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Acts 18:5–8
“When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, ‘Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles’” (vv. 5–6).
While Paul was in Athens, Timothy and Silas stayed in Macedonia, ministering to the Christians in that part of the empire (Acts 17:10–15). Timothy worked to fortify the newly founded church in the city of Thessalonica (see 1 Thess. 3:2), and some commentators suggest that Silas may have spent time in the city of Philippi. Timothy and Silas evidently remained apart from Paul when he first came to the city of Corinth, for they are not mentioned in Acts 18:1–4. As today’s passage indicates, however, Timothy and Silas joined the Apostle in Corinth not long into his ministry in the city (v. 5). Second Corinthians 11:9 seems to indicate that they brought some financial support to Paul at that time.
Today’s passage also tells us about the Jewish response to the gospel at Corinth. Acts 18:6 reports that many Jews opposed Paul and reviled him, indicating that not many of them believed the gospel. Yet we should not think that no Jews believed in Jesus, for Luke notes that a synagogue ruler, Crispus, and his family believed and were baptized (v. 8). Most Jews, however, rejected Jesus. When Paul saw their rejection, “he shook out his garments” (v. 6), performing a sign act like those of the Old Testament prophets (e.g., see Jer. 27). A sign act visually communicates a message, and the message that Paul communicated was one of disassociation from the Corinthian Jews and the judgment they incurred by rejecting Jesus. Shaking his garment cast off any particle of dust that might have attached itself to Paul’s clothing in the synagogue, so Paul was getting rid of anything that might connect him to the Corinthian Jews, whose blood was now fully on their heads (Acts 18:6).
What did Paul mean by saying that the blood of the Corinthian Jews was on their heads and that he was innocent? He had discharged his duty, so that on the day of judgment, the Corinthian Jews could not protest that they were undeserving of condemnation because the one sent to them had not done his job of preaching salvation to them. The idea is that like Ezekiel, Paul was a watchman appointed to proclaim truth and that if he discharged his duty and the people still refused to repent, they would have no excuse and Paul would not be liable for their guilt in any way (see Ezek. 33:1–9). When we preach the gospel and people do not believe, their condemnation will be their fault alone.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Paul moved on from the synagogue in Corinth when the Jews there did not believe the gospel. Dr. R.C. Sproul comments that “Paul did not waste his time with people who would not respond to the gospel.” This is instructive for us. Although we should patiently seek to persuade people of the truth of the gospel, there comes a point when discussing matters further is fruitless and our efforts are better spent elsewhere.
For further study
- Proverbs 23:9
- Matthew 7:6
The bible in a year
- Psalms 88–89
- Romans 10:5–21
- Psalms 90–95
- Romans 11