The Great Debater
Debates are an important part of any political campaign. They provide opportunities for the candidates to think on their feet and show the voters whether or not they really know what they're talking about. Many elections are won and lost during a debate. In v28, Luke describes a different kind of debate, one with eternal consequences.
It's important to understand just who this man is and what he has just experienced. Apollos has just made the short trip across the Aegean Sea from Ephesus to Corinth (Acts 18:27). He is a Jewish Christian who was born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt (Acts 18:24). Apollos is not only eloquent and charismatic but highly skilled in the Bible. He had come to believe Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. What he knew of the Rabbi/Carpenter, he taught with careful accuracy.
There was only one problem, he had no idea of Jesus' baptism (Acts 18:25). This most likely means that Apollos did not know of His death, burial, resurrection and ultimately His baptism by the Holy Spirit (Mt 28:18; Rom 6:3-4; Lk 3:16). Two of Paul's associates, Priscilla and Aquila, pointed out the hole in his game updated Apollos on these essential doctrines after he preached at the Ephesian synagogue (Acts 18:26).
Armed with his new complete understanding of Jesus, Apollos was fired up to make the trip to Achaia with the Gospel (Acts 18:27). The Ephesian believers not only stoked that fire but wrote him an important letter of recommendation to the churches in places like Corinth and Cenchreae. After making the 275 sea voyage from Asia to Europe, Apollos was a huge encouragement to "those who through grace had believed." Paul himself references how the man from Alexandria watered what the apostle had previously planted in Corinth (1Cor 3:6).
It's at this point that the debate comes into play. Luke tells us how Apollos "powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus" (v28). The ESV tells us he "refuted" the Achaian Jews. The original text uses verb diakatelegchomai. This not only means to convince but to debate and ultimately refute an opposing opinion. It carries the idea of vigorously and powerfully getting your point across, in the end, completely confounding your opponent.
Apollos didn't just debate the Jews, he blew them away. Forget Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, Apollos is the great debater. The author also tells us that he debated "powerfully." This is the Greek adverb eutonos. Luke's use of this word reveals a great level of tension in these debates. It means that the discourse was vigorous and vehement. In other words, the man from Alexandria wasn't afraid of raising his voice. Interestingly, the Greek term originally described something with a terrible stench. In other words, not only did Apollos win the debate, he put some "stank" on it!
Apparently these Corinthian Jews did not believe that this radical Rabbi/Carpenter was their long awaited Messiah. To them, this didn't make any sense. Like so many in Israel, they just couldn't swallow the idea that this disenfranchised homeless construction worker from the boondocks was going to lead God's chosen people to victory.
While Apollos' opposition had some knowledge of the OT, they were no match for the Alexandrian. He wielded the sword of the Spirit with great skill. He could readily use Scripture to prove how Jesus fulfilled the prophecy and promises of God's Messiah.
When it came to the debate, the Jews brought a spork to a knife fight. They didn't stand a chance against the great debater.
Created 4 months ago
