The earliest Christians followed a Jewish tradition of pausing to pray, preferably together, first thing in the morning, about mid morning, at noon, about mid afternoon, and in the evening. “Just a Note” posts are brief observations made from Scripture readings not related to a lectionary. If I have one to post, it normally appears about 9:00 in the morning, at “the hour of prayer.”
Acts 18:18-22 shows Paul in motion. There’s nothing too striking about the passage. However, we do want to notice just a few things. First, he doesn’t depart from Achaia immediately when the hostility rises. He stays for a bit longer. By God’s grace he realizes that hostilities don’t always mean he needs to flee. He endures some of the difficult situation before moving on, for other reasons.
We also see Priscilla and Aquilla here briefly. They prove to be faithful supporters. This reminds us that in the body of Christ we are not really alone. There are friends from all around the world.
Paul takes a vow and shaves his head. Although he is released from the Law it doesn’t mean that the Law is completely dead to him. It is still an important part of his background. God’s Law also speaks powerfully to many of the people Paul deals with. It is only natural that he would sometimes do things which show his allegiance to God in the way he was raised. We realize that in many ways Christianity has roots in the Old Testament.
No trip is wasted. Paul has moved from one place to another and we were able to learn a bit as he went.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.