May 17, 2015
Acts 21:1-40


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Outline:


Recap: Paul and a group of eight companions are headed to Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost. From Troas they’ve made their way by ship south down the coast line of what’s today modern Turkey arriving in Miletus. From Miletus Paul sends for the elders of the Ephesian church to join him where he shares a few parting words.




Acts 21:1-4, “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. And finding a ship sailing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. 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. And finding disciples, we stayed there seven days. They told Paul through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem.” 




Motion of the Text: From Miletus they sail “to Cos” then “to Rhodes” before arriving in “Patara.” From Patara Luke tells us they “find a ship” that would be making the 400 mile, nonstop journey across the Mediterranean “over to Phoenicia” specifically porting in the city of “Tyre” where the “ship was to unload her cargo.”


This phrase “finding disciples” presents the idea that they were actually surprised to find a Christian community in Tyre as Paul had never visited this area before. Note: Luke includes these type of details to reinforce the idea that while Acts focuses on Paul’s role in the spread of the Gospel across the world he was not the only one fulfilling the Great Commission. 


During the “seven days” they stayed with the believers in Tyre Luke tells us “they told Paul (literally, “they kept on telling Paul”) through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem.” 




Acts 21:5-9, “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. When we had taken our leave of one another, we boarded the ship, and they returned home. And when we had finished our voyage from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, greeted the brethren, and stayed with them one day. 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. Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.”




Motion of the Text: From Tyre they sail “to Ptolemais” where they stayed one day before traveling another 60 miles “to Caesarea” staying in “the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven.” (For more on Philip reference our studies in Acts 6 & 8.) It would seem Philip ultimately settled in Caesarea where he put down roots, married, and started a family having “four virgin daughters who prophesied.” An amazing legacy!


What’s awesome about this passage is the fact that Paul and his persecution of the church had been singularly responsible for originally driving Philip out of Jerusalem; and yet, isn’t it a testimony to the amazing grace of God that some 20 years later we’re told Philip would willingly open up his home for Paul. Talk about forgiveness in action!




Acts 21:10-11, “And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 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.’”




Keep in mind Agabus and Paul already had history. In Acts 11:28-30 while Paul was ministering with Barnabas in Antioch (before the mission trips) Agabus came from Jerusalem with a prophecy “that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world.” 


What’s interesting is that in that instance we’re told Agabus communicated this prophetic word by “standing up and showing by the Spirit.” It would seem based upon the two times he appears in Acts that Agabus and his prophetic ministry had a flair for the dramatic. Aside from the theatrics of the scene, look at the substance of his message for Paul… “The Jews at Jerusalem” would “bind and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.” 


While Paul has already been warned by every church community he’s visited since embarking on this journey to Jerusalem that “chains and tribulations await him,” Agabus’ prophecy explains that his fate would ultimately rest with the Romans and not the Jews.



Admittedly, the first 11 verses of Acts 21 leave the reader a bit perplexed. Up until this chapter it would seem Paul’s journey to Jerusalem had been initiated by the Holy Spirit. 



And yet, in addition to the continued testimony that trouble awaited him in Jerusalem, in Acts 21:4, through these believers in Tyre, “the Spirit” tells Paul “not to go up to Jerusalem.” 


So which is it… Did the Spirit want Paul to go to Jerusalem or not? And then in going to Jerusalem anyway was Paul being boldly obedient or stubbornly rebellious?


Two respected pastors I listen to during my sermon prep illustrate how differently scholars address this question. David Guzik teaches that it was the Spirit’s will for Paul to go to Jerusalem and that the purpose behind revealing all the trials that awaited him was not to deter him, but instead to prepare him for what he could expect when he arrived. 

In attempting to reconcile verse 4 with this position (which is easier said than done) Guzik explains that “the specific warning not to go up to Jerusalem was a human interpretation of the Holy Spirit’s prophecy of the danger that awaited Paul.” 

In line with the same basic position J. Vernon McGee reconciles this particular verse as being the Spirit’s way of telling Paul “the same thing He had said before.” In a sense “Paul was not to go up to Jerusalem unless he was prepared to make the required sacrifice.”


On the other side of the argument Damian Kyle sees these continual warnings coupled with this clear directive in verse 4 as proof that it was not the Spirit’s will for Paul to go to Jerusalem and that his stubbornness to go anyway should be seen as a grave mistake.


Though I will concede that wonderful Bible expositors (men more knowledgeable that I) fall on either side of the issue, let me build the case for why I believe Paul was in error. Note: This is important for it will dictate how we view the rest of the narrative of Acts.


1. We have no textual evidence that the Holy Spirit directed Paul to go to Jerusalem. 

Though in Acts 19:21 we’re told “Paul purposed in the Spirit… to go to Jerusalem” and then in Acts 20:22 that he was “bound in the spirit… to go to Jerusalem” neither of these two verses specifically say the Holy Spirit told Paul to go with the kind of clarity and directness we find in Acts 21:4 when “the Spirit” emphatically tells him “not to go up to Jerusalem.” 


In actuality the case can be made that since the final destination laid on Paul’s heart in Acts 19 was the city of Rome, what was being “purposed in the Spirit” did not necessarily demand a stop in Jerusalem. If you’ll remember when Paul tried to sail from Achaia to Jerusalem his plan was scrapped when an assassination plot was uncovered.


Beyond this, Acts 20 could be seen as evidence that Paul’s plan to go to Jerusalem was instead born of his own spirit (self-desire). According to his own words he was “bound in the spirit (lower case) to go to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me.”


Since we can say with confidence the Holy Spirit would never contradict Himself and that Acts 21:4 presents stronger textual evidence, the Spirit was in actuality telling Paul not to go to Jerusalem, the passages in Acts 19 & 20 should be seen as an expression of Paul’s personal desire to visit Jerusalem as opposed to the Spirit’s intentional directive.


2. No one else agreed with Paul’s belief that the Spirit was leading him to Jerusalem.



Acts 21:12-14, “Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. 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.” So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.”




It would seem from the text that Agabus’ prophetic word sent Paul’s friends over the edge. Knowing what was coming and sensing the Spirit might be trying to stop him from going to Jerusalem, Luke tells us “both we and those from that place pleaded with Paul not to go.” And yet, Luke says Paul “would not be persuaded” from going claiming he was “not only ready to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”


Though it was clear no one could talk Paul out of his plans, this phrase “we ceased, saying, ‘The will of the Lord be done’” intended to leave the reader with the impression they all decided to “agree to disagree agreeably” trusting that while they might have believed Paul was being stubborn God’s will would be accomplished regardless of who was right or wrong.


Don’t get me wrong… I understand the point often made that the Holy Spirit never leads one man through the directives of another; however, Scripture does advise to the benefit of trusted friends affirming the Spirit’s leading. What’s alarming was that there was no one coming to Paul’s defense. Not one friend agreed the Spirit was leading him to Jerusalem.


3. Going to Jerusalem to reach the Jews was not in line with God’s call for Paul’s life.

For starters, there is no question Paul deeply cared for the Hebrew people. In Romans 9:3 Paul would write, “I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren…” The problem boiled down to the reality that Jesus hadn’t called Paul to preach the Gospel to the Jews. As a matter of fact, every time he attempted to do so things ended horribly. 


In God’s sovereign will Paul knew that he had been called to be the “Apostle to the Gentiles.” (Romans 11:13) The fundamental problem in this situation was that Paul was heading to Jerusalem hoping for the opportunity to share Jesus with his countrymen. And while in and of itself this was a good and noble ambition it wasn’t the ministry God had called him too!


4. Paul’s time in Jerusalem proved to be unfruitful and counter-productive.


Acts 21:15-20, “And after those days we packed and went up to Jerusalem. Also some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us and brought with them a certain Mason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to lodge. And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. When he had greeted them, he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord.” 




Motion of the Text: From Caesarea Paul and this crew arrive in Jerusalem and immediately meet with “James, and all the elders” where they “told in detail (literally “every single detail”) those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.”




Acts 21:20-22, “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; 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. What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come.”




While these men “glorified the Lord” upon hearing the work God was doing in these Gentile communities, their response reveals an undercurrent of bitter feelings. It’s almost as if they begin by saying, “Paul, that’s great to hear what God is doing among the Gentiles, but look at the thousands of Jews who have believed.” It’s as though they’re comparing ministries! 


Did you notice another problem? Though a great many Jews had accepted Jesus, we’re told “they were all zealous for the law.” While accepting Jesus as their Messiah many had failed to fully accept Him as their Savior which is the fundamental problem of legalism. Sadly, these men boasted more in the number of believers than the quality of believers!


Beyond this Jerusalem church being filled with legalistic believers many of them were suspicious of Paul, hearing that he had been “teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses… no longer circumcise their children nor walk according to the customs.”


Ironically, none of these things were true! According to Romans 4-6 Paul didn’t have a problem with Jews enjoying their Jewish customs as long as their obedience to these things didn’t foster the idea they were some how more righteous than those who didn’t! 


The fundamental message of Paul was simple: All men (Jew and Gentile) are not only saved the same way, but are made perfect through the same mechanism… Faith in Jesus!


Tragically, it would seem the leadership of this church (while maybe rejecting the accusation internally) had done nothing to publicly defend Paul. Not to worry… They had a plan!




Acts 21:23-25, “Do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow. 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. 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.”




“Do what we tell you…” Honestly, if you ever hear these words come out of the mouths of the leadership of a church you should leave that church immediately. Instead of pointing to Jesus and presenting what His Word has to say about issues like this, these men command Paul to do what they wanted him to do… What they thought was best! That’s a dangerous dynamic!


The crux of their instructions was not to clear Paul’s name or stand for the truth, but was instead to placate to the sensitivities of the legalists in their church and the moralists in their midst by having Paul publicly demonstrate “that he also walked orderly and kept the law.” 


Because they feared offending the Jews in Jerusalem or the Jewish believers zealous for the law, they instruct Paul to join these “four men who had taken a vow” and sponsor them by “paying their expenses.” Understand, this entire exercise was all about appearance… They wanted people to see that Paul believed keeping the law and customs was important.


Here was the problem… Paul didn’t believe obedience to these things was important at all! The reality is that they were commanding Paul to compromise on the fundamentals of his core beliefs in order to build a bridge with those who found those beliefs offensive. Sadly, Paul capitulates and guess what happens? It doesn’t work, because it never works!


Capitulating to and compromising with those diametrically opposed to your beliefs will never lead to victory or even attain peace, but will only yield a quicker defeat!




Acts 21:26-30, “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. 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, 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.” (For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.) 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.”




So much for “building a bridge!” Though Paul had come to reach the Jews (which he wasn’t called to do) and he’d compromised his beliefs in order to make peace with his critics (which was ill-conceived) as soon as they saw him “Jews from Asia stirred up the whole crowd” and “laid hands on him” accusing him of being against the Hebrews, the law, and the temple.  


Their Strategy: They used the things Paul was for in order to accuse him of things he must be against! Note: Jesus and Stephen were condemned using the same technique.




Acts 21:31-40, “Now as they were seeking to kill him, news came to the commander of the garrison that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. He immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down to them. And when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 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. 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. When he reached the stairs, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob. For the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, “Away with him!” 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? Are you not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?” 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.” 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…”




Though we won’t be able to look at the sermon Paul gives to this mob this morning, for our purposes I want to point out that everything he shares falls on deaf ears. Not only is there no record of any converts, but all Paul accomplished was stirring up the mob even more!


In conclusion… Paul should never have come to Jerusalem. He ignored the Spirit’s constant warnings, ignored his friend’s loving counsel, ignored his God-given calling, and ultimately compromised his core beliefs. In the end, not only was his time in Jerusalem unfruitful, but he found himself in prison.


So why would Luke willfully present Paul in such a light? I think there are two reasons:


1. As a defense brief presented before Nero.

 By presenting Paul’s trip to Jerusalem as being in rebellion against God and contrary to the wishes of every other Christian he encountered, Luke is to some extent separating Paul from the rest of Christianity. 


If Paul was ultimately found guilty of intentionally stirring up unrest and inciting the Jewish mob, at least the evidence would exist that he went to Jerusalem on his own volition and that the rest of Christianity actively tried to prevent the turmoil that inevitably occurred. 


2. The rest of the story would serve to demonstrate the incredible reality that God could still accomplish His will in Paul’s life despite his disobedience. 


I believe beginning in Acts 19 God wanted Paul to go from Ephesus to Rome to minister to the Gentiles, but he instead headed the opposite direction desiring to minister to the Jews in Jerusalem. I’m convinced that Jesus ends up using this mob and his subsequent incarceration to get Paul heading in the right direction. (Similar to the story of Jonah.)


To this point I think there is evidence that Paul understood he’d messed up by coming to Jerusalem in defiance of the Spirit’s leading. In Acts 23:11, as Paul sat in jail, we’re told “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.”


Sure Paul messed up, but God’s grace would be demonstrated in an equally powerful way as He would use Paul’s failures to still accomplish His purposes! Though his journey to Rome might have looked different if he had simply been obedient, Jesus reassures Paul that he’d still make it to Rome to share the Gospel nonetheless. 


Never forget… Your mess-ups are never too big for Jesus to clean up! Amazingly (and I believe Paul is an example of this) Jesus has this uncanny ability to be able to route our path to His ultimate destination even when we’ve taken a misguided detour.

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