seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Acts 18: 18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. 19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. 21 But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 When he landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.
23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.
27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.
Verse 18 sets the question.... why did Paul cut off his hair????Let me get into that after I deal with Apollos and Priscilla and Aquila. Priscilla and Aquila were the tent makers that Paul lived with in Corinth. Corinth was a horribly pagan place but Paul found a niche there and stayed with the couple for a couple of years. They must have spent a lot of time, Paul, Priscilla and Aquila, talking about the Scriptures and how Jesus fit every promise. Apollos, while hot with Spirit, didn't have the whole story. He was kind of what we call a one trick pony. The only sermons he could preach had to do with John the Baptist. So, I guess it's fair to say, Apollos was stuck on "Go". Priscilla and Aquila saw the promise in him.... so, they gave him "the rest of the story".
Now... Why did Paul cut off his hair???? For that, I'm going to the commentary.
He had his hair cut off at Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow: The vow was almost certainly the vow of a Nazirite (Numbers 6). Usually this vow was taken for a certain period of time and when completed, the hair (which had been allowed to freely grow) was cut off and offered to the Lord at a special ceremony at the temple in Jerusalem.
i. The purpose of the vow of a Nazirite was to express a unique consecration to God, promising to abstain from all products from the grapevine, to not cut one’s hair, and to never come near a dead body.
ii. Paul’s performance of this vow shows that Jewish opposition to his preaching had not made him anti-Jewish. He never forgot that he was Jewish, His Messiah was Jewish, that Christianity is Jewish, and that Old Testament forms and rituals might still be used to good purpose. Apparently, though Paul was adamant that Jewish ceremonies and rituals must not be required of Gentiles, he saw nothing wrong with Jewish believers who wished to observe such ceremonies, presumably if their fulfillment in Jesus was also recognized.
iii. William Barclay suggests that Paul’s motive was gratitude. “No doubt Paul was thinking of all God’s goodness to him in Corinth and took this vow to show his gratitude.” But the purpose of a Nazirite vow seems to be more of consecration than thanksgiving. Perhaps the intense worldliness of Corinth made Paul want to express his dedication and separation unto the Lord more than ever.
iv. By tradition, a Nazirite vow could only be fulfilled in Judea. Paul began this vow at Cenchrea, not in Judea. Paul’s adoption of the vow out of the bounds dictated by Jewish tradition could indicate a desire to practice a more purely Biblical observance of Jewish rituals.
So, Paul took a vow. I thought it might be because he had the opportunity to raise someone from the dead, but that hasn't happened yet. He took the vow because he wanted to keep his Jewish roots intact. Paul had been run out of town by the Jews of the Temple five times. By taking the Nazarene Vow, he could go back to the Jewish community. Paul was Jewish, Greek and Roman. He didn't want the Jews to keep trying to murder him. So, he took the vow. So now he's a Jewish Christian.Paul shaved his head.
