Acts 21
McGeeCHAPTER 21THEME: Paul goes to Jerusalem and is arrestedPaul has made three missionary journeys. He is returning now, and it is almost like a wonderful victory march as he comes back into the city of Jerusalem. But along the way warnings are coming to him. He knows that trouble awaits him in Jerusalem. Chapter 20 concluded with the tender meeting he had with the Ephesian elders at Miletus. Now he boards ship for the voyage that will return him to Israel.
Acts 21:1
PAUL AT TYREAre you following him? He took a ship at Miletus and they sailed down to the southern coast of Asia Minor to Patara. There they changed ships. Now he is headed for Tyre on the seacoast north of Caesarea. It was actually on the coast of Israel in what was ancient Phoenicia. Today that is Lebanon.
Acts 21:3
I love the way this is expressed here. I think the translators of our Authorized Version have captured something that the modern translations just miss. They “discovered Cyprus” on the left hand is a way of saying that as they were sailing towards Tyre, Cyprus loomed up in the distance on their left-hand side. Of course it doesn’t mean that they were the first people to discover Cyprus. They saw the island and were near enough to recognize it, but they did not stop there. They were on their way to Tyre, a great commercial center which had been there since ancient times.
Acts 21:4
This is the verse used by those Bible teachers who feel that Paul made a great mistake when he went up to Jerusalem. It shows that these men spoke to Paul through the Holy Spirit. If I understand this correctly, the Spirit of God is not going to contradict Himself. I believe He is saying the same thing here that He had said before. Paul is not to go up to Jerusalem unless he is prepared to make the required sacrifice. Paul keeps saying that he is willing to make the sacrifice. He is perfectly willing to lay down his life for the Lord Jesus. That is the way I think it should be understood. For several reasons I do not believe that Paul stepped out of the will of God when he went up to Jerusalem. He had a sentimental reason for going there, but it was a good reason. He was carrying the offering from the gentile Christians to the suffering saints in Jerusalem. He wanted to present this to the church in Jerusalem with his own hands, because it was his hands that at one time had wasted the church in Jerusalem. He had been partly responsible for the state of penury in which the saints in Jerusalem found themselves. Paul did not want to send some representative to Jerusalem; he wanted to go to Jerusalem himself. Another reason I do not believe that Paul stepped out of the will of God is because of his writings later on. When Paul was in prison in Rome, the church at Philippi sent to him an expression of their sympathy. They loved him and they sympathized with his condition. But Paul wrote to them, “But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel” (Php_1:12). Because what happened to Paul did not hinder the spread of the gospel, I do not believe that Paul was out of the will of God. Furthermore, you remember that when the Lord appeared to Ananias and told him to go to Paul after his conversion, He said to Ananias, “…Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: for I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake” (Act_9:15-16). Up to this point in our study of Acts, Paul has not appeared before kings and rulers, but we know it is in the will of God that he should do so. In the next chapters we will find that he does go before kings. He will testify before King Agrippa. It is probable that he appeared before Nero in Rome. We know for certain that he reached those who were in Caesar’s household because he sent greetings from them in his Epistle to the Philippians (Php_4:22), which was written while he was a prisoner in Rome. Finally, as I have already mentioned, in 2Ti_4:7 Paul writes, “…I have finished my course….” This was written at the end of his life. It seems to me that he would not say that if for a time he had stepped out of the will of God. I must confess that as I look back over my own ministry, I am confident that I stepped out of the will of God for a brief time. I didn’t do it purposely. I did it ignorantly. I did it in a headstrong manner. I think the Lord has a way of making these things up to us. But I do not think that Paul at the end of his life could write that he had finished his course if he had been out of the will of God. I have spent some time on this because there is controversy over it. I have several very good friends in the ministry who do not agree with my point of view, but we are still friends. I love these brethren in the Lord. I just tease them and say I hope they will see the light someday. As one of them said to me, “When we get in the presence of the Lord, we will all be in agreement.”
Acts 21:5
Again, this is a lovely thing that Paul did here. Paul and the people with him kneeled down there on the shore and prayed. Friend, the best position to be in while praying is kneeling. However, you can pray in any posture and anywhere. Since I drive a great deal, I have learned to pray in the car. (When you drive the freeways of Southern California, you had better learn to pray!) But the most appropriate posture when we come into the presence of Almighty God is to kneel.
Acts 21:6
I have often wondered why Paul didn’t stay there longer than that. You will notice the marvelous reception given to him and the number of believers in all these various places at that time. There must have been millions of believers in the Roman Empire by the end of the first century.
Acts 21:8
PAUL AT CAESAREAPaul is traveling down the coastline going from one place to another. I have driven that route by bus. Since there was no bus running in Paul’s day, I’m sure that he walked this route. And what a ministry he had! Think of the believers that he met on the way. He had a real ministry and a real opportunity. As I have been going from church to church, from town to town, from city to city, from place to place, ministering the Word of God, it is a great encouragement to see what God is doing in the lives of folk. When I was a pastor, I had to keep my nose to the grindstone, and I developed an Elijah complex"I’m the only one left. I’m all by myself. I am the only one standing for you, Lord." Friend, if you could go over the ground I have been over in the past year, it would thrill your heart to know the number of wonderful churches, wonderful Christian works, wonderful Christian homes, wonderful Christian believers that there are in this country and in other countries of the world. It has been a real thrill to my own heart to meet these believers. Undoubtedly this was also the experience of Paul.
Acts 21:9
Philip was an evangelist. The word literally means “one who announces good tidings.” This verse shows that women did occupy a prominent place in the church. These particular women had the gift of prophecy. The New Testament had not been written as yet; so the gift of prophecy was needed in the early church.
Acts 21:10
The Holy Spirit is revealing to Paul what will happen to him when he goes up to Jerusalem. It is as though He is saying, “Paul, this is what you are going to face. Are you willing to do it?” God doesn’t want Paul to feel that He let him stumble unwittingly into a trap. Paul knows what awaits him, and he still is perfectly willing to go. Actually, this prophet is not telling him anything new. Back in chapter 20, when he was still in Asia Minor, he already knew that bonds and afflictions waited for him.
Acts 21:12
Remember that this is Dr. Luke writing. He and the others didn’t want to see Paul go to Jerusalem. The Spirit of God is revealing to Paul that he is going to be bound. Paul is not only willing to be bound but is also willing to die for Jesus in Jerusalem. He asks the believers not to cry and to break his heart. It is touching here to see the concern of the believers for the apostle Paul. My, how they loved him!
Acts 21:14
And I think the will of the Lord was done.
Acts 21:15
PAUL AT JERUSALEMNotice that when the apostle Paul came to Jerusalem, the church that was there received him gladly.
Acts 21:18
What a glorious reception by the church in Jerusalem! He is a veteran now, friend. He has been in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he bears in his body the marks of the Lord Jesus.
Acts 21:19
The Jews twisted a little what Paul was actually doing. Paul did not really teach the things that they claimed he was teaching. We come now to another interesting passage about which good Bible expositors offer different explanations. Was Paul out or in the will of God when he went to Jerusalem and took a Jewish vow that evidently involved a sacrifice? The believers here in Jerusalem speak of the thousands of Jewish converts to Christ. These Jews who had found their completion in Jesus Christ had not forsaken the Mosaic Law. However, they could not insist that Gentiles must come under the Law. On the other hand, Gentiles could not insist that the Jews forsake the practices of the Lawprovided they were not trusting them for salvation. Those who insist that the grace of God did not force the Gentiles to keep the Mosaic Law seem to forget that the same grace permits the Jew to continue in its precepts if he feels it is the will of God. For example, we know that Peter had eaten nothing contrary to Mosaic Law until he visited Paul in Antioch. Also, Jewish believers had an abhorrence of eating anything that had been sacrificed to idols. This did not bother the conscience of the Gentile. However, if the eating of such meat offended the conscience of another believer and caused him to stumble, then it was wrong. Paul makes it very clear that meat does not commend us to God. “But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse” (1Co_8:8). Paul also wrote that if a person was brought up under certain customs, the grace of God allows him to follow those customs after he has accepted the Lord Jesus as his Savior. “But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches. Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called” (1Co_7:17-20). Paul applies this principle in winning people for Christ. “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you” (1Co_9:19-23). I do not think that we should criticize Paul for what he does here in Jerusalem. Grace permitted Paul to take a Jewish vow to win the Jews. If he had been a Gentile, it would have been questionable for him to adopt a foreign custom. With that as a background, we understand Paul’s action.
Acts 21:22
Now what should Paul do? He has arrived at Jerusalem and has been given a royal reception by the church. He has given them the gift from the gentile churches. They have listened to his report and rejoiced in the way God has saved the Gentiles. Now they turn to Paul and tell him that there are thousands of Jews in Jerusalem who are trusting Christ and have accepted Him as their Messiah and Savior. None of them want to have a division in the church.
There is only one church of Jesus Christ, not a Jewish church and a gentile church. A Jew who comes to Jesus Christ does not stop being a Jew. So they say to Paul, “Look, you are a Jew. That is your background. And you want to win the Jews for Christ.” Paul says, “I sure do!” So they say, “Since you are a Jew, it wouldn’t hurt you to go with these four Jewish men who have made a vow. They have shaved their heads and are going into the temple.
Would you go along with them?” Paul says, “Sure.” Paul didn’t take this vow because he was commanded to do so. He took this vow because he wanted to win these people. Friend, you don’t have to take a vow. But if you want to take a vow, you can. If you want to shave your head with a vow, that is your business. If you want to take a vow and let your hair grow long, that is your business. It is all right with the Lord. Under grace you have a right to do these things. Under grace you have the right to make a vow if you want to do sojust so you understand that you are not saved by what you do but by the grace of God.
Acts 21:27
PAUL IN THE TEMPLE AT JERUSALEMAs mobs generally do, this mob acts on assumption and misinformation.
Acts 21:29
Here we find this distinction that we need to make. Paul, a Jew, brought up in that tradition, went to the temple when he came to Jerusalem. Trophimus who was a gentile Ephesian, apparently a convert through the ministry of Paul, when he was in Jerusalem with Paul, would have no inclination to go to the temple or take part in any ritual in the temple. That was not part of his background. Under grace he could have if he had wanted to. This is what I mean by our freedom under grace. Of course Paul knew that the vow he was taking had no bearing on his salvation. Both Jew and Gentile are saved only and alone by the grace of God through Jesus Christ. Paul’s vow probably included fasting and eating certain foods. That was a part of his background. Today as I travel around, I find that a great many Christians are diet faddists. It always amazes me to find how many there are. They are constantly telling me their advice about what this or that diet will do for me. May I say that the only difference a diet will make is in your physical body. A diet will not commend you to God. Under grace you can go on a diet or not go on a diet. It may have something to do with your health and your physical condition. It has nothing to do with your relationship to God. Oh, if God’s people could only learn that!
Acts 21:30
Notice their bitterness and hatred of Paul. They hate him because he is teaching that one does not need to go through the Mosaic system to be saved. Paul is right in following one of the customs of his people if he wants to. He is trying to win his own people. Although it didn’t accomplish the purpose that he had in mind, I think it accomplished a God-given purpose. The mob would have killed Paul if the captain and the soldiers had not intervened.
Acts 21:33
PAUL BOUND IN CHAINSThis captain did not know Paul at all. He didn’t cry out, “Oh, this is Paul, the great Apostle to the Gentiles.” He wasn’t looking upon him like that at all. He didn’t know who he was and actually thought that he had committed some crime; so he put him in chains.
Acts 21:34
Since the captain couldn’t learn anything from the mob, he took Paul to the castle in order to find out what the charge was against him. The mob was not willing to settle for anything less than the death of Paul.
Acts 21:37
The captain was amazed. He thought that he had bound a common criminal, but this man speaks fluent Greek. The captain understood that because he was a foreign emissary.
Acts 21:38
He thought that Paul was a mob leader, one of the protesters taking a mob out into the country.
Acts 21:39
Paul speaks Greek, but he informs the captain that he is a Jew. When the captain learns who Paul is, he says, “Well, sure. I didn’t know who you were. Go ahead and speak to them.”
Acts 21:40
Although Paul speaks to the captain in Greek, when he addresses this Jewish mob, he speaks in their native tongue, Hebrew. And the minute he begins to address them in Hebrew, the language they love and understand, they listen to him.