The two episodes recorded in our passage for study occur during Paul's missionary work in the Aegean region, Acts chapters 16-19, and in particular, during his ministry in Ephesus, Acts.18:18-19:20. They are quite unusual stories and of great interest to Bible commentators.
18:24-28. Our story opens with a man named Apollos who comes to Ephesus and "speaks boldly in the synagogue." He was a "learned man" (better, "eloquent") with a "thorough knowledge of the Scriptures." In the Western text it is noted that he "had been instructed in the way of the Lord", but other texts have "who had been instructed in the word of God." The NIV follows the Western text. Clearly Apollos is a disciple of the Baptist with only a limited understanding of the coming kingdom, so Priscilla and Aquila (Aquila is added in the Western text. You can't have a woman instructing a man!!!) took him aside and "explained to him the way of God more adequately" ("way" = the way of Christ = the gospel). Apollos later moves on to Corinth and, with his new-found understanding of the Old Testament, is now able to explain how Jesus fulfills the scriptures.
19:1. It is while Apollos is in Corinth that Paul comes to Ephesus. Here Paul meets a group who, like Apollos, were disciples of John the Baptist. The word "disciple" is usually reserved for believing Christians, but here it is obviously being used of John's followers.
v2. Paul then asks these "disciples" whether they have received the Holy Spirit. Presumably Paul has in mind a reception of the Holy Spirit in a form similar to Pentecost. In Acts, the staged movement of the gospel from Israel to the Gentiles is accompanied by the miraculous outpouring of the Spirit. Their answer seems to imply that they had never heard of the Holy Spirit. Yet, John the Baptist taught that the coming Messiah would baptize with the Holy Spirit, Mark.1:8. So obviously, it's not that they had never heard about the Holy Spirit, but rather that they are unaware that the promised Spirit had already been poured out. So, these disciples of John are not yet believers since they have yet to hear the good news about Jesus, respond in faith and so receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
v3-5. Paul then goes on to enquire about their "baptism". They knew John's "baptism", but not Jesus' baptism. John's "baptism" only pointed to Jesus, but now, what was anticipated has arrived. On hearing this they are "baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus." If we are dealing here with water baptism, then this is the one and only recorded re-baptism in the New Testament. There is no evidence that the apostles themselves were rebaptized and we know that many of them were originally followers of John the Baptist. The word "baptism" means "immersion" and it is very likely that the "immersion" that is being referred to here is a "flooding with information", teaching, instruction. These "disciples" had been instructed in John's teachings, but had yet to be "immersed/instructed" into the name, into the person of Jesus. They were short on information, not liturgical rites.
v6-7. Following thir "immersion", Paul lays hands on them, they receive the Holy Spirit, and they speak in tongues and prophesy.
Apollos was a disciple of John the Baptist. He was looking forward to the coming of the Messiah and could speak on the subject with great knowledge and fervor. He "had had been instructed in the word of God", that is, he was an Old Testament scholar, and he knew the "baptism of John" in the that he had been immersed (baptized), in the sense of instructed, into the teaching of John with regard the coming of the Messiah. There is little doubt he had received water baptism from John, but the phrase "the baptism of John" is most likely a technical term inferring an immersion (instruction) into the teachings of John. So, what does Priscilla and Aquila do for him? They invite him to their home and explain to him the Christian way more adequately. They tell him how Jesus has completed the ministry of John. So, off goes Apollos, now a Christian apologist.
When it comes to the twelve disciples of John, we discover that they suffer from a similar problem; they are short on knowledge. They were into John's baptism, that is they were into John's instruction, into John's teaching. They knew all about repentance for the forgiveness of sins and its sign of water baptism. They knew all about the one who was coming after John and of the promised outpouring of the Spirit, but that was it. Once Paul found this out, he "baptized (them) into the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." We could argue that Paul rebaptized them, but it is more likely that he gave them further instruction; he immersed them into the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ; he immersed them into "the name"; he immersed them into the gospel.
Only when properly informed (evangelized with the gospel) were the twelve able to respond in faith - to put their trust in Jesus. Only then did Paul have the authority to pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit. This he did in the usual Jewish way with the symbolic laying on of hands. Only then were they "baptized" (overwhelmed) with the Spirit, which washing was outwardly evidenced in ecstatic prophetic utterance.
Many questions remain from this most interesting passage. It is often argued that these disciples of John were forgiven, but were without the Spirit. Yet as Jesus himself tells us, unless a person is born of the Spirit they cannot enter the kingdom of God. Also, what do we make of "they spoke in tongues and prophesied"? Some argue that these are essential signs accompanying the reception of the Spirit. Yet, if that were the case then it would fly in the face of Jesus' own simple teachings on salvation.
What we do know is that salvation is dependent upon a simple acceptance of what Christ has done for us. Only the truth will set us free.
Given that the passage is open to many interpretations, consult as many different commentaries as possible and list the offered interpretations. Compare them with the interpretation supplied in this sermon.