Acts 15:36

My Notes

What Does Acts 15:36 Mean?

"And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do." Paul proposes a second missionary journey — not to preach in new cities but to check on the converts from the first journey. "See how they do" (episkepsōmetha — to inspect, to look after, to care for) reveals pastoral concern: the people who believed during the first trip need follow-up. New believers need sustained attention. The initial planting requires subsequent watering.

The proposal reveals Paul's missionary philosophy: the mission doesn't end with conversion. It continues with care. The churches planted on the first journey aren't self-sustaining yet. They need someone to come back and see how they do.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Who have you 'planted' (influenced, converted, discipled) that you need to go back and check on?
• 2.What does 'see how they do' look like practically in your follow-up with people you've invested in?
• 3.Why does Paul propose returning to old cities before going to new ones — and what priority does that reveal?
• 4.Where has the lack of follow-up left new believers without the care they needed?

Devotional

Let's go back. Let's check on them. See how they're doing. Paul's second journey begins not with a vision of new territory but with a burden for the people already reached. The missionary's first instinct after planting is: how are the plants doing?

See how they do. Episkepsōmetha — to inspect, to look after, to give attention to. The word carries the connotation of a physician checking on patients or a shepherd checking on sheep. Paul isn't proposing a victory lap. He's proposing pastoral care. The converts in Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe — the people who believed during the first journey — need someone to visit, evaluate, encourage, and strengthen.

Let us go again. Again — back to the same cities. The same roads. The same dangers (Paul was stoned in Lystra the first time, 14:19). The return is more costly than the initial trip because Paul knows what's waiting: not just eager converts but hostile opponents. The going-back requires courage the going-first didn't.

In every city where we have preached. Every city. Not the easy ones. Not the responsive ones. Every city. The follow-up is comprehensive because the need is comprehensive: new believers in every city need the same pastoral attention. The church in the friendly city and the church in the hostile city both need someone to see how they do.

The proposal will produce the sharpest disagreement of Paul's career: he and Barnabas split over John Mark (v. 37-40). The pastoral concern they share produces a personal conflict they can't resolve. Two missionary teams form instead of one — and the gospel spreads further because of the split. God uses even the argument to multiply the care.

The principle: planting isn't the end. Returning is the responsibility. The missionary who plants and never checks back has abandoned the harvest. Paul's instinct — let's go see how they do — is the instinct of every faithful leader: the people matter more than the pioneering.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture