Acts 21-23    Listen

Paul makes some stops on his way to Jerusalem (Acts 21:1-14)

1 Now it came to pass, that when we had departed from them and set sail, running a straight course we came to Cos, the following day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.
2 And finding a ship sailing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail.
3 When we had sighted Cyprus, we passed it on the left, sailed to Syria, and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload her cargo.
4 And finding disciples, we stayed there seven days. They told Paul through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem.
5 When we had come to the end of those days, we departed and went on our way; and they all accompanied us, with wives and children, till we were out of the city. And we knelt down on the shore and prayed.
6 When we had taken our leave of one another, we boarded the ship, and they returned home.
7 ¶ And when we had finished our voyage from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, greeted the brethren, and stayed with them one day.
8 On the next day we who were Paul’s companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.
9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.
10 And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.
11 When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ”
12 ¶ Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem.
13 Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
14 ¶ So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.”

At the end of Acts 20 (see notes), Paul was preparing to leave Ephesus. On Paul's way back to Jerusalem, he stops at Tyre where he stays for seven days. These Believers are well aware of the danger that awaits Paul back in Jerusalem; they tell him not to go, as we see in verse 4, "They told Paul through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem." Hmmmmm...that's interesting; "through the Spirit" these Believers had determined that Paul should "not go up to Jerusalem." The terminology used by Luke here suggests that through an exercise of one or more spiritual gifts (mentioned in I Corinthians 12, see notes), they had gotten supernatural insight that God did not want Paul to go to Jerusalem. However, Paul himself had gotten supernatural insight from God that he SHOULD go to Jerusalem, despite the outcome. That just goes to show us that, while Believers are wise to listen to counsel from other Believers, we are ultimately required to get our own direction from God through the power of the Holy Spirit within us. Paul rejected their counsel.

As Paul and company arrive at Ptolemais, they stay one day with Believers before departing to Caesarea where they lodge with Philip, one of the original seven deacons in Jerusalem. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. Apparently they attracted other prophets; Agabus, another prophet, shows up and does an interesting routine. He takes Paul's belt and binds his hands and feet with it. He then says that this is what will happen to the owner of the belt when he arrives in Jerusalem. A rather dramatic performance, wouldn't you say? Paul says, in effect, "Yeah, but bring it on!" And, it's off to Jerusalem. (Click here to see a map of Paul's stops on his way to Jerusalem.)

It is worth noting that Paul does not dispute the prophecies and warnings concerning himself; he fully acknowledges that he will be taken prisoner in Jerusalem...and perhaps even be executed. However, he sees the trip and subsequent events as necessary steps to the advancement of the Gospel.

Paul visits James (Acts 21:15-26)

15 ¶ And after those days we packed and went up to Jerusalem.
16 Also some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us and brought with them a certain Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to lodge.
17 ¶ And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.
18 On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.
19 When he had greeted them, he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law;
21 but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs.
22 What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come.
23 Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow.
24 Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads, and that all may know that those things of which they were informed concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly and keep the law.
25 But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality.”
26 ¶ Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having been purified with them, entered the temple to announce the expiration of the days of purification, at which time an offering should be made for each one of them.

So here we are; Paul the former Pharisee is back in Jerusalem. He appears before James and the elders of the church there - a huge church. But there's a problem: Paul's reputation. Word has gotten back to Jerusalem that, while preaching in foreign cities, Paul has not been strictly adhering to recognized Jewish practices and has been telling Jews that they do not need to do so either. Well...Paul has been planning for this moment. You will recall a few years back just prior to his third missionary journey in Acts 18:18 (see notes) that Paul had taken and fulfilled the ritual of the Nazarite vow himself, "[Paul] had his hair cut off at Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow." He had completed that vow at the festival in Jerusalem, as he had declared in verse 18:21, "I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem." Now, these years later, James has an idea for Paul; participate in this strictly-Jewish, highly-visible ritual of the Nazarite vow with four men who will be completing the procedure in ceremony; he should pay for their sacrificial expenses in the process. When people in Jerusalem see this, they'll know that you have not forsaken the keeping of the law and that you, in fact, do keep the law. (Click here to see the specifications of the Nazarite vow in Numbers 6.)

Verse 20 sums up the fix Paul is in when James declares, "...You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law." Verse 25 is a reaffirmation of the council dealing with the Gentiles back in Acts 15:22-41 (see notes) when James recalls in verse 25, "But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality." The issue here is regarding Jewish Christians and the Law of Moses. Prior to that council, it had been consensus back in Jerusalem that Christianity was a layer of practice to be added upon the layer of Jewish practice - not a substitute.

Paul is arrested (Acts 21:27-40)

27 ¶ Now when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him,
28 crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.”
29 (For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)
30 ¶ And all the city was disturbed; and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple; and immediately the doors were shut.
31 Now as they were seeking to kill him, news came to the commander of the garrison that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.
32 He immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down to them. And when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
33 Then the commander came near and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and he asked who he was and what he had done.
34 And some among the multitude cried one thing and some another. ¶ So when he could not ascertain the truth because of the tumult, he commanded him to be taken into the barracks.
35 When he reached the stairs, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob.
36 For the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, “Away with him!”
37 ¶ Then as Paul was about to be led into the barracks, he said to the commander, “May I speak to you?” ¶ He replied, “Can you speak Greek?
38 Are you not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?”
39 ¶ But Paul said, “I am a Jew from Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city; and I implore you, permit me to speak to the people.”
40 ¶ So when he had given him permission, Paul stood on the stairs and motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, saying,

Well, James' plan didn't work. Life in Christ is what it is - a fulfillment of the Law of Moses; it's not about a continuation of Judaistic traditions and laws. The transitional period in the early church was a dilemma. When you've been raised all of your life believing the absolute necessity of strictly observing well-established traditions, how do you suddenly proclaim that it is no longer the means to righteousness. By the way, Moses never billed the Law as being the means to individual righteousness before God, but it had become the de facto standard for righteousness among Jews; it was just their way. Traditions are hard to change. Here's the problem - Asian Jews. Asia was the western part of modern-day Turkey through which Paul had gone to preach on his second missionary journey (see map) and third missionary journey (see map). When Paul is seen in the temple and recognized, a mob drags him out of the temple and commences an attempt to put him to death. It's time for a little order. Call the police!

Following is a note about the police who were called from the Expositor's Bible Commentary:

While the temple police were drawn from the ranks of the Levites, the commander of the fortress was a Roman military officer whose responsibility it was to keep peace in the city. The Fortress of Antonia was built by Herod the Great to overlook the temple area to the south and the city to the north and west, with exits to both the Court of the Gentiles and the city proper. The commander was not a chief priest and had nothing to do with the priests and officials of the temple. Rather, he represented Rome’s interests and was commissioned to intervene in the affairs of the people on behalf of those interests.

After a beating, but before the execution, Paul is taken into custody by the Roman police force, and he begins presenting his defense. Looks like Agabus was right - Paul is bound and imprisoned. Notice the case of mistaken identity by the captain of the guard in verse 38; he thought Paul was a notorious Egyptian dissident and leader of a band of murderers. Surprised that Paul can speak Greek (must not be that Egyptian after all), he allows Paul to speak to the people from the safety of the stairs overlooking the crowd, which he does in Hebrew.

Paul gives his defense (Acts 22:1-21

1 “Brethren and fathers, hear my defense before you now.”
2 And when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent. ¶ Then he said:
3 “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today.
4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women,
5 as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 ¶ “Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me.
7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’
8 So I answered, “Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’
9 ¶ “And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me.
10 So I said, “What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.’
11 And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.
12 ¶ “Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there,
13 came to me; and he stood and said to me, “Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that same hour I looked up at him.
14 Then he said, “The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth.
15 For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.
16 And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’
17 ¶ “Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance
18 and saw Him saying to me, “Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.’
19 So I said, “Lord, they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believe on You.
20 And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’
21 Then He said to me, “Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.’ ”

Paul had convinced the chief captain to let him speak to the people from the safety of the castle (Acts 21:37, 40, see above). Paul then takes the opportunity to give his testimony of salvation.

You will note that Paul's testimony is in three parts:

1. who he was (3-5)
2. what happened to change him (6-16)
3. and who he is now in Christ Jesus (17-21).

Notice in verse 4 that Paul refers to life in Christ as "this Way." He is capitalizing on the fact that Christianity was considered a sect of Judaism by the Roman government. "This way" expresses life in Christ as a reasonable extension of Judaism. In verse 5 Paul mentions, "the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders." This is a direct reference to the Sanhedrin (see notes.). Paul points out here that he had been an enforcement officer for the Sanhedrin (a hit man, so to speak) under the direction of some of these very men sitting on the Sanhedrin now. How's that for credentials!

Perhaps if the people would understand the supernatural events which brought Paul to Christ, they would respond positively. Paul recounts to the crowd that he was charged with the task of persecuting Christians and even makes reference to his part in the stoning of Stephen. In reference to Stephen, he conveys the conversation he had with the Lord at the time of his conversion about how his treatment of the Jewish Christians would alienate him from being able to minister to them. Then Paul makes a deal-breaking statement to his audience when he recalls the Lord's reply to him in verse 21, "Then He said to me, 'Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.'"

Incidentally, some have pointed to the wording of Acts 22:9 when compared to Acts 9:7 and seen a seeming difference in Paul's account of his conversion. Note the difference in wording:

Acts 22:9 And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me.
Acts 9:7 And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.

The Greek word used in both instances is "akouo" and is used over 400 times in the New Testament in various senses such as: to simply hear, to understand, to obey or to respond positively. Luke obviously means to point out in Acts 9:7 that those accompanying Paul did hear that something was taking place, but as Paul comments in his testimony in 22:9, what was heard by Paul lacked clear definition to them.

That reference to "Gentiles" was exactly what the angry mob wanted to hear - end of speech.

Paul's audience has had all they can take (Acts 22:22-30)

22 ¶ And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!”
23 Then, as they cried out and tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air,
24 the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and said that he should be examined under scourging, so that he might know why they shouted so against him.
25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?”
26 ¶ When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, “Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman.”
27 ¶ Then the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” ¶ He said, “Yes.”
28 ¶ The commander answered, “With a large sum I obtained this citizenship.” ¶ And Paul said, “But I was born a citizen.”
29 ¶ Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.
30 ¶ The next day, because he wanted to know for certain why he was accused by the Jews, he released him from his bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down and set him before them.

Taking their Jewish traditions to the Gentiles simply will not be tolerated! We see here in verse 22, "And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, 'Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!'" The chief captain at this point surmises that there is more to the story which can only be determined by torture - a beating. Just when they get Paul all strapped in for the beating, Paul ruins all the fun by declaring his Roman citizenship. Fearful of beating an uncondemned Roman citizen, the chief captain unbinds Paul and calls for a meeting of Jewish leaders to sort this situation out...a meeting before the Sanhedrin.

Paul takes his speech to the Sanhedrin (Acts 23:1-11)

1 Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, “Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.”
2 And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.
3 Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?”
4 ¶ And those who stood by said, “Do you revile God’s high priest?”
5 ¶ Then Paul said, “I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ ”
6 ¶ But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!”
7 ¶ And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided.
8 For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection—and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both.
9 Then there arose a loud outcry. And the scribes of the Pharisees’ party arose and protested, saying, “We find no evil in this man; but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God.”
10 ¶ Now when there arose a great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks.
11 ¶ But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.”

Paul is now on familiar ground. It's been a few years, but the Sanhedrin ("the council") he knows. Just as he gets started, the high priest gets testy with him and commands someone to smack Paul on the mouth. Paul replies, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?" Whoa! This is gonna be a tough meetin'. When it is pointed out that Paul has just insulted the High Priest, Paul apologizes and demonstrates his mastery of the Law of Moses by citing that he should not have spoken so to the High Priest based upon Exodus 22:28 (see notes), "You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people."

Following is an excerpt from the Expositor's Bible Commentary:

This so enraged the high priest that, in violation of the law, he ordered those near Paul to strike him on the mouth. Ananias the son of Nedebaeus reigned as high priest from A.D. 48 to 58 or 59 and was known for his avarice and liberal use of violence. Josephus says he confiscated for himself the tithes given the ordinary priests and gave lavish bribes to Romans and also Jews.

Josephus, by the way, was a contemporary Jewish historian whose works have been preserved to this day.

Then Paul exploits the severe, but nevertheless accepted, rift he knew existed in the Sanhedrin - the difference between Sadducees and Pharisees. Both groups made up the Sanhedrin. (Click here to see a summary of the differences between Sadducees and Pharisees.) Paul recognized that his best recourse in this situation was to point out his own Pharisaical membership and proclaim that he is being tried on the basis of his belief in the resurrection. Since the Pharisees were literalists and believed in the supernatural as opposed to the Sadducees, this immediately caused an uproar between these two religious/political factions. bringing the meeting to a near-violent close. Paul is removed from the meeting. He then gets a vision from the Lord telling him that he'll be taking this show to Rome.

Paul fails to win friends among the Sanhedrin (Acts 23:12-22)

12 ¶ And when it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.
13 Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy.
14 They came to the chief priests and elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul.
15 Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning him; but we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”
16 ¶ So when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their ambush, he went and entered the barracks and told Paul.
17 Then Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, “Take this young man to the commander, for he has something to tell him.”
18 So he took him and brought him to the commander and said, “Paul the prisoner called me to him and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to say to you.”
19 ¶ Then the commander took him by the hand, went aside, and asked privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?”
20 ¶ And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask that you bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire more fully about him.
21 But do not yield to them, for more than forty of them lie in wait for him, men who have bound themselves by an oath that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him; and now they are ready, waiting for the promise from you.”
22 ¶ So the commander let the young man depart, and commanded him, “Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me.”

One sure sign your message wasn't well received is when your audience plots your murder. I hate it when I preach a message like that. The high priest authorizes 40 men who had taken a solemn oath to kill Paul. One problem: the Romans have custody of him. Solution: get the high priest to call him before the Sanhedrin once again; that will provide opportunity for the 40 "oathers" (not a word, but should be) to slay him. What a devious bunch of scoundrels! The plot doesn't work though; Paul's nephew hears about the plot and reports it to the chief captain, who subsequently evades the threat. Incidentally, the oathers had vowed to not eat or drink until Paul was dead. Oooooo...tough luck guys!

It takes an army to move Paul from danger (Acts 23:23-35)

23 ¶ And he called for two centurions, saying, “Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at the third hour of the night;
24 and provide mounts to set Paul on, and bring him safely to Felix the governor.”
25 He wrote a letter in the following manner:
26 Claudius Lysias, To the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings.
27 This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them. Coming with the troops I rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman.
28 And when I wanted to know the reason they accused him, I brought him before their council.
29 I found out that he was accused concerning questions of their law, but had nothing charged against him deserving of death or chains.
30 And when it was told me that the Jews lay in wait for the man, I sent him immediately to you, and also commanded his accusers to state before you the charges against him. Farewell.
31 ¶ Then the soldiers, as they were commanded, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris.
32 The next day they left the horsemen to go on with him, and returned to the barracks.
33 When they came to Caesarea and had delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him.
34 And when the governor had read it, he asked what province he was from. And when he understood that he was from Cilicia,
35 he said, “I will hear you when your accusers also have come.” And he commanded him to be kept in Herod’s Praetorium.

Well, the chief captain won't have Paul slain on his watch. He's determined to safely deliver Paul to Felix, the Roman procurator of Judea, for trial. He immediately assembles a massive army detail (470 soldiers) to safely escort Paul out of Jerusalem. Paul's Roman citizenship is key in the chief captain's determination to preserve Paul's life. Once in Caesarea, the letter sent with Paul leads to the consent by the governor to hear Paul's case as soon as his accusers can be assembled. Incidentally, there must have been 40 very disappointed and hungry guys looking at this massive force guarding Paul who would have loved a sandwich about that time (see verses 12, 21).