Acts 19:1-22

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 19:3

‘And he said, “Into what then were you baptised?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” ’ This lack of the Spirit puzzled him because he knew that they had been baptised. How could they have been baptised having not experienced the Spirit? So he asked them the nature of their baptism and was told that it was the baptism of John. read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 19:4

‘And Paul said, “John baptised with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on him who would come after him, that is, on Jesus.” ’ Then Paul explained to them that John’s baptism had pointed ahead to the need for a change of mind and heart about sin, so that they might receive the forgiveness of sins (Mark 1:4). And he reminded them that John had also pointed forward to the Coming One, calling on all his disciples to believe on Him (Mark 1:7-8; John 1:23-34).... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 19:5

‘And when they heard this, they were baptised into the name of the Lord Jesus.’ When they heard this their hearts responded to the message. The fact that they believed is assumed, for that is what Paul had directed them to do (Acts 19:4). And on believing they were baptised into the name of the LORD Jesus. Note that the baptism was into the name of Jesus as ‘the LORD’. Baptism ‘into the Name’ is always in the Name of the LORD, a title which signifies the God of Israel (Matthew 28:19). read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 19:6

‘And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke with tongues, and prophesied.’ But the Holy Spirit did not come on them until Paul laid his hands on them and identified them with the Christian church. It was necessary that this be so, so that it would be crystal clear that initially the disciples of John had only ‘received the Spirit’ on becoming united with the Christian church through the laying on of hands of an Apostle. The laying on of hands is... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 19:7

‘’And they were in all about twelve men.’ The men to whom this happened numbered ‘about twelve’ (when citing numbers Luke always says ‘about’). The clear purpose of mentioning ‘twelve’ here is to link these new believers with the new Israel founded on the twelve Apostles (Ephesians 2:20; Revelation 21:14). They are now Christ’s men and members of the Israel of God. They have been established on the foundation of the Apostles. But there may be a further significance in the figure. They may have... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 19:8

‘And he entered into the synagogue, and spoke boldly for the space of three months, reasoning and persuading as to the things concerning the Kingly Rule of God.’ Encouraged by this experience Paul entered the synagogue and for three months boldly ‘reasoned and persuaded’ about the ‘things concerning the Kingly Rule of God’. For ‘reasoned’ compare Acts 17:2; Acts 17:17; Acts 18:4; Acts 18:19 where it is always in the synagogue or with the Jews. However in Acts 19:9 he also ‘reasons’ daily in the... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 19:8-20

Paul’s Continuing Ministry in Ephesus (19:8-20). Meanwhile we are reminded that Paul’s’ ministry continues in Ephesus in the proclamation of the Kingly Rule of God (compare Acts 1:3; Acts 8:12; Acts 14:22; Acts 20:25; Acts 28:23; Acts 28:31). Like the working of the Holy Spirit, and the expansion of ‘the word’ this idea of the proclamation of the Kingly Rule of God lies at the root of the book all the way through. And now, having ensured the giving of the Holy Spirit in the same way as at... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 19:9

‘But when some were hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.’ Such continual efforts could only result in some being ‘hardened’ because they refused to accept the message. Note that this is also described as being ‘disobedient. For ‘hardening’ compare Romans 9:18; Hebrews 3:8; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 3:15; Hebrews 4:7. When used in the New Testament the word is always... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 19:10

‘And this continued for the space of two years, so that all those who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.’ The move was successful and, far from hindering the church, resulted within two years in the spreading of ‘the word of the Lord’ throughout the whole of Asia Minor, among both Jews and Gentiles. ‘All those’ is an exaggeration indicating the widespread nature of the spreading of the word. From this evangelism would arise the ‘seven churches of Asia’ to which John... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 19:11-12

‘And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul, (in so much that to the sick were carried away from his body cloths or aprons), and the evil spirits went out.’ It was a period also of great signs and wonders, such that God wrought special miracles ‘through the hands of Paul’ in an unprecedented way, probably literally. He laid hands on the sick and they recovered. He cast out evil spirits. On top of the wonders he himself performed, cloths (see Luke 19:20; John 11:44; John 20:7) and... read more

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