After leaving Miletus, Paul passed on to Tyre and Ptolemais, and then to Jerusalem. The brief account of the conclusion of this voyage fixes our thoughts upon two great facts which prepare us for the closing scenes of the Book of Acts: first, the deep affection in which Paul is held by his friends; and second, the matchless courage with which he faces the trials which are so certain and so near. These two factors enter into his experience at Tyre and Caesarea. In both places, loving friends try to detain him from the path of duty; and in both places, heroic bravery bears him forward to pain, suffering, and imprisonment.
In Caesarea, while Paul is being entertained in the hospitable home of Philip the evangelist (chapter 8:40), a prophet named Agabus (chapter 11:27-28) arrives from Judea; and by a striking symbol, he predicts Paul’s approaching imprisonment. “Taking Paul’s girdle, he bound his own feet and hands, and said, Thus saith the Holy Spirit, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.” Then Luke records that “when we heard these things, both we and they of that place besought him not to go up to Jerusalem.” But even though Paul was assured of his peril, and even though his affectionate friends attempted to dissuade him from his purpose, he knew that it was the will of the Lord for him to still go to Jerusalem.
According to “the will of the Lord,” Paul’s way to Rome lay through Jerusalem. How merciful our God is! He ensured that the Jews, in their national capital, would have the opportunity of hearing the Gospel from one who loved their nation. He would speak before the chief council, and give to the nation yet another opportunity of accepting Jesus as their long-awaited Messiah.
The remaining portion of the Book of Acts is taken up entirely with the experiences of Paul as a prisoner in the hands of the Roman authorities. The period covered between the time of his arrest in Jerusalem and his release in Rome is probably about five years. The reason for his arrest was an endeavor which he was making to remove a certain prejudice that was held against him by members of the Church in Jerusalem. He had been welcomed to the city by the Christian leaders, and they rejoiced to learn of his success in evangelism among the Gentiles. These leaders, however, knew that many members of the Church in Jerusalem – which was composed entirely of converted Jews – believed the false report that Paul not only admitted Gentiles (non-Jews) into fellowship with the saints, but that he also compelled Jews who accepted Christ to give up their national and ethnic customs and forsake the law of Moses. In order to disprove these false claims, to bring perfect unity into the Church, and even to pacify the mad hatred of the unbelieving Jews, Paul was advised to accept a vow and observe its ceremonial ritual. Paul accepted this advice; and since the ceremonies connected with this vow were quite elaborate and expensive, he also agreed to defray the charges for four poorer members of the local church. Hereby he gave a public and certain proof that he was indeed loyal to the Jewish nation and its customs. Paul has sometimes been severely criticized for his action, which has been termed as compromising and hypocritical. This, however, totally misunderstands the principles of Paul. It is true that he had rejected the law of Moses as a means of justification, but not as a mode of life. He did not trust in its observance to secure his salvation, but he did practice its ceremonies as one who loved his nation and was glad to avoid any needless offense toward his countrymen.
Paul’s arrest was due to an entirely false charge that he had violated the law! Certain Jews from Asia raised a tumult in the city by seizing Paul out of the Temple, gathering a crowd, and crying out that he had defiled the Temple by supposedly bringing Gentiles within its courts. The charge was entirely untrue. The people wished to see Paul put to death as an apostate and a blasphemer; yet ironically, they seized him at the very time and place where he was showing his intense love for the Temple, and his loyalty to Jewish laws and customs! The circumstances prove that his enemies were moved only by malice and envy, that their real enmity was against Jesus, and that their violence to Paul was actually another rejection of the Gospel.
But as the frenzied mob seizes and beats the Apostle, he is rescued by the Roman soldiers who were stationed in the neighboring castle of Antonia, and who were charged with the preservation of order in the city. However, the Roman captain at whose order Paul was being placed under arrest was greatly mistaken as to the character of his prisoner. He supposed him to be a notorious Egyptian outlaw, impostor, and desperado who – some time before – had led an insurrection, but had escaped when he was defeated. He was much surprised when Paul addressed him in Greek, with an accent which betokened a man of refinement and culture. He was even more surprised to learn that Paul was a citizen of Tarsus, a city which had been shown high favor by the Roman government. For this reason, he was very ready to grant Paul’s request for the privilege of addressing the people, and probably even more so because he was moved by the hope that such an address might give information which would be useful to himself.
Lord, we repent of times when we may have resisted something which we knew to be Your clear will. We pray for grace to imitate Paul in this respect, and to submit our ways to You, knowing that You work all things for our good. Amen.
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