READ | ACTS CHAPTER 21
On to Jerusalem
1 After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. 2 We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail. 3 After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. 4 We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5 When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. 6 After saying goodbye to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home.
7 We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters and stayed with them for a day. 8 Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. 9 He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.
10 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’”
12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”
15 After this, we started on our way up to Jerusalem. 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus and one of the early disciples.
Paul’s Arrival at Jerusalem
17 When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters received us warmly. 18 The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. 19 Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
20 When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. 21 They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. 22 What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, 23 so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. 24 Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. 25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.”
26 The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.
Paul Arrested
27 When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, 28 shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.” 29 (They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple.)
30 The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. 31 While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32 He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
33 The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done. 34 Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. 35 When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers. 36 The crowd that followed kept shouting, “Get rid of him!”
Paul Speaks to the Crowd
37 As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?”
“Do you speak Greek?” he replied. 38 “Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness some time ago?”
39 Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.”
40 After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic[a]:
1 After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. 2 We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail. 3 After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. 4 We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5 When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. 6 After saying goodbye to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home.
7 We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters and stayed with them for a day. 8 Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. 9 He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.
10 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’”
12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”
15 After this, we started on our way up to Jerusalem. 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus and one of the early disciples.
Paul’s Arrival at Jerusalem
17 When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters received us warmly. 18 The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. 19 Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
20 When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. 21 They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. 22 What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, 23 so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. 24 Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. 25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.”
26 The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.
Paul Arrested
27 When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, 28 shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.” 29 (They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple.)
30 The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. 31 While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32 He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
33 The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done. 34 Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. 35 When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers. 36 The crowd that followed kept shouting, “Get rid of him!”
Paul Speaks to the Crowd
37 As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?”
“Do you speak Greek?” he replied. 38 “Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness some time ago?”
39 Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.”
40 After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic[a]:
DEVOTIONAL
The year is now A.D.57, twenty-five years since Jesus ascended back into heaven and gave the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in Acts chapter 2. During this time, Peter has been focused mostly on strengthening the Christian Church in Jerusalem despite intense Jewish opposition. Paul has now played a lead role in founding and establishing 14 churches all around the Mediterranean. Paul, along with Luke, is now traveling back to Jerusalem, knowing that there are many in the city who have heard what he has been doing and are not happy about it. In fact, they are out for blood, not only because Paul has promoted this sect called Christianity, but because many of these Christian followers of The Way are reviled gentiles of Greek, Samaritan, and even Roman descent.
Despite a foreknowledge of prophecy from Agabus that he would be arrested, (which Paul was already aware of) and pleading by fellow Christians in Tyre and Ptolemais not to go, Paul feels an undeniable urge by the Holy Spirit to return to Jerusalem. These warnings from the Holy Spirit were intended to prepare Paul, not to stop him. These warnings were also not unfounded or mere superstition. By the end of the chapter, Paul would be arrested, yet there is something God has set in motion for Paul in Jerusalem. Paul’s work, as well as Luke’s, is not yet finished. God will use Paul as an instrument to share the gospel with many people and classes of society not yet reached. This chapter is full of conflicted emotions. Paul would have been joyful to see that in nearly every city he travels to, there are Christians present. Much of this was probably due to the evangelistic work of Philip and his family. Despite the joy of seeing burgeoning Christian communities in the areas surrounding Jerusalem, Paul is also keenly aware of the trials and tribulations which lay before him. There were so many ways Paul could have relented and avoided the pain and suffering which lay before him. He could have easily heeded the warning of Agabus or relented to the pleadings of his fellow Christians. Paul could have retreated to Antioch or decided to travel only to areas where people accepted his message. He could have been careful to only speak on topics that were pleasing to all ears, and he could have also edited his messages to avoid saying anything that would offend anyone. These were all viable options and Paul most likely would not have gotten much in the way of backlash for toning down his usual bold and direct approach and watering down the gospel. The only one who would have known what was happening would be Paul himself. The problem with this is that Paul would feel the conviction that he was betraying his Lord by not speaking the truth boldly and withholding the most vital parts of the message he was sent to preach. He would have bowed to the demands of men above God. He would live his life based on a greater fear of man over a fear of God. This simply was not an option for Paul.
Think about this in your own life. Do you allow a fear of man and man’s opinion to determine how you share what God has put in your heart? Will you only speak and live in a way that is pleasing and acceptable to those around you? Will you only say things that are non-offensive to those around you? The problem with people who live this way is that they are living with a greater fear of man than of God. The gospel is offensive. To someone who is dead in their sin, hearing that the only way they can be saved is through Jesus, is offensive. To hear that you cannot save yourself, no matter what you do or how hard you work, is a difficult truth to hear. Anywhere the gospel is preached, there will be pushback, opposition, and blatant hatred, and in a sense, Paul was walking into a hornets’ nest.
Paul’s first stop once he finally arrived in Jerusalem was to meet with the leaders of the church and deliver a generous financial gift collected from various church plants. This meeting most likely would include James, the brother of Jesus, and many elders. However, Peter was not present. The elders in Jerusalem were thankful for what God was doing among the Gentiles. They saw some of the gentile converts with Paul and could tell of their genuine love and commitment to Jesus. However, the Christian community of Jerusalem had also heard many false rumors about Paul. They heard that he had become essentially anti-Jewish and told Jewish Christians that it was wrong for them to continue in Jewish laws and customs. These lies were most likely perpetuated by staunch Jews in Jerusalem who wanted to sour and separate the Christian church of Jews from the Christian church of gentiles. It was yet another tactic of divide, weaken, and conquer, something also prevalent in our world today. But lies and slander were the least of it; within the week, Paul would be arrested and face his greatest challenge yet.
Despite a foreknowledge of prophecy from Agabus that he would be arrested, (which Paul was already aware of) and pleading by fellow Christians in Tyre and Ptolemais not to go, Paul feels an undeniable urge by the Holy Spirit to return to Jerusalem. These warnings from the Holy Spirit were intended to prepare Paul, not to stop him. These warnings were also not unfounded or mere superstition. By the end of the chapter, Paul would be arrested, yet there is something God has set in motion for Paul in Jerusalem. Paul’s work, as well as Luke’s, is not yet finished. God will use Paul as an instrument to share the gospel with many people and classes of society not yet reached. This chapter is full of conflicted emotions. Paul would have been joyful to see that in nearly every city he travels to, there are Christians present. Much of this was probably due to the evangelistic work of Philip and his family. Despite the joy of seeing burgeoning Christian communities in the areas surrounding Jerusalem, Paul is also keenly aware of the trials and tribulations which lay before him. There were so many ways Paul could have relented and avoided the pain and suffering which lay before him. He could have easily heeded the warning of Agabus or relented to the pleadings of his fellow Christians. Paul could have retreated to Antioch or decided to travel only to areas where people accepted his message. He could have been careful to only speak on topics that were pleasing to all ears, and he could have also edited his messages to avoid saying anything that would offend anyone. These were all viable options and Paul most likely would not have gotten much in the way of backlash for toning down his usual bold and direct approach and watering down the gospel. The only one who would have known what was happening would be Paul himself. The problem with this is that Paul would feel the conviction that he was betraying his Lord by not speaking the truth boldly and withholding the most vital parts of the message he was sent to preach. He would have bowed to the demands of men above God. He would live his life based on a greater fear of man over a fear of God. This simply was not an option for Paul.
Think about this in your own life. Do you allow a fear of man and man’s opinion to determine how you share what God has put in your heart? Will you only speak and live in a way that is pleasing and acceptable to those around you? Will you only say things that are non-offensive to those around you? The problem with people who live this way is that they are living with a greater fear of man than of God. The gospel is offensive. To someone who is dead in their sin, hearing that the only way they can be saved is through Jesus, is offensive. To hear that you cannot save yourself, no matter what you do or how hard you work, is a difficult truth to hear. Anywhere the gospel is preached, there will be pushback, opposition, and blatant hatred, and in a sense, Paul was walking into a hornets’ nest.
Paul’s first stop once he finally arrived in Jerusalem was to meet with the leaders of the church and deliver a generous financial gift collected from various church plants. This meeting most likely would include James, the brother of Jesus, and many elders. However, Peter was not present. The elders in Jerusalem were thankful for what God was doing among the Gentiles. They saw some of the gentile converts with Paul and could tell of their genuine love and commitment to Jesus. However, the Christian community of Jerusalem had also heard many false rumors about Paul. They heard that he had become essentially anti-Jewish and told Jewish Christians that it was wrong for them to continue in Jewish laws and customs. These lies were most likely perpetuated by staunch Jews in Jerusalem who wanted to sour and separate the Christian church of Jews from the Christian church of gentiles. It was yet another tactic of divide, weaken, and conquer, something also prevalent in our world today. But lies and slander were the least of it; within the week, Paul would be arrested and face his greatest challenge yet.
