Please take some time today to go back to this week’s passages and reread them a couple of times.
Does anything stand out to you that you not notice the same way earlier –
VI.
I closed the other day by asking two questions –
How does “they took him aside” strike you?
– and –
What do you think the tone of their conversations were?
VII.
Let’s focus on these couple of verses –
A man named Apollos came to Ephesus. He was a Jew, born in Alexandria, Egypt, and a terrific speaker, eloquent and powerful in his preaching of the Scriptures. He was well-educated in the way of the Master and fiery in his enthusiasm. Apollos was accurate in everything he taught about Jesus up to a point, but he only went as far as the baptism of John. He preached with power in the meeting place. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and told him the rest of the story. (Acts 18:24-26, The Message)
VIII.
We have before us Apollos, Priscilla and Aquila.
What we are told about Apollos leads us to believe he is a very impressive person. A great speaker, even “fiery” in his delivery (as per The Message translation). He was a follower of Jesus and “well-educated in the way of the Master.” At least up to a certain point. Priscilla and Aquila notice Apollos does not give a “full” account of Jesus and his message.
And “… they took him aside and told him the rest of the story.” (Acts 18:26, The Message)
They do not confront him or challenge him in the synagogue as he is speaking. Rather they wait and the three of them (that seems to me the implication here) go away to discuss “the way of the Lord/Master” with the hope on the part of Priscilla and Aquila that Apollos come to a fuller understanding of the way of Jesus.
While I have no special insight into the “tone” of the conversation among the three, the indication that they go “aside” suggests to me a respect on their part for Apollos and a desire that he have the fullest understanding of Jesus and his teachings without bringing any embrasement to Apollos for his lack of knowledge/understanding.
The path that Priscialla and Aquila take in helping Apollos models for me a spirit that seems so counter to the way of confrontation and violence that can inhabit so many conversations in our world today. Whether the conversations/confrontations are about faith or politics too often folk seem to be more interested in “besting” the other person or beating them down rather than hoping for and working toward better understanding.
Dallas Willard has a book entitled “The Allure of Gentleness: Defending the Faith in the Manner of Jesus” that comes to mind when I think of how Priscilla and Aquila speak with Apollos.
What do you find in the manner of Pricilla and Aquila?
What could we bring to our encounters with others that share something of the spirit of these two?
charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}