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Acts 21:1-25
Paul and his companions were heading back for Jerusalem with the offerings from the assemblies in Europe
and Asia. They had stopped in Miletus for a few days, where Paul met with the elders from the assembly at
Ephesus. Having labored beside these men for three years, Paul desired to bid them an especially fond
farewell - for he believed that he would never see them again.

Paul also sought to lay before these elders himself as an example of faithful service, to which he now called
them. It would be theirs to shepherd the church of God in Ephesus - to care for the assembly of believers,
to meet their needs, to teach them - and, Paul stressed, to watch over them - for Paul knew from experience
that the enemy was always seeking to thwart God=s plan.

These elders needed to be vigilant, because their adversary the devil walked about like a roaring lion,
seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet 5:8). Whom might he devour? Anyone associating themselves with
the assembly, who had not really believed into Jesus, to receive His Life. And how would he devour them?
They would be drawn away from the truth of Christ - from the purity of the gospel - in most cases, buying
into a salvation based on works instead. In this way, the enemy would devour them - depriving them of
eternal Life.

The enemy had already infiltrated the assemblies in Galatia through the Judaizers, unbelieving Jews who
were trying to add the works of the Law to simple faith in Jesus. But Paul warned that this threat could
even come from within the assembly - from those who rise up to positions of leadership, and put out false
teaching that they themselves had taken in, leading others astray.

The elders at Ephesus therefore must take heed to themselves - that they were believing and obeying the
truth - for if they did not watch over themselves, they could not watch over anyone else.

After this strong warning, which came out of Paul=s deep concern for all the churches, Paul prayed with
these dearly loved brethren, and after their sad farewells, he and his companions took their leave of them.

v.1-2 So Paul and his companions took their leave of the Ephesian elders in Miletus. The term Adeparted
from them@ in verse 1 literally means Atore themselves away from them@ - which was an apt description
of just how heartrending that separation must have been.

Paul had shared with the elders his belief that they would Asee his face no more@ - for the Spirit had
revealed to him that chains and tribulations awaited him in Jerusalem (Acts 20:23). The prospect of never
seeing Paul again was a source of great sorrow for the elders - for they had grown to deeply love Paul, as
they had worked side by side with him for the furtherance of the gospel in Ephesus.

So Paul and his associates set sail from Miletus, heading south until they came first to the island of Cos.
The next day, they sailed to the island of Rhodes, to the southwest, and the day following, pulled into
Patara, a seaport on the south coast of the province of Lycia in Asia Minor (see map).

Judging by the number of stops they were making, and by the fact that they spent the night in each port, the
group was likely sailing on a smaller coastal vessel. If they were to continue on that ship, they would have
stopped at the many ports along the coast of Asia Minor, hugging the coast until they came to the province
of Syria, and then finally to Phoenicia, which would have greatly delayed their arrival in Jerusalem.
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As Paul was determined to be there for the feast of Pentecost, he and his group located a larger ship in
Patara that could transport them directly across the open water of the Mediterranean. This vessel was
sailing directly for Tyre in Phoenicia; with the favorable winds of the summer season helping them, this
400-mile trip could be accomplished in just five days.

V. 3-4 The ship sailed past the south side of Cyprus, then came into port at Tyre, where this large vessel
spent the next week, discharging its cargo. The group was somewhat at the mercy of the ship=s scheduled
departures from each port, but they had saved so much time crossing the Mediterranean that they now had
ample time to reach Jerusalem by Pentecost. Remember that they left Philippi after the days of Unleavened
Bread in the Spring (Acts 20:6), which left them about a month and a half to reach Jerusalem by Pentecost.

We read that Paul and his companions Afound disciples@ at Tyre. We have the sense, then, that these
disciples were not previously known to anyone in Paul=s group. There is no record of Paul having been to
Tyre previously. How did these people become disciples?

Oddly enough, it might have been indirectly through Paul - but not though his preaching of the gospel.
Instead, it may have been through his attempt, so many years ago, to extinguish the light of the gospel.
Turn back to Acts chapter 8. Persecution arose against the believers in Jerusalem after the murder of
Stephen.

[Acts 8:1-4] The persecution, spearheaded by Saul (now Paul), drove the believers in Jerusalem out into
the surrounding communities of Judea and Samaria. Most of those who were driven out were former
Hellenist Jews - foreign born Jews, as was Stephen. And everywhere they were scattered, they sowed the
word of God. Luke gives us further details about these Hellenist believers, who were driven out of
Jerusalem. Turn to Acts chapter 11.

[Acts 11:19-21] So you can see that one of the locations into which the Hellenist believers were driven
was listed as Phoenicia - where Tyre was. It is most likely that this is the reason why Paul and his
companions found disciples at Tyre.

[Return to Acts 21]]

So how did these disciples treat the man who had formerly persecuted the Hellenist believers that had
shared the gospel in Tyre? They welcomed him, and opened up their homes to Paul and his companions.
Surely, these disciples in Tyre would have heard long ago about Paul=s conversion - for Tyre is not far
from Damascus (see map). That the chief persecutor of the Body of Christ had become one of its members
would have been big news.

These disciples would have known well for themselves, experientially, that if any man is in Christ, he is a
new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Cor 5:17). It is also
likely that the disciples in Tyre had heard even more - that Paul now preached the gospel himself among
the Gentiles. Think of how excited they would have been to meet the man about whom they had heard so
much!

Paul and his group stayed with the believers in Tyre for seven days, while their ship prepared for the next
leg of its journey. Apparently, there were some members of this community of believers who had been
graced by the Spirit with the power to prophesy. We read that these Atold Paul through the Spirit not to go
up to Jerusalem@ (v. 4).
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Now, in this context, we clearly can see that the ASpirit@ must be the Holy Spirit; this cannot refer to
man=s spirit, as worded. Was the Holy Spirit commanding Paul not to go up to Jerusalem? The wording
might be taken that way; but this would contradict what the Spirit had been revealing to Paul all along, and
what He will speak to Paul through another prophecy later.

Look back in Acts chapter 19, verse 21. Here, Luke records that Paul purposed in the Spirit to go to
Jerusalem, after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia; and that, after he had been to Jerusalem, he
must see Rome. So here, the Holy Spirit was revealing to Paul what his itinerary would be.

Now look at Acts chapter 20, verse 22. Paul told the elders from Ephesus that he was going bound in the
spirit to Jerusalem - his spirit - that is, he was choosing to confine his own will to the will of God, and go
there. Then he said that he didn=t know what would happen to him there, except that the Holy Spirit
testified in every city saying that chains and tribulations await him.

So after showing Paul what his itinerary would be, the Spirit showed Paul that, if he chose to follow that
itinerary, he would be imprisoned - for God always prepares for a trial of the faith.

If the Spirit was now commanding through these believers from Tyre that Paul was not to go up to
Jerusalem, that would be a contradiction of all that the Spirit had said before; and obviously, the Spirit does
not contradict Himself.

So what could the statement mean? It meant that the Spirit revealed to these prophets what lay ahead for
Paul if he went up to Jerusalem - they saw what would happen to him through the Spirit. And then, seeing
the danger, and out of concern for Paul=s welfare, they were telling Paul not to go.

Just in the space of a week, these believers from Tyre had drawn quite close to Paul. They were united to
him in the Spirit; they had true fellowship together, with the Father and the Son; and surely they had grown
as Paul shared with them his great understanding of the Scriptures. They would have seen the value of
Paul, as he shared about his mission among the Gentiles. The prospect of losing this treasured brother was
unthinkable; and so they voiced their personal concerns here.

These prophets may well have told Paul further why they felt he should not go up to Jerusalem; for the
Holy Spirit had apparently shown them what awaited Paul there. Luke may simply not have recorded this,
as he frequently summarizes such dialogues.

With what you have seen of Paul, would not Paul have stayed away, if the Holy Spirit was commanding
him to do so? And there was a time when Paul was unsure if he was supposed to personally accompany the
offering to Jerusalem, with the delegates - he thought at one time that they might just be taking it up to
Jerusalem themselves, without him (1 Cor 16:3-4).

More than a year later, Paul seemed to be certain that it was the will of God that he go as well (Rm 15:22-
25), but Paul knew it would be dangerous, and he asked for prayer that he would be delivered from the
unbelieving Jews there (Rm 15:30-32). Later still, Paul had laid down his will even about being delivered
(Acts 20:22-24). These were not the thoughts of someone who was insisting on having their own will in
the matter, but of someone who was seeking the will of God.
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By all of this, we can conclude that the Holy Spirit was not commanding Paul not to go up to Jerusalem; the
Holy Spirit had simply indicated to these prophets what would happen if Paul did, and then they told him
not to go.

We have no record of a response on the part of Paul to the plea of the disciples at Tyre, but we can safely
assume from what Paul would say later that their statement did not weaken his resolve; he already knew
what awaited him.

v. 5-6 After a week, the ship was ready to sail again, and Paul and his group took their leave of the
disciples in Tyre. You can see by their parting that these disciples had developed a strong attachment to
Paul and the others; all the believers and their families in Tyre accompanied them to the ship. The love of
Christ is the strongest of bonds.

As Paul had done at Miletus with the Ephesian elders, so he did with these believers also; he knelt down
and prayed with them, no doubt commending them to God and to the word of His grace (Acts 20:32). It
was another bittersweet parting.

v. 7-9 The ship stopped in Ptolemais only one day, a Roman colony about 25 miles to the south of Tyre.
Paul and his friends used the occasion to briefly visit the brethren there. The next day, they reboarded the
ship, which sailed south another 40 miles to Caesarea.

Paul=s group would proceed on foot from this point to Jerusalem; but first, they spent some time in
Caesarea (v. 10, Amany days@), fellowshipping with the believers there. These believers may also have
come to know the Lord through the preaching of the gospel by those dispersed out of Jerusalem by
persecution.

It was Philip the evangelist who opened up his home to Paul and his friends. As this Philip is named as
Aone of the seven@, we know that this is the same Philip who was one of the seven Hellenist Jews chosen
by believers in Jerusalem to provide the daily distribution to the poor of the community.

Turn back to Acts chapter 6. The apostles had told the assembly that they were to choose the men for this
work, of making the daily distribution. In verse 3, it lists what their qualifications were to be: Atherefore,
brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom,
whom we may appoint over this business@. That=s what Philip was: a believer who was well regarded by
the community of believers, who lived in submission to the Spirit, and so was full of His wisdom.

Another one of the seven was Stephen, who was put to death for his faithful witness. The persecution that
ensued after Stephen=s death resulted in Philip being compelled to leave Jerusalem.

The Spirit led Philip to Samaria, where he preached the gospel. In the first Samaritan town that Philip
preached in, virtually the whole city responded in faith to the gospel. God poured out His Spirit on them, in
front of an apostolic witness, to show that the Samaritans, just like the Jews, had been granted repentance
and received eternal life (Acts 8:5-17).

Philip was also responsible for the conversion of a high court official from Ethiopia, who carried his faith
back to his own country (Acts 8:26-39). The last time we saw Philip in Acts, he was evangelizing the
essentially Gentile cities along the Philistine plain of Judea which led up to - Caesarea (Acts 8:40). It
would appear that Caesarea became Philip=s home base, from that time - about twenty years ago or so -
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until the present, and that he married and started a family there.
It seems most fitting that the four daughters of Philip the evangelist were prophetesses; the verb tense
indicates that they prophesied regularly. The fact that they are described by Luke as Avirgin daughters@
suggests that they were unmarried young women, probably under the age of sixteen. The mention of them
by Luke shows that the early church held women in high esteem, compared to the cultures of the day.

The historical record shows that Philip and his daughters would migrate several years from now to the
province of Asia, and spend their remaining days there. They may have relocated during the dispersion of
the Jews that followed the destruction of the temple by the Romans in 70 AD. The tombs of Philip and at
least two of his daughters were pointed out at Hierapolis in the Lycus valley toward the end of the second
century.

Now Paul - the former persecutor of Philip, and the Hellenist believers - was welcomed heartily by Philip
into his home, along with his friends - at least nine men altogether - some of whom were Gentiles. None of
this stood in the way of the gracious hospitality extended by Philip.

Paul and Philip, the former antagonists, could now be friends, joined by the love of Christ, the unity of the
Spirit knitting their hearts together in the bond of peace (Eph 4:3). Think of the stories that these two men
were swapping with one another, as fellow preachers of God=s gospel of grace!

v. 10-11 You may remember that we have come across Agabus in Luke=s account before. He was one of
the prophets who had come down from Jerusalem to Antioch, during the days when Paul and Barnabas
were establishing that Gentile assembly.

Agabus had shown by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine in the Roman Empire during the
days of Claudius Caesar, and the disciples there determined to send relief to their Jewish brethren in Judea,
for the famine would have great impact on that impoverished community of believers. When the famine
came to pass as predicted, Paul and Barnabas had brought the relief down to Jerusalem (Acts 11:27-30).

Now Agabus was once again sent by the Spirit on a prophetic mission - once again to Paul, but this time in
Caesarea. How would he have known where Paul was, or when he arrived? By the Spirit.

What Agabus did was act out his prophecy - something which the OT prophets frequently did (Is 20:4, Jer
13:11, Ez 4:1-13). Agabus took Paul=s belt, or girdle - this is the wide sash worn to secure the garments in
place on the body. It is wrapped around the waist several times, and used as a pocket.

Agabus wrapped the girdle around his own hands and feet, while speaking the words of the Spirit in the
hearing of Paul and his friends, as well as some of the members of the Caesarean assembly. It was in this
way that the Jews in Jerusalem would bind Paul, and deliver him into the custody of the Gentiles.

Now, the actions of Agabus were symbolic - and within what they pictured, the revelation of the Spirit was
becoming more specific than ever.

It is the girdle that enables a man to do his work. The long, flowing garments are tucked up between the
legs and secured by the girdle so that a man is enabled to freely work; to perform his service. A man girds
himself when he is about to take action.
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But in the picture, the girdle was being used for another purpose; so was it available to be used for its
primary purpose, then? No - and without the garments secured, the man could not do his work; he could
not perform his service. Instead, the girdle was used to bind the man, hand and foot. In Scripture, the hand
speaks of the doing; the foot speaks of the walk, or conduct.

Paul would no longer be able to continue in his current service to the Lord. He would be bound with his
own girdle - his service to the Lord in Jerusalem would be the very thing that would result in his
imprisonment. In bondage, his hands would no longer be able to do what they had done for God; in
bondage, his feet would no longer be able to carry the gospel of peace to the Gentiles.

But we know that it would be only his body that was bound. We know that Paul=s spirit would continue to
soar free, finding its expression in a new ministry that the Lord would give him, in his chains.

Now technically , it would not be the Jews who would bind Paul, but the Gentiles - the Romans. But the
prophecy of Agabus was foretelling that Paul would be bound by the Jews, which he would in a sense
through their false accusations; effectively, the Jews would bind Paul, through their reaction to him.

Agabus did not speak beyond the Spirit=s word of prophecy, but his graphic illustration brought home the
reality of the danger for Paul to his friends.

v. 12-14 Both Paul=s friends and the believers at Caesarea sought to dissuade Paul from going up to
Jerusalem. They could not bear to think of this beloved and precious, and seemingly indispensable, man of
God falling into the hands of his enemies. But Paul saw it quite differently; and we can see his thinking
continuing to come into perfect alignment with the Lord=s.

Back in Miletus, Paul recognized by the Spirit=s revelation that tribulations and chains awaited him. Paul
had come to accept that; he was at peace with that. But now, we see that he had even come face-to-face
with death. What before was a vague thought, a remote possibility, had now come into sharp focus: he was
ready, not just to be imprisoned, but to die in Jerusalem - for the name of the Lord Jesus.

The One behind that name meant everything to Paul - that was his Lord, more precious than life itself. If it
was the Lord=s will that Paul should die in Jerusalem - if his death would result in the furtherance of the
gospel - if, by dying, he could bring glory to God - if the name of Jesus would be exalted, by him being
brought down into the dust of death - then so be it. For to Paul, to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Phil
1:21).

Of course, it was natural for Paul=s friends to be concerned about his welfare, but this unrestrained
expression of that concern was wrenching to Paul. He gently admonished his friends and the other
believers for Abreaking his heart@ - literally, it means for pounding his heart - that is, trying to soften his
determination. By showing that his resolve was for the sake of the name of the Lord Jesus, Paul put their
selfish sorrow in perspective for them. Now with their eyes on the Lord, they were able to say, the Lord=s
will be done.

We can begin to see a pattern forming here - a pattern of the servant, following in the footsteps of his
Master. God had given Jesus foreknowledge of what awaited Him in Jerusalem at the hands of the Jews,
just as the Spirit did here with Paul. In both cases, the disciples attempted to dissuade them from going; in
both cases, they laid down their will, Jesus saying, ANot My will, but Yours, be done@ (Lk 22:42).
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In acceptance lies peace. And with each heart settled on the Lord=s will, Paul and his friends were ready to
go up to Jerusalem.

v. 15-17 Notice in verse 15 that Luke indicates that they Apacked@ - a phrase he has not used before. The
group has been traveling by ship up until this time; now they will be proceeding by land to Jerusalem, a 64
mile journey that will take two days to complete.

What had to be packed was their possessions as well as the offering for Jerusalem, for which they might
have required the use of pack animals, which believers in Caesarea would have provided for the mission.
Some of the believers also accompanied them from Caesarea to Jerusalem.

Verse 16 says that the disciples from Caesarea Abrought with them a certain Mnason of Cyprus@. A better
translation of the Greek would be that they Abrought us to Mnason of Cyprus@. The idea is that the
Caesarean disciples brought Paul and his friends to the home of someone they knew well who lived in
Jerusalem, a believer whom they could depend on to open their home to this large, mixed company.

Mnason, a common Roman name, was of a family that originated from the island of Cyprus. Luke writes
that he was an early disciple, meaning a disciple of long standing - one that had become a believer in the
beginning, perhaps on Pentecost.

Based on his name, Mnason was most likely a Hellenist Jew, and so would tend to be more receptive to
allowing Gentiles to lodge in his home, for a devout Jew would consider the presence of a Gentile in their
home as ceremonially defiling. Perhaps this is a reflection that, by this point in time, even the members of
the Jerusalem assembly - essentially all Jews - were beginning to absorb the thought that there is neither
Jew nor Gentile - all are one in Christ Jesus (Gal 3:28).

When Paul and his companions arrived in Jerusalem, the brethren welcomed them. We can assume that
these brethren were Mnason and those he had invited to his home to welcome Paul and the others - most
likely, some members of the assembly whom Paul knew well, perhaps including some of the leadership;
but this was an informal gathering. They received Paul and the delegates of the Gentile churches with great
joy.
Remember it had been perhaps five years or so since Paul was last in Jerusalem briefly, after his second
missionary journey. Paul had been in distant lands, and encountered many dangers.

Through it all, Paul had continued his faithful witness to the Gentiles, and brought back some of the fruit of
that witness with him. Here were representatives of the very Gentile converts from the different lands
where Paul had ministered - from Galatia and Asia, from Macedonia and Achaia. What a joy it would have
been to see Paul again, and to see what the Lord had accomplished through Paul=s ministry!

v. 18-20a The next day, the assembly in Jerusalem held a formal meeting of the leadership with Paul and
the delegates from the Gentile assemblies. We see no mention of the apostles; it is certain that they were
not in Jerusalem, then; they were most likely evangelizing outside of Judea, perhaps in far-reaching places,
themselves.

James, the half-brother of Jesus, was present. He was highly respected in Jerusalem by both the
community of believers and even by the unbelieving Jews. All the other elders were present at this
meeting, as well, which indicates that they had been informed of Paul=s arrival.
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It is likely that this is where Paul would have presented the offering from the Gentile assemblies to the
church in Jerusalem; a love-gift from the Gentile believers to their Jewish brethren. Perhaps each region
presented their own portion of the gift, showing a representative member of the assembly that had extended
its compassion to those in need in Jerusalem.

It must have been very moving for the Jerusalem elders to consider the generosity of these peoples whom
they had never met, who did not know them, but were willing to dig down deep and give liberally, because
there were brothers in need. And they were giving to brothers with whom they had nothing in common -
neither culture, nor language, nor heritage - nothing in common, except the same Lord, Jesus, in whom they
were One, by whom they loved one another fervently, with a pure heart (1 Pet 1:22).

As for Paul, he had long envisioned this moment, when the good seed of the Word that he had sown among
the Gentiles bore the fruit of love, manifest in this lavish gift to the Jewish brethren in Jerusalem. What a
blessing to Paul=s heart, to see this culmination of the work in which he had labored with the Lord for the
last two decades.

At this meeting, Paul also gave a detailed account of his work among the Gentiles on this last missionary
trip. He would have told of his time among the assemblies of Galatia, where he strengthened the brethren
in the Word of God, while correcting their wayward thinking concerning a salvation based on works.

Then Paul would have recounted his three fruitful years in Ephesus, where he preached the gospel and
taught the Word, and how the Lord had done signs and wonders to authenticate his ministry. He would
have told of how all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus.

Paul would also have spoken about the assembly in Corinth, and how they reaffirmed their confidence in
Paul and his doctrine, finally discerning that they had a false teacher in their midst. There were also the
assemblies in Macedonia, who were persevering despite persecution, continuing faithfully in the truth. As
Paul spoke about each assembly, the eyes of the elders must have rested on the various delegates from these
churches, those living witnesses to the report that Paul was giving.

But that was not all. Paul could even tell of the gospel having reached the coast of the Adriatic, having
preached in Illyricum. And then there were the assemblies at Troas, Tyre, Ptolemais, Caesarea. There
were now all these lights shining throughout the Gentile world - a Light to the Gentiles (Is 49:6). How the
elders in Jerusalem must have marveled at what the Lord had accomplished through Paul! And they
glorified the Lord for what He was doing.

But there was something weighing on the minds of the elders, and they felt compelled to share it with Paul.
v. 20b-22 Luke uses the pronoun Athey@; it is likely that one man was speaking, but this shows that the
other elders were in agreement with him; he was presenting their thoughts. In that James was there, and did
not present a contrasting opinion, we can assume that he concurred with what was spoken, as well.

The elders pointed out to Paul that there were myriads of Jews who had come to believe in the Lord,
speaking of the residents of Jerusalem and Judea. The term Amyriads@ means an indefinite large number.
Twenty five years ago, the believers in Jerusalem alone had numbered 5000; by this time, that number was
probably multiplied several times.
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The elders indicated that these believing Jews were Aall zealous for the Law@. This is to say that these
believing Jews still strictly observed the ceremonial Law, and the customs of the Jews - circumcision,
sacrifices, distinctions of food and of days, the feasts, etc.

Now, this is not to say that these Jewish believers thought that the Law or circumcision was a means of
salvation. They had genuinely placed their faith in Jesus, trusting that He alone could save them. But these
Jews had been raised in these customs and ceremonies; they were part of the fabric of their being; part of
being a Jew, as they saw it. These believing Jews had not yet seen that Jesus had freed them from the Law,
and so they continued to think they must keep it.

And these believing Jews wanted to keep it; it was what they were used to, part of their routine in life.
They were comfortable with it. Was it sin? No, but it was bondage. Still, they had to come to that
conclusion for themselves.

Meanwhile, they continued to be zealous for the Law; and they expected all other Jewish believers to be the
same way.

In recent time, rumors had been circulating in Jerusalem concerning Paul. These rumors were undoubtedly
started by the unbelieving Jews and the Judaizers who came from different regions where Paul had been
preaching. The unbelieving Jews would have opportunity to start these rumors when they went up to
Jerusalem, perhaps for the feasts.

These rumors stated that Paul had been teaching Jewish converts in Gentile lands that they should forsake
the ceremonial Law (Aforsake Moses@). That they should not circumcise their sons. That they should
abandon Jewish customs.

Now - was any of that true? No; Paul did not teach that. His letters to the churches make that clear.

Paul did teach that it was not necessary for Gentile believers to keep the Law, or to be circumcised, as the
brethren in Jerusalem themselves had concluded (Acts 15:13-22). And Paul vigorously opposed the
thinking of Judaism, that the observance of the Law and circumcision provided justification and salvation
to the Jew (Gal 5:2-4). But Paul in no way opposed circumcision and the observance of the Law as custom
and ceremony.

Paul did recognize for himself that Jesus had fulfilled the Law, and so observing it was unnecessary - why
would you need the picture, when you had the Reality (Col 2:16-17)? Therefore, Paul knew that Jews were
completely free from the Law - but they were also free to observe it, if they so chose - as long as they did
not think that it justified them before God.

Paul himself was free. And yet we have seen that Paul had taken a vow on his second missionary journey
(Acts 18:18), which seemed to have been done as a personal thanksgiving on his part for the Lord
delivering him from the Jews in Corinth.

We have even seen that Paul had gone up to Jerusalem for feasts - he had done so on this occasion, in fact.
Of course, the reason that Paul did this was for the Jews in Jerusalem - Paul became all things to all men,
so that he might by all means save some (1 Cor 9:22).
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Now, what did the elders in Jerusalem think of the rumors? In the past, Paul had explained his doctrine to
them, communicating to them the gospel that he preached among the Gentiles, and they completely
concurred with him (Gal 2:1-10), adding only that Paul should remember the poor - and wasn=t that the
very thing that Paul was now doing, in bringing this offering up to Jerusalem? So we can be sure that the
elders did not believe that these rumors had any basis.

But the leadership in Jerusalem was uneasy. They didn=t believe the rumors concerning Paul, but they
knew that the Jewish believers who were zealous for the Law needed a stronger reassurance. Remember
that this assembly was surrounded by unbelieving Jews, including the rulers in Jerusalem, who were only
too willing to believe such a thing about the traitorous Paul.

If the members of the Jerusalem church were not convinced of Paul=s innocence, this could result in an
alliance between believing and unbelieving Jews, and consequently a serious rift within the Body of Christ.
In addition to this, tensions in Jerusalem were particularly high at this time in history. Jewish nationalism
was on the rise; aristocrats were even being murdered who were suspected of collaborating with the
Gentiles. And remember that the elders had just accepted the offering that Paul had brought up to
Jerusalem - and who was that offering from? Gentile believers.

The elders realized that the assembly of believers in Jerusalem would want to meet when they heard that
Paul was in town to discuss these things - and they further realized that such a meeting could be a disaster,
fueled by the fodder of these rumors. So the thought of the elders was to do something to dispel the rumors
- before things got out of control.

To the elders of the assembly, the best course of action appeared to be to have Paul affirm his Jewish
heritage, and demonstrate his willingness to keep the Law. In this way, the rumors surrounding Paul would
be seen by all to have no basis. So this is what they proposed to Paul.

v. 23-25 The elders knew of four Jewish believers that were in the process of taking a vow - possibly a
Nazarite vow, in that they were to crop their hair at the end of it (Num 6:13-20). The elders suggested that
Paul be purified along with the men - not that he was taking the vow, but having been in Gentile lands, he
would be considered ceremonially defiled, and must undergo ritual cleansing before he could participate in
a Jewish ceremony.

The elders further suggested that Paul pay the expenses of the young men at the temple, speaking of paying
for the offerings that would be required when the vow was completed. To pay the expenses of those taking
a vow, as their sponsor, was considered by the Jews to be an act of piety and charity. In this way, it would
be seen that Paul conformed to the Law and the customs of Israel, which would effectively disprove the
rumors concerning him.

What the elders proposed to Paul did not involve any concession on his part; it did not compromise the
gospel; it was merely intended to be a means of justifying Paul from wrongdoing, in the eyes of the Jews;
to show that he had not forsaken his Jewish heritage.

The leadership in Jerusalem had no sense that what they were proposing here posed a personal danger to
Paul; in fact, they would surely have thought instead that it would be a protective measure for him.

But Paul would have known better, with his many experiences with the Jews in other lands. To put himself
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in such a place of high visibility as the temple; to publicly undertake purification rites, and perform acts of
piety and charity, right in the midst of the unbelieving Jews, who were convinced that Paul was an apostate
Jew, would certainly kindle their wrath; it would beg their reaction.

But what was Paul to do? If he did not do what the elders indicated, the uproar over him could greatly
jeopardize the church in Jerusalem - and elsewhere. Of course, if he did what the elders wanted, he
surmised it would involve the sacrifice of himself.

So what was he to do? The will of God. The Spirit had shown him that chains and tribulations awaited him
in Jerusalem; the course to that was clear: Paul must submit to the elders, in the interest of the unity of the
Body of Christ - the unity between himself and the leadership in Jerusalem; the unity between Jew and
Gentile.

Later, from prison, Paul would write, AAnd if I am being poured out on the sacrifice and service of your
faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me@ (Phil
2:17-18).

ANot My will, but Yours be done@. And next week, we=ll see the will of God unfold for Paul.

Next week: Finish chapter 21. Read 22.