What does Acts 18:26 mean?
When Paul left Corinth for Ephesus, he brought his new friends Priscilla and Aquila along. They stayed in Ephesus while Paul continued his return trip to Jerusalem and Syrian Antioch. While going to synagogue, Priscilla and Aquila hear the teaching of Apollos, a Jewish man from Alexandria. He is passionate about Jesus and boldly shares John the Baptist's baptism of repentance. But he has limited information about Jesus (Acts 18:19–25).The text doesn't explain what Apollos doesn't know. Alexandrians did know about the crucifixion and resurrection, and some brought Jesus' offer of salvation to Syrian Antioch (Acts 11:20). Likely, Apollos knew everything John the Baptist taught, including that Jesus is the Messiah (John 1:23, 29–34), but he hadn't experienced the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16).
Once Apollos fully understands, he's unstoppable. He goes to Corinth and continues Paul's work of showing how Jesus matches the description of the Messiah in the Hebrew Scriptures (Acts 18:27–28). He makes such an impression, some of the Corinthian believers break into factions, some claiming to follow Paul and some Apollos. It gets so bad Paul is led to remind the Corinthian church that Jesus is their Savior, not these mortal teachers (1 Corinthians 1:12–13).
The story of Apollos is one of humility. We don't know why Priscilla's name is often mentioned before her husband's, but clearly, Apollos willingly takes correction from a woman. When Paul speaks of Apollos's work in Corinth, he does so without jealousy. He says, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth" (1 Corinthians 3:6). Because the early evangelists work as a team, the message of Jesus spreads rapidly throughout the Roman Empire, just as Jesus had planned (Acts 1:8).
