Sowing In Tears And Reaping In Joy
Acts 9:26–31 (NKJV)
26 And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. 28 So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out. 29 And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him. 30 When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus. 31 Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.
In review of Saul’s acceptance with the brethren in Jerusalem, he was brought in by force through the love of Barnabas, who witnessed Saul’s new relationship with the Lord, and was willing to give himself to vouch for his acceptance among the brethren in Jerusalem. Upon his acceptance and validation of his experience with the Lord by the apostle Peter, he is found praying (in the temple) and boldly preaching in the name of Jesus against the Hellenists (Acts 22:17-21); and praying with Peter for fifteen days about the will of God concerning the church in Jerusalem. Then they take him down to the city port of Caesarea on the Mediterranean Sea. The church in Jerusalem was forced to go underground to find rest in the grace and peace of God because of the bold preaching of the apostles, Stephen, and Philip. And now the preaching of Saul was also increasing the threats of annihilation upon the Jerusalem saints. Wisdom was being sought to overcome the opposition to the gospel. The church was in a continual threat of sinking in deep waters from the high and crashing waves of the sea of persecution. They were seeking more light, and not merely heat, to throw onto the church of God. God’s people needed rest from their persecutors and the persecutors needed rest from the threats of the gospel. In this study we will dig deeper into Saul’s escape and the future of the Jerusalem saints.
30 When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus.
Luke in summary fashion records that the brethren found out. What was it that they found and how did they learn of it? Before we answer those questions we need to recognize that Luke is not limiting the information to Peter or to James (the only other apostle known to be present (Gal.1:19)), but is extending it to all the brethren as having learned of it (ESV). This testifies of the level of authority that extended beyond the apostles. The apostles did not act as a hierarchy over the congregation’s judgments but included them in the direction and decisions of the church. They had just come out of the slavery and control of a hierarchal system of religious government and were not going to enslave themselves under such an oppressive system again. This doesn’t mean that everyone did what was right in their own eyes, but that [all] the brethren were seeking (the will of God) through unity in prayer, the precise counsel from the written Word, and the eye witnesses of the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord. The only authority that the apostles had over the church was the Word of God.
The church in Jerusalem was already uncomfortable from the constant threat of losing their jobs, arrest, and even death for identifying with the name of Jesus as the Messiah. Most of the ‘brethren’ present would have been the ones released from prison in Saul’s first raid on the church and left behind after the dispersion. Therefore it would have not been real easy for Saul to be received among all the brethren; for his history was a thorn in their flesh and his preaching around the city would have increased their anxiety. Therefore they most likely concerned Peter and James with their petitions and requests. So Peter, who also was preaching in the city, was seeking the Lord together with Saul in prayer for wisdom from God in the church’s hospitality for fifteen days (Gal.1:18). Peter would have isolated him from the majority of the brethren and informed them of their intentions and listened to their concerns.
Acts 22:17–21 (NKJV)
17 “Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance 18 and saw Him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.’ 19 So I said, ‘Lord, they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believe on You. 20 And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’ 21 Then He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.’ ”
Luke expands on Paul’s own account, when describing Paul’s speech before the brothers and fathers of Jerusalem, and before his arrest and appeals to Rome. In this speech, we can see that, at some point, during the fifteen days, which Saul spent in Jerusalem with the saints, as he wrestled with God in his ekstasei (trance), that God cleared up his confusion with a sure Word; that his brethren would not receive his testimony because of his former reputation. It would have been a waste of time to continue to share his conversion story, for they (the brethren) knew how he formerly persecuted the saints and would have laughed him to scorn. The Greek noun ekstasei (trance) is often a misunderstood translation and often leads to much confusion in how the Lord spoke to the disciples.
† ἔκστασις.*
a. Literally “change of place,” Aristot. An., I, 3, p. 406b, 13: κίνησις ἔκστασίς ἐστι τοῦ κινουμένου; Hippocr. De Articulis, 56: faulty position of the thigh, b. Figur. “renunciation of goods” (cessio bonorum), a techn. term in the pap. (BGU, III, 914, 6; P. Oxy., III, 472, 43); c. Figur. “degeneration”; Theophr. De Causis Plantarum, III, 1, 6: ἔκστασις τῆς φύσεως, esp. “confusion of spirit,” νοῦ, Plot., V, 3, 7 (opp. ἡσυχία )
Kittel, G., Bromiley, G. W., & Friedrich, G. (Eds.). (1964–). Theological dictionary of the New Testament (electronic ed., Vol. 2, pp. 449–450). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
In other words Saul was in a weary state of confusion after his attempts to come into the fellowship of the saints in Jerusalem. And listening to Peter and Barnabas tell him the fears and concerns of the brethren because his preaching in the city added to his anxieties. The brethren were already weary and poor from Saul’s first raid and wave of persecution over them; and now he returns by turning up the heat with his bold preaching in the city against the Hellenist Jews. Imagine the legitimate concerns the brethren had. How were they to survive another wave of hard and oppressive persecution?
Saul was (in the temple) praying. Even to this point, in the history of the first saints, they were still returning to the temple that Christ had condemned (Lk.21:6). The temple was the point of all religious business for the Jews, and Saul’s former custom was to do all business there. Therefore he is found in the temple seeking answers from the Lord, but he was in a serious state of confusion (ecstasy) and laying it all bare before God upon His throne of grace. The noun trance (in English) is often associated with an (out of the body experience); but what Luke and Paul intend here is, that Saul was so burned out, that it was like an out of the body experience in his prayer and supplication before the Lord. The Lord answers him by clearing up his confusion and assuring him that the Jews (and some of the brethren) will not receive his testimony; therefore he will be sent off to the Gentiles.
Saul was still wrestling to understand his own conversion and clear up what was happening to him. In doing so, Saul was also renouncing his ekstasei (former state of confusion) for a more sound and clearer mind in the purpose and direction that the Lord willed him to go. In a sense, it was a renewed repentance for Saul, to keep persevering in the will of God, (a change of being) to be more holy and separated unto God. Saul needed to come to grips with the truth and renounce all his former business in the temple, for it is now an apostate membership separated from God. Saul’s citizenship, in Israel, is now no longer connected to its temple, but to her King who died for her as the King of the Jews (Jn.19:19). Therefore he was rejecting all future business and membership with the temple rules and forsaking them for the business and the love of His King. His worship will no longer center on the preservation of the Jewish temple, but on the glory of his Lord and the preservation of the Lord’s chosen people, who are His living temple.
. . . they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus.
Now that we answered what the brethren found and how they found it, we need to answer what they did about it. As described previously, the brethren were carrying the heat of oppression and were seeking rest for their weary souls from the crashing waves in the deep waters of persecution. Therefore they katago (brought down) Saul to Caesarea which was a port city on the Mediterranean. This is where Philip remained after his missionary tour through Samaria and Judea. There was most likely connections between the Jerusalem saints and the church in Caesarea, as the following verse indicates that the whole church was seeking rest and peace from the persecution. The Greek verb katago means to lead a ship in from deep waters to land. Luke is using this verb in light of the port in Caesarea, where the brethren led Saul out of the deep troubles of Jerusalem to a solid and firm footing in the safety of the gospel.
Then they sent him out to Tarsus as the Lord commanded. Tarsus was most likely chosen because it would be the most familiar place for Saul to begin his missionary journey to the Gentiles. Tarsus was where he was born and raised to the point where he was to be trained in the customs of the Pharisees (Acts 22:3). The Greek verb exapesteilan (sent out) means that Saul was sent with the authority of a message. The root of the word is what makes up the office of ‘apostle’ (apostolos). Therefore he was sent with the approval of the brethren and the other apostles (Peter and James). The suffix stello (ESV) means to avoid. Therefore he was sent out to avoid persecution in and among the Jerusalem saints. Having been sent from Caesarea, he was to set sail for Tarsus. Unlike Jonah he was to have smooth sailing and uninterrupted rest in the belly of the ship until he reached Tarsus (in the will of God).
31 Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.
The original transition in the Greek marks off the new course of events as an emphatic result of the previous action of (cage staging) Saul and sending him off to Tarsus; therefore this verse begins with a great marker of emphasis, (men oun) or (Indeed then), to which affected the whole church throughout all of Israel. Because the apostles and Saul ceased preaching in the public sphere and in the apostate synagogues of Judaism, the church was able to have rest and peace from their oppressors. It also increased their opportunity to be more built up in the liberty of the Gospel. The church was still able to multiply (in Israel) through the childbearing parents and the risk of secret acts of evangelism. Because of the threat of persecution they walked in the fear of the Lord for the love of the brethren and their families. This new direction gave them rest from any effort to please God apart from the Holy Spirit.
The Greek noun ekklesiai (churches) is used to include all the people of God throughout the dispersion in Israel. The (ESV) which is translated from the Alexandrian tradition uses the singular form of the noun ekklesia (church). Both are giving the same facts. The ESV puts in the singular to express the unity of the churches sowing and reaping as ‘one’ universal church. The (NKJV) is not using the plural to express the churches’ individual and denominational expressions, but that all the churches received the same blessing as a result of the apostles’ decisions and direction of authority. Truly, this should be a marker of emphasis! This makes it very clear that the early churches were all acting under the power and authority of apostles’ teaching (Acts 2:42).
. . . had peace and were edified.
The church entered an interlude of its perpetual war against her nation’s idolatry. Luke is not saying that the church lived happily ever after under the control of her national leaders in Jerusalem and in Rome; but that the Lord gave her a period of rest to be built up in the faith at His feet (Lk.10:39). The Greek verb oikodomeo (edified) (ESV) means to construct under one roof. But the verb is plural in her context and is referencing all the churches coming under the apostles’ teaching, not simply the apostles themselves. It was the office of their ministry that was to be respected, not merely the character of the men who held the office (Gal.2:11).
Therefore the churches were all under one Head – the doctrines of Jesus Christ (Jn.15:7). The verb is also rooted in the illustration of a household with all its members contributing to hold up the roof; as each member is a block in the foundation, and the apostles as the pillars under the shelter of Lord Jesus (Eph.4:16). They were becoming a family in the household of God (Lk.12:42; Eph.2:19; Gal.6:10), and training for war in the continual threat of her foundations being compromised. This was a homeschooled family of churches learning in the school of Jesus Christ (Acts 19:9). They rejected all outside thought that would undermine the doctrine of God and their liberty in Jesus Christ (Gal.1:6-10; 5:1). What was once an outside tyranny would soon become a civil war as the synagogues of Satan began to infiltrate the churches to undermine her authority – the Lord Jesus Christ.
. . . And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.
πορεύομαι (poreuomai). vb. to go, proceed. Refers to the act of going in a particular direction. Figuratively, it refers to taking a particular course of action.
Nearly half of the New Testament examples of this verb occur in Luke and Acts. A turning point in the book of Luke takes place when Jesus sets out to go (poreuomai) toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:51), with several stops along the way (e.g., Luke 10:38; 17:11; 19:36). After the resurrection, the early Christians continue to go (poreuomai) into different areas (e.g., Acts 8:26; 12:17). Additionally, this verb is used when Jesus says that he is going (poreuomai) to prepare a place for his followers (John 14:2, 3; 16:7). Jesus also sends people on their way with a command to “go (poreuomai)” after he ministers to them (e.g., Matt 28:19; Luke 5:24; 8:14; 17:14). This verb is also used figuratively to refer to a person acting in their customary way (e.g., 1 Pet 4:3; Jude 11, 16, 18).
Litke, A. W. (2014). Journey. D. Mangum, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, & R. Hurst (Eds.), Lexham Theological Wordbook. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
Taking this verb in the context of “the fear of the Lord” we can see clearly that Luke intends to show the reader that all the churches together were poreuomai (proceeding) into a more defined direction than previously before. They all had a renewed ‘interest’ to be more holy. They were moving forward into the fear of God and further away from the fear of man. They were seeking to match up their knowledge of God with their zeal for God. Therefore as the Lord commanded that they should poreuomai (go) into all the world and make disciples, it was in a more holy and graceful manner for the sake of peace with all men (Heb.12:14; Rom.14:19).
The result was a paraklesis (comfort) in the Holy Spirit. By submitting and obeying the apostles’ direction, the churches found ‘rest’ in the Holy Spirit (Ps.94:12-14; Prov.29:17). In working together and submitting to one another, the Holy Spirit moved in among all the churches, as the apostles traveled from church to church feeding the sheep of God and listening to their questions concerning their sanctification in the grace of life, and praying for direction in the leadership of the all the churches of God to keep them in the doctrines of God. Through this means the churches were able to remain unified and cared for, leading to holiness in a hostile and pagan saturated world. Through their obedience the churches were also multiplied without the open and public discourse that led to their persecution. Later we will see that this is not a command to cease sending out laborers in the public harvest and proclamation of the gospel, but that this was only to be a temporary measure to slow down the suffering of the saints. A.T. Robertson points out that Stephen did not bear his witness in vain:
Was multiplied (ἐπληθυνετο [eplēthuneto]). Imperfect middle passive. The multiplication of the disciples kept pace with the peace, the edification, the walking in the fear of the Lord, the comfort of the Holy Spirit. The blood of the martyrs was already becoming the seed of the church. Stephen had not borne his witness in vain.
Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Ac 9:31). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.
In other words this season of multiplication was a harvest off of the sweat and blood of the martyrs who plowed and sowed their life in the solid ground of our Lord’s death (the heart of the gospel) to resurrect those who were dead in trespasses and sins (Eph.2:1; 2Cor.4:12). Our application here is to proceed in “the fear of God” and do our part within the membership of the Lord’s body and tabernacle – the church of God.
