Paul Arrested in Jerusalem
Acts of the the Apostles • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Have you ever been caught in the middle. Where you’re trying to do something and and it seems like no matter what you do, people fundamentally misunderstood the situation?
That is exactly the situation Paul finds himself in in Acts 21. We have seen Paul’s 3 missionary journeys, he has led thousands to faith in Jesus. Jews and Gentiles alike. He has now been called to go to Jerusalem, where he is going to be arrested. And he goes there knowing this. But he is compelled by the spirit to go anyway. He says in chapter 20
23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
The good news of GOD’S GRACE. That’s it, isn’t it? That we can be saved. Our sins can be forgiven. That we have a purpose. That we are loved. That we do not have to be a slave to sin and death, but we can be free..
What good news! What a testimony!
But sometimes the truth gets...muddied. Misunderstandings can abound.
Let’s look at what happens in Jerusalem.
17 When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters received us warmly. 18 The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. 19 Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
20 When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. 21 They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs.
They have been informed that this is why are are saying.
22 What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, 23 so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. 24 Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law.
Paul is a good jew. But the point of Jesus and His salvation is to bring freedom to people. Suddenly having these countless requirements is a significant barrier, but those that grew up in this culture, they are free to continue as they always had. Jesus Himself observed the law as it was intended.
25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.”
You’ll recall that was codified, in a way, at the Jerusalem council in Acts 15.
26 The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.
This is important. People are told that Paul is telling jews to turn away from the law of Moses. And the fact of the matter is that he isn’t. It is false. He has much to say about the law, and that it isn’t the law that brings salvation and we’re not saved by works, but Paul himself is still a practicing Jews. So Paul goes through this process.
27 When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, 28 shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.”
They see him there. It doesn’t say he’s preaching or anything. What do they say he’s doing? Teaching everyone everywhere against Our People. Our Law. This Place.
I find it interesting that they didn’t bring up God. Now I understand, the temple, the people, the law, was all wrapped up with God’s presence. But those things became more important. The temple, apart from God, is meaningless. The law, apart from God, means nothing. The people, apart from God, are not special among the nations. Even something as simple as keeping the sabbath holy, Jesus addressed and clarified that the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. Meaning these things were meant to be a means to draw nearer to God. A means to an end. But the things themselves became holy.
It’s the same thing today. Without the presence of the Holy Spirit, this building, this congregation, it’s all just, meaningless.
Because they fundamentally misunderstood the law, the scriptures, the prophets, and the gospel, they could not see the truth of what Paul was saying. That all of it had pointed to Jesus as the Messiah. That it was all put in motion from the very beginning, from the moment mankind sinned in the garden.
But the people didn’t see that. They thought Paul had turned his back on Isreal itself. And was actively working against it.
The people seized Paul and they began beating him. The commander of the Roman troops came when they heard of the uproar, and the people stopped beating Paul. The commander tried to get to the bottom of things, but it was chaos. People shouting from the crowd, so he ordered Paul be taken into the barracks.
37 As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?” “Do you speak Greek?” he replied. 38 “Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness some time ago?”
Picture this. Paul is a Roman citizen, but also a pharisee. Uniquely positioned to be this instrument used by God. He observes the law, both of the scripture and also of the Roman empire. He is not violent.
He has the jews accusing him of something he has not done, turning other jews away from the law of Moses. And the Romans think he is an Egyptian terrorist.
It is our job to make sure we are right with God. You could be the chosen instrument of the most high God to take the gospel to all nations, filled with the Holy Spirit, casting out demons and healing the sick, and still be completely misunderstood and even lied about.
That can be hard, can’t it? When you’re not understood. God understands you. Better than you understand yourself, even. You can do all the right things, but when people are set on lies, we must go even deeper into God’s truth and grace. Our priority is to study and know the scriptures and to be open to the leading and conviction of the Holy Spirit in ourselves.
39 Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.” 40 After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic:
1 “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.” 2 When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Then Paul said:
3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. 4 I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,
5 as the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.
Paul continues to give his testimony, how Jesus came to him, how he was blinded, and that he made his way to Damascus. He tells them how the Lord told them that the people of Jerusalem would not accept his testimony. Now listen to this.
19 “ ‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. 20 And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’
21 “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ” 22 The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!”
He tells them that he went to synagogues to imprison and beat jews. That he approved at the killing of Stephen. And you’ll notice they let him keep talking. Maybe they even thought “this guys isn’t so bad.”
It was when he said the Lord sent him to the gentiles. That’s what set them off.
It was never just about the jewish people. The line of Abraham. It was always about the whole world. But it became so much about them. Beat people, yes. But go to the gentiles? The heathens?
I think we can get that same way. I know I can. A feeling of superiority. Perhaps even an arrogance. Arrogance in our lifestyle, our knowledge.
Yes. We are to be bold in our faith. We are to be uncompromising. But we must be careful to not fall into the same trap that the jewish people did. Making it us vs them. It’s us for them. God for them.
The disciples rejoiced when they found out that God’s plan included gentiles coming to faith and salvation through Christ. That’s still the plan.
And Paul shows us what it means to be radically for the others. He stands there in chains, accused of doing and saying things he never did. He doesn’t play the victim. He tells the truth. And no matter where he is, in prison or on the road, he proclaims the hope that comes through Jesus.
Paul is taken away to be flogged, until Paul informs them he’s a roman citizen, at which point they realize they’ve messed up and don’t flog him. The next day, Paul is brought before the Sanhedrin, which we will look at next week.
Paul consistently demonstrates this truth. That God’s Grace is for everyone. That no matter what we have been chosen to do, we are above no one. We are all sinners, and if we have accepted God’s gift of salvation through Jesus His son, then we are saved by His grace.
That even a man who hunted and got Jesus disciples killed can be redeemed.
Let us remember to be humble before the Lord. Full of grace and desperate love for those that God desperately loves. How can we practice that love, patience, and grace over the next week?
