In my last blog, Paul had just met with and said “good-bye” to the elders of the Church in Ephesus on the seashore at Miletus. From there, it was a straight course from the west coast of Turkey across the eastern Mediterranean to Tyre, on the west coast of Syria. In Tyre, Paul met with some of the believers in the city while the ship unloaded its cargo. During the week in Tyre, these disciples kept telling Paul that the Spirit had told them that Paul should not continue his journey to Jerusalem because trouble awaited him. They were right! However, when it was time to leave, Luke records that,

“…we left and started our journey, while they all, with wives and children, escorted us until we were out of the city. After kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another. Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home” (Acts 21:5-6).

Just as with the elders from Ephesus on the shore at Miletus, Paul is once again saying a tearful “good-bye” to those who love him, as they suspect that they may never see him again. As they traveled south along the coast by ship, Paul and Luke met with brethren in Ptolemais, and the next day, they arrived in Caesarea, a major Roman port. Interestingly, they stayed in the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven deacons mentioned earlier in the Book of Acts (see Acts 6:5). If you recall, Philip was the one who had the encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8), and after they parted, Philip continued sharing the Gospel until he reached Caesarea, which may have been his home prior to coming to faith in Christ. And then Luke records:   

Now this man had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses. As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles’” (Acts 21:9-11).

This is the third occasion when someone warned Paul that trouble awaited him in Jerusalem. How would he respond to such a prophetic word? Luke records,

When we heard this, we, as well as the local residents, began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, “The will of the Lord be done!” (Acts 21:12-14).

Although Paul knew that trouble awaited him in Jerusalem, he would not be persuaded to avoid going there, wanting to have an opportunity to share the Gospel with those who were antagonistic to it. After arriving in Jerusalem, the brethren of the church received them gladly, and the following day, Paul met with James and the other leaders of the Jerusalem church. Paul then began to share all of the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. And when they heard it,

…they began glorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law; and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come” (Acts 21:20-22).

The elders of the Jerusalem church had some legitimate concerns about Paul and his safety. Word had spread from Europe and Asia about Paul’s ministry among both Jews and Gentiles, and along with that, the “lie” that Paul was telling people to forsake Moses as well as circumcision for their infant sons. What was to be done for the Jews in Jerusalem to accept Paul? The elders had a plan, and they unfolded it:

“We have four men who are under a vow; take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law” (Acts 21:23-24).

It sounded like a good plan, and surely the Jews in Jerusalem would certainly see the truth about what Paul was teaching throughout the Roman Empire. Paul would join with those who had taken a traditional Nazarite Vow, which was voluntarily taken by individuals who dedicated themselves to God by refraining from certain specific actions. The plan was for Paul to join them and purify himself along with them, shaving his head and paying their expenses, which was all part of Hebrew custom. And so, the next day,

Paul took the men, and purifying himself along with them, went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them (Acts 21:25-26).

You would think that as the Jews in Jerusalem would have seen how committed Paul was to fulfill the Nazarite Vow with the other Christians, that they would be cleared from all questions about their sincerity and their commitment to Jewish customs related to the Law. But that is not the case, as Luke records:

When the seven days were almost over, the Jews from Asia, upon seeing him in the temple, began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him, crying out, “Men of Israel, come to our aid! This is the man who preaches to all men everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place” (Acts 21:27-28).

Of course, lies about Paul’s teaching were being spread among the people gathered on the Temple mount, including the assumption that Paul had brought Trophimus from Ephesus into the Temple, thus defiling it. (Note: Paul brought Trophimus, a Gentile, into the city with him, but did not bring him into the Temple). As a result, all of the city was in an uproar, and,

…the people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul, they dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut (Acts 21:29-30).

While they were seeking to kill Paul, by God’s grace, a report came to the Roman commander that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. He immediately dispatched some soldiers and ran to them; and when the Jews saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. Binding Paul with chains, the commander asked Paul who he was and what he had done. The crowd kept shouting one thing and then another, and he finally brought Paul into the barracks, and then Luke records, 

…when he got to the stairs, he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob; for the multitude of the people kept following them, shouting, “Away with him” (Acts 21:35-36).

And now we have a very interesting and important exchange between Paul and the Commander. After some initial dialogue, Luke records Paul informing the Commander,

“I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.” When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the stairs, motioned to the people with his hand; and when there was a great hush, he spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect, saying (Acts 21:37-40),…

Interestingly, that is how Chapter 21 ends, that is, with Paul, under the protection of the Roman commander, attempting to speak with the Jews who had gathered on the temple mount. It is interesting to note that many of those in that crowd were the same ones who shouted to Pilate “crucify Him” during Jesus’ trial almost thirty years prior.

Paul had been warned on at least three different occasions that trouble awaited him in Jerusalem, and yet he continued his journey. Certainly, he was “compelled” by the Holy Spirit to not turn away from what he firmly believed was God’s plan for him. It took courage to face certain opposition; a firm commitment to his calling; and faith that the Lord would go before him into the “lion’s den,” just as Daniel had done hundreds of years prior. Paul would later write to Timothy,

Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Tim 3:12).

This letter to Timothy would be Paul’s last letter prior to his martyrdom in Rome. And these words should actually encourage us. When facing persecution, we don’t need to ask “why?”, but simply know that those who oppose the Gospel will offer threats and intimidation. If any of you are facing that today, take some encouragement from the Apostle Paul as he approached Jerusalem, and move forward with boldness and commitment for the cause of Christ, and exhibit a bold faith in God’s provision for all your needs.

God bless you all.