Acts 21

When Paul left the Ephesian elders and set off with hope of reaching Jerusalem by Pentecost, he began a journey that took some time, necessitating stops along the way. This gave the apostle and his companions the opportunity to greet the churches at places like Tyre and Ceasarea. Even prior to this trip, but certainly as these stops were made, one constant theme was expressed by those who had gifts of the Spirit, enabling them to understand certain things from the Lord: Paul was heading into trouble. This was something that the apostle himself had said during his address to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20. His conclusion concerning the announcement that there would be danger ahead was quite different than that of his companions and various visitors along the way. They took this revelation of a great impending trial as a warning that he should not go to Jerusalem. Though he knew that he was walking into trouble, he insisted that he was “ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” They eventually realized that he would not be moved on his resolve to continue on to Judea, and so they were all finally able to conclude that this decision of Paul’s was actually the Lord’s will.

When Paul arrived in Jerusalem, he greeted James and the elders of the church there, and when they heard about all that God had been doing among the Gentiles, they gave glory to God regarding these developments. This meant that they not only agreed with Paul that the success of the mission to the Gentiles was a good thing, but they also recognized it as an achievement that could only have come by the Lord’s power and grace.

The leaders of the church in Jerusalem did have one concern. An incorrect report had circulated among many of the new Jewish Christians all over Jerusalem, suggesting that Paul was against Jews following the ceremonial laws of Old Testament life. It was easy to see how such a story might be considered authentic, since Paul was continually making the case that Gentiles should not be required to follow these laws. But the apostle himself continued to observe many Jewish customs as one who had been raised with those traditions. Not too long ago we understood that Paul was doing something with his hair in fulfillment of a vow. We were not provided with many details on this, but this was proof that Paul himself was not against such things for Jews. Not only that, he was the one who had instructed that Timothy be circumcised, so he was obviously not against circumcision in every situation. In any case, a plan was made for Paul to show his support for those who were still keeping these laws during this period when the temple in Jerusalem was still standing, in the hope that this would refute some of his opponents.

This may have seemed like a good plan, but it did not at all have the desired result. Paul had many enemies among the Jews from the provinces in the northeast Mediterranean where he had been laboring for several years now. Many people from these places travelled to Jerusalem for the required annual festivals, and they filled the temple during these times. The nature of their disagreements with Paul had been substantial. They considered him to be a great enemy of their faith. His divisive impact upon the peace and fellowship of many synagogues was undeniable. The gospel that he preached claimed that Jesus was the Christ, the suffering Messiah, and that only through faith in Him could anyone have true peace with God. This message had always created division. Those who loved it, loved it greatly, and those who hated it sometimes expressed their hatred with violence.

With these facts in mind, it should not have been a surprise if some of the Jews who knew and hated Paul from his ministry in their home areas might have recognized him as an unwanted invader in the temple. This is exactly what happened, and from that point, mob confusion took hold. He was falsely accused of “teaching everywhere against the people and the law and this place,” and of defiling the temple by bringing Gentiles into it. This disturbance spread into the city, as people were actually trying to kill Paul after he had been dragged out of the temple. Only a group of soldiers and centurions were able to restore order. They determined to bring Paul back to their headquarters for further questioning, and the crowd cried out, “Away with him!”

This may have seemed like a good plan, but Paul was seeking a different resolution. He wanted to address the crowd. In one of the more humorous biblical lines in the midst of a very dangerous situation, the tribune said to Paul, “Are you not the Egyptian who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?” Angry mobs generally bring confusion, and our God is not a God of confusion, but order. He sends His servants into many dangerous situations where we seek to bring the Word of truth. This does not always mean that people will like what they hear. The death of Stephen is a witness to that fact. Yet it is our hope to bring order to the chaos of this fallen world through the proclamation of Jesus and the resurrection.

We leave the Apostle at this point until we consider the next chapter in this book at another time. For now, we can say again that it is the job of the servants of Christ to travel in the way of their King. It is not our first goal to preserve our own lives at all cost, nor was that the goal of our Savior. He willingly went to the place that Scripture and the Holy Spirit assured Him would be the place of His death. He did that on purpose. He was willing to suffer and die to eventually bring not only order, but restoration, to a chaotic and fallen world. It is our honor to follow Him, and to be “ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die for the name of the Lord Jesus.”