Now we rejoin Paul and his companions in Acts 18:18 as he prepares to leave Corinth on his way to Ephesus. Remember, this is still a part of his second missionary journey. So, from Corinth he goes to the port of Cenchreae, and then sails across the Aegean Sea to Ephesus.
Before we go any further, let’s look at the end of verse 18 where we see, “At Cenchreae he cut his hair, because he had made a vow.” There may be some misunderstanding about this; however, it’s difficult to say, given the lack of information presented in Luke’s account. First of all, this is seen as a Nazirite vow, since the cutting of hair is involved (Numbers 6:5, 18). The problem is that some assume this was the beginning of the vow, when the reference in Numbers 6 makes it clear the hair is not to be cut until the end of the vow.
Another problem is that some say Paul was in a hurry to go to Jerusalem to complete the vow by going into the temple to offer the required sacrifices (Numbers 6:13-21). When Paul arrived in Ephesus he immediately went into the synagogue to reason with the Jews (verse 19); then, when they asked him to stay there a while longer, he would not consent (verse 20), but continued on. His reason for not wanting to stay longer (again, according to some) was that “I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem”. This statement inserted in the middle of verse 21 in the KJV and some others, is omitted in most subsequent versions and not found in the best original manuscripts.
Then, he sailed from Ephesus across the Mediterranean to Caesarea. And in the next verse (22), Paul arrives in Caesarea and “went up and saluted the church and then went down to Antioch.” Now, it is assumed (and is probably correct) that Paul went up to Jerusalem and a greeted those in the church there before continuing on to Antioch, where he would eventually begin his third journey. However, there is no mention of him going to the temple to offer sacrifices to complete a vow, neither is there mention of any feast observance. And, since there is no evidence of either, we have to assume they may not have happened and that he simply greeted those there and moved on.
It’s curious that some commentators ignore this visit to Jerusalem and say Paul went to Jerusalem in Acts 21 to complete his Nazirite vow. But, if he was in such a hurry to go to Jerusalem to finish the requirements of this vow (not because of the statement inserted in verse 21, but by the actual sequence of events given us by Luke in verses 21-22), why would he wait until the Acts 21 visit that would not take place until the end of his third missionary journey some 3 or 4 years later? We’ll have to wait until we get to Acts 21 to answer that question.
So, after spending some time in Antioch, Paul begins his third missionary journey, traveling by land through Galatia and Phrygia (Acts 18:23). If you look on a map, he actually would have gone through Syria, Cilicia, Galatia and Phrygia on his way back to Ephesus, where we will find him in Acts 19:1.
I should mention at this point how important the church in Antioch was to Paul’s ministry. Antioch became a center of early Christian activity (Acts 11:19-27) and Paul spent time there not long after his conversion (Acts 11:25-27). His first missionary journey started there (Acts 13:1-4). He spent some time there after his first journey (Acts 15:22-35) and began his second journey from there (Acts 15:35-36). He, again, spends time there following his second journey and embarks on his third journey from Antioch (Acts 18:22-23). Antioch was obviously that familiar place where Paul went to rest and refuel the spiritual zeal that carried him through the trials and hardships the Lord had promised to show him (Acts 9:15-16) and that Paul faced with uncommon determination and courage.
Now we meet a new character that was part of Paul’s life and ministry. His name is Apollos (Acts 18:24-28). He was a Jew from Alexandria in Egypt. Luke tells us he was eloquent, well versed in the law and prophets, had been instructed in the way of the Lord, was burning with zeal and carefully taught the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John (verses 24-25). And when Priscilla and Aquila heard him speak in the synagogue (this is in Ephesus, where Paul had left Priscilla and Aquila, see 18:18-19), they invited him to their home and explained the way of God more accurately (verse 26).
That Apollos knew only the baptism of John probably meant that he did not know about the water baptism that was often (but not always, as has already been discussed) accompanied by the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Or, it could mean that he did not know about the baptism in the Holy Spirit that came on believers absent the water ritual, but that is not likely. I say this because in the very next chapter (19) Paul baptizes some disciples in water, lays hands on them and they received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. However, it is only a matter of months from then Paul writes 1 Corinthians 1:13-17 and disavows the practice of water baptism and clearly states his position “Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel.” We can assume that when Paul left Pricilla and Aquila in Ephesus, they were like-minded on this issue – that is, they still practiced water baptism.
However, it is sometimes virtually impossible to determine from scripture exactly who knew what and when they knew it, where New Testament doctrine is concerned. It is always both interesting and important to examine scripture in chronological order to try to understand this, as I illustrated in the previous series on baptism using the principle of progressive revelation. When Peter realized the baptism in the Holy Spirit could come absent the water ritual, he couldn’t just take out his cell phone and give the apostles a call or use some form of social media to get the word out. So, Paul only came to the same conclusion some 13 or more years later.