Community Bible Study -- Acts Text of Presentation, Lesson 19, Acts 21:15-22:29 Click Here to see Lesson 19 Photos . . . Click Here to return to Acts Home Page

Paul’s Capture in Jerusalem

Last week Paul collected contributions from the churches in Macedonia and Achaia to help the church in Jerusalem, and he traveled through Troas, Miletus, and Caesarea to deliver the money. He knew he would be captured and held against his will in Jerusalem (Acts 21:11), but he went . . . “compelled by the (Holy) Spirit” (Acts 20:22). Paul was so driven in this objective that he rejected the pleas of fellow Christians to flee – to preach in another place on another day, as he had done many times before.

This is the second recorded time churches outside Judea have sent money to the Jerusalem church for operational expenses. The first time – about 15 years ago – was blamed on a worldwide famine (Acts 11:30). This time there is no explanation; the Jerusalem church just may be constantly in need because church leaders sold capital assets to cover daily expenses shortly after Jesus’ Ascension.

Acts says Paul is “received warmly” by the church when he arrives in Jerusalem (Acts 21:17) . . . but are they glad to see him, or glad to receive or the money he brings? Luke doesn’t say; but when Paul and his companions meet with James and the church elders the next day, it’s clear Paul is an embarrassment to them.

Recall . . . the titular leader of the Jerusalem church is Jesus’ brother (or cousin) James. He is probably head of the church because he is next in the “royal line” of Jesus. He certainly isn’t an expert in Jesus’ teachings; he only became a believer after Jesus’ resurrection. Moreover, James is a rural Galilean with no formal religious training . . . and over the last 20-plus years, many Pharisees have joined the Jerusalem church and become elders. Hence James is the nominal leader of many experts in the oral law . . . and he seems to defer to them on matters of religious doctrine.

That’s apparent from Paul’s meeting with James and the church elders. It starts out well enough: Paul and his Jewish-Gentile companions report successful evangelism in Gentile areas, and bring godly Gentile-Christians as living proof. Everyone “praised God” for this (Acts 21:18-20). 

But the elders – who seem to be the ones speaking in Acts 21:20-25 – are more concerned about evangelism of Jews than of Gentiles. That’s understandable; Jews are their constituency . . . but the problem is: they seem to see Paul’s success as a hindrance to their efforts. They tell Paul:  “Thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law” (Acts 21:20). Translation: we believe Christianity is an extension of traditional Judaism: we accept Jesus as Messiah, but otherwise follow the “old time religion”; we encourage Jewish Christians to continue to follow the oral law.

This is where James’ lack of theological leadership is important. Jesus “declared all foods ‘clean’” (Mark 7:19) . . . Jesus criticized the Pharisees for strict adherence to all the petty rules of the oral law when it caused them to overlook the “more important matters of the law” (Matt 23:23) . . . and Jesus’ death took away the need for animal sacrifices (cf Hebr 10). Yet the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem proudly follow the dietary laws and the petty rules of ritual cleanliness, etc, of the oral law; they continue to offer animal sacrifices.

Acts 21:25 makes clear the elders are not disputing the decision of the Council of Jerusalem. They accept that Gentiles may join the church through faith in Jesus alone – without being circumcised or observing the oral law (cf Acts 15:19-20). The issue is about Jewish believers and the oral law. The complaint they have against Paul is that “(their Jewish members) 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” (Acts 21:21). There’s an element of truth to the charge (cf Acts 13:39) . . . but based on Jesus’ words, the church elders are wrong in making the oral law an issue. Paul could challenge them on this . . . but he doesn’t! Paul has gone out of his way not to antagonize the Jews; he had Timothy circumcised – painful as an adult – because he is Jewish. And Paul recently wrote to the Corinthians that – even though Jesus excuses him from the oral law – he follows the law when he is among Jews, so they might be more receptive to his message (1 Cor 9:20).

So Paul remains silent. The elders continue: “What shall we do? (Our Jewish members) will certainly hear that you have come” (Acts 21:22). What’s their concern? . . . that the Jewish-Christians of Jerusalem will riot? . . . after all Paul has done to help them financially?

Whatever . . . the elders have a solution . . . and it’s another shakedown. They ask Paul to prove to the Jewish-Christians of Jerusalem that he is an observant Jew; they want him to “join in the purification rites” of four of their members . . . and “pay their expenses” (Acts 21:24). The elders should know that King David once said a sacrifice that costs nothing is worth nothing (2 Sam 24:24) . . . but they ask anyway.

Are the elders on the level? . . . or just asking Paul for more money? The net result is the same: by a self-serving – though seemingly innocent – request, the elders of the Jerusalem church set Paul up . . . sending him into the lions’ den of the temple to purchase animal sacrifices, and present himself to priests as part of a purification rite.

Why is the temple like a “lions’ den”? Remember: Paul was a rising Pharisee (Gal 1:14), who participated in Stephen’s stoning in Jerusalem. He became an agent for the chief priests to find Christians and put them in jail (Acts 9:1-2). And when Paul became a Christian, he returned to Jerusalem and debated his former comrades so effectively that they plotted to kill him; he had to leave town quickly (Acts 9:29-30). Then he proclaimed Jesus as Messiah in the synagogues of Turkey and Greece – and made more Jews mad enough to try to kill him. Paul has enemies in the temple . . . enemies who want him dead! So even if the church elders are acting in naive innocence (as we like to believe), it’s probable that – with all the enemies Paul has among Jewish religious leaders – he will be recognized if he ventures back into the temple . . . and if he is recognized, someone will try to kill him. The elders of the Jerusalem church should know that sending Paul into the temple for purification rites may be sending him to his death.

Why does Paul go? He has said he is “compelled by the (Holy) Spirit (to go) to Jerusalem” (Acts 20:22), where he is “ready not only to be bound, but also to die . . . for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:13) . . . and furthermore because – as he wrote to the church in Corinth:

To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. . . . I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some (1 Cor 9:20-22).

Paul agrees to participate to assist evangelism among the Jews of Jerusalem . . . to avoid undercutting the faith of others (cf 1 Cor 8:9-13). In the name of church unity, Paul voluntarily faces death.

Paul isn’t recognized at first when he enters the temple with his shaved head . . . but Jews from all over the world are at the temple for the festival of Pentecost, and before Paul’s 7 days of purification are completed, he is recognized by Jews from the Ephesus area. They shout: “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against our people and our law and this place” (Acts 21:28a) . . . essentially the same charges lodged against Stephen 20 years before (Acts 6:11-14). And to further incite the crowd, they claim Paul took a Gentile into the temple: through the Gate Beautiful, past the multi-language sign (posted on the web site) which forbids Gentiles from entering, under penalty of death. This charge is obviously spurious; if it were true, they would have captured the Gentile as well . . . and they haven’t.

Jews come running from everywhere and form a mob. No one comes to Paul’s defense . . . not the Jewish-Christians of Jerusalem, who sent him into the temple . . . not the four others undergoing purification rites at Paul’s expense. No one. The mob drags Paul outside the temple to kill him (because killing him in the temple would desecrate God’s holy place).

Fortunately, extra Roman troops are in Jerusalem for Pentecost . . . and as the web site shows, the Roman Fortress Antonio is in the Northeast corner of the temple. The Romans hear the mob activity, and their job is to control riots; so they rush in and rescue Paul from certain death!

The Roman commander binds Paul, and tries to ascertain what he has done to cause the riot. But the mob is in such an “uproar” that he can’t get a straight answer. Hence, for mutual safety, he takes Paul across the courtyard to the fortress . . . a smart move, because the mob becomes so unruly as the soldiers approach the fortress that Paul must be carried up the steps from the temple courtyard.

Safely at the top of the steps of the Fortress Antonio, Paul speak to the commander in Greek. Remember . . . Romans speak Latin and Greek (the universal language). Jews use Hebrew for religious purposes, but Hebraic Jews speak Aramaic, and Hellenized Jews speak Greek. The commander seems surprised Paul is fluent in Greek; he thinks he is a Jew called “the Egyptian” who led a revolt with dagger-wielding “sicarii” less than 5 years earlier (Josephus Antiq 20:169-172). Paul sets him straight: “I am a Jew from Tarsus. May I speak to the people?” The commander realizes Paul is a Hellenized Jew, and assumes he will speak to the mob in Greek. This might help him learn the charges against Paul; so he agrees.

But Paul strategically switches to Aramaic as he addresses the crowd. Paul’s accusers are Hellenized Jews from the Ephesus area, but most of the crowd are Hebraic Jews from Jerusalem. Hence by speaking Aramaic, Paul identifies with the crowd as “one of them.” They become very quiet.

Paul begins by trying to establish his credentials as a “Jew’s Jew”: he’s a Pharisee tutored by the revered Gamaliel. He says he persecuted Christians, and challenges the chief priests to confirm his story. The crowd is probably impressed!

But then Paul relates his conversion: how on the road to Damascus a bright light flashed from heaven and Paul heard the voice of Jesus . . . how he was made blind, but his sight was restored by a Christian named Ananias . . . and how he was baptized in the name of Jesus. The crowd listens to Paul intently. But then Paul adds a part of the story not included in Acts 9: that later in Jerusalem he had a vision from God that the Jews would reject his message of Jesus as Messiah, and God would send him to preach to the Gentiles. This agitates the mob of Hebraic Jews; they shout: “Rid the earth of him! He's not fit to live!” (Acts 22:22). They can’t believe God would send someone to minister to Gentile dogs!

Since the mob is restless again, the Romans take Paul into the Fortress Antonio itself. The commander may feel Paul double-crossed him by speaking Aramaic; he orders him flogged: the brutal punishment inflicted on him in Philippi (Acts 16:23). But Paul has learned from that experience; he immediately plays the “Roman citizen card.” He innocently asks the centurion, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn't even been found guilty?” (Acts 22:25). As Paul expects, this is immediately reported to the commander, who promptly confirms Paul’s citizenship. The Romans assumed Paul was just another Jew, but now the commander is “alarmed”: he can get in big trouble . . . for just putting a Roman citizen in chains.

So Paul is not flogged . . . but remains in jail, where he will stay for a long time. This is all part of God’s plan . . . yet the role played by the Jerusalem church is troubling: they sent Paul into the temple to do something a Christian shouldn’t be asked to do, promising him if he complied, the Jewish Christians of Jerusalem would be his friends (Acts 21:23). But where are these friends when the going gets rough?

Next week we’ll discuss Paul’s defense before the Sanhedrin . . . including many of the people who – 20 years or so before – commissioned Paul to persecute Christians. Paul cleverly adopts a divide-and-conquer strategy – just as he did addressing the mob in the temple court. The Jewish leadership realizes they can’t beat Paul in debate, so they plot to kill him while in custody . . . and we’ll see what happens with that plot.