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“I Am Clean From the Blood of All Men”“Bearing Thorough Witness” About God’s Kingdom
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“A Plot Was Hatched Against Him” (Acts 20:3, 4)
8, 9. (a) What interrupted Paul’s plans to sail to Syria? (b) Why might the Jews have harbored animosity toward Paul?
8 From Macedonia, Paul went to Corinth.b After spending three months there, he was eager to move on to Cenchreae, where he planned to board a boat to Syria. From there, he would be able to go to Jerusalem and deliver the contributions to the needy brothers there.c (Acts 24:17; Rom. 15:25, 26) However, an unexpected turn of events changed Paul’s plans. Acts 20:3 reports: “A plot was hatched against him by the Jews”!
9 It is not surprising that the Jews harbored animosity toward Paul, for they considered him to be an apostate. Earlier, his ministry had led to the conversion of Crispus—a prominent figure in the Corinthian synagogue. (Acts 18:7, 8; 1 Cor. 1:14) On another occasion, the Jews in Corinth had brought charges against Paul before Gallio, proconsul of Achaia. Yet, Gallio had dismissed those charges as baseless—a decision that infuriated Paul’s enemies. (Acts 18:12-17) The Jews in Corinth may have known or assumed that Paul would soon set sail from nearby Cenchreae, so they devised a scheme to ambush him there. What would Paul do?
10. Was it cowardly of Paul to avoid Cenchreae? Explain.
10 In the interests of personal safety—and to protect the funds with which he had been entrusted—Paul opted to stay away from Cenchreae and to retrace his steps through Macedonia. Granted, traveling on land would have its own dangers. Bandits often lurked along ancient roads. Even the inns could be unsafe. Still, Paul chose the risks on land over those that awaited him at Cenchreae.
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“I Am Clean From the Blood of All Men”“Bearing Thorough Witness” About God’s Kingdom
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b It was likely during this visit to Corinth that Paul wrote his letter to the Romans.
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