Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. – Acts 18:18

Today's Scripture Reading (March 18, 2024): Acts 18

As I write this post, Lent is well underway. I think that Lent is a strange season; it is the only time when the Christian Church seems to gather and at least pretend to take some kind of a vow. Many people try to stay away from something during the Lenten period; I have many friends who have chosen to abstain from caffeine this Lent and a grandchild who has given up sugar. But it is also possible to vow to add a practice during Lent. Another friend has committed to reading through the entire New Testament during the 40 days (forty-six if you count Sundays, but that is a different story) of the Lenten fast. If you add a practice during Lent, the hope is that you will build a habit and be able to keep up the added practice even after the Lenten period has ended. I can't think of another time when we will do something like this.

In ancient times, there were many vows that a person might want to take at various times of the year. For Jews, one of those vows was the vow of the Nazirite. The full description of what a Nazirite was committed to is given in Numbers 6. Essentially, it was a vow that, for a specific period, a person undertook as an obligation before God. The vow involved, among other things, not cutting your hair, abstaining from alcohol of any kind, and not going near dead bodies. The vow was taken for a specific period, although there are a few who took the vow for life like Samson; his hair was long because he had taken a lifelong vow to live as a Nazirite, Samuel, and maybe even John the Baptist.

It seems likely that the vow Paul had taken was the Nazirite vow. The reason for the vow was two-fold. First, it was a connection with the Jewish community, recognizing that although Paul was considered "The Apostle to the Gentiles," he still celebrated his Jewish heritage. But it was also a vow of thanksgiving. God had promised an extended time for Paul to visit and teach in Corinth.

One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city." So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God (Acts 18:9-11).

It seems likely that Paul maintained his Nazirite vow throughout the year and a half that he was in Corinth. When he was ready to leave, he cut his hair.

The one significant difference in the vow that Paul celebrated was that tradition said the vow should be undertaken only in Israel, and the cut hair would be burned as a thanksgiving offering in Jerusalem when the vow ended. Paul finished his vow in Cenchrea, a seaport of Corinth, meaning that Paul essentially started and ended his Nazirite commitment in Corinth in Greece. We are not told what he did with the hair that was cut off after his vow had ended as he finished his time in Corinth. But in taking this vow, he identified as a Jew even as he spoke to the Gentiles of the Empire.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1 & 2