Bible Study series: Acts 11:27-30. A famine is predicted.
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At the link to the original post, next, I write more commentary and dig a little deeper into the Greek. I also offer a section titled Observations for Discipleship at the end. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided in the commentary section for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Acts 11:27-30
27 In those days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and indicated through the Spirit that there was about to be a severe famine in the whole world (which happened during the reign of Claudius). 29 In proportion to anyone of the disciples as he prospered, each one of them determined to send aid to the brothers and sisters residing in Judea. 30 This they did and sent it by the hand of Barnabas and Saul to the elders. (Acts 11:27-30)
Comments:
27-28:
The office of the prophet functioned in the first-century church, and it functions today.
Agabus seems like an interesting character who circulated throughout the Christian community in Judea (Acts 21:10) and here in Antioch, a long distance from Jerusalem. Too bad we can’t interview him to find out how to do the ministry of the prophet today. No doubt he submitted to the church leaders in Jerusalem. He was also part of a team of Messianic Jewish prophets. He was not an independent operator. His predictions came true. Is there a connection between being part of a team of prophets and accurate predictions? Probably. Teamwork keeps one safe from self-delusion and soul power.
Please this post for a deeper look:
Do NT Prophets and Prophecy Exist Today?
6. Gifts of the Spirit: Prophecy
“indicated”: the Greek verb is related to the word for “sign.” I get the impression that Agabus acted out his prophecy here, much like he did in Acts 21:10-11, in which he took Paul’s belt and bound his own hands and feet with it. Then he predicted that the authorities in Jerusalem would do the same to Paul and turn him over to the Gentiles. The prophecy came true. But how would he act out a prophecy about famine? I don’t know. But he would fit right in to the ministry of charismatic prophets today! They too have a flare for the dramatic!
Claudius ruled as Caesar from A.D. 41-54 and was the nephew of Tiberius Caesar. Famine hit the first, second, fourth, ninth, and eleventh years of his reign (Bock comment on vv. 27-30).
“severe famine”: God did not cause this famine. He knew about it in advance, but he did not cause it. Don’t confuse the two terms “foreknowledge” and “causation.” They are two different categories. Just because God knows something in advance does not mean he causes it. Far from it. Through Agabus he mercifully spoke to his church that the famine was coming, and they used their heads to prepare for it. Do people who live in earthquake, hurricane, and tornado zones prepare for it? God expects us to do this.
Please click on this post:
Does God Cause Natural Disasters to Punish People Today?
29:
Giving should be in proportion to one’s financial ability, but with some sacrifice behind it (2 Cor. 8:1-7). They had to be determined to give. Tithe means ten percent; it is not a generic word for giving or offering. The New Covenant church never practiced the old theocratic tax on gross income, as spelled out in several places in the OT. Instead, the church after the cross practiced generosity. See my posts:
Why Tithing Does Not Apply to New Covenant Believers
“aid”: it comes from the noun diakonia (pronounced dee-ah-koh-nee-ah), where we get our word deacon, but let’s not impose our modern meaning on the old Greek word. It meant those who did practical service, but this does not limit their service away from the Word, as we shall observe with Philip and Stephen. But it gradually come to mean those people at the church who did practical service (1 Tim. 3:10, 13).
30:
Barnabas and Saul were strong candidates to transport money to the church in Jerusalem. Highway bandits prowled the road (cf. 2 Cor. 11:26). No doubt Barnabas and Saul got a prayerful send off from the large community of believers—most of whom were Messianic Jews. They had to trust God on their journey and take precautions, like traveling in a large group of other Christians. Did they defend themselves if robbers appeared on their horses and threatened them? Probably.
3. Were the Early Christians Pacifists?
“elders”: they probably functioned as a “Nazarene” Sanhedrin; that is, they formed a council to discuss matters of theology and practice and ethics. How should Messianic Jews live? They are about to take up the issue of Gentiles being saved, and which laws they should keep, if any (Acts 15). Here they took care of the practical matter of receiving the offering for the upcoming famine. The seven deacons were assigned to do practical things (Acts 6), but Philip left to evangelize after the persecution erupted (Acts 8).
Here is Bruce the prominent (and devout and respectful) historian about the famine, after saying that the Christians must have somehow figured out that Judea was about to be hit hard by the famine:
We know that Judea did in fact suffer severely from a famine at some point between A.D, 45-48. At that time, Helena, queen-mother of Adiabene, a Jewish proselyte, bought grain in Egypt and figs in Cyprus and had them taken to Jerusalem for distribution, while her son King Izates sent a large sum of money to the authorities in Jerusalem to be used for famine relief. The church of Antioch similarly organized a relief fund for the mother-church. The various church appears to have allocated a fixed sum out of their income or property as a contribution to this fund, much as Paul was to advise the Corinthian Christians to do when he was organizing a later relief fund for Jerusalem (1 Cor. 16:1-4). When the collected sum was ready to be sent to Judea, Barnabas and Saul were deputed to take it there. On their arrival, they handed it over to the elders, who from now on play an increasing part in the leadership of the church of Jerusalem. (comment on vv. 29-30)
So the offering taken at Corinth and mentioned in 1 Cor. 16:1-4 is a later one.
Commentator Schnabel offers this table for Paul’s five visits to Jerusalem and his missionary work in between.
| Year | Occasion for Visit to Jerusalem |
| 31/32 | Conversion of Saul |
| 32-34 | Missionary work in Arabia and in Damascus |
| 33/34 | First visit (Acts 9:26-20), three years after Paul’s conversion |
| 34-44 | Missionary work in Syria and Cilicia (eleven years) |
| 44 | Second visit (Acts 11:27-30): taking gifts to the poor, eleven years after the first visit |
| 45-47 | Missionary work on Cyprus and in Galatia |
| 48 | Third visit (Acts 15:1-29): Apostles’ Council, three years after the second visit |
| 49-51 | Missionary work in Macedonia and Achaia |
| 51 | Fourth visit (Acts 18:22): three years after the third visit |
| 52-56 | Missionary work in the Province of Asia and visit to Achaia |
| 57 | Fifth visit (Acts 21:15-17): collection visit, six years after the fourth visit |
| 57-61 | Arrest in Jerusalem and imprisonment in Caesarea and in Rome |
| Schnabel, p. 455 | |
The fourth row is relevant to the verses here. This is an excellent timeline, without being crowded with details. Focused and clear.
“elders”: where were the apostles? They may have been out preaching, but they will return in Acts 15. Polhill: “Evidently the apostles were giving themselves more and more to the word, like Peter on his mission tours in Samaria and along the coast. More and more responsibility would be assumed by these lay elders, based almost surely on the pattern of the elders in the Jewish synagogue. Paul would organize his own churches along the same pattern (cf. 14:23; 20:17)” (comment on v. 30).
GrowApp for Acts 11:27-30
1. A famine was coming! These Christians did not panic but took action. Have you ever taken action to soften the impact of natural disasters? Distribute supplies? Give money? Pray?
RELATED
The Historical Reliability of the Book of Acts
Book of Acts and Paul’s Epistles: Match Made in Heaven?
SOURCES
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