Walking Through Acts

Today, we arrive at the point of Paul’s arrest at the Temple in Jerusalem. This is a

confirmation of not only the prophecy given by Agabus, but by the people in the

city of Tyre who told Paul not to go to Jerusalem. Scripture isn’t clear as to what

the Holy Spirit revealed to these people, but we know that whatever it was,

whatever was awaiting Paul in Jerusalem wasn’t going to be easy, so much so that

they must have feared for Paul’s safety and possibly even his life.

One of the things I hope you take away from this message, that sticks with you, is

observing Paul’s conduct during the events that follow.

Acts 21:27

27 When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, seeing him

in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him,

We’ve seen these Jews from Asia before! These were the Jews present at the riot

in Ephesus. They had already run into this man Paul and knew how polarizing of a

figure he was. They knew that what he taught was, from their point of view,

complete heresy and because of this, in an attempt to do what the Ephesians

couldn’t, they try to silence him once and for all.

Acts 21:28

28 crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone

everywhere against the people and the law and this place. Moreover, he even

brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.”

This plea for help is another one of those instances that we find in Scripture that

point to the fact that people over the millennia have not changed. What we see

here is a man or a group of men who, in an effort to get people worked up into a

frenzy, they position themselves as helpless victims. Therefore, anyone who isdeemed a threat or is pointed to as the aggressor regardless of what the facts may

say, unfortunately more often than not, public opinion sways towards the

supposed victims and turns people’s hearts against the alleged perpetrator.

Even in our own country, where we state that we believe anyone accused of a

crime is innocent until proven guilty, there are times where due process is not

taken into consideration and mainstream media and news outlets, and even at the

individual level, love to paint their own view and put their own spin on a person or

situation while ignoring the facts of what actually took place. It’s just something in

our human nature that we love to vilify people that we don’t particularly agree

with or like.

This is why I love God’s Word and preaching it. We can count on the Bible to

always be true and reliable. It will never fail us. It is a firm foundation upon which

we can stand in a shaky and unstable world. We can come to Church on Sunday

and be centered by it. We can come home after a hard day’s work on a Tuesday

and be centered by it. It’s a breath of fresh air and it provides refreshment to our

souls. What a contrast to our world today, and the world we observe in our

reading. Paul finds himself in the midst of a tumultuous situation.

Here are the charges brought against Paul. This was addressed to the crowds of

Jews there. “He doesn’t like you. He doesn’t like what we believe. And he doesn’t

like our Holy place of worship.” We saw very similar accusations brought against

Stephen earlier on in our Walk Through Acts. The next charge brought against Paul

is an alleged crime of bringing a Gentile into the Temple court where only Jews

were allowed to be. This was no small accusation.

Reece,

“There were inscriptions over the gates which pierced this wall which read, “No

man of alien race is to enter within the barricade which surrounds the temple.

Anyone who is caught doing so will have himself to blame for the penalty of death

that follows.”

Paul at this moment is becoming all the more aware of his predicament and is

probably thinking to himself, this could be the end. Now this next verse makes the

previous accusation seem all the more ridiculous.Acts 21:29

29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and

they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.

Remember that Trophimus was not a Jew, but a Gentile. He accompanied Paul on

his third missionary journey collecting and bringing offerings from the Gentile

churches to Jerusalem. Scripture tells us that the Jews throwing out these

accusations didn’t even know if Trophimus had gone into the Temple court with

Paul. It was only supposed that he did. Now how baseless and silly of an

accusation to make, especially considering the ramifications that could lead to

one’s death. But it didn’t matter to them. The facts were irrelevant to them, and

the supposed presence of Trophimus in the temple court was just as good as him

actually being there in their own minds. “Let’s do everything we can to silence

Paul, even if we have to sacrifice our own integrity” was probably the prevailing

sentiment.

Accts 21:30

30 Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul

and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.

If the Jews from Asia took notes during the riot in Ephesus on how to start a riot,

they were following their plan here in Jerusalem to the T. Appeal to emotion

rather than facts. Create an “us vs. them” scenario. Double down on the

accusations. As we have seen in the lives of those living in the first century as well

as the culture we live in today, this is a recipe for mass hysteria and division.

Scripture tells us that they drug Paul out of the temple, and notice that they didn’t

bring Trophimus because he wasn’t there. And he probably never was in the

temple with Paul in the first place. Here’s the ironic thing. They drug Paul out of

the temple in order to not pollute the temple court with his blood as they have

intentions of beating him. Who or what really polluted the Holy Place? Paul, or the

hatred of the Jews?Acts 21:31-32

31 And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort

that all Jerusalem was in confusion. 32 He at once took soldiers and centurions

and ran down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they

stopped beating Paul.

So there was a mob of Jews beating Paul with either their fists or clubs or a

combination thereof and the only thing that caused them to stop for a moment

was the sight of hundreds of Roman soldiers approaching in their midst. More

than they wanted to kill Paul, they wanted to spare their own lives.

Acts 21:33-36

33 Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with

two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done. 34 Some in the crowd

were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn the facts

because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. 35 And

when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the

violence of the crowd, 36 for the mob of the people followed, crying out, “Away

with him!”

When I was preparing my message for today, I recall a time when my sister was

taking a criminal justice class and one of her homework assignments was to put

handcuffs on someone and then take them off. So I don’t remember how it was

decided, but I was the one who got the handcuffs put on them. And we were in

our living room and my parents were there and my brother and of course my

sister, and the handcuffs went right on. There was only one thing she neglected to

do. And that was to make sure she had the key. My parents had to drive us to the

police station explaining what had happened and had to have one of the police

officers take the cuffs off. I never expected to find myself at a police station with

handcuffs around my wrists, but there I was.

Back to our Scripture for today, this wasn’t Paul’s first rodeo. He had been here

before. Bound with chains. We saw it in chapter 16 with him and Silas bound in

chains and stocks about their feet. He was no stranger to this sort of experience. I

can just imagine Paul standing there, dripping with blood and bruises all over himwith a kind of resoluteness that only comes from a deeply rooted relationship

with God. Knowing who he was.

Let me just take a moment to emphasize how important this is in our own lives.

Does the way in which you live reflect the confidence that comes from knowing

who you are and whose you are? Because if you know this, you will be able to face

any kind of mistreatment or false accusations or ridicule hurled at you from

people who would love to see you hurt.

Here's one example that came from my time working at a sheet metal factory

making air duct parts. I was 19 years old at the time. And it was already several

months into my time being at this factory. At this point, because we are Christians

we work as unto the Lord in anything and everything we do, excellence was my

standard and it had been noticed. I was even told by a co-worker that I just kissed

up to the boss. Only thing was, was that although it’s true that I worked under my

boss, I was ultimately working for God and nothing less than my best was ever

acceptable. So, I was made supervisor over my area.

One day, I was called up to the floor supervisor’s desk and the plant manager was

there. He was a very big imposing and intimidating kind of guy. 6’7 with a scowl as

mean as they come. He motioned with his finger for me to come closer and he

brought out some parts for me to inspect. So I took them and noticed right away

that the parts were irreversibly damaged and apparently they had been sent

down the line to be inspected for shipping. I knew right away that this was going

to fall on me. Here’s the thing. I had inspected tens of thousands of parts up to

this point. And I knew for a fact that I would never approve of sending those parts

down the line. I knew it, my team knew it and I would probably even say that my

floor supervisor knew it. But the plant manager was convinced that this mistake

was my fault. After all, first shift denied it to the hilt and so someone had to take

the fall. So, I had a choice to make. Either argue with the plant manager rightfully

defending my innocence in the matter, or I could look at the bigger picture and

realize that maybe there’s a better way.

I looked at the plant manager and without lying by saying I did it (keeping my

integrity in tact), I told him, “It will never happen again” and that was it. Never

heard about it again.The Apostle Paul was having false accusations thrown at him from all directions.

Here’s the thing. He didn’t need to rely on what others thought of him. He didn’t

need to be discouraged. He knew who he was and Whose he was. And the Tribune

then asks the crowd who Paul was and what he had done, but no one could give a

clear or coherent answer. Then the soldiers took Paul away from the crowd and

away from the danger as Paul’s life was surely under threat. They actually had to

carry him up the steps because of how violent the crowd was. They wanted him

dead and they wanted it now.

Imagine you’re Paul in this situation. What kinds of emotions would you be

feeling? What kind of mental state would you be in after just being beaten and

you knew that the people standing right outside want you dead? I would imagine

pretty fearful, or anxious or angry, or sad or a mixture of all sorts of emotions. As I

mentioned at the beginning of the message today, take notice of how Paul

responds in the following verses.

Acts 21:37a

37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May

I say something to you?”

Now, this question is not the question that comes from a typical prisoner.

Especially a criminal that the Jews seemed to elevate to the status of one

deserving to die on the spot. Paul was not their typical prisoner and he makes that

very clear in this request. “May I say something to you?”

The tribune responds.

Acts 21:37b-38

And he said, “Do you know Greek? 38 Are you not the Egyptian, then, who

recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out

into the wilderness?”

Here we get confirmation that the tribune has no idea who Paul really is. This

Egyptian was the leader of an insurrectionist group who led a revolt just a fewyears prior. They were known as the Assassins (sikarioi – Greek and sicarri – from

the Latin), also known as the dagger-men (sica-dagger).

Reece,

“They were terrorists who were bitter enemies of the Romans and the Roman

sympathizers in Palestine. They would mingle with the crowds at the feasts, for

example, pull their daggers from beneath their robes and stab a man, return the

dagger to its hiding place, and then join in the outcry against such violence that

the bystanders would raise.”

The tribune assumed Paul was the leader of this assassin group but quickly found

out that this was not the case.

Acts 21:39

39 Paul replied, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I

beg you, permit me to speak to the people.”

Here’s what Paul’s response did. It denied that he was the Egyptian he was

thought to be. It denied he was a Gentile that defiled the Temple. It also gave the

tribune and idea of his status. Paul said, he was from Tarsus which was a well

known and prominent city in the Ancient world. It was a city known for its

education that rivaled the likes of Athens and Alexandria. It was a center for

commerce. At this point, the Tribune is well convinced that this Paul guy is most

definitely not the typical prisoner. And then Paul asks, can I speak to the people?

And for what reason would the Tribune grant Paul this request? Would it be that

the tribune thought Paul deserved a chance to make a defense against the charges

brought against him? Possibly. Could it be that Paul’s demeanor and conduct

around the soldiers and the tribune himself made it clear that he was not there to

create more chaos but rather to bring peace to the situation? In any case, Paul is

granted his request.

And so we arrive at this moment, this picturesque moment when Paul steps out to

address the crowd. Beaten, bloodied and bruised. Yet, this man named Paulstands in conviction about to speak with everyone there hanging on his every

word. The Jews, the tribune and the Roman soldiers.

Acts 21:40

40 And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, motioned

with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed

them in the Hebrew language, saying:

Piano to play here.

I will leave us on that cliff hanger here. What will Paul say? Those of you who are

familiar with this chapter, know what Paul will go on to talk about. But let’s put

ourselves in the minds of one of the crowd there that day. Was Paul going to make

a desperate plea for his life? Was he going to try to make a case for his innocence?

Was he going to take off his sandals and shake them at the crowd as the highest

form of disapproval? Was he going to berate and brow beat them for all the

terrible things they just done to him? We will find out next Sunday.

Scripture tells us that Paul addressed the crowd in Hebrew. He didn’t speak to

them in Greek, nor Aramaic, but Hebrew, the very language that they would

understand completely so as to not miss a single word that Paul spoke.

So we living in the 21st century would do well to lean in to what Paul has to say as

well.