that these men lived during the time while the temple was standing, and the temple’s rites were centered on the Law of Moses. Understanding this will help explain what will be discussed by these men.

Life application: To this day, the ridiculous claim that Peter was the first Pope is a central point of Roman Catholic teaching. Claiming Peter was the first pope is completely unsubstantiated by any portion of the book of Acts. It also cannot be justified by the gospels or the epistles without a complete twisting of what is said.

This is important because it is one of the ways that the RCC claims it is the true and only valid church. They claim an unbroken succession back to Peter, making them stand out as bearing the authority of Peter’s supposed seat as pope. It is rubbish, and such things are thoroughly opposed to what Scripture proclaims.

Despite many claims of this sort, there is no true “church,” such as the Roman Catholics. Nor is there a set line of those who held to the “true faith” during the years of the church while all others had apostatized, as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and certain Baptists claim.

The Scriptures have always been present and available for some in the church. It is from this precious word that proper doctrine and understanding of church matters are found. And just because a church has a copy of Scripture, it does not mean it is faithfully following it. That is the case in the vast majority of churches in the world today.

Having said that, being a Bible-believing Christian is not a requirement for being a saved believer. It is not something that determines whether a person will be taken at the rapture or not. Faith in the simple gospel alone is what marks a person as a believer. When a person believes, he is sealed with the Holy Spirit.

A person who has been saved may never have read the Bible or even known it exists. Therefore, it cannot be a requirement of the faith to be a Bible believer. Further, every person ever saved is on a different level of maturity in Christ. If acceptance of and adherence to Scripture were a requirement for salvation, there would be very few, if any, ever saved.

Keep the theological boxes straight. It is acceptance of the gospel that saves. Development in doctrine and maturity in Christ will come with learning and applying the word of God to one’s life after being saved. Think from a biblical context, and you will cut out a lot of the fat of poor theology found in various teachings.

Lord God, thank You for the simplicity of salvation. Jesus Christ has done the work. He died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose again. In our believing this, we are saved. You have made it simple because we are dull. Help us to remember and share this simple gospel of hope. Thank You, O God, for the surety of eternal life because of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Lovely view. Washington.

Thursday, 26 October 2023

And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. Acts 21:17

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

In the previous verse, it referred to the journey to Jerusalem and that Mnason of Cyprus, who was an early disciple, went also. The missionaries were to lodge with him upon arrival there. Now, Luke continues the narrative, saying, “And when we had come to Jerusalem.”

Paul left Antioch and traveled by land, eventually coming to Ephesus. He was in Ephesus for about three years (Acts 20:30). He had extensive other travels during this journey as well, including Macedonia, Greece, and elsewhere. This means that his journey probably lasted 4 or 5 years. It is thought that this journey lasted from approximately 53-58AD.

Now, along with Luke and others, they have arrived at Jerusalem to complete the mission of bringing a gift from the Gentile churches to the Jewish believers. Next, the narrative says, “the brethren received us gladly.”

Paul and his associates had come with the express intent of bringing this gift with them for the saints in Jerusalem. This alone would have been a great reason for the glad reception, but there is also the fraternal greeting among brothers, meeting new friends, and of reengaging those who had not seen one another for a rather long time.

The verb, being imperfect, tells us that believers in Jerusalem kept coming as they learned about the arrival of these men. As they arrived, the gladness and favorable reception continued.

Life application: When we read the account of Paul’s missionary journeys, the turn of a page may encompass a period of years. Therefore, what we read comprises a large portion of the life of Paul and those with him.

Despite often being hurried out of one place or another because of the enmity of the Jews, there really wasn’t anything hurried about Paul’s approach to dealing with those he encountered. He took the time to get to know people, interact with them, instruct them, and build up bonds that would remain for a lifetime.

In our world today, things are truly conducted at warp speed in comparison to how things were, even until the very recent past. Information flies before our eyes, friendships are often based on a tally displayed on a social media page, and there is very little true and heartfelt interaction with others.

And more, we tend to put everything else in our lives on hyperdrive as well. We may learn a point of doctrine, accept it, and run with it without ever taking the care that is necessary to determine if what we were told is correct or not.

Let us slow down, take time and care to learn what is presented in Scripture, and be willing to do the hard work to confirm that what we have learned is correct or not. In the process, let us not neglect the special fellowship that can arise from interacting with others as we grow in Christ.

There is no need to rush because we have eternity to continue from this starting point. Again, let us slow down and make the walk of our lives one that is not overly jammed with things that are not profitable, to the glory of God, who placed us here to search Him out all our days.

Precious Lord God, thank You for providing us with the wisdom found in Your word. There is instruction to be found for every aspect of our walk before You. May we slowly, carefully, and prayerfully pursue You through this precious word all our days. Amen.

Nice break in the cliffs. Washington State.

Wednesday, 25 October 2023

Also some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us and brought with them a certain Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to lodge. Acts 21:16

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

A more literal rendering would be, “And also the disciples from Caesarea went with us, bringing – with whom we would lodge – Mnason, a certain Cypriot, an original disciple” (CG).

The previous verse noted that the missionaries completed their time in Caesarea and packed up, beginning their ascent to Jerusalem. Now, that continues with the words, “And also the disciples from Caesarea went with us.”

Most translations add in the word “some” or say something like, “of the disciples,” implying that not all of the disciples went. This is probably the case, but such an insertion should be italicized or set in brackets if it is included. Of these disciples that joined in the trek up to Jerusalem, it next says, “bringing – with whom we would lodge – Mnason.”

This person is noted by name only here in Scripture. Most studies and commentaries note that the name is of uncertain origin. However, undeterred as usual, Abarim suggests it is derived from the Greek word mnaomai, meaning to remember. Thus, they define the name as Remembering. They also add in the following thoughts concerning the name –

“The phrase ‘Mnason of Cyprus’ means the Cypriot Tradition and may very well have been the code name for a kindred movement that too sought to topple Roman tyranny by means of theology and philosophy (instead of an armed revolt).

“Remember that Paul’s good friend Barnabas was from Cyprus (Acts 4:36), and although the two individuals parted ways due to a disagreement (Acts 15:39), the two movements may still have remained kindly inclined to one another.”

Their words are wholly speculation, and it could also be that Mnason was one who was careful to memorize Scripture as a means of protecting its passing from one generation to the next. This, or some other such thought, could be behind the name.

Saying that they would lodge with him could have one of two meanings. Either they would stay with him in a home on the way to Jerusalem, which was a two-day journey, or they would lodge with him in Jerusalem. The latter seems more likely. Of him, it next says he was “a certain Cypriot.”

As Abarim noted, this is where Barnabas was from. Nothing is said of how the men met up with Mnason, but it is possible that he was one of the people referred to in Acts 11 –

“Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. ²⁰ But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. ²¹ And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.” Acts 11:19-21.

If so, it might explain why he had a place to lodge in Jerusalem, but he also dwelt in Caesarea. One more thing is said of him which would support that possibility. Luke next says that he was “an original disciple.”

The word is archaios. It signifies original, primitive, ancient, etc. Some translations say “old,” but that is ambiguous. Does that mean “old as in age” or “of olden times?” In this case, Luke is noting that he was a disciple from the very founding of the church. He may have even been with Jesus in His ministry.

The special noting of him by Luke may also mean that he was one of those mentioned in Luke 1 –

“Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, ² just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us.” Luke 1:1, 2

In other words, Luke may have obtained some of his eyewitness accounts from this man who had seen the works of the Lord. If he was a man of remembering, his eyewitness testimony would be even more reliable than others as he took care to minutely detail in his mind events that he had participated in or personally seen.

Two short commentaries concerning the words of this verse are –

“It lies on the surface of the narrative that Mnason had a house at Jerusalem in which he could receive St. Paul and his companions. The arrangement seems to have been made as the best course that could be taken to minimise the inevitable danger to which the Apostle was exposing himself. In that house at least he might be sure of personal safety, and the men from Cæsarea would form a kind of escort as he went to and fro in the city.” Charles Ellicott

“This would imply that Mnason was at Caesarea, and accompanied Paul and his companions to Jerusalem. It seems better to suppose that the disciples accompanied the apostle in order to introduce him to Mnason, whom they knew. Render, conducting us to Mnason, with whom we should lodge.” Vincent’s Word Studies

In other words, Vincent’s thinks that rather than Mnason having been with them in Caesarea and who then accompanied the missionaries to Jerusalem, the disciples went along with the missionaries, and they introduced the missionaries to Mnason when they arrived in Jerusalem. This is how some translations state it, such as –

“Some of the disciples from Caesarea also came with us, taking us to Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple of long standing with whom we were to stay.” NASB

Either way, the men were to lodge with this original disciple upon their arrival in Jerusalem.

Life application: Acts 21:16 is the official ending of the third missionary journey. It is an adventure that has been filled with amazing details of real events that took place during the early days of the church. It is good to remember that the record of Acts is a descriptive account of what occurred. There is nothing to prescribe anything for our daily lives.

However, in Acts, there are things that are normative and can be taken as universally applied truths because of this. For example, it is noted, time and again, that when someone received Jesus, he was immediately baptized. This forms a normative idea of what is expected of all believers. This fully supports the notion that Jesus’ words in Matthew 28 concerning baptizing disciples apply to all believers throughout the church age.

It makes no sense to say that believers in the church are disciples – something to be taken as an axiom – and yet they do not need to be baptized. This is the claim of various sects, but it is then something in defiance of the Lord’s words concerning baptizing disciples.

Be sure to take Acts as it is intended. It is a descriptive account of what occurred, but there are hints of what is normative for all believers found within it. Carefully consider what is being conveyed, and be sure to follow what should be followed, especially if it is supported by a command from the Lord Jesus. We all have to stand before Him someday. Let our meeting be one of rewards and not of loss.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the early apostles and disciples who were willing to travel far, work long and tedious hours, and expend themselves for the sake of the church. May we be like them and continue on that noble tradition of giving our all for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Washington Coast, nearing Oregon.

Tuesday, 24 October 2023

And after those days we packed and went up to Jerusalem. Acts 21:15

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

The Greek reads, “And after those days, having packed up, we were ascending to Jerusalem” (CG).

In the previous verse, those with Paul gave up trying to dissuade him from going to Jerusalem. Therefore, it next says, “And after those days.”

The amount of time they remained in Caesarea is unknown, but it was spent at the house of Philip the Evangelist. Due to the proximity to Jerusalem, they could have stayed right up until the time just before the Feast of Pentecost. Once the feast was close enough for them to begin the short trek, it next says, “having packed up.”

This is another word found only here in Scripture, aposkeuazó. It comes from two words, meaning away and vessel. Hence, packed up gives a good sense of what they did. From there, and with their things readied, it next says, “we were ascending to Jerusalem.”

The verb is imperfect, giving the sense of motion. As they are heading to Jerusalem, it says “up.” A trip from any location or direction, regardless of height or the importance of the location, is always said to go up to Jerusalem. This signifies that it is the location of pinnacle importance from a biblical perspective.

Life application: For such a short verse, translations vary quite a bit. A few of them, with a short analysis of each, are provided –

“After this, we started on our way up to Jerusalem.” (NIV) The words are incomplete because of the missing content concerning packing up.

“And after those days we took up our carriages, and went up to Jerusalem.” (KJV) The words are archaic and without any modern sense. Also, the verbs do not match the intent of the original.

“A few days afterwards we loaded our baggage-cattle and continued our journey to Jerusalem.” (Weymouth) It is overly wordy, adding in stuff that is not reflected in the original.

“And after these days, having got our effects ready, we went up to Jerusalem.” (Darby) It is a good job, but still a tad wordier than the original. Also, the words “went up” can be taken as an accomplished task or as ongoing. Therefore, to reflect the imperfect, that needs tweaking.

“And after those days, having packed up, we were ascending to Jerusalem.” (CG) This is a super-duper translation. It reflects the original without getting overly wordy.

Take time to read various translations, think about why certain words were chosen, and how the variations may actually help you to get a fuller understanding of what is being said. Sometimes, two different words may have a similar meaning, but you might be unsure of what one of them means within the context of the verse. But in reading the next translation, you can then say, “I see what they were saying in the first.”

The more you check, compare, and study, the more likely you are to not make an error in thinking concerning one particular translation that may be incorrect, outdated, or ambiguous in meaning. Note that the KJV reflects all three of these inadequacies. It is incorrect in the tense of the first verb, outdated in the content, and ambiguous in the final verb. And this is a short, doctrinally unimportant verse!

Heavenly Father, may we be well studied in Your word. In some cases, people may have just one translation. At least they have that. In some cases, there may be several. That will help them to compare and consider. In some cases, there may be the original language and fifty translations. How blessed are such people! In whatever we possess, may we be careful to consider Your word as a gift from You and treat it accordingly. Amen.

Washington Coast.

Monday, 23 October 2023

So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.” Acts 21:14

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

The Greek literally reads, “And he not being persuaded, we quieted, having said, ‘The will of the Lord be done’” (CG).

Paul just protested to those who desired him to not go up to Jerusalem. In his words, he said that he was ready not only to be bound but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. With that stated, it next says, “And he not being persuaded, we quieted.”

There was obviously no point in continuing. His statement meant he was fixed and firm in his decision to go as intended. Therefore, they resignedly ceased, “having said, ‘The will of the Lord be done.’”

As Paul invoked the name of the Lord in the preceding verse, they gave in and, in turn, invoked the will of the Lord.

Life application: There is a time when words are to cease, and attempts to change what shouldn’t be changed should be ended. Jesus understood this, made a simple petition, and then resigned Himself to the will of His Father –

“Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. ⁴⁰ When He came to the place, He said to them, ‘Pray that you may not enter into temptation.’
⁴¹ And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, ⁴² saying, ‘Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.’” Luke 22:39-42

For us, although we cannot know what the future holds, we can clue in and realize that fighting against what should occur is a futile thing to do. Paul was determined to complete his mission, he was aware of what was coming, but he knew that it was the right thing to do.

There are times where we may be challenged to act in a way that compromises our faith. That may include certain imprisonment or even death. But if we truly believe that Jesus has us firmly in His hands, then such an outcome is temporary. We will be rewarded for our faith. Therefore, let us choose the right path, even if things look bleak in the short term.

Lord God, our faith can be weakened when facing difficult prospects that may lie ahead of us. In such times, give us strengthening for the trials. Help us when we willingly choose to be obedient to Your word and Your will. Yes, be with us, O God, that we may be faithful to the calling You have called us to. Amen.