Welcomed By Brethren Series

A more plausible translation is, “There went with us also certain disciples of Caesarea, and they brought us to one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple, with whom we did lodge.”

Once in Jerusalem, the Caesareans led them to the home of a disciple named Mnason (pronounced may’-son) with whom arrangements had been made for their lodging. This gesture by the Caesarean believers and especially Mnason was particularly helpful, because few homes in Jerusalem would be open to Paul and his Gentile companions—an important consideration if this was indeed the season of Pentecost (the fiftieth day from Passover), for the city would have been crowded with Pilgrims. [It is possible that Mnason who lived in Jerusalem had been visiting in Caesarea when Paul and his cohorts arrived there.] He was “an old disciple,” not an aged disciple, but probably “a disciple of long standing,” perhaps one of the 3000 converted on the day of Pentecost, or even more likely, drawn to the Savior Himself during His lifetime. He may have been a founding member of the Jerusalem church, and Luke, showing his characteristic interest in hosts, probably had many questions about what it was like in the early days of the church. Luke further described Mnason (his Greek name) as a Cypriot (originally from Cyprus), so we may infer that a few Hellenists were left in the church of Jerusalem after the dispersion that followed Stephen’s death.

17 And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.

When Paul arrived in Jerusalem, he received a somewhat mixed reception. On the one hand, he was received “gladly” by the brethren there. This is the only bright spot in the story of this visit of Paul to Jerusalem; but, this does not mean that all of the Christians in the city responded in like fashion to their arrival. If Paul delivered to the elders, the collection from the Gentile churches, this may account in part for their enthusiastic welcome of Paul and his companions. Just who formed the reception committee is not at all clear. Perhaps it refers only to the associates of Mnason with whom Paul lodged (v. 16). It is more likely that Luke intended verse 17 as a general introduction to Paul’s arrival at Jerusalem and that “the brethren” were the reason for his favorable reception by the Jerusalem Christian community as a whole{2]. These Gentile converts who came with Paul provided visible evidence of God’s work of salvation in the Roman world. This initial unofficial reception may have taken place at Mnason’s house.

What was it that made the Jews so glad? Was it the money or one of the other factors mentioned above? If so, their appreciation was short-lived. It is not even recorded that they so much as thanked Paul for all his efforts or his Gentile friends for their generosity.

18 And the day following Paul went in with us{8] unto James; and all the elders were present.

Not everyone was glad that Paul was there. There were some with reservations, and these quickly unfolded the next day when Paul and his traveling companions reported to the elders of the Jerusalem church (v. 18){3]. No mention is made of the apostles—had any other apostles been in Jerusalem on that occasion, it could hardly fail to have been noted—so we assume that most of them had died or were out of the city. Leadership of the congregation—the house churches that met in Jerusalem—was now in the hands of a group of elders, with James, the brother of Jesus, as the presiding elder{4]. This at first sight seems remarkable in the case of one who in Jesus’ own time was not a believer, and may have been partly due to the thoroughly Jewish idea that religious offices were essentially hereditary, so that Jesus’ nearest male relative would seem to be marked out by divine right to be his vicegerent (substitute) until His return. Being the brother of Jesus certainly helped his rise into the hierarchy of the Christian church and many of the elders and members of the congregation might have already read the epistle of James, the first of all the New Testament epistles. James had sent it to the Jewish believers in other lands and it had been in circulation for over a dozen years.