Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 21:1
And it came to pass, that after we were gotten from them, and had launched, we came with a straight course unto Coos, and the [day] following unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara:
Act 21:1-6. Paul’s Voyage from Miletus, and his Stay in Tyre
1. And it came to pass, that after we were gotten from them, and had launched ] The Rev. Ver. has reproduced the Greek construction, but the sentence is not a happy one, nor the gain worth the sacrifice. “And when it came to pass that we were parted from them, and had set sail.” It gives perhaps a little more of the sense of difficulty in tearing themselves away which is in the original, but it is not what an Englishman would say.
The vessel in which they sailed from Troas to Patara seems to have been under the Apostle’s control, and they could stay wherever and as long as they pleased.
we came Cos ] The name, sometimes spelt Coos, should be written Cos. It is a small island, now called Stanchio, on the coast of Asia Minor, just at the entrance of the Archipelago, and in old times was famous for its wines and some light-woven fabrics. There was also in the island a temple of Aesculapius to which was attached a medical school.
and the day following unto Rhodes ] In Act 20:15 the A. V. gave three times over “the next day,” and in each case the Greek was different, and here we have a fourth form in the original for the same sense. In one case in the former chapter the Rev. Ver. left “next day,” and they make that change here, but as the Greek is not the same it is not easy to see why the A.V. should not be left alone.
Rhodes is the famous island at the south-west extremity of Asia Minor, off the coast of Caria and Lycia. The city of Rhodes and the island of which it is the capital were famous in the times of the Peloponnesian war. It was well supplied with timber fit for shipbuilding and hence became famous for its navy, and its position has caused the island to play a conspicuous part in European history from that time onward. It was celebrated for the great Temple of the Sun, whose worship in the island is marked by the head of Apollo on the coinage. With this worship was connected the great statue known as the Colossus, which was meant as a figure of the sun, and was one of the wonders of the world. In the Roman times many privileges were granted to Rhodes by the Roman emperors, while in medival history this was the last Christian city which resisted the advance of the Saracens.
Patara ] This was a city on the coast of Lycia. It was devoted to the worship of Apollo, who is hence sometimes called by classical writers Patareus. The city was not far from the river Xanthus, and Patara was the port of the city of Xanthus. We can understand, therefore, why St Paul’s voyage in the coasting vessel should end here, because at such a port he would be likely to find a larger vessel to carry him to Syria.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
After we were gotten from them – After we had left the elders at Miletus, Act 20:38. They were on their way to Jerusalem.
Unto Coos – This was a small island in the Grecian Archipelago, a short distance from the southwestern point of Asia Minor. It is now called Stan-co. It was celebrated for its fertility, and for the wine and silk-worms which it produced. It was about 40 miles south of Miletus.
Unto Rhodes – This was also an island in the Grecian Archipelago. On the island was a city of the same name, which was principally distinguished for its brass Colossus, which was built by Chares of Lyndus. It stood across the mouth of the harbor, and was so high that vessels could pass between its legs. It stood for 56 years, and was then thrown down by an earthquake. It was reckoned as one of the seven wonders of the world. When the Saracens took possession of this island they sold this prostrate image to a Jew, who loaded 900 camels with the brass from it. This was 600 a.d., about 900 years after it had been thrown down. The ancient name of the island was Asteria. Its name, Rhodes, was given from the great quantity of roses which it produced.
Unto Patara – This was a maritime city of Lycia, in Asia Minor, over against Rhodes.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Act 21:1-3
And it came to pass that after we were gotten from them.
Paul going to Jerusalem
I. The souls itinerary. The daily journeying of this company of Gods folk was a matter for record.
1. The details give a good test of the authenticity of the narrative. One soon trips in many and complicated details unless he is speaking the truth. Now the writer of the Acts is never found tripping even amid the most varied incidents. This journey has often been gone over, and the results verify the accuracy of St. Lukes account. There are those who belittle (as there are also those who exaggerate) the value of geographical, historical, archaeological and other studies that tend to uncover the social, political, and natural environments of Biblical peoples. But in such studies, as in natural history, the most trifling things may prove vastly important as necessary links in a chain of evidence. If the Divine Spirit thought it worth while to record them, it is worth our while to look into them. It will be well if, like St. Luke, we keep our eyes open as we go through life, and learn the art of telling what we see.
2. The souls itinerary through the world is a matter of record before God and men. Perhaps it did not occur to any in that company that the incidents of their trip would be conned by millions. Yet such was the purpose of God. Is it not somewhat so with every mans life journey?
(1) There is much comfort in this thought (Psa 37:23-24; Gen 28:15). The consciousness of this truth brings one very near to God, and every spot may be a Bethel. The best of men are exposed to misunderstanding, but there is comfort in an appeal from the false record of ones pilgrimage made by his fellows, to the true, full itinerary kept in heaven (Job 19:21-27; Mal 3:16).
(2) There is also admonition. Thou God seest me! (Psa 139:2-3). Life is a great responsibility when we remember that God above records the souls itinerary through life. The lives of men below keep the record too, whether for good or ill. May Heaven help us so to go over lifes pilgrimage that every milestone may be for ourselves and others an Ebenezer–a stone of helping!
II. A story of brotherly love and sympathy. After we were gotten from them means having been torn from them–a painful and reluctant separation. The reference is to Act 20:37. A somewhat similar scene occurred at Tyre, where the company found disciples. Such demonstrations must have cheered the heart of Paul and given him new strength. Men are so used to turn to the Christian minister for comfort and sympathy that they often forget that he needs the words of good cheer. Note that the children of Tyre had part in these demonstrations. Teach the young to love and reverence those who are their spiritual guides. How pleasant to contrast the conduct of these Christian children with that of the young roughs who insulted Elisha. The same honour and sympathy greeted Paul at every stopping place until the hospitable home of Philip received him. No doubt the four daughters were quite as ready for the ministry of home duties as for the public work of the Church. How much more of Divine sweetening the world would have if the Church would return to this simple and primitive life!
III. Submission to God. The stay at Philips house was marked by the advent of a prophet–Agabus (see Act 11:27-30), who was deeply imbued with the spirit of the Old Testament prophets, and used the symbolical method so commonly practised by them. Then followed the beseeching remonstrance which brought out that noble utterance, I am ready not to be bound only, etc. Paul knew but one law–the will of God. He would do his duty, even though bonds and death awaited him. Would that all Christians might catch this spirit of the great apostle! Luther had it when, being warned not to go to the Diet of Worms, he made the memorable answer, Even should there be as many devils in Worms as tiles on the housetops, still I would enter it! So, again, when his friends said, They will burn you as they did John Huss, he replied, Though they should kindle a fire all the way from Worms to Wittemberg, the flames of which reached to heaven, I would walk through it in the name of the Lord Jesus. The will of the Lord be done! Thus at last reluctant friends exclaimed. They, too, learned the lesson of submission. They gave their friend up to Him who called to the sacrifice. Those who thus give up their friends to the path of self-sacrifice have often the harder lot. Women who have given husbands and sons to their countrys service in the hour of need have felt a keener pain than those who wrought and marched and fought. The parents of those who go far hence unto the Gentiles have not unfrequently felt profounder grief than the devoted missionaries themselves. (H. C. McCook, D. D.)
Paul going to Jerusalem
I. A friendly warning.
1. Paul and his companions immediately looked up the Christians in the cities they visited. It is easy to learn a mans character from the sort of people he prefers to associate with–especially when he is away from home.
2. Paul, like every other Christian worker, received a large amount of well-meant advice that he could not well heed. It is sometimes as needful to say No to ones friends as it is to ones enemies.
3. Paul said No when his friends wished him to turn back, but he said so courteously, tenderly, prayerfully. He could refuse a man without insulting him.
4. Paul and his companions were not ashamed to kneel down on the open beach in sight of everybody and pray. Secret prayer is helpful and precious, but there are times when public praying becomes a duty.
5. Paul and his companions and the disciples bade each other farewell with prayers and benedictions. When we say, Good-bye to our friends, let us remember that we are in form at least breathing a prayer over them, for Good-bye means God be with you.
II. A prophetic warning.
1. It is instructive to note that the evangelist Philip who now entertained the Christ-loving Paul had years before been driven from Jerusalem to escape the fury of the Christ-hating Saul. See Act 8:1-5.
2. It is evident that there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. The disciples and Agabus advised Paul wisely so far as they knew, but he was better informed than they.
3. It is apparent that Paul did wisely to seek his marching orders directly from headquarters. So doing, he was sure of avoiding all mistakes.
4. It sometimes emphasises advice to accompany it with action. Thus Agabus, binding himself with Pauls girdle, spoke to the eyes, as his voice did to the ears, of the apostles.
5. It is always true that the bonds most to be feared are those a man puts upon himself. Agabus may well shudder at the bonds with which he binds himself, Paul may well disregard the fetters with which hostile Jews threaten him.
6. It was true, as Agabus prophesied, that bonds awaited Paul in Jerusalem. Whatever awaited him, Paul went on just the same. It is always best for one to follow the straight line of duty, even though it lead him inside of prison walls.
III. An unheeded warning.
1. A man may have the firmest kind of a will, and yet the tenderest sort of a heart. Paul was such a man.
2. A man of the right sort is more moved by the tears of his friends than by the assaults of his enemies.
3. A man who is ready to be bound for Christ ought certainly not to fear being freed for Christ. And what is death but being set free from the bondage of this world?
4. A man who would do the most for the good will not throw away his life. Paul was careful to have it understood that he was risking his life for the name of the Lord Jesus.
5. A man having fully determined to risk his mortal life to save the immortal lives of others, it is the right thing for that mans friends to cease their dissuading talk about missionary dangers, and missionary hardships, and the unhealthfulness of foreign climates.
6. A man having fully determined to do the Lords work in the Lords way at home or abroad, it is the part of a friend and a Christian to say, The will of the Lord be done. (S. S. Times.)
Paul going to Jerusalem
I. Reasons Paul should not go to Jerusalem.
1. The needs of the churches. These churches were still in the mission stage, small and weak. Church organisation was so imperfect that it still required a constant apostolic oversight. On the face of it, God would not raise up a man by such a wonderful experience as Paul had had, and take him away when to all human judgment he had before him the best ten or fifteen years of his life.
2. The appeals of the brethren. These were hard to bear. Paul was a man of tender feelings. All the arguments to show why he should save himself for their sakes were tearfully urged. And these were his children.
3. The warning of the Holy Spirit.
II. Reasons Paul went to Jerusalem.
1. The purpose of his life. He had before him his ministry for Christ, Everything was for that. His calling was to testify of Him whose name was called Jesus, because He should save His people from their sins. He believed that the next service for the name of the Lord Jesus was going to Jerusalem, whatever should befall him there. Therefore he went.
2. The law of self-sacrifice. Paul had laid himself on the altar as a voluntary offering, to live and to die for his Saviour. He was not a rash man; but he knew that there are ends which sacrifice can accomplish, and which can be accomplished by no other means. It was not certain that his life was needed any longer. The death of Stephen had proved an occasion of a wonderful enlargement of the gospel. These churches which Paul had been visiting probably owed their existence to the sacrifice of the life of that glorious deacon whose mantle had fallen upon the shoulders of Paul. Could Paul make a better use of his life than to die for the name of the Lord Jesus, if he could do as much by dying as Stephen had done? If a Christian would accomplish anything worthy for God, he must understand this Divine law. Our suffering, like that of our Saviour, has its place in the price of the worlds redemption.
3. The leading of the Spirit. The disciples were led by the Spirit. So was Paul. Their leading did not conflict with his, though it seemed to do so. The warning voice said: If you go on you will be imprisoned and slain. But the voice within said: Go on, though you are imprisoned and slain. The two voices were of the same Spirit. The interpretation of the voices was for Paul to give. Every man has the voice of the Spirit for himself. Listen to the voice of the Spirit within you; yield yourself to His influence. You can tell whether you are following Him. (G. R. Leavitt.)
Pauls journey to Jerusalem
From this–
I. We may find a stimulus to our flagging zeal as we contemplate the apostles search for and improvement of opportunities for usefulness. He had one end in view–Pentecost at Jerusalem, and from this no entreaties could divert him. But while moving steadily forward he filled in every interval with service, e.g., at Troas, Miletus, Tyre, Caesarea. Men speak with enthusiasm of Caesars devotion to literary pursuits during his military journeys, and of Cicero, who amid the multiplicity of his judicial and political engagements found time for philosophical discussions; and the younger Pliny tells with glowing admiration the industry of his uncle, who dedicated every fragment of time to study. But we have in Paul a devotion to work not less remarkable. Well might he have excused himself had he spent the pauses of his journey in taking rest. Is he then less worthy of admiration because in him the love of souls took the place of love of literature, etc.? But his example is also worthy our imitation. Success is only to be had by the means he employed. Ponder this journey, and you will cease to marvel that in one brief life so much was accomplished. Take that inflexible firmness which held him to what he believed to be right; add to that his quickness to perceive and his readiness to improve an opportunity; then let these be vitalised and sustained by love to Christ, and it becomes easy to account for his perseverance and success.
II. We may ascertain the true source of moral courage. That Act 8:13 was not an idle utterance we know from Pauls calm self-possession in the Temple. There is such a courage as is merely muscular, which in its place is good, but which is mostly involuntary and instinctive. He who has it is brave in the presence of danger because not sensible of anything of which to be afraid. But it is quite different with him who is of a delicately nervous temperament. His tendency is to fear physical danger; and there is need of an effort of will, and as sustaining his will there is need of enthusiasm for some sublime cause. The soldier who feels fear, but who holds himself at his post by a supreme devotion to duty, is more courageous than he who, with an instinct like that of the warhorse, mocketh at fear. The latter was the case with Paul, who had two considerations which made him ready to brave every danger.
1. Love to Christ. We know what great things love for a fellow mortal will defy, as in the case of wives and mothers; and love to Christ will fire a man with an enthusiasm which will sustain him through the fiercest opposition.
2. Confidence in God. Like Moses he endured as seeing Him that is invisible. Like Elisha, he saw with his faiths eye the hosts of the Lord encamping round about him. He knew that he was doing Gods work, and had the most implicit trust that the Lord would uphold him till his work was done. If it were His will that he should perish at Jerusalem, then he would only be the sooner with Christ; or, if it were His will that he should testify before tribunals and in prisons, God would give him grace. Thus he possessed his soul in peace in spite of his natural susceptibility.
III. We may see how man proposes but God disposes. The course suggested by James (verse 20, etc.) was admirably adapted to conciliate all parties; but see how it was frustrated. In spite of all their efforts at conciliation, nay, in consequence of them, something occurred which defeated their end. Pauls safety was imperilled by the course suggested for the good of the Church. Yet what good came out of it after all. The most carefully laid plans may be frustrated by unforeseen circumstances, but God will work out His will notwithstanding. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)
Paul on his journey to Jerusalem
Note–
I. The power of love to Christ.
1. It brings the unacquainted near.
2. It forewarns of possible danger.
3. It gladly cultivates fellowship.
4. It humbles itself before God in mutual prayer.
II. Pauls readiness to suffer for the cause of Christ.
III. The Christians pilgrimage to his home.
1. Faith holds forth to him the glorious end.
2. Love helps him to accomplish the difficult journey. (Lisco.)
Pauls last journey to Jerusalem
(Childrens Sermon):–Suppose you were travelling from Edinburgh to London, and at every station you stopped at, at Carlisle, Leeds, Leicester, friends were waiting to beg you not to go any further, because they had learnt that bad men would ill use you. It would have to be a very good reason that would make you still go on. This was something like St. Pauls situation now. Still he went straight on. Why?
1. Because he felt that, although he was going into great danger, he was going to his duty. A true Christian always feels so. When arrested, Cranmers friends tried to persuade him to escape. But Cranmer said No; it is quite right for you to get away, but I ought to stay and stick to my colours. So St. Paul (verse 13). And if we want to be good soldiers of Jesus, we shall have to learn so to love Him as to be ready to do and bear anything for Him.
2. He knew that God had not yet done with him, and that no one could kill him till God gave them leave. God had said that Paul should bear his name before kings, and the apostle was sure his Lord would not be baulked of His purpose by wicked men. But do people never get hurt when they are doing Gods service? Did not John Bunyan suffer any hurt when he was thrown into, and for long months kept in, Bedford jail? Yes; but he wrote the Pilgrims Progress there. And did not that more than make up for the sufferings of the prison? And so with Paul. So, after all, not harm came of it, but good.
3. Look at another thing. There are some strong brave men who are not very pleasant to deal with, because they always will do things in just the way they like, and cant give way to others. St. Paul was not like that. He was strong and bold in going into danger, but he did not try to make the danger any greater than was necessary. The other apostles told him that they would like him to do something he did not much care for, but they thought if he would do it, it would please the people and save all disturbance (verses 20-40). And he did it at once. To the Jews he became as a Jew. There is a great difference between firmness and stubbornness. Always be firm for the right, but be willing to give way in small matters.
4. It is a matter for regret that though Paul tried to please he failed (verses 27-40). But he could not help that. They had got into a bad temper, and therefore could not judge him fairly (verses 28, 29). Rage makes people fancy things that never happened. If we try to do what is right, as gently as possible, and people wont be pleased, we must quietly leave it to God, asking Him to turn their hearts. (J. Taylor, M. A.)
Pauls voyage
Note–
I. The social love generated by the gospel. There is an affection which man has for man, an affection of animal sympathy, personal interests, mental reciprocities. But the social love generated by Christianity is of a higher character. It is–
1. Strong. So strongly did it bind Paul and the Ephesians together, that they had to tear themselves asunder. The parting scene on the Tyrian shore, and the tears wept on leaving Caesarea, also indicated the strength of Christian love. The love which genuine Christians have for each other is not the thread of a passing sentiment, but a golden chain which binds all in an indissoluble unity of thought, aspiration, interest, and pursuit.
2. Hospitable. Paul a guest in Philips house! This is one of the Divine marvels which sometimes occur in the history of men. The name of Saul at one time was a terror to the heart of Philip (Act 8:3-5). What a change the gospel has accomplished. He from whose presence he rushed as from a fiend, he now entertains as a brother.
3. Tender. Christianity quickens the sensibilities. In nearly all the partings recorded in these verses there were tears.
4. Religious (verse 5). Christian love turns to God as the open flower to the sun. The best way of serving ones friends is to commend them to God, as Paul did, and to the word of His grace.
II. The fallibility of human affection. The good men of Tyre loved Paul, yet they sought to dissuade him from duty; so also did the good men of Caesarea. So urgent and powerful were they that Paul exclaims, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? In both cases they quoted the Holy Spirits influence. Paul was deeply moved, but not mastered. All their arguments were the arguments of mistaken love. The mistaken kindness of parents has ever proved the greatest curse to children. Never does the devil act so mightily as when his errors are urged by the arguments of those who love us most. Let us learn to act in relation to this as Christ acted in relation to Peter (Mat 16:23).
III. The unconquerableness of a Christ-inspired purpose. Mighty as was the influence which love brought to bear upon Paul, it could not break his purpose (verse 13). This was not a caprice, wish, intention formed in haste, a resolution based on expediency, but a determination based on the strongest convictions of his judgment, backed by the whole current of his sympathies, and deeply rooted in him by the Spirit of Christ. Such a purpose cannot be broken; it defies opposition, it removes mountains.
IV. The sublimest victory over soul (verse 14).
1. The will of the Lord be done, does not mean, We must bow to necessity. Many men are brought to do this who have no Christianity. The ungodly father, when life has fled from his child; the reckless speculator, when he has wrecked his fortune; the criminal in the hand of justice, say, when all hope is gone, The Lords will be done. In their case it means despair. But here it is a cordial acquiescence, and implies a belief–
(1) That there is a God.
(2) That that God has a will in relation to individuals.
(3) That the working out of that will is the best thing.
2. This is the sublimest conquest over souls. It is a conquest over–
(1) The folly of souls. The greatest folly in the universe is to oppose the will of God. The wisest thing is to acquiesce in that Will which is all-wise, all-good, all-mighty.
(2) Over the wickedness of souls. Opposition to the Divine will is the very essence of all sin.
(3) Over the misery of souls. Opposition to the Divine will is hell. Obedience is heaven. The sublimest victory in the universe is this victory, for which Christ and His followers are fighting. (D. Thomas, D. D.)
The quiet interval
1. There are some endings which seem to be final Such an ending we found in the last words of the apostle to the elders of Ephesus. After such agony there is only one possibility–silence. Whether things will ever come into natural course and shape again gracious time will reveal. Blessed silence! blessed time! Have periods of silence in your life; remit many of the controversies and difficulties to the adjustment and healing of silent, gracious, patient time. You will only spoil its purpose by your impatience. Let Paul alone for a time; let him have his sail out. Bless God for the alternative of the water for the land; of the night for the day. By these alternatives we are rested and quieted and made young again.
2. In verse 3 we read, We landed at Tyre: for there the ship was to unlade her burden. Poor ship! she must have rest, too, in a way. Whilst the ship stands still Paul is on the alert. Business arrangements are turned into spiritual opportunities. The sail has done him good, and now he turns a necessity of the ship into an opportunity for Christian aggression. Is there not a lesson here for us–the sailors of today? The place of business is closed–why not inquire of an opportunity of doing religious good? The stop of one course should be the beginning of another. He never lacks opportunity who looks for it. What was done at Tyre? We read, And finding disciples. It should be, And seeking out disciples. Why not seek out beautiful scenery? Because Pauls purpose was to advance the kingdom of Christ. Paul and his company sought out the disciples–not an easy thing then and there; not always an easy thing here and now. You wait for them to turn up. You, who could ask if there were artists, authors, poets, men of business, dare not ask if there were any praying people in the locality; and yet the man sitting next you at this moment would thank God if he could have an opportunity to speak concerning spiritual things.
3. Leaving Tyre, they came to Ptolemais, and saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day. Make the most of religious opportunities. What a day it was! Only one; but so crowded, so many questions to ask. What eager listening! The apostle will be gone tomorrow; now is our opportunity; let him speak and pray and bless and comfort. That is the case always; we have never more than one day together with any certainty; we should look upon every opportunity as the last. But we allow our opportunities to pass: when the man is gone, then we begin to whine about his greatness, and the opportunities we had of praying with him in his mighty intercession. So the hearts of men are broken every day. Paul is still here; his great epistles are with us; his written soul lies in our houses neglected. Let us not add to our lies by whining over his personal absence!
4. And the next day– Oh that there should be any next day to festivals of the soul! Mocking word! speak of it as some other day, a million centuries off. Yet not so, because other people must have the festival as well as we. Paul is advancing in his course, and scattering blessings as he goes. The next day we came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip. If we had our choice of any day which we might spend with Paul, I think some of us would choose this particular day. What a meeting that was! Philip might not have been there at all but for the very man who was now visiting him; it was owing to Pauls persecution that Philip fled away. May our meetings with old enemies be as sweet and gracious! You cannot escape from your old self. Sometimes our reminiscences are of the most joyful kind, and we bury twenty years in one grip of the hand. Sometimes those reminiscences are of the other sort, and a look doubles our age. The solemn fact to remember is that we meet men again. Life is not closed today. Let us take care how we live. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
5. Now Paul was besought not to go forward; but he said nothing to the daughters of Philip, nor to Agabus. But in verse 12 we read, And when we heard these things, both we– That was the sting. When a mans nearest comrades fail him, then, poor soul, what can he do but break right down (verse 13)? There the Roman spoke–the Christian Roman. We are told that for a Roman to fear danger was treason, but for a Lacedaemonian to hesitate was treason. Here is a man in whose tone you can find no hesitancy. Having consecrated the life first, all the details of suffering which led up to the last oblation were mere trifles. (J. Parker, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
CHAPTER XXI.
Paul and his company sail from Miletus, and come to Coos,
Rhodes, and Patara, 1.
Finding a Phoenician ship at Patara, they go on board, sail
past Cyprus, and land at Tyre, 2, 3.
Here they find disciples, and stay seven days, and are kindly
entertained, 4, 5.
Having bade the disciples farewell, they take ship and sail to
Ptolemais, salute the brethren, stay with them one day, come to
Caesarea, and lodge with Philip, one of the seven deacons, 6-9.
Here they tarry a considerable time, and Agabus the prophet
foretells Paul’s persecution at Jerusalem, 10, 11.
The disciples endeavour to dissuade him from going; but he is
resolute, and he and his company depart, 12-16.
They are kindly received by James and the elders, who advise
Paul, because of the Jews, to show his respect for the law of
Moses, by purifying himself, with certain others that were
under a vow; with which advice he complies, 17-26.
Some of the Asiatic Jews, finding him in the temple, raise an
insurrection against him, and would have killed him had he not
been rescued by the chief captain, who orders him to be bound
and carried into the castle, 27-36.
Paul requests liberty to address the people, and is permitted,
37-40.
NOTES ON CHAP. XXI.
Verse 1. Came with a straight course] Having had, as is necessarily implied, wind and tide in their favour.
Coos] An island in the Archipelago, or AEgean Sea, one of those called the Sporades. It was famous for the worship of AEsculapius and Juno; and for being the birthplace of Hippocrates, the most eminent of physicians, and Apelles, the most celebrated of painters.
Rhodes] Another island in the same sea, celebrated for its Colossus, which was one of the seven wonders of the world. This was a brazen statue of Apollo, so high that ships in full sail could pass between its legs. It was the work of Chares, a pupil of Lysippus, who spent twelve years in making it. It was 106 feet high, and so great that few people could fathom its thumb. It was thrown down by an earthquake about 224 years before Christ, after having stood sixty-six years. When the Saracens took possession of this island, they sold this prostrate image to a Jew, who loaded 900 camels with the brass of it; this was about A.D. 660, nearly 900 years after it had been thrown down.
Patara] One of the chief seaport towns of Syria.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Were gotten from them; had parted with them, as dearest friends and relations do one from the other, with much difficulty and reluctance.
Coos; an island in the Mediterranean Sea, nigh unto Crete, where Hippocrates and Apelles are said to have been born.
Rhodes; another island in the same sea, of great fame for the Colossus, or vast image of brass, which was there, accounted one of the wonders of the world.
Patara; a haven town of Lycia, and its metropolis.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
1. we were gotten“torn.”
from themexpressingthe difficulty and pain of the parting.
with a straightcourserunning before the wind, as Ac16:11.
unto CoosCos, anisland due south from Miletus, which they would reach in about sixhours, and coming close to the mainland.
the day following untoRhodesanother island, some fifty miles to the southeast, ofbrilliant classic memory and beauty.
thence unto Pataraatown on the magnificent mainland of Lycia, almost due east fromRhodes. It was the seat of a celebrated oracle of Apollo.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And it came to pass, that after we had gotten from them,…. Which was with great difficulty, with many tears, and much wringing of hands: the word signifies that they were “plucked from” them; they clung about them, as husband and wife, and parents and children do; so strong were their affections; and their parting was like the parting of such near relations, or like the plucking of the flesh from the bones, or the drawing and separating one member from another; such is the cement of true Christian love:
and had launched; the vessel into the sea, from the port at Miletus:
we came with a straight course unto Coos; an island in the Aegean sea. Pomponius Mela m calls it Cos in Carlo; and so Pausanias n reckons it a city of the Carians and Lycians, mentioning it along with Rhodes. It was famous for being the birth place of Apelles the painter, and Hippocrates the physician. Pliny o places it in Caria, and calls it most noble, and says that it was fifteen miles distant from Halicarnassus, was a hundred miles in circumference, as many think, and was called Merope: and who elsewhere observes p, that it is reported that the silk worms are bred in this island, and that a sort of raiment called “bombycine” was first made here by Pamphila, the daughter of Latoius. And so Solinus q from Varro, testifies, that this island first gave a fine sort of clothing for the ornament of women: hence because silks or bombycines, from the silk worms, were first wove here by women, some think the island had its name, for , which signifies something spun, in
1Ki 10:28 it is by us translated “linen yarn”; but the Vulgate Latin version renders it, “from Coa”. This island was taken by Hercules, and Eurypylus, the king of it, was slain by him r. It is now in the hands of the Turks, by whom it is called Stancora; but by others Lango. When, and by whom the Gospel was first preached here, is not certain; it does not appear that the Apostle Paul stayed to preach it now: however, in the beginning of the “fourth” century there was a church here, and a bishop of it was present at the council of Nice; and in the “fifth” century, a bishop of the church here assisted in the council of Chalcedon; and in the “sixth” century, a bishop of the same place was in the fifth synod at Constantinople s. Hither Paul and his company came with a good wind, a prosperous gale, and nothing to hinder them; which perhaps is rather meant than a straight or direct line, in which they ran from Miletus to this place:
and the day following unto Rhodes, this is an island in Lycia, according to Mela t, and had in it these three cities, Lindos, Camitos, and Jalysos: it is said of it u, that the heavens are never so cloudy, but the sun is seen here in one part of the day, or another. R. Benjamin w makes this to be three days’ sail from Samos; and says, he found four hundred Jews in it, and almost three hundred at Samos. It is asserted by several writers x, that this island was once covered with the sea, and in process of time appeared out of it, and became dry land. The account which Pliny y gives of it is, that
“it is most beautiful and free, and was in circumference a hundred and thirty miles; or, if Isidorus is rather to be credited, a hundred and three: the cities in it were Lindus, Camirus, Jalysus, now Rhodes: it is distant from Alexandria in Egypt five hundred seventy eight miles, as Isidorus reports; but according to Eratosthenes, four hundred sixty nine; and according to Mutianus, five hundred; and from Cyprus it was a hundred and sixty six;”
a place after mentioned, which the apostle left on the left hand, having sailed from Petara to Phoenicia. The same writer proceeds and adds,
“it was before called Ophiusa, Astria, Aethrea, Trinacria, Cotymbia, Paeessa, Atabyria, from the king of it, afterwards Macria and Oloessa.”
Jerom z says of it, that
“it is the most noble of the islands Cyclades, and the first from the east, formerly called Ophiussa; in which was a city of the same name, famous for the brazen colossus, which was seventy cubits high: it was distant from the port of Asia twenty miles.”
This statue, called the colossus of the sun, was one of the seven wonders of the world, according to Pliny a, and was made by Chares, a disciple of Lysippus, at the expense of King Demetrius: it was twelve years in making, and cost three hundred talents: it was seventy cubits high (as Jerom before says): it fell by an earthquake, after it had stood fifty or sixty years (some say 1360); and as it lay along it was a miracle, few men with their arms stretched out could embrace the thumb, and the fingers were bigger than most statues: and from this statue the Rhodians have been sometimes called Colossians; and some have fancied, that these are the persons the Apostle Paul wrote his epistle to under that name. This island, and the city in it, were called Rhodes, as some think, from roses, with which it might abound, or because of the beautifulness of the place; and others, that it had its name from
“Jarod”, which, in the Chaldee and Syriac languages, signifies a serpent; and so it was called Ophiusa from the multitude of serpents in it b; though others say it took its name from Rhodia, a fair and beautiful maid beloved by Apollo. This island, in the “seventh” century, about the year 653, was taken by Mauvia, king of the Saracens, who sold the colossus, which lay on the ground ever since the earthquake, to a merchant, who is said to load nine hundred camels with the brass of it: it afterwards came into the hands of the Christians, and in the year 1522 was taken by Solyman the Turk, after a siege of six months, being betrayed by Andreas Meralius, a Portuguese knight c. When the Gospel was first preached here, and a church state formed, cannot be said; but in the beginning of the “fourth” century there was a bishop of this place in the council of Nice; and in the “fifth” century there was a church here, and it was a metropolitan; and in the “sixth” century a bishop of this place was in the fifth Roman synod under Symmachus; and in the “seventh” century a bishop of Rhodes assisted in the sixth council at Constantinople; and in the same century it was taken by the Saracenes, as before observed, when the church here was the metropolitan of the Cyclades: and yet in the “eighth” century, Leo, bishop of this place, was in the Nicene synod; and even though in the ninth century it was grievously harassed by the Saracens, yet its church state was not quite destroyed d.
And from thence to Patara; Beza’s ancient copy adds, “and Myra”: see
Ac 27:5 a city of Lycia: hence it is called by Herodotus e, and Pliny f, Patara of Lycia, and mentioned with Rhodes: it was famous for the temple of Apollo, which was in it, in which answers were given six months in the year, and were on equal credit with the oracle at Delphos g; the Arabic version here calls it Sparta. According to Pliny h it was first called Sataros. Some say it had its name Patara from Paturus, the son of Apollo; Ptolomy Philadelphus, king of Egypt, having enlarged it, called it after his sister’s name, Arsinoe. How long the apostle stayed in this place is not known, nor whether he preached here, nor if he did, what success he had: in the “second” century, the statues of Jupiter and Apollo were in this, place: in the “fourth” century, there was a church here, and a bishop of it: and in the “sixth” century, a bishop of the church at Patara was in the fifth synod at Rome and Constantinople: and in the “eighth” century, Anastasius, bishop of this place, was in the Nicene synod k.
m Xenophon. Cyropaedia, l. 2. c. 14. n Arcadica, sive l. 8. p. 526. o Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 31. p Ib. l. 11. c. 22, 23. q Polyhistor. c. 12. r Apollodorus de Orig. Deorum, l. 2. p. 112. s Magdeburg. Hist. Eccles. cent. 4. c. 2. p. 5, cent. 5. c. 2. p. 6. cent. 6. c. 2. p. 6. t De Situ Orbis, l. 2. c. 14. u Plin. l. 2. c. 62. Solin. c. 21. w Itinerar. p. 30. x Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 2. c. 87. Heraclides de Politiis, p. 456. Philo, quod mundus sit incorr. p. 959, 960. y Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 31. z De locis Hebraicis, fol. 96. G. a Nat. Hist. l. 34. c. 7. b Heraclides de Politiis, p. 456. ad Calcem Aelian. Vat. Hist. Vid. Hilleri Onomasticum Sacrum, p. 918. c Petav. Rationar. Temp. par. 1. l. 4. c. 5. p. 153. & l. 9. c. 11. p. 500. d Magdeburg. Hist. Eccles. cent. 4. c. 2. p. 5. cent. 5. c. 2. p. 6. c. 7. p. 418. cent. 6. c. 2. p. 6. cent. 7. c. 2. p. 4. c. 3. p. 20. c. 7. p. 112. c. 16. p. 369. cent. 8. c. 2. p. 6. cent. 9. c. 2. p. 4. c. 3. p. 13. e Clio, l. 1. c. 182. f L. 2. c. 108. & l. 6. c. 34. g Pansan. l. 9. p. 607. Mela, l. 1. c. 15. Alex. ab Alex. l. 6. c. 2. h Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 27. k Madgeburg. Hist. Eccles. cent. 2. c. 15. p. 192. cent. 4. c. 2. p. 3. cent. 6. c. 2. p. 4. cent. 8. c. 2. p. 4.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
| Paul’s Voyage to Csarea; Paul’s Arrival at Ptolemais. |
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1 And it came to pass, that after we were gotten from them, and had launched, we came with a straight course unto Coos, and the day following unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara: 2 And finding a ship sailing over unto Phenicia, we went aboard, and set forth. 3 Now when we had discovered Cyprus, we left it on the left hand, and sailed into Syria, and landed at Tyre: for there the ship was to unlade her burden. 4 And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem. 5 And when we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city: and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed. 6 And when we had taken our leave one of another, we took ship; and they returned home again. 7 And when we had finished our course from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, and saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day.
We may observe here,
I. How much ado Paul had to get clear from Ephesus, intimated in the first words of the chapter, after we had gotten from them, that is, were drawn from them as by violence. It was a force put upon both sides; Paul was loth to leave them, and they were loth to part with him, and yet there was no remedy, but so it must be. When good people are taken away by death, they are, as it were, gotten from their friends here below, who struggled hard to have detained them if possible.
II. What a prosperous voyage they had thence. Without any difficulty, they came with a straight course, by direct sailing, to Coos, a famous Grecian island,–the next day to Rhodes, talked of for the Colossus there,–thence to Patara, a famous port, the metropolis of Lycia (v. 1); here they very happily found a ship sailing over into Phenicia, the very course they were steering, v. 2. Providence must be acknowledged when things happen thus opportunely, and we are favoured by some little circumstances that contribute to the expediting of our affairs; and we must say, It is God that maketh our way perfect. This ship that was bound for Phenicia (that is, Tyre) they took the convenience of, went on board, and set sail for Tyre. In this voyage they discovered Cyprus, the island that Barnabas was of, and which he took care of, and therefore Paul did not visit it, but we left it on the left hand (v. 3), sailed upon the coast of Syria, and at length landed at Tyre, that celebrated mart of the nations, so it had been, but was now reduced; yet something of a trade it had still, for there the ship was to unlade her burden, and did so.
III. The halt that Paul made at Tyre; when he had arrived there, he was upon the coast of the land of Israel, and found now that he could compass the remainder of his journey within the time he had fixed.
1. At Tyre he found disciples, some that had embraced the gospel, and professed the Christian faith. Observe, Wherever Paul came, he enquired what disciples were there, found them out, and associated with them; for we know what is the usage with birds of a feather. When Christ was upon earth, though he went sometimes into the coast of Tyre, yet he never went thither to preach the gospel there; nor did he think fit to afford to Tyre and Sidon the advantages which Chorazin and Bethsaida had, though he knew that if they had had them they would have made a better improvement of them, Luk 10:13; Luk 10:14. But, after the enlarging of the gospel-commission, Christ was preached at Tyre, and had disciples there; and to this, some think, that prophecy concerning Tyre had reference (Isa. xxiii. 18), Her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord.
2. Paul, finding those disciples at Tyre, tarried there seven days, they urging him to stay with them as long as he could. He staid seven days at Troas (ch. xx. 6), and here so many days at Tyre, that he might be sure to spend one Lord’s day with them, and so might have an opportunity of preaching publicly among them; for it is the desire of good men to do good wherever they come, and where we find disciples we may either benefit them or be benefited by them.
3. The disciples at Tyre were endowed with such gifts that they could by the Spirit foretel the troubles Paul would meet with at Jerusalem; for the Holy Ghost witnessed it in every city, ch. xx. 23. Being a thing that would be so much talked of when it came to pass, God saw fit to have it much prophesied of before, that people’s faith, instead of being offended, might be confirmed. And withal they were endowed with such graces that foreseeing his troubles, out of love to him and concern for the church, especially the churches of the Gentiles, that could ill spare him, they begged of him that he would not go up to Jerusalem, for they hoped the decree was conditional: If he go up, he will come into trouble there; as the prediction to David that the men of Keilah will deliver him up (that is, if he venture himself with them); and therefore they said to him, by the Spirit, that he should not go up, because they concluded it would be most for the glory of God that he should continue at liberty; and it was not at all their fault to think so, and consequently to dissuade him; but it was their mistake, for his trial would be for the glory of God and the furtherance of the gospel, and he knew it; and the importunity that was used with him, to dissuade him from it, renders his pious and truly heroic resolution the more illustrious.
4. The disciples of Tyre, though they were none of Paul’s converts, yet showed a very great respect to Paul, whose usefulness in the church they had heard so much of when he departed from Tyre. Though they had had but seven days’ acquaintance with him, yet, as if he had been some great man, they all came together, with their wives and children, solemnly to take leave of him, to beg his blessing, and to bring him as far on his way as the sea would permit them. Note, (1.) We should pay respect, not only to our own ministers, that are over us in the Lord, and admonish us, and, for their work’s sake among us, esteem them highly in love, but we must, as there is occasion, testify our love and respect to all the faithful ministers of Christ, both for his sake whose ministers they are, and for their work’s sake among others. (2.) We must, in a particular manner, honour those whom God hath singularly honoured, by making them eminently useful in their generation. (3.) It is good to train up children in a respect to good people and good ministers. This was particularly remarkable at Tyre, which we have not met with any where else, that they brought their wives and children to attend Paul, to do him the more honour and to receive benefit by his instructions and prayers; and as angry notice was taken of the children of the idolaters of Bethel, that mocked a prophet, so, no doubt, gracious notice was taken of the children of the disciples at Tyre, that honoured an apostle, as Christ accepted the hosannas of the little children. (4.) We should be good husbands of our opportunities, and make the utmost we can of them for the good of our souls. They brought Paul on his way, that they might have so much the more of his company and his prayers. Some refer us to Ps. xlv. 12, as a prediction of this, The daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; for it is probable that they made some presents to Paul at parting, as usual to our friends that are going to sea, ch. xxviii. 10.
5. They parted with prayer, as Paul and the Ephesians elders had done, ch. xx. 36. Thus Paul has taught us by example, as well as rule, to pray always, to pray without ceasing. We kneeled down on the shore and prayed. Paul prayed for himself, prayed for them, prayed for all the churches; as he was much in prayer so he was mighty in prayer. They prayed upon the shore, that their last farewell might be sanctified and sweetened with prayer. Those that are going to sea should, when they quit the shore, commit themselves to God by prayer, and put themselves under his protection, as those that hope, even when they leave the terra firma, to find firm footing for their faith in the providence and promise of God. They kneeled down on the shore, though we may suppose it either stony or dirty, and there prayed. Paul would that men should pray every where, and so he did himself; and, where he lifted up his prayer, he bowed his knees. Mr. George Herbert says, Kneeling never spoiled silk stockings.
6. They parted at last (v. 6): When we had taken our leave one of another, with the most affectionate embraces and expressions of love and grief, we took ship to be gone, and they returned home again, each complaining that this is a parting world. Observe how they disposed of themselves: “We, that had a journey before us, took ship, thankful that we had a ship to carry us; and those, who had no occasions to call them abroad returned home again, thankful that they had a home to go to.” Rejoice Zebulun in thy going out, and Issachar in thy tents. Paul left his blessing behind him with those that returned home, and those that staid sent their prayers after those that went to sea.
IV. Their arrival at Ptolemais, which was not far from Tyre (v. 27): We came to Ptolemais, which some think is the same place with Accho, which we find in the tribe of Asher, Judg. i. 31. Paul begged leave to go ashore there, to salute the brethren, to enquire of their state, and to testify his good will to them; though he could not stay long with them, yet he would not pass by them without paying his respects to them, and he abode with them one day, perhaps it was a Lord’s day; better a short stay than no visit.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Were parted from them ( ‘ ). First aorist passive participle of same verb as in Acts 20:30; Luke 22:41.
Had set sail (). First aorist passive of , the usual verb to put out (up) to sea as in verse 2 ().
We came with a straight course ( ). The same verb (aorist active participle of ) used by Luke in 16:11 of the voyage from Troas to Samothrace and Neapolis, which see.
Unto Cos ( ). Standing today, about forty nautical miles south from Miletus, island famous as the birthplace of Hippocrates and Apelles with a great medical school. Great trading place with many Jews.
The next day ( ). Locative case with (day) understood. The adverb is from (future ) and means successively or in order. This is another one of Luke’s ways of saying “on the next day” (cf. three others in 20:15).
Unto Rhodes ( ). Called the island of roses. The sun shone most days and made roses luxuriant. The great colossus which represented the sun, one of the seven wonders of the world, was prostrate at this time. The island was at the entrance to the Aegean Sea and had a great university, especially for rhetoric and oratory. There was great commerce also.
Unto Patara ( ). A seaport on the Lycian coast on the left bank of the Xanthus. It once had an oracle of Apollo which rivalled that at Delphi. This was the course taken by hundreds of ships every season.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Gotten from [] . Withdrawn. Some see in the word an expression of the grief and reluctance with which they parted, and render having torn ourselves away. See on Luk 22:41.
With a straight course. See on ch. Act 16:11.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
PAULS JOURNEY –MILETUS TO TYRE V. 1-3
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
:
1)“And it came to pass,” (hos de egento) “Then it came to pass or occurred,” as follows:
2) “That after we were gotten from them,” (anachthenai hemas apospasthentas ap’ auton) “That after we had been withdrawn from them to set sail,” that after we parted from them. The parting indicates a difficult or traumatic and emotional experiencing of pain in separating company because of close affection toward one another, Act 20:37-38. The “we” who departed were Paul, Luke, Trophimus, Aristarchus, and perhaps other missionary helpers with Paul, Act 21:29; Act 27:2.
3) “We came with a straight course unto Coos,” (euthudromesantes elthomen eis ten Ko) “We, taking a direct (straight) course, came into Coos,” about forty miles south of Miletus and Samos and north of Rhodes. Coos was one of the Jewish centers of life and culture in the Aegean Sea area, the birthplace of Hippocrates and Apelles, known as a famous medical center of the ancient world.
4) “And the day following unto Rhodes,” (te de hekses eis ten Hrodon) “Then on the next into Rhodes,” known as the sunny island of roses, a seat of both commerce and learning of the day. It was also known for its famous navy in the Peliponnesian war. Paul appears not to have landed for any contact, but the ship only touched port.
5) “And from thence unto Patra:(kakeit hen eis Patara) “And from there unto Patara,” a seaport now in ruins on the Lycian coast, but then a place of importance and splendor. It was a place devoted to the worship of Apollo. The voyage is considered to be one similar to what hundreds of ships then took every year.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
−
1. Luke reckoneth up briefly the course of his sailing; and that not only to win credit to the history, that we may know what was done in every place, but that the readers may weigh with themselves the invincible and heroic fortitude which was in Paul, who would rather be tossed and troubled with such long, unlevel, − (452) and troublesome journeys, that he might serve Christ, than provide for his own quietness. Whereas he saith that they were drawn and pulled away, it is not simply referred unto the distance of places; but because the brethren stood on the shore, so long as they could see the ship wherein Paul and his companions were carried. He nameth the havens where the ship arrived, − (453) for this cause that we may know that they sailed quietly without trouble of tempest. Let us search the describers of countries − (454) touching the situation of the cities whereof he maketh mention; it is sufficient for me to show Luke’s purpose. −
(452) −
“
Ac flexuosis,” and Winding.
(453) −
“
Applicuit,” touched,
(454) −
“
Consulantur geographi,” geographers may be consulted.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
PAUL AND THE SACRED NUMBER SEVEN
Act 21:1-40.
AND it came to pass. That is a phrase with which the credulous have conjured. The sentimental make wishes and then open the Bible at random to see whether they can find this sentence, And it came to pass, that they may accept the same in buttressing their hopes.
But it is only an introductory phrase; it always demands more. In itself it is not a finished sentence. It must be either preceded or succeeded by intelligent statement.
And it came to pass, that after we were gotten from them, and had launched, we came with a straight course unto Coos, and the day following unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara:
And finding a ship sailing over unto Phenicia, we went aboard, and set forth (Act 21:1-2).
There is logic in events. The man who went through the trying experiences of the twentieth chapter needs the restfulness of motion, the quiet of a sail and the healing touch of a little time that he may be recovered from the bruises and bitterness of the same, and become himself again.
There are experiences in life when God wants us to stop; there are moments when His command is, Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord; but there are others in which He wants us to move. Travel has been the restoration to health for many a man. New scenes, unknown faces, quiet monotonous sails these are sometimes the Divine will and order. The worst thing the nervous, over-wrought man or woman can do at times is to sit down, bar themselves behind doors, and engage in introspection. The doctors have learned this lesson and they often prescribe the open air, the train, the ship, the motor car; and experience proves the wisdom of the prescription.
Paul is one of those men who comes back quickly. He has marvelous recuperating resources. You may count him finished at the close of one day, and two days later find yourself amazed that he is in the thick of the Masters service again. When they had passed Coos, and Rhodes, and Patara, and Cyprus, they came to Syria and landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unlade her burden. Mark, now, your humbled, broken man will be about the Masters business again.
SEVEN DAYS AT TYRE
The record is, And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days. It is claimed that a better translation is, And searching out disciples. They were not stumbled upon accidentally; they were not at the wharf, waiting the Apostles arrival. They had to be searched out, for discipleship as yet was not safe. However, there are some very valuable suggestions associated with this stay at Tyre. Let us consider them!
Tyre was an objective and an opportunity. And finding disciples. Doubtless that was expected by Paul; doubtless he knew that some Christians dwelt there; doubtless he hailed with delight the necessity of unloading the ship. It would give him an opportunity; he could enjoy the disciples fellowship. The normal man cannot well live without fellowship, and the truly Christian man hungers for the fellowship of disciples and the true teacher hails such fellowship as an opportunity. It is an opportunity for instruction, for strengthening in the faith, for inspiring to other endeavors.
The present visitor to Tyre is commonly a sightseer. He wants to look on the place of which Christ spoke when He uttered His meaningful words against Chorazin and Bethsaida,
Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes (Mat 11:21).
We have a jesting phrase, You cant see the city for the houses. Paul could scarcely see the city for the citizens. He was more interested in them than in it. To him the city was not a commercial mart; not a maritime port of pleasure; it was a Christian opportunity. He was not there in the interest of big business from a financial standpoint, but in the interest of a bigger businessthe souls of men.
Taken all in all, I doubt if there is any more industrious class in all society than what is known as the men of the roadthe traveling men. Paul was a good Gideon. I have been at hotels all over this continent and in other lands. I have seen the traveling men come in late at night and seek their beds in weariness, and I have known them to rise long before the break of day that they might catch an early train and be in a distant town by the time the store to which they expected to sell was open. They are a class who move with objective and who redeem time, and who seldom spare themselves. This Apostle moves like them, only his ware is the Gospel, his objective the souls redemption, and no grass grow under his feet. He believes that the Kings business requires haste.
At Tyre he prolonged his stay. He tarried there seven days. Doubtless the time was determined, not by Paul but by the masters of the ship. But the time is significant none the less. Seven is the Divine favorite among numbers; its only competitors are ten and twelve. God has His numerals. Seven is one of the sacred numbers of Scripture; it has been so from the beginning. Seven days God employed to finish creation. Whether they were solar or geological days, no matter. That was the numerical period, and from the first chapter of Genesis to the Book of Revelation, where Christ moves in the midst of the seven golden candle-sticks, holds in His right hand the seven stars, sends His letter to the seven churches, seals His book with the seven seals, presents his beast with the seven horns and seven eyes, reveals the seven angels which stood before the throne and the seven trumpets held in their hands, voices himself in the seven thunders, pours out the seven last plagues, overthrows the seven kings, makes His revelation through one of the seven angels, and visits His judgment through the outpouring of the seven vials. The number is employed so often that it takes five full columns of Youngs Analytical Concordance to publish the single lines in which the number appears.
To this hour, seven days play an important part in evangelistic work. We go to a city for one week or two weeks, or three weeks, or more, but it is commonly a multiple of seven. Gods creative period marks our preaching opportunities. Evangelism is a matter of message and of weeks. The minister counts time by Sundays; marks up his calendar and makes his appointments in accordance with the same. Seven daysthat is the circle in which the minister moves, and that is the time in which his message must be delivered.
When Paul went from Tyre he left there a church. We know not whether these disciples were wont to meet before Paul came. We know that they did meet shortly after his arrival. He assembled them. We are not told whether he added to their numbers. Doubtless he did, for when did Paul ever preach without accomplishing the conversion of some? When he left, there were men with wives and children who were members of that church. They attended him for some distance and they only bade him good-bye to return to their homes again after they had knelt on the shore and prayed.
What constitutes a church? Where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them (Mat 18:20). That is a churcha local body of believers exercising spiritual powers and doubtless recognizing those Christian ceremonials that were ordained in connection with the origin of the church itself, namely baptism, the breaking of bread and the taking of the cup.
The sentence that follows is significant, And when we had finished our course from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, and saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day. That was a brief stop, but who can tell what a single day with Paul would mean, and who can measure the possibilities of a day with brethren in the Lord counselled and inspired by such a leader?
How marvelous the spread of this Christian faith! Pentecost is but a few weeks away, and yet, in every town believers appear, brethren assemble, little churches are sprung up. From the first the Gospel, like its Lord, was able to make to live every man it touched. No wonder the Apostle could say to the Romans, I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Rom 1:16).
But the next day brings further revelation. The departure was to an essential center in Caesarea. It was not only a city of importance, but the importance was emphasized by an additional fact, namely, that there lived
PHILIP, ONE OF THE SEVEN
Here, again, is Gods sacred number. We are not told why he wanted seven deacons, but we do know that when the Spirit of God determined the conduct of the church, seven men were chosen to the diaconateno more, no less. We are not sticklers for mere formalities; we are not superstitious and consequently in terror lest we overstep some divinely fixed bounds, or fall short of some inexorable demand. We do not believe that God is a petulant God treating petty details in an exacting manner, but we are convinced that He has a reason, superb and infinite, for everything that He does, and we suspect that the Church of God has never improved her condition one particle by departing from her Divine appointment.
What we mean to say is that doubtless the seven deacons of the New Testament church were its financiers. Their office was to look after questions of money and need. To have less than seven might not be sufficiently representative; to have more than that many men, giving attention to finance, is commonly confusion. Time, and State interference in religion have changed the name of the deacon into a trustee with most denominations, and the name of the elder into a deacon.
So far as we recall, there has never been a Biblical limitation on the number of elders. It was theirs to have the spiritual oversight of the church, and as it grew in numbers their company would of necessity be increased. But there has never been a church so big, nor yet whose finances were so extensive or complicated, that seven men were not quite sufficient to care for the whole. When we remember, then, that Philip was one of the seven, we are dealing again with the Divine numeral.
But pursuing the text, we learn several facts from it.
In Caesarea Philip had established a residence. We entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him. There are two classes of evangelists, and perhaps there ought to be two classes. The Pauline sort, who like the Master, are peripateticssingle men, unencumbered, constantly in travel, having no place that they can call home. Such men have played conspicuous part in the progress of the church, and to this good hour such men are in sore need.
To be sure, the Gospel has been preached for two thousand years. It has been proclaimed in every land and converts exist in every country, and yet, so overwhelming is the majority of men and women who sit in darkness, who know not God, who belong either in heathen nations or in so-called Christian ones where heathendom still reigns, that this traveling agent of redemption, like another voice in the wilderness, crying to all within its sound, Repent! is essential. Marching through country and city, delivering the sentence of approaching judgment, as Jonah crossed Nineveh; aye, that is still a sore need! There are some such evangelists. In a lifetime we have met a few, and an occasional one who reminded us of a Paul, or even of Christ Himself, that had not where to lay his head. The only home such know is the over-night entertainment of some disciple. Peripatetics they are. Doubtless in the last day men and angels will be amazed to learn what was the marvelous result of this traveling agent of the Gospel.
The second class of evangelists is the Philip kindmen who marry and settle down and bring up a family. They have permanent residence; they do work in and around home, but they get back often enough and stay long enough to be called father by the children, and known as a resident-minister by the people in the neighborhood.
In our judgment it is not best for this man to become a peripatetic. There have been tragedies, not a few, when parental evangelists have turned peripatetics, and leaving wife behind, have taken some good-looking pianist, or some high soprano, or rich alto, or woman Bible teacher along, to aid in the work. So often has this procedure produced whispers that were better not, and eventuated in scandals that shocked the Church of God, that we commend Philips conduct to those evangelists who are husbands and fathers. Better settle down, and when you go preaching, go alone or wait until your four daughters are old enough to go with you, and then have a family quartette and impress the visited city with the beauty of a household faith and the spiritual power of a united family, for in the last analysis there is no organization on earth that, in divine appointment and spiritual purpose, comes so nearly being a type of Gods intent in the church as a Christian family, against the members of which no breath of suspicion can be honestly spoken.
Let me remark again,
Philips children chose the fathers profession. That is a great tribute to Philip. Beyond all question, there is a degree of reflection upon every minister or his wife whose children deliberately choose other than the Gospel profession. It is with suffering we write this sentence! That doctor whose son chooses to follow in the fathers footsteps, and on graduation shares the fathers office, is to be congratulated. That lawyer whose firm includes his own name, together with that of one or more of his children, should be happy in consequence; but no man ever occupied any office that should bring to him the same amount of gratitude the minister should know when his son or daughter deliberately decides to share his profession. Oh Philip, we congratulate you; aye, we envy you! Your reward is not adjourned to another world; it has begun in this!
We will not enter in this discussion upon the question of women preachers. We pass this whole controverted subject with but a single remark: In Christ there is neither male nor female, and that individual is a prophet and that woman a prophetess whom God hath appointed, and beside them there are no others.
In Philips house a prophet warned Paul of coming opposition.
And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus.
And when he was come unto us, he took Pauls girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.
And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem.
Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus.
And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done (Act 21:10-14).
Sometimes the preacher is compelled to become the auditor. Sometimes the man who has been standing up and telling other people what not to do, has to sit down and rest while somebody else speaks to him and tells him what to do and what not to do. It is a hard experience; it is humbling in the last degree. It is extremely difficult for the giant to take counsel from the pigmy; but just the same, there is no giant who does not need counsel, and there is no man so small that he cannot speak it to him if God elect that man as His mouthpiece.
Agabus plays inconspicuous part in history! All we know about him is that he came from Judea and that he was a prophet, and that he brought from God a word of warning to this Apostle. But that is enough! It is a great honor to be the mouthpiece for the Lord if it be but for a moment, and the place of Agabus in history is established. Speak one word for God; do one deed that is divinely appointed, even if it be but the giving of a cup of cold water, and you shall not lose your reward. But know this that a warning is not always intended to change the trend of life or even the intention of conduct. Agabus did not tell Paul he must not go up to Jerusalem. He only revealed to him what would happen when he did go. He would be bound and delivered into the hands of the Gentiles.
That was enough for the disciples there. Fear takes quick hold upon weak hearts. They rushed at once to the conclusion that safety first was the only sound philosophy, and begged Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. Mark his answer, What mean ye to weep and to break mine he art? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus.
Ah, what differences in men! The majority always cowardly, always timid, always fearful, always politic. The great outstanding exceptions always courageous, self-abandoning and sacrificial.
He would not be persuaded. Decision has the effect of quieting upon unsettled and cowardly souls. When they saw that Paul was determined, they said, The will of the Lord be done. That is an easy way out for many people. It gives the appearance of sanctimoniousness and covers a vast amount of skepticism; and yet, produces an impression of submissive surrender. It is a phrase that ought to be introduced into every prayer; it is a phrase that ought to express the guiding principle of life; and yet, our observation is that it is a phrase that voices skepticism more often than confidence, and a polite retirement from controversy more often than it does a mind convinced.
The remaining part of the chapter has to do with
SEVEN DAYS OF PURIFICATION
Here, again, we deal with the divine numeral. Gods seven is intimately linked with the whole subject of purification.
Jerusalem was the city of Jewish pomp and ceremony. After those days we took up our carriages, and went up to Jerusalem. It was the Jewish capitol and there Judaism reigned supreme. Of all the conceivable centers in which to introduce any question that related to Judaistic ceremonials, this was the most difficult and dangerous. If Ephesus was the city of Diana, and if one endangered his head by declaring that since she was made with human hands, she was not divine, a thousand fold more did one endanger that same head, if, at Jerusalem he called into question anything that Jehovah was supposed to have spoken.
We will not stop, in passing, to discuss who Mnason of Cyprus waswhether a long-time disciple of Jesus, or an aged man lately converted and anxious now to redeem the remaining time by showing every hospitality to Christians, for the more important point is Jerusalem and ceremonialism.
Gentiles had accepted the Gospel at Pauls lips, and some of them had been saved, apart from Jewish ceremonies; and that was the approaching danger-point. It was to that fact that Agabus had addressed himself, and concerning that prejudice of religious customs that he had prophesied persecution for the Apostle.
Verse seventeen to the end of the chapter will record the fulfilment of his prophecy. We twentieth-century Christians marvel at the conduct of these our Jewish brothers; and yet, how much better is our own? There are preachers now and prominent ecclesiastical leaders who doubt if it is possible for any man to enter heaven without having had water sprinkled or poured upon his heada ceremony that never had a divine sanctionan ecclesiastical substitute for baptism itselfan appointment of human tradition that never knew a divine command. And yet, such is the power of ceremonialism that many people hold to that conviction!
How much better are we than the Jews who thought that without circumcision salvation was impossible, and who implored Paul in the interest of public safety and Christian popularity not to ignore the much practised and divinely appointed ordinance?
There are ceremonies that have a spiritual significance, and on that account God has approved and employed them. But, from the first, ceremonialism has had an eternal tendency to degeneration and the recognition of Sabbaths and new moons easily degenerated into substitutes for sanctity, while the very ordinances of the New Testament church have more than once been employed with the mistaken notion that they would be accepted in lieu of regeneration.
In Jerusalem even Paul yielded to unnecessary compromise.
Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the Temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should he offered for every one of them (Act 21:26).
The strongest man will break some time, and if he doesnt break, he will bend. Here Paul bends! He does a thing he doesnt believe in; he succumbs to the suggestion of others, which is contrary to his conviction. Now dont express your disgust with him; it is an occasion of admiration instead. The unbending man is not always the most desirable one; the unbending man is not always the one that God can best employ.
I have intimate friends in the ministry who are good men and great preachers and yet comparative failures because they cant bend. Their imperious heads refuse to bow in order to get through difficult and non-ample doors. They wont let down on anything; they wont compromise about any matter! Everybody must come to their conviction, measure up to their standard, meet their demand or step aside, or be walked over. It is not the proof of greatness; it is the proof of littleness instead. The pastor who cant yield to his board in little matters that he may carry them with him in great, will never get accomplished the possibilities of united endeavor. The minister who must have his way in everything will discover eventually that he gets his way on nothing, for when you will not carry to conclusion an enterprise, every particle of which is not perfectly acceptable to you, you will fail with the enterprise itself.
I have intimate friends into whose ears I have wanted to shout a thousand times, Oh, man, bend a bit; bend! Lower your exalted head! Do not compromise the great fundamentals, but do not keep an eternal controversy going about non-essentials. If you can perform a ceremony that will satisfy the conscience of another, and that is not in violation of the Lords own will, do it.
I went a while ago to preach in a church that was supposed to be evangelical. When I got there I found the very form of the church itself an aping, and its ceremonials were largely papistic. I looked at the gown offered me and said, I never wore one in my life, and I would prefer not to appear in the pulpit in it. But the pastor, with pained face, said, Oh, doctor; do, for the sake of uniformity! Join us to-day! I said, Will you, then, take the risk of my ripping the thing when I get going? He said, I will, and I slipped into it without further controversy. Why shouldnt I? That gown didnt keep me from preaching the Gospel, and so far as I know it was not in violation of the Divine will, for, thank God, a ministers dress is not divinely prescribed. Lets be done with bickerings about little things that our time and strength may go to the big ones.
His painstaking did not silence and satisfy the prejudiced. Verse twenty-seven to the end records the vociferousness of their objection, the intensity of their hatred, and the futility of their opposition. It is a fine illustration of the dual fact that a compromise will never satisfy men who exalt ceremony above truth and who lay more emphasis upon the way of doing things than upon the deeds themselves. And yet, the other fact is just as patent in this text, namely, that men may rage and threaten and lay violent hands upon you and demand your death, but the God who is over all will check them at His own will, and possibly, as in Pauls case, make some word that has passed your lips to fling them into confusion and effect for them defeat in the very moment when they are ready to mete out the dire judgment.
The ending of this chapter involves a joke. The Word of God contains a vast deal of quiet humor. The chief captain was amazed that Paul could speak Greek and supposed he was that Egyptian which had once made an uproar and aided a bandit crowd of four thousand.
How little a man of the world knows of church history! We need not be abashed when we meet some high politician and he inquires a second time after our name and says, with a look of utter ignorance, What church, sir; and what denomination did you say?
It is humiliating, I grant you, to face the fact that after you have supposed yourself an international figure, your name had never been heard by this high-up politician; and yet, that is not a criticism of you; it is a criticism of him. It is not a reflection on the position of the preacher; it is a revelation of the ignorance of the politician. Dont be chagrined because the world knows you not. In truth, that same world knows not God!
Fuente: The Bible of the Expositor and the Evangelist by Riley
CRITICAL REMARKS
Act. 21:1. And it came to pass that after we had gotten from them and had launched.Better, as well as literally, And when it came to pass that we had weighed anchor, having departed from them. The we certainly included Luke and, most probably, Trophimus (Act. 21:29) and Aristarchus (Act. 27:2); the others (Act. 20:4) presumably proceeded no farther. Timothy may even have returned with the elders from Miletus to Ephesus (1Ti. 1:3). With a straight course shows the wind to have been favourable. Compare Act. 16:11. Coos should be Cos, an island on the south-west coast of Asia Minor, and forty miles from Miletus, a distance which could have been performed in six hours. Rhodes.Another island lying upon the south of Asia Minor, on the coast of Caria. Patara.A seaport of Lycia, near the left bank of the Xanthus, celebrated for its oracle of Apollo.
Act. 21:2. Finding a ship sailing over. Lit., having found a vessel crossing over. The reason for thus changing vessels may have been either that the one they left was not proceeding further, or was not fit for venturing far from the coast, or that the one they boarded was just leaving when they landed at Patara, so that by availing themselves of it they lost no time.
Act. 21:3. Discovered Cyprus.Better, sighted Cyprus. Lit., having had it brought up to sight or made visible. A nautical expression, the opposite of which is to lose sight of land, . We left (or, leaving) it on the left hand.This shows they sailed to the southward of the island. Syria in those days included Phnicia (Act. 21:2), of which Tyre (see Act. 12:20) was the capital. For there, etc.Lit., for thither (i.e., having come thither), the ship was unlading her burden.
Act. 21:4. And finding disciples should be and having found out (by searching, because they were strangers) the disciples who lived there, since the gospel had been preached in Phnicia at an early period (Act. 11:19), and the Saviour had performed some of His miracles in the neighbourhood of Tyre and Sidon (Mat. 15:21; Mar. 7:24). Seven days (compare Act. 20:6).The time occupied in unloading the ship; during which time Paul would, without doubt, preach the gospel and consult for the welfare of the Syrian Church. Go up, , as in Act. 21:12.The best text reads set foot upon, .
Act. 21:5. And when we should be and when it came to pass that we had accomplished those, or the days named in Act. 21:4. The days were not spent in refitting the ship (Meyer), but in refreshing the disciples. Wives and children.Only mention of wives and children in the Acts.
HOMILETICAL ANALYSIS.Act. 21:1-6
Seven days at Tyre; or, Impending Danger announced
I. The voyage from Miletus to Tyre.
1. From Miletus to Patara.
(1) The company of voyagers. Paul and his companions, now reduced to three, Trophimus, Aristarchus, and Luke, the others Sosipater, Secundus, Gaius, Timotheus, and Tychicus, having either remained behind at Miletus, or gone to their several homes, or departed to various fields of labour. So part we in this world of care to meet again in dear Jerusalem.
(2) The sorrowful farewell spoken on the sea-beach, with hot tears and tender embraces, and with the feeling present in every heart that never again would they all look each other in the face on earth. A presentiment which all companies may feel on breaking up.
(3) The speedy voyage. The first night the vessel anchored at Cos, famous for its wines and fabrics, for its temple of sculapius, or school of medicine, and for its two distinguished natives, Hippocrates the physician, and Apelles the painter. The ship had made a run of six or seven hours from Miletus, which shows it must have sailed from the latter port about noon. The next day, having rounded Cape Crio, it headed eastward, a distance of fifty miles, and lay to for the second night in Rhodes, then celebrated as being the most beautiful spot in this perhaps the fairest portion of the world, a current proverb saying that the sun shone every day in Rhodes. From the Greek period it had been renowned for its Temple of the Sun and for its Colossus, though when Pauls ship visited the harbour the latter was in ruins, having been overthrown by an earthquake. The day following, the barque landed at Patara, a coast town of Lycia, and a place of some importance and splendour, possessing a convenient harbour (now an inland marsh) and a celebrated temple and oracle of Apollo, which almost rivalled that of Delphi (Herod., I. 182, III. 4).
2. From Patara to Tyre. Scarcely had the vessel anchored in the harbour of Patara when Paul and his companions found another ship, a merchantman, bound for Phnicia, in the act of setting sail, and having taken out passages in it once more confronted the dangers of the deep. Whether the ship they left was not proceeding farther, or they were unwilling to wait for it, need not be curiously inquired after. It admirably served their purpose to embark on the one they found weighing anchor, and hurry to their destination. Passing by the island of Cyprus (Act. 4:36) on the left handi.e., keeping to its south, the Phnician merchantman steered her course for Tyre to which she was bound with a cargo. (On the commercial importance of Tyre in Old Testament times, see Ezekiel 27) As the distance between Patara and Tyre was 340 geographical miles, several days would most likely be consumed in this part of the voyage.
II. The seven days stay in Tyre.
1. The unlading of the ship. The commercial greatness of Tyre. Never was a more precious cargo discharged at her wharves than when Paul and his companions disembarked, carrying with them the unsearchable riches of salvation to proclaim to its inhabitants.
2. The search for the disciples. Paul probably knew that already the gospel had been preached and the nucleus of a Church formed there. That the Christians were not numerous in Tyre may be inferred from the circumstance that they required to be searched out. Pauls inquiry after them arose no doubt partly from a desire of Christian fellowship in a heathen city, and partly from a wish to impart unto them some benefit by preaching among them (compare Rom. 1:11).
3. The warning of Paul. Given by the disciples, who, in speaking as they did, acted as the organs and mouthpiece of the Holy Ghost, who never did, and does not yet restrict His influences or communications to official persons, but imparts them to whomsoever He will (Joh. 3:8; 1Co. 12:11). The tenor of their warning was that Paul should not set foot in Jerusalem, obviously because of the danger they saw impending.
If we ask, Why did the Spirit through these men warn Paul? It could not be that the Spirit did not wish Paul to visit Jerusalem, because it must already have been in the Spirits plan that Paul should go to Jerusalem, be apprehended there, and carried thence to Rome. The only answer possible seems to be that in this way the Spirit desired to confirm the impression already made upon Pauls heart, that bonds and afflictions were waiting him (Act. 20:23), and to test if not the sincerity, at least the strength and tenacity of his faith.
III. The pathetic farewell to Tyre.
1. The affectionate convoy. The whole body of the disciples with their wives and children, unwilling to be parted from the apostle and his companions, repeated the scene which had a few days before been witnessed in Miletus, and accompanied them on their way till they reached the outskirts of the city. A scene like this attests the strength of that spiritual affection which a true minister of Christ can inspire in the bosoms of his hearers.
2. The prayer meeting on the beach. Recalling the similar interview with the Ephesian elders (Act. 20:36), and the fast of Ezra and his fellow-travellers on the Ahava (Ezr. 8:21). How much more appropriate for Christians to part at a prayer meeting than at a social banquet, with supplications and tears and solemn commendations of each other to God than with songs and laughter, wine and wassail.
3. The final separation. Bidding each other good-bye, they went their several ways, Paul and his companions to their ship, the Christians of Tyre to their homes. So must all earthly unions and communions be broken up and interrupted till the heavenly union and communion arrive which will never end.
Learn.
1. How God guides His people on their journeys, whether these be by sea or land.
2. How Christs disciples draw to one another, even in strange cities.
3. How the Spirit of Christ tries and tests the faith and patience of those He leads.
4. How providence assigns to each man his own particular sphere and work.
HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS
Act. 21:1-7. Helps and Hindrances.
I. Helps for Pauls journey.
1. Favourable windsa straight course (Act. 21:1).
2. Opportune eventsthe crossing ship (Act. 21:2).
3. Christian companionswe came (Act. 21:1), we sailed, we landed (Act. 21:3).
4. Religious fellowship with the Tyrian disciples (Act. 21:4).
II. Hindrances to Pauls journey.
1. The prophecies of approaching evil. (Act. 21:4).
2. The tearful farewells upon the beach (Act. 21:5-6).
3. The separation from Christian friends which ensued.
Act. 21:4. Seven days in Tyre. This peculiar period of time mentioned at Troas (Act. 20:6), and again at Puteoli (Act. 28:14), seems to tell us that St. Paul arranged to stay at each of these points where there was a Christian ChurchTroas, Puteoli, and Tyrefor the purpose of attending one solemn meeting of the brethren on the Lords day, and partaking, once at least, with them all of the Lords Supper.Spence.
Act. 21:5. Husbands, Wives, and Children.
I. All belong to the conception of an ideal home.All, therefore, should be bound together by ties of love. All should be mutually helpful by lovingly fulfilling the duties which each owes to the other two, and which all owe to God, to the Church, to the world.
II. All have a rightful place within the Christian Church.All belong to its communion. The Church membership of wives and children no less than of husbands and fathers is distinctly recognised in New Testament Scriptures (Act. 2:39; 1Co. 7:14).
III. All should take part together in exercises of Christian worship.Whether in public assemblies or in private gatherings of the disciples, all should, like Corneliuss household (Act. 10:33), be present. The modern practice of establishing separate Churches for children cannot be too severely condemned.
Children. Are
I. The heritage of the Lord, and should be thankfully received from, and diligently trained for Him.
II. The ornament of home, and should be sincerely admired and tenderly cherished.
III. The hope of the Church, and should be carefully instructed and nourished up in the faith.
IV. The promise of the world, and should therefore be with much solicitude prepared for their future places in it.
Act. 21:1-5. The Power of Love to Jesus Christ.
I. It brings the unacquainted near (Act. 21:4).
II. It forewarns of possible danger (Act. 21:5).
III. It gladly cultivates fellowship (Act. 21:5).
IV. It humbles itself before God in mutual prayer (Act. 21:5), (Lisco, in Lange).
Act. 21:6. Christian Farewells.
I. Often take place under sorrowful circumstances.
II. Should always be accompanied with prayers as well as tears.
III. Ought not to hinder the prosecution of necessary duties.
IV. Will eventually give place to joyous reunions.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
14.
AT COS. Act. 21:1 a.
Act. 21:1
And when it came to pass that we were parted from them and had set sail, we came with a straight course unto Cos,
Act. 21:1 a It would seem that a favorable wind was blowing and that the trip to Cos was made rather rapidlyit was a distance of some forty nautical miles; the direction is due south. An island of twenty-three miles in length separated from the mainland by a narrow channel, Here the ship cast anchor probably near the large city of Hippocrates, In the morning they were ready to sail down the channel of Cos.
815.
What were the sailing conditions to Cos? How do you know?
15.
AT RHODES. Act. 21:1 b.
Act. 21:1 b
and the next day unto Rhodes,
Act. 21:1 b This was another celebrated island in Pauls day, an overnight stop for Pauls ship.
16.
AT PATARA. Act. 21:1 c, Act. 21:2.
Act. 21:1 c
and from thence unto Patara:
Act. 21:2
and having found a ship crossing over unto Phoenicia, we went aboard, and set sail.
Act. 21:1 c, Act. 21:2 The vessel boarded at Philippi now had either completed its voyage or was proceeding further up the coast of Asia Minor. But how was Paul now to arrive in Jerusalem by Pentecost? Providence intervenes and the words of Luke seem to suggest that they were pleasantly surprised to find a ship here at Patara sailing for Phoenicia. (Maybe even on the same day they found it). They immediately put out into the open sea and proceeded on the last leg of their trip.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
XXI.
(1) After we were gotten from them . . .The Greek verb is more emphatic, and might almost be rendered, When we had torn ourselves away from them.
We came with a straight course unto Coos . . .The navigation is, as before (Act. 20:14-15), from port to port. It would hardly be within the scope of a Commentary to enter at length into the history of each place. It will be enough to note that Coos was famous both for its wines and its silk fabrics, of fine and almost transparent tissue; that Rhodes, then famous for its Colossus, was one of the largest and most flourishing islands of the Archipelago, and is memorable for us in later history as connected with the history of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John; that Patara was a harbour on the coast of Lycia. For this harbour the ship in which the travellers had left Troas and Miletus was bound, and they had therefore to look out for another. Happily there was no long delay, and they embarked at once on a merchant-ship bound for Phnicia.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Chapter 21
NO RETREAT ( Act 21:1-16 ) 21:1-16 When we had torn ourselves away from them and had set sail, we sailed a straight course and came to Cos; on the next day we reached Rhodes; and from there we came to Patara. There we found a ship which was sailing across to Phoenicia and we embarked on her and set sail. After we had sighted Cyprus and had left it behind on the left hand side we sailed on to Syria and came down to Tyre, for there the ship was to discharge her cargo. We sought out the disciples and we stayed there for seven days. They told Paul through the Holy Spirit to give up his journey to Jerusalem. When we had completed the days we left and proceeded on our journey, while they all, with their wives and children, escorted us outside the city. We knelt down on the shore and prayed and bade each other farewell. Then we embarked on the ship and they returned home. We continued our voyage and arrived at Ptolemais from Tyre, and when we had greeted the brethren we stayed among them for one day. On the next day we left and came to Caesarea. We went into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the Seven, and stayed with him. He had four daughters who were virgins and who prophesied. While we stayed there longer a prophet called Agabus came down from Judaea. He visited us and he took Paul’s girdle and he bound his own hands and feet and said, “Thus speaks the Holy Spirit. The Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man to whom this girdle belongs like this and they will hand him over to the Gentiles.” When we heard this both we and the people of the place kept pleading with Paul not to go to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but to die in Jerusalem for the sake of the name of the Lord Jesus.” Since he would not be persuaded, we held our peace and said, “Let the Lord’s will be done.” After these days, when we had packed up, we set out on the journey to Jerusalem. Some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us. They were to bring us to Mnason, a man of Cyprus, an original disciple, with whom we were to lodge.
The narrative is speeding up and there is an atmosphere of approaching storm as Paul comes nearer Jerusalem. Two things stand out here. (i) There is the sheer determination of Paul to go on no matter what lay ahead. Nothing could have been more definite than the warning of the disciples at Tyre and of Agabus at Caesarea, but nothing could deter Paul from the course that he had chosen. During one of the sieges in the Spanish Civil War, some in the garrison wished to surrender but one of their comrades said, “I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees.” Paul was like that. (ii) There is the wonderful fact that wherever Paul went he found a Christian community waiting to welcome him. If that was true in Paul’s time, it is still more true today. One of the great privileges of belonging to the Church is the fact that no matter where a man goes, he is sure to find a community of like-minded people into which he may enter. The man who is in the family of the Church has friends all over the world.
Agabus is an interesting figure. Jewish prophets had a certain custom. When words were inadequate, they dramatized their message. There are many instances of this in the Old Testament, for example, Isa 20:3-4; Jer 13:1-11; Jer 27:2; Eze 4:1-17; Eze 5:1-4; 1Ki 11:29-31.
In the King James Version the antiquity of the language may be misleading. Act 21:15 says, “We took up our carriages and went up to Jerusalem.” That may sound as if Paul and his friends travelled by carriage. But in the sixteenth century, used like this, carriage meant not something which carried a man but something which a man had to carry; it meant baggage.
COMPROMISE IN JERUSALEM ( Act 21:17-26 ) 21:17-26 When we arrived in Jerusalem the brethren received us gladly. On the next day Paul along with us went to visit James; and all the elders were present. He greeted them and recounted one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. When they heard the story they glorified God. They said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews who have accepted the faith. Now they are all devotees of the Law. They have heard rumours about you which allege that you teach all the Jews who live in Gentile territory to abandon the Law of Moses and to stop circumcising their children and to stop living according to their ancestral customs. What then is to be done? They will be bound to hear that you have arrived. So you must do what we tell you. We have four men who have taken a vow upon themselves. Take these men and be purified along with them; and pay their expenses that they may shave their heads, and then everyone will know that the rumours they have heard about you have no truth in them but that you yourself also walk in observance of the Law. As for the Gentiles who have accepted the faith, we wrote decreeing that they should abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from anything that has been strangled and from fornication.” Then on the next day Paul took the men and was purified along with them; he went into the Temple, and announced his intention of completing the days of purification until the offering was made for each one of them.
When Paul arrived in Jerusalem, he presented the church with a problem. The leaders accepted him and saw God’s hand in his work; but rumours had been spread that he had encouraged Jews to forsake their ancestral faith. This Paul had never done. True, he had insisted that the Jewish Law was irrelevant for the Gentile; but he had never sought to draw the Jew away from the customs of his fathers.
The leaders saw a way in which Paul could guarantee the orthodoxy of his own conduct. Four men were in the middle of observing the Nazarite vow. This was a vow taken in gratitude for some special blessing from the hand of God. It involved abstention from meat and wine for thirty days, during which the hair had to be allowed to grow. It seems that sometimes at least the last seven days had to be spent entirely in the Temple courts. At the end certain offerings had to be brought–a year old lamb for a sin-offering, a ram for a peace offering, a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil and a meat offering and a drink offering. Finally, the hair had to be shorn and burned on the altar with the sacrifice. It is obvious that this was a costly business. Work had to be given up and all the elements of the sacrifice had to be bought. It was quite beyond the resources of many who would have wished to undertake it. So it was considered an act of piety for some wealthier person to defray the expenses of someone taking the vow. That was what Paul was asked to do in the case of these four men and he consented. By so doing he could demonstrate so that all could see it that he was himself an observer of the Law.
There can be no doubt that the matter was distasteful to Paul. For him the relevancy of things like that was gone. But it is the sign of a truly great man that he can subordinate his own wishes and views for the sake of the Church. There is a time when compromise is not a sign of weakness but of strength.
A SLANDEROUS CHARGE ( Act 21:27-36 ) 21:27-36 When the seven days were nearly completed and when the Jews from Asia had seen Paul in the temple, they stirred up the whole mob and they attacked him shouting, “Help, men of Israel! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, against the Law and against this place. Furthermore he has brought Greeks into the Temple and defiled this holy place.” For they had seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city and they thought that Paul had taken him into the Temple. The whole city was disturbed and the people rushed together. They laid hands on Paul and dragged him outside the Temple and immediately the doors were shut. While they were trying to kill him, the report reached the commander of the battalion that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. When they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. Then the commander came up to him and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He asked who he was and what he had done. In the crowd some shouted one thing and some another. When the commander was unable to discover the truth of the matter because of the disturbance, he ordered him to be taken into the barracks. When Paul came to the steps he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob. For the mass of the people were following, shouting, “Kill him!”
It so happened that Paul’s compromise led to disaster. It was the time of Pentecost. Jews were present in Jerusalem from all over the world and certain Jews from Asia were there, who no doubt knew how effective Paul’s work in Asia had been. They had seen Paul in the city with Trophimus, whom they very likely knew. The business of the vow had taken Paul frequently into the Temple courts and these Asian Jews assumed that Paul had taken Trophimus into the Temple along with him.
Trophimus was a Gentile and for a Gentile to enter the Temple was a terrible thing. Gentiles could enter the Court of the Gentiles but between that court and the Court of the Women there was a barrier and into that barrier there were inset tablets with this inscription–“No man of alien race is to enter within the balustrade and fence that goes round the Temple, and if anyone is taken in the act, let him know that he has himself to blame for the penalty of death that follows.” Even the Romans took this so seriously that they allowed the Jews to carry out the death penalty for this crime.
The Asian Jews then accused Paul of destroying the Law, insulting the chosen people and defiling the Temple. They initiated a movement to lynch him. In the north-west corner of the Temple area stood the Castle of Antonia, built by Herod the Great. At the great festivals, when the atmosphere was electric, it was garrisoned by a cohort of one thousand men. Rome insisted on civil order and a riot was unforgivable sin both for the populace who staged it and the commander who allowed it. The commander heard what was going on and came down with his troops. For Paul’s own sake he was arrested and chained by each arm to two soldiers. In the confusion the commander was able to extract no coherent charge from the excited mob and Paul was actually carried through the seething mob into the barracks. There was never a time when Paul was nearer death than this and it was the impartial justice of Rome which saved his life.
FACING THE FURY OF THE MOB ( Act 21:37-40 ) 21:37-40 When Paul was about to be brought into the barracks he said to the commander, “May I say something to you?” He said, “Can you speak Greek? Are you not then the Egyptian who some time ago started a revolution and led four thousand men of the Dagger-bearers out into the desert?” Paul said, “I am a man who is a Jew, a native of Tarsus, a citizen of no mean city. I ask you, let me speak to the people.” When he had given his permission to do so, Paul stood on the steps and made a gesture with his hand to the people. When a great silence had fallen, he spoke to them in the Hebrew tongue.
The Castle of Antonia was connected to the outer courts of the Temple by two flights of stairs on the northern and the western sides. As the soldiers were struggling towards the steps to reach the sanctuary of their own barracks, Paul made an amazing request. He asked the captain to be allowed to address the furious mob. Here is Paul exercising his consistent policy of looking the mob in the face.
The captain was amazed to hear the accents of cultured Greek coming from this man whom the crowd were out to lynch. Somewhere about A.D. 54 an Egyptian had led a band of desperate men out to the Mount of Olives with a promise that he could make the walls of the city fall down before him. The Romans had dealt swiftly and efficiently with his followers but he himself had escaped and the captain had thought that Paul was this revolutionary Egyptian come back.
His followers had been Dagger-bearers, violent nationalists who were deliberate assassins. They concealed daggers in their cloaks, mixed with the mob and struck as they could. But when Paul stated his credentials, the captain knew that, whatever else he was, he was no revolutionary thug; and so he allowed him to speak. When Paul turned to speak he made a gesture for silence, and, almost miraculously, complete silence fell on that roaring mob. Nothing in all the New Testament so shows the force of Paul’s personality as this silence that he commanded from the mob who would have lynched him. At that moment the very power of God flowed through him.
-Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT)
Fuente: Barclay Daily Study Bible
5. From Miletus to Cesarea , Act 21:1-8 .
1. We came It was about the middle of spring (April 24, A.D. 58) when Paul’s ship cut its quiet and prosperous way through the “isles of Greece,” celebrated in poetry for their romantic beauty, and in history for wonderful events. But Paul journeys in a spirit of ever-increasing sadness. The lying in wait of the Jews (Act 20:3) had interrupted the very commencement of his journey; at Miletus premonitions of a disastrous result weighed upon his own spirit, (Act 20:22-23😉 at Tyre a presaging warning from others forbade him to proceed, (Act 21:4,) and at Cesarea an explicit prophecy foretold his surrender to the Romans, and the tears of all his friends implored him to proceed no farther. But he is “bound in spirit” to be in Jerusalem at the feast of Pentecost.
With a straight course Favoured by the strong wind from the northwest, the ship cuts through the strait dividing Cos from the mainland point of Cnidus, and on Tuesday, April 25, might arrive at Rhodes. From its ever-shining sun and perpetual bloom of foliage, both the emblem and Greek name of this island are Rose.
Patara The day following, (Wednesday, April 26.)
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
PART THIRD.
CHRISTIANITY AMONG THE GENTILES. From Chapter Act 13:1, to End of Acts.
Through the remainder of his work Luke’s subject is the evangelization of the Gentiles, and his hero is Paul. His field is western Asia and Europe; his terminal point is Rome, and the work is the laying the foundation of modern Christendom. At every point, even at Rome, Luke is careful to note the Gospel offer to the Jews, and how the main share reject, and a remnant only is saved. And thus it appears that Luke’s steadily maintained object is to describe the transfer of the kingdom of God from one people to all peoples.
I. PAUL’S FIRST MISSION From Antioch, through Cyprus, into Asia, as far as Lystra and Derbe, thence back to Antioch, Act 13:1 Act 14:28.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And when it came to about that we were parted from them and had set sail, we came with a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara, and having found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard, and set sail.’
The suspense continues. The ship continued slowly down the coast of Asia Minor to Cos on the mainland and then across the strait to the island of Rhodes, and then back to Patara on the mainland, getting ever closer to Jerusalem. It was at Patara that large ships could be found for the sea crossing. From there they would cross the open sea for four hundred miles to Phoenicia which would require a larger sea-going vessel rather than a coaster. It was the regular route from that part of Asia Minor to Phoenicia. So at Patara they changed vessels and found one that was crossing over to Phoenicia. Going aboard this vessel they set sail.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
PAUL’S JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM AND THEN TO ROME (19:21-28:31).
Here we begin a new section of Acts. It commences with Paul’s purposing to go to Jerusalem, followed by an incident, which, while it brings to the conclusion his ministry in Ephesus, very much introduces the new section. From this point on all changes. Paul’s ‘journey to Jerusalem’ and then to Rome has begun, with Paul driven along by the Holy Spirit.
The ending of the previous section as suggested by the closing summary in Act 19:20 (see introduction), together with a clear reference in Act 19:21 to the new direction in which Paul’s thinking is taking him, both emphasise that this is a new section leading up to his arrival in Rome. Just as Jesus had previously ‘changed direction’ in Luke when He set His face to go to Jerusalem (Luk 9:51), so it was to be with Paul now as he too sets his face towards Jerusalem. It is possibly not without significance that Jesus’ ‘journey’ also began after a major confrontation with evil spirits, which included an example of one who used the name of Jesus while not being a recognised disciple (compare Act 19:12-19 with Luk 9:37-50).
From this point on Paul’s purposing in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem on his way to Rome takes possession of the narrative (Act 19:21; Act 20:16; Act 20:22-23; Act 21:10-13; Act 21:17), and it will be followed by the Journey to Rome itself. And this whole journey is deliberately seen by Luke as commencing from Ephesus, a major centre of idolatry and the of Imperial cult, where there is uproar and Paul is restricted from preaching, and as, in contrast, deliberately ending with the triumph of a pure, unadulterated Apostolic ministry in Rome where all is quiet and he can preach without restriction. We can contrast with this how initially in Section 1 the commission commenced in a pure and unadulterated fashion in Jerusalem (Act 1:3-9) and ended in idolatry in Caesarea (Act 12:20-23). This is now the reverse the same thing in reverse.
Looked at from this point of view we could briefly summarise Acts in three major sections as follows:
The Great Commission is given in Jerusalem in the purity and triumph of Jesus’ resurrection and enthronement as King. The word powerfully goes out to Jerusalem and to its surrounding area, and then in an initial outreach to the Gentiles. Jerusalem reject their Messiah and opt for an earthly ruler whose acceptance of divine honours results in judgment (Act 19:1-12).
The word goes out triumphantly to the Dispersion and the Gentiles and it is confirmed that they will not be required to be circumcised or conform to the detailed Jewish traditions contained in what is described as ‘the Law of Moses’ (Act 13:1 to Act 19:20).
Paul’s journey to Rome commences amidst rampant idolatry and glorying in the royal rule of Artemis and Rome, and comes to completion with Paul, the Apostle, triumphantly proclaiming Jesus Christ and the Kingly Rule of God from his own house in Rome (Act 19:21 to Act 28:31).
It will be seen by this that with this final section the great commission has in Luke’s eyes been virtually carried out. Apostolic witness has been established in the centre of the Roman world itself and will now reach out to every part of that world, and the command ‘You shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth’ is on the point of fulfilment.
This final section, in which Paul will make his testimony to the resurrection before kings and rulers, may be analysed as follows.
a Satan counterattacks against Paul’s too successful Ministry in Ephesus and throughout Asia Minor and causes uproar resulting in his ministry being unsuccessfully attacked by the worshippers of ‘Artemis (Diana) of the Ephesians’. This city, with its three ‘temple-keepers’ for the Temple of Artemis and the two Imperial Cult Temples, is symbolic of the political and religious alliance between idolatry and Rome which has nothing to offer but greed and verbosity. It expresses the essence of the kingly rule of Rome. And here God’s triumph in Asia over those Temples has been pictured in terms of wholesale desertion of the Temple of Artemis (mention of the emperor cult would have been foolish) by those who have become Christians and will in the parallel below be contrasted and compared with Paul freely proclaiming the Kingly Rule of God in Rome (Act 19:21-41).
b Paul’s progress towards Jerusalem is diverted because of further threats and he meets with disciples for seven days at Troas (Act 20:1-6).
c The final voyage commences and a great sign is given of God’s presence with Paul. Eutychus is raised from the dead (Act 20:7-12).
d Paul speaks to the elders from the church at Ephesus who meet him at Miletus and he gives warning of the dangers of spiritual catastrophe ahead and turns them to the word of His grace. If they obey Him all will be saved (Act 20:13-38).
e A series of maritime stages, and of prophecy (Act 19:4; Act 19:11), which reveals that God is with Paul (Act 21:1-16).
f Paul proves his true dedication in Jerusalem and his conformity with the Law and does nothing that is worthy of death but the doors of the Temple are closed against him (Act 21:17-30).
g Paul is arrested and gives his testimony of his commissioning by the risen Jesus (Act 21:31 to Act 22:29).
h Paul appears before the Sanhedrin and points to the hope of the resurrection (Act 22:30 to Act 23:9).
i He is rescued by the chief captain and is informed by the Lord that as he has testified in Jerusalem so he will testify in Rome (Act 23:11).
j The Jews plan an ambush, which is thwarted by Paul’s nephew (Act 23:12-25).
k Paul is sent to Felix, to Caesarea (Act 23:26-35).
l Paul makes his defence before Felix stressing the hope of the resurrection (Act 24:1-22).
k Paul is kept at Felix’ pleasure for two years (with opportunities in Caesarea) (Act 24:23-27).
j The Jews plan to ambush Paul again, an attempt which is thwarted by Festus (Act 25:1-5).
i Paul appears before Festus and appeals to Caesar. To Rome he will go (Act 25:6-12).
h Paul is brought before Agrippa and gives his testimony stressing his hope in the resurrection (Act 25:23 to Act 26:8).
g Paul gives his testimony concerning his commissioning by the risen Jesus (Act 26:9-23).
f Paul is declared to have done nothing worthy of death and thus to have conformed to the Law, but King Herod Agrippa II closes his heart against his message (Act 26:28-32).
e A series of maritime stages and of prophecy (Act 19:10; Act 19:21-26) which confirms that God is with Paul (27.l-26).
d Paul speaks to those at sea, warning of the dangers of physical catastrophe ahead unless they obey God’s words. If they obey Him all will be delivered (Act 27:27-44).
c Paul is delivered from death through snakebite and Publius’ father and others are healed, which are the signs of God’s presence with him, and the voyage comes to an end after these great signs have been given (Act 28:1-13).
b Paul meets with disciples for seven days at Puteoli and then at the Appii Forum (Act 28:14-15).
a Paul commences his ministry in Rome where, living in quietness, he has clear course to proclaim the Kingly Rule of God (Act 28:16-31).
Thus in ‘a’ the section commences at the very centre of idolatry which symbolises with its three temples (depicted in terms of the Temple of Artemis) the political and religious power of Rome, the kingly rule of Rome, which is being undermined by the Good News which has ‘almost spread throughout all Asia’ involving ‘much people’. It begins with uproar and an attempt to prevent the spread of the Good News and reveals the ultimate emptiness of that religion. All they can do is shout slogans including the name of Artemis, but though they shout it long and loud that name has no power and results in a rebuke from their ruler. In the parallel the section ends with quiet effectiveness and the Good News of the Kingly Rule of God being given free rein. This is in reverse to section 1 which commenced with the call to proclaim the Good News of the Kingly Rule of God (Act 1:3) and ended with the collapse of the kingly rule of Israel through pride and idolatry (Act 12:20-23).
In ‘b’ Paul meets with God’s people for ‘seven days, the divinely perfect period, at the commencement of his journey, and then in the parallel he again meets with the people of God for ‘seven days’ at the end of his journey. Wherever he goes, there are the people of God.
In ‘c’ God reveals that His presence is with Paul by the raising of the dead, and in the parallel His presence by protection from the Snake and the healing of Publius.
In ‘d’ we have a significant parallel between Paul’s warning of the need for the church at Ephesus to avoid spiritual catastrophe through ‘the word of His grace’ and in the parallel ‘d’ the experience of being saved from a great storm through His gracious word, but only if they are obedient to it, which results in deliverance for all.
In ‘e’ and its parallel we have Paul’s voyages, each accompanied by prophecy indicating God’s continuing concern for Paul.
In ‘f’ Paul proves his dedication and that he is free from all charges that he is not faithful to the Law of Moses, and in the parallel Agrippa II confirms him to be free of all guilt.
In ‘g’ Paul give his testimony concerning receiving his commission from the risen Jesus, and in the parallel this testimony is repeated and the commission expanded.
In ‘h’ Paul proclaims the hope of the resurrection before the Sanhedrin, and in the parallel he proclaims the hope of the resurrection before Felix, Agrippa and the gathered Gentiles.
In ‘i’ the Lord tells him that he will testify at Rome, while in the parallel the procurator Festus declares that he will testify at Rome. God’s will is carried out by the Roman power.
In ‘ j’ a determined plan by the Jews to ambush Paul and kill him is thwarted, and in the parallel a further ambush two years later is thwarted. God is continually watching over Paul.
In ‘k’ Paul is sent to Felix, to Caesarea, the chief city of Palestine, and in the parallel spends two years there with access given to the ‘his friends’ so that he can freely minister.
In ‘l’ we have the central point around which all revolves. Paul declares to Felix and the elders of Jerusalem the hope of the resurrection of both the just and the unjust in accordance with the Scriptures.
It will be noted that the central part of this chiasmus is built around the hope of the resurrection which is mentioned three times, first in ‘h’, then centrally in ‘l’ and then again in ‘h’, and these are sandwiched between two descriptions of Paul’s commissioning by the risen Jesus (in ‘g’ and in the parallel ‘g’). The defeat of idolatry and the proclamation of the Kingly Rule of God have as their central cause the hope of the resurrection and the revelation of the risen Jesus.
We must now look at the section in more detail.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Journey to Jerusalem (20:3-21:16).
As we read this section of Acts some of it may seem a little pointless and repetitive. But we must recognise in it what Luke is doing. One purpose that he has in mind is to depict Paul’s journey as a slow, inexorable progress with the final goal in mind. He wants to hang out the suspense as he slowly approaches Jerusalem and the bonds that await him. But a second purpose that he has in mind is to bring out how successful has been the spread of the word. In so many places there is a flourishing church where Paul can meet up with believers. And they are not only believers, they are believers whose love, and faith, and prayers reveal that they are very much spiritually alive.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Prophecies of Paul’s Arrest in Jerusalem (A.D. 58) Act 21:1-14 describes Paul’s final journey back to Palestine with an emphasis placed on two prophetic utterances predicting Paul’s arrest and imprisonment.
Act 21:4 Comments – The Holy Spirit speaks through prophets about specific situations in our lives. See also Act 21:10-12.
Act 21:11 Comments – The prophecy of Paul being bound by the Jews in Jerusalem was fulfilled in Act 21:11 was fulfilled in Act 22:25, “And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?”
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
The Church’s Organization (Perseverance): The Witness of the Church Growth to the Ends of the Earth Act 13:1 to Act 28:29 begins another major division of the book of Acts in that it serves as the testimony of the expansion of the early Church to the ends of the earth through the ministry of Paul the apostle, which was in fulfillment of Jesus’ command to the apostles at His ascension, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Act 1:8) However, to reach this goal, it required a life of perseverance in the midst of persecutions and hardship, as well as the establishment of an organized church and its offices.
Outline – Here is a proposed outline:
1. Witness of Paul’s First Missionary Journey (A.D. 45-47) Act 13:1 to Act 14:28
2. Witness to Church at Jerusalem of Gospel to Gentiles (A.D. 50) Act 15:1-35
3. Witness of Paul’s Second Missionary Journey (A.D. 51-54) Act 15:36 to Act 18:22
4. Witness of Paul’s Third Missionary Journey (A.D. 54-58) Act 18:23 to Act 20:38
5. Witness of Paul’s Arrest and Trials (A.D. 58-60) Act 21:1 to Act 26:32
6. Witness of Paul’s Journey to Rome (A.D. 60) Act 27:1 to Act 28:29
A Description of Paul’s Ministry – Paul’s missionary journeys recorded Acts 13-28 can be chacterized in two verses from 2Ti 2:8-9, in which Paul describes his ministry to the Gentiles as having suffered as an evil doer, but glorying in the fact that the Word of God is not bound.
2Ti 2:8-9, “Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel: Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.”
Paul followed the same principle of church growth mentioned in Act 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” He first placed churches in key cities in Asia Minor. We later read in Act 19:10 where he and his ministry team preaches “so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks”.
Act 19:10, “And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.”
In Rom 15:20-28 Paul said that he strived to preach where no other man had preached, and having no place left in Macedonia and Asia Minor, he looked towards Rome, and later towards Spain.
Rom 15:20, “Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man’s foundation:”
Rom 15:23-24, “But now having no more place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come unto you; Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company.”
Rom 15:28, “When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain.”
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Witness of Paul’s Arrest, Imprisonment, and Trials (A.D. 58-62) The final major division of the book of Acts (Act 21:1 to Act 28:31) serves as Luke’s testimony of the arrest and trials of Paul the apostle, his trip by sea to Rome, and preparation for a hearing before the Roman emperor, the highest court in the Roman Empire. G. H. C. MacGregor notes that this large portion of material devoted to Paul’s arrest, imprisonment and journey to Rome fills about one fourth of the book of Acts. He suggests several reasons. (1) Luke was an Eyewitness of these Events Luke was an eye witness of these dramatic events of Paul’s arrest, trials and journey to Rome. The nature of such events must have created a strong impact upon his life. (2) The Gospels are Structured with a Similar Disproportion of Jesus’ Arrest, Passion and Resurrection – By comparing this large portion of material to a similar structure in the Gospels, MacGregor suggests that Luke draws a parallel plot with the story of Paul. (3) Luke is Writing an Apology for Paul Many scholars believe Luke is writing an apology in defense of Paul. MacGregor bases this view upon the five speeches of Paul’s defense that are recorded in this section of Acts: Paul’s speech to the Jewish mob (Act 22:3-21), to the Sanhedrin (Act 23:1-6), to Felix, the Roman governor (Act 24:10-21), to Festus, the Roman governor (Act 25:8-11), and to King Herod (Act 26:2-23). A number of scholars support the proposition that the impetus behind these events was an effort to legalize Christianity in the Roman Empire, which leads to the suggestion that Luke-Acts was prepared by Luke as a legal brief in anticipation of Paul’s trial before the Roman court. MacGregor argues that this motif is woven throughout Paul’s missionary journeys when Luke carefully records his encounters with Roman authorities in various cities. He notes that Luke records statements by Lysias, Festus, and Felix regarding the failure by the Jews to prove Paul’s guilt under Roman Law. He adds that Luke ends the book by portraying Paul as a peaceful man entertaining guests while imprisoned in Rome, in stark contrast to the zealous violence of the Jews that Rome was accustomed to encountering. [258] We may add that Luke’s opening to his Gospel and Acts serve as a petition to Theophilus.
[258] G. H. C. MacGregor and Theodore P. Ferris, The Acts of the Apostles, in The Interpreter’s Bible, vol. 9, ed. George A. Buttrick (New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1954), 284-285.
The accounts of Paul’s five trials and apologetic speeches recorded in Act 21:1 to Act 26:32 show that Paul had exhausted the judicial systems in Palestine, both Jewish and Roman, before departing for Rome. In each of these trials, Luke proves Paul’s innocence. The only court left was an appeal to the highest court in Rome. These five trials serve as a testimony that Paul had a legal right to appeal unto Caesar, and that he was beyond doubt innocent of his allegations by the Jews.
One more important aspect of this passage is that divine oracles are embedded within the narrative material of Act 21:1 to Act 28:31. For example, Paul received divine oracles from the seven daughters of Philip the evangelist and the prophet Agabus (Act 21:8); he testifies of his divine vision on the road to Damascus and of the prophecy of Ananias (Act 22:6-16); Luke records Paul’s angelic visitation while in prison at Caesarea (Act 23:11); Paul testifies again of his divine vision on the road to Damascus (Act 26:12-19); Luke records Paul’s angelic visitation at sea (Act 27:20-26).
Outline – Here is a proposed outline to Act 21:1 to Act 28:31:
1. Prophecies of Paul’s Arrest in Jerusalem Act 21:1-14
2. Paul’s Arrest and First Speech to Jewish Mob Act 21:15 to Act 22:29
3. Paul’s Second Speech Before the Sanhedrin Act 22:30 to Act 23:35
4. Paul’s Third Speech Before Felix the Governor Act 24:1-27
5. Paul’s Fourth Speech Before Festus the Governor Act 25:1-12
6. Paul’s Fifth Speech Before King Agrippa Act 25:13 to Act 26:32
7. The Witness of Paul’s Trip to Rome Act 27:1 to Act 28:29
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
The Trip to Jerusalem.
From Miletus to Tyre:
v. 1. And it came to pass that, after we were gotten from them and had launched, we came with a straight course unto Coos and the day following unto Rhodes and from thence unto Patara;
v. 2. and finding a ship sailing over into Phoenicia, we went aboard and set forth.
v. 3. Now, when we had discovered Cyprus, we left it on the left hand, and sailed into Syria and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unlade her burden.
v. 4. And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days; who said to Paul through the Spirit that he should not go up to Jerusalem. The leave-taking from the elders was attended with such difficulties that Paul and his companions literally had to tear themselves from their embraces, so bitterly did they feel the parting from the beloved apostle. But they finally embarked and set sail almost due south to the island of Coos or Cos, just before the opening of the Ceramic Gulf, off the coast of Caria, a district of Proconsular Asia. With a favorable, brisk wind they made this distance in one day. On the next day, with almost equally favorable winds, they managed to reach the harbor of Rhodes, on the island of Rhodes, where the great Colossus, the light tower of the port, now lay prostrate. From here their course was almost due east, to the city of Patara, in Lycia. Here they left the vessel which had carried them from Troas, either because this was its destination, or because the ship was engaged in coastwise traffic and would prove too slow for their purpose. They engaged passage on a vessel bound directly for Phoenicia, went on board, and set sail. In due time they sighted the island of Cyprus, memorable to Paul on account of the work he had done there years before; but they left it on the left hand, that is, they sailed past the island on the south on a straight course for Syria, to which province Phoenicia belonged. The vessel anchored at Tyre for a week to unload her cargo, and Paul and his companions landed. The unloading was attended with considerable trouble and occupied much time, since it included also the carrying into town of the bales, bundles, and boxes. Naturally the apostle’s party lost no time in looking up the disciples, since they knew that there was a congregation in the city (a fine example for Christian travelers in our day to follow). Their quest being successful, they stayed in Tyre seven days. These disciples, some of their number, here received a special revelation through the Spirit concerning at least the general fate which awaited Paul, and they told him repeatedly not to go up to Jerusalem. This warning seems not to have been included in the revelation, but was added on account of their solicitude for the apostle’s welfare, who, however, in spite of all entreaties, was unmoved in his determination.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
EXPOSITION
Act 21:1
When it came to pass float we were parted from them, and had set sail for it came to pass, that after we were gotten from them, and had launched, A.V.; Cos for Coos, A.V. and T.R.; next day for day following, A.V. Parted from them (). “Non sine desiderio magno” (Bengel). “He shows the violence of the parting by saying, ‘ Having torn ourselves away ‘” (Chrysostom). The word is properly applied to those who have been unwillingly torn away from their friends (Schleusner and Kuinoel); “denotes the painful separation wrung from them by necessity” (Meyer) In Act 20:30 it was used in the active voice of false teachers “drawing away” the disciples, i.e. Christians, after them. In 2 Macc 12:10 it means simply” withdrawn,” and so perhaps also in Luk 22:41, though Meyer thinks that St. Luke chose the unusual word to denote the urgent emotion by which our Lord was as it were compelled to leave the companionship of the apostles, and be alone. (whence spasm) and its derivatives, of which Luke uses fourtwo of which are peculiar to himare much employed by medical writers, as Hippocrates, Galen, Antaeus, etc. (Hobart, on Luk 22:1-71.). Had set sail ( ). The word means” to go up to the sea from the land,” as Luk 8:22; Act 13:13; Act 16:11; Act 27:12; just as, on the contrary, and are used of coming down to land from the sea (see Act 27:3 in the T.R., and Act 27:3; Act 28:12). The same conception of putting out to sea being a going up, led to the phrase (high up) being applied to ships out at sea. From comes, of course, our word “meteor.” Cos, or Coos, for it is written both ways, now called by the Turks Stanko ( ), a beautiful island, nearly opposite the Gulf of Halicarnassus, and separated from Cnidus by a narrow strait, about six hours’ sail from Miletus. There is a city of the same name on its eastern coast. It was one of the six Dorian colonies which formed the confederation called the Dorian Hexapolis. It was famous for its wine and its textile fabrics (Howson, and Lewin, and ‘Dict. of Geog.’). Rhodes (); perhaps the “Isle of Roses;” the well-known mountainous island in the AEgean Sea, which lies nine or ten miles from the coast of Carts. Its inhabitants were Dorians, and it was one of the places which claimed the honor of being the birthplace of Homer. The towns are all situated on the seacoast, “Rhodes was the last Christian city to make a stand against the Saracens” (Howson). Patara ([] ). A flourishing commercial city on the south-west coast of Lycia, with a good harbor. It was the port of Xauthus, the capital of Lycia. The name Patera is still attached to some extensive ruins on the seashore not far from the river Xanthus.
Act 21:2
Having found a ship crossing for finding a ship sailing, A.V.; Phoenieia for Phenicia, A.V.; set sail for set forth, A.V. Having found a ship. The ship in which St. Paul and his companions had hitherto sailed was probably a coasting-vessel, intending to continue its course all along the south coast of Asia Minor. But at Patara they found a ship on the point of sailing across the open sea direct to Tyre, by which the voyage would be shortened many days. They accordingly immediately took their passage by it, and put out to sea (, Act 21:1, note). A glance at the map will show what a great corner was thus cut off. A straight line from Patara to Tyro leaves Cyprus just on the left.
Act 21:3
And for when, A.V.; come in sight of for discovered, A.V.; leaving it we sailed for we left it and sailed, A.V.; unto for into, A.V. Had come in sight of; literally, had been shown Cyprus; had had Cyprus made visible to us; i.e. had sighted Cyprus. It is a nautical expression. Meyer compares the phrase for the grammatical construction. The verb is peculiar to St. Luke, occur-tug elsewhere in the New Testament only in Luk 19:11. It is, however, used repeatedly in the LXX. of Job. Landed; , T.R., just the opposite to the of verse 2; but the R.T. has , with the same meaning, “we came to shore.” At Tyre, which they may have reached in about forty-eight hours from Patara with a fair wind (Howson). Tyre at this time was still a city of some commercial importance, with two harbors, one north and one south of the causeway which connected the island with the mainland (see Act 12:20). Howson thinks the ship in which St. Paul sailed may have brought wheat from the Black Sea, and taken up Phoenician wares in exchange. The sight of Cyprus as he sailed by must have brought many and very various memories to the apostle’s mind, of Barnabas, of Sergius Paulus, of Elymas, and many others.
Act 21:4
Having found the disciples for finding disciples, A.V. and T.R.; and these for who, A.V.; set foot in for go up to, A.V. and T.R. Having found the disciples, If the R.T. is right, the meaning is that they had sought out the Christians, apparently not a large body, scattered in the city, and perhaps with some difficulty found them and their place of meeting. This would look as if they were not Jews, as the synagogue was always known. He should not set foot in Jerusalem. The R.T. reads for . It is true that, in the LXX. of Deu 1:36, means “The land that he hath trodden upon;” and that in Jos 1:3 again, means “Every place on which you shall tread with the sole of your feet;” but the phrase must surely mean simply “to go to Jerusalem.” Through the Spirit. The Holy Spirit revealed to them, as he did to many ethers (Jos 1:11 and Act 20:23), that bonds and affliction awaited St. Paul at Jerusalem. The inference that he should not go to Jerusalem was their own.
Act 21:5
It came to pass that we had accomplished for we had accomplished, A.V.; the days for those days, A.V.; on our journey for our way, A.V.; they all, with wives and children, brought us on our way for they all brought us on our way, with wires and children, A.V.; kneeling down on the beach we prayed for we kneeled down on the shore and prayed., A.V. and T.R. Accomplished the days. There is no other example of this use of the word , which always means “to fit out, to equip thoroughly,” as e.g. Josephus, ‘Ant. Jud.,’ 3. 2.2, where he speaks of soldiers well equipped in all respects; and in the only other passage in the New Testament where it occurs, 2Ti 3:17, where it is rendered “thoroughly furnished,” or “furnished completely.” R.V. Hence some would render the passage here “when we had refitted (the ship) during these days.” But this is a very harsh construction, and it is better, with the glossaries, lexicons, the Vulgate, and most commentators, to take the word here in the unusual sense of “to complete,” applied to time. The days are the seven days mentioned in 2Ti 3:4, which were probably determined by the time it took to unlade the ship and get the new cargo on board.
Act 21:6
And bade each other farewell; and we went on board the ship, but, etc., for and when we had taken our leave one of another, we took ship; and, etc., A.V. and T.R. The of the R.T. occurs nowhere else, except in Himerius in the fourth century after Christ. Went on board; , the same phrase as in Act 21:5.
Act 21:7
The voyage for our course, A.V.; arrived at for came to, A.V.; we saluted for saluted, A.V. When we had finished; , only found here in the New Testament, but not uncommon in classical Greek for finishing a voyage, or a journey, or a race-course (Euripides, Hesiod, Xenophon, etc.). St. Luke seems to indicate by the phrase that the sea-voyage ended here. Arrived at; , a favorite word of St. Luke’s for arriving at a place (Act 16:1; Act 18:19, Act 18:24; Act 20:15; Act 25:13; Act 27:12, etc.), Ptolemais. The ancient Accho of Jdg 1:31, then a Canaanite city in the tribe of Asher, but not subsequently mentioned in the Old Testament. In 1 Macc. 5:15, 22 and elsewhere it is called, as here, Ptolemais, having received the name from one of the Ptolemies, probably either Sorer or Lagi; but in the Middle Ages it appears as St. Jean d’Acre, and is now commonly called Acre. It lies on the north side of the spacious bay of Carmel, but is not in all weathers very safe harborage. It is an easy day’s sail, under thirty miles, from Tyre. When St. Paul was there it had recently been made a Roman colony by the Emperor Claudius, and was important as a commercial city. Saluted the brethren. The Christians there. We have no account of the evangelization of Ptolemais. Perhaps the gospel was first preached there to the Jewish colony by those who traveled “as far as Phoenico,” after “the persecution that arose about Stephen” (Act 11:19); for Ptolemais was reckoned as belonging to Phenicia.
Act 21:8
On the morrow for the next day A.V.; we for we that were of Paul‘s company, A.V. and T.R.; entering we for we entered and, A.V.; who for which, A.V. Unto Caesarea. They seem to have come from Ptolemais to Caesarea by land, a two days’ journey; the word. , as Howson justly remarks, pointing to a land-journey. Philip the evangelist. When last we heard of him (Act 8:40) he had just reached Caesarea; apparently he had been working there as an evangelist ever since. His old home at Jerusalem (Act 6:5) had been broken up by the persecution (Act 8:5), and thus the deacon had become an evangelist (Act 8:12). Evangelists are mentioned by St. Paul(Eph 4:11) as one of the higher orders of the Christian ministry; and Timothy is bid “do the work of an evangelist” (2Ti 4:5). In later times the term was restricted to the four writers of the Gospels. Philip’s old association with Stephen in the diaconate must have been keenly remembered by St. Paul. We abode with him. This seems to imply that Philip was well to do, and had a good house.
Act 21:9
Now this man for and the same man, A.V. Virgins. This certainly conveys the impression that they had dedicated their lives to the service of God (1Co 7:34-38). Which did prophesy. The question arisesDid they exercise their gift of prophecy in the Church or in private? The passage 1Co 11:5 seems to indicate that in the Church of Corinth women did pray and prophesy in the congregation, while, on the other hand, 1Co 14:34, 1Co 14:35 seems peremptorily to forbid women to speak or teach in Church, as does 1Ti 2:11, 1Ti 2:12. How, then, is this apparent contradiction to be reconciled? It must be either by supposing
(1) that the gift of prophecy spoken of here and in 1Co 11:5 was exercised in private only; or
(2) that the prohibition did not apply to the extraordinary operation of the Holy Spirit speaking by prophet or prophetesses as the ease might be. The latter seems the most probable (see Act 13:1, note). On the office of prophets in the early Church, see Act 11:27; Act 13:1; Act 15:32; Act 19:6; Rom 12:6; 1Co 12:10, 1Co 12:28, 1Co 12:29; 1Co 13:2, 1Co 13:8; 1Co 14:6, 1Co 14:29, etc.; Eph 3:5; Eph 4:11; 1Th 5:20 (see Alford, on Act 11:27). As regards these daughters of Philip, there are conflicting statements in early Church writers. Eusebius (‘Eccl. Hist.,’ 3:30) quotes Clement of Alexandria as saying that both Peter and Philip among the apostles were married and had children, and that Philip moreover gave his daughters in marriage to husbands. But in the next chapter
(3) he quotes Polycrates, Bishop of Ephesus at the end of the second century, as saying that Philip the apostle and his two daughters, who had grown old in their virginity, were buried at Hierapolis; and that another daughter of his, “who had her conversation in the Holy Spirit,” was buried at Ephesus. Eusebius himself thinks that these daughters of Philip the evangelist were meant. If they were, it does not necessarily follow that those who, according to Clemens Alexandrinus, were married were of the four mentioned here. They might be sisters. Polycrates seems to speak of three sisters who lived a religious life (in the technical sense); the fourth may have died young. But it is quite possible that Clemens may really be speaking of Philip the apostle, and Polycrates also; the more so as Philip the apostle, according to the tradition recorded by Nicephorns, suffered martyrdom at Hierapolis. However, the confusion between the two Philips is quite certain in the Menaeum (or Calendar) of the Greek Church, where we read, “On the 4th of September is the commemoration of Saint Hermione, one of the four daughters of the Apostle Philip, who baptized the eunuch of Candace. She and her sister Eutychis came into Asia after the death of the Apostle John. She was buried at Ephesus.” A fragment of Caius (in Eusebius, ‘Eccl. Hist.,’ 3:31) increases the confusion by speaking of” the four daughters of Philip, prophetesses, who were buried in Hierapolis”.
Act 21:10
Many days ( ). In Act 13:31 is applied to the forty days between the Resurrection and the Ascension. In Act 18:20 is a longer timelonger, viz. than he had intended. In Act 25:6 is “more than ten days.” Here, therefore, it is too strong an expression to say “many days.” According to Lewin’s calculation, he was only five days at Caesareafrom May 10 to May 15. Howson’s “some days,” which is the rendering also in the margin of the R.T., is much better than “many.” Renan has “quelques jours.” Agabus (see Act 11:28).
Act 21:11
Coming to for when he was come unto, A.V.; and taking for he took, A.V.; he bound for and bound, A.V.; feet and hands for hands and feet, A.V. and T.R. Bound his own feet, etc. The R.T. has which leaves no doubt that Agabus bound his own hands and feet. The reading of the T.R., , would rather indicate Paul’s hands and feet, as Grotius, Hammond, and others take it, though less conformably to the context. (For similar symbolical actions of the old prophets, see Isa 20:2, Isa 20:3; Jer 13:1-7; 1Ki 22:11; Eze 4:1-6; Eze 12:3-7; Eze 24:16-24, etc.) Shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentries. Nearly the same words as those in which our Lord foretold his own betrayal.
Act 21:12
They of that place; , a word found only here in the New Testament, and not found in the LXX. or the Apocrypha, but good classical Greek (for the sentiment, see Act 21:4).
Act 21:13
What do ye, weeping and breaking my heart? for what mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? A.V. (the same sense only a more modern idiom). Breaking. occurs only here in the New Testament, or indeed in any Greek writer, though the simple form, , is common in medical writers, and occurs in Plato. It has the force of the Latin frangere animum, to crush and weaken the spirit. I am ready. Paul’s answer reminds us of Peter’s saying to our Lord, “Lord, I am ready to go with thee both into prison, and to death” (Luk 22:33). But Peter’s resolve was made in his own strength, Paul’s in the strength of the Holy Ghost; and so the one was broken, and the other was kept.
Act 21:14
The will of the Lord, etc. A beautiful application of the petition in the Lord’s prayer, “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (comp. Luk 22:42).
Act 21:15
These for those, A.V.; baggage for carriages, A.V. We took up, etc. , is the reading of the R.T., as of Mill, Bengel, Griesbach, Lachmann, Tischendorf, Meyer, Alford, etc. It occurs only here in the New Testament, but is common in classical Greek, in the sense of “fitting out for a journey,” “lading a ship” or “beasts of burden” with baggage, “collecting baggage,” and the like. The of the A.V. means” to unload,” “to get rid of baggage,” and thence generally “to remove,” which gives no good sense here.
Act 21:16
And there went for there went, A.V.; from for of, A.V.; bringing for and brought, A.V.; early for old, A.V. Mnason of Cyprus; only mentioned here. He may very probably be one of those Cypriots mentioned in Act 11:19, Act 11:20, and so have been a disciple before the death of Stephen, and hence properly called an old or early disciple. If he had been one of St. Paul’s converts in the visit to Cyprus recorded in Act 13:1-52., St. Paul would have needed no introduction to him. The construction of the sentence is involved, and the exact meaning consequently obscure. Kuincel, Meyer, Howson (in ‘Dict. of Bible’), and many more, translate it “conducting us to Mnason,” etc., which seems the better translation; not, however, so as to make equivalent to , which Greek usage will not admit of, but explaining the dative by attraction of the relative , which is governed by . If it had not been for the intervening , the sentence would have run , … If Mnason, who, consistently with Act 11:19, had a house at Jerusalem, had been at Caesarea at this time, it would be quite unmeaning that disciples from Caesarea should bring Mnason with them. The sentence would rather have run “among whom was Mnason,” etc. But if he was at Jerusalem, it was quite proper that any Christians of Caesarea who knew him should conduct Paul to his house, and introduce him and his party to him. Mnason, like Philip (Act 11:6, note), was evidently a man of substance, Should lodge; should be hospitably entertained (Heb 13:2; 1Pe 4:9; see Act 10:6, Act 10:18).
Act 21:18
Went in with us unto James. Nothing can mark more distinctly the position of James as Bishop of Jerusalem than this visit of Paul to him, and the finding him surrounded with all the elders of Jerusalem. It is a most distinct evidence of the apostolic origin of the episcopal office.
Act 21:19
Rehearsed one by one for declared particularly, A.V.; the things which for what things, A.V. The things which God had wrought, etc. (comp. Act 15:12). It was a noble account to render. Since he had saluted the Church (Act 18:22), when he had probably seen James last, he had labored at Antioch, in Galatia and Phrygia, and had wrought a mighty revolution in Asia. He had consolidated his work in Macedonia and Achaia; he had held his visitation of Gentile eiders in Miletus; he had visited Tyre, Ptolemais, and Caesarea, great Gentile cities, and had seen everywhere astonishing tokens of the grace of God which was with him. And now he pours his tale into the ears of the chief pastor of the mother Church of Jerusalem, and those of the Jewish elders. A tale of wonder indeed!
Act 21:20
They, when they heard it for when they heard it, they, A.V.; God for the Lord, A.V. and T.R.; they said for said, A.V.; there are among the Jews of them which have believed for of Jews there are which believe, A.V. and T.R.; for the Law for of the Law, A.V. They glorified God. There is not the slightest symptom on the part of James and the elders of unfriendliness towards St. Paul, or jealousy or opposition to his work among the Gentiles (comp. Gal 2:7-9). The appellation brother is another indication of friendly feeling. Thousands (Greek , tens of thousands). These need not be deemed to be all Jerusalem Jews; if applied to the Church at Jerusalem only, such a word would be probably a gross exaggeration; but there were great numbers of Jews of the dispersion assembled at Jerusalem for Pentecostprobably all the Christian Jews of Judaea, and many from Syria, Galatia, Pontus, and the various countries enumerated in Act 2:9-11. So that there might be several myriads of converted Jews altogether. All zealous for the Law. This is a remarkable testimony to the unanimity of the Christian Jews in their attachment to the Law of Moses, and throws light upon the Epistle to the Galatians and many other passages in St. Paul’s Epistles. It explains the great difficulty experienced in the early Church in dealing with converts from Judaism. Zealous (). So the fierce sect of Zealots were called at the time of the Jewish wars (see Josephus, ‘ Bell. Jud.,’ 4. 6.1, and elsewhere).
Act 21:21
Have been for are, A.V.; concerning for of, A.V.; telling them not for saying that they ought not, A.V. Have been informed (); see Act 18:25; Luk 1:4; Rom 2:18, etc. The verb properly means to instruct by word of mouth, whence our “catechism.” The customs ( ); see Act 6:14, both for the phrase and the sentiment, and Act 15:1, note; Act 26:3; Act 28:17. is a favorite word of St. Luke’s, occurring ten times in his Gospel and in the Acts, and only twice in the New Testament elsewhere (Joh 19:40; Heb 10:25; see Hobart, on Luk 2:27).
Act 21:22
The R.T. omits the clause in the T.R. rendered the multitude must needs come together in the A.V.; they will certainly hear for they will hear, A.V. and T.R. The , which in the A.V. belongs to the omitted clause, is rendered “certainly” in the R.T.
Act 21:23
Which have a vow; meaning emphatically the vow of a Nazarite.
Act 21:24
These for them, A.V.; for them for with them, A.V.; shall know for may know, A.V.; there is no truth in the things, etc., for those things are nothing, A.V.; hare been for were, A.V.; keeping for and keepest, A.V. As regards the transaction recommended by James, Kypke (quoted by Meyer) says, “It was a received thing among the Jews, and was reckoned an act of eminent piety, for a rich man to undertake to bear, on behalf of poor Nazarites, the expense of those sacrifices which they had to offer when they shaved their heads at the expiration of their vow.” Josephus seems to allude to the custom, and to speak of King Agrippa as acting in accordance with it, when he says of him that he ordered great numbers of Nazarites to be shaved (‘Ant. Jud.,’ 19. 6.1). The sacrifices were costly, consisting of” three beasts, one for a burnt offering, another for a sin offering, and a third for a peace offering”. Alexander Jannaeus is said to have contributed nine hundred victims for three hundred Nazarites. Purify thyself; , the word used in the LXX. of Num 6:2, Num 6:3, Num 6:8 (with its compound ,, and co-derivatives and ) for the corresponding Hebrew , to take the Nazarite vow. St. Paul, therefore, became a Nazarite of days for seven days, intending at the end of the time to offer the prescribed sacrifices for himself and his four companions (see, however, note on Num 6:26, at the end). Be at charges for them ( ). Make the necessary expenditure on their account, that they may shave their heads, which they could not do till the prescribed sacrifices were offered.
Act 21:25
But as for as, A.V.; have believed for believe, A.V.; wrote giving judgment for have written and concluded, A.V.; the R.T. omits the clause rendered that they observe no such thing, save only, in the A.V.; should keep for keep, A.V.; sacrificed for offered, A.V.; what is strangled for strangled, A.V. As touching the Gentiles, etc. What follows is, of course, a quotation from “the decrees that had been ordained of the apostles and elders that were at Jerusalem” (Act 16:4), of which the text is given in Act 15:19, Act 15:20, Act 15:28. Observe the use of the identical words, in Act 15:19; Act 16:4; and in this verse; and of , in this verse and in Act 15:20, with its cognate and , Act 15:24, Act 15:27. This reference on the part of James to the decrees was very important as a confirmation of “the gospel which Paul preached among the Gentiles” (Gal 2:2). It also marks distinctly the upright and honorable conduct of James, and the concord of the apostles.
Act 21:26
Went for entered, A.V.; declaring the fulfillment for to signify the accomplishment, A.V.; the offering was for that an offering should be, A.V. Paul took the men. St. Paul’s acquiescence in James’s advice is an instance of what he says of himself (1Co 9:20), and is in accordance with his conduct in circumcising Timothy (Act 16:3). But that he did not attach any intrinsic importance even to circumcision, and much less to the minor Jewish ceremonies, is clear from such passages as Rom 1:28, Rom 1:29; 1Co 7:19; Gal 5:6; Gal 6:15; Php 3:3, etc. Purifying himself with them, etc. (); see note on verse 24. James’s advice had been : in obedience to that advice St. Paul now . What was the particular form by which a person who wished to associate himself with others under a Nazaritic vow (note on verse 24) did so is not known; nor how long before the expiration of the vow such association must be made. But from the mention of “seven days” in verse 27 (which is the number named in Num 6:9, in case of an accidental uncleanness), it seems highly probable that “seven days” was the term during which a person must have conformed to the Nazaritic vow to entitle him to “be at charges,” as well, perhaps, as the time during which Nazarites, at the end of their vow, had to undergo special purification. Declaring the fulfillment, etc. The vow of the four men had been for at least thirty days (the minimum period of such vow); but whatever length of time it had been for, such time would have expired by the end of the seven days, and probably long before. We know not how long they might have been waiting for some one to “be at charges” for them, and provide the sacrifices, without which they could not shave their heads and accomplish their vow. But it is obvious that some notice must be given to the priests in the temple of the day when one or more Nazarites would present themselves at “the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,” to offer the prescribed offerings. And this accordingly Paul and the four did. means “notifying,” or “declaring,” to the priests (Exo 9:16 [LXX., answering to the Hebrew ]; Rom 9:27; Jos 6:9, LXX. [10, A.V., “bid”]). Until the offering was offered, etc. This is interpreted in two ways. Meyer makes “until” depend upon “the fulfillment of the days,” so as to define that fulfillment as not taking place till the offering was offered. Wieseler makes “until” depend upon “he entered into the temple,” with the idea supplied, “and remained there,” or “came there daily;” supposing that it was the custom for Nazarites to finish up their time of separation by passing the last seven days, or at least being present daily, in “the court of the women, where was the apartment appropriated to the Nazarites”. If, however, with Howson, Lewin and others, we understand the word , in verses 24 and 20, not generally of taking the Nazarite vow, but of certain special purifications at the close of a Nazaritic vow, which lasted seven days immediately before the offerings were made and the head shaven, then a very easy and natural rendering of the words follows: “Notifying their intention of now completing the seven days of their purification, until the offering for each of them was offered.” Alford, in loc., justifies by examples the aorist indicative , instead of the subjunctive, which is more usual. Lewin thinks that St. Paul had taken a Nazaritic vow after his escape from death at Ephesus, or at Corinth; but there is no evidence of this, and it is hardly consistent with James’s advice. Renan thinks it doubtful whether or no Paul took the Nazaritic vow at all, but inclines to this as the best interpretation.
Act 21:27
Completed for ended, A.V.; from for which were of, A.V.; multitude for people, A.V. The seven days; showing clearly that some customary term of preparation for the offerings and shaving of the head is meant. This shows also that “the days” in the preceding verse meant the “seven days” of preparation rather than “the days” of the whole Nazaritic vow. The Jews from Asia; come up for Pentecost. How hostile the Asiatic Jews were appears from Act 19:9. When they saw him in the temple, whither he had come to complete the seven days of preparation. It was apparently the fifth day (see Act 24:11, note). How often the best meant attempts at conciliation fail through the uncharitable suspicions of a man’s opponents! The temple. It must be remembered throughout that it is that is spoken of, which embraces the temple courts, not the , or house (see Act 3:2, note). Stirred up. is found only here in the New Testament. Properly “to confuse,” like the kindred (Act 2:6; Act 19:32; Act 21:31); and , confusion (Act 19:29); hence “to stir up.” It is of frequent use in medical writers (Hobart, 79.).
Act 21:28
Moreover he for further brought, A.V.; defiled for polluted, A.V. (For the accusation, comp. on. Act 6:13, and above, verse 21.) Brought Greeks also, etc. No uncircumcised person might go beyond the court of the Gentiles, which was not in the . The , which is often used in a wider sense of the whole area, is here restricted to the (see Act 3:1, note). But the accusation was utterly false, the offspring of their own fanatical suspicions. Defiled (); literally, made common (see Act 10:15; Act 11:9).
Act 21:29
Before seen for seen before, A.V.; the Ephesian for an Ephesian, A.V. Trophimus (see Act 20:4). Having seen him with St. Paul in the city, they concluded that he had come with him into the temple.
Act 21:30
Laid hold on for took, A.V.; dragged for drew, A.V.; straightway for forth with, A.V. The doors wore shut. The doors of the gates which separated the , or as Luke here styles it the , from the court of the Gentiles. They turned Paul out of the , intending to kill him, and shut the doors, lest, in the confusion and the swaying to and fro of the crowd, the precincts of the temple should chance to be defiled with blood, or even with the presence of any who were unclean.
Act 21:31
Were seeking for went about, A.V.; up to for unto, A.V.; confusion for an uproar, A.V. Tidings; , only here in the New Testament. The legal use of the word in Greek is an “information” against any one laid before a magistrate. Here it is the information conveyed to the tribune by the sentinels on guard. Came up; viz. to the castle of Antonia, to which steps led up from the temple area on the north-west side (see Act 21:32 and Act 21:35). The chief captain; the chiliarch, or tribune; literally, the commander of a thousand men (see Joh 18:12). The band ( ); the cohort which formed the Roman garrison of Antonia (see Act 10:1, note; also Act 10:32, Act 10:33, etc.; Act 22:24, Act 22:26, etc.).
Act 21:32
And forthwith he for who immediately, A.V.; upon for unto, A.V.; and they, when, etc., left off for and when they, etc., they left, A.V.; beating for beating of, A.V. Ran down upon ( ). only occurs here in the New Testament, but is used in the LXX. of 1Ki 19:20, followed by , to run after. In classical Greek it governs an accusative or genitive of the person or thing attacked. Here the force of seems to be merely the running down from the castle of Antonia, and therefore the A.V. unto seems preferable to the R.V. upon.
Act 21:33
Laid hold on for took, A.V.; inquired for. demanded, A.V. Laid hold on (); see Act 17:19, note. Bound with two chains; as St. Peter was (Act 12:6). means properly “a chain on the hands” as opposed to , a fetter (Mar 5:4); and therefore the two chains are not to be understood of chains on his hands and feet, with Kuinoel, but, as in the case of Peter, of chains fastening him to a soldier on both hands.
Act 21:34
Shouted for cried, A.V. and T.R.; crowd for multitude, A.V.; uproar for tumult, A.V.; brought for carried, A.V. The certainty. He could not get at the truth because of the tumult and the different accounts given first by one and then by another. The Greek word , and its kindred , and , are of frequent use by St. Luke (Act 2:36; Act 5:23; Act 16:23, Act 16:24; Act 22:30; Act 25:26; Act 27:9; Luk 1:4). These words are all very much used by medical writers, and specially the last (), which is used by St. Luke alone in the New Testament. The castle ( ), “the camp or barracks attached to the tower of Antonia” (Alford); Act 22:24; Act 23:10, Act 23:16, Act 23:32. It means the castle-yard within the fortifications, with whatever buildings were in it.
Act 21:35
Crowd for people, A.V. Borne of the soldiers. Lifted off his legs and carried up the steps. The stairs from the temple area at the northwest corner to the castle of Antonia (see Act 21:31, note, and Act 21:32). Alford quotes the description of the fort Antonia in Josephus, ‘Bell. Jud.,’ 5. 5.8, in which he says (Traill’s translation), “Its general appearance was that of a tower with other towers at each of the four corners. That at the southeast angle rose to an elevation of seventy cubits, so that from thence there was a complete view of the temple. Where it adjoined the colonnades of the temple it had passages leading down to both, through which the guardsfor in the fortress there always lay a Roman legiondescended and disposed themselves about the colonnades in arms at the festivals, to watch the people, and repress any insurrectionary movement.”
Act 21:36
Crying out for crying, A.V. Away with him. The cry of those who thirsted for the blood of Jesus Christ (Luk 23:1-56. 18; see also Act 22:22, where the sense comes out fully).
Act 21:37
About to be brought for to be led, A.V.; saith for said, A.V.; say something for speak, A.V,; and he for who, A.V.; dost thou know for canst thou speak, A.V. About to be brought into the castle. He had nearly reached the top of the stairs, and there was, perhaps, a brief halt while the gates of the castle-yard were being opened. Paul seized the opportunity to address Lysias in Greek. Dost thou know Greek? ( ;). According to some, is to be understood, “Dost thou know how to speak Greek?” after the analogy of , and , in Neh 13:24. But others (Meyer, Alford, etc.) say that there is no ellipse of , but that (Xenophon), “Graece nescire” (Cicero), mean to know or not to know the Greek and Syrian languages.
Act 21:38
Art thou not then the for art not thou that, A.V.; stirred up to sedition for madest an uproar, A.V.; led for leddest, A.V.; the four thousand men of the Assassins for four thousand men that were murderers, A.V. Art thou not then, etc.? or as Meyer, “Thou art not then;” either way implying that Lysias had concluded that he was the Egyptian, but had now discovered his mistake. The Egyptian, etc. He whom Josephus calls (‘ Bell. Jud.,’ it. Act 13:5) “the Egyptian false prophet,” and relates that, having collected above thirty thousand followers, he advanced from the desert to the Mount of Olives, intending to overpower the Roman garrison and make himself tyrant of Jerusalem, with the help of his , or body-guard, who might very probably be composed of the Assassins or Sicarii, mentioned in the text. Stirred up to sedition () The difference between the A.V. and the R.V. is that the former takes the verb in an intransitive sense, “to make an Uproar,” the latter in a transitive sense, governing the “four thousand men.” In the only two other places were it occurs in the New Testament (Act 17:6; Gal 5:12) it is transitive. It is not a classical word. The four thousand men. Josephus, in the above-cited passage, reckons the followers of the Egyptian impostor at above thirty thousand. But such discrepancies are of no account, partly because of the known looseness with which numbers are stated, and Josephus’s disposition to exaggerate; partly because of the real fluctuation in the numbers of insurgents at different periods of an insurrection; and partly because it is very possible that a soldier like Lysias would take no count of the mere rabble, but only of the disciplined and armed soldiers such as these Sicarii were. It may be added that Josephus himself seems to distinguish between the rabble and the fighting men, because, though in the ‘Bell. Jud.,’ it. 13.5 he says that Felix attacked or took prisoners “most of his followers,” in the ‘Ant. Jud.,’ 20. 8.6 he makes the number of slain “four hundred,” and of prisoners “two hundred”a very small proportion of thirty thousand. The Egyptian had premised his deluded followers that the walls of Jerusalem would fall down like those of Jericho. It is not known exactly in what year the insurrection took place, but it was, as Renan says, “pen de temps auparavant”. The Egyptian himself contrived to run away and disappear; hence the thought that he was the author of this new tumult at Jerusalem. The Sicarii were a band of fanatical murderers, who, in the disturbed times preceding the destruction of Jerusalem, went about armed with daggers, and in broad daylight and in the public thoroughfares murdered whoever was obnoxious to them. Among others they murdered the high priest Jonathan at the instigation of Felix (Josephus, ‘Ant. Jud.,’ 20. 6.7; ‘Bell. Jud.,’ 2., 13.3).
Act 21:39
I am a Jew for I am a man which am a Jew, A.V.; in for a city in, A.V.; give me leave for suffer me, A.V. A citizen of no mean city; , an elegant classical expression. (Euripides, ‘Ion.,’ 8).
Act 21:40
Leave for license, A.V.; standing for stood and, A.V.; language for tongue. A.V. The Hebrew language; i.e. the Syro-Chaldaic which was the vernacular of the Hebrew Jews at that time.
HOMILETICS
Act 21:1-14
The steadfast purpose.
One of the most difficult problems of practical life is to know what are the fixed points on which we must not give way, and to which all other considerations must yield, and what are the points which may be yielded under the pressure of conflicting circumstances. A man may be very conscientious, and yet most grievously mistaken, if by his obstinacy on indifferent matters he imperils or defeats great and important results which are incompatible with those smaller matters on which he insists. And again, a man may be very conscientious, and yet may do much practical mischief if he weakly gives way on vital points on which he ought to insist with inflexible steadfastness of purpose. Moreover, without steadfastness and persistence of purpose a man’s course is so vacillating as to be practically useless. He is ever beginning and never finishing; starting on his course and never reaching the end of it; wasting time and energy on purposes which are never fulfilled; incapable of joint action because he can never be depended uponnot from insincerity and falseness. but merely from weakness and instability of will and infirmity of judgment. It is a very important function of true wisdom in the practical business of life to discern clearly what are the purposes that ought to yield to the pressure of adverse circumstances, and what are those that must be carried out to their end at all risks and at any cost; and it is the true test of manliness and Christian principle to adhere to these last in spite of the persuasions of friends or the vituperation of enemies. The section before us contains the successive steps by which St. Paul carried out the purpose which he had formed of going to Jerusalem and arriving there in time for the Feast of Pentecost. The first distinct announcement of this purpose is made in Act 20:16, but it had probably been formed before he left Corinth, as related in Act 20:3. What were the exact reasons for it we are left to gather from scattered and incidental notices. It seems to have been connected with his deep love for the Jewish nation (Rom 9:1-5), and with the hope to which he clung that, by patience and continuance in well doing, he should eventually overcome their obduracy of heart and win them to the faith of the gospel. The line which he had marked out for himself was to show himself a true Jew in all things; to respect the Law and the observances of the temple and the customs connected with it; and to bind all the Gentile Churches to the mother Church of Jerusalem in bonds of filial love, of which the offerings collected from the Gentile converts and sent to the poor saints at Jerusalem were the token and the result. In this spirit he came up to Jerusalem “for to worship” (Act 24:11); in this spirit he brought “alms to his nation and offerings” (Act 24:17); and in this spirit he purified himself and entered into the temple (Act 24:18). If his hope was by these means to win his countrymen to Christ, and bring about the predicted salvation of all Israel, this was a purpose to which all else must yield. And so when the “Holy Ghost witnessed in every city that bonds and imprisonment abode him at Jerusalem,” when he was warned by prophetic voices at Tyre and at Caesarea that every onward step was bringing him nearer to some great affliction, he never flinched one moment from his purpose, but went forward with a willing mind that “the will of the Lord might be done.” Being deeply convinced, probably by the constraining voice of the Holy Ghost within him (Act 20:22), that it was the will of God that he should go to Jerusalem, and there witness to the Name of the Lord Jesus, he went, not careful whether he were going to bonds or to death; he went, neither yielding to fear nor allowing his will to be broken by the tears and entreaties of those whom he loved best; he went, to accomplish in prison, and at last under the tyrant’s sword, the noblest mission that was ever committed to a son of man, and to win for himself a crown which will surely be one of the most bright and glorious that will glitter in the kingdom of heaven. And in doing so he has left us the priceless example of a steadfast purpose.
Act 21:15-40
The compromise.
The introduction of Christianity into the world while the temple was still standing, and the Law of Moses with all its Levitical and ceremonial ordinances was still in force, might have issued in three ways.
1. All converts to the faith of Jesus Christ from among the Gentiles might have been forced to become Jews, as far as submission to the whole Law was concerned.
2. Or the Old Testament might then and there have been superseded by the New, and the Jewish believers as well as the Gentile converts have been brought at once into the possession of Christian liberty and immunity from the whole body of ceremonial observances.
3. Or it might have been provided that, while Jewish believers were still subject to the Law of Moses, those who believed from among the Gentiles should be wholly free from the bondage of the Law, and only subject to the institutions and precepts of Christ. The first of these issues was that which was contended for by the bigoted Jews of Jerusalem. They wished that all Christians should be as it were proselytes to Moses, only with the addition of faith in Jesus as the promised and long looked-for Christ. The second seems to be that toward which St. Paul’s own opinion gravitated, and which the inexorable logic of the forcible suppression of the Mosaic institutions by the destruction of Jerusalem confirmed as being according to the mind of God. The third was a compromise between the two former. And it was a compromise accepted by St. Paul. In deference to the prejudices of the Jewish people, and in a charitable consideration for opinions and feelings which were almost a part of their being, he was willing that the Christian Jews should still observe the laws and customs of their fathers, provided that the Gentile disciples were left absolutely flee. And he was willing as a Jew himself to conform to his brethren’s practice in this matter. Whatever may have been his speculative opinion, he was willing to give to the Jewish community the public proof asked for by St. James, that “he himself also walked orderly and kept the Law,” and actually joined the four Nazarites in their vow and was at charges with them, and went through the legal ceremonies in the temple with them (verse 26, and Act 24:18; Act 25:8). The practical lesson, therefore, plainly is that compromises are lawful and right, provided no essential truth is sacrificed. In the diversity of the human mind, and the diversity of influences to which different minds are subject, it frequently happens, as a matter of fact, that conscientious and upright men, who agree upon many vital and essential truths, disagree upon others which are less important, disagree sharply and pointedly. If both parties are to maintain their own views with unbending rigidity, there can be no common action, no harmony, no peace. A compromise by which both parties, without giving up their own belief, agree to keep the points of difference in the background, and to concede something to each other in practice, is the only possible way of preserving unity and concord. It is the way sanctioned and recommended by the great example of St. Paul. Only we must not forget to notice the further instructive lesson conveyed by this section, that the most laudable and best-planned efforts at conciliation are often doomed to failure by the unreasonable and fanatical violence of those who are most in the wrong. Compromises imply a measure of humility and a sincere love of peace. Where there is an arrogant assumption of infallibility, and an overbearing spirit of domination, men prefer the forcing their own opinion upon others to an equitable compromise, and love subjugation more than peace. The highest wisdom and most exalted piety will propose concessions, which fanatical bigotry will fling back in their teeth. It is in religion as in politics. There will always be a party of irreconcilables. A St. Paul in the depth of his love may offer a compromise to which the Jewish fanatic in his blind bigotry will reply by blows and conspiracies unto death. And yet in the end the love will triumph, and the violence will be laid in the dust.
HOMILIES BY W. Clarkson
Act 21:1-17
Human affection and sacred service.
God has so made us and so related us that we find ourselves closely and tenderly attached, one to another, in various bonds. It is impossible that these should not have great influence on our minds as the children and servants of God, great effect on our lives as co-workers with Christ. What is that effect?
I. HUMAN AFFECTION WAS A LARGE CONTRIBUTION TO OFFER TO SACRED SERVICE. We find it inciting all the disciples, including “the wives and the children,” to accompany Paul on his way, to pray with and for him, and thus to cheer and hearten him (Act 21:5). We find it leading Philip (Act 21:5-7), and afterwards Mnason (Act 21:16) and “the brethren” (Act 21:17), to entertain the ambassador of Christ with open-handed and full-hearted friendship. And we find it now constantly leading men and women
(1) to educate and train,
(2) to entertain,
(3) to shelter,
(4) to influence by example,
(5) to evangelize the sons and daughters of men.
II. HUMAN AFFECTION SOMETIMES FORCIBLY INTERPOSES BETWEEN MEN AND THE SACRED SERVICE THEY WOULD RENDER. It did so here. Paul and his party had to tear themselves away from the elders of Ephesus (Act 21:1). It required a very great effort to “get away.” Clearly the entreaties of affection produced a very strong impression indeed on the susceptible heart of the apostle, and called forth the tender and touching remonstrance of the text (Act 21:13). It had a like effect on the mind of the Master himself, and evoked a rebuke of no ordinary strength (Mat 16:21-23). When conjugal, or parental, or filial, or fraternal love lays its detaining hand on the shoulder and says, “Go not on this perilous mission; stay with us in these pleasant places of affection,” it is hard for the human soul to resist that gentle but powerful pressure.
III. HUMAN AFFECTION HAS OFTEN MUCH TO URGE ON ITS OWN BEHALF. The disciples at Tyre claimed to found their counsels on communications which they had from God himself. They said “through the Spirit” that Paul “should not go up,” etc. (Act 21:4). Undoubtedly the disciples at Caesarea based their dissuasions on the announcements of Agabus (Act 21:11), and they probably pleaded, with no little force, that the Divine intimation of danger was given on purpose that the impending evil might be averted. Often with us, now, human affection has much to say that is plausible, and even powerful. It makes out a strong case why special spiritual faculty should refrain from sacrificing itself by presumptuous confidence, why it should “not tempt the Lord its God” by running into needless danger, why it should reserve itself for other paths of usefulness where it could walk with equal fruitfulness and without the threatening injury.
IV. CHRISTIAN DEVOTEDNESS RISES ABOVE THE STRONG. TEMPTATION. With Paul it “will not be persuaded” (Act 21:14); with him it says, “I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die for the Name of the Lord Jesus” (Act 21:13). The Huguenot will not have the white ribbon bound round his arm even by the tender hand of the sweetest human love. Men will walk to the stake, and women to the open grave wherein their living bodies are to be enclosed, even though there are voices, gentle and strong, calling them to the home of affection. The will of the Divine Savior has been found, and will be found to the end of time, mightier than even these forces of affection.
V. HUMAN AFFECTION WILL RECOGNIZE ITS DUTY AND ACCEPT THE WILL OF GOD. It still says, after a while, “The will of the Lord be done” (Act 21:14).C.
Act 21:18-26
Relations between disciples.
Our Lord has said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (Joh 13:35). It was of the very last importance that, in the early days of Christianity, there should be inward harmony and outward concord among the disciples of Jesus. Division would have been grave disaster, if not irreparable defeat. But with the strongest reasons for desiring unanimity and a complete understanding, we have to face
I. GREAT DELICACY OF POSITION AMONG CHRISTIAN BRETHREN, then as now. There is a great deal really contained in the simple statement, “Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present” (verse 18). It was a meeting of two streams, differently composed. It was a meeting of those who believed in the Law with the addition of faith in Jesus Christ, and of those who believed in Jesus Christ with a high regard for the Law as a venerable but passing institution. Between these and those the Mosaic Law held a very different position, seriously affecting their views of doctrine, of religious activity, and of daily behavior. It required the utmost charity and forbearance on the part of both to maintain positively friendly relations. There must have been no little constraint, there was probably some discomfort in the opening interview. Thus is it now, and for a long time will be, between Christian disciples. Differences of social standing, of pecuniary position, of education and refinement, of ecclesiastical connection, of intellectual tendency (to liberalism on the one hand, or conservatism on the other), will interpose between Christian disciples and make their relations delicate, difficult, strained.
II. THE RECONCILING ASPECT. Very wisely indeed Paul passed immediately from the introductory salutation to a full narration of “all that God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry” (verse 19). This was striking the true note,the note that brought peace and concord; “when they heard it, they glorified the Lord” (verse 20). It is certain that if Paul had spoken in an argumentative strain they would not have been thus unanimous; but they all rejoiced to know that through his instrumentalitythough he had worked with different weapons from those in their handsmen and women had been turned from dumb idols to serve the living God. This is the reconciling aspect in which to present our cause. However our distinctive views may differ from those of the men whom we meet in conference, or before whom we lay our case, if we can relate a true and simple story of souls converted, of lives transformed, of families or tribes or islands altogether changed and renewed “in the spirit of their mind,” we go a long wayif not all the wayto convince those who hear that we are “disciples of Christ indeed;” they will glorify God in us.
III. CONFORMITY AND NONCONFORMITY. It remains in doubt whether the expedient of James and of his friends was wise or unwise (verses 20-24). Certainly it failed in its object. It is also in doubt whether Paul, with his views, was right in yielding to the wish of the elders (Verse 26); certainly by doing so he endangered his life and lost his liberty without securing his end. But there are some certainties here.
1. That it is right to look at the question before us from our opponent’s point of view.
2. That it is wise to conform as far as possible to our opponent’s wishes.
3. That we should always be ready to offer or accept an honorable compromise (verse 25).
4. That the utmost scrupulousness cannot prevent ill-natured or bigoted misunderstanding (verse 21).
5. That nonconformity may be as honorable and advantageous as conformity (Rom 14:4-7).C.
Act 21:27-40
Fanaticism and devotedness.
It is impossible not to read these verses with a smile of contempt in view of the folly and guilt of fanaticism, and, at the same time, with a smile of satisfaction in view of the calmness and nobility of Christian zeal.
I. THE FOLLY AND THE GUILT OF FANATICISM.
1. Its folly.
(1) In the first place, it employs a weapon with which it is easily matched. It has recourse to violence (Act 21:31); but violence is a usage which others can easily adopt, and it may be with more effect (Act 21:32). If religion calls in the aid of the sword, it is likely enough to find the sword directed, at the next turn of events, against itself.
(2) It uses a weapon which is not at all fitted to its hand. Physical force is not the appointed method for regenerating the world; “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal,” but spiritual. The “kingdom not of this world” does not want its servants to “fight” with steel and gunpowder.
(3) It assails those who, if it would but consider, are its truest friends. Out of regard for the Law, these fanatical Jews “went about to kill” Paul. The multitude shouted “Away with him!” (Act 21:36). But if they had known better they would, out of regard for the Law, have speeded Paul on his mission. For Judaism, pure and simple, would inevitably have perished; but Judaism, as surviving in the truths and institutions of Christianity, is destined to last as long as time itself, and to he universal in its range. Had they thought more and looked further, they would have honored him whom they were in such haste to kill.
2. Its guilt.
(1) It charges a man with a crime of which he is absolutely innocent (Act 21:28, Act 21:29).
(2) It proceeds to punish without giving a chance of defending (Act 21:30, Act 21:31).
(3) It denies to a man that which God has bestowed, and which it claims for itselfa right to his convictions.
(4) It dashes itself blindly and vehemently against the purposes of God. At this time it was striking at Christ’s chosen ambassador, and, without exception, the most useful servant of God then living. At many times since then, it has stricken the men who represented the truth of Christ, and has done sore evil to the Church, and so to the world.
II. THE EXCELLENCY OF CHRISTIAN DEVOTEDNESS. How admirably the attitude of Paul contrasts with the movements of this excited, tumultuous, sanguinary mob! We admire
(1) his courage in placing himself in the position;
(2) his calmness throughout (Act 21:37-39);
(3) his readiness (Act 21:40)he was prepared at any emergency to speak the needful word. We admire it because we are sure that it all rested upon
(4) his consecration to the cause, and his assurance of the presence of his Divine Master.C.
HOMILIES BY E. JOHNSON
Act 21:1-16
Incidents by the way.
I. THE POWER OF CHRISTIAN LOVE TO BRING THE UNKNOWN NEAR. At Tyre Christian disciples, loving Christian hearts, are found. They warn Paul against possible coming dangers, they entertain the little band, and dismiss them with commendatory prayer. “The finding of disciples must have been a main feature in the diaries of the apostle.” To meet with welcome, with hospitality, with congenial discourse upon journeys,how refreshing! Well may it remind us of the universal providence, and the living love which is ever at work to overcome strangeness, and to bring the far-off near! Delays in business need be no delays in the work of the kingdom of God. While the departure from Tyre was delayed, Paul found time to instruct the disciples at Tyre.
II. PHILIP THE EVANGELIST. The name is an excellent one for a true teacher. It means one who carries the good news. All that we know of him from Act 6:5; Act 8:5; Act 26:1-32, 46, and his earnest preaching of Jesus, bears out this character. It seems to have been his object and his peculiar gift to make clear from the Old Testament Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ. The gift of his daughters seemed to be a fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy (Joe 3:1). They present the type of the calling of all Christian women to appropriate forms of Christian service.
III. AGABUS AND THE GIRDLE OF PAUL. He gives a symbolic prophecy of coming trial. The girdle might be a symbol of complete dedication to the service of the Lord Jesus and of his gospelof Christian duty. The loins once girt up must not be relaxed. Only when the will has been subdued to God and his service are we truly free; and this even when others would use compulsion upon us. “Then the strong band encircles our life and girds us for eternity.” It is a blessing when our eyes are opened to the coming trial, and our hearts are at the same time strengthened to meet it. This gives assurance that all that occurs is according to the blessed will, and must work together for good.
IV. “THE WILL OF THE LORD BE DONE.“ Often it is harder to contend with the weaknesses of others than with one’s own. See Millais’s touching picture of the ‘Huguenot.’ Some silken band of dearest affection would detain us as we are preparing to march to the post of duty (cf. Gen 43:3, Gen 43:4). Love means well, but does not always point in God’s way (Joh 20:17). When Luther was on his way to Worms, at place after place warning friends met him; and close to the town his beloved Spalatin sent to him to beg he would not venture into the scene of danger. “Were there as many devils in Worms as tiles on the roofs, I would go in,” was his reply. Paul’s heart is touched; he feels the spring of manly strength giving way. But with a strong effort of faith and will he overcomes. “I am ready to die at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus.” “Not the cross for the cross’s sake, but the cross for the sake of Christ;” to be made like to his death (Php 3:10);these were the ideals of his life. And so the love of the Christian flock to the pastor must give way to the pastor’s love for Christ. “The will of the Lord be done!” It is the best concluding word of all our deliberations. It silences all objections to God’s ways; our thoughts must be suppressed before the thought of the Only Wise, and our power bow before that of the Omnipotent. Our affection for others must withdraw its claims in favor of his, whose we are and whom we serve. This motto may well suit the servant of God in all the changes of his pilgrimage, against all the opposition of his foes, against the temptations of flesh and blood, of near and dear affection, and the weakness of his own heart.J.
Act 21:17-26
Paul and the Levitical usages.
Paul’s gospel was that of salvation by Christ Jesus alone, as contrasted with the principle of salvation by legal obedience. But he did not contend against the Law and against Mosaism as suchonly against the doctrine that the observance was indispensable to salvation. The spirit of evangelical freedom made him tolerant of the observance in the case of born Jews, while at the same time he contended for the emancipation of the Gentile Christians from the claims of the Law (1Co 7:18, 1Co 7:19).
I. As EXAMPLE OF CHRISTIAN PRUDENCE IN GENERAL. It is necessary to study and consider human nature as it is. No acting as if in a vacuum, no trying to carry out abstract principles, regardless of men’s habit of thinking and acting, can be either right or successful. The followers of Christ were to be “wise as serpents, yet harmless as doves.” Want of tact is often a greater hindrance to success than want of greater gifts of head and heart. Men are repelled by disregard of their feelings, and often won over by trifling concessions, which cost nothing important to those who make them or to the cause of truth. But serious cases of conscience may arise under these conditions; and prudence ceases to be a virtue whenever it is practiced at the expense of truth or of truthfulness.
II. AN EXAMPLE OF CONCESSION TO THE PREJUDICES OF THE WEAK, In these difficult cases love must be the great guiding principle (Rom 15:1). Christian love “endureth all things.” It has a delicate intelligence of the needs of the weak; it practices a fine self-denial, condescends to the lowlier in word and in deed. In such weakness there is true strength. It demands intellectual strength, to distinguish between form and contents, between the shell and the kernel; and firmness of character, to hold fast to the main matter, while those of subordinate importance are given up; constancy and faithfulness, not to deny the law of Christ, while promoting love amongst his disciples. In things indifferent we may take a part, provided we clearly see the way to promote the kingdom of God in so doing; but at the same time, we must do nothing to favor the opinion that such things are necessary to salvation. In the whole episode we may see the victory of love that “seeketh not her own” over bigotry and narrow-mindedness; thus a forecast of the union of Israel and the heathen world in Christ, and a triumph of the Divine counsel in the extension of his kingdom and the diffusion of his thoughts of salvation. With reference to Paul, it illustrates his saying, “To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to those under the Law, as under the Law, that I might gain those under the Law.”J.
Act 21:27-40
Danger and deliverance at Jerusalem.
I. THE ACCUSATION AGAINST PAUL.
1. He is represented as an enemy of the Law, like Stephen before him. He has to confront the blind and murderous storm of human passion, more dreadful than the waves of the sea, presently to be encountered. Now is the warning concerning the things to be expected in Jerusalem about to be fulfilled. The sincerest friends of religion have often to incur the charge of being its enemies, the truest worshippers of God are denounced as atheists.
2. As a violator of the temple, he was said to have “made the holy place common.” There is a close parallel between this mode of attack and that on Jesus. Great must have been his consolation to find himself treading in the footsteps of his Lord, as his great desire was to be conformable to him. The greatest honor lies in bearing the cross of Jesus, becoming partaker of his sufferings, being “as he was in the world.”
II. FURTHER PARALLELS BETWEEN THE TREATMENT OF HIM AND THAT OF THE SAVIOR. The whole city was in an uproar. He was rejected by his own countrymencast out of the temple. They desired to slay him, and yet not stain the sacred place; straining at gnats and swallowing camels. They thought they would do God service in slaying him. At Ephesus, pagan superstition and the love of gain were against him; here, Jewish bigotry and fanaticism. Both scenes are warnings against the misdirection of religious feeling. We need reflection and knowledge to purify the religious instinct, which is like fire, pernicious if not watched and kept under control. The murder of Jesus, and all judicial murders of teachers and leaders, are, considered from the human side, both crimes and blunders.
III. THE IMPRISONMENT OF PAUL. The light and shade mingle in the deed. On the one hand we see human passion, blind folly, wicked hatred, on the part of the Jews; on the other, a bright picture of Christian heroic courage, self-possession, and sweet patience on the part of the apostle. And over and above all the light of Divine leading shines, like a pillar of fire by night. There is the power which protects the servants of God, the wisdom which employs even its adversaries to carry out its designs, the love which makes a center of light and warmth within the man’s “own clear breast.” Man proposes, and God disposes. He guides the well-meant counsels of his friends to other ends than they supposed, and the designs of foes to other issues than they had calculated.
IV. THE DELIVERANCE. Rejected by his own people, a friend is raised up for Paul in the person of a heathen. The Roman tribune stills the uproar, saves the apostle’s life, gives him the opportunity of clearing himself from the charge against him, affords him liberty of speech. How impressive is the scene with which this chapter closes! There stands the preacher in chains. His pulpit the stairs of the Roman fortress; instead of deacons surrounding and supporting him, rough Roman soldiers. Murderous cries instead of psalms precede his discourse. Instead of a calm audience before him, an enraged mob. But let us draw the veil and look within his heart. There is the spirit of faith and of love, of wisdom and of strength. There is that courage which the consciousness of right and truth inspires, a “good conscience toward God.” There was that whole devotion which ever makes its impression on the rudest hearts, and alone gives freedom and joy. Above all, the knowledge of a Savior and a God, to whom in life or death he belongs, from whom neither life nor death can separate.J.
HOMILIES BY R.A. REDFORD
Act 21:1-6
Miletus to Tyre: the steadfastness of a holy mind.
I. THE TRIAL OF PAUL‘S FAITH. In the separation from dear brethren and the prospects of suffering. The long days of quiet thought, sailing through the Greek Archipelago to Cos, Rhodes, Patara, and round the south-west of Cyprus to Tyre, deepened the resolution of his heart and prepared him to encounter the temptations from weaker brethren. At Tyro the great crisis of his faith came much nearer. Disciples said, “Set no foot in Jerusalem.” The conflict was between the voice of the Spirit in the purpose of his heart, and the prophetic warnings of coming danger which he could not doubt. It was not that one command contradicted another command; but that, like Abraham, he had to obey, although to obey must be to suffer. Faith conquered.
II. The trials that are borne in the spirit of humble confidence work out BLESSING IS THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. Sympathy and affection. Prayer. Simplicity and reality. Mutual encouragementPaul strengthened by the interview; the Christians of Tyro helped to aim at a higher life by contact with such an example of spiritual heroism. Influence on the homes and families. Christianity was already accomplishing a great work in social life. Tyre was commercially decaying, but here was a new principle of prosperity, better than the worldly one. The position of such a port made its Christianity a blessing to the whole world. The visit of Paul would be remembered and spread abroad.R.
Act 21:7-14
Tyro to Caesarea: the will of God it, the heart of his servant.
As the days went on, the pressure upon the heart of Paul increased. The house of Philip the evangelist the scene of the last great test of his preparation for the future. The four virgin daughters, and Agabus from Jerusalem, repeated the prophetic warnings; but no one said by the voice of the Spirit, “Go not.” Human voices must sometimes be resisted. Weeping may break a heart, but it ought not to break a resolution formed in the sight of God and by his Spirit.
1. An example of lofty spiritual discernment. Distinguishing between human voices and Divine; between a prospect of suffering and a prospect of defeat; between being bound in body and being bound in spiritPaul was rejoicing in the liberty of his soul, it was of little consequence to him what they might do with his limbsbetween the plots and enmity of men and the victorious grace of God.
2. An encouragement to steadfastness in doing the Divine will. We must not listen to persuasions when God calls us on. We must be ready for all; but, the course being once clearly opened to us, then a humble fixedness of heart is the best preparation for the path of duty.
3. An instance of the controlling influence of character in the Christian Church. The weaker yield to the stronger if the stronger remain firm. Those that think much of external difficulties and dangers have to be lifted out of their weakness by the words and example of the loftier and more heroic souls.R.
Act 21:15-26
Arrival and reception at Jerusalem.
Notice
I. THE DECIDED ADVANCE IN THE MINDS OF THE LEADING DISCIPLES AMONG THE JEWS.
1. They gladly welcomed Paul, and heard his narrative of missionary work, which included labor among the Gentiles. They glorified God for it.
2. They made no demand upon Paul as to renouncing his advanced position, but acquiesced in it.
3. They must have resisted the extreme Judaistic party in order to do so.
II. THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE TIMID POLICY OF THE JAMES PARTY AND PAUL HIMSELF. They feared for him. He feared nothing for himself. Their advice was dictated by prudence, hut it wrought more evil than good in result.
III. THE NOBLE EXAMPLE OF SELF–ABNEGATION AND CONCILIATION. Paul yielded to their advice, to show that the reports about him were false, and that his free position allowed him both to observe the Law and not to observe it, as expediency might dictate, because he regarded it as no longer necessary to salvation. He became a Jew to the Jews, to save the Jews. The true firmness is not obstinacy, prejudice, self-assertion, bigotry, but distinguishes between the essential and non-essential. Perhaps it was the wiser way to let the weaker brethren be convinced by the facts how hopeless it was to save Judaism.
IV. GREAT PURPOSES OF GOD ARE FULFILLLED THROUGH THE ERRORS AND INFIRMITIES OF HIS PEOPLE. Paul would meet Jewish accusations all the more firmly though his appearance in the temple put the torch to the pile.R.
Act 21:27-36
The prophecy fulfilled.
“Bonds and imprisonment,”
I. THE TUMULT EXCITED BY ASIATIC JEWS, probably seeking for Paul, with predetermination to destroy him. It was his faithful missionary labors, therefore, which lay at the root of the trouble; he knew it, and it helped him to be strong in faith. Christ would protect his own ambassador.
II. THE CHARGES AGAINST HIM WERE UTTERLY FALSE. He raised no opposition to the Law. He never defiled the temple. Trophimus the Gentile had not been brought there. The enemies of truth always depend on lies. False accusation has been always the resort of fanaticism and bigotry when it is afraid for itself.
III. ROMAN DISCIPLINE, as before, is called in to suppress MOB VIOLENCE, and thus help the gospel. So in after times Roman law prepared the way for the spread of Christianity.
IV. THE SPEEDY RESULT OF THE WEAK ADVICE of the Jewish believers is seen in the apostle within seven days, in imprisonment. The brave policy always the safest. Compromise is danger.R.
Act 21:37-40
The Roman soldier face to face with the Christian apostle.
The heathen, notwithstanding his ignorance, was more open to reason than the Jew, blinded by fanaticism and bigotry. Religion corrupted by priestcraft is worse than skepticism. Courtesy and chivalry may be made to serve higher purposes. The providential appointment of the history of Judaism opened the way for a free gospel. Jews were filling up their cup.R.
HOMILIES BY P.C. BARKER
Act 21:5
Widening streams of Christian love.
The contents of this verse are almost unique for the day to which they belong. And at the same time they seem to link together some of the best of their own time with some of the best of modern time. The scene is familiar to us, which was once strange enough, and Tyre will be held in remembrance, wheresoever the gospel shall be preached, for one bright, redeeming trait. For we have here a significant token of what Christianity will avail to do, without any direct aim at it for the time being, in and with family life.
I. IT HAS RAISED WOMEN TO SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE WITH MEN THE BENEFITS, THE JOYS, THE SPONTANEOUS OFFICES OF FRIENDSHIP OF WHICH CHRISTIAN LIFE AND CHARACTER ABE THE SUBJECT.
II. IT HAS YET MORE SIGNIFICANTLY BROUGHT INTO A NEW KIND OF PROMINENCE A VERY OLD PRECEPT AS TO THE TRAINING UP OF CHILDREN.
III. IT HAS HALLOWED THE COMBINED EFFECT OF THE UNITED LIFE OF THE FAMILY. Nature itself does not make a whole family so really one as Christianity does. Many a time we read of a whole family being baptized, when presumably not only the wife but little children were embraced in the number. And now wives and children of the “disciples,” in helpful company, cheer the steps of the departing Paul and his special fellow-laborers. True as we feel this was to nature, it is true to a nature that had long become disaccustomed to its better self, in those days of Tyre. And Christianity and Christian occasion have now begun to enable nature to “lift its head again?’
IV. IT HAS FOUND A NEW WAY OF LINKING FAMILY WITH FAMILY. How often is the family unit a wonderfully selfish unit! It is truly something larger than the individual, and so is the selfishness somewhat larger alsolarger in its sphere of exposure, and larger in its spreading mischief, and larger in its shame. There are not a few who would be astonished to think they could be taxed with selfishness as individuals, who nevertheless may be powerful factors in making, sanctioning, keeping, the selfishness of the family. This latter covers itself also under many a more sacred name. And because the family should be the very shrine of one affection, those who compose it “do this,” but mournfully “leave the other undone.” But now family with family attended the departing steps of Paul. And had they never caught the idea before, now they see or begin to see that it takes many a family of men to number up the one family of the “Father,” “from whom every family in heaven and earth is named” (Eph 3:14, Eph 3:15, see Revised Version).
V. IT FINDS THE GENUINE LARGER FAMILY CIRCLE IN PRAYER. They all “kneeled down on the shore, and prayed.” It was a prayer of pilgrim apostles, pilgrim fathers and mothers, and young pilgrim children.
1. Well did they kneel on the sands.
2. Well did they pray in sight of life’s sea.
3. Well did all lift their eyes and thoughts from sand and sea to heaven in prayer; but meantime, forgot selves awhile, that all might pray for others. Paul prayed for them of Tyre, fathers and mothers and children, that they might love and do and keep the faith. And if no tongue spoke it, who can doubt that the loving, regretful group, who so grudged losing Paul into the midst of the dangers that were waiting for him at Jerusalem, commended him also to God and the Word of his grace? and commended that Word itself to God?B.
Act 21:13
A tender heart to a strong conscience.
It might be thought that Paul had already sufficiently run the gauntlet of warnings touching the consequences of going to Jerusalem (Act 19:21; Act 20:16, Act 20:22, Act 20:23; Act 21:4, Act 21:11). If his resolution could have been altered, or his conscience stilled an hour, this was the hour. But, instead of showing any symptom of being “in a strait betwixt two,” even in an hour of such tenderness, it is now that “his heart is fixed.” The needle points unerringly and without a quivering deflection, and moral resolution touches the point of moral sublimity. And we may justly sound here the praise of conscience; for in advancing degrees, we see
I. THE PRAISE OF CONSCIENCE, IN ITS ATTITUDE IN THE PRESENCE OF DANGER.
II. THE GREATER PRAISE OF CONSCIENCE, IN ITS ATTITUDE IN THE PRESENCE OF AFFECTION.
III. THE GREATEST PRAISE OF CONSCIENCE, IN ITS ATTITUDE OF COMPLETE SURRENDER TO THE SPIRIT OF PERFECT TRUTH AND PERFECT GUIDANCE.
IV. THE PERFECTION OF THE CONSCIENCE IN ITSELF, WHEN IT OWNS TO NO TREMBLING, NO WAVERING. There was no coldness, no hardness, no unrelentingness of heart, in that grand hour, when Paul’s heart was ready to break for human affection’s sake, but was a very tower of strength toward Christ as in him.B.
Act 21:16
A biography of honor, written in a name and title only.
The slight obscurity attaching to the rendering of this verse diminishes in nothing its interest and instructiveness. Whether the verse purports to say that the disciples of Caesarea journeying with Paul and his companions brought them to Mnason as their host, when they arrived at Jerusalem; or that, picking up Mnason himself at Caesarea, who afterwards became the host of Paul at Jerusalem, they rendered him also the help of their escort thither,does not alter its special significance. This lies in the fact that Mnason’s name, as soon as mentioned, is dispatched with two remarks, never again to be referred to in the sacred history; and yet those two remarks are felt to be worth more than two volumes. Wherein, then, we may ask, does their special significance hide?
I. THEY ARE TIDINGS OF A MAN WHO HAS RECEIVED CHRISTIAN LIGHT, AND HAS BEEN FAITHFUL TO IT “EVEN TO OLD AGE?”
II. THEY ARE TIDINGS OF A MAN WHO RECEIVED CHRISTIAN LIGHT AT THE RIGHT TIME TO RECEIVE ITSO SOON AS IT CAME, AND WHEN HE WAS YOUNG.
III. THEY THEREFORE FIX THE DESCRIPTION OF A MAN WHO MUST IN CONSEQUENCE HAVE NOW STORES OF THE BEST KIND OF EXPERIENCE AND STRENGTH.
IV. THEY PROCLAIM A MAN WHOSE CHARACTER HAS A CERTAIN AND AN INDISPUTABLE VALUE, AS A SPEAKING TESTIMONY TO CHRIST HIMSELF AND HIS TRUTH.
V. THEY MAKE A CERTAIN PROMISE BOTH FOR THE CHURCH AND THE WORLDTHE PROMISE OF A MAN WHOSE COMPANY, FRIENDSHIP, HOSPITALITY, AND VERY COUNTENANCE GIVEN TO A FELLOW–CREATURE WILL BE A HUNDREDFOLD PROFITABLE.B.
Act 21:18-20
The advocate of the Gentiles.
With great determination Paul had made his way to Jerusalem. The public ways terminating in the city were frequented, and the city itself would soon be filled with visitors. Paul knew well in the spirit that stern conflicts and no imaginary dangers awaited him. But before he encountered these he had to count with some other dangers, and which were in some aspects justly more formidable. Paul does not shirk them. He had not come up to desert his colors at the last, nor to prove his faithfulness gone. That a disunited Church should meet the crowd of the world, and even of various ecclesiastical parties, was a thing not to be thought of, certainly not to be allowed. It is the very thing that, times without number, since Paul showed the illustrious example to the contrary now, has been the weakness of the Church and the strength of the great foe. It is evident from the passage now before us that Paul’s course was a course that meant practically that so far things should be “en regle,” and that nothing should be wanting on his part in order to secure a firm and united front. How many throw the hindrances of sell-will and of crotchets into the way at moments the most critical, most inopportune! It is with some particularity that we are here shown how Paul did the opposite. Let us notice
I. THE FORMAL VISIT OF PAUL TO THE CONSTITUTED CHURCH. It is a visit to the Church as represented by James (who was evidently at present acting as its chief pastor in Jerusalem) and by the elders. There might have been plausible excuse for it if Paul had not thus reported himself to the Church, but he does not put any to the need of searching for its warrant. He comes to the Church; recognizes its reality as a power; recognizes its unity; recognizes it as the source and the depository of much possible future knowledge and wisdom; and recognizes it as the one earthly bar of judgment (so far as there can he one at all) before which either Christian disciple or Christian apostle may stand without infringing the allegiance due either to individual conscience or to the great bar of judgment above, invisible, but ever open and effective.
II. THE SALUTATION OF PAUL. What this salutation was we may gather sufficiently from a comparison of the instances, in all about seventy, in which reference is made to it in the New Testament. In the English Version the thing intended appears under the description of “saluting,” “greeting,” “embracing,” and “taking leave.” There can be little doubt that, in the case of persons present with one another, the outward act of recognition, whether of a more or less intimate kind, was accompanied by some expression of Christian wish, or prayer, or gratitude; while in the case of messages, so many of which are found conveyed in the Epistles, the essence of the salutation consisted generally in the ever-grateful significance that lay in the fact Of the remembrance of the absent. All the rest, Christian wish, prayer, or thanksgiving, would be readily taken as “understood.” In the present instance the special mention of the salutation reminds us justly of the humane and inartificial characteristics of Christianity. In sketches of its history of the most solemn import, nothing forbids, conceals, or even obscures their entering in as constituent elements of the whole scene. Even prominence is given to them, and they are not infrequently the light and color of the history. The unmeasured steadfastness of Christian principle and truth, is a thing utterly different from unfeeling severity and the expression of the natural instincts of human hearts.
III. THE ADDRESS OF PAUL. It consisted of a faithfulwe might almost call it also a dutifulreport of his own mission to the Gentile world. We can see, but, perhaps, can scarcely enter into, the exceeding interest of the subject at Jerusalem. So much hinged on exactly what had taken place, and upon the exact statement by one competent and trustworthy of what had taken place. Hence we may observe the particularity with which even the history rehearses and repeats it.
1. Paul gives God, indeed, the glory of what had been done, but probably also means to make a very pronounced affirmation before the Church at Jerusalem, that the work was indeed the work of God, to stop the unbelieving mouth or mind.
2. Paul speaks of the work of his own ministry. It is no hearsay, no impression, no hopefulness with which he entertains the listeners. There was not a statement he made, nor an incident he described “particularly,” for the full weight and force of which he was not prepared to become guarantor.
3. Paul’s subject of address was specially kept to the things that had been accomplished among the Gentiles. Yet we very well know how much of thrilling interest he had met with in his associations with his own people, in addition to the occasions when their fortunes were inevitably linked with the things that happened to the Gentiles. Throughout it is evident what the returned ambassador of Jesus Christ had in his eye and on his heart. In a sense, he staked all on accrediting the Gentiles as heirs of the grace of God, and to be acknowledged as fellow-heirs with himself and the Church he was addressing. His own singleness of eye and purity of mind and fidelity to his original call appear in bright and bold relief in all this.
IV. THE RECEPTION ACCORDED TO PAUL‘S REPORT. Paul’s character was no longer the thing it was when, some years ago, he had first visited the Church at Jerusalem as a convert. This is his fifth visit since his conversion. Now for him to testify, and to testify “particularly,” was to secure a ready hearing and a trusted attention.
1. They believe him.
2. And they “glorify” God. Envy, and bigotry, and pride, and exclusiveness are falling away from that typical Church, “the mother of us all,” Length and breadth are seen and are acknowledged in the gospel of Christ. The world’s day has dawned, and the light of it, refused by so many, is entering into the eyes of that meeting of the chief pastor at the time at Jerusalem, and the elders. And they did well to “glorify the Lord” because of it.B.
Act 21:20-39
The pastor and elders of the Church not infallible.
There may be considered to be some uncertainty as to the exact merits of the remarkable case which the history reproduces in this passage, but without rendering any verdict, pronouncing any opinion, or even offering any suggestion. In the room that is accordingly allowed for option, it is believed that the following positions, as they are certainly maintainable in themselves, are also to be impressed on us by the present history:
I. THE ADVICE OF THE BEST–INTENTIONED POLICY, ON THE LIPS OF THE LEADERS OF A CHRISTIAN CHURCH, IS DISTANT FROM THE ADVICE OF CLEAR CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLE AND TRUTH, AS THE POLES ARE DISTANT FROM ONE ANOTHER. There was not a little in the exact tone of those who urged on Paul a certain course (Act 21:20) and in the exact time which they used for pressing their suit, which invests it with suspicion, and which may very possibly have done so with Paul.
II. THE PRESSURE OF THE ADVICE OF MANY, AND THOSE MANY THE KNOWN LEADERS OF THE CHURCH, WILL NOT ABSOLVE THE INDIVIDUAL CONSCIENCE OR JUDGMENT. It is quite possible that the present was an occasion which Paul would have described as one of those when he would make himself all things to all men. It is also quite possible that this was a right occasion of observing that practice. And lastly, for that very reason the more, it may seem quite possible, that Paul’s judgment was in no degree hoodwinked, nor his conscience eclipsed, when he yielded to the advice urged upon him. As no whisper of censure seems breathed upon him, the providence of God, nay, the Spirit himself, may have been his Guide now, to the end that facts should teach those who were responsible for the advice, while Paul would feel, ay, genuinely feel, that the compensation that was given to him for his sufferings consisted in the audience of Jew and Gentile of all sorts, of Roman governors and officers and soldiers, which he had in consequence the opportunity of addressing (Act 21:39). If Paul were mistaken and at fault now, he reaps his punishment, though still he rescues some advantage out of all for Christ and the gospel. And he is taught that not even the kindness of his heart and willingness “to be persuaded” by the skilful representations in affection’s hour of others, can be a substitute for the individual, steady, regulated judgment and conscience of the Christian. If he were not mistaken, the same lesson is taught, though by a very different route. He himself held and acted upon the conviction that his individual judgment, under the guidance of the Divine Spirit, should have its waythat judgment going to this that, though himself suffered, the leaders of the Church and “many thousands of zealots of the Law” should be effectually taught.
III. THE DIVINE PURPOSE AND WORK THROUGH ALL ERROR OF HUMAN JUDGMENT, THROUGH ALL UNCERTAINTY OF FIDELITY, EVEN IN HUMAN CONSCIENCES, TRIUMPH AND VINDICATE THEIR OWN RIGHTS.
1. The intended short way out of an apprehended difficulty and danger, suggested with coaxing tones and words (Act 21:20, “Thou seest, brother “), proves a very long and painful way. Who can tell what must have been the excited apprehensions of James and the elders as the riot went on, nor stopped in a sense, till Paul set off for Rome itself?
2. For Paul, whose is both the active work and the keen suffering, “the beginning of the end” dates from this very Church meeting at Jerusalem. The road is opened to Rome and to Caesar and to “the palace and all other places” left for Paul’s ministry. And the goal of his career comes into sight for the racer of keen vision as well as of keen energy. So the gospel gains fresh wings, and that grace of God which lovingly overrules where perhaps it was not allowed to rule, is made known to vaster numbers, and amongst them to some whom it might not have reached in any other way.B.
HOMILIES BY R. TUCK
Act 21:4, Act 21:11
The Spirit in Paul, and the Spirit in others.
The narrative given of the apostle’s progress toward Jerusalem suggests some serious and difficult questions. We now consider one of them. Once and again it appears as if the Divine Spirit sent messages which should have stopped the apostle, and prevented his going on to the holy city; and St. Paul evidently resisted these attempted hindrances. Then was he right in so doing? If he was right, how can we explain his conduct? The circumstances may be carefully compared with those narrated concerning the prophet who was unfaithful to the commission distinctly entrusted to himself (see 1Ki 13:1-25). “It seems at first somewhat startling that St. Paul should reject what is described as an inspired counsel; or, if we believe him also to have been guided by the Spirit, that the two inspirations should thus clash. We remember, however, that men received the Spirit ‘by measure,’ and the prophets of the Churches at Tyre, as elsewhere, though foreseeing the danger to which the apostle was exposed, might yet be lacking in that higher inspiration which guided the decision of the apostle.” This explanation is given in a simpler form in the ‘ Speaker’s Commentary.’ “The foreknowledge was inspired; the advice based upon it was merely a human inference. St. Paul accepted the information, but did not yield to the warning. Christ’s approval of his conduct is implied in Act 23:11.” This suggestion in explanation of the difficulty may be fully considered and illustrated.
I. ST. PAUL HAD DISTINCT LEADINGS OF THE SPIRIT, He had
(1) those which were general to his apostolic work; and
(2) those which were special to particular occasions, as e.g. at Troas (Act 16:9).
We may, therefore, be quite sure that he knew perfectly well when he was under Divine lead; and, on this occasion, we have evidence that he knew what God’s will for him was, and that he was taking the path of duty in going up to Jerusalem. In Act 20:22 he distinctly says, “Now I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem.” No doubts or questions disturbed his own mind. He knew that God led; and he knew that, regardless of consequences, it was his simple duty to follow. It may be shown that still, in our day, a man may have a full and clear knowledge of God’s will for him, and then he is bound to do that will, however men’s prophecies and advice and warnings may entice him aside. When a man has inward conviction of what is right for him, all prophesying of consequences becomes temptation to be resisted.
II. OTHERS HAD INTIMATIONS OF FACTS THAT WOULD OCCUR. These came by the Spirit. But carefully note the distinctionno one was commanded, in the Name of the Lord, to tell St. Paul that he must not go up to Jerusalem. We have only the fact noticed that certain persons, in the exercise of their prophetic gift, foresaw the consequences of his so going, and stated what they anticipated. This comes out plainly in the fuller account of what Agabus did and said (Act 20:11). His intimation was simply of facts. Agabus does not seem to have felt entitled to add any personal persuasions. This distinction between the leadings of the Spirit in St. Paul and the leadings of the Spirit in the prophets and prophetesses, removes all difficulty of antagonistic inspirations. In the apostle the leadings concerned duty; in the prophets it concerned only facts. What relation the knowledge of the facts had to the doing of duty we shall presently see.
III. OTHERS ADDED PERSUASIONS BASED ON THEIR OWN PROPHETIC KNOWLEDGE. But the persuasions were their own, not the inspiration of God’s Spirit, and St. Paul was in no sense bound to follow them. No conceivable authority could lie in them. The character of the attempts to hinder the apostle are clearly seen in Act 20:12 : “And when we heard these things, both we [St. Paul’s companions], and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem.” Manifestly the apostle would have been altogether wrong if he had yielded to these kind friends, and resisted the inward monitions and leadings of God’s Spirit. Oftentimes in Christian life we find that our most anxious work is to resist the importunities and affectionate entreaties of those who would keep us from the work to which God plainly calls us. Illustration: keeping men back from consecration to ministerial and missionary life.
IV. SUCH PERSUASIONS TESTED ST. PAUL‘S LOYALTY TO THE SPIRIT‘S INWARD LEADINGS. And this is the reason why the prophetic intimations of coming facts were given. How deeply the apostle felt both the prophecies and the persuasions is seen in Act 20:13. Would he be drawn aside from the plain path of duty by them? They made it hard to be faithful to God’s will as he knew it; but he did not yield. Well he knew that mere consequences resulting from action, as men see them, never can decide the right or the wrong of the action. A man must always act upon the light and lead which God gives him, and accept the issues which Divine providence is pleased to bring out of his conduct. A man is always fight who is true to the witness that God makes in his own heart. Show how much of Christian failure is really due to yielding under the temptations that would remove us from following out our convictions. So St. Peter tried to hinder his Lord and Master, and received this severe answer, “Get thee behind me, Satan.” Distinguish, however, very clearly between mere self-willedness and the conviction of an inward Divine leading such as open and trusting hearts need never fail to recognize. This example of the great apostle should impress upon us that, if we distinctly know what God would have us do, then no kind of peril of circumstances or fear of consequences may be permitted to lead us aside from the plain path of duty. We must ever be loyal to the “inward lead.”R.T.
Act 21:5
The influence of personal affection on Christian ministers.
The scene described here may be compared with that at Miletus (Act 20:26, Act 20:27). The impression that it was the last time they would see the great apostle among them intensified the expression of feeling, but it could hardly be said to increase the affection which the disciples cherished towards St. Paul. That strong personal attachment the apostle won wherever he went. Some men are remarkable for the power of drawing forth the affection and love of those whom they seek to serve for Christ’s sake. Some men are never more or other than officials, valued and trusted only for “their work’s sake.” Others are beloved “for their own sakes,” and the work they do is glorified by the beauty which, to men’s eyes, they put upon it in the doing of it. Some think that personal affection for a pastor or a teacher is rather a hindrance to him, as the truth he teaches may come to be valued for his sake, and not for its own. Others urge that truth never really reaches them and sways them until it comes with the persuasions of one whom they wholly trust and whom they intensely love. Every true pastor will dread putting himself in any sense between souls and Christ; but every pastor will rejoice if, by winning the love of men, he can bring them to love Christ. Picturing the scene of out text, Canon Farrar says, “When the week was over St. Paul left them; and so deeply in that brief period had he won their affections, that all the members of the little community, with their wives and children, started with him to conduct him on his way. Before they reached the vessel, they knelt down side by side, men and women and little ones, somewhere on the surf-beat rocks near which the vessel was moored, to pray togetherhe for them, and they for himbefore they returned to their homes; and he went once more on board for the last stage of the voyage from Tyre to Ptolemais, the modern Acre.” We dwell on the following points:
I. ST. PAUL‘S POWER TO COMMAND AND TO WIN AFFECTION. This was a part of his natural gifts. It belonged to his disposition and character. But we may especially note two things:
(1) he freely gave love to others, and only those who can love can win love;
(2) he had a singular power of spiritual insight, and wherever that is found men have unusual charm to the view of others.
II. THE KIND OF FAREWELL BROUGHT OUT THE EXPRESSIONS OF AFFECTION. All farewells test friendship and love. This was peculiar,
(1) as being a last farewell;
(2) as taken immediately before anticipated scenes of sorrow and affliction. Compare our Lord’s view of Mary’s act, anointing his feet with nard. It was a preparatory anointing for burial, and so an unusual expression of love.
III. THE INFLUENCE OF SUCH MANIFESTED AFFECTION ON THE MINISTER HIMSELF. Especially
(1) its power to constrain him to do his very best;
(2) the gracious and tender tone which it puts on all his teaching and relations;
(3) the adaptations it enables him to make of the truth to individuals, since love is the greatest revealer of men to their fellows; and
(4) the hopefulness it leads him to cherish concerning those for whom he labors.
IV. THE INFLUENCE WHICH SUCH AFFECTION HAS ON THOSE WHO FEEL IT. Especially notice that it opens their hearts to receive instruction and counsel as nothing else can; and it constantly acts as an inspiring force, moving them to be worthy of those whom they love. The minister’s great appeal is to men’s hearts. If he can win their love, he will not fail to instruct their minds and sway their wills.R.T.
Act 21:13
St. Peter and St. Paul compared in boasting.
This strong declaration, “I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus,” sounds very much like the language of St. Peter to his Master. “Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.” And yet there is the most vital distinction between the spirit and tone and temper of the two sayings, and the difference comes fully out in the actions that followed. Self-trusting Peter failed in the testing hour. Christ trusting Paul went on to win the martyr’s crown. This is the subject before us; but in introducing it there should be some estimate of the blended strength and weakness of Peter’s character before his fall. The boldness and forwardness were valuable qualities for one who was to be a leading gospel witness and missionary; but before the humbling experience of his fall, Peter’s forwardness meant undue self-reliance. So our Lord had on one occasion to speak more sternly to him than to any other of his disciples, even saying, “Get thee behind me, Satan.” There should be also a due estimate of the highly wrought condition of Paul’s feeling when he uttered the seemingly boastful words of our text. “The intense sensitiveness of St. Paul’s nature shows itself in every syllable. It was with no Stoic hardness that he resisted their entreaties. They were positively crushing to him. He adhered to his purpose, but it was as with a broken heart. In spite of this, however, his martyr-like, Luther-like nature carried him forward. Bonds and imprisonment!these he had heard of when he was yet at Corinth and Ephesus, before he had started on his journey; hut what were they to one who was ready to face death?” The comparison may take three forms.
I. ST. PETER‘S BOASTING WAS THAT OF INEXPERIENCE, He talked about dying with Jesus, but he did not know what dying was. He had not suffered much in his discipleship. Persecutions nor shame had yet touched him. He talked about dying as we all do until God has taken us and set us down at the very edge of the borderland. Many of us feel very confident that we can master temptation, endure affliction, and face death; while the truth may be that we know nothing of the force or the subtlety of either, and may well be humble, and look on to untried scenes saying, “Lead thou me on.”
II. ST. PAUL‘S BOASTING WAS THAT OF EXPERIENCE. He had fully proved what he could do, and what he could bear, for Christ’s sake. He had been sick and ill; he had faced death by shipwreck; he had been stoned by the mob, and left for dead. He was always bearing about in the body the “dying of the Lord Jesus.” He might speak strongly and confidently; for there could be nothing in his coming lot that had not been represented in his past experiences. He knew well that he labored day by day with his life, as it were, in his hands. There is all the difference between his words and St. Peter’s that we find between the confident utterance of a youth and the calm expressions Of the aged. And St. Paul’s has really no boastfulness in it. It is but the fixed and settled purpose of his life pressed out into intense language.
III. ST. PETER‘S BOASTING WAS THAT OF PASSIONATE FEELING. He did love the Master, and was sincere in expressing his love; but he did not think about his words before speaking, so they bear the character of the impulsive man that St. Peter was. Under excitement we may easily promise too much. Under self-restraint we shall find that what we would and what we can seriously differ from each other. When feeling is calmed, judgment will not always support what feeling has said.
IV. ST. PAUL‘S BOASTING WAS THAT OF SETTLED CONVICTION. The result, not of resolve alone, but of resolve tested, renewed, and established. Sober, settled conviction breathes in that first chapter of the Epistle to the Philippians. It is quiet, calm writing. And it reads thus: “With all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” The same tone of settled conviction is on his glowing words so simply written in his letter to Timothy: “I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.” Such expressions can never be mistaken for boasting; they are only signs of a soul that is sublimely uplifted in the strength of its faith, and in the fullness of its experience.
V. ST, PETER‘S BOASTING WAS THAT OF SELF–CONFIDENCE. This being the more familiar view taken of St. Peter’s words, the mode of treating it may be left. The point to impress is that he spoke relying in himself, and with no question of his own ability to carry out what he said. He that leaneth on himself leaneth on a reed that will too surely bend beneath his weight. “It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” And St. Peter’s own Master thus solemnly warned both him and his fellow-disciples: “Without me ye can do nothing.” Then and now, self-confidence is only vain confidence.
VI. ST. PAUL‘S BOASTING WAS THAT OF FULL SUBMISSION. St. Peter thought of “dying with Christ” as something to do. St. Paul thought of it as something to bear. Christ did not ask St. Peter to die with him. He pushed himself into the place. Christ
he may be old in years;
(2) he may be old in experience.
No Christian disciple could at that time have been very old in experience of Christian life. There are four possible suppositions concerning the discipleship of Mnason.
(1) He may have been, like Simeon, one of those who looked for redemption in Israel, and so was prepared at once to welcome Christ.
(2) He may have been one of the disciples who attached themselves to Christ while he was with men in the flesh.
(3) He may have been converted at the day of Pentecost.
(4) He may have been a first fruit of St. Patti’s missionary labors in Cyprus. The subject suggested by the reference to Mnason isthe mission in the Church of old disciples; and three points may receive full treatment and illustration.
I. Old disciples may prove what Divine grace can do in keeping us unspotted from the world.
II. Old disciples may illustrate “patient continuance in well-doing.”
III. Old disciples may exert a gracious influence by the tone and character of their religious experience, as corrective of the mistakes and practical errors that may prevail, and as guiding to the solution of practical difficulties in doctrine and in conduct. The Church has often good reason to rejoice in the wisdom and prudence of her “old disciples.”R.T.
Act 21:20-25
The perils of over-caution.
For the details of these verses, reference must be made to the exegetical portion of this Commentary. We should fully understand:
1. The intense enmity of the Judaizing party against St. Paul.
2. The opportunity of increasing that enmity found in the fact that many of St. Paul’s enemies from Asia and Europe were present in Jerusalem at this time, attending the feast.
3. The difficulty of the Christian leaders, who had not openly broken with rabbinical Mosaism, and consequently found St. Paul’s presence in the city a source of extreme anxiety. They could not openly condemn him; and indeed this they were not prepared to do. They could not openly approve him, for this would be sure to rouse dissension, and it would certainly put St. Paul’s life in peril.
4. The spirit and temper of the apostle himself, who was rather bold than cautious, and had on several important occasions (as, e.g, Act 19:30, Act 19:31) to be actually held back from courses of action that were hardly prudent. The leaders of the Church at Jerusalem tried to master the difficulties of the position by compromise, which is usually a sign of conscious weakness, and often rather makes than settles the difficulty with which it deals. “The heads of the Church in Jerusalem dreaded nothing but an uproar, if St. Paul’s presence in the city should become known. In order, therefore, to appease the multitude, they proposed to the apostle to observe the sacred usages publicly in the temple, with four men who were paying their vows, and to present an offering for himselfa proposal which he willingly adopted. But although the concession of the apostles to the weak brethren proceeded from a good intention, yet it turned out disastrously. The furious enemies of St. Paul were “only the more exasperated by it” (Olshausen). It was a case of “over-caution,” and it well illustrates the weakness and the peril that usually lie in over-cautious schemes.
I. THE PLACE FOR COMPROMISE. Which is the practical expression of extreme caution, and the constant resort of cautious dispositions. It is useful:
1. When the matter in dispute cannot have a full and final adjustment.
2. When such serious interests are at stake that it is important not to keep open the dispute.
3. When both parties have a measure of right on their sides, and the claim of each must be moderated to admit the right of the others.
4. When the intense feeling of the disputants prevents the acceptance of any positive settlement. These may be illustrated both from worldly and from Christian spheres.
II. THE PERILS OF COMPROMISE. They arise from the fact that, as a rule,
1. Compromise settles nothing, but really leaves the old difficulty to find a new expression.
2. It keeps in relation parties who would be much better apart.
3. It gives those who are in the wrong, an impression of weakness in those who suggest the compromise, and so encourages them in the wrong and leads them to take advantage of the weakness; as is illustrated in the case before us of the Judaizing party.
III. THE PRACTICAL IMPORTANCE OF TAKING A FIRM STAND UPON WHAT IS RIGHT. Nothing disarms opposition as this does, and nothing settles disputes as a fine and wise decision. If the apostolic council had simply and firmly accepted St. Paul, given their public testimony to their confidence in him, and explained the relation in which the Gentile Churches and their teacher stood to the Jewish Churches and their teachers, mistakes would have been corrected, opposition would have been checked, and St. Paul’s enemies would have failed to make a party. All the calamities that followed, though foreordained of God, are, on their human side, traceable to the over-caution and weak compromise of the Jerusalem apostles. Learn the value of prudence and caution in the practical concerns of life, but learn also the perils of the exaggeration of caution, and the adoption of compromises when we have before us questions of right and wrong. Right is right, and we must stand to it whatever may be the peril.R.T.
Act 21:27-30
Party prejudices.
Explain the points of view of the Judaizing party. Zeal for the purity of Mosaism can be commended. The binding character of Mosaic Law on all born Jews may be recognized. We cannot wonder that many of the Jews should regard Christianity as a reform of Judaism, rather than what such men as St. Paul saw it to bethe completion and perfection of Judaism. Regarding it as reformed Judaism, they would plead that its claims rested on all Gentiles who became Christian Jews. The first indications of the existence of this Judaizing party within the Christian community we find in Act 15:1. Then the matter occasioned so much dispute that the advice of the apostolic council had to be sought. Their judgment was virtually against the Judaizing party, and this intensified their opposition, made them cling even more closely to their party prejudices, and led them to regard St. Paul more distinctly as the leader of the more liberal views which they hated. They followed the apostle everywhere; they tried to undermine his influence and destroy his work; and it even seems that they resolved not to rest until they had secured his death. They are striking examples of the worst phases of the sectarian spirit, which blinds to truth, hardens from conviction, destroys a man’s tenderness, and makes cruelty and crime possible to him. Scarcely any evil force has exerted in history so baneful an influence as that of the party spirit. It was an ideal time which the poetical historian describes, “when none was for a party, but all were for the state.” Still the sectarian and party spirit is the gravest trouble afflicting Christ’s Church, and the most serious hindrance to the perfecting of Christ’s kingdom. But we need to make a careful distinction between party spirit and party action. Sectional action may be an important element in working. More can be accomplished by sections devoting their attention to parts. But party spirit, which means jealous feeling separating the sections, is always bad, for those who feel the jealousy and for those who suffer from its schemes. Taking illustration from what is narrated of these Judaizing teachers, we notice that party prejudice
I. BLINDS TO FACT AND TRUTH. If the party has a piece of truth, it is but a piece, and yet it often prevents the apprehension of any other related or higher truth. And even worse is its power to distort or deny facts. The party man will see or admit nothing that does not tell for his party. Show that St. Paul had facts and truths, but these opponents would give him no calm consideration. They really shouted him down, as did the excited Ephesians, who cried all day, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians.” If we find an unwillingness to admit facts or to calmly consider phases of truth presented for our consideration, then we may gravely fear lest we be giving place to party prejudices.
II. INVOLVES INJUSTICE. In dealing with individuals. For the partisan associates the holder of an objectionable theory with the theory, and is easily led to vent his annoyance at the theory upon the holder and propounder of it. The sectional and party spirit is at the root of all religious persecution. Men are not unjust when they contend for God’s truth, but only when they contend for some ism of their own, which they persuade themselves is God’s truth. Christ says to all who think of using external forces for him, “Pat up thy sword into its sheath.”
III. PARTY PREJUDICES ARE MOST DIFFICULT TO REMOVE. Seen in the difficulty of correcting the mistakes on which sects now divide from each other. The “common ground” is little regarded, and the points of difference are unduly exaggerated, and men stand to their little peculiarities and special points as if the whole gospel gathered up into their side and piece of doctrine. And if any try to free them from their prejudice, and let in on them a little generous light, they only retire further in and hold their party sentiment tighter than ever. Surely the full warning of these Judaizers in St. Paul’s time has not been sufficiently recognized in these days of a divided Church and unduly magnified theological and ecclesiastical differences.B. T.
Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary
Act 21:1. Coos, Coos, or Cos, was one of the islands of Cyclades, famous for the worship of Esculapius, and the temple of Juno. There also Hippocrates the prince of physicians, and Apelles the celebrated painter, were born. Rhodes was another island, famous for the worship of the sun, and for the brazen Colossus erected there, which was reckoned one of the seven wonders of the world. Patara was the chief city and port of Lycia.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Act 21:1-2 . .] denotes the painful separation, wrung from them by the consciousness of necessity. See on Luk 22:41 .
On the small island Cos , now Co , or Stanchio in the Aegean Sea, celebrated for its wine and manufacture of costly materials for dress, see Kster, de Co insula , Hal. 1833. On the accusative form, see Locella, ad Xen. Eph . p. 165 f.
] a great seaport of Lycia, with an oracle of Apollo active only during the six winter months. For its ruins, see Fellows, Asia Minor , p. 219 f.
] which was in the act of sailing over. For , comp. on Act 13:13 .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
D.CONCLUSION OF THE JOURNEY, AMID ANXIOUS FOREBODINGS
Act 21:1-16
1And it came to pass, that after we were gotten [had torn ourselves away] from them, and had launched [set sail], we came with a straight course [after a quick voyage] unto Coos1 [Cos], and the day following unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara: 2And finding [there] a ship sailing over unto Phenicia, we went aboard, and set forth [set sail]. 3Now when we had discovered [come in sight of] Cyprus, we left it on the left hand, and sailed into [to] Syria, and landed2 at Tyre: for there the ship was to unlade her burden [its cargo]. 4And finding [And having found the3 ] disciples, we tarried there seven days: who [these, ] said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to [go to4 ] Jerusalem. 5And when we had accomplished those [spent the ()] days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with [all accompanied us, with their] wives and children, till we were out of the city: and [then] we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed. 6And when we had taken our leave [(Act 21:5) prayed, (Act 21:6) And took leave5 ] one of another, [;] we took ship; and they returned home again [but they returned to their homes]. 7And when we had finished our course from Tyre, we came [But we finished the sea-voyage, and came from Tyre] to Ptolemais, and [om. and] saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day. 8And the next day we that were of Pauls company [And the next day we6 ] departed, and came unto Cesarea; and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which [who7 ] was one of the seven; and abode with him. 9And the same [This, ] man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy [who prophesied]. 10And [But] as we tarried there many [several] days, there came down from Judea a certain prophet, named Agabus. 11And when he was come [He came] unto us, he [om. he] took Pauls girdle, and bound his own8 hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall [Thus, , will] the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall [will] deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. 12And [But] when we heard these things [this, ], both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13Then [But] Paul answered9 , What mean ye to weep and to [What are ye doing (), that ye weep and] break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. 14And [But] when he would not be persuaded, we ceased [we forbore], saying, The will of the Lord be done. 15And after those [these, ] days we took up our carriages [we prepared ourselves10 ], and went up to Jerusalem. 16[But, ] There went with us also certain of the disciples of Cesarea, and brought with them [in order to bring us to] one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple, with whom we should lodge.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
Act 21:1-3. And it came to pass, that after we were gotten [had torn ourselves away] from them. indicates that the apostles final separation from his Ephesian friends must have been excessively painful. [Pass. 1 aor. avellor, divellor. (Wahl.).Tr.]. Cos was the first island which the party reached, on proceeding to the south. [The distance is about forty nautical miles. (Conyb. and H. Vol. II. 226.Tr.]. After sailing somewhat more than fifty miles beyond it, they reached the well known island of Rhodes, opposite to the south-western corner of Asia Minor (Caria). Patara, the next station, was an important sea-port on the extreme southern projection of the province of Lycia. The vessel which brought the company from Troas to this place, appears to have been hired by them. They left it at Patara, and embarked as passengers in a merchantship, which was going to Phenicia. [It seems evident from the mode of expression, that they sailed the very day of their arrival; this is shown not only by the participle , but by the omission of any such phrase as , or ; comp. Act 20:15. [Conyb. etc. II. 233, and note 1).Tr.]. They then came in sight of Cyprus, but passed it on the left hand, that is, to the north, as they were proceeding in a south-eastern direction to Syria; ( frequently occurs as a nautical term, referring to land which comes into view). [ , when it became visible to them, i.e., . (Winer: Gr. 39. l).Tr.]. The geographical name Syria is here employed in the Roman sense, according to which Phenicia and Palestine were considered parts of the province of Syria. () is the freight, the cargo of the vessel; , that is, the vessel was to deposit the cargo at Tyre (). [See Winer: Gr. 45. 5.The distance between these two points (Patara and Tyre) is three hundred and forty geographical miles. (Conyb. etc. I. 233.).Tr.]
Act 21:4-6. And finding disciples [And having found the disciples].The verb presupposes that a search had been made; hence they knew, or at least conjectured, that they would find Christians there, without, however, being acquainted with their names and residences. [Observe the article in (Conyb. I. 236. n. 3).Tr.]. This delay of a whole week, although the apostle had exhibited such haste in Asia Minor, was doubtless occasioned by the circumstance that the vessel occupied this time in discharging the cargo [it may have brought grain from the Black Sea, or wine from the Archipelago (Conyb. I. 235.Tr.], and getting ready to sail again. . is explere, absolvere; see Steph. Thes.
Act 21:7-9. And when we had finished our course.The words are not to be connected with , since the former refer to the actual termination of the entire sea-voyage from Macedonia. The last part of the voyage extended only from Tyre to Ptolemais, or Acco (Acre) the best harbor on the Syrian coast, at the mouth of the small stream called Belus, in sight of Carmel. [Ptolemais, the ancient Accho (Jdg 1:31), Akre or Acre, is thirty miles below Tyre, and eight miles north of Mount Carmel. It is now called St. Jean dAcre by Europeans.Tr.]. From this point the travellers proceeded by land, as it seems, and at length reached Cesarea which was only thirty-six Roman miles distant, that is, not more than a days journey. [This is the third time that Paul has been at Csarea. He was there on his journey from Jerusalem to Tarsus (Act 9:30), and again on his return to Antioch from his second missionary progress (Act 18:22); see on Act 8:40. (Hackett).Tr.]. Here they met with Philip, who is already known from Act 6:5, to which passage Luke refers in the words . We were informed in Act 8:40 that he travelled from Philista northward as an evangelist, until he came to Cesarea, and here we now find him as a resident, and described as an . The latter title immediately follows his name, since he continued to labor as a herald of the Gospel, without being confined to a particular congregation, and his office in Jerusalem, as one of the Seven, had ceased in point of fact after the death of Stephen. The interpretation according to which is connected with , in the sense: He was the evangelist among the Seven, is forced, and not well sustained. [For the omission of before , see note 7 above, appended to the text.Tr.].The fact that he had four daughters who were virgins, and who had received from the Spirit the gift of pronouncing edifying discourses, is quite incidentally introduced, in connection with the name of their father; it stands in no immediate connection with the events which are here related, and no intimation whatever is given that they uttered in the presence of Paul any prediction respecting his future lot. From this circumstance, however, and from the fact that Eusebius [erroneously] relates, on the authority of Papias (Hist. Eccl. III. 39 [and III. 31; V. 24]), that the apostle Philip had four daughters who prophesied, Gieseler concluded (Stud. und Krit. 1829. p. 140), that Act 21:9 is an interpolation, which originated with some one who confounded the evangelist Philip with the apostle of the same name. But he is entirely in error; for who can prove that it was not Papias himself who confounded the two persons? Indeed, it is not here that we find the first historical notice which is not essentially connected with the events related by the historian.
Act 21:10-11. A certain prophet, named Agabus.It is, on the other hand, somewhat singular that Agabus is here introduced as if he had hitherto been entirely unknown to the reader, whereas he is already mentioned in Act 11:28, and there too described as a prophet. That passage appears to have passed unnoticed, when the present words were written.Agabus fully conforms to the manner of the prophets of the old covenant by setting forth the matter of his prediction not only in words, but also in a symbolical action, which he performs on his own person. [Comp. 1Ki 22:11; Isa 20:2; Jer 13:1 if.; Eze 4:1 ff; Eze 5:1, etc. (Alf.).Tr.]. He took the girdle which confined the upper garment of Paul, bound his own hands and feet with it in the presence of the apostle and of the other Christians, and then made the following statement, which he declared to be a prophecy of the Spirit (corresponding with the formula in the Old Testament [see Rob. Lex. p. 637.Tr.]): that the Jews in Jerusalem would bind the owner of the girdle in like manner as he (Agabus) was now bound, and would deliver him to the Gentiles. The words . . bear a close analogy to those which Christ employs when he predicts his own sufferings. Mat 17:22; Mat 20:19.
Act 21:12-16. And when we heard these things.The prediction, partly, because it proceeded from the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and, partly, because it was set forth in such an impressive manner, so powerfully affected the attendants of the apostle and the Christians of Cesarea, that they united in entreating him not to attempt to proceed to Jerusalem. [ , the infinitive of exhortation; comp. Act 15:20 (de Wette) and Act 27:1; see Winer: Gr. 44. 4.Tr.]. Their weeping was heart-rending; means to soften, to render effeminate, to crush the strength of the soul. [They wept, and implored him not to go to Jerusalem. But the apostle himself could not so interpret the supernatural intimation. He was placed in a position of peculiar trial. A voice of authentic prophecy had been so uttered, that, had he been timid and wavering, it might easily have been construed into a warning to deter him. But the mind of the Spirit had been so revealed to him in his own inward convictions, that he could see the Divine counsel through apparent hinderances, etc. (Conyb. and H. II. 240).See below, Doctr. and Eth.Tr.]. The question: , etc., implies that the apostle declines to comply, and wishes them to refrain from urging him. Forbear, he says, for I am willing and ready not only, etc. [Winer, 65. 4. ult.Tr.]. The reply: The will of the Lord be done!, while it expresses submission, refers to the Redeemer in the word , for Paul had just mentioned the name of Christ [ ]; hence does not stand here for (de Wette). . means: to make the necessary preparations [see note 10 above, appended to the text; Vulg. prparati.Tr.]. is of course to be supplied by the reader before [Winer: Gr. 64. 4.Tr.]. The attraction in the construction: , may be thus resolved in the most simple manner: , . [See on the passage Winer: Gr. N. T. 24. 2, and 31. 5.Tr.]. The chief object of these disciples in accompanying Paul and his travelling companions, accordingly, was to introduce them to Mnason, with whom they, the Christians of Cesarea, were acquainted, and to conduct them to him as his guests. . is equivalent to . He was undoubtedly a Hellenist by birth. [He was possibly converted during the life of our Lord Himself, and may have been one of those Cyprian Jews(of Cyprus) who first made the Gospel known to the Greeks at Antioch, Act 11:20. (Conyb. and H. II. 241.Tr.]
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. The Christians at Tyre desired that the Apostle should not go to Jerusalem, Act 21:4; they spoke , by the inspiration and the illumination of the Spirit. It is here, however, necessary to make a distinction. That Paul would be exposed to severe sufferings in Jerusalem, they knew by the illumination of the Spirit. The prophecy of Agabus, Act 21:11, and the language of the apostle himself in Act 20:23, show that it was simply the knowledge of such an issue, in case Paul went to the city, which was conveyed to them by the illumination of the Spirit. The entreaty itself, that Paul should not visit Jerusalem, where such dangers awaited him, was not dictated by the Holy Ghost, but was prompted solely by human opinions and affections. That which was human here at once connected itself with that which was divine, error with the truth, the flesh with the Spirit. So, too, the well meant, but unholy, dissuasion of Peter, connected itself with the Redeemers first prophecy of his sufferings, Mat 16:21-23. Nothing is more apt to lead us astray, or is more dangerous, than that mixtela carnis et Spiritus which may so easily and so insidiously occur in our thoughts, feelings, and actions.
2. The prophecy of Agabus is also remarkable, in so far as we can by means of it, measure, as it were, the degree in which the revelations which Paul received respecting his impending sufferings, became clearer and more definite, the nearer he came to Jerusalem, and the more rapidly the time of the fulfilment of that prophecy approached. Such, indeed, was the course of revelation, both under the old and under the new covenant; for prophecy corresponded in the degree of its fullness and distinctness to those normal forms or processes of development in time, to which the counsel and the work of God always adapt themselves.
3. The obscurity which attends the circumstances that occurred at Tyre (Act 21:3-4), is removed at Cesarea (Act 21:8; Act 21:11 ff.). Agabus, as the organ of the Holy Ghost, predicts that the apostle will be arrested and delivered up at Jerusalem. For this reason, the travelling companions of the latter, together with the Christians who resided in Cesarea, urgently and with tears implore the apostle to make no attempt to proceed to Jerusalem. And yet the united request of an entire assembly of Christians, comprising enlightened men, who labored faithfully and successfully for the kingdom of God, such as Philip, Timotheus, and others, exercised no decisive influence on the apostle. The will of the people, and even the unanimous wish and will of genuine Christians, cannot always be regarded as the will of God. The servant of the Lord does not exhibit a stoical indifference; the earnest entreaties and hot tears of his friends melt his heart. Still, he does not change his purpose; his resolution to suffer imprisonment and even death for the sake of Jesus, is unaltered; he speaks and acts with a calm and resolute spirit.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
Act 21:1. After we were gotten [had torn ourselves away] from them, and had launched [set sail]. True friends do not separate without sorrow; still, he who cleaves to God rather than to men, is willing to depart, when he receives a divine intimation.It is our duty to yield submissively to the guidance of God, and to believe that he will execute his will through us as his instruments, whether the path before us be easy, or be encumbered with difficulties.Our whole life is like a voyage; fair winds at times attend us, but they may be succeeded by storms and tempests. (Starke).The words which the Master spoke: Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, etc. (Luk 18:31 ff.), might now be repeated by his disciple.
Act 21:2. And finding a ship sailing over unto Phenicia, etc.Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee. Isa 60:9. The allusion is doubtless to merchant ships. The traders in that ship little thought that the freight which their Jewish fellow-traveller brought on board, was more precious than the purple of Tyre, the spices of Arabia, and the amber of the Hyperboreansthe precious pearl of the Gospel that saves men.
Act 21:3-4. And landed at Tyre.And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days.The discovery of disciples was one of the principal topics which the journals of the travelling apostles introduced. While learned men, naturalists, and lovers of the arts, inquire, when they travel, after rare objects in nature, or those which belong to art and science, the servant of Jesus, on the other hand, inquires after rare objects belonging to the kingdom of Jesus, and he is never happier than when he meets with Gods children. (Ap. Past.).Detentions which we experience on our journeys, are often specially ordered by divine Providence for our own salvation, or for that of others. (Starke).As the duties of the crew of the vessel detained them for some time at that spot, Paul found a favorable opportunity for strengthening the disciples at Tyre. Trade and commerce induced men to search for America, and God thus conveyed the Gospel of His Son to that country. (Rieger).Why did he remain precisely seven days? Without doubt, because it gave him pleasure to observe a sabbath and partake of the Lords Supper in company with the disciples. A servant of God is far better pleased when he can spend his time among the disciples of Jesus, than when he is with the people of the world. (Ap. Past.).
Act 21:5. They all brought us on our way, with wives and children.Parents ought to conduct their children to those places where they may be encouraged to pray and to do good in general, but not to those where they may be corrupted.The meeting and the parting of Christians should not take place without prayer and good wishes. (Starke).It is worthy of notice that this is the first occasion on which children are expressly mentioned in the Acts. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength. Psa 8:2. These little worshippers on the Tyrian shore remind us of Luthers remark concerning the auxiliary army consisting entirely of heroes, from whom he and his associates derived aid in their conflict with the enemy. (Besser).
Act 21:6. And when we had taken our leave, etc.Our intercourse in this world, even with those who are most dear to us, is but of short duration; the hour of parting soon comes. But in that blessed world, in which the children of God will meet with joy, they will never be separated from one another. 1Th 4:17. (Starke).
Act 21:7. We saluted the brethren, etc.The religious conversations of Christians strengthen their faith, increase their love, confirm their hopes, and cheer the hearts of those who have been bowed down by afflictions, 1Th 5:11. It is an unusually great pleasure, when we meet on a journey with devout persons. (Starke).
Act 21:8. Philip the evangelist, etc.It is indeed an appropriate title which this faithful teacher here receives. When we examine the historical statements which are made respecting him in Act 6:5, and Act 8:5; Act 8:26; Act 8:40, namely, how impressively he preached the name of Jesus, and how admirably he explained the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, we readily perceive that his fitness to be an evangelist was demonstrated by the gift which he had received of proving distinctly to men, from the revelations of the old and new covenant, that Jesus was the central point of the Gospel. May Jesus qualify us more and more perfectly to be such evangelists. (Ap. Past.). Which was one of the seven.Here observe that Philip, an officer of the church at Jerusalem, who fled when Saul made havoc of it (Act 8:3-5), is now the host of Paul and of the seven who accompanied him, and who were bringing to the poor saints at Jerusalem the gifts of love which their brethren of the Gentiles had contributed. What devout conversations were held in the house of Philip, in which Paul and the seven who accompanied him, abode! What praises they offered to the Lord, when they considered his wonderful ways! (Besser).
Act 21:9. And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.The house of the evangelist Philip, whose office as a deacon expired after the persecution (Act 8:1 ff.), became, in consequence of the fulfilment of the prophecy of Joel, Act 2:28, the honored central point of the Christian congregation of Cesarea. His four daughters, who had received the gift of prophecy and of interpretation, and who, as pure virgins, represent the chastity of the daughter of Zion, furnish new and clear evidence that all believers alike enjoy the privileges of children; and even the earlier instances of the prophetesses Miriam, Deborah, etc., prove that there is no difference in the kingdom of grace between male and female, Gal 3:28. (From Leonh. and Sp.).
Act 21:10-11. Agabus took Pauls girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, etc.The knowledge of the facts which the Spirit had withheld from the daughters of Philip, is imparted by revelation to Agabus, who is probably the same person, who, on a former occasion, Act 11:28, was appointed to bring tidings of evils that were approaching.The man that owneth this girdle, that is, who has devoted himself entirely to the service of the Lord Jesus and of His Gospel. The prophet purposely selects this image in order to represent the duty which the servants of Jesus are bound [comp. Jer 13:1-11] to fulfil, namely, to crown the beginning of their course by a glorious termination. May the Lord daily remind us, that, as we have now assumed the girdle of His service, we may always be found with our loins girt, and ready to fulfil all His good pleasure. (Ap. Past.).And shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.The nearer the apostle approached the city of Jerusalem, the clearer were the prophecies which announced the sufferings that awaited him, even as Jesus spoke most clearly of his death on the cross during his last journey to the city in which he suffered. Our Lord is very faithful, for he does not conduct us to the scenes of our sufferings with blindfolded, but with open, eyes, and with hearts strengthened by faith. We are thus fully assured that all that befalls us, is in accordance with the holy will of the Saviour, and is intended for our own good. (Ap. Past.).
Act 21:12. Besought him not to go up to Jerusalem.Christians are required to contend not only with the infirmities, deceitfulness, and fears of their own hearts, but also with the tender feelings of their friends, Gen 43:3-4. The purpose may be kind and affectionate, but does not always accord with the thoughts of God, Joh 20:17. (Starke).When Luther was on his way to the city of Worms, he met with friends in every place, who warned him; and when he was near the city, his beloved friend Spalatin sent him a message, entreating him not to enter and expose himself to such dangers. His answer is well known: Although there were as many devils in Worms, as there are tiles on the house-tops, I will still go thither. (Besser).
Act 21:13. What mean ye to weep and to break my heart?The Lord, who wept at the grave of Lazarus, does not demand that his disciples should extirpate all natural feeling; but it is his will that grief, however natural and just, should yield to the power of a childlike faith and of victorious hope; and He Himself is mighty in the weak. (Leonh. and Sp.).I am ready not to be bound only, etc.The best means for dispelling all doubts and extricating ourselves from difficulties of any kind, is an honest and sincere purpose of the heart to submit with uncomplaining willingness to Jesus, and to obey, whatever our lot may be. (Ap. Past.).The guiding principle of the apostle Paul is expressed in the words: Being made conformable unto his death, Php 3:10. He desires to know the power of His resurrection, only through the means of the fellowship of His sufferings. In his view, the only path which conducted to glory, was that of the cross. He lived only to suffer.In this respect, the Christianity of our times should not only be improved, but be entirely changed. Where do men in our day seek after this conformity to the death of Jesus? Where is it known or understood?Not the cross for the sake of the cross, but the cross for the sake of the Lord! He who desires the Crucified One without the cross, grasps at His shadow. A Christianity without the cross is a Christianity without Christ. (A. Monod).
Act 21:14. The will of the Lord be done.The love of believers to their shepherd must yield to the love of that shepherd to Jesus Christ, 1Co 11:1.Whenever we can accomplish nothing by our own counsel and plans, we should submit the whole matter to God and His will, since He always knows better than we do, whether any course which we may desire to pursue will be profitable or injurious. (Starke).The chief virtue of the Christian, and the source of all other virtues, is his readiness in all cases to do the will of God, even in opposition to his own will and desires, whether he is called to act or to suffer. (Rieger).Blessed is he who submits to the will of God; he can never be unhappy. Men may deal with him as they will; they may expose him to death by fire or by water, may confine him in a dungeon or release him. He is without care; he knows that all things work together for good to him, Rom 8:28. (Luther).The time will come when we shall rejoice not so much because we had been comforted in sorrow, and met with great prosperity, as because the will of God had been fulfilled alike in us and through us. Hence, we daily say in the Lords Prayer: Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. O how pure and serene is our life, when that will alone directs us, and when not a trace of our own will remains behind. With such a frame of mind we become like unto God. (St. Bernard).
Act 21:15. And after those days, etc.There is something emphatic in the word , which Luke applies to Paul and his travelling companions [but see note 10 above, appended to the text.Tr.]. They are, namely, released from all enjoyments, from all that is earthly, from all attachment to mere creatures. The term is specially suited to Paul. In this spirit he went to Jerusalem, and illustrated by his example all that he taught in 2Ti 2:20-21. May God impress those words on our hearts, so that we too may fulfil the duties of our office as men who are . (Ap. Past.).
Act 21:16. Mnason an old disciple.We have reason to rejoice when aged disciples still survive, or men who have already, at a former period, found rich treasures in the word of God. (Rieger).
ON THE WHOLE SECTION, Act 21:1-16.The power of love to Jesus Christ: I. It unites those who had been strangers to one another, Act 21:4 : II. It forewarns of possible dangers, Act 21:4; III. It maintains Christian fellowship, Act 21:5; IV. It humbles men before God in united prayer, Act 21:5. (Lisco).
Pauls readiness to suffer for the cause of the Redeemer, an instructive example, Act 21:716. (id.).
The Christians pilgrimage to his home: I. Faith reveals to him its happy end; II. Love enables him to overcome the difficulties of the road. (id).
On fidelity to the Lord, (Act 21:8-14): I. Its nature; II. Its source; III. Its reward. (Langbein).
The will of the Lord be done the Christians watchword on his journey through life, (Act 21:14): I. He is the Lord: II. His will is righteous and benevolent; III. It will be done, whether we obey or resist it. (id.).
The will of the Lord be done: I. The vow of an obedient spirit; II. The confession of a believing spirit; III. The testimony of a sanctified spirit. (Leonh. and Sp.).
What imparts true joy in seasons of affliction? I. Faith in the grace of God revealed in Christ Jesus; II. Love to Him who suffered on the cross for us; III. The hope of a time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. (id.).
Faith, Love, and Hope, the three attending angels of the Christian during his pilgrimage to the heavenly Jerusalem: I. A childlike faith, which, even when its path is dark, acts and suffers in submission to the will of God, Act 21:13-15; II. Brotherly love, which imparts and receives consolation amid the toils of the pilgrimage, Act 21:4-6; Act 21:12-13; III. Victorious hope, which in joy and in sorrow unfalteringly surveys the heavenly goal, Act 21:13-15.
The hour in which the children of God part on earth, (Act 21:1; Act 21:5; Act 21:15): I. It is an hour of deep mourning, admonishing us that here we have no continuing city; II. It is an hour of salutary trial, teaching us to sacrifice all to the Lord, in the obedience of faith; III. It is an hour of holy devotion, raising the soul above the influence of time and the grave, and animating our hope of a heavenly home, in which love perpetually endures.
The only bonds which the faithful servant of God recognizes as indissoluble: I. Not the bonds of his own flesh and bloodthese he has already severed by the power of the Spirit; II. Not the bonds of human force and enmity (Paul bound at Jerusalem) these cannot harm him in opposition to the will of God; III. Not the bonds of brotherly love and fellowship (Act 21:4; Act 21:13) he that loveth brother or sister more than the Lord, is not worthy of him; but, IV. Only the bonds of love to his Lord, to whom he is bound in gratitude and childlike fidelity, even unto death, Act 21:13.
What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? (Act 21:13) the impressive address of a Christian sufferer to those who surround him: I. Do not murmur against the Lord and his holy ways; II. Do not add to the severity of the conflict appointed unto the children of God; III. Do not deprive yourselves of the blessing which their example can convey.
The will of the Lord be done! the saying which most effectually silences all our objections to the ways of God: I. Our wisdom (the predictions, Act 21:4; Act 21:11) must be silent before the thoughts of Him who alone is wise; II. Our power must submit to Him who alone is omnipotent, Act 21:14; III. Our love must yield to the claims of Him, to whom we, with all that we are and have, belong, Act 21:13.
[Act 21:8. Lessons taught by Pauls visit to Philip at Cesarea (their earlier historySaul the persecutor, Philip the fugitive, Act 8:4; Act 8:6.): I. The changes which time witnesses in our external condition (Paul, with his Christian companionsPhilip, with his familyboth in a different city). II. The power of divine grace in changing the character (Isa 11:6). III. The happy influence of religion on our domestic relations (Philips devout family). IV. The irresistible progress of the Gospel (which Paul had once expected to extirpate). V. The intercourse of Christian friends (abroadat homehospitality). VI. The course of events independent of the will of man.Tr.]
Footnotes:
[1]Act 21:1. [The text. rec. has , with G. H.; the reading found in A. B. C. D. E. and Cod. Sin. is ; the latter is adopted by recent editors generally. Both forms of the accusative occur, although the former is the more usual; see Winer: Gram. N. T., 8. 2.Tr.]
[2]Act 21:3. [Instead of of text. rec. before T., from C. D. G. H., Lach. reads with A. B. E., and also Cod. Sin.; Vulg. venimus. Alf. retains the reading of the text. rec.Tr.]
[3]Act 21:4. a. [of text. rec.] before , [although rejected by Bengel, Matthi and Rinck], is very decidedly sustained by the authorities [by A. B. C. E. Cod. Sin.], and is omitted only in some of the later manuscripts. [G. H.]
[4]Act 21:4. b. is sufficiently attested [by A. B. C. Cod. Sin.] to sanction the adoption of it as the genuine reading, rather than the more usual, and therefore easier word [which latter (inserted in text. rec.) is found in E. G. H.; Vulg. ascenderet. Lach. Tisch. and Alf. adopt .Tr.]
[5]Act 21:6. The reading [at the end of Act 21:5, and the beginning of Act 21:6, namely] , . is decidedly attested [(excepting .), by A. B. C. E., with minor orthographical variations, and it is adopted by Lach. and Tisch.], whereas the reading , . [of text. rec.] is sustained by comparatively feeble testimony [by G. H.; Alf. retains the reading of text. rec.Vulg. oravimus. Et cum valefecissemus.For , of text. rec., as in G. H., Tisch. and Alf. read with A. C.; Lach. with B. E.Tisch. exhibits the following as the reading of Cod. Sin.: . . . He remarks on the first . which he prints with inverted commas: notarunt ipse scriptor (ut videtur) et C. He adds that C substituted . for .Tr.]
[6]Act 21:8. a. The words after , were inserted in the text, as an ecclesiastical reading lesson began at this place [with ]; they are undoubtedly spurious. [They occur in G. H., but are omitted in. A. B. C. E. Cod. Sin. Vulg., etc., and are dropped by recent editors generally.Tr.]
[7]Act 21:8. b. before [of text. rec.] is not found in a single uncial manuscript. [It occurs only in some minuscules, but is omitted in A. B. C. E. G. H. Cod. Sin., and is dropped by recent editors; see Winer: Gram. N. T. 20.1.c.Tr.]
[8]Act 21:11. [The ambiguity in the text. rec. (, i. e., Pauls, or , i. e., his own), is found in G. H.; the other uncial manuscripts, A. B. C. D. E. and Cod. Sin. read ; recent editors adopt the latter.On the general subject, see Winer: Gram. 22. 5.Tr.]
[9]Act 21:13. [Instead of , as the text. rec. reads with C (original)., and, instead of for , with G. H., Lach., Tisch. and Alf. read: II. with A. B. C (corrected)., omitting . Lachmann also inserts , from A. E.Cod. Sin. gives here, as well as very often elsewhere, precisely the reading of Lachmann, who died in 1851, before the publication of that text; the Vulg. also has: Tunc respondit Paulus et dixit.Tr.]
[10]Act 21:15. is undoubtedly the genuine reading [instead of . of text. rec. from some minuscules]; for some of the many conflicting readings sustain [ in H.; . in C.; in D. (adopted by Born.)], and others the simple form ., while a sufficient number of weighty authorities support the reading . [namely, A. B. E. G., and also Cod. Sin.Mill, Bengel, Griesb., Matthi, Knapp, Rinck, Lach. Tisch. and Alf. adopt .Alford says: The remarkable variety of reading in this word shows that much difficulty has been found in it. The rec. . (which may perhaps have arisen from the mixture of (D) with .) would mean, not, having deposited our (useless) baggage, but,having discharged our baggage, that is, unpacked the matters necessary for our journey to Jerusalem, from our coffers.But . is the better supported reading, and suits the passage better: having packed up, that is, made ourselves ready for the journey.Carriages, in the Engl. version, is used as at Jdg 18:21, (where it answers to to LXX.) for baggage,things carried.But the reading of the LXX. in the verse here quoted by Alf., is uncertain.Tr.]
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
CONTENTS
Paul is advised by the Brethren not to go up to Jerusalem. He persists. On his Arrival there, he visits James. Soon after he is seized by the Jews. He is rescued by the Chief Captain.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
And it came to pass, that after we were gotten from them, and had launched, we came with a straight course unto Coos, and the day following unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara: (2) And finding a ship sailing over unto Phoenicia, we went aboard, and set forth. (3) Now when we had discovered Cyprus, we left it on the left hand, and sailed into Syria, and landed at Tyre: for there the ship was to unlade her burden.
The separation between the Apostle and the Church at Ephesus, must have been very painful. The word made use of to express it, is strong; signifying being torn from each others’ embraces. And what added to the sorrow, was the consciousness on both sides, that it was final. There is an affinity between faithful pastors and their people, which far exceeds the common relationships in natural life. And when death, or a separation like this, which was as death, being final, takes place, there is great cause for sorrow. The children of Israel wept thirty days at the death of Moses, Deu 34:8 . But, Reader! what a relief to the soul is it, amidst all the separations of life, and the deaths, or departures of everyone around; Jesus departs not, but is with his people forever! Oh! thou dear Lord! let the thought of this comfort and support my soul, amidst all the dead. and dying circumstances, of a world passing away. Jesus lives, and loves, and is with his people forever, Mat 28:20 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Act 21:13
Surely there is a time to submit to guidance and a time to take one’s own way at all hazards.
Huxley.
In ch. 1. of Les Misrables, Mdlle Baptistine, after describing the apparently hazardous methods followed by the good bishop, adds: ‘We leave ourselves in the hands of Providence, for that is how you must behave to a man who has grandeur in his soul.
Reference. XXI. 13. H. Arnold Thomas, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xliv. p. 57.
The Peace of Defeat
Act 21:14
There are compensations often for the vanquished; between the triumph of victory and the peace of defeat there may be little to choose. When a lawsuit that has been dragged over years comes to its close, there is an end, even for the defeated, of the protracted misery, the weary and racking suspense of delay. Though the worst has come to the worst though the days of existence must be henceforth colourless when they are not harsh and sad it is something that the strain upon fortitude has been relaxed for the moment. When some long-dreaded evil smites us into the dust, we may be amazed by our own calmness. Certainty, of whatever kind, relieves those worn with the effort of being deaf to the footsteps of fate. The truth terrible as it is falls on the dim, dull, puzzled brain with some strange sense of rest.
But there is a Christian peace in defeat, higher than the mere relief of overtaxed nature. We ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done. There is a moment when effort should cease, because the issue is clear. That moment should carry us straight into the silence and rest of God.
I. There comes an hour to men perhaps it comes to the most successful when they accept the truth about themselves. They have hoped and striven for long to achieve something in life. Their hearts have been set on some shining mark. It may be that the whole endeavour and drift of many years have been to attain a certain definite position. In any case they have never thought to rest where they are. What has been is a preparation for what is to be tolerable as such, but not otherwise. Gradually, with a slow distinctness, a dull pain, it has become evident that the issue is more doubtful than it seemed. Then come fervent efforts, silent conflicts of the spirit. And at last the end is plain. Even those who have hitherto protested with a fond vehemence of defence are silent. Ours, we find, are not the talents of the few, but of the many. Youth has gone, and taken away with it much that we dearly prized. It is the common lot. In every profession there are comparatively few whose early dreams come to fulfilment. The vast majority have to content themselves with humble aims, slow advancement, an uninteresting career, and a nameless memory. We can bear but little success, and little is given to us, and the day comes but too early when we know that the ascent of life has ceased, and that henceforth we must decrease.
Such defeat, if trustfully accepted, brings its own peace. There is an end of the long, lonely misgivings, of the ambition which has drawn such hard breath under the weight of self-distrust. There is a certain stage of life in which men naturally generous and warm-hearted are tempted to a little patient envy. It is when they hear the footsteps of the young hard behind them, and realise that those who come after are preferred before them. Accept the will of God, and all the bitterness goes.
II. Surely when Christian faith is more powerful in the world we shall alter our attitude towards the inevitable. Going forth to meet it, we shall be conquerors, not conquered. Why keep out of life the rich and deep memories it might hold if we did not fear to speak what is in the heart? A day dawns when human skill owns itself foiled; when the journey before the loved one is of few and measured steps. Then faith may grow into resignation, which a Roman Catholic writer has justly called the last term of Christian activity. It is in a true resignation that the Christian displays all his resources, brings all his powers into play. And Christian resignation there cannot be till we understand and believe that resignation is applicable only to things that pass away. We resign nothing that endures. We may have to part with it for more or fewer years; but it waits us in the world of eternal and complete restitution.
W. Robertson Nicoll, Ten Minute Sermons, p. 51.
Divine Guidance
Act 21:14
We are all conscious of the need of guidance at the cross roads of life when alternative courses of action lie in front of us, and we must, in spite of ourselves, take a decision which shall determine in one way or another the character of the following years. We inevitably cast about for some assistance in making up our minds. We shrink from the responsibility which yet is unmistakably ours. In the passage from the Book of the Acts from which my text is taken we have set before us a critical episode in the career of the Apostle Paul. He had to take a most important decision on which he plainly saw that the course of his ministry depended, and which, as the sequel showed, more than justified his estimate. Should he or should he not go up to Jerusalem?
The Apostle was of all men the most sensitively loyal to the indications of Divine purpose, and these so far from allowing and confirming his own perception of duty seemed to be uniformly unfavourable. The Apostle has to resist the most formidable pressure conceivable. He has to set his own conviction, not of truth but of his personal duty with regard to a practical matter which could not, it may be thought, properly challenge the great name of conscience, against solemn and reiterated protests from those who claimed, and from St. Paul’s own standpoint, claimed rightly, to speak with Divine authority. Prophecy, we know, held in the Apostolic Church a supreme place. We are assured that the Apostle was well accustomed to shape his conduct by these Divine intimations. Yet when all the recognised and hitherto rigidly obeyed signs of Divine leading opposed his resolution to go to Jerusalem as the first step towards Rome, the same Apostle decisively rejects them and persists in his own purpose. St. Paul was a genuine hero, and he disdained to take account of his personal fortunes when the cause of his Master was in question. Given sufficient reason for thinking that the kingdom would be advanced by his perilous journey and nothing more was needed to justify the risk.
I. The Need of Guidance. We are all conscious of the need of guidance. In our case, as in the Apostle’s, the justification of our persistence will be in the inherent superiority of our own perception of duty. In the absence of any interior certitude, we may nay, we must be led by the lesser and lower leadings of circumstance, and I know no valid reason why we should demur to the sacred writer’s description of these leadings as also in their measure truly Divine, but when once that interior certitude is ours all the other instruments of guidance must be set aside in its favour. That is how I understand St. Paul’s behaviour. Up to a certain point in his history he was dependent from day to day on the indications of God’s will. But then was granted an immediate revelation of his personal duty. He saw the goal towards which his efforts were to be directed, he realised his purpose in life, he understood God’s will in him. Henceforward he was set free from the uncertitude and inconsistencies that marked his course. His career became the steady and continuous working out of a definite project which made it intelligible.
II. Divine Guidance Vouchsafed. Granting that extraordinary vocations which stamp on human careers a sublime aspect are but few, must we therefore conclude that from most Christians that interior certitude as to personal duty is withholden? Must the multitude of disciples live without the illumination of assured direction from God? I do not believe it. On the contrary, I hold that there is none of us who confesses that his true lot of life must be to do the will of God, and with that conviction surrenders himself wholly and deliberately to the control of God’s Spirit, who does not receive the guidance he seeks. We fail, not from lack of leading, but from lack of courage to obey the leading we have.
III. But the Heart must be Free. At the risk of using language which may seem unreal and conventional, I would ask how can the consciousness of Divine guidance maintain itself in hearts filled with the unsatisfying distractions of that pursuit of amusement which in all classes of the community has become among us a consuming passion? St. James tells us that God gives wisdom to those that seek for it, but not to those distracted seekers whom he likens to the wind-driven waves of the sea. ‘Let not that man think that he shall receive anything from the Lord.’ We have to begin to become serious by giving to the things of the Spirit the importance which belongs to them, by making the Divine claim on our lives the standpoint from which to regard them, by cultivating the opportunities of usefulness which come to us, by refusing to acquiesce in the idle and unordered course of living, by insisting at whatever cost on cleansing our lives from conscious insincerity. Then at least we have come within the sanctuary where oracles of guidance are vouchsafed, where watchfulness and obedience gain outward pledges of Divine leading.
References. XXI. 15, 16. Expositor (5th Series), vol. i. p. 213. XXI. 15-18. Ibid. (6th Series), vol. iv. p. 115. XXI. 16. W. Brock, Midsummer Morning Sermons, p. 186. Expositor (7th Series), vol. vi. p. 371. XXI. 20. Expositor (6th Series), vol. ix. p. 271. XXI. 21. Ibid. vol. iii. p. 139; ibid. vol. xii. p. 106. XXI. 23. H. S. Holland, God’s City, p. 317. XXI. 27, 29. Expositor (4th Series), vol. ii. p. 149. XXI. 28. Ibid. (6th Series), vol. iv. p. 120. XXI. 39. H. L. Thompson, The Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Oxford, p. 24. R. F. Horton, Christian World Pulpit, vol. lxx. p. 305. Expositor (6th Series), vol. vii. p. 109; ibid. vol. xi. p. 39; ibid. (7th Series), vol. v. p. 195. XXII. 3. Ibid. (5th Series), vol. ix. p. 437. XXII. 5. Ibid. (4th Series), vol. ii. p. 212. XXII. 8. Ibid. vol. iv. p. 182. XXII. 9. Ibid. (6th Series), vol. vi. p. 192. XXII. 10. Ibid. (5th Series), vol. ix. p. 314.
Fuente: Expositor’s Dictionary of Text by Robertson
Chapter 81
Prayer
Almighty God, do thou show light unto them that are groping in darkness. If any know not which way to turn, send thou the beam of light which will show the way thou thyself hast worked out. If any are cold of heart, and are filled only with the wonder of ignorance, do thou send the ardent heat from on high that shall warm the cold life and fill it with the surprise of new revelations. Thou art a continual surprise; we cannot find thee out unto perfection, saying, This is the beginning and this is the end. God is great, and we know him not. No man can see God and live. There is no searching of thine understanding. Thy way is infinite, and the clouds are the dust of thy feet. The light is thy robe, and thou dost leave our imagination behind thee, unable to follow in the wondrous pursuit. Yet dost thou tarry for us; thou dost wait until our weakness can overtake thee, and then in long speech of love thou dost reveal thy purpose to us, and show that the darkness is thine as well as the light; that thou didst make the rough hills as well as the smooth plains. Then thou dost pass on, and we lose thee, and again dost thou return and wait for us. Thus are we brought on our way stopping, wondering, praying with great agony and heart-fear, and then praising thee with loud rapture and cloudless hope. This is thy way with us; the meaning is love. We would see thee more clearly; but this is our impatience, not our wisdom, that thus speaks. So we will have no way of our own; we will not venture to take counsel as upon equal terms with God; we will say alway, “The will of the Lord be done.” This we have learned of Jesus Christ, thy Son; out of him we cannot learn this greatest lesson; it is the meaning of his Cross; it is the expression of his priesthood; it is the mystery of his sacrifice. At the Cross we learn this lesson; whilst the Victim dies we hear its music and we learn its meaning. Lord, evermore teach us to speak those words with our hearts. Then we shall have no pain, no loss, no fear; we shall be lifted above the clouds, and stand in the eternal brightness. We would be hidden in the sanctuary of thy Son; our Saviour; Rock of Ages, cleft for men. We would stand in the cleft of that Rock until all danger be over-past, and whilst we are there we shall hear the still small voice, the subdued eternity, the condescending Infinite, the whisper of the thunder of God. Lord, show us how little we are, and how great; how abject, how august. Teach us that in ourselves we have lost all things; that in Christ we have found more than we have lost yea, unsearchable riches, wealth upon wealth, beyond all counting, treasures infinite. Wherein we have complained of thy way, take it as the ungrateful reproach of our ignorance. Thou knowest how shut in we are by yesterday and to-morrow two high stone walls that make a prison for our little life. Thou knowest that we cannot tell the meaning of our own words; have pity upon us, and forgive the iniquity of our prayers. The Lord accept us in the Beloved; the Lord interpret us at the Cross; the Lord answer our necessity and not our language; the Lord read the pain of our heart and the cry of our inmost soul, and listen not to the words which cannot tell the tale they mean to relate. Thou knowest us altogether: our beginning; our course; our advantages and disadvantages; our physical peculiarities; our social surroundings; the circumstances over which we have no control; the battles fought in secret; the prayers we dare not speak. Blessed be thy name, thou wilt judge with righteous judgment; thou dost not take man’s view of our life, but thine own. Thou knowest us altogether, in word and thought and innermost motive. Judge us of thy great mercy; pity us in the Cross of thy Son, Christ Jesus. Thou knowest what we most need just now: some are here in great fear, and others in great hope of joy; some are just returned from the open grave, and others are just returned from the wedding altar; some are in the midst of perilous journeys and adventures; others are in darkness and in doubt, whose life is groping for results, rather than moving straight towards them; some want to turn, and feel as if they could not; some would pray, but their lips cannot speak; some are purposing goodness, and some evil. But thou understandest every one of us; thou canst come to each as if an only child. So, in Christ Jesus, Son of God, Lamb of God, bleeding Sacrifice, we put ourselves into thy hands and say, “The will of the Lord be done.” Amen.
Act 21:1-14
1. And when it came to pass that we were parted [same word in Luk 22:41 ] from them, and had set sail [better, “had put to sea again after having torn ourselves away from them”], we came with a straight course unto Cos, and the next day unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara:
2. And having found a ship crossing over unto Phoenicia, we went abroad, and set sail [“put to sea”].
3. And when we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left hand, we sailed unto Syria, and landed at Tyre [the whole district from Cilicia to Egypt was called Syria. On Tyre, cf. Jos 19:29 ; Eze 26 and Eze 27 ; Isa 23 Hiram was Solomon’s ally, and Ethbaal, father of Jezebel, is called by Josephus, king of Tyre. After its conquest by Alexander, Tyre was made a free city by the Romans, and was still a large commercial centre when visited by Paul, and perhaps also by Christ. Tyre Isa 30 miles N. W. from Nazareth]: for there the ship was to unlade her burden.
4. And having found the disciples [Act 11:19 ; Act 15:3 . Note that the little church in the great city had to be sought out], we tarried there seven days: and these said to Paul through the Spirit [ Act 20:22 ], that he should not set foot in Jerusalem.
5. And when it came to pass that we had accomplished the days, we departed and went on our journey; and they all, with wives and children [this little fellowship of disciples expressly associated wives and even children with the men in church action], brought us on our way, till we were out of the city: and kneeling down on the beach, we prayed, and bade each other farewell [same word as “parted” in Act 21:1 ];
6. And we went on board the ship, but they returned home again.
7. And when we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais [Accho of Jdg 1:31 ; our Acre. An older city than Tyre and Csarea, it has outlived them both]; and we saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day.
8. And on the morrow we departed, and came unto Csarea [see Act 8:40 ]: and entering into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven [Meyer, following Tisch. Born, puts the comma after “Philip,” and takes the meaning to be that Paul’s company entered into Philip’s house, and even went to Csarea because “he (Philip) was the Evangelist of the seven,” i.e., “it was not his former position as overseer of the poor, but his present position as evangelist that made him so important to the travellers”], we abode with him.
9. Now this man had four daughters, virgins [G., “virgin (or, unmarried) daughters”], which did prophesy [ “preach”; only since the seventeenth century has the English word “prophesy” been limited to the sense of prediction. R. V. ought not to have retained it in this, its obsolete, sense].
10. And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Juda a certain prophet, named Agabus [probably the same mentioned in Act 11:28 ].
11. And coming to us, and taking Paul’s girdle, he bound his own feet and hands [cf. Jer 13:5 , and Joh 21:18 ], and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle [the company may have laid aside their girdles, one of which Agabus “took”], and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.
12. And when we heard these things, both we and they of that place besought him not to go up to Jerusalem.
13. Then Paul answered, What do ye, weeping and breaking [G., “What are you doing that you commence weeping and (so) are breaking the heart of me?” [my heart? for I am [” I ” emphatic, i.e., “my heart is”] ready, not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. [The unselfish grief of his friends touched Paul after he had conquered his own natural feelings; but loyalty to the Lord Jesus overrules all.]
14. And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying; The will of the Lord be done.
The Quiet Interval
There are some endings which seem to be final. Such an ending we found in the last words of the interview between the Apostle Paul and the elders of the Church of Ephesus. It seemed as if after that ending there could be no resumption. Anything that could be said after such a communion of heart with heart that was not bathed with tears would be of the nature of an anticlimax. After such agony there is only one natural and gracious possibility, and that is silence. Silence is as eloquent as speech; in its right place it is even more eloquent. But after the interview at Miletus with the elders of the Church of Ephesus nothing was possible but silence. The night had come; the agony could not be increased; the senses reeled; all life seemed to be a mocking dream; whether things will ever come into natural course and shape again gracious time will reveal. Blessed silence! blessed time! We so often ignore those teachers, and go out in quest of noisy speakers. What can teach like time, or heal, or lift up again, or take away the very burden which at first it seems to impose? If we grow towards old age, it is only that we may grow towards youthhood again: old age being the gate that opens upon Christian immortality. Have periods of silence in your life; remit many of the controversies and difficulties to the adjustment and healing of silent, gracious, patient time. At the end of the days you will see the meaning of it all; and you, who entered into the first gate wearily, saying you could carry no more burdens and speak no more words, will pass through the second gate strong to carry, eloquent to speak, heroic to dare. But let solid, even slow, impartial time have its own way. You will only spoil its purpose by your impatience. You cannot hasten the old charioteer; he drives at a certain pace, and he will not be mocked or importuned into any increase of speed. Thank God for breaks that give us release from old cares and heavy burdens, and give us opportunity of gathering ourselves together again into still better condition and still augmented strength. Let Paul alone for a time; let him have his sail out. Thank God he has gone upon the water, that will do him good. Bless God for the alternative of the water for the land, of the land for the water; of the day for the night, and the night for the day. By these alternatives we are rested and quieted and made young again. Let us be glad that he will spend all the day on the water, and all the night, and to the lullaby of its plash may yield himself to sleep. After such communion he needs sleep; only such sleep as man can realise not animal sleep only, but that deeper, more mysterious, and gracious sleep into which the Lord alone can throw man, and out of which he comes with poignant wishes, and new impulses and new relationships, which make him forget yesterday’s burden and yesterday’s travail. Let him alone; he has passed through a hot fever; give him time.
In the third verse we read: “We landed at Tyre: for there the ship was to unlade her burden.” Poor ship! she must have rest, too, in a way. We must have landing places, and unlading times, and standing-still periods in life. Whilst the ship stands still Paul is on the alert. Business arrangements are turned into spiritual opportunities. The moment the ship stopped Paul became his old apostolic self again. “Whilst you stop,” said he, “I must be up and doing. What is this place? Who lives here? What is the religious condition of the locality?” How the war-horse stirs in him! Again and again we have thought, “He is now done, and we shall hear no more of him,” when suddenly he sprang up again from the dust and was red with holy fire, palpitating with added life, quivering with holy excitement. The sail has done him good. He has opened his eyes and seen land, and now he turns a necessity of the ship into an opportunity for preaching the Gospel, or making Christian aggression. Is there not a lesson here for us the sailors of today? The place of business is closed why not inquire for an opportunity of doing religious good? Holiday to-morrow why not have a feast for the poor, and the halt, and the blind? A man has lost his train why not try to save his soul? A crisis has occurred in the business why not make it an opportunity for enlarging prayer and bringing up intercession to its agonizing and prevailing tone? The stop of one course should be the beginning of another. He never lacks opportunity who looks for it.
What was done at Tyre? We read, “And finding disciples.” That is not right reading; stumbling over those words; we might imagine that the disciples were found haphazard, were come upon quite casually and unexpectedly. The real reading is, “And seeking out disciples.” Why not seek out beautiful scenery? Why not discover the features of the new geography? Because Paul’s promised and unchangeable purpose was to advance the kingdom of Christ. There was no scenery to Paul; there was no geography; there was nothing but lost humanity and the redeeming Cross of Christ. So may men be lifted above the very system of worlds in which they live, and count that system nothing except in its relation to the men who inhabit it, and to the opportunities it may afford for their spiritual redemption and education. Men who have not this Divine purpose in their hearts are overcome by their circumstances; a fine mountainous country would detain them a week longer on the journey; a new river would send them into ecstasies; a new specimen in botany would fill them with rapture. To Paul there was nothing in the world but two things: lost man and redeeming Christ; and he counted all things but loss that he might serve the Christ who had saved him. Paul and his company sought out the disciples not an easy thing then and there; not always an easy thing here and now. Some of you would blush if you had to ask if there were any Christians in your neighbourhood. You could not ask the question. You wait for them to turn up, but you do not give them any encouragement to disclose themselves. You, who could ask if there were artists in the neighbourhood authors, poets, great men of business, dare not ask if there were any praying people in the locality; dare not ask if any wooden shed has been put up by the hedge side, or at the street corner, or in the back places of the town in which you could meet others for prayer. Paul never asked any other questions; what wonder that he found disciples when he sought for them? “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” The man sitting next you at this moment would thank God if he could have an opportunity to speak concerning spiritual things. If Paul were here now, he would remain here all day; having delivered his sermon, he would ask the people to speak to him. He would make a business of it; nothing would turn him aside. Now and again he did disclose the one purpose of his life, and it was always in this tone: “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of Jesus Christ.” He was never weary of his work, though often weary in it.
Leaving Tyre, they “came to Ptolemais, and saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day.” Make the most of religious opportunities. A whole day together well spent may be more than a week together with neglected opportunities and uncultivated spaces. What a day it was! Only one; but so crowded, so many questions to ask. What eager listening! “The Apostle will be gone tomorrow; now is our opportunity; let him speak and pray and bless and comfort.” That is the case always; we have never more than one day together with any certainty; we should look upon every opportunity as the last: when the man who prays for us says “Amen,” we should feel as if the last knock had been delivered on heaven’s door by his trembling and pious hand; and thus we would give accent to every occasion, immediate and poignant meaning to things which might otherwise be regarded as amongst the etceteras of life, crowded into some indicative term, rather than made the special and penetrating emphasis of life. Could we have Paul with us one day! We would appoint the meeting to take place very early in the morning, and some of us, looking at the dial, would say, “There are still five minutes to run before the day is quite out;” some of us would, with a kind of pardonable stealthiness, almost wish as if we could put the finger back on the dial-plate. But we allow our opportunities to pass; when the man is gone, then we begin to whine about his greatness, and the opportunities we had of praying with him in his mighty intercession. So the hearts of men are broken every day. We cannot make up anything to the absent Apostle; he was in the town; he spent a year there, or two, or five; we never knew him till the closing weeks of his ministry; the man that might have prayed lo heaven’s shaking was unknown until the week before he left the village. Then the blank-eyed villagers whined about him, and said what they would have done had they known who had been amongst them. It is a whining lie! One day with the Apostle Paul! a man who never wasted a word; a man whose every look was a picture, every tone a revelation, every touch a benediction. He is still here; his great epistles are with us; his written soul lies in our houses neglected. Let us not add to our lies by whining over his personal absence!
“And the next day ” Oh that there should be any next day to festivals of the soul! Mocking word! “Next” day why, that day can have no “next.” To speak of it as “next” day seems to drag it down to an equality with vulgar time; speak of it as some other day, a million centuries off. Yet not so, because other people must have the festival as well as we. Paul is advancing in his course and scattering blessings as he goes. “The next day we that were of Paul’s company departed, and came unto Csarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.” If we had our choice of any one day which we might spend with the Apostle Paul, I think some of us would choose this particular day. What a meeting that was! We have to meet our old selves sometimes. Do not make any mystery of the bodily resurrection until you have settled the mystery of those personal social resurrections which are taking place every day in the week. “One of the seven.” So was Stephen. Paul “entered into the house of Philip.” Why, this is the young man whose name was Saul, at whose feet the men who stoned Stephen laid down their clothes! What a meeting was that; what silence; what suppressed tears; what crowded memories; what self-lacerations! Philip might not have been there at all but for the very man who was now visiting him; it was owing to the persecution that Philip fled away. Day by day we have seen in our reading how Paul came upon the work of Philip, in this town and in that town, and now he is Philip’s guest. May our meetings with old enemies be as sweet and gracious! You cannot escape from your old self. Tomorrow you will meet a man upon whose face your whole life will be written, and you will read it in every line. The day after, as you are lifting the wine to your lips, you will see a man the sight of whom will make you set it down again, and wish that the earth would open and let you through into darkness. Tomorrow you will see a signature every stroke of which will be like a sword-stroke on your heart. Tomorrow you will see a crushed rose-leaf, a faded photograph, a sere and yellow book which will bring up all your life. Sometimes our reminiscences are of the most joyful kind, and we bury twenty years in one grip of the hand. Sometimes those reminiscences are of the other sort, and a look doubles our age. The solemn fact to remember is that we meet men again. Lite is not closed with today. Our words have gone out from us, rolling over the waves of the wind, but we shall hear them again. Let us take care how we live. “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” If you have lost money, depend upon it it belonged to some other man. If you have suffered pain, God has weighed the measure of it in his golden scales, and you have had not one pang too many. “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” There is comfort in this as well as sadness. If men have spoken ill of me, depend upon it I have spoken ill of them first in some way, and in some mysterious economy God is visiting upon me my own iniquities. Do not let me stand up as the righteous and perfect man who never did anything, but who is suffering unjustly. “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” in some way at some time. The sovereign you lost was not your own; you cannot trace its owner, you cannot tell why you, poor innocent creature, should suffer so. But it is quite right. As I have done unto others, so hath God requited me. The law is equally true on the other side. If you do things good, then things good you will reap. Make a feast for those who cannot make a feast for themselves, and you shall have bread at the last; make other lives glad, and you shall have light at eventide. It is a solemn economy under which we live. If we look at the special aspect only, we tremble and complain, but if we look at the other aspect as well, we are constrained to say “The ways of the Lord are equal.”
Now Paul will be besought not to go forward; his own company will say, “Perhaps you had better not.” In this case Paul said nothing to the four daughters of Philip, nothing to the prophet Agabus. But in the 12th verse we read, “And when we heard these things, both we ” That was the sting. When a man’s nearest comrades fail him, when the people he brought with him to cheer his way stand in front of him and say, “Turn back,” then, poor soul, what can he do but break right down? So did Paul. When they that were of his company besought him not to go up to Jerusalem, Paul was forced into speech, and answering, said, “What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” There the Roman spoke; there the Christian Roman spoke. We are told that for a Roman to fear danger was treason, but for a Lacedmonian to hesitate was treason. Here is a man in whose tone you can find no hesitancy. Having consecrated the life first, all the details of suffering which led up to the last oblation were mere trifles. He himself body, soul, spirit was on the altar; to dwell, therefore, upon the items of martyrdom was to trifle with the sublimity of the occasion. We have given nothing whilst anything has been withheld; but having given ourselves, all other gifts are nothing.
Where is the Apostle Paul today? Where the man that speaks thus, and so? Could he live now? Would he have any following now? Would he not now be called fanatic, emotionalist, enthusiast? Would common-sensed and real-hearted men respect him now? Would not there be teachers of what is falsely called prudence who would ask him to stop and think and weigh well his course? Again and again would I teach, as for these several years I have endeavoured to teach, that there are two prudences the little prudence, that would gain its life and therefore loses it; the great prudence, that loses its life and in the losing finds it. The little prudence is the more popular; you can get at it more easily, may stroke its little sleek head more comfortably; it lies quiet under your pat, and you can make something of it. The great prudence, the sublime dash, the sacred fury will not accept any patronage; lives beyond the cloudy region of compliment and congratulation, and goes on to Golgotha, to Olivet, to heaven.
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
XXVIII
FROM EPHESUS TO JERUSALEM
Act 21:1-36
The scripture for this chapter is Act 21 , and the theme is “From Ephesus to Jerusalem.” The party that journeyed from Ephesus to Jerusalem was Paul, Luke, and Trophimus, and doubtless others. They saw at Rhodes one of the seven wonders of the world. The entrance to the harbor at Rhodes was narrow, and straddled across that entrance was the Colossus of Rhodes, a gigantic bronze image in the shape of a man an image designed to represent the sun. Vessels sailed between its legs, but at the time of Paul this image by an earthquake had been broken in its legs, had fallen over on the ground, and was lying there. It remained there on the ground for many centuries after Paul. Finally a Jew bought it, and it took nine hundred camels to carry the bronze away.
AT TYRE
In Act 26 Paul says that he had preached on all the coast of Judea, and Philip, the evangelist, having his headquarters at Caesarea, could very easily have planted a church at Tyre. Our Saviour himself visited Tyre once, and there occurred an instance of salvation to a Gentile, granting of the prayer of the Syrophoenician woman. We learn from Act 11 that there were people in Tyre who had been converted in Jerusalem, and dispersed by the persecution of Saul, and through these men that church at Tyre may have been established.
There are two notable events in the week’s stay of Paul’s party there, to which I think it necessary to call attention. One is that the prophets there distinctly made known to Paul by the Holy Spirit that he should not go to Jerusalem. The other event is the exceedingly touching farewell of the body of Christians there when they followed Paul men, women and children all of them, down to the beach, and had a prayer on the beach just before he left them.
Combining the statement in this section (Act 21:4 ), about what the prophet said to Paul, that he should not go to Jerusalem, and the full statement in this same chapter when Agabus came down from Judea and in an emblematic way showed what would happen to Paul if he did not go to Jerusalem, and the passage in the next chapter (Act 22:17-21 ), where Paul relates an experience of his that took place on his first visit to Jerusalem after his conversion, in which Christ had appeared unto him and told him that the Jews there would never receive his testimony, and to get away and go far hence to the Gentiles, I do not think that Paul was justifiable in going to Jerusalem.
He went against the expressed declaration of the Spirit of God speaking through the prophets; and the explanation of his going is that the man’s love for home mission work, and his intense desire to save the Jerusalem Jews, always kept him looking back toward Jerusalem. In the letter to the Romans he says that he could wish himself accursed from Christ for his brethren’s sake according to the flesh. And there is no doubt that his going to Jerusalem at this time was wholly unnecessary. The purpose of the going was to carry the big contribution that had been collected, and the representatives of the churches were right there with him, and were carrying the money.
It is a fact that his going at that time kept him shut up in prison four years two years of the time at Caesarea, in which we have no history of him. If there were any letters written they were not preserved. The other two years of the time he was at Rome, where he was carried. There we have Borne great work done by him, but I can’t persuade myself that it was the will of God for him to go to Jerusalem at that time. It puts the greatest worker in the world out of commission for four years, except as I think, it is quite probable that when he was at Caesarea that two years, he helped Luke write his Gospel, and later gave us his prison letters from Rome.
AT PTOLEMAIS
We account for disciples at Ptolemais just as we account for them at Tyre. Paul came from Tyre to Ptolemais by ship. There are two historic events for which Ptolemais is noted. First, for the most heroic daring events by Richard the Lion Hearted during the Crusades, when he took this impregnable place by storm, and second, the vain attempt of Napoleon to take it by storm or siege.
There is a relation between Paul and Philip. When Paul got to Caesarea, Philip, the evangelist, entertained him. It will be remembered that Philip was one of the seven deacons, and that when Paul’s persecution drove him from Jerusalem he became Philip the Evangelist, and he is the next man after Stephen to enlarge the thought of the spread of the gospel among other nations, which Paul himself ultimately carried to its greatest expansion. This is the first time that they had met since Paul’s persecution drove him out of Jerusalem. How delightful must have been their conversation upon the great growth of the idea that the gospel was meant for all men!
An Old Testament prophecy was fulfilled in the case of Philip’s four daughters, which has a bearing on woman’s work in the gospel. The Old Testament prophecy was a prophecy of Joel quoted by Peter on the Day of Pentecost that the Spirit would come upon women as well as men, and upon girls, or handmaidens. This shows that the women were to have an active part and an influential part in the kingdom of God, and they have always had. There is another Old Testament prophecy, the famous song-story of Deborah. They always were good at publishing news, and when it is good news, one woman can tell it to as many people as ten men can, especially if she has a telephone.
Here the question arises about the sphere of her prophesying. In 1Co 11:5 ; 1Co 11:13 , Paul says that when she does prophesy she should prophesy with her head covered, and in 1Co 14:31 ; 1Co 14:34 he says that it is not her province to prophesy before mixed audiences in the churches, but that leaves a very wide margin for her work.
From the history here (Act 21:10-11 ), I suppose that Agabus had heard of Paul’s arrival at Caesarea, and of his purpose to go to Jerusalem, and came expressly to warn against his going there. Caesarea was not a great distance from Jerusalem. Paul was at Caesarea two weeks. Men of his reputation, and with travelers going to and fro, it is likely that Agabus heard of his being there (Agabus the same prophet we have heard of before in Acts II), and under the promptings of the Spirit comes down there and shows Paul what will happen if he goes.
Those enormous contributions that had been gathered from all over Macedonia and Achaia, and possibly the contributions of the Galatians were added, though there is no record of it, but certainly all Macedonia and Achaia had part in it. Considering Act 21:16 , we see that it was necessary to take with him from Caesarea a Jerusalem host to entertain him when he got to Jerusalem. Mnason was the man who went. He was an early disciple, and he went with Paul from Caesarea in order to entertain him when he got to Jerusalem, since this was the interval between the Passover and Pentecost. Paul at first tried to get there for the Passover, and finding that impossible, he stopped at Philip’s for the Passover, and was now hurrying to get there for Pentecost, which is fifty days after, and during these great feasts Jerusalem had a million strangers in it, and if one didn’t know beforehand where he was going to stay all night, he couldn’t find out after he got there. In a marvelous modern book by a Baptist, Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Mnason of this section and Gaius of 2 John are made the types of Christian hosts and of hospitality. When he was taking his pilgrim from earth to heaven he made him stay one night with Brother Mnason and another night with Brother Gaius on the way, since they are so noted in the New Testament history for their hospitality. The brethren of Act 21:17 were of the Jerusalem church, being the brethren of the house of Brother Mnason. Next day they met the Jerusalem brethren and apostles.
Paul took his companions with him because they were messengers from the churches that had contributed, and the elders were present because they were to receive and disburse these contributions. We learn in Acts II that when Paul and Barabbas went to Jerusalem to carry a contribution to the Christian brethren in Judea, they delivered it to the elders. The Gentile that he took with him was Trophimus, the Ephesian, and in Act 15 we learn that he took Titus with him for a special reason; so he takes Trophimus on this journey for a special reason, i.e., as if to say, “Here is a Gentile. And he has a bag of money for your people. Are your Jewish prejudiced brethren going to receive this money brought by this Gentile brother?”
Though Luke does not here refer by name to the business part of this meeting, we see from a subsequent statement that he knew it, and did not mean to suppress the evidence of it. The passage is Act 24:17 , which Luke wrote, and which shows that the purpose of going to Jerusalem at this time was to deliver this money.
Paul was apprehensive that this business might not be well received. Rom 15:25-31 says, “But now, I say, I go unto Jerusalem, ministering unto the saints. For it hath been the good pleasure of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints that are at Jerusalem. Yea, it hath been their good pleasure; and their debtors they are. For, if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, they owe it to them, also to minister unto them in carnal things. When, therefore, I have accomplished this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will go on by you unto Spain. And I know that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of Christ. Now I beseech you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me; that I may be delivered from them that are disobedient in Judea, and that my ministration which I have for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints.”
We see from this that Paul was a little uneasy on this question, and that he wrote to these Romans to ask them to pray that it might work out all right. It is a little singular that when he set out after that decision, given in Act 15 , that they charge him to remember the poor saints in Judea, since he always did that very thing, and yet he knew how intense was the prejudice there. He not only worked to get a good contribution, and from the right motives, and was anxious that it might be rightly distributed, but he prayed for it after he got it, that it might get there and accomplish its office.
One of the most remarkable prayers of that kind occurred in connection with the history of Brown University, the first Baptist college in the United States. It was very small when it started, and the day they took the first contribution for it, eleven men put up a dollar apiece with which to start it, and they got down around that little pile of money and prayed and prayed that God, who multiplied the loaves and fishes, would let it eventuate in a great institution of learning. I preached a sermon once on the thought: “After making a great contribution, what then?”
Having gotten through with the money part of this meeting, Paul rehearsed the events of this tour. I can imagine that scene there, and all those Jerusalem preachers sitting there, Trophimus, the Gentile, standing by, when he rehearsed one by one every marvelous triumph of God in the salvation of the Gentiles. When they heard it they glorified God, and it is to their everlasting credit that they did. What took place immediately after would indicate that they didn’t glorify him much, but they did glorify God, and Paul thus secured from James and from the Jerusalem brethren, praise that God was saving the Gentiles. That was a fine point gained.
Let us expound Act 21:20-26 , showing first how James and the Jerusalem church understood a Jewish Christian’s relation to the Mosaic law; second, a Gentile’s relation thereto; third, the difference between them and Paul; fourth, the motive prompting the suggestion that they made to Paul; fifth, the reason for Paul’s adopting the suggestion; sixth, the good that it did. They said to him (for his presence was embarrassing), “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are here in Jerusalem who are believers, and every one of them is zealous for the law. They all observe every Levitical custom, and they have been informed that you are teaching the Jews all over the world to forsake Moses, not to circumcise their children, and not to observe the customs. Now, in order to convince these people that you yourself correct errors and do observe these customs, we suggest, as four men have taken the Nazirite vow, that you take them and be at the charges necessary for the accomplishment of their vow, footing the bill, and go with them to the Temple; and that will prove to these thousands of Jewish Christians that you are all right as regards the law.” Those are the facts as stated in that suggestion. The suggestion was closed this way: “This doesn’t apply to Brother Trophimus here. He is a Gentile, and we have already decided in the council that we held that the Gentiles shall have no burden put upon them but to refrain from eating blood, and from fornication and from idols.” So we see that James and that whole crowd, while truly Christians, yet made their Christianity simply a sect of the Jews, and they kept up all the Mosaic customs. We see that they did not now hold that a Gentile, in order to be a Christian, must do that. The difference between them and Paul was this: It was just as plain to Paul as sunlight that the whole Jewish economy was about to pass away, in fact, as it had already done in divine order. He had said that circumcision and uncircumcision, neither availeth anything; that a man was not a Jew who was simply a Jew outwardly, but one who was a Jew inwardly; that all these things were shadows. The substance was in Christ, and when the substance came it was foolishness to go back and take up the weak and beggarly elements of the world. That is what he taught and believed, and therein he differed from them. Just twelve years from the day that this event occurred, Jerusalem and the Jewish nation were wiped off the map by the destruction of Jerusalem under Titus, and after that nobody thought about going up to the Temple and observing the days and the services and the customs of a shadowy covenant that had passed away forever.
The motive that prompted their suggestion to Paul was very probably a kind one. He had shown such signal generosity in devoting four years to raising this fund, getting the churches to send messengers, always going by and showing the utmost courtesy and deference to the Jerusalem Christians, and to the other apostles, that they didn’t want the rabid members on their side to raise a row with Paul. I think that was the motive, and so far as the history goes, the Jewish Christians didn’t raise any row with him at this time at all.
How do you account for Paul’s adoption of the suggestion? I have no doubt that it seemed to him just like a grown-up man riding corn-stalk horses, as if to say, “When I was a child I thought as a child, I spake as a child, but when I became a man I put away childish things, and these things have served their purpose.” After showing that nothing could induce him to circumcise a Gentile in order to his salvation, he would be a Jew to gain a Jew, and he would be under the law to gain those under the law, and in matters of expediency, when no great principle was involved, and when it was merely his giving up a privilege of his, he was willing to give it up, and thus Paul did concede in this case. And he said that he did it in order to put himself in saving touch with those under the law, though he himself was not under the law.
Did it do any good? Not a bit in the world. It was the most unwise thing that could possibly have been done, for it put Paul conspicuously in the Temple for a week. It required seven days to consummate this vow, and Jerusalem was full of Jews who were not Christians, from all over the world, and somebody from some of the places where he had been would be sure to recognize him, and they hated him worse, than they did the devil. Indeed, they called on the devil to help them hate him, and that very thing happened. The Jews from Ephesus saw him, and one of them had noticed him on the streets walking with this Gentile, Trophimus; so when they recognized him in the Temple they raised the row that led to his four years of imprisonment. They rushed up and grabbed him and dragged him down the steps in order to get him out of the holy precincts and then kill him. They meant to kill him, and nothing but the interposition of a third party kept them from killing him. And the cry went over Jerusalem ; it was like touching a powder magazine with a spark of fire; the streets were soon thronged with people. The tower of Antonio overlooking the Temple, was held by a strong band of soldiers. There were two garrisoned places, one, the Praetorian, and the other, the Tower of Antonio. The centurions held the tower, and the chiliarchs, captains of thousands, held the Praetorian, and when they saw a tumult and a man about to be killed, the centurion notified the chiliarch (Roman legions were divided into ten parts of a thousand men. Each thousand was divided into ten companies of one hundred men each; a centurion commanded a company of one hundred and a chiliarch was a captain of a thousand, a cohort, a band) and they rushed in and rescued Paul from his murderers.
Similar recent occurrences had prepared the Roman guards for such an emergency as this. It is a matter of fact that from the crucifixion of Christ until the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, a little less than forty years later, Jerusalem was like a volcano preparing for an eruption, and occasionally breaking out. In A.D. 44, when Cuspus Fadus was made the procurator on the death of that Agrippa (Herod Agrippa mentioned in Act 12 ), he declared that the crown of Herod and the gorgeous robes of; the high priest (those were the two highest symbols of authority) should be carried into the tower of Antonio and kept so that the Romans holding the crown of the ruler and the robe of the high priest, could fill both offices as they wished.
When the Jews learned that these sacred things were defiled by being put in charge of the Roman soldiers, they raised an awful row just such a tumult as occurred here and they raised such a big fuss that the Emperor Claudius had to revoke the order. He saw it meant war, and how much bloodshed the war would occasion, it was hard to tell. It put him to the expense of sending seven or eight legions over there and revoking the order. Then, in A.D. 49, when Gumanus was procurator, one of the soldiers on the Tower of Antonio, looking down and watching the Jews, what they were doing around the Temple, and becoming disgusted at them, made a most insulting gesture, and the Jews took up rocks and began to stone him, stormed the tower itself, and raised such a mob that it called out the entire Roman force there and from ten to twenty thousand Jews perished. A great many of them were just trampled to death in the crowd.
Then a little later, while Cumanus was procurator, a bandit highwayman, by the pass from Jericho to Jerusalem, to which our Saviour referred when a man fell among thieves on that trip, robbed a Roman messenger, and the Romans held the neighboring villages responsible, and in burning those villages one soldier came across an Old Testament, the Old Bible, and he burned it openly in sight of the Jews and blasphemed as he burned it. That made such a row that the Romans themselves had to execute that soldier.
Then again in A.D. 54 (four years after that time), the Samaritans, who had refused to entertain Christ because he was going toward Jerusalem, killed a party of pilgrims on their way to the feast at Jerusalem, whereupon Eleazar, a patriotic bandit like Barabbas, gathered a squad and killed a large number of the Samaritans. The Samaritans; appealing to Cumanus with a bribe, he decided against the Jews, and the Jews fought him. One of the leading Jews of the family of Annas went to Rome and a female slave named Pellas at that time had a great deal of influence through a Jewess that was a favorite of the Emperor, and they secured a decision in favor of the Jews on condition that the Jews would then petition that Felix, the brother of the slave, Pellas, should be procurator; and so Felix comes, and when this Felix came to be procurator, he stirred up things greatly. He entrapped that bandit chief, Eleazar, and sent him in chains to Rome. He, through a machination of the very Simon Magus that Peter denounced, seduces Drusilla, the wife of a king, who was the sister of Agrippa. Then, because Jonathan protested, he hired assassins to stab Jonathan, and thus, from A.D. 57 (within a year of the time Paul was there), everybody employed assassins.
It was just about as bad as it was when Caesar Borgia was pope of Rome. He was the worst assassin, except Philip II of Spain) that the world ever saw. Seven weeks before Paul came to Jerusalem, an Egyptian came and claimed to be the Messiah according to the Jewish idea, and he said if they wanted to have proof that he was, and would follow him outside of the city he would stand there and look and the walls would fall down, and the Roman power would be overcome. About 30,000 Jews followed him. The Romans charged them, killed about 400, captured a few thousand, and that Egyptian escaped, and what became of him nobody ever found out, but that is what is meant by Claudius Lysias, the chiliarch, when he said to Paul, “Are you not that Egyptian that led out the four thousand assassins?” It happened just seven weeks before. And it was not long until Jerusalem fell as a result of another such uprising, when Titus came and took the city and many thousands perished with the Temple and the holy city.
QUESTIONS 1. Who constituted the party of this part of the tour?
2. What was one of the seven wonders of the world did they see at Rhodes, what its history and purpose, what its state then, and what became of it?
3. How may we account for the disciples at Tyre, and what the recorded instance of its touch with Christ and his gospel?
4. What notable events in the week’s stay of Paul’s party there?
5. Was Paul justifiable in going to Jerusalem on this trip, and what the proof?
6. How may we account for the disciples at Ptolemais?
7. For what two historical events is Ptolemais noted?
8. What the relation between Paul and Philip, and what the reasonable supposition of the matter of their conversation for nearly two weeks?
9. What Old Testament prophecy was fulfilled in the case of Philip’s four daughters, what its bearing on woman’s work in the gospel, and according to Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, what her sphere of prophesying?
10. What the purpose of the coming of Agabus to Caesarea to see Paul, and what the proof?
11. What was the most valuable part of that baggage which they carried to Jerusalem?
12. Why was it necessary for Paul to take from Caesarea a host to entertain him at Jerusalem, and who was the man?
13. In what great modern book are Mnason and Gaius made the type of Christian hosts and of hospitality?
14. Were the brethren of Act 21:17 of the Jerusalem church?
15. Why should Paul’s companions go with him to see James, what Gentile was among them, on what other occasion had Paul taken a Gentile with him, and why the elders all present at the interview?
16. Prove from a subsequent statement that Luke knew of the business part of this meeting, and did not mean to suppress the evidence of it.
17. What striking proof that Paul was apprehensive that this business might not be well received?
18. What followed the business part of this meeting, and what the moral effect of it?
19. Expound Act 21:20-26 in six distinct items.
20. What similar recent occurrences had prepared the Roman guards for such emergency as this?
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
XXVI
PAUL’S THIRD MISSIONARY TOUR PAUL AT EPHESUS
Act 18:23-21:16
The scriptures, so far as Acts is concerned, devoted to this tour, are from chapters Act 18:23-21:16 . The special theme is “Paul at Ephesus” (Act 19 ). The time of the whole tour is from A.D. 54 to A.D. 58 four years. The time at Ephesus, three years. At this time Nero was emperor at Rome, and under him Paul was to suffer martyrdom.
Let us trace on the map the whole tour from Antioch to Jerusalem. Commencing at his usual starting point, Antioch, he came near Tarsus, and went up into upper Galatia Galatia proper confirming the churches at Tavium, Ancyra, and Pessius. Then he went down to Ephesus. He was at Ephesus three years. In that time he made many other runs into the country, so as to reach all Asia. Leaving Ephesus, he went again into Macedonia, stopping at Troas, as before, where Titus met him, or was to have met him, came on into Macedonia, and went to these same churches where he had labored on his second missionary tour, then coming on down to Corinth, where he remained quite a while, three months anyhow, and in that time he wrote the letter to the Galatians and the letter to the Romans; while at Ephesus he wrote the first letter to the church at Corinth; while up in Macedonia he wrote the second letter to the church at Corinth. Then he came on back and took a sea voyage to Tyre and to Caesarea, then he went to Jerusalem, and there he was arrested and remained a prisoner all through the rest of the book of Acts.
A large part of this tour is devoted to confirming churches previously established. Until he goes to Ephesus all that part of the first tour is devoted to confirming churches previously established, and after he leaves Ephesus, all that part of the tour through Macedonia and Achaia is devoted to confirming churches. The advanced work is the work that he did at Ephesus. The letters written during this tour, as stated above, are as follows: While he was at Ephesus he wrote the first letter to the Corinthians, and after he got over into Macedonia he wrote the second letter to the Corinthians, when he got to Corinth he wrote the letter to the Galatians, and also the one to the Romans, and this last letter, the one to the Romans, was to prepare the way for his coming to Rome.
The closing part of Act 18 tells us that Apollos came to Ephesus; that he was a Jew from Alexandria; that he was a very learned and a very eloquent Jew; that he had heard of John’s preaching over in Judea that Jesus had come, John pointing to Jesus as “The Lamb of God that was to take away the sin of the world.” Further than that he did not know. It was a gospel of a Messiah, but what that Messiah he did not know. He is one of the most remarkable characters in the Bible, and his contact with Paul is very special. Just about the time that Paul goes to Ephesus, before he gets there, Apollos has expressed a desire, after being instructed in the way of the Lord by Aquila and Priscilla, to go over to Corinth. They write letters of commendation, and he goes to Corinth, being now fully instructed in the gospel of Jesus, and becomes a tremendous help to Paul in Corinth, but is made the occasion of a division, though himself not intending evil.
Perhaps there was no man living who could, in a more popular way, present the Old Testament scriptures, and their bearing upon Jesus as the Messiah. He did not have an equal in his day as a popular speaker. In his graces of person all the matters preached were lost. At Corinth some brethren were so attached to him that they preferred him to Paul and Peter, or anybody else, and in that way, without his intending it, he was made a part of the occasion of creating a division in the church at Corinth. To show that he had no part in it, Paul, after Apollos came back to Ephesus, wanted to send him back to Corinth, but in view of the troubles that had arisen, he declined to go. He did not want to go there and let a crowd of schismatics rally around him. The scriptures which refer to this man are not a great many, but they are very pointed, showing his real value as a genuine preacher, and Paul was very much attached to him.
A mighty financial enterprise was engineered on this third tour, an enterprise of mammoth proportions to help the poor saints in Jerusalem. We have to gather the history of this work, which was a big enough piece of work for any one man to do, from the various letters. The most notable scriptures bearing upon it are 1Co 16:1-3 ; 1Co 2 Corinthians 8-9, though there are references elsewhere. When he got there into Galatia that he had previously evangelized, he gave orders to these churches to lay by in store on the first day of every week, and take up a systematic collection. When he got over into Macedonia, he repeated these orders, and the finest response of any of them was made by these poor people living at Philippi. When he came down into Achaia, he repeated the same instructions to the churches there, and in his two letters, particularly the two to the church at Corinth, he tried to stir them up to redeem the pledges they had made the year before. All through this period of four years, that systematic collection was going on. He sent Titus to help out the Corinthians in engineering their collections, and as the funds were raised, they were placed in the hands of representatives of the church raising the money, and some representative of each section went back with him when he went to Jerusalem to carry it. So when he got to Jerusalem, the end of this tour, he put down before the leaders of the church funds that had, during the four years, been gathered in the Gentile churches of Asia and in Europe. What a pity that, coming before that Jerusalem church with these funds, the brethren did not give him a more cordial welcome!
What is written about this financial enterprise is of inestimable value to the churches today. To show how much value could be drawn, I got my first idea from what is a prepared collection from studying these financial enterprises as stated everywhere in these letters. Every preacher should group the references to this enterprise and the different expediences adopted, and learn once for all how a collection is to be taken, how a great contribution is to be engineered. I practiced it in my pastoral life in Waco. When a collection was to be taken for home, state, or foreign missions, or the Orphans’ Home, I spent weeks preceding, preparing for that collection, and when the day came, before a word was said, Is would know within a few dollars what that collection was going to amount to. I had first canvassed the Ladies’ Society, B. Y. P. U., and the Sunday school, and knew what they were going to pledge. I had previously approached the leading contributors as to how much they would give as a start, when the collection was to be taken. As soon as the day came and I had announced the purpose of the collection, Is simply called out, “Ladies’ Society No. I, No. 2,” etc., and their amounts would be called out and the money sent up in an envelope; then the Sunday school, then the Young People’s Union, then expressions from leading individuals, BO that by the time this was over, which would be done in Just a few minutes, we would generally have about a thousand dollars. Then would commence the appeal to others that could not do so much, and in fifteen minutes our collection would be over. If any man imagines that that was an offhand business, then it shows that he has not studied the situation; that he did not know what I had been doing for weeks.
PAUL AT EPHESUS
Ephesus, for a long period, had been a famous city. It is near the coast line and they had at this time a magnificent seaport. It was a Greek city. The Ionians had colonized Ephesus, and the day of the Greek glory had passed, and it was now the capital of the Roman province of Asia. While it had its own municipal government, the Greek ecclesia, the very word that is used to refer to a church, and exactly such an ecclesia as that ruled Athens, ruled in other Greek cities unless the power had been taken away from them, but we will have special occasion in this connection to learn what a Greek ecclesia does.
The celebrities at Ephesus constitute a part of the wonders of the world. This very celebrity was the marvelous temple of Diana. This temple had been burned down the night that Alexander the Great was born, and all Asia Minor and Greece proper contributed funds to rebuild it. When Alexander came to be a man, they still had not completed it, and be offered to furnish all the funds if they would just let his name be written on it. They declined. There were 127 pillars of the most magnificent sculpture that has ever been seen in any structure on earth. A prince was proud to be allowed to put up just one of those pillars if he was able. The stairway work into the upper part of it was just one vine, brought from Cyprus, that naturally curved to make the stairway. That temple is listed among the seven wonders of the ancient world.
In the temple were the finest pieces of sculpture in the world. The greatest of the sculptors at Athens prided themselves on putting their masterpieces in this temple. The greatest painters had hanging on these walls their masterpieces. Votive offerings, priceless in value, were to be seen. The shrine part of the temple, that part which held the goddess, was a small dark place somewhat like the most holy place in the Jerusalem Temple, and back of that shrine was a bank, as we now call it. It was the safe place for all the people of that end of the world to put their money.
The Diana of this temple must not be confounded with the Diana of the Greek or Roman religion. That one was beautiful, but this Diana here, so far as the statue shows, was a beastly, Oriental, ugly image that looked like a mummy, wrapped about on the lower part and covered with breasts, the whole idea being to show the productiveness of nature. And it was claimed that that statue dropped down from heaven. I don’t blame anybody in heaven for dropping it, if it was up there. The worship of it was just as bad as the worship of Venus on the Island of Cyprus, or in the city of Corinth.
The time of the great festival was our May Day in May. All Asia poured into Ephesus in May, and this is just the time that this persecution against Paul takes place just this time of the year. Their May Day festival consisted largely of parades, something like a carnival in New Orleans, but in the city of Rome men put on grotesque masks, some representing Jupiter,, some Mercury, some Venus, some one thing, and some another, and the beating of ten million tin pans, or the scraping of iron, or the grinding of steel, or the letting off of forty steam engines at one time could not equal the kind of noise they made. They thought it great, and that it needed a great noise.
Another celebrity there was its famous amphitheatre. The remnants of it can be seen until this day, in which some of the events in this chapter took place. It would seat thirty thousand people, being somewhat larger than most theatresin this country. These were the notable celebrities the Temple of Diana, one of the wonders of the world, their famous May Festival, and this magnificent theatre.
I have already given some account of the character of their religion. Just as at the fairs in this country, there are thousands of people who made their living by carving little shrines and temples, either representing the temple itself, or representing the image of the goddess, with magical letters written on it. These visitors would come in and want to carry back a portable temple, portable goddess or portable memento of the time they had had at the May Festival. There were a great many Jews there.
There were three co-existent ecclesias present in this one city, which had a bearing on the essential character of a New Testament church. First, there was the Greek ecclesia that organized assembly which performed no functions except as an assembly. Then the Jewish ecclesia, and finally that ecclesia of which Jesus said, “I will build my ecclesia” Every one of them was an organized assembly, each one of them had no power to transact business except in session at the regular assembly. I know that some men, just a handful, yet have an idea that the church is not an ecclesia, and they deny the ecclesia idea altogether. Theological professors who take that position have to repudiate 136 references to the Jerusalem ecclesia, and they have to repudiate every reference to Christ’s ecclesia.
One text summarizes the whole situation at Ephesus. Paul, in writing his first letter to the Corinthians, says, “I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost; for a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.” When I was a young preacher I took that as my text and took Act 19 to expound the meaning of the text. We find that passage in 1Co 16 . That text summarizes the whole situation.
The rest of this chapter will be devoted to expounding that text, “There are many adversaries.” Ten special adversaries are mentioned. Act 19:1-7 tells us that when Paul got over there he found a certain adversary in the form of an incomplete gospel, and it was hurtful to the complete gospel to have the ground overcast by an incomplete gospel. Let us state fully the case of the twelve disciples found at Ephesus, and bring out clearly the following points of controversy: (1) Was John’s baptism and gospel, Christian baptism and gospel? (2) Who baptized the twelve disciples? (3) Were they rebaptized by Paul? (4) If so, what the elements of invalidity in their first immersion? (5) What the bearing of the whole case on valid baptism?
The record states that when Paul got over there and found these men, he said, “Did ye receive the Holy Spirit when ye believed?” You know that in Act 2:38 there was a promise that whosoever would believe in Jesus Christ would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. That gift had come down that day with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Now Paul, wishing to find out the status of these men, says, “Did ye receive the gift of the Holy Spirit?” And they said, “We did not so much as hear whether the Holy Spirit was given.” That is, they had no knowledge at all of Pentecost. “Well,” he said, “into what then were ye baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” Paul then explains that John truly preached “repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus,” and baptized people, but it was in a Christ to come, John had foretold this thing that had occurred on Pentecost, saying, “When the Messiah comes he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.”
John had been dead twenty years. These men evidently had not seen baptism by John. If they had ever heard John, they would have known that John taught that the Messiah would send this gift of the Holy Spirit, and would baptize his people in the Holy Spirit. He saw that there was a deficiency in their baptism, and that their faith did not go far enough, since it did not take in a Messiah as already come. It was a general belief in a Messiah, but not in Jesus as a particular Messiah. John was the harbinger to Christ. He had no successor; no man had a right to perpetuate John’s baptism; so when people elsewhere, as did Alexander, took it upon themselves to baptize with reference to John’s baptism, it was without any authority. So that a capital deficiency in their baptism was that it was not by an authorized administrator, and so Paul, having explained the matter to them that the Holy Spirit in the baptism of the saints had come down, and that Jesus had come, counting as nothing the unauthorized baptism to which they had been subjected, rebaptized them, and then laid his hands on them and they received the gift of the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues. They were thus lined up, and that is the way that trouble was disposed of.
This is a real adversary you find as you go out to work. As a rule you will find people lodged about half way. They believe some things, but they don’t get far enough. Perhaps they are satisfied with the sprinkling they received in childhood; perhaps they have had a baptism like these people, but not by a qualified administrator, and the thing tends to confusion, but if you are ever going to have people drawn into cooperation, you will have to meet those things.
The second adversary is presented in Act 19:8-10 : “And he entered into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, reasoning and persuading as to the things concerning the kingdom of God. But when some were hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and separated the disciples, reasoning daily In the school of Tyrannus. And this continued for the space of two years; so that all they that dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.” That adversary was the Jewish ecclesia the synagogue refusing to accept Jesus as the Messiah, blaspheming his name, bitterly obstructing the work, as we have seen in other places. Paul saw that in that city of the gods a line of cleavage must be drawn so he did just what he had done at Corinth. He moved his meeting to the schoolhouse. He had nothing more to do with the Jews; they could not walk together; they could not agree. The Jews were fighting him and fighting the gospel, so that he disposed of that adversary by a separation of the church and the Jews. He drew a line. He did not want a row every time they came to the meeting. He followed this plan for two years, and held the day.
The third adversary is presented in Act 19:11-12 : “And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul; insomuch that unto the sick were carried away from his body handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out.” That adversary was the demons, the devil’s spiritual agency, and if there ever was a place on earth where demonology prevailed in its worst extent, and the demons were multitudinous and disastrous, it was right here at Ephesus. As Satan’s sub-agents, his demons had been controlling that city, and its business, and prompting its spirit, it became necessary that some extraordinary power of God should be brought to bear to counteract the influence of those demons. So here we come to a case of special miracles. Here I commend to the reader my sermon on “Special Miracles.” The Spirit’s power was displayed in an unusual way. We had a case of that remarkable miracle where the very shadow of Peter healed people near him. An apron that Paul wore while he was at work at his trade, carried and touched by a sick man a man under demoniacal possession caused the devil to go out of him, and a handkerchief that Paul used to wipe his face when the sweat would pour down under his labor, had the same effect. These were unusual miracles, like the miracle of Elisha’s bones that brought a man to life when he touched them. God shows extraordinary power in order to meet extraordinary exigencies, and so the demons were wiped out.
The fourth adversary is given in Act 19:13-18 : “But certain also of the strolling Jews, exorcists, took upon them to name over them that had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, a chief priest, who did this. And the evil spirit answered and said unto them, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and mastered both of them and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, that dwelt at Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. Many also of them that had believed, came, confessing and declaring their deeds.”
So we find this adversary to be impostors who assumed to cast out’ demons under the name of Jesus, while having no respect for Jesus, and hating Paul impostors that borrowed Paul’s reputation there and the idea of the power of Jesus in casting out demons, and these impostors came from the Jews. I once heard a preacher say, shaking his head, “Those were smart demons, saying, ‘Jesus I recognize, Paul I know, but who are you? You liar, you impostor, you can’t come to meeting shaking the name of Jesus over me. I can whip you.’ ” And so that is the way that adversary was overcome.
The fifth adversary we find in Act 19:19-20 : “And not a few of them that practiced magical arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all; and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of the Lord and prevailed.” What was that adversary? Evil literature, called “Ephesian Letters.” Certain letters were written on little slips to carry in the vest pocket, pinned on the lapel of the coat; certain magical incantations were written out. You find abundant reference to it in ancient literature, plays about a certain athlete who never could be killed until he had lost the magical letters on his person. Like a Negro with a horseshoe above his door, or with a rabbit’s foot to keep good luck. It is asserted that that literature obtained a hold over a great many of their minds, and it obtains it yet over many minds. A great many people now will turn back if a rabbit goes across the path ahead of them. They go back and start over if they happen to take a ring off the finger. They will not start on a journey on Friday. In our time there is a vicious literature, vile and corrupt, and that is one of the greatest enemies of Christianity. Good literature has to fight evil literature, and the gospel triumphs when the evil literature goes down. When those books were brought together and piled in that street, and a bonfire made of them, and the smoke of that fire hailed the stars, it stood a lurid monument of the mighty power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The sixth adversary is found by examining several scriptures, viz.: Act 19:21-22 ; 1Co 1:11 ; 1Co 4:17 ; 1Co 5:1 ; 1Co 7:1 ; 1Co 16:8-9 ; 1Co 16:17 . What was that adversary? The devil was very anxious to get Paul away from Ephesus, and so he starts a row at Corinth, the church that Paul had established, and appeals to him to come to Cloe’s household, and so the church at Corinth writes him a letter in which are all sorts of questions about the contention, for him to settle, and an appeal made to him to come and help them. Paul says, “I will tarry at Ephesus.” The devil led them astray that far, and had already weakened his force, since he had to take Timothy and Erastus and send them over to stay that tide until he could get there.
QUESTIONS 1. What is the general theme of this chapter, and what the scriptures?
2. Trace on the map the whole tour from Antioch to Jerusalem.
3. What part of this tour is devoted to confirming churches previously established, what the churches, and what part to advance the work?
4. What letters were written during this tour, what the order of writing, what the place and time of each, and which was to prepare for new work?
5. Give a connected account of Apollos.
6. What mighty financial enterprise was engineered on this third tour?
7. Give an account of Ephesus, its celebrities, its prevalent religion, and the Jews there.
8. What three co-existent ecclesias were present in this one city, and what the bearing of the fact on the essential character of a New Testament church?
9. What one text summarizes the whole situation at Ephesus?
10. What is the first adversary, and how overcome?
11. State fully the case of the twelve disciples found at Ephesus answering the five questions in the body of the text?
12. What is the second adversary, and how overcome?
13. What is the third adversary, and how overcome?
14. What is the fourth adversary, and how overcome?
15. What is the fifth adversary, and how overcome?
16. What is the sixth adversary, and how overcome?
XXVII
PAUL AT EPHESUS PAUL’S THIRD MISSIONARY TOUR (Continued)
We continue in this chapter the discussion of Paul’s adversaries at Ephesus. The seventh adversary was the craftsmen’s ring, organized by Demetrius, the silversmith. In making the silver shrines or other souvenirs of the temple, whether of wood, stone, or metal, or the portable images of the goddess, or the amulets, charms and talismans inscribed in the “Ephesian letters,” or the costumes for the May festivals, a multitude of craftsmen were employed designers, molders, coppersmiths, sculptors, costumers, painters, engravers, jewelers. Perhaps one image or shrine would pass through the hands of several craftsmen before it received the delicate finishing work of the silversmith. The enormous crowds assembled in the annual May festivals, the steady influx of strangers from a world commerce, the devotees of the displays in the theatre, all inspired by curiosity, superstition, lewdness, or the greedy spirit of traffic, would create a demand for such wares surpassing the value of a gold mine. But the preaching of Paul, so far as accepted, undermined the whole business, dried up the springs of demand, and tended to leave all these craftsmen without an occupation.
Demetrius, anticipating the genius of modern times, organized the several guilds to make a life and death fight against a common enemy threatening all alike. His own inspiration was the love of money. His business was as profitable as the slave trade, the whiskey traffic, or the panderers who supplied the victims of lust. But formidable as a craftsmen’s union may be when used as a unit to promote evil, Demetrius was too shrewd a politician to rely on only one means of war. While perhaps religion was nothing to him, he caring only for gain, yet he recognized the value of alliance with that mighty factor, religious fanaticism, the eighth adversary, and so stirred it up in these crafty words: “For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no little business unto the craftsmen; whom he gathered together, with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this business we have our wealth. And ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they are no gods that are made with hands: and not only is there danger that this our trade come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana be made of no account, and that she should even be deposed from her magnificence whom all Asia and the world worshipeth.”
The devil never inspired a craftier speech. From his viewpoint the facts justified his fears. We learn from the letter of Pliny, fifty years later, that the gospel had put all the gods of Mount Olympus out of business, and left all their temples desolate. Combining gain, superstition, and civic pride he necessarily stirred up the ninth adversary, namely a howling, murderous, senseless mob. A tiger aroused in the jungle is not swifter in his leap, nor a pack of ravenous wolves more cruel, nor a flood of molten lava, vomited from the hot throat of a volcano, more insensible to argument. If the mob spirit lasted it would be hell. Its own violence exhausts it, or who could escape? A conflagration in heat and roar could not surpass in swiftness and terror the gathering of that Ephesian mob.
“Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” rolled in surges of repetition and reverberation through the streets of the city, and every palace, tenement and house of traffic poured its occupants into the streets to swell the volume of the frenzied throng, saying, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” “Where is this Paul? What house dares to harbor him?” They rush to this place of abode. Aquila and Priscilla interpose and “lay down their own necks” to save their guest. Paul cannot be found. The mob seizes two of his co-laborers, the Macedonians, Gaius and Aristarchus. Had they found Paul he would have been torn asunder, limb by limb, but not finding him against whom their hate burns, they think to invoke another ally, the tenth adversary, the Greek ecclesia, or municipal authority, and so pour themselves, 30,000 strong, into the great theatre, its place of gathering, and keep on howling.
Here occurs a sideshow, or injected episode, unwise, impotent, ludicrous, shameful. The Jewish ecclesia, the unbelieving synagogue, becomes alarmed. They know they are a stench in the Gentile nostril. They know that such a stormcloud charged with electricity will strike somewhere, and in the absence of the particular victim sought, their pitiable experience has taught them that it will strike the Jew. So they put in Alexander, one of their officials, as a lightning rod to assure the dear Ephesians that they did not do it that they hate Paul as much as the mob does. Poor Alexander never got a hearing. Being recognized as a Jew, his appearance was like waving a red rag in the face of a mad bull. The howling was renewed, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” and did not stop for two hours.
In the meantime Paul, informed that his friends were held in jeopardy, with characteristic and magnanimous courage, sought to push his way into the theatre to say, “Here I am; if ye seek me, let these men go.” But prudent friends interposed to restrain him. Even certain of the Asiarchs, officials selected from the province to be managers of the May festivals and masters of ceremonies, who were attached to Paul, besought him not to venture himself into that theatre where he could get no hearing, and would only needlessly sacrifice his life.
The mob, having shouted itself hoarse and exhausted its cyclone fury, the opportunity brought forth a matchless political orator, the town clerk, or recorder of the Greek ecclesia. Using a faultless address as a broom, he coolly swept that exhausted mob out of the theatre a limp, ashamed, inert mass of trash. Truly, he was a master of assemblies. He filled Virgil’s description of Neptune assuaging the storm which inconsiderate Aeolus had let loose against the frail Trojan fleet, or was like Dr. Broadus at the Fort Worth session of the Southern Baptist Convention, in 1890, quieting in a moment the controversy on Sunday school publications.
Young preachers aspire to be masters of assemblies. They ought to study this town clerk’s speech. Note its excellencies. He awaited his opportunity. He would not have been heard earlier. He quietly showed them that their proceedings were undignified, unlawful, unnecessary, and dangerous. Is paraphrase what he said: “Everybody knows that Ephesus is the sacristan, or custodian of the temple of Diana, and of the image of the goddess which fell down from Jupiter. Nobody has questioned the city’s jurisdiction. These men whom you have unlawfully arrested and brought here, are not charged with the sacrilege of robbing the temple or blaspheming the goddess. A mob has no authority to arrest men, and cannot be a court. An ecclesia has no authority unless lawfully summoned. If Demetrius has a grievance against Paul for an offense coming under Roman jurisdiction, let him carry his case before the proconsul. If the grievance touches matters over which the Greek ecclesia has jurisdiction, let him bring this case before the regular session of that court. These courts, both Roman and Greek, being accessible, why raise a tumult so obnoxious to our Roman masters? Indeed, we are liable already to answer to the Romans for this disturbance, this being only a mass meeting and a violent one at that. Rise, be dismissed, go home, keep quiet, do nothing rash.”
We will now analyze the “great door and effectual” opened to Paul (1Co 16:9 ) : (1) Hearts are locked against the gospel so men will not give attention; God opens the heart to attend, as in Lydia’s case (Act 16:14 ). (2) The door of faith is closed against the gospel; God opens it so men will believe (Act 14:27 ). (3) Jesus is the door to the sheepfold, but man cannot see except that the Spirit directs his eyes (Joh 10:7 ; 1Co 12:3 ). (4) Utterance, liberty, or afflatus, does not come to the preacher at his will, but the Spirit can open the door of utterance so that he can speak with a tongue of fire (Col 4:3 ). (5) The door of access to the Father can be opened only by him who has the key of David. He can open and none can shut and none can open. He has the keys of death and hell (Rev 1:18 ; Rev 3:7-8 ). So at Ephesus, God opened to Paul a door of utterance, and to the people the door of attention, faith and salvation. It was great and effectual. Neither the synagogue nor the Greek ecclesia, nor the proconsul, nor Satan and all his demons, could shut it.
The expressions in the chapter that mark the progress of the work are: (1) The baptism of the twelve disciples in the Holy Spirit (Act 19:6 ) so that Paul at one stroke gained twelve mighty helpers; (2) all Asia heard the word (Act 19:10 ); (3) special miracles conquer demons (Act 19:11-12 ); (4) fear fell upon all, and the name of Jesus was magnified (Act 19:17 ); (5) confessions were made (Act 19:18 ) ; (6) the burning of the books (Act 19:19 ) ; (7) so mightily grew the word of the Lord and prevailed (Act 19:20 ); (8) demons were made to refuse recognition of impostors.
Act 20:17 ; Act 20:28 ; Act 20:35 , proves that under Spirit-guidance elders were ordained and instructed. The great converts of this meeting were Tychicus and Trophimus (20:4) Epaphras (Col 1:7 ), and the family of Philemon (Phm 1:2 ). The following scriptures show that no other preacher in the history of the world labored under such hard conditions, suffered as much, or carried such a burden. He was in the shadow of death, and exposed to the daily malice of earth and hell for three years: Act 20:18-21 ; Act 20:26-27 ; Act 20:31-35 ; 1Co 4:11-13 ; 1Co 15:19 ; 1Co 15:32 ; 2Co 1:8-10 ; 2Co 4:5-15 ; 2Co 6:4-10 ; 2Co 11:23-28 . It is evident that in this three years occurred many of the horrible privations, perils, imprisonments, scourgings, hunger, cold, sickness, and daily death, and the burdens enumerated in 2Co 11:23-28 . The fighting with wild beasts at Ephesus (1Co 15:32 ) has no reference to the Demetrius mob, for that had not yet occurred.
It must be understood literally, that he had been thrown to the wild beasts in the arena of the theatre, and died under their claws and fangs) but, as at Lystra, where he was stoned to death, was restored by the miraculous power of God (2Co 1:8-10 ). He expressly says of this occasion: “We are made a spectacle unto the world, both angels and men” (1Co 4:9 ). The Greek is theatron , to which he again refers in Heb 10:33 . It was at this time he wrote: “If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we of all men are most pitiable” (1Co 15:19 ). It was of this period he wrote: “I bear branded on my body the marks [Greek: stigmata] of Jesus” (Gal 6:17 ). From head to foot he was crowned with ineffaceable scars. It was of this time he wrote: “Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place; and we toil, working with our own hands; being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat: we are made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things, even till now” (1Co 4:11-13 ).
He never knew where he could stay at night. Consumed with hunger and thirst, he preached in rags. We would not do it. See the spruce, dapper messengers gather in our assemblies, shining in spotless collars and cuffs, and think of Paul in rags. See him burdened with the care of all the churches. See him going from house to house by day and night for three years, pleading with tears. See him the victim of foul aspersion and misrepresentation. Scorn gibes him. Mockery crowns him with thorns. Envy, jealousy, and malice, raging furies, seek to tear him limb from limb. Defeated greed, slanderer, and exposed uncleanness, like harpies, pick and hawk him with beak and talons. Tyranny binds him with chains to cold rocks that vultures may gnaw his vitals. Every day he dies, every day he is crucified, every day persecution drives cruel spikes and nails through his hands and feet. In the gloom of every night demons come like vampires, or hooting owls, or howling wolves, or hideous nightmares, or croaking ravens, to break his spirit. Hell’s cartoonists sketch his future in a background of evil omens and apprehensions. It was of these trials he wrote:
“But in everything commending ourselves, as ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings; in pureness, in knowledge, in longsuffering, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in love unfeigned, in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things” (2Co 6:4-10 ).
There are several items that need to be noted in particular: He was supported there by the work of his hands. Perhaps once Corinth sent him a contribution, or at least some kind words, which he counted as food (1Co 16:17-18 ). The designation given to the gospel here and the preceding and subsequent references thereto is “The Way,” i.e., the way of life (vv. 9, 23). The name originated with our Lord: “I am the Way” (Joh 14:6 ), and it was twice used in Acts before the double use of this chapter (Act 9:2 ; Act 18:25 ) and three times subsequently Acts (22:4; 24:14, 22). It became common in the early centuries.
Note the great special service rendered to Paul by Aquila and Priscilla at Ephesus. When the mob sought him at their house they offered to “lay down their own necks” that their guest might escape (Rom 16:3 ).
This tour, in its preaching, and particularly in the four great letters, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, and Romans, settled forever the systematic theology of salvation by grace through faith, and furnished all subsequent ages with the storehouse of arguments for justification by faith, and vicarious expiation. Out of these letters came both the inspiration and power of the reformation. No man questions their authority. They constitute Paul’s Gospel. A summary of the events condensed in Act 20:1-6 is as follows: While yet at Ephesus, Paul, on varied information, had written I Corinthians, in which he had promised to visit them. But Timothy’s report made him hesitate. He then sent Titus, intending to go to Corinth first, after leaving Ephesus, if Titus brought back a good report in time. But as Titus had not returned up to the time he left Ephesus, he went to Troas expecting there to meet Titus with such a report as would justify going to Corinth from that point. While waiting there he preached effectually and established a church, but though God opened him a door of success, he was consumed with anxiety about matters in Corinth, and as Titus did not come with news, he closed his meeting and passed over into Macedonia to visit the churches at Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. In Macedonia, Titus joined him with good news in the main from Corinth, and so from Macedonia he wrote the second letter to the Corinthians, again promising to be with them speedily (2Co 1:1-2:13 ). Passing through Macedonia, confirming the churches, he came to Corinth at last (Act 20:1-3 ), and spent the winter there. It was during this winter’s sojourn at Corinth that he wrote the letters, Galatians and Romans. From Corinth he had expected to sail direct for Syria. Finding out a plot of the Jews to entrap and slay him at the seaport Cenchrea, he returned by land to Macedonia. And from Philippi he sent ahead to Troas, the brethren named in Act 20:4 , and then after the Passover he, with Luke and maybe others, followed them to Troas. The time in Europe was nearly a year.
AT TROAS
The incidents at Troas are these: After a space of five days, he arrived at Troas and stayed a week, and on the first day of the week they all came together to partake of the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper was administered probably by the church at Troas, and all the context shows that these visiting brethren from sister churches participated in all particulars of that supper. Luke says they assembled to break bread. Dr. J. R. Graves took the position that only the members of a local church, celebrating the supper, should participate in its observance. He once asked me what I thought of his position. I told him that as a matter of right, only the church could administer the supper, and only the members of that church could claim as a right to participate, but inasmuch as visiting brethren and sisters are of like faith and order, that on invitation they might participate. Then we had it on this case at Troas, and on the uniform Baptist custom. Notice that whenever they go to observe the Lord’s Supper the preacher says, “Any brethren or sisters of sister churches of like faith and order, knowing themselves to be in good order [not disorder], are invited to participate with us.” That is what is called inter-church communion, but not a very good name for it. I always invite the visiting brethren and sisters, but I specify very particularly who is invited.
Another incident occurred that interrupted the preaching a little. Paul, knowing that he had to leave the next day, preached a sermon that night. He was in the third story preaching. It was hot in that country over there, so they had all the windows open for air, and a boy, Eutychus, bad the best place in the house, right in the back window, and as Paul went on preaching until midnight (he did not deliver fifteen-minute essays he preached a sermon) Eutychus’ eyes got heavy, and he went to sleep. Something perhaps disturbed him, maybe a fly lighted on him, anyhow he fell out of the window fell from the third story and was killed instantly. Therefore don’t get sleepy in church. Paul went down and brought him back to life by the exercise of miraculous power, and went right back and resumed his sermon. When he got through they celebrated the Lord’s Supper. Some Campbellite brothers and sisters say it should be administered only on the first day of the week, and every first day of the week, and cite this case here at Troas when they came together on the first day of the week to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. It was a splendid day of the week to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, but Paul’s sermon was so long that it was next day before he even got through that sermon. They did not partake of the Supper until Monday.
When we get a three years’ sample of a man’s preaching we can have some idea, especially if he is preaching every day and every night in that three years, as to the matter, the scope, and the manner of his preaching. Of course, if he hasn’t got much to preach, he could not preach three years right straight along he would run out of material but Paul was brimful, and the scope of his preaching is expressed in two ways: (1) That he had withheld nothing that was profitable. (2) That he had not shunned to teach the whole counsel of God. That would have been a fine seminary course if we could have been there three years; could have taken that three years in the Bible by the greatest expounder since the Master went to heaven. He preached at every town, and particularly in preaching to the unconverted, he says, “Is testified both to the Jews and to the Greeks) repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” Some preachers go around and leave out repentance. He ought to preach the gospel, and he should preach repentance as he preaches faith, and he needs to preach it in the order repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As to the manner of his preaching, notice the address itself, how he describes it. He says, “Why, brethren, you know that I was with you in humility. By the space of three years, publicly and privately, from house to house, day and night, with tears, I ministered unto you.”
If we should put together all we have suffered, it would not be as much as that man suffered in that three years. We have not made half as many sacrifices as he did. We have never come as near laying a whole burnt offering upon the altar of God. In analyzing this address, observe that there are three prophecies in it: (1) He says, “After I am gone, wolves are going to come and ruin the flock.” (2) “After I am gone many of your own selves, right on the inside of the church, will rise up and mar the work that has been done. (3) And he says, “Brethren, you will never see me again.” This is his farewell discourse. Those are the three prophecies. The events of this tour testify to the first day of the week as the Christian sabbath. We have the record of this assembly on the first day of the week, and in a letter on this tour he says, “On the first day of the week [and this applies to the churches generally] lay by in store, that there may be no collections when I come.” In other words, he says, “Every week, just according to your ability, give what you give liberally, cheerfully, and lay it by in store, so when I come you will have the collection ready.”
QUESTIONS 1. What the seventh adversary?
2. How did this one stir up the eighth adversary?
3. How was the ninth adversary stirred up?
4. How was the tenth adversary stirred up?
5. What was the outcome of it all?
6. What are the excellencies of the town clerk’s speech?
7. Analyze the “great door and effectual,” opened to Paul.
8. What the expressions in the chapter which show the marvelous development of the work?
9. Who were the great converts of this meeting?
10. What the character and hard condition of Paul’8 ministry in Ephesus?
11. How was Paul supported there?
12. What designation was given to the gospel there, and what the preceding and subsequent references thereto?
13. What great special service rendered to Paul by Aquila and Priscilla at Ephesus?
14. What is the full significance of this missionary tour?
15. Give a summary of the events condensed in Act 20:1-6 , and the time covered by them.
16. What the incidents and lessons of the stay at Troas, and what the bearing of the observance of the Lord’s Supper there on interchurch communion?
17. Who was a great advocate of the non-interchurch communion, and what his main argument?
18. Analyze the address to the Ephesian elders, showing particularly the matter, scope, and manner of Paul’s ministry.
19. What is the testimony of the events of this tour to the first day of the week as the Christian sabbath?
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
1 And it came to pass, that after we were gotten from them, and had launched, we came with a straight course unto Coos, and the day following unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara:
Ver. 1. We came with a straight course ] . So shall all those that make “straight paths for their feet,” Heb 12:13 , whose eyes look straight before them, Pro 4:25 , who ponder their paths by the weights of the word, Pro 4:26 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Act 21:1 .] The E. V., ‘ After we had gotten from them ,’ does not come up to the original: , Chrys.
.] See ref., having run before the wind . Cos , opposite Cnidus and Halicarnassus, celebrated for its wines ( , , . , Strab. xiv. 2), rich stuffs (‘nec Co referunt jam tibi purpur,’ Hor. iv. 13. 13), and ointments ( . , Athen [140] xv. p. 688). The chief town was of the same name (Hom. Il. . 677), and had a famous temple of sculapius (Strabo, ibid.). It was the birth-place of Hippocrates. The modern name, Stanchio, is a corruption of [as Stamboul for Constantinople is of ]. See Winer, Realw.
[140] Athenagoras of Athens, 177
Rhodes was at this time free, cf. Strabo, xiv. 2; Tac. Ann. xii. 58: ‘Redditur Rbodiis libertas, adempta spe aut firmata, prout bellis externis meruerant, aut domi seditione deliquerant.’ See also Suet. Claud. 25, ‘Rhodiis (libertatem) ob pitentiam veterum delictorum reddidit.’ It was reduced to a Roman province under Vespasian, Suet. Vesp. 8. The situation of its chief town is praised by Strabo, 1. c.
The celebrated Colossus was at this time broken and lying in ruins, ib. Patara , in Lycia (‘caput gentis,’ Liv. xxxvii. 15), a large maritime town, a short distance E. of the mouth of the Xanthus. It had a temple and oracle of Apollo, Herod, i. 182. ‘Delius et Patareus Apollo,’ Hor. iii. 4. There are considerable ruins remaining, Fellows, Asia Minor, p. 219 ff. Lycia, p. 115 ff. Winer, Realw. Here they leave their ship hired at Troas, or perhaps at Neapolis (see note on Act 20:16 ), and avail themselves of a merchant ship bound for Tyre.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Act 20:1 to Act 21:16 .] JOURNEY OF PAUL TO MACEDONIA AND GREECE, AND THENCE TO JERUSALEM.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Act 21:1 . , see above on Act 13:13 . ., cf. Act 20:30 , “were parted from them,” R.V. The word expresses a separation difficult and painful; it adds to the pathos of the scene, and marks the close affection which could not bear the thought of a parting, “divulsi ab eorum complexu,” Blass (see Chrys., comment, in loco ). ., see on Act 16:11 . , Stanchio or Stanko , an island of great trading importance off the coast of Caria, south of Miletus and Samos, and north of Rhodes. Historically it had several points of connection with the Jews, cf. 1Ma 15:23 , Jos., Ant. , xiv., 7, 2, and 10, 15, B. J. , i., 21, 11, and owing to its commerce it became one of the centres of Jewish life in the gean. It lay about forty nautical miles from Miletus, and it was famous as the birthplace not only of Hippocrates, but of Apelles, and as being one of the great medical schools of the ancient world. See further “Cos” (Ramsay), Hastings’ B.D., and B.D. 2 ; Farrar, Saint Paul , ii. 284; Lewin, St. Paul , ii. 96; cf. Strabo, xiv., 2, Hor., Od. , iv., 13, 13, Tac., Ann. , xii., 61. C. and H. think that the chief town of the same name at the east of the island is referred to in the narrative before us. The place must have had, as C. and H. note, a special interest for St. Luke. : off the south coast of Caria. According to the proverb the sun shone every day on Rhodes, and it might well be called the sunny island of roses. Her coins, stamped on one side with Apollo’s head radiated, and on the other with the rose-flower, bear their witness to the brightness and fertility of the island. Moreover, it was a seat not only of commerce but of learning. St. Paul does not appear to have landed, but only to have touched at the island. The great Colossus representing the sun, counted as one of the wonders of the world, lay prostrate, having been broken down by an earthquake, Pliny, N. H. , xxxiv., 18; Strabo, xiv., 2. In the time of the Peloponnesian War Rhodes had been famous for its strong navy, as its timber was abundant. A notice of Jewish residents in Rhodes meets us in 1Ma 15:23 . On subsequent history see the excellent account in C. and H., small edit., p. 357; Farrar, Saint Paul , 2, p. 285. : a seaport on the Lycian coast, now in ruins, but probably a place of some importance and splendour. C. and H. say that Patara was to the city Xanthus what the Pirus was to Athens. On the modern discoveries in Patara see C. and H., small edit., note p. 560, cf. Herod., i., 182, Hor., Od. , iii., 4, 64, Lewin, St. Paul , ii. 99, O. Holtzmann, Neutest. Zeitgeschichte , p. 101. “The voyage may be taken as typical of the course which hundreds of ships took every year,” Ramsay, St. Paul , p. 297, and cf. the illustrations from Roman history in C. and H., p. 560 note.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Acts Chapter 21
The public course of the apostle was closed so far as scripture informs us. The remaining chapters of the Acts are occupied almost entirely with the personal history of the apostle, especially his collision with the Jews publicly, and through them with the Gentiles. In the first and last of these chapters we have a little of his relations with the Christians. The Book closes with him, the Lord’s prisoner, in Rome, though not without liberty to see all who sought him, to whom he preached the kingdom of God and taught the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. Considerably later traces appear in the last of his Epistles. It was important in the mind of the Spirit to give us the early ministry of Peter, chiefly in Judea and Samaria, as well as in opening the door to the Gentiles. After that Paul fills up the entire scene to the close of the Book.
‘And when it came to pass that we were parted from them and had set sail, we came with a straight course unto Coos, and the next day unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara; and, having found a ship crossing over into Phoenicia, we went on board and set sail, and as we had sighted Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we sailed unto Syria and landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unlace her cargo. And having found out the disciples, we remained there seven days, and these said to Paul through the Spirit that he should not set foot in Jerusalem. And when it came to pass that we had completed the days, we departed and went on our journey, and they all with wives and children brought us on our way, till we were out of the city, and kneeling down on the beach we prayed and took leave of one another, and we went on board ship, and they returned home. And when we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais and saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day’ (vers. 1-7).
Such is the succinct account of the voyage. On the day after (as we shall see) they took their land journey through Palestine; in the previous verses now before us, it was sailing. Nothing more simple, yet on the journey of such a man and his companions the Spirit of God loves to dwell, and that we should dwell. We wrong His grace in thinking that the Holy Ghost has only to do with extraordinary matters, as striking utterances, strange tongues, miraculous signs, and sufferings still more fruitful when unostentatiously borne. Undoubtedly He is the power for all that is good and worthy of Christ; but as Christ Himself lived much the greater part of His life in the utmost obscurity as regards man, perfectly doing the will of God, before and to Whom not a moment was lost, so does the Spirit of God enter into all the details of life in those who are Christ’s. Surely if anything could give dignity to the passing circumstances of each day, this must: but do God’s children do we believe it? If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit; let us not be vain-glorious, provoking one another, envying one another.
Let us associate the commonest things with Christ’s will and glory. Certainly there is nothing more closely approaching the animal than eating and drinking; yet the word of God would have us appropriate even these things to the highest purpose, and there is no way so simple and sure as by that faith which, looking upward, partakes of them in His name. ‘Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.’ Thus shall we give no occasion of stumbling either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God. Grace avoids questions, as it abhors sin and teaches us to please all men in all things, but not with a view to one’s own profit, but rather in divine love to the many that they may be saved. It was so Christ walked in the ungrieved power of the Spirit; it is so we are called to walk, though alas! we too often grieve Him. But there is no rule of life so true, so full, and so direct; and here therefore the path becomes of deep interest. ‘To me to live is Christ’ underlies what we are told of the great apostle.
‘And when it came to pass that we were parted from them.’ The last verb may be softened down sometimes, but the natural meaning implies a wrench. Christian affection is a reality on earth: in all the narrative what an absence appears of turning aside for objects of natural interest! ‘We came with a straight course unto Coos, and the next day unto Rhodes.’ We may be sure from the character and the capacity and the attainments of the apostle that he had an eye for natural beauty and a mind for every historic association that presented itself here below. ‘But this one thing I do’ was not more his word to others than his own life – ‘to me to live is Christ.’ The claims of the new creation altogether outweighed those of the old. So when we saw him alone at Athens with ample leisure to look around on the remains which have attracted men of the old world as well as moderns beyond most spots here below, what was the effect on him? His spirit was provoked within him, as he beheld the city full of idols. It was not sculpture that enchained him, not architecture that blinded him. He measured all around by the glory of Christ, and yet none could show more tact in discoursing to them. If he probed their idolatry to the bottom, he availed himself of the least point of truth which the vain city confessed – the altar with the inscription, ‘To God unknown’.
Truly Paul walked by faith and not by sight; should not we? Is it really come to this, that because we have not apostolic authority or miraculous powers, we are to abandon the life of faith? Is not the Holy Spirit sent down, and sent down to abide with us for ever? It were humbling indeed to answer like the twelve men at Ephesus (who could not speak truly otherwise): ‘We did not so much as hear whether there is a Holy Spirit.’ If we Christians say so now, it is guilty unbelief of the sure and standing privilege of God’s church. All we want is to judge ourselves and walk in faith, truth, and love; the Spirit will then manifest His gracious power.
‘And having found a ship crossing over unto Phoenicia, we went on board and set sail.’ It is good to notice the providential dealings of the Lord. The same heart that abides wholly unmoved by the most violent and dangerous storm, ought to be thankful for a fair wind and a quiet journey; and so it was and is. Circumstances never create faith, though God may use unlooked-for facts to deal with conscience. But the same simple faith it is, which, in rough weather or in smooth, can alike give thanks to God. Certainly it is not indifference; but the known will of God is always good, and acceptable, and perfect; and the heart is kept up in the confidence of His love. So His hand would be seen in their finding a ship crossing over to Phoenicia. It would appear that the vessel in which they first set out did not proceed beyond Patara in the desired direction, and now, having found one bound for Phoenicia, ‘we went on board and set sail.’ Thus in the outward but gracious ordering of God there was no loss of time.
‘And when we had sighted Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we sailed unto Syria, and landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unlade the cargo.’ No doubt the term ‘sighted’ is technical for mariners, but can we conceive that the apostle passed the island without recalling the scene of his early ministry, and of his elder brother Barnabas, and his younger, John Mark, whom they once had as their attendant? We have already had proof of the goodness of Barnabas, and the Holy Ghost has pronounced upon it; and this was proved at a still later day, when he left Antioch, from the midst of an active work of the Lord, to seek for Saul of Tarsus, and brought him to labour with himself at that great centre of Christian blessing (Act 11:22-26 ). But Barnabas and Mark bad parted from the apostle, yet the apostle’s heart sought them both, and felt a love that rose above all their failings, as he proved, not only by word, but by deed to the last.
And surely Syria and Tyre where they landed must have recalled deep reflections to the apostle. Here the Lord Himself had withdrawn during His earthly ministry, and from those borders came to Him the woman of Canaan who drew out from Him, not merely an answer of mercy that she wanted for her daughter, but that praise of her own faith which will never be forgotten.
Here the delay of the ship was no less ordered of God at Tyre than the finding it at once had been at Patara. The unloading of the cargo gave the apostle and his companions the time, not exactly to find disciples as in the Authorized Version, but to find ‘out’ the disciples. We cannot as in the Greek idiom say, ‘found up’, though we do say ‘hunted up’. It would appear hence that they were the object of search, not of casual discovery. They were the disciples, and ‘so they tarried there seven days’. This we have seen before at Troas and remarked on, as giving an opportunity to spend at least one Lord’s day for the communion of the Lord’s Supper.
From an incidental statement we learn how full the early church was of the power of the Spirit: ‘And these said to Paul through the Spirit that he should not set foot in Jerusalem.’ Assuredly the apostle lacked not warning, as he said himself to the elders from Ephesus, ‘Behold, I go bound in the [i.e., my] spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there, save that the Holy Spirit testifieth to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me.’ Evidently however the apostle regarded it rather as a note of danger that awaited him than of personal direction which he must obediently follow. His own mind was made up, whatever the danger, whatever the suffering, to go through with it; as the Master had done in matchless perfection for His infinite work at all cost.
‘And when it came to pass that we had completed the days, we departed and went on our journey; and they all with wives and children brought us on our way, till we were out of the city, and kneeling down on the beach we prayed and took leave of each other; and we went on board ship, but they returned home’ (vers. 5, 6). It is another beautiful peculiarity of divine affection – the family as well as social character of Christians in early days. This ought to be of great price now, if we are wise. In this cold world the saints are peculiarly exposed to grow chilly, if kept from fleshly excitement and worldly frivolity.
‘And when we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and we saluted the brethren and abode with them one day’ (ver. 7). Here at a port called Accho in days of yore, now St. Jean d’Acre, they arrived; and though it was but for one day, how gladly they spent it with the brethren! For such there were at Ptolemais, apparently already known.
What we have seen was the voyage of Paul and his companions; that which follows is their land journey. ‘And on the morrow we1 departed and came unto Caesarea; and entering into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, we abode with him’ (ver. 8).
1 ‘Paul, and we that were with him’, is a later reading, which slipped into the Text. Rec., the Authorized Version, et al.
The words of the inspired writer are full and distinct. From their precision one might think it impossible that any intelligent mind could fail to discern the person meant; yet no less a one than the father of ecclesiastical history contrived to misunderstand the verse, and to confound Philip the evangelist with Philip the apostle. It is no pleasure to point out a lapse so strange and unaccountable in any intelligent reader of scripture; but it becomes a duty to notice the error, and urge its importance as a warning to those who cry up the authority of ancient patristic writers. Indisputably Eusebius was neither better nor worse than most of the Christian fathers. For superstitious eyes he has the advantage of holding a decidedly early place amongst them, for he flourished in the days of the Emperor Constantine (A.D. 306-337). No ancient MS. of the Greek New Testament that survives was written before his day, and but two can pretend to be as early. Yet it is plain that, with the text as it stands before him, he grossly erred, not on a point of nice doctrine. but in a plain matter of fact. For we are here in the Acts told that the Philip, with whom the apostle’s party stayed, was not the evangelist only, but one of the seven, i.e., one of the seven men appointed by the apostles for diaconal service during the days of first love, soon after Pentecost.
If the unquestionable meaning of scripture could be thus overlooked, and so serious a mistake find its way into Eusebius’ history, what confidence ought to be reposed in any alleged facts or statements outside the scriptures? Not that any evil object is imputed to that historian; but the circumstance proves that in those days, as in our own, there is deplorable ignorance of God’s word where one might least expect it. Patristic authority in divine things is no more reliable than modern systematic divinity. The value of scripture practically as well as dogmatically is incalculable. It is the standard as well as source of truth.
‘Now this man had four daughters, virgins, who did prophesy; and as we tarried many days there came down from Judea a certain prophet named Agabus; and coming to us and taking Paul’s girdle, he bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So [thus] shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and deliver him into the hands of [the] Gentiles’ (vers. 9-11).
The fact stated in the 9th verse deserves full consideration. Philip had four unmarried daughters, of whom it is declared that they prophesied; that is, they had the highest form of gift for acting on souls from God. Such prophesying was yet more than teaching or preaching. We cannot doubt, therefore, that they used their gift on the one hand; and on the other that it was forbidden to use it in the assembly. ‘It is shameful’, had Paul written in his First Epistle to the Corinthians (1Co 14:34 , 1Co 14:35 ), ‘for a woman to speak in [the] assembly.’ At Corinth it seems that some were bold enough to attempt this and other innovations: but it also seems to have been at that time a very unusual and unheard of notion.
In general, Christian women understood their place better in these early days. Still, there might arise some such desire here or there. At any rate, the apostle found it necessary in his First Epistle to Timothy to write (1Ti 2:12 ), ‘I permit not a woman to teach, nor to exercise authority over a man, but to be in quietness.’ The word does not convey the sense of ‘usurpation’, but the possession or exercise of power, where it does not mean committing murder. The woman is not set in authority, nor is she to act as if she were. As to this, there can be no dispute for subject minds. ‘If any one thinketh himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize the things which I write unto you, that it is the commandment of the Lord’ (1Co 14:37 ). The Lord’s will for us is on record unmistakably, if indeed we respect scripture.
But these maiden daughters of Philip did prophesy, if not in the assembly, somewhere else. Decorum would have forbidden it still more to have been in public, if God’s order prohibited it for the assembly. No place can be conceived more suitable than one’s father’s house. 1Co 11:2-16 renders it plain that the woman, in praying or prophesying, was to see that she bore the mark of subjection, for even in prophesying she must not forget that she is a woman, and that the head of the woman is the man as the head of every man is Christ. The woman, therefore, should be veiled while the man was not so to be. ‘Every man praying or prophesying, having [anything] on his head dishonoureth his head; but every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered dishonoureth her own head, for it is one and the same thing as if she were shaven. For if the woman is not covered,’ says the apostle, ‘let her also be shorn; but if it is a shame to a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered; for a man indeed ought not to have his head covered, being God’s image and glory but woman is man’s glory.’ Both have their place respectively in the Lord, Who, if He give power, maintains order no less; but each has a place of its own which He has assigned, as all things are of God. So His word regulates all, and we should remember this the more in days when man’s voice is loud, and God’s word exposed and subjected to increasing slight.
We are not told whether these maidens predicted anything about Paul but we do hear that Agabus the prophet added to the warnings already given him by others. Not only so, but he came and took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, ‘Thus saith the Holy Spirit, The man to whom this girdle belongs shall the Jews thus bind in Jerusalem, and deliver him up into the hands of the Gentiles.’ This was quite in the symbolic manner of the ancient prophets; and it filled those who beheld and listened with sorrow for the honoured apostle. ‘And when we heard these things, both we and those of the place besought him not to go up to Jerusalem; then Paul answered, Why do ye weep and break my heart? For I am ready, not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done’ (vers. 12-14).
It is clear that the apostle did not understand that the Lord meant him to turn from Jerusalem. He only heard reiterated by Agabus, as he had been so often warned by others, what he must suffer there. Indeed from his conversion it was intimated how many things he must suffer for the Lord’s name’s sake. Paul clearly must have concluded that the Holy Ghost spoke, not to dissuade him from his perilous path, but rather to prepare him in it – certainly for prison, and perhaps death. The brotherly kindness of others would have screened him from all that was awaiting him in Jerusalem, but love goes beyond brotherly kindness. So it was working in the servant, as it had with all perfection in the Master.
The apostle now passes on to that city which had so large a part in his affections, or at least to the saints there, little as it might be conceived by those who saw in him only the apostle of the uncircumcision. ‘And after these days we took up (or made ready) our baggage, and went up to Jerusalem’ (ver. 15). ‘Our carriages’ would convey a mistaken impression to ears familiar only with modern English. It is possible that at the time of our Authorized Version, the word was used in a double sense, as has been suggested; not only as now for the vehicle which carries, but also for what was carried in it. The Old Testament likewise contains the word in its old meaning, which of course is found in profane writers of that day also.
‘And there went with us also [certain] disciples from Caesarea, bringing one Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge’ (ver. 16). An ‘old’ disciple is certainly not exact, and may not even be true, expressing not his age as a man, but his discipleship from the beginning. It is interesting thus to find incidentally that Cyprus had been blessed of God, not only through the visits of Paul and Barnabas, but even before.
‘And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly and the day following Paul went in with us unto lames and all the elders were present, and when he had saluted them, he explained one by one the things which God wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry; and when they heard it, they glorified God’ (vers. 17-20). Here we see in full vigour the love and honour which reigned among the saints. Not that there were no trials and special trials in those days: it could not be otherwise. In this world no difference of a religious character could compare for depth with that which severed Jews from Gentiles. God Himself under the law had maintained the separation between them to the full, as our Lord did up to the cross. This closed the old order to introduce the new – the order of grace and of the new creation in Christ which the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven carried out in power and joy and intelligence. Thenceforward Christ becomes all, and indeed He is worthy; as He is all, so is He in all; and the distinction of Jew and Greek, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, bond and free, vanish in Him before God.
Yet is there nothing which Christians find so difficult to apprehend and enjoy and practise as Christianity. Nevertheless the Spirit given to every Christian is not a spirit of fear nor of bondage, but one of power, and of love, and of a sound mind, with Christ before our eyes. The path may be difficult, but as it is true, so is it the exercise of love; and it is all a question of appreciating Christ, and of applying the truth in a spirit of grace. As the law was given by Moses, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. We have only to believe, not to fear man, any more than to pursue our own thoughts.
The word of God is now revealed as a full answer to Christ, and by the Spirit it will be found to solve every difficulty in detail. In no place, however, were the difficulties greater than in Jerusalem, the natural focus of extreme Jewish feeling. Thither the apostle had come, animated by strong feelings of love and pity for his nation, as he himself explains in Act 24:17 : ‘Now after many years I came to bring alms to my nation, and offerings.’ This was hardly his proper calling, though the love which led to it always wrought powerfully in his heart, as we know from Gal 2 and other scriptures.
But there was another reason which made his presence in Jerusalem critical for the apostle. His assigned province was toward the Gentiles (compare Gal 2:7-9 ); and certainly the Holy Spirit had through prophets given many warnings along the road of perils in this city. No man, no apostle even, is strong, save in dependence on the Lord, as he said himself, ‘When I am weak, then am I strong.’ For Christ’s ‘strength is made perfect in weakness.’ And Paul above all could say, ‘Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’ But it is instructive to see that Antioch proved a dangerous place for Peter as Jerusalem did for even Paul. The Lord wrought effectually in Peter, yet it was mainly and conspicuously for the apostleship of the circumcision. He also assuredly wrought by Paul with the Gentiles, if ever He wrought mightily by man on the earth.
But we anticipate. The arrival of Paul and his party in Jerusalem received a hearty welcome from the brethren. It would appear that James’s house was the known place for any special gathering of elders at any rate; as we heard of a meeting for prayer at the house of Mary, mother of John Mark (Act 12:12 ). ‘The following day accordingly Paul went in with us,’ it is said, ‘unto James’; and all the elders were present.’ There must have been very many groups of Christian Jews in Jerusalem, where their numbers were now to be counted by thousands. Large buildings appropriated to the assembly were as yet, it would seem, unknown. The present occasion, however, was not for the meeting of the assembly, only the elders were present. They no doubt came from those many groups, and their meeting together as elders would powerfully contribute to keep up order and unity, without in the least degree superseding, while truth governed in a spirit of grace, the responsibility of the assembly. We can readily understand that James’s house was a suited place for such to meet. The verse does not give us the impression of an assemblage on this occasion only, though it was very likely that the news of Paul coming and come might account for ‘all the elders’ being present at this time. There are constant wants which would call for the meeting of the elders ordinarily; but this occasion of course had the extraordinary element of Paul’s presence.
‘And when he had saluted them, he explained one by one the things which God wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.’ There was perfect openness on his part. No effort to put prominently forward what God had wrought among the Jews or in the synagogues. He spread before them particularly what had been given him to do among the nations. Doubtless this was intended of the Lord to enlarge their hearts. They were accustomed in Jerusalem to see or hear but little of their Gentile brethren. The apostle put it forward carefully; and when they heard it they glorified ‘God’ – for this appears to be the true reading, rather than ‘the Lord’.
The apostle could say, ‘If any man preacheth any gospel other than this which we preach, let him be anathema’ (Gal 1:9 ). A different gospel is not another. It is the abandonment of what Paul preached, or a human substitute for it. It may be questioned whether any other apostle could speak so absolutely. Paul preached what they preached, but one may fairly doubt that they preached all that Paul preached. If we bear in mind the special manner of his conversion and truth therein revealed, it helps us to understand this. He commenced with a Saviour in glory, and had the wondrous truth communicated to him from the first that Christ and the Christian are one: ‘Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?’ A saint now is also a member of Christ’s body. This the others learnt; but the apostle Paul had it revealed to him from the starting point, and he was the Lord’s special instrument for carrying it out in the world. It was not ‘the gospel of God’ only, rich as this expression is, but ‘tine gospel of the glory of Christ’.
It was Christ, known no more after the flesh, but risen and glorified. Gentile darkness and Jewish law were left behind, and even promise was eclipsed by a brightness far beyond it. It was grace in its fullest exercise and highest splendour in the person of Christ, with Whom we are associated in the closest relationship – Christ is the Head over all things, but is also the Head given to the church which is His body. The church is not among the ‘all things’, but is united with Him Who is over all things, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all. Hence the apostle preached the gospel of the glory of Christ as none other is reported to have done. This comes out very distinctly in 2Co 3:4 , 2Co 3:5 . Substantially it appears in the Epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians; but there it is rather called the mystery of the gospel. ‘This mystery is great,’ says he, ‘but I speak of Christ and of the church’ (Eph 5:32 ). He being the exalted Head, she being His body and bride, the church is even now one with Him. For the church He gave Himself up, that He might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water by the word, that He might present the church to Himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.
The glory of Christ on high is the answer to His humiliation below, whatever else may follow. Nor is there any witness to it so bright. Hence the apostle speaks of ‘my gospel’, and ‘our gospel’ where he names his companions along with himself. The gospel of the glory of Christ was given him to preach it in all its height of blessedness; and hence the danger of letting it slip, if even one that once knew it begins to preach grace at a lower level only, true as it may be. Nothing so completely lifts above the tradition and the thoughts of men.
Hence the danger even to the apostle himself when in Jerusalem. Another atmosphere was breathed there. It is not that they did not confess Jesus to be the Christ, and look for His kingdom and glory; but out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. ‘And they said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many myriads there are among the Jews of those that believe, and they are all zealous for the law. And they have been informed concerning thee, that thou teachest all Jews that are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs’ (vers. 20, 21). This witness was true as far as they themselves were concerned; but what they were informed about Paul was an exaggeration. Whatever his sense of Christian liberty, none was more tolerant of Jewish conscience, on the other hand, none more resolute to teach the Gentile believers that they had nothing to do with law, but with Christ dead and risen. What could Gentile believers have to do with circumcision or the other institutions and customs of Israel? For heaven, as in heaven, all this was unknown.
As the full grace of God preached by the apostle startled not a few of the saints in Jerusalem, a gloss was sought to prove that he was a good Jew notwithstanding. ‘What is it therefore? They will certainly hear that thou art come. Do thou this that we say to thee: We have four men with a vow on them; these take and purify thyself with them, and be at charges over them, that they may shave their heads, and all shall know that there is no truth in the things whereof they have been informed concerning thee but that thou thyself also walkest orderly keeping the law’ (vers. 22-24).
This was not strange advice for the Christians in Jerusalem to give, but it seems a descending path for the apostle Paul to follow. No one knew better than he to walk as dead with Christ and risen with Him, no one better than he to please the Lord without fear of the opinions of men, or even of his brethren. With him it was a very small thing to be examined of others or of himself. Had he looked to the Lord for His guidance now, perhaps he would have advised James and the rest to judge nothing before the time till the Lord come, Who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the heart, and then shall each have the praise from God (1Co 4:5 ). Indeed it is doubtful whether anything done as a witness to ourselves (and this seems the gist of James’ counsels to Paul) is ever blessed of God or satisfies man. We shall see what the issue was in this instance.
In their past dealings with the Gentiles who believed (Act 15:22-29 ), the apostles and elders had acted with divine wisdom. So it is here added, ‘But, as touching the Gentiles that believed we wrote [or, enjoined] giving judgment, that they should keep themselves from things sacrificed to idols and blood and things strangled and fornication’ (ver. 25). These injunctions were clearly understood before the law was even given to Israel. It was not natural religion which ignored sin and the fall. For God man needs revelation; but in such things Christianity only confirms the broad principles God had laid down before Israel existed.
‘Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them went into the temple, declaring the fulfilment of the days of the purification until the offering was offered for every one of them’ (ver. 26).
The apostle yielded to his Jewish brethren. It was in no way a step which flowed from his own judgment before God; and we shall see that it was wholly in vain as far as the Jews were concerned. No doubt there was misunderstanding on their part; but we can scarcely say, whatever one’s reverence for the apostles, that the light of the Lord shone upon the course that was then recommended or pursued. Their conduct might not be without failure in this or that particular; whilst their teaching, beyond all doubt in what was written in the Spirit for the permanent direction of the church, was perfectly guarded from the least error. ‘We are of God’ (said one of them): ‘he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth us not. By this we know the Spirit of truth, and the spirit of error’ (1Jn 4:6 ). This is stringent, but it is the truth; and, if so, it is really grace to let all saints know that there is such a standard – not Christ’s person only, but the apostolic word. If we truly confess Him, we shall surely hear them: if we refuse them, we do not really own Him Who sent and inspired them. If we reject Him and them, we are irretrievably lost, and guiltier than Jews or heathen, who had not such privileges. For the true light now shines. God is fully revealed in Christ, and the written word makes both known.
It was a singular sight: Paul purifying himself to show that he walked orderly and kept the law. He was evidently walking according to the thoughts of others, which no more glorifies God than it satisfies man. ‘And when the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia when they saw him in the temple stirred up all the multitude and laid hands on him, crying out, Men of Israel, help. This is the man that teacheth all everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place; and moreover he brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath defiled this holy place. For they had before seen with him in the city Trophimus the Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul brought into the temple.1 And the whole city was moved, and the people ran together, and they laid hold on Paul and dragged him out of the temple; and forthwith the doors were shut. And as they were seeking to kill him, tidings came up to the chief officer (chiliarch) of the cohort, that the whole of Jerusalem was in confusion, and immediately he took soldiers and centurions, and ran down upon them, and they, when they saw the chief officer and the soldiers, ceased beating Paul. Then the chief officer came near and laid hold on him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains, and inquired who he might be, and what he had done. And some shouted one thing, and some another, among the crowd. And when he could not know the certainty because of the uproar, he commanded him to be brought into the castle (lit., camp). And when he came upon the steps, so it was that he was borne upon the soldiers, because of the violence of the crowd. For the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, Away with him’ (vers. 27-36).
“Zelotes putantes saepe errant (Bengelius); ‘Bigots often err in their suppositions’.
No more devoted servant of the Lord than Paul ever lived. This however did not hinder the effects of a mistaken position. He had departed from those to whom the Lord sent him, out of his excessive love for the ancient people of God. At the instance of others he had sought to conciliate them to the uttermost, but the effect in no way answered to the desire either of James or of Paul. Can we say that, in going up to Jerusalem there was such a following of Christ as he loved to commend to the saints? ‘Be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ.’ When the Lord went up for His last and fatal visit, how great the difference! He cast out all them that sat and bought in the temple, He overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and of them that sold doves; He healed the blind and lame that came to Him. There He confounded those that demanded His authority; He laid before the proudest of them their inferiority to the publicans and harlots whom they despised; He set out their past and present history in the Light of God, so that they could not but own the miserable destruction which impended over their wickedness, and the passing away of God’s vineyard to other husbandmen, who should render to Him the fruits in their seasons. And whatever their enmity, they feared the multitude because they took Him for a prophet. And when the chief religious leaders came in succession to tempt Him, He silenced them Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians: and wound up the entire scene by the great test-question for the Jews, how David’s son could be, as He incontestably is, David’s Lord. It is a question which no Jew was able to answer then, any more than from that day to the present. Hence He could only pronounce woes upon their actual state, and on their proved ruin prophesy of the kingdom which He is Himself to bring in as the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Undoubtedly none the less was He rejected and crucified, but He was the faithful witness. There was not a shadow of a compromise: He said nothing, did nothing, seemed nothing, but the truth to the glory of God. He witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, the high priest of Israel having shown himself baser and more cruel than the most hardhearted heathen who condemned the Lord to be crucified.
Yet assuredly the apostle loved the Lord, and answered to His mind as no man did, even among the apostles; still he was a man; and human feeling in its most estimable shape betrays him into (I will not say a contrast with, but) a deflection from our Lord in Jerusalem. For Christ, whatever the depth of His humiliation, oh, what triumph hung on His decease which He accomplished there!
For Paul it was not death at Jerusalem, but the hatred which threw him into the hands of the Gentiles to be, as yet a prisoner only, not yet to die though ultimately what befell him among the Gentiles was his true glory, and there he suffered simply and solely a witness for the truth. He had his heart’s desire, the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings, becoming conformed unto His death.
‘And as Paul was about to be brought into the castle, he said unto the chief officer, May I say something unto thee? He said, Dost thou know Greek? Thou art not then the Egyptian who before these days stirred up to sedition, and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the assassins (or Sicarii)? But Paul said, I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city; and I beseech thee give me leave to speak unto the people. And when he had given him leave, Paul standing on the steps beckoned with his hand unto the people; and when there was great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying’ (vers. 37 40).
Here again Paul takes very different ground from that which was his wont, he pleads his Jewish race to the commander. Elsewhere who so firm to hold to the grand truth that Christ is all? who more completely above any human distinction of plea in the service of the Lord? It was Paul the apostle indeed, yet not here in the Gentile province assigned him, but in Jerusalem, seeking to reconcile the irreconcilable. Is it too much to say that here there appeared to be the weakness of one who was strong by grace beyond all others on his own ground?
Fuente: William Kelly Major Works (New Testament)
Acts
DRAWING NEARER TO THE STORM
Act 21:1 – Act 21:15
Paul’s heroic persistency in disregarding the warnings of ‘bonds and afflictions’ which were pealed into his ears in every city, is the main point of interest in this section. But the vivid narrative abounds with details which fill it with life and colour. We may gather it all round three points-the voyage, Tyre, and Caesarea.
I. The log of the voyage, as given in Act 21:1 – Act 21:3 , shows the leisurely way of navigation in those days and in that sea.
At Patara or Myra Paul and his party had to tranship, for their vessel was probably of small tonnage, and only fit to run along the coast. In either port they would have no difficulty in finding some merchantman to take them across to Syria. Accordingly they shifted into one bound for Tyre, and apparently ready to sail. The second part of their voyage took them right out to sea, and their course lay to the west, and then to the south of Cyprus, which Luke mentions as if to remind us of Paul’s visit there when he was beginning his missionary work. How much had passed since that day at Paphos which they might have sighted from the deck! He had left Paphos with Barnabas and John Mark-where were they? He had sailed away from Cyprus to carry the Gospel among Gentiles; he sails past it, accompanied by a group of these whom he had won for Christ. There he had begun his career; now the omens indicated that possibly its end was near. Many a thought would be in his mind as he looked out over the blue waters and saw the glittering roofs and groves of Paphos.
Tyre was the first port of call, and there the cargo was to be landed. The travellers had to wait till that was done, and probably another one shipped. The seven days’ stay is best understood as due to that cause; for we find that Paul re-embarked in the same ship, and went in her as far as Ptolemais, at all events, perhaps to Caesarea.
We note that no brethren are mentioned as having been met at any of the ports of call, and no evangelistic work as having been done in them. The party were simple passengers, who had to shape their movements to suit the convenience of the master of the vessel, and were only in port at night, and off again next morning early. No doubt the leisure at sea was as restorative to them as it often is to jaded workers now.
II. Tyre was a busy seaport then, and in its large population the few disciples would make but little show.
The whole interest of the stay at Tyre is, for Luke, centred on the fact that here too the same message which had met Paul everywhere was repeated to him. It was ‘through the Spirit.’ Then was Paul flying in the face of divine prohibitions when he held on his way in spite of all that could be said? Certainly not. We have to bring common sense to bear on the interpretation of the words in Act 21:4 , and must suppose that what came from ‘the Spirit’ was the prediction of persecutions waiting Paul, and that the exhortation to avoid these by keeping clear of Jerusalem was the voice of human affection only. Such a blending of clear insight and of mistaken deductions from it is no strange experience.
No word is said as to the effect of the Tyrian Christians’ dissuasion. It had none. Luke mentions it in order to show how continuous was the repetition of the same note, and his silence as to the manner of its reception is eloquent. The parting scene at Tyre is like, and yet very unlike, that at Miletus. In both the Christians accompany Paul to the beach, in both they kneel down and pray. It would scarcely have been a Christian parting without that. In both loving farewells are said, and perhaps waved when words could no longer be heard. But at Tyre, where there were no bonds of old comradeship nor of affection to a spiritual father, there was none of the yearning, clinging love that could not bear to part, none of the hanging on Paul’s neck, none of the deep sorrow of final separation. The delicate shades of difference in two scenes so similar tell of the hand of an eye-witness. The touch that ‘all’ the Tyrian Christians went down to the beach, and took their wives and children with them, suggests that they can have been but a small community, and so confirms the hint given by the use of the word ‘found’ in Act 21:4 .
III. The vessel ran down the coast to Ptolemais where one day’s stop was made, probably to land and ship cargo, if, as is possible, the further journey to Caesarea was by sea.
The eager haste of the earlier part of the journey, contrasted with the delay in Caesarea at the threshold of his goal, is explained by supposing that at the beginning Paul’s one wish had been to get to Jerusalem in time for the Feast, and that at Caesarea he found that, thanks to his earlier haste and his good passages, he had a margin to spare. He did not wish to get to the Holy City much before the Feast.
Two things only are told as occurring in Caesarea-the intercourse with Philip and the renewed warnings about going to Jerusalem. Apparently Philip had been in Caesarea ever since we last heard of him Act 8:1 – Act 8:40. He had brought his family there, and settled down in the headquarters of Roman government. He had been used by Christ to carry the Gospel to men outside the Covenant, and for a time it seemed as if he was to be the messenger to the Gentiles; but that mission soon ended, and the honour and toil fell to another. But neither did Philip envy Paul, nor did Paul avoid Philip. The Master has the right to settle what each slave has to do, and whether He sets him to high or low office, it matters not.
Philip might have been contemptuous and jealous of the younger man, who had been nobody when he was chosen as one of the Seven, but had so far outrun him now. But no paltry personal feeling marred the Christian intercourse of the two, and we can imagine how much each had to tell the other, with perhaps Cornelius for a third in company, during the considerably extended stay in Caesarea. No doubt Luke too made good use of the opportunity of increasing his knowledge of the first days, and probably derived much of the material for the first chapters of Acts from Philip, either then or at his subsequent longer residence in the same city.
We have heard of the prophet Agabus before Act 11:28. Why he is introduced here, as if a stranger, we cannot tell, and it is useless to guess, and absurd to sniff suspicion of genuineness in the peculiarity. His prophecy is more definite than any that preceded it. That is God’s way. He makes things clearer as we go on, and warnings more emphatic as danger approaches. The source of the ‘afflictions’ was now for the first time declared, and the shape which they would take. Jews would deliver Paul to Gentiles, as they had delivered Paul’s Master.
But there the curtain falls. What would the Gentiles do with him? That remained unrevealed. Half the tragedy was shown, and then darkness covered the rest. That was more trying to nerves and courage than full disclosure to the very end would have been. Imagination had just enough to work on, and was stimulated to shape out all sorts of horrors. Similarly incomplete and testing to faith are the glimpses of the future which we get in our own lives. We see but a little way ahead, and then the road takes a sharp turn, and we fancy dreadful shapes hiding round the corner.
Paul’s courage was unmoved both by Agabus’s incomplete prophecy and by the tearful implorings of his companions and of the Caesarean Christians. His pathetic words to them are misunderstood if we take ‘break my heart’ in the modern sense of that phrase, for it really means ‘to melt away my resolution,’ and shows that Paul felt that the passionate grief of his brethren was beginning to do what no fear for himself could do-shake even his steadfast purpose. No more lovely blending of melting tenderness and iron determination has ever been put into words than that cry of his, followed by the great utterance which proclaimed his readiness to bear all things, even death itself, for ‘the name of the Lord Jesus.’ What kindled and fed that noble flame of self-devotion? The love of Jesus Christ, built on the sense that He had redeemed the soul of His servant, and had thereby bought him for His own.
If we feel that we have been ‘bought with a price,’ we too, in our small spheres, shall be filled with that ennobling passion of devoted love which will not count life dear if He calls us to give it up. Let us learn from Paul how to blend the utmost gentleness and tender responsiveness to all love with fixed determination to glorify the Name. A strong will and a loving heart make a marvellously beautiful combination, and should both abide in every Christian.
Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Act 21:1-6
1When we had parted from them and had set sail, we ran a straight course to Cos and the next day to Rhodes and from there to Patara; 2and having found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. 3When we came in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we kept sailing to Syria and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload its cargo. 4After looking up the disciples, we stayed there seven days; and they kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem. 5When our days there were ended, we left and started on our journey, while they all, with wives and children, escorted us until we were out of the city. After kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another. 6Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home again.
Act 21:1 “ran a straight course” This is a nautical term meaning to sail a direct course (cf. Act 16:11). Luke was very familiar with sailing terms (cf. Act 21:3). Most of the “we” sections of Acts involve sailing.
“Cos” The name means “summit.” It is the name of both an island and its largest city. This island was the home of Hippocrates (fifth century B.C.) and it was the site of a large medical school. It was a free state considered to be part of the Roman province of Asia. It was located about forty miles south of Miletus.
“Rhodes” This is also the name of an island and its chief city. This commercial island was famous for (1) its roses and (2) its university, which specialized in rhetoric and oratory. In the past (29 B.C.) it was world famous for its bronze, 104′ tall colossus of a man that stood by the harbor. The statue functioned as a lighthouse.
“Patara” The Western family of Greek manuscripts (cf. P41, D) and some Old Latin versions add “and Myra” (most likely an addition from Act 27:5), which was the chief port for ships to Syria. The UBS4 gives the shorter reading an “A” rating (certain).
Patara was a coastal city in Lycia. It was famous for its oracle of Apollo, which at one time rivaled even Delphi.
Act 21:2 “and having found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia” This must have been a larger ship. The smaller ships hugged the coastline. This ship saved them a lot of time by taking a direct route.
Act 21:3 “came in sight of Cyprus” This must have brought thoughts of Barnabas and the first missionary journey.
“Tyre” This was the coastal capital of Phoenicia.
Act 21:4 “the disciples” There was a church in this city which was probably started after the persecution of Stephen (cf. Act 8:4; Act 11:19). In this period believers would seek out other believers to stay with (cf. Act 21:7; Act 21:16).
“telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem” This refers to the presence of prophets in this local congregation (cf. Act 20:23; Act 21:10-12). Their message concerning persecution was true and yet apparently Paul’s trip was God’s will (cf. Act 21:14). Jesus, through Ananias, had told Paul about his life’s work (cf. Act 9:15-16). Suffering would be part of it, but also he would witness to kings.
Act 21:5 “After kneeling down on the beach and praying” This is a beautiful picture of Christian love and concern. It may have been a special service, like Act 20:32; Act 20:36.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
gotten = withdrawn Same word as Act 20:30.
launched. Greek anago. See note on Act 13:13.
with a straight course. Greek. euthudromeo. See note on Act 16:11.
unto. Greek. eis. App-104.
following. Greek. hexes. Only in Luke’s writings. Here, Act 25:17; Act 27:18. Luk 7:11; Luk 9:37. Note the different expressions for next day used by Luke. Compare Act 20:15.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Act 21:1.] The E. V., After we had gotten from them, does not come up to the original: , Chrys.
.] See ref., having run before the wind. Cos, opposite Cnidus and Halicarnassus, celebrated for its wines ( , , . , Strab. xiv. 2), rich stuffs (nec Co referunt jam tibi purpur, Hor. iv. 13. 13), and ointments ( . , Athen[140] xv. p. 688). The chief town was of the same name (Hom. Il. . 677), and had a famous temple of sculapius (Strabo, ibid.). It was the birth-place of Hippocrates. The modern name, Stanchio, is a corruption of [as Stamboul for Constantinople is of ]. See Winer, Realw.
[140] Athenagoras of Athens, 177
Rhodes was at this time free, cf. Strabo, xiv. 2; Tac. Ann. xii. 58: Redditur Rbodiis libertas, adempta spe aut firmata, prout bellis externis meruerant, aut domi seditione deliquerant. See also Suet. Claud. 25, Rhodiis (libertatem) ob pitentiam veterum delictorum reddidit. It was reduced to a Roman province under Vespasian, Suet. Vesp. 8. The situation of its chief town is praised by Strabo, 1. c.
The celebrated Colossus was at this time broken and lying in ruins, ib. Patara, in Lycia (caput gentis, Liv. xxxvii. 15), a large maritime town, a short distance E. of the mouth of the Xanthus. It had a temple and oracle of Apollo, Herod, i. 182. Delius et Patareus Apollo, Hor. iii. 4. There are considerable ruins remaining, Fellows, Asia Minor, p. 219 ff. Lycia, p. 115 ff. Winer, Realw. Here they leave their ship hired at Troas, or perhaps at Neapolis (see note on Act 20:16), and avail themselves of a merchant ship bound for Tyre.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Chapter 21
And so it came to pass, that after we had gotten from them, and we had launched, we came with a straight course unto Coos, and the following day unto to Rhodes, and from there to Patara: where we found a ship that was sailing to Phenicia, and we got on board, and we set forth. And when we had sited the island of Cyprus, we went on the left-hand side, and sailed into Syria, and we landed at Tyre: for there the ship was to unload her burden ( Act 21:1-3 ).
So Luke takes us now on the journey from Miletus on to the city of Tyre, which you read so much about in your papers today, there in southern Lebanon where the Israelis now have occupational troops.
And finding disciples ( Act 21:4 ),
The Greek would indicate that they looked for them, they searched for them and found them. You know, it’s a glorious thing being a Christian, because no matter where you go in the world the minute you find disciples you’re at home. It’s such a wonderful thing. I go back to Indianapolis and it’s just like being at home. We gathered together there in the auditorium and it was just like being at home. The love and all with which the people received us, and just hey, we’re all part of God’s glorious body. And that was true in New York, it’s true in New Jersey, it’s true in Colorado Springs, it’s true wherever we go. It’s just like being with the family. And so they searched for the Christian body there in Tyre. They found them.
and they stayed with them for seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem. And when we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with the wives and the children, till we were out of the city ( Act 21:4-5 ):
So this Christian body in Tyre, all the wives, kids and now we got another picture, you know, them coming with Paul until they come to the city limits.
and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed ( Act 21:5 ).
So all the children, the families, the body of Christ there in Tyre, kneeling with Paul there in the beach at Tyre praying.
And so when we had taken our leave of one another, we [went into the] took ship; and they returned home again. And when we had finished our course from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais [which is the modern port city of Alco], and there we greeted the brethren, and stayed with them for a day. And the next day we that were of Paul’s company departed, and came to Caesarea [about twenty-five miles south from Alco on the Mediterranean coast]; and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven [that is, deacons appointed in the early church to administer the tables]; and we stayed with him. And he had four daughters, who were virgins, and who had the gift of prophesy ( Act 21:6-9 ).
Now it is interesting, this is twenty years after Philip fled from Jerusalem because of Paul’s intense persecution of the church at the time of the stoning of Stephen, where Paul stood and held the coats consenting or voting for Stephen’s death. And then how Paul went out to wreck the church, imprisoning those that called upon the Lord and all, and at Paul’s heavy persecution Philip had fled from Jerusalem. Went up to Samaria where a great revival broke out, then headed by the guidance of the Spirit down to Gaza, where the Ethiopian eunuch was converted and then made his way back toward Caesarea preaching in various cities, sharing the truth of Jesus Christ, but finally settled in Caesarea. Now these two men meet twenty years later.
No longer on opposite sides of the fence, but now brought together as brothers in Jesus Christ. And Paul stayed there now at the house of Philip, for Philip had settled now in Caesarea, had a family, four daughters. God’s anointing upon them, they had the gift of prophecy. You know, time does go by and people do grow up and mature. There are a lot of people who say, “Where are all the Jesus people?” you know. Well they’re here, but they have four kids. You know, time changes things. They are no longer the irresponsible teenagers there in their early twenties as they were, but now they’re in their thirties, some of them late thirties. But yet having matured, grown, times change. You know, nothing is static. (laughing as Chuck scratches his head) That was not intended, an itch. But it’s true; everything passes. But when we get into heaven all you fellows might be the same because the Bible says there’s no parting there.
So they stayed there many days, and there came down from Judea a certain prophet, named Agabus ( Act 21:10 ).
Now he had earlier been the prophet who had come to Antioch and had prophesied the great drought that would come.
And when he was come unto us, he took Paul’s girdle, and he bound his own hands and feet, and he said, Thus saith the Holy Spirit, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owns this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. And when we heard these things, both we, and those of that place, begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, What do you mean by this weeping, are you trying to break my heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but I am also ready to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus ( Act 21:11-13 ).
“Are you trying to persuade me by begging, fellows? I’m not afraid of being bound. I’m ready to die for the Lord Jesus.”
Now was it the will of the Lord for Paul to go to Jerusalem? When he was there at Tyre, the Spirit warned him not to go to Jerusalem. Here the Holy Spirit, you know, Agabus takes Paul’s girdle, binds his hands and his feet, and he said, “Thus the man who owns this girdle is to be bound in Jerusalem and turned over to the Gentiles.”
I believe that the Lord was just warning Paul what was going to await him and the disciples interpreted the warning as that he wasn’t to go. But I believe that Paul was to go to Jerusalem. Their interpretation of the warnings was don’t go. But you remember when Paul was first converted, that the Lord told Ananias there in Damascus, “Go to the street Straight, and inquire for Paul and lay hands on him that he might receive his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Lord, you got to be kidding. I know this guy Paul, I’ve heard of him. He’s the one who wrecked the church in Jerusalem, throwing in prison all the Christians. And he’s come here and my name is on his list. I’m on his hit list. I’m one of the guys he going to rip. Lord, you can’t mean I’m suppose to go and expose myself to this guy and pray for him.” And the Lord said, “Behold, he is a chosen vessel unto me and I am going to show him the things that he’s going to suffer for My name.”
Now it seems that the Lord was faithful with that, and always warned Paul of the sufferings he was going to experience. And with the warnings I think there was always, “Hey, Paul, if you want to duck out, you can.” And Paul would say, “Hey, no way, Lord. Let’s go for it.” “I’m not worried about being imprisoned. I’m not worried about being bound. You can’t dissuade me by your tears; I’m ready to die for Jesus. Being thrown in jail doesn’t bother me at all. I’m ready to die for Jesus Christ.” You just don’t stop men like that.
You remember when he was at Corinth, the Lord said, “Preach boldly, no one will be able to lay their hands on you here nor hurt you. Because I have many people here in this city.” When he was on the ship and looked like it was going to be a shipwreck, we’ll get that in a couple chapters, and Paul stood up and said, “Hey, fellows, be of good cheer, everything’s going to be all right. An angel of the Lord stood by me, that though the ship is going to be wrecked, not a life is going to be lost.” But the Lord was always showing him the things that were going to transpire, the things he would have to suffer. And I believe the Lord was just faithful showing Paul the things that he was going to suffer for the cause of Jesus Christ. But Paul, “Hey, Lord, whatever, I’m ready to be bound. I’m ready to die.” For as I told you before, Paul is one of my real favorites. I love commitment. I love that competitive desire to win. And the guy who’s, “Hey, not going to be stopped by pain or a little hurt or whatever. Let’s go for it.” And I love that kind of man. He’s just my kind of guy, and I just really admire him.
And so when he would not be persuaded, we ceased ( Act 21:14 ),
Now it isn’t we ceased saying, “The Lord’s will be done.” We just ceased saying, “Don’t go,” and started saying “Well, the Lord’s will be done.” A lot of people read that wrong.
we ceased, saying, The Lord’s will be done ( Act 21:14 ).
No, we ceased and we said, “Well, the Lord’s will be done.” You see the difference? They recognized then, “Well, if that’s what the will of the Lord is, so be it, the Lord’s will be done.” So we ceased trying to dissuade Paul as we said, “Well, the will of the Lord be done.”
And so after those days we took up our carriages ( Act 21:15 ),
Now that’s an old English word for luggage. “We grabbed our suitcases.” They didn’t carry . . . they didn’t go on a carriage to Jerusalem; they walked.
and we went up to Jerusalem. And there went with us also certain of the disciples from Caesarea, and they brought with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple, with whom we should lodge. And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. And on the following day Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present. And when he had greeted them, he declared particularly the things the Lord had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. And when they heard it, they praised the Lord, and said unto him, Now, brother Paul, you see how many myriads of Jews there are which are believers here; and they are all zealous of the law ( Act 21:15-20 ):
Interesting. By this time in Jerusalem there were thousands of Christians, who had a strange admixture of Christianity with Judaism. They are zealous of the law. They were continuing in the rights of Judaism. They were continuing in the law of Moses, though they did believe that Jesus was the Messiah. But they had accommodated themselves to the Jewish community.
And so he said,
Now they have been informed about you, that you are teaching all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. Now what is it therefore? You see the multitude when they come together: [they’re going to have to find out about you because] they’re going to hear that you’ve come here. Now this is what we’d like you to do: We have four men which have a vow on them; So take them, and purify yourself with them, and take care of their expenses, that they may shave their heads: that all may know those things, whereof they were informed about you, are really nothing; [but you yourself are a good Jewish boy, living kosher] that you are walking orderly, keeping the law ( Act 21:21-24 ).
So the church in Jerusalem was trying to keep from having an uproar. There are many Jews who have become believers, though they kept the Judaic law and they continued as Jews, but they did believe. But the church in Jerusalem was definitely in a weakened state. Whenever the church seems to adapt itself, seeks to adapt itself to the society around it, the church always finds itself in a weakened state. One of the great curses of the church is its endeavor to adapt itself to the world. That we might live in peace and harmony with the world. But Jesus is such that there can be no mutual co-existence with sin. Jesus, the Word of God tells us, “Come ye apart from them, be ye separate saith the Lord. Touch not the unclean thing and I will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters” ( 2Co 6:17-18 ). But the Lord calls for a real separation, a real commitment.
“Don’t want any trouble, Paul. Now they’ve heard that you’ve been teaching some things, that you know the Jews don’t have to worry about the law and all, to just go ahead and serve Jesus Christ. But hey, do us a favor, now we don’t want any trouble. All these Jews are going to hear that you’ve come here and you know things are liable to get a little sticky. So there are these four young fellows and they’ve come for the feast, and so they want to take a vow.” Now in taking the vow you had to go a whole week, just in dedication to the Lord. It was a Nazarite vow. You shave your head. Then at the end of the period of time you shave your head again and you bring the hair and burn it as a sacrifice unto God. And it’s consecration, and they were suppose to take one week off and just spend the week in the temple worshipping God. Now they had a hard time taking the week off because of needing supplies and so they often had wealthy people who would sponsor them. And so they said to Paul, “Look, sponsor these four guys.”
Now Paul had brought a good offering to the church in Jerusalem. It’s interesting there’s no mention of any thanks for it. There’s just an endeavor to really compromise Paul to his own convictions. Now Paul, I admire here his greatness, because he went ahead and did it. And I’m sure he did it just to follow his own exhortation in Romans to live peaceably among all men as much as lieth in you. “Hey, it doesn’t mean anything to me, if it’s going to help you guys, fine.” I mean it shows the greatness of the guy. It shows the graciousness of Paul, that he would go along with this suggestion. But it wasn’t in his heart, you know, he was free from these things. He had discovered the grace of God. That’s one thing the church in Jerusalem had not really discovered. They were still trying to please God by adherence to the law rather than attaining to that righteousness which is by faith in Jesus Christ, of which Paul wrote to the Romans.
And he said, “What about it?” He said, “It’s just this, the Jews have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge because they’re ignorant of the righteousness that God has provided. And being ignorant of that righteousness, they’re going about trying to establish their own righteousness by the law. But the truth is they’ve never come to it, they’ve never found it. Where as the Gentiles, dumb as far as the law is concerned, have stumbled into the glorious righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, and the Gentiles have attained it. Because they’ve attained it through the faith of Jesus Christ to the blessings of the grace of God.”
So they are asking Paul to compromise his convictions. Paul said, “I’m all things to all men that I might gain the more. To the Jew I became a Jew.” This is when he did. “Alright, fellows, sure.” So when the brothers come in and they say, “What about this Paul?” What’s he say? “Well, hey look, you know he’s paying the tab on these four guys. And look, he’s got a shaved head, and you know, he’s a good Jewish boy, don’t worry about him.”
And as touching the Gentiles ( Act 21:25 )
Now they were worried that Paul was making Jews non-Jews. As far as the Gentiles were concerned, you know, do anything you want with them.
we’ve written to them and we’ve concluded that they don’t have to observe these things, except they ought to just keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication. So Paul took the men the next day and he purified himself and with them he entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them ( Act 21:25-26 ).
Now surely Paul would not have offered a sin offering because he knew that that was already accomplished once for all. But there were other offerings that would have been legitimate for a Christian to offer. There were offerings, the burnt offerings which were of offerings of consecration. There were the peace offerings, the meal offerings, the offerings of communion with God. And in the Kingdom Age there speaks of offering sacrifices unto God. There, no doubt, will be the peace offerings and the commitment offerings, the burnt offerings, the offerings of consecration. But the sin offering has been offered once and for all. Never again is it necessary to make a sin offering unto God; that has been taken care of once and for all by Jesus Christ. But people read of the offerings in the Kingdom Age and say, “Woo, I wonder why they’re offering offerings?” Well, there are different offerings, not just sin offerings. There is the consecration; there is that communion, the peace offering.
And so when the seven days were almost over, the Jews which were from Asia, when they saw Paul in the temple, they stirred up the people, and they grabbed hold of him, and they cried out, Men of Israel, help us: This is the man, that is teaching everyone, everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place: and he brought Greeks into the temple, and has polluted the holy place. (For earlier in the week they had seen him in the city of Jerusalem with Trophimus who was from Ephesus, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.) ( Act 21:27-29 )
Now there was the court of the Gentiles but then there was the sign on the wall and it says, “Any Gentile that goes beyond this sign is responsible for his own death.” And the Romans respected the right of them to stone anybody who would go on in to the Jewish court. They would allow them to go ahead and stone them. So they were accusing Paul of profaning the temple by bringing Greeks into the temple, which Paul did not do. But they supposed that he did it because they had seen these Greeks with him in the city of Jerusalem.
And so all of the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and they shut the doors. And as they went about to kill him, tidings came to the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar: and immediately he took soldiers and the centurions, and he ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, [that is, the guys who were beating him,] they quit beating Paul ( Act 21:30-32 ).
Now if there thousands of Christians, where were they when Paul was being beat to death? You know, why didn’t they come in and help him? You know there are thousands of Christians here, you know, there are thousands of believers now, who keep the law. Well, they sure weren’t around when Paul needed them.
And so then the chief captain came near, and he took him, and he commanded Paul to be bound with two chains; and demanded who are you, what have you done. And some had cried out one thing, and others cried out another thing, among the multitude: and he couldn’t know of certainty because of the tumult, and so he commanded Paul to be carried to the Anotonial Fortress [which was on the edge of the temple mount] ( Act 21:33-34 ).
It is on the . . . it would be the northwest corner of the temple mount.
And so when he came upon the stairs ( Act 21:35 ),
There were two flights of stairs leading up into the Anotonial Fortress.
so it was, that he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the people. For the multitude of the people who were following after him were crying, Away with him ( Act 21:35-36 ).
The same cry that they were making against Jesus, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him, crucify him.” And so when he came upon the stairs, so it was that he was carried of the soldiers, and the multitude were crying, “Away with him.”
and as Paul was to be led into the castle [the Anotonial Fortress], he said to the chief captain, May I speak to you? And he said, Can you speak Greek? Aren’t you that Egyptian, who before these days made an uproar, and let out into the wilderness four thousand men who were murderers? ( Act 21:37-38 )
Now there was a fellow who came up from Egypt, a renegade who had gathered a group of people together and led them out to the Mount of Olives, and he said that he was going to cause the walls of Jerusalem to crumble. And he went through his whole little deal and the walls didn’t crumble. But he had a renegade band that he led out and they were then attacked by the Romans. And most of them were killed, but the guy escaped, the leader escaped. And so the captain thought that this was the leader, this Egyptian who had led this multitude a few years back. So then he said, “Aren’t you that Egyptian?”
And Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city ( Act 21:39 ):
Hey man, I’m a Roman citizen. A citizen from Tarsus.
And, I beseech thee, would you allow me to speak to the people? ( Act 21:39 )
That Paul, gutsy guy. You know, here they’re crying, “Away with him, kill him,” you know, and they’re trying to kill him. And now he’s asking permission to speak to the people.
And when he’d given him the license to do it, Paul stood on the stairs, and he beckoned with a hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in their Hebrew language, saying ( Act 21:40 ),
And isn’t that a crazy place to break a chapter?
Now you’re going to have to wait till next Sunday to find out what he said. Created another riot, but interesting. So, next week we continue. You know, when we were kids in Sunday school we used to sing, “Dare to be a Daniel”, too bad someone didn’t write a song for the Sunday school children, “Dare to be a Paul”. A man of total consecration and commitment of himself to God. A man who had as his chief desire to do the will of God, to finish and accomplish the purposes that God had in mind for him. Oh, would to God that we would dedicate ourselves totally completely to that course that God has set for us. That we, as Paul, would seek primarily just to finish the course with joy, as we fulfill the ministry that Christ has called us to.
May the Lord be with you and bless you this week in a very special way. May the Spirit draw you into a closer, more intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ. May you be strengthened by that work of the Spirit within your life. May you be blessed in Jesus’ name. “
Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary
Act 21:1. , after we had torn ourselves from them) not without much of longing regret, and with difficulty.-) Gaza writes that this is the Attic expression for .
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Act 21:1-16
PAUL RETURNS TO JERUSALEM
Act 21:1-16
1 And when it came to pass that we were parted-After the discourse to the elders of the church at Ephesus at Miletus, Paul dismissed them and left Miletus and sailed southward to Cos, which was a small island about forty miles from Miletus; it seems that the vessel was under the direction of Paul, as he could sail as he pleased and make such stops as he wished. They could stay at a place as long as they pleased. It seems that the wind was favorable for sailing and they made the journey in one day. The next day they sailed from Cos to Rhodes, and from Rhodes to Patara. Rhodes is fifty miles southeast of Cos, and Patara is east of Rhodes.
2 and having found a ship crossing over-Paul sailed on the Mediterranean Sea southeast to Phoenicia. They changed vessels at Patara, as they found a ship going to Phoenicia. It was more than four hundred miles from Patara to Jerusalem; it seems that from Patara Paul and his company took a larger vessel, one that could sail across the open sea. Phoenicia is on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea and northwest of Palestine.
3 And when we had come in sight of Cyprus,-Pauls company, now making the journey in a larger vessel than they first had, sailed a direct route to Phoenicia and left Cyprus to the left. They proceeded and landed at Tyre; the ship was to unload her burden at this place. Syria was the name given to the entire eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea from Cilicia to Egypt. Paul was now on his way to Jerusalem; he could now easily find means of conveyance to that city. Tyre is the chief city of Phoenicia ; it was about three hundred fifty miles from Patara, and under favorable conditions could be reached in four or five days sailing. Tyre had been one of the most famous cities of the ancient world. Hiram, king of Tyre, aided Solomon in building the temple in about 1000 B.C. (1Ki 15:18.) Many prophets prophesied about Tyre. (Isaiah 23; Ezekiel 26-28; Amo 1:9-10.) Christ visited Tyre and its vicinity. (Mat 15:21; Mar 7:24.)
4 And having found the disciples,-Having found indicates that some time and trouble were had in locating the disciples; having found is from the Greek aneurontes, which means to seek for, to find by searching. There was a church in Tyre, but the city was large, and the number of disciples may have been small. Paul had gone through Phoenicia on his way to Jerusalem at one time. (Act 15:3.) Paul and his companions tarried there seven days. Among the disciples at Tyre were some who warned Paul of the dangers that awaited him at Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit had already told Paul that bonds and affliction awaited him at Jerusalem. (Act 20:23.) At this time Paul is warned by the disciples not to go to Jerusalem; they did not want Paul to suffer the persecutions that awaited him.
5-6 And when it came to pass that we had accomplished-When Paul and his company had remained in Tyre seven days, they made preparation to proceed on their journey to Jerusalem. The disciples at Tyre, including the wives and children of the disciples, accompanied Paul to the outskirts of the city. They remained with him as long as they could. The entire company of disciples was so interested in him that they were ready to give him any assistance that he might need. They treated him as did the disciples at Miletus. (Act 20:37-38.) This is the first mention of children in connection with the early church. Before parting, they kneeled down on the beach, and prayed together; this was a fitting separation of these disciples who loved each other so much. After the prayer they went on board the ship, but the disciples in Tyre returned home. Some think that this was the same ship on which they had sailed from Patara; others see no reason for concluding that it was the same.
7 And when we had finished the voyage from Tyre,-They sailed from Tyre, a distance of about thirty miles south, to Ptolemais. There was a church at Ptolemais, and Paul and his company saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day.” Some think that the church here was founded by Philip, the evangelist, or some other disciples who were driven from Jerusalem by the persecution some twenty years previous to this. (Act 11:19.)
8 And on the morrow we departed,-The company left Ptolemais and continued south to Caesarea; it is not known whether this part of the trip was made by sea or by land. It was possible to make the journey by sea; however, some think that the verb seems rather to leave us to infer that it was a land journey; there was a good road between the two places. When they arrived at Caesarea, they entered into the house of Philip the evangelist.” This distinguishes him from the apostle Philip, one of the twelve. His evangelistic work followed the death of Stephen. The word evangelizing” is from the Greek eueggelizeto,” and was used of Philip in Act 8:40. The earliest of the three New Testament examples of the word evangelist” (Act 21:8; Eph 4:11; 2Ti 4:5) is found here. This Philip was one of the seven. (Act 6:5.) He was selected with the others at Jerusalem to help serve tables. We find him busy after he left Jerusalem. (Act 8:5-13 Act 8:26-40.)
9 Now this man had four virgin daughters,-Philips daughters were Christians; they were walking in their fathers steps; they prophesied,” which meant more than to predict future events. Philip had the honor of having in his home four virgin daughters with a gift of prophecy; there was a certain phase of work in the early church that was done by women. Phoebe was a servant of the church at Cenchreae (Rom 16:1), and Philip’s daughters had the gift of prophecy. These daughters of Philip had the power to interpret a divine message. God inspired women as well as men when they could be used in his service. They had a mission to proclaim the gospel in their own womanly way. (Act 2:17 Act 18:26; Joe 2:28-29; 1Co 11:5 1Co 14:24.) These four daughters, being virgins, unmarried, could devote their whole time to the service of the church.
10 And as we tarried there some days,-We do not know how long they remained in Caesarea, or in the house of Philip; but during their sojourn a disciple by the name of Agabus, who had prophetic gift, came from Judea. This may have been the same Agabus mentioned in Act 11:28, who foretold the coming famine at Antioch, as the prophets mentioned on that occasion had recently come from Jerusalem; this name was somewhat unusual; hence, it is thought that this Agabus was the same. He was not prominent as was Barnabas. It seems that Paul had made the journey quicker than he had thought, and could remain in Caesarea some days. This was Pauls third time to visit Caesarea. His first visit was on his journey from Jerusalem to Tarsus (Act 9:30) ; his second visit was on his return at the close of his second missionary tour (Act 18:22).
11 And coming to us, and taking Pauls girdle,-Agabus very vividly impressed his prophecy or prediction by an object lesson. He took Pauls girdle and bound his own feet and hands with it, and then said that the owner of this girdle should be bound and delivered into the hands of the Gentiles. He gave the Holy Spirit as authority, or rather spoke by the Holy Spirit. Old Testament prophets often employed symbolic deeds. (1Ki 22:11; Jer 13:1-7; Eze 4:1-6.) Jesus used the symbolism of Peters girding himself to impress a lesson. (Joh 21:18.) Agabus was just from Jerusalem, and the Holy Spirit revealed to him what would be done to Paul when he arrived in Jerusalem.
12 And when we heard these things,-Luke and the others who had traveled with Paul joined the disciples at Caesarea in attempting to persuade Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. This dramatic warning that Agabus gave was in addition to that which was given at Tyre. (Act 21:4.) This was the same as Paul had confessed at Miletus. (Act 20:23.) It seems strange that Luke and the other messengers, together with Philip and his daughters, joined in persuading Paul not to go to Jerusalem. It seems that Paul was determined to go to Jerusalem, and that no one could dissuade him. This reminds one of the fixed determination of Martin Luther to go to the Diet of Worms; Spalatin persuaded Luther not to go, but he replied: Though devils be as many in Worms as tiles upon the roofs, yet thither will I go. No one could prevent Pauls going to Jerusalem at this time.
13 Then Paul answered, What do ye,-It was hard for Paul to resist the earnest, pathetic, and forceful pleadings of his brethren and sisters; he had due respect for their judgment and their interest in him; he knew as well as they that danger and persecution awaited him at Jerusalem. However, Paul was not one who would shrink from duty because of danger, neither was he one who would change his course to avoid persecution. Their weeping and strong solicitations could not alter his determination. He was under a higher guidance than theirs, and was ready, if God willed it, to die at Jerusalem; moreover, they could add to his bur-den by their weeping over him. Paul had had abundant warnings of the dangers he must encounter as a Christian and as an apostle; he had always expected them, and had made up his mind to meet them without flinching. (Act 9:16 Act 20:22-23.) He was not to be turned away from the path of duty, however hazardous it might be. He would very gladly spend and be spent for the cause of Christ. (2Co 12:15.)
14 And when he would not be persuaded,-When the company of disciples saw that Paul would not yield to their persuasion, they ceased to persuade him and said: The will of the Lord be done. Since Paul would not let them persuade him and have their own way, they were willing for the Lord to have his way. Many times we are resigned to the Lords way because we cannot have our own way. They seem, finally, to understand that Paul had a higher leading than theirs in what he was doing. Painful events were seen by Pauls friends, but these sufferings appeared to Paul so evidently to lie in his path of duty that it would be wrong in him to avoid them by failing to go forward in that path.
15 And after these days we took up our baggage-Caesarea is about sixty-four miles north of Jerusalem. Some think that Paul and his companions put their baggage on pack horses and carried it to Jerusalem. However, we do not know. The English word now used always of the vehicle that carries was in common use at the time of the Authorized Version for the things carried. It is from the Greek episkeuasamenoi, which originally meant the things necessary to pack up or saddle horses. They went up to Jerusalem. Jerusalem was situated on a higher elevation than Caesarea; hence, they would naturally go up to Jerusalem.
16 And there went with us also certain of the disciples-When the brethren could not persuade Paul to stay away from Jerusalem, it seems that some of them prepared to go with him. They would naturally go up to the Pentecost feast; multitudes of the Jews would go to Jerusalem the last day before the feast began. The brethren would also like to be present to assist Paul and to witness the greetings of the church at Jerusalem extended to Paul. They took with them one Mnason of Cyprus; he was an early disciple, and the company would lodge with him. There has been some difficulty in translating this verse; some think that it should be rendered that Paul and his company were brought to Mnasons house. This Mnason was originally from Cyprus; he may have become a disciple on the day of Pentecost. Since Jerusalem would be filled with visitors, it would be difficult to find a lodging place; but as Mnason was known to some of them, they would make sure of a lodging place with him. This ends Pauls third missionary journey. He left Philippi and came to Miletus; next he came to Cos, then to Rhodes, then to Patara, and finally came to Tyre; they spent a week at Tyre; next they came to Ptolemais, then to Caesarea, and finally to Jerusalem. The narrative of this voyage is that of an eyewitness; Luke, the writer, includes himself. It seems that the ship left Troas on the first day of the week; four days were spent in the voyage to Miletus, and probably they remained there three days; three days were occupied in sailing thence to Patara, and probably four days in sailing to Tyre; seven days were spent in Tyre, and three days in coming to Caesarea. It is thought that Paul arrived at Caesarea about ten days before Pentecost; the journey had been made very rapidly, for the wind was favorable from Troas, and as the moon was full, the voyage from Patara to Tyre was made, not by coasting, but by running across the open sea.
PAUL AT JERUSALEM
Act 21:17 to Act 23:35
PAUL MOBBED IN THE TEMPLE
Act 21:17-26
17 And when we were come to Jerusalem,-Paul and his company made the journey from Caesarea to Jerusalem, sixty-four miles, in about two days. They were received by the brethren in Jerusalem, and especially those of Mnasons household with gladness. There are three sets of Christians at Jerusalem mentioned:
the brethren, whom Paul met privately at the house of Mnason; (2) the elders, or officers of the church in Jerusalem, who were present at his official reception; (3) the multitude, or the entire number of Jewish Christians, both belonging to Jerusalem and those who were present at the Pentecost feast.
18 And the day following Paul went-Paul did not idle away any time; the day following his arrival in Jerusalem, he, with his companions in travel, went to see James; James the son of Zebedee had been killed by Herod previous to this time. (Act 12:2.) The James mentioned here is the same who is recognized as a leader in the church at Jerusalem. (Act 12:17 Act 15:13.) This may have been James the less. (Mat 27:56; Mar 15:40.) There are five James mentioned in the New Testament-James, the son of Zebedee, and brother of John; James, the son of Alphaeus, one of the twelve apostles; James the less; James, the Lords brother (Mat 13:55; Mar 6:3); and James in Luk 6:16, as the brother of Judas. All the elders were present at this meeting. It seems that there was a special interview which had been arranged for Paul with James and the elders of the church in Jerusalem. This was important, as many injurious reports had gained circulation respecting Pauls course.
19 And when he had saluted them,-At this official reception, it was thought important for all the elders to be present, and to hear a detailed report of Pauls work. He gave a minute account of his work among the Gentiles; he would report that many Gentiles had forsaken their idols and were living faithful to God. No doubt at this time he introduced Trophimus, with the others, who had brought the generous gifts from the Gentile churches to be distributed among the poor saints in Jerusalem and Judea. This would show that he had taught the Gentile Christians to practice charity toward those who were in need. It seems that Paul, in spite of the reports, won the favor of the church in Jerusalem.
20 And they, when they heard it, glorified God;-The Jewish Christians rejoiced in the fact that the Gentiles had been accepted by the Lord; they received with thanksgiving the offerings that Paul brought; however, they proceeded cautiously because there were many thousands there among the Jews who believed. This shows that there were many Christians among the Jews in Jerusalem and surrounding country at this time. The Greek, posai muriades, literally means an indefinite number, and is the old word for ten thousand (Act 19:19) or myriads (Luk 12:1; Act 21:20; Jud 1:14; Rev 5:11 Rev 9:16). It is surprising to know that there were so many Christians in Jerusalem after the persecution which had scattered the early disciples. (Act 8:1-5.) The number mentioned here may include the Christians from neighboring towns in Palestine and some foreign countries who had come to the Feast of Pentecost. All these were zealous for the law. Zealous is from the Greek zelotai, and means to burn with zeal, to boil. There was a party of Zealots, a group of what would be called extremists, or hotheads. One of this party was Simon Zelotes. (Act 1:13.) James and the elders at Jerusalem attempt now to harmonize Pauls work among the Gentiles and the Gentile converts with this great multitude of Jewish Christians who were zealous for the law.
21 and they have been informed concerning thee,-The report had reached Jerusalem that Paul had taught all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, and that they should not circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. It seems that these Judaizers had brought trouble to Peter (Act 11:2) and also to Paul (Act 15:1 Act 15:5). The charge against Paul was not true; he had never taught that the Jews among the Gentiles should not circumcise their children; neither had he taught that they should not keep the ceremonial law of the Old Testament. Their charge against him was a malicious halftruth, for Paul had preached Christ, and that was more than advising the Jews to sink down to the level of Gentiles. Paul had never taught Jews that when they became Christians they were not to circumcise their children; he himself had circumcised Timothy. (Act 16:3.) Paul was a true follower of Christ and had taught that circumcision, the seal of the covenant which was superseded in Jesus Christ (Rom 4:11), had become of no effect in the relation between man and God (1Co 7:19; Gal 5:6 Gal 6:15; Eph 2:11-14). These Judaizing teachers saw what the end of such teaching was sure to be. To walk after the customs was to follow the ceremonial law. The charge was brought against Stephen (Act 6:14) that he would change the customs which Moses delivered unto us. The charge against Paul with respect to the Mosaic rites was true only in the sense of his denying their necessity to the salvation of souls.
22 What is it therefore?-The question asked here simply means: Paul, what is to be done about this? James and the elders at Jerusalem do not believe the misrepresentations against Paul; however, many of the Jewish brethren do believe them. They would hear that Paul had come to Jerusalem; there was no effort to conceal that fact; they are ready to meet the issue in as tactful a way as possible. They know that the many Jewish Christians would be anxious to see Paul and to hear the reports that he had to make. By asking this question, James and the elders are requesting Paul to cooperate with them in satisfying the Jewish Christians.
23 Do therefore this that we say to thee:-It seems that Paul would not have opportunity to meet all the Jewish Christians and explain the situation to them, but they advise Paul to do something which the whole community would observe or hear about, and which would show them and all men that Paul did reverence the Mosaic law. Paul knew that the law was fulfilled in Christ; he respected that law for that which it had done for the Jews, and because it came from God. It seems that after some deliberation the elders thought out a plan of procedure by which Paul could set the whole matter straight. They called to his attention that there were four men that have a vow on them. They propose to use this as a matter to clear Paul of the false charges which were made against him. This seems to be a temporary Nazirite vow. (Num 6:13-15.) Either Paul or Aquila had such a vow on leaving Cen- chreae. (Act 18:18.)
24 these take, and purify thyself with them,-James and the elders suggested that Paul take the four men who had a vow upon them, and who evidently were Christians, and pay his and their expenses that they might fulfill their vow; this was to be done so that the Jewish Christians would see that Paul had proper respect for the law. James and the elders were attempting to offset the prejudice that some had against Paul. This has given commentators generally much trouble; they have attempted to harmonize Pauls conduct here with his teachings concerning the law. Confessedly, it is a difficult task. Different comments have been offered as a solution. They are as follows: (l)That Paul at this time did not have a complete revelation of Gods will; (2) that Paul did not understand even what he had written by inspiration; (3) that Paul dissembled, acted hypocritical; (4) that Paul did not do as James and the elders suggested that he do; (5) that he compromised principle for the sake of unity; (6) that he did from policy what he would not have done by religious principle. No. 1 does not seem to satisfy the conditions, as Paul had revelation enough of Gods will to know at this time what to do. No. 2 does not eliminate the difficulty, and places Paul in a state of ignorance as to what he had formerly taught; neither can we agree to the position that Paul was hypocritical. No. 4 seems to contradict (verse 26). No. 5 makes Paul a compromiser and surrenders in part that which he knew to be the will of God; neither can we agree that Paul acted merely from policy, which would make him a hypocrite. It seems that Paul had not taught Jewish Christians to disrespect the law of Moses. In fact, Paul and other faithful Christians among the Jews were the only ones who properly respected the law. Christ fulfilled the law; for Christ is the end of the law unto righteousness to every one that believeth. (Rom 10:4.) The law was given by Jehovah until Christ should come; Paul understood this. He never thought that Christians had to keep the law in order to be saved; neither did he at any time so act as though the keeping of the law had anything to do with his salvation. Paul said: To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, not being myself under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to them that are without law, as without law, not being without law to God, but under law to Christ, that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak: I am become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some. And I do all things for the gospels sake, that I may be a joint partaker thereof. (1Co 9:20-23.) The above quotation describes the conduct of Paul here as elsewhere; he never acted from mere policy, but was guided by principle. We are to understand his conduct here in the light of the above. Since the law of Moses contained some ceremonial rites, these could be observed for the sake of peace and harmony without violating a principle.
25 But as touching the Gentiles that have believed,-James and the elders are making further suggestions to Paul with explanations concerning the Gentile Christians. James was present in Jerusalem when the question of circumcision was discussed with Paul and Barnabas and others. (Act 15:13.) The decision reached there with James, Peter, and the elders of the church with Paul and Barnabas was that the law of Moses should not be imposed on the Gentiles. (Act 15:28-29.) The four things mentioned in the letter that was written at that time are mentioned here; namely (1) abstain from things sacrificed to idols; (2) from blood; (3) from what is strangled; (4) from fornication. Everything settled in Jerusalem at that time and embodied in the letter is to remain exactly as it was. The liberty of the Gentile Christians was not to be touched by the law.
26 Then Paul took the men,-It was permitted for one man to bear the expense of another in keeping the Nazirite vow. Num 6:9-12 recites the law governing the Nazirite vow. The charges involved the payment (1) for the act of shaving the head for which there was a fixed fee to priest or Levite; (2) for the sacrifices which each Nazirite had to offer; namely, two doves or pigeons, a lamb, a ram, a basket of unleavened bread, a meat offering, and a drink offering. Paul agreed to pay for the expenses of the four in their fulfilling their vow. It seems that he appeared in the temple each day for the four. He thus kept his vow in fellowship with the four men, and when the period of his vow was ended and that of the others, the proper offerings were made for each one of them.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Passing on toward Jerusalem, Paul and those with him reached Tyre. There the disciples urged the apostle not to go to Jerusalem; but, having received from the Spirit a revelation of all that lay before him, he pressed on.
Presently Caesarea was reached, and here we get another glimpse of Philip the evangelist. Living at Caesarea he had four daughters who were devoted to the work of the Lord. While tarrying there Agabus arrived and uttered words of prediction. This prediction harmonized with the apostle’s own conviction that he was on his way to suffering. Once again he was urged not to proceed, and once more his devotion overcame all human urgency.
Arrived at Jerusalem, he was received by the elders, and rehearsed the story of the wonderful triumph of the Word among the Gentiles. Here there were those who were opposed to this very work. It was at this time that Paul took the vow of the Nazarite. It is impossible to escape the conviction that in doing so he was mistaken. The only purpose of his action was to maintain peace, which was not achieved.
Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible
Ready to Die for His Lord
Act 21:1-14
The vessel coasted along Asia Minor, sighted Cyprus, sailed to the south of it, and so finally to Tyre. There the disciples were poor and obscure, and it took searching to find them; but they were very warm-hearted, and the whole community, including the children, who never forgot that incident, accompanied Paul to his ship. As they neared the vessel they knelt on the shore to pray together, and so parted.
The journey from Ptolemais (Acre) to Caesarea lay along the edge of the plain of Sharon, at the season bright with the flowers of spring. The days Paul spent at Caesarea were the last happy days of freedom that he was to enjoy for two or three years. What blessed intercourse Paul and Philip must have had! They had both known Stephen. Agabus joined the happy party, with prophecies of peril ahead, but these only served to bring out the magnificent courage of the Apostle. His purpose was inflexible. An unseen hand was beckoning; a voice which only he could hear was calling. He had no doubt as to Gods purpose, and went straight forward; though he was not insensible to the love and sympathy of friends.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
In our study of Acts we have followed Paul from the days when he was a bitter persecutor of the church of God, through his conversion and dedication to the work of the Lord. We have accompanied him on his three missionary journeys as he carried the gospel throughout the Near East, and finally we saw him leaving Ephesus for the last time to continue his journey to Jerusalem.
The early verses of Acts 21 are very interesting if you read them with a map before you. You can trace Pauls journey from Miletus right on to Jerusalem. In verse 4 we read that Paul and those traveling with him arrived in Tyre where they remained for seven days. While they were there a most unusual incident occurred in the life of Paul. There they found disciples who said to Paul-now observe this-through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem. Now was this simply a test of his readiness to suffer, or was it really a warning word forbidding him to go? It may be a little difficult for us to decide, but the statement is plain. These disciples said to Paul through the Holy Spirit that he should not go up to Jerusalem.
Already the Spirit of God had intimated through various servants of His that this journey would not be as successful as Paul had hoped. As we previously noted, it is very evident that it was his deep love for his own people, the Jews, that led him to go to Jerusalem. He was bringing them alms that had been collected by the Christians in the Gentile churches to assist those in Judea who were suffering because of famine. He felt that this opportunity to minister in a temporal way to his people-both converted and uncoverted Jews- would enable him to show them how truly he loved them. Also he hoped that this outpouring of love would be used of God to break down the bigotry and the bitter opposition in the hearts of so many of them.
Paul knew exactly how his Jewish brethren felt. He himself had felt as they did. There was a time when he thought of Jesus as a deceiver, as one who was misleading the people, and he bound himself to do everything he could to hinder the work of the gospel. But the Lord had won his heart, and now he hoped by special kindness to his own people to be able to win them.
But we need to remember this. When God saved him. He especially commissioned him to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. Although wherever Paul went he invariably entered the synagogue and preached to the Jews first, yet it was always among the Gentiles that he found the most fruit.
With the apostle Peter it was different. The Lord seemed to have given Peter a special gift and ministry for the Jews. When Paul, James, Peter, John, and others met together in Jerusalem years before, they agreed among themselves that evidently Peters special mission was to the Jews and Pauls to the Gentiles (Gal 2:1-9). But he could not forget the blood ties that held him fast to his Jewish brethren, and he still hoped to be Gods special messenger to them. So he was determined to pursue his way toward Jerusalem.
Did he make a mistake in so doing? Did Paul really disobey the voice of the Lord? It is hard for us to say. We may be sure of this, that if he did make a mistake, he made it from the best of motives. If he blundered here, he blundered out of an overpowering love for the Jewish people. I am afraid that some of us cannot say of our mistakes that they have always been motivated by love.
If Paul was mistaken here, it should be a great encouragement to some of us. You see, we are apt to think of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ as though they were men of a much higher caliber than ourselves, and therefore there is no possibility of our being used as they were. But we learn as we study the book of Acts that these men were of like passions with ourselves. They had the same fallible judgment that we have. They could be misled as we are misled. The apostle Peter was clearly misled at Antioch when he withdrew himself from the Gentiles and refused to eat with them when Jewish brethren came down from Jerusalem (Gal 2:11-13). We have already seen how Paul and Barnabas misunderstood one another and had a bitter quarrel over the case of young John Mark. All these things impress on us the fact that these were men like ourselves who needed daily to seek guidance from the Lord that they might be directed aright, and who had to confess their own sins and their failures. This is a great encouragement to me and I cannot help thinking it ought to be to others also. I realize that one blunders so frequently; one errs in so many ways. Even when one has attempted to do the very best thing, he often feels in looking back that he has made a mistake by going too far to the right or the left.
It is such an encouragement to know that all the work God has accomplished through His servants in this world He has done through imperfect instruments. He has never had a perfect instrument. The Lord Jesus of course was perfect, but He was more than an instrument. He was God Himself manifest in the flesh. But all the merely human servants that God has ever had have blundered somewhere.
Go back into the Old Testament. Noah failed terribly after the flood when he came under the power of wine. Abraham denied his wife. Isaac failed because of fleshly appetite. Jacobs record was one of blundering and failure! Moses spirit was provoked at the waters of Meribah, as a result he was not permitted to enter into the land of Canaan. David had a great blot on his record, though he bitterly repented of his sin.
So one might go on through all the Old Testament, and find that even when we come to the New Testament the same thing is true. We think of John as the gentlest and most loving of the Lords disciples, and yet John and James would have called down fire from heaven and burned up the city of the Samaritans because they refused the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter denied his Lord. Thomas doubted. Over all of them Failure could be written. And yet God used these men in spite of their failures and lack of good judgment. He brought them to repentance and cleansed them from all unrighteousness, and gave them opportunity after opportunity to magnify His grace. So we are not surprised to read a record like the one found in Acts 21.
It is very evident that if this was a positive command given to Paul not to go to Jerusalem, he did not recognize it as such. He rather took it as a test of his readiness to endure, and so he went on. Luke, who was with him, said, When we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city: and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed. We had something similar to that in the previous chapter. There Paul kneeled down on the shore and prayed with the Ephesian elders, and now here is this little group. It is gratifying to notice the women and the little children all knelt together and prayed as they commended Paul to the Lord, and as he commended them to the grace of God.
Then Luke wrote, When we had taken our leave one of another, we took shipand came to PtolemaisAnd the next daycame unto Caesarea. There another interesting incident occurred. We entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him. This is the Philip who years earlier was chosen to be a deacon and was called by the Spirit of God to go down to Samaria and preach Christ to the Samaritans. Many of the Samaritans believed and were saved. Then the Spirit of God took Philip out of what we might consider a great spiritual awakening and revival and told him to go toward the south to the road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza. Without any question he obeyed and finding a man from Ethiopia reading from the prophecy of Isaiah, Philip took the opportunity to preach to him of Jesus Christ.
Now this was the Philip who was living at Caesarea. We are told that he had four daughters, and these young women, anointed servants of God, all had the gift of prophecy. But God did not use these young women to admonish Paul.
We read, As we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus. And when he was come unto us, he did a most striking thing. He unloosed Pauls girdle. The Easterners wore long, flowing robes, held together at the waist by a girdle. With Pauls girdle Agabus bound his own hands and feet and solemnly declared, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.
Was that another warning, telling Paul not to go, or was it simply another test of his faith? We dont know, but it will all come out clearly at the judgment seat of Christ. Certainly Pauls companions took it as a warning not to go on, but he himself interpreted it otherwise. Luke wrote, When we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. They felt he was making a mistake. He was putting himself in unnecessary jeopardy, which might result in the cutting short of his great ministry, and so they pleaded with him not to go.
But Paul, unable to view it from their standpoint and moved by his great love for his Jewish people, answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. In other words, Paul said, Bonds and afflictions do not terrify me; the thought of persecution and trial does not trouble me. I am ready to endure all these things for Christs sake. Truly he did not take this as an intimation that he should not go to Jerusalem, though it may have been that. So when the others heard what he had to say, they simply added, The will of the Lord be done.
It is not incumbent on us to judge the apostle Paul. It looks as though he missed the mind of God here. Yet if he did, we realize that we too have often missed His mind. Still He has been so wonderfully patient and kind. Our hearts can only go out to Him in deep thanksgiving.
We need also to remember that there is not only Gods directive will, but His permissive will, and if Paul misunderstood the former he was in line with the latter. God was going to work out some special purpose in the experiences that His servant would have to undergo at Jerusalem.
In Act 21:15(kjv) we have a curious instance of how a word may completely change its meaning in the course of time. The word translated carriage is better translated today baggage, that is, We took up our baggage and went up to Jerusalem.
There went with us also certain of the disciples of Caesarea, and brought with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple, with whom we should lodge. And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. When Paul had gone to Jerusalem some years before to have the apostles there decide whether or not Gentile believers must be subjected to the law of circumcision there had been some feelings of discord. Now Paul and his fellow travelers were received gladly, and apparently with true brotherly confidence.
But on the day following, something took place that fills us with perplexity. How could it be that the incident which is next recorded could ever have had Pauls approval? After Paul recounted his ministry among the Gentiles, the elders rejoiced in what God had done. But something was troubling their minds in regard to Pauls attitude toward Jewish Christians. James said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law. The apostle Paul had written the Epistles to the Galatians and to the Romans long before this, and he had told believers that they were not under law but under grace. To Jewish believers he wrote: The law was our [child-leader] to bring us unto Christ-our paidagogos (Gal 3:24-25). The word translated schoolmaster in the King James version can be literally translated child-leader. In other words, the law directed Israel in the days of their minority; but, Paul said, after Christ came, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. But these Jewish Christians at Jerusalem had never learned this. They were still carrying out the various commandments given in connection with the Old Testament ritual.
James said to Paul, And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs (that is, the Jewish customs). He did not refer to what Paul taught the Gentiles because they were never under Moses, and Paul did not seek to put them under him. He gave them the truth of grace.
Then James devised a little plan that would put Paul right with his Jewish brethren at Jerusalem. It was what you might call an example of religious politics, and here again we see how easily a great man of God may fail and be misled, for James was certainly an outstanding servant of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was intimately related to Christ after the flesh, and he had the full confidence of the Christians in Jerusalem. And yet he put this plan up to Paul.
James told Paul of four men who had taken the Nazarite vows. In the book of Numbers we read that if a Jew took the vow of a Nazarite, he was to devote himself wholly to the things of God for a certain period of time. It might be a few days or a number of weeks, months, or years. A Nazarite had to let his hair grow, but at the end of the period of his vow he was to shave it off and bring certain sacrifices to present to God.
Paul himself was a Nazarite when he was converted (see commentary on Act 18:18). But when Paul had concluded his vow, he did not bring a sacrifice. Why? He knew that Christ, by offering Himself, had perfected forever them that are sanctified, and he knew that the sacrifices under the law had no more place in the Christian economy.
But these Jewish Christians had not learned this. They were concluding their Nazariteship and were going to the temple to present their sacrifices. Sometimes men were poor and unable to buy proper offerings. Certain well-to-do Jews would purchase the lambs for the sacrifice, and so meet the need of their poorer brethren. That was considered a very meritorious thing.
James saw this as an opportunity for Paul to square himself with his Jewish brethren. He said, Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, (that is, You pay for the sacrifices) that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law. As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing. You see, they were making a difference between Christian Jews and Christian Gentiles. But Paul himself had emphatically declared that there was no such difference before God.
Now what would you have expected of Paul in circumstances like these? What would you have supposed would be the attitude of the man who wrote Galatians and Romans? Surely you would have expected him to say, I cannot do that. For me to go with those men to the altar in the temple and pay for their sacrifices would be the denial of what I have preached during all the years of my ministry. But again I say that if Paul failed here, he failed because of his intense love for his Jewish brethren. He wanted to do something to win them, and so he agreed, for we read: Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.
Just imagine if that rite had been consummated, what it would have meant! It would have nullified to a large extent the testimony of the apostle Paul in the years to come. Imagine him stepping up with them to the altar and offering animal sacrifices-a virtual denial of the one sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But God did not permit it. He so overruled that the very Jewish people that Paul wanted to reach misunderstood him entirely and took steps that led to his arrest. When the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him. They accused Paul of polluting the temple by bringing in Gentiles. That was not true. He had not brought Greeks into the temple, but the next verse explains why they said that: For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple. How easy it is to get excited over suppositions and to go to extremes because of imaginary things without seeking to find out the truth!
As the mob prepared to kill Paul God intervened to take care of His dear servant. There may have been mistakes; he may have failed to ascertain the mind of God; but the loving heart of the Savior goes out to him still, and He is going to protect him. And so He does it through the Roman chief captain who, we read, immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul. Then the chief captain came near, and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and demanded who he was, and what he had done (Act 21:32-33).
It was absurd on the face of it. There was a mob in an uproar and instead of first inquiring the reason for the clamor, the chief captain took it for granted that Paul must be to blame. So he had him bound and then inquired what he had been doing.
And some cried one thing, some another, among the multitude: and when he could not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the castle-that is, the castle of Antonia that overlooked the temple court.
It is easy to stir up a mob. Half of them did not even know what the trouble was about, but mob spirit is infectious, and so this great host shouted for the death of the apostle Paul. As he was about to be led into the castle, he said to the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? He spoke in Greek, and the captain asked in amazement, Canst thou speak Greek? Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these days made an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers? There had been an uprising against the Romans some time before, and the chief captain supposed that Paul was the guilty man who headed that rebellion.
But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people. And when he had given him license, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue (Act 21:39-40).
Acts 22 records his speech to the crowd in Jerusalem in which he gave the testimony of his wonderful conversion.
Let us gather up a few thoughts in closing this chapter. How often you and I in our very effort to do the will of God are likely to miss His leading, sometimes through prejudice, sometimes through wrong information, sometimes through not being wholly surrendered to do His will. But oh, how wonderful the mercy of God that, even if we blunder, He never gives up on us. He is still looking after us in His lovingkindness. While we may have failed, God is going to see us safely through to the end. And when at last we reach glory land, we will look back over the path we have come and we will be able to praise Him for it all.
Oh, Lord, whateer my path may be,
If only I may walk with Thee,
And talk with Thee along the way,
Ill praise Thee for it all some day.
Fuente: Commentaries on the New Testament and Prophets
Act 21:14
I. The revealed will of God lies upon two pages-the page of Scripture and the page of Providence. There were three trials pressing upon the men of Csarea when they meekly folded their hands and said, “The will of the Lord be done.” (1) There was defeat, for they were beaten in an argument into which they had evidently thrown all their power; consequently there was (2) disappointment, everything went contrary to their hopes and expectations; and (3) there was grief, the bitter grief of a painful bereavement. What is the secret of rest in all these things? I see nothing but a profound and adoring sense of God-to look away till we see only Him, His counsel ordaining, His love presiding, His hand guiding, His Spirit sanctifying, His glory crowning. “The will of the Lord be done.”
II. But I turn to the unrevealed will. After all this was the main thought of the company at Csarea. “We cannot tell which is right, Paul or we. The Lord will show in His own time. What He decides must be best. The will of the Lord be done.” It is a hard thing to sit and watch one I love, and to school my heart to receive, I do not know what, and I am afraid to ask what. But all the while, far above all this, over the perplexity, and over the mystery, and over the dread, there is reigning the high will of God, and that will is bearing on to its own destined purpose, and it must prevail. And here is faith’s large field-the unrevealed will of God. Unite yourself with it, throw yourself upon it absolutely. Let it bear you where it will; it can only bear you home. “The will of the Lord be done.”
J. Vaughan, Fifty Sermons, 4th series, p. 1.
Reference: Act 21:15.-Preacher’s Monthly, vol. ii., p. 250.
Act 21:16
I. This discipleship of Mnason commenced with the freshness of his youth. The epithet “old” does not, I think, refer so much to the man as the disciple. I do not think it tells us about the number of his years, so much as about the number of the years which he had lived as a servant of the Saviour. His birthplace was Cyprus, one of the wickedest places in all the world. To have been a disciple there was no child’s play. In that place, of all others, he had witnessed a good profession before many witnesses, presenting himself body, soul, and spirit, a living sacrifice to God.
II. This discipleship of his survived all the temptations of his manhood.
III. This discipleship was held in reputation in his old age.
W. Brock, Penny Pulpit, No. 582, new series.
References: Act 21:16.-Homiletic Magazine, vol. x., p. 276. Act 21:17-26.-H. W. Beecher, Christian World Pulpit, vol. iii., p. 19. Act 21:23.-Ibid., vol. xiv., p. 181. Act 21:28.-Expositor, 1st series, vol. ix., No. 377. Act 21:39.-W. Braden, Christian World Pulpit, vol. x., p. 369.
Fuente: The Sermon Bible
CHAPTER 21
1. The journey from Miletus to Tyre and Ptolemais (Act 21:1-7).
2. In Caesarea (Act 21:8-14).
3. The Apostles Arrival in Jerusalem and his visit to the Temple (Act 21:15-26).
4. The Uproar in the Temple. Paul taken prisoner (Act 21:27-40).
Coos, Rhodes and Patara are mentioned. Then they sailed over to Phenicia and landed in Tyre. Here they found disciples.
And the Holy Spirit through these disciples warned the Apostle at once that he should not go to Jerusalem. This, indeed, was very solemn. If these disciples had spoken of themselves, if it said that they were in anxiety over Pauls journey to that city, one might say that they were simply speaking as men; but the record makes it clear that the Holy Spirit spoke through them. Could then the Apostle Paul have been under the guidance of that same Spirit in going to Jerusalem? As stated before, the great love for his brethren, his kinsmen, burned in his heart, and so great was his desire to be in Jerusalem that he ignored the voice of the Spirit.
In Caesarea they were the guests of Philip the evangelist. Here Agabus, who had given a prediction of a great dearth years ago (11:28) comes once more upon the scene. When he had come he took Pauls girdle and with it bound his own hands and feet, and then he 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. Here then another warning was given. It was the last and by far the strongest. Did Agabus really speak by the Spirit? The literal fulfillment of his predictive action furnishes the answer. The whole company, both his fellow travelers and the believers in Caesarea, began to beseech him not to go up to Jerusalem.
Then they reached Jerusalem. On the next day the company paid a visit to James, in whose house all the elders had assembled for the purpose of meeting with Paul and his friends. And now once more the Apostle relates what no doubt was dearest to the hearts of James and the elders, what God had wrought through His God-given ministry among the Gentiles. It must have been a very lengthy account; for he rehearsed particularly, or one by one, the things which had happened in His great activity. After Paul had spoken, they glorified God.
All had progressed nicely up to this point. But now the great crisis is rapidly reached. The meeting had been called in the house of James, and only the elders had been invited for a very good reason. Reports had reached Jerusalem that Paul had taught the Jews among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, and even to deny children the covenant sign, circumcision. Most likely the Judaizing element in the assembly of Jerusalem, the men who were so successfully overcome by the bold arguments of the Apostle at the council in Jerusalem (Act 15:1-41. Gal 2:1-21), the men who so strenuously taught, that unless the Gentiles became circumcised, they could not be saved–these men were responsible for the rumors. What could be done to convince the multitude that all this was incorrect, that Paul after all was a good Jew?
The elders suggest to him that there were four men who had a vow on them. These he should take and purify himself with them as well as pay the charges. This action, they reasoned, would not only demonstrate that the reports were untrue, but that he, the Apostle of Gentiles, walketh orderly and keepeth the law. To make this temptation stronger, they restated that which had been agreed concerning the status of the believing Gentiles, according to the decision of the church council years ago. All was a most subtle snare. He was by that action to show that, with all his preaching to the Gentiles, he was still a good Jew, faithful to all the traditions of the fathers, and attached to the temple.
And a strange sight it is to see the Apostle Paul back in the temple, going through these dead ceremonies, which had been ended by the death of the cross. A strange sight to see him, who disclaimed all earthly authority and taught deliverance from the Law and a union with an unseen Christ, submitting once more to the elementary things, as he calls them in his Epistle to the Galatians,the beggarly elements! And has not the whole professing church fallen into the same snare?
His arrest followed and he is taken prisoner. A great tumult followed. They would have killed him if the chief captain had not rescued him. He then was bound with two chains. Agabus prophecy is fulfilled.
Paul gives the Roman officer his pedigree. I am a man, a Jew of Tarsus, and then requests the privilege of addressing the furious mob. This was permitted, and taking a prominent place on the stairs, where he could be seen by all below, and when after beckoning to the people, silence had been secured, he addressed them in Hebrew. The break of the chapter at this point is unfortunate. The next chapter contains the first address of defense of the prisoner Paul.
Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)
62. “THE WILL OF THE LORD BE DONE”
Act 21:1-40
Paul was en route to Jerusalem, knowing fully that upon his arrival there he would meet with vehement opposition because of the gospel he preached (Act 20:22-24). But he would allow nothing to keep him from doing what he knew God had called and directed him to do. After his brief stay at Miletus (Act 20:17-38), he sailed down the west coast of Asia Minor, stopping at Coos, Rhodes, and Patara. From there they sailed around the Island of Cyprus to Tyre, in Syria. Finding disciples there, he and his companions tarried at Tyre for seven days. Read Act 21:1-4.
AT TYRE, THE DISCIPLES WARNED PAUL NOT TO GO UP TO JERUSALEM (Act 21:4-5). Without question, they gave this warning “to Paul through the Spirit.” Neither can it be doubted that Paul was “bound in the Spirit” to go to Jerusalem. There is only one way to understand this apparent contradiction – These warnings given to Paul by the Holy Spirit were given to try and prove his faith and faithfulness so that he might stand as an example to others. After the warning was given and Paul could not be dissuaded, the disciples at Tyre, with their families, prayed with Paul and bid him farewell, submitting to the will of the Lord.
AFTER LEAVING TYRE, PAUL AND HIS FRIENDS CAME TO CAESAREA, WHERE THEY WERE THE GUESTS OF PHILIP THE EVANGELIST (Act 21:7-9). Philip was one of the original deacons (Act 6:5). Later he became an evangelist. He is the one who was sent of God to preach the gospel to the Samaritans and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. The last we saw of him, he was settled in Caesarea (Act 8:40). Now, some twenty or more years later, he was still there, serving the Lord with a family of four daughters who had the gift of prophecy.
This servant of God was a married man. Contrary to papal doctrine, which forbids the marriage of God’s servants, almost all the pastors, deacons, and evangelists of the New Testament were married men (1Ti 4:1-5).
Philip, being given to hospitality, graciously opened his home to paul and his travelling companions. Grace makes people gracious and generous. Philip counted it an honor and privilege to have God’s servants and his saints as guests in his home. Happy is the home and household where the servants of God and the people of God are frequent guests. Where God’s servants and his people are lodged, blessings are lodged (Mat 10:41-42; Heb 13:1-2).
Philip’s virgin daughters prophesied. There is no indication that these girls had taken a vow of virginity! They were simply young women who were not yet married and were virgins, as all unmarried women should be. These young ladies had a gift of prophecy. That does not imply that they taught and explained the Scriptures, or preached in the public assemblies of the church. That would have been a direct violation of the Word of God (1Co 15:34-35; 1Ti 2:11-12). When Luke tells us they “did prophesy”, he simply means that they had the gift to foretell future events by the Spirit of God. This was one of the many extraordinary signs of the fulfilment of Joel’s prophecy in apostolic times (Joe 2:28). We can only guess what the subject of their prophecy was, but the context helps us. Like the disciples at Tyre (Act 21:4) and Aqabus (Act 21:11), Philip’s daughters probably warned Paul of the danger awaiting him at Jerusalem. Over and over again the Holy Spirit plainly told Paul the things he would face at Jerusalem. He knew that certain death awaited him (Act 20:25).
While he was still at Caesarea in Philip’s house, AGABUS CAME DOWN FROM JUDEA AND PROPHESIED OF PAUL’S IMPRISONMENT AT JERUSALEM (Act 21:11-14). Paul had met Agabus fifteen or sixteen years earlier at Antioch. It was Agabus who had prophesied of the famine that came in the days of Claudias Caesar (Act 11:28). Paul was familiar with this man and fully aware of his Divine commission and gifts. Agabus publicly prophesied that Paul would be bound by the Jews and delivered up to the Romans. The disciples were heart broken for Paul’s sake. They tenderly and urgently begged him not to proceed with his plans. But Paul would not be dissuaded. He was committed to Christ and determined to obey that which he knew to be the will of God, even if it cost him his life (Act 21:13; Act 20:22-24). Seeing Paul’s determination, all the disciples submitted to the will of the Lord. They would not be found in rebellion to God. This is the spirit of faith. It is the spirit of Christ (Mat 26:42). All who believe God submit to the will of God, preferring his will to their will because his will is best.
AT LAST PAUL WENT UP TO JERUSALEM, WHERE HE WAS COMPELLED BY JAMES TO GIVE APPROVAL TO THE OBSERVANCE OF THE MOSAIC LAW (Act 21:15-40). Carefully read Act 21:17-26. It is one of the saddest paragraphs in the Bible. A terrible, tragic thing is about to take place. No man was a greater, or more consistent exponent of the believer’s freedom from the law than Paul. Yet, he is about to go back under the yoke of bondage!
James and the elders at Jerusalem persuaded Paul that, in order to conciliate the Jews and put an end to the scandalous reports they had heard about him, he should give public approval to the observance of the ceremonial law of Moses. They compelled him to go into the temple with four men who had taken a Nazarite vow (Num 6:2; Num 6:13) and offer a sacrifice of purification; and Paul did it!
Without question, this action was contrary to everything Paul taught (Gal 2:3; Gal 2:11; Gal 3:1-3; Gal 5:1; Col 2:16). By example and by association, Paul gave approval to legalism. His action could only encourage others to retain the spirit of legalism and both confuse and dishearten the Gentile believers. To this day, legalists point to this passage as an argument why we should live under the yoke of the law.
Why did Paul submit to this legal ceremony? The believing Jews had not yet seen the destruction of the temple. During this time of transition, most Jewish believers continued to observe the customs of the law. God virtually had to break their hands to get them to let go of Moses and the carnal ceremonies of the law. But why did Paul, who knew better, do this horrible thing?
No doubt, he was trying to be conciliatory to the believing Jews who were yet weak in the faith (1Co 9:19-23). That is commendable. Those who are weak in the faith are to be borne with in patience. We must do nothing to offend them. But we must not, even for the sake of nurturing the weak, do that which is contrary to the gospel of Christ or in violation of our own conscience. We can do without wine or meat to keep a brother from stumbling; but we cannot and must not pretend to live by legal principles to keep from offending a legalist! If we join others in committing evil and compromise the gospel of grace in the name of christian love, we will not help them, and are likely to hinder many others. In addition to those things, Paul was probably simply tired of fighting with his brethren over the law. He finally gave in; but he regretted it. His strongest instructions about the believer’s total freedom from the law in Christ were written after this incident.
Besides, the compromise did not work (Act 21:27-40). It never does! The Jews were not conciliated. It is a vain thing to imagine that men can be pleased and that their approval of the gospel can be won by compromise. However, it must not be forgotten that God graciously overruled even this sad blemish in Paul’s life to accomplish his purpose. This too proved to be good for Paul, good for God’s elect, and for the glory of God. Had he not gone into the temple that day, he would not have been arrested, he would not have gone to Rome, he would not have written his prison epistles, he would not have been martyred for Christ. Without question, God brought good out of evil; and he still does!
Fuente: Discovering Christ In Selected Books of the Bible
we were: Act 20:37, Act 20:38, 1Sa 20:41, 1Sa 20:42, 1Th 2:17
and had: Act 27:2, Act 27:4, Luk 5:4, Luk 8:22
Coos: Coos, Cos, or Co, now Zia, is an island in the Aegean sea, one of those called Cyclades, near the south-west point of Asia Minor, and about fifteen miles from Halicarnassus. Rhodes. Rhodes is a celebrated island in the same sea, southward of Caria, from which it is distant about twenty miles, next to Cyprus and Lesbos in extent, being 120 miles in circumference. It was remarkable for the clearness of the air, and its pleasant and healthy climate, and chiefly for its Colossus of brass, seventy cubits high, with each finger as large as an ordinary man, standing astride over the mouth of the harbour, so that ships in full sail passed between its legs.
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
AS WE START this chapter, we see that Luke was still with Paul and his company, and we trace their journey up to Jerusalem. Arrived at Tyre, they evidently sought for disciples, if any were there, and found some. Through these unnamed men the Spirit gave a message to Paul to the effect that he should not go on to Jerusalem. To the Ephesians he had spoken of being bound in his own spirit to go up. Evidently his own inward conviction was so strong that he did not accept the word through the humble men of Tyre. It seems to be a case of his allowing powerful convictions to override the voice of the Spirit reaching him from without. There we must leave it, only observing that if so, we are permitted to see in the succeeding history how God overruled the mistake for ultimate good, though it meant much trouble for Paul.
Leaving Tyre there was another of these beautiful impromptu prayer meetings, just as, arrived at Caesarea, we have a glimpse of the Christian hospitality of those days. Philip, the evangelist of Act 8:1-40, was their host. His daughters furnish us with examples of women having prophetic gifts, which they exercised doubtless in accord with Scriptural instructions for the service of women.
In that city further testimony was rendered through the prophet Agabus as to what lay before Paul at Jerusalem. Again we see a touching display of affection for Paul, on the part both of his companions and the saints at Caesarea: a display also of Pauls readiness to lay down his life for the name of the Lord Jesus. Incidentally we see indicated the wise course when a difference of opinion exists which cannot be removed. We all have to hold our peace, only desiring that in the matter the will of the Lord, whatever it is, may be done.
Having reached Jerusalem, Paul reported to James and the elders what God had wrought through him among the Gentiles. They glorified the Lord in this, for they were prepared to acknowledge them in Christ, in keeping with what had been decided at the conference, of which we read in Act 15:1-41. The Gentiles were not to be put under the yoke of the law. But whether believing Jews should observe their old customs was another question. The Jerusalem brethren urged upon Paul that he should take the opportunity of four men having a vow to associate himself with them, especially as it was alleged against him that he had been teaching Jews to forsake their customs. They felt it was expedient that he should contradict these rumours in this fashion.
Another thing that lay behind the suggestion was that there were now thousands of Jews believing in Christ, but they were all zealous of the law. We should have thought that they would have been zealous of the Gospel and its heavenly hopes, but evidently they had as yet failed to apprehend the true character of that into which they had been brought. It was to such Jewish Christians as these that the Epistle to the Hebrews was written. They were indeed dull of hearing, and had need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God, needing milk and not strong meat. They were consequently exhorted to go on unto perfection (Heb 5:11-14; Heb 6:1-2).
The action recommended to Paul, and which he took, was hardly calculated to lead them on to perfection. It was an act of expediency, done to avoid trouble, and as is so often the case entirely failed of its object. It took Paul into the temple where his adversaries were most likely to be found. He ran into trouble instead of avoiding it. The riot against him was fomented by Jews of Asia, men who doubtless had been implicated in the riot at Ephesus. They acted under the supposition that Paul had desecrated the temple by taking into it an Ephesian Gentile. The supposition was evidently mistaken. He had not done this, but he had gone in himself, supposing that thereby he might disarm their prejudice, and this supposition also proved to be mistaken.
Nevertheless the hand of God was over all that happened. The prophecy of Agabus was fulfilled. Paul lost his liberty. Yet by the action of the Roman chief captain he was rescued from the violence of the people. The days of his free evangelistic labours were over-save perhaps for a short time just before the end. Now began the period in which he was to bear powerful witness to the populace in Jerusalem, to be followed by witness before governors and kings, and even before Nero himself. God knows how to make the wrath of man to praise Him, and to restrain the remainder of wrath. He knows also how to overrule any mistakes which His servants may make, and while closing before them certain lines of service to open out other lines, which ultimately may prove to be of even greater importance. It was Pauls imprisonment which led to his writing those inspired epistles which have edified the church for nineteen centuries.
Fuente: F. B. Hole’s Old and New Testaments Commentary
1
Act 21:1-2. The ship they took at Miletus went as far as Patara only, where the group had to change over to another vessel bound for Phenicia. That was a small tract of country on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
St. Pauls Journey from Miletus to Tyre, 1-6.
Act 21:1. And it came to pass, that after we were gotten from them. The Greek word here, as Chrysostom remarks, is a very forcible expression, and signifies, when we had torn ourselves away from them. The parting between St. Paul and his Ephesian friends and fellow-workers must have been exceedingly painful.
We came with a straight course unto Coos. This was a small island about forty miles south of Miletus, opposite the coast where lay the cities of Cnidus and Halicarnassus. It was famous for its wines and fabrics. It possessed, in the days of Paul, a celebrated temple of sculapius, and was a renowned school of medicine. Josephus tells us that many Jews resided here. It was the birthplace of Hippocrates the physician, and Apelles the painter.
And the day following unto Rhodes. Rhodes lay fifty miles to the south of Coos. It was famed for being the most beautiful spot in this, perhaps the fairest portion of the world. There was a proverb that the sun shone every day in Rhodes. From its unrivalled situation, lying as it does on the verge of two of the basins of the Mediterranean Sea, it has always been an emporium for the eastern and western trades. It was the point from which the Greek geographers reckoned their parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude, In the Greek period, it was illustrious especially for its great temple of the Sun, and for the Colossus; this latter, in the days of Paul, was in ruins, having been overthrown by an earthquake. Its navy had done great and effectual service in the suppression of piracy in those seas.
In the days of Roman power, Rhodes still enjoyed a nominal freedom. It formally became a province of the Empire in the days of the Emperor Vespasian. In mediaeval story, Rhodes obtained a distinguished place as the home of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John, and then it was the last Christian city to make a stand against the Saracens. It now belongs to the Ottoman Turks, retains its ancient name, but little else of its former magnificence and power.
And from thence unto Patara. Patara, on the coast of Lydia, was the harbour of Xanthus, and, from its ruins, was a place of some importance and splendour. Here was a famous oracle of Apollo. This port is now an inland marsh.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Subdivision 1. (Act 21:1-14.)
Forewarnings.
Not without full warning does the apostle come into soldier’s chain. God utters His voice with absolute plainness, and it is not due to any lack in this respect that the disaster happens which occupies so many pages of the Acts. We see here a reason why it could not be in its totality the Acts of Jesus; why the Acts of the apostles do not fully represent these. The voice of the Lord is heard now in protest against the act of one of His most devoted servants; even although that act itself is one of complete self-sacrifice, and although it is permitted for purposes of wise and holy, far-reaching design. There is no more mystery here than in a multitude of the ways of Him around whom in divine government clouds and darkness so often are. He can be completely over what He cannot sanction in anywise; and what an immense comfort is it to know this! What a confusion would the world be if it were not so! whereas the very exercise which this now involves for us is itself most truly helpful in that discernment of good and evil in which so much of our education here consists.
The warning given is a double one. The apostle is first told, plainly and unequivocally, not to go to Jerusalem; and then the consequences of going are put before him. Had the latter been announced alone, with one such as Paul, they might not have been sufficient; coming after the other, they reiterate the prohibition. Spite of all, the apostle certainly sees nothing of the kind; there is a veil over his eyes very solemn indeed in character, by reason of its being that of an impulse possessing him so exalted and so pathetic as was that love to Israel which he himself has recorded for us in the epistle to the Rom 9:1-4. That epistle was written in contemplation of this very journey (Rom 15:25); he had long treasured in his heart the thought of it, and the apparent failure of his previous attempt to reach the object of his desire had only perhaps made more absorbing that desire. Under the control of this he seems incapable of realizing any hindrance to its effectuation. Ready to any extent to sacrifice himself, how could it be possible that God should be against that which was in fact the fruit of the Spirit of Christ?
1. He wrenches himself away therefore from the beloved Ephesian disciples, a need greater than theirs pressing him on; and with a straight course and all things favoring, pursues his voyage to the Syrian coast. At Tyre he lands, and there they find disciples, with whom they remain seven days; and now comes the first distinct intimation from more than one of these, speaking by the Spirit, “that he should not set foot in Jerusalem.” It is strange to find, spite of the explicitness of this, Lechler contending that it was only the knowledge of Paul’s sufferings in Jerusalem that they had by the illumination of the Spirit, while “the entreaty itself, that Paul should not visit Jerusalem where such dangers awaited him, was not dictated by the Holy Ghost, but was prompted solely by human opinions and affections.” He appeals, of course, not to the passage before him. but to the prophecy of Agabus which was after this, and to the language of the apostle himself in Act 20:23, which we have already considered, in proof of what he advances; but such a way of reading Scripture could make almost anything of it. Not a word is said here about any sufferings that were to result from the visit, but “they said by the Spirit that he should not” go there. If this were not prophecy, as we know it could not have been, then it could only be guidance; and we may notice again how fully it is confirmed to the apostle by the mouth of at least two witnesses. It is quite true that he is not really guided by it, and we may not be able to account fully for his neglect of such an intimation; but we must not set aside the plain words which we find here, and which alone put in its true light much that follows, as well as some things that have gone before. Certainly there was upon Paul the spell of a wondrous love, if we do not say, its delirium; a love, which those for whom it was, rejected, as they did the much more wondrous love of the Son of God, of which this was but the reflection. Had he not caught it in the glory of that Face, into which, we know, he was habitually looking?
Another farewell scene is depicted for us here with these brethren of Tyre, who with wives and children accompany their visitors to the ship, and with prayer take leave of them. A shadow of what is at hand seems falling upon these little companies of believers, which is lightened up with the tender constancy of an affection which has in it the assurance of eternity.
2. The party of Paul take ship once more, coasting the Syrian shore to Ptolemais, which we now call Acre, where again they find disciples; few towns there were now, no doubt, without them. And next day they are at Caesarea, at the house of that Philip the evangelist with whose work at Samaria we are well acquainted. We have here a glimpse of what helps us to realize the way in which the gifts of the Spirit were manifested through the assemblies. Philip has four daughters, all prophetesses, a lovely picture just put before us, one would say, that we might admire it (for we have nothing of them more than this), perhaps that we may remember that the same Spirit is with us still, and that we may covet, as we are exhorted to do, the gifts of His grace. We may also understand that women as such are not shut out from them, however there may be for them (as women) a suited sphere for their exercise. It is nature that has marked out this sphere; which grace does not set aside, nor limit on this account the fulness of blessing that may be theirs who covet it. How good it would be to see more of this coveting in faith, and that we would put to the proof in faith these assurances that are given us. How great would be the result, not to the individual only, but in the assembly as a whole, of believing hearts that craved from God their portion! We have not, because we ask not; we ask and have not, because our prayers are too much a conflict with God for what, if He granted, it would be disaster for us, instead of desires that rise after those blessings which are laid up for us in Christ already, and may be claimed with the full confidence of faith.
One cannot say again with Lechler that this account of Philip’s daughters stands in no immediate connection with the events here related. Why should we make our own capacity to discern such things the measure of what is really in them; disparaging Scripture in the proportion in which we elevate ourselves above it? When the Church is being left of its great apostle, is it not suitable that we should be shown how fully, nevertheless, the endowment of the Spirit is upon it, even in its weakest members? that the Lord’s care for it neither fails nor is abridged; and that it need neither fail nor fear because of this?
But Philip’s daughters have no prophecy for Paul: it is Agabus of whom we have heard before, who, coming down from Judea, announces to him that which awaits him from the people upon whom his heart is set. It is Paul’s own girdle, however, that binds his hands and feet; that is, it is his own zealous service to them that puts him into their hands. The meaning is given to him, and in the most emphatic way, as a declaration of the Spirit, of the Holy Spirit, who thus reveals to His servant the unchanged evil in the hearts of those once the murderers of the Saviour, and now ready to be his own. Was not He too delivered to the Gentiles? a likeness which could not but affect the apostle, so closely to follow in his Master’s steps. Yet was not that Gentile cross to which they gave him up the very symbol of salvation for men? So with himself also, might the apostle argue, if this were but a means by which the tardy hearts of Israel were to be smitten to repentance, would not suffering be light that should have this result? So when those around begin in their distress to beseech him not to go up to Jerusalem, he is fixed and resolute, moved by their tears indeed, but not altered. Did they not know him ready even to die at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus? But the Spirit had spoken nothing about death. The captivity of years, shut up from the work he loved, and with which he was so identified, would it not be worse than any death could be? How if he had recognized it as the shadow of that setting aside of his gospel also, in days not far off?
And in fact such an intimation we, at least, may read in it. The judaizing of the Church, which he had already been called so earnestly to contend against, was to be a worse enemy to the free grace of God he published than this Jewish people now menacing himself. Alas, it would be armed with all the natural resistance of the self-righteous heart against that which humbles it, even while it exalts immeasurably the soul once humbled. Who that knows anything of himself but has known this Jew in him, not one of God’s Israel indeed, but such as confronted Christ and now Paul, with his circumcision of flesh, and not of heart, and his steadfast resistance to the truth at all points. Such in the professing church at a later day the Lord Himself characterizes as those “who say they are Jews, but are not, but are the synagogue of Satan:” words which let in a terrible light upon the degradation ensuing upon their prevalence (as prevail they did), and which changed the heavenly to the earthly, spirit to flesh, grace to law, the company chosen out of the world into a confusion of Church and world together; the adversary’s attack by low imitation upon that which Christ is sanctifying, cleansing it by washing of water by the Word, to present it to Himself a glorious Church!
We can understand by this, not only the apostle’s captivity -that is, his gospel’s, -but how this Judaism (false to the core, as false in its abuse of Christian names) gave up what it had first polluted into the hands of the world, and thus riveted the chains of a long captivity. Sad it is, though profitable, to trace, step by step, the awful transformation. It is not for us to do it now; it is enough to show how fully the history which is before us here has its spiritual counterpart in that of the Church afterwards. Judaism had only the external form of separation from the world, which could not yet be actual; the new Judaism coming in after the separation was accomplished, brought back (and of course into the place of power) the world once more. It was the Babylonish captivity of the Church of God.
Fuente: Grant’s Numerical Bible Notes and Commentary
The latter end of the foregoing chapter acquainted us with the sorrowful and heavy parting of the elders and church of Ephesus from the holy apostle.
Now, the first verse of this chapter informs us, that it was not less sorrowful on the apostle’s and his companions’ part. So much the word here imports, after we were gotten from them, apospasthentas ap’ auton: “After we were torn from, and pulled as it were limb from limb from each other;” intimating the mutual endearments which were between them whilst together, and that inexpressible sorrow which was found amongst them at their parting.
Verily, there is no stronger love, nor more endearing affections, betwixt any relations upon the earth, than betwixt the ministers of Christ and such of their people as they have been instrumental to bring home to God. Spiritual affections are stronger than natural; the removing of a spiritual father by death, or otherwise, is like tearing limb from limb; yea, like rending the head from the body.
Lord! with what great difficulty and deep reluctancy did the holy apostle and the church of Ephesus here part from one another! They were pulled and torn one from another, as the word imports.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Warnings On the Road To Jerusalem
The departure from Miletus was an emotional one. In fact, Luke used the word for depart which Thayer says means, “tear away.” They went from Cos, to Rhodes, to Patara. Then, they boarded a ship sailing to Phoenicia. They passed Cyprus and sailed to Syria, where they stopped at Tyre for the ship to unload its cargo. Paul and his companions sought out the Lord’s followers in that city and stayed seven days with them. Since the Spirit played a key role in the start of this journey toward Jerusalem, it seems likely the disciples, having further revelations from the Spirit concerning Paul’s coming imprisonment, begged him not to go ( Act 21:1-4 ; Act 19:21 ; compare 21:11-14).
At the end of their week long visit, Paul’s company walked toward the ship with an escort composed of the many Christian men in the city of Tyre, along with their wives and children. They all stopped for prayer upon reaching the shore. Then, the apostle and those with him boarded the ship and the others returned home. The ship went on from Tyre to Ptolemais, where they were again greeted by the brethren. After one day’s stay, they went on to Caesarea, where they spent some time in the house of Philip the proclaimer of good news. This was the same Philip who was chosen for the ministration to the widows and, likely, the one who taught the Ethiopian. Luke reported that Philip had four virgin daughters who prophesied ( Act 21:5-9 ).
Agabus ( Act 11:28 ) also came to Philip’s house at the same time as Paul’s company. The prophet took Paul’s belt, or girdle, and bound his own hands and feet. He then explained that the Holy Spirit was foretelling Paul’s being taken prisoner by the Jews and turned over to the Gentiles. All those who heard the prophecy, including Luke, begged the apostle not to go to Jerusalem. Paul explained that his trip to Jerusalem was one he was making in an effort to fulfill his commission to preach the gospel. So, he asked why they would cry and break his heart, since he was not only ready to be bound but to die for his Master. When the others realized the strength of the apostle’s convictions in the matter, they yielded and expressed the desire that the Lord’s will be accomplished ( Act 21:10-14 ).
Fuente: Gary Hampton Commentary on Selected Books
Act 21:1-3. And after we were gotten Greek, , were torn away; from them Not without doing violence both to ourselves and them; we came with a straight course to Coos Or Cos, now commonly called Lango, one of the islands termed Cyclades, famous for the worship of sculapius, and the temple of Juno; and for being the birth-place of Hippocrates, an eminent physician, and Apelles, a celebrated painter; and the day following unto Rhodes Another island in the same sea, famous for the worship of the sun, and its Colossus, a prodigiously large brazen statue, erected across the mouth of the harbour, and dedicated to Apollo, or the sun, so high that ships, in full sail, could pass between its legs. The artificers were twelve years in making it; and it was deemed one of the seven wonders of the world. Sixty-six years after its erection, and about two hundred and twenty-four years before Christ, it was thrown down by a terrible earthquake, and lay prostrate almost nine hundred years. When the Saracens took possession of the island, about A.D. 660, they sold this image to a Jew, who, it is said, loaded nine hundred camels with the brass of it. And from thence unto Patara A noted seaport town of Lycia, beautified with many temples, of which one was dedicated to Apollo, whose oracle therein, for credit and wealth, was not much inferior to that of Delphi. Here, finding a ship bound for Phenicia, they went on board, and leaving Cyprus on the left, sailed for Syria, and arrived at Tyre, where she was to unlade Concerning Tyre, see the notes on Isaiah 23. That there should be Christians in Tyre, was foretold Psa 87:4.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
XXI: 1-3. The vessel proceeded by a coasting voyage along the southern shore of Asia Minor. (1) And it came to pass, when we had separated from them, and set sail, that we ran with a straight course and came to Cos; and the next day to Rhodes, and thence to Patara. (2) And finding a ship going across to Phenicia, we embarked and set sail. (3) Passing in sight of Cyprus, and leaving it to the left, we sailed to Syria, and landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unload her cargo. The change of vessels at Patara must have been occasioned by the fact that the one in which they had hitherto sailed was not bound for a Phenician port. That the new vessel is said to be going across to Phenicia, and that it left Cyprus on the left, is an indication that the other was going to cling still further to the coast of Asia Minor, and was probably bound for Antioch.
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Acts Chapter 21
After this time the apostle has to give account of himself, and to accomplish in a striking manner the predictions of the Lord. Brought before tribunals by the malice of the Jews, given up through their hatred into the hands of the Gentiles, it was all to turn to a testimony. Kings and rulers shall hear the gospel, but the love of many will grown cold. This in general is his position; but there were details personal to himself.
We may remark here a leading feature in this book which has been little noticed; that is, the development of the enmity of the Jews, bringing on their final rejection, such as they were. The Acts ends with the last case presented; the work in the midst of that people is left in oblivion, and that of Paul occupies the whole scene in the historical narrative given by the Spirit. The antagonism of the Jews to the manifestation of the assembly, which took their place and blotted out the distinction between them and the Gentiles, by bringing in heaven and full sovereign grace in contrast with law, which while universal in its direction was given to a distinct people (grace of which the sinner availed himself by faith)-this antagonism, presenting itself at every step in the career of the apostle, although he acted with all possible circumspection, is aroused in its full intensity at Jerusalem, its natural centre, and manifests itself by violence and by efforts made with the Gentiles for the purpose of cutting off Paul from the earth. This rendered the apostles position very serious with regard to the Gentiles at Jerusalem-a city the more jealous of its religious importance from having in fact under Roman bondage lost the reality of it, through its being transformed into a spirit of rebellion against the authority which crippled it.
After the history of Christianity, viewed as connected with Judaism (in reference to the promises and their fulfilment in the Messiah), we find Paul in three different positions. First, condescending, for the purpose of conciliation, to take account of that which still existed at Jerusalem, and even addressing the Jews everywhere in their synagogues, as having administratively the first right to hear the gospel (To the Jew first and then to the Greek) for Jesus was the minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to fulfil the promises made to the fathers. In this respect he never failed, and he establishes these principles clearly and dogmatically in the Epistle to the Romans. We next find him, in all the liberty of the full truth of grace and of the purposes of God, in his own especial work from which he condescended in grace. This is recorded in the Epistle to the Ephesians. In both these cases he acts under the guidance of the Holy Ghost, fulfilling the Lords will. Afterwards, in the third place, we see him in conflict with the hostility of legal Judaism, the emissaries of which he met continually, and into the very focus of which he at length threw himself by going to Jerusalem, in that part of his history which we are now considering. How much was of God-how much was the consequence of his own steps-is matter for consideration in this narrative. That the hand of God was in it for the good of the assembly, and in conducting His beloved servant for his own good in the end, is beyond all doubt. We have only to search out how far the will and the mind of Paul came in, as means which God used to bring about the result He intended, whether for the assembly or for His servant, or for the Jews. These thoughts are of the deepest interest, and require humble examination of that which God has set before us to instruct us on this point in the history which the Spirit Himself has given us of these things.
The first thing which strikes us at the beginning of this history is that the Holy Ghost tells him not to go to Jerusalem (chap. 21:4). This word has evident importance. Paul felt himself bound: there was something in his own mind which impelled him thither, a feeling that forced him in that direction; but the Spirit, in His positive and outward testimony forbade his going.
The apostles intention had been to go to Rome. The apostle of the Gentiles sent forth to preach the gospel to every creature, there was nothing of self in this project that was not according to grace (Rom 1:13-15). Nevertheless God had not allowed him to go thither. He was obliged to write his Epistle to them without seeing them. Heaven is the metropolis of Christianity. Rome and Jerusalem must have no place with Paul, except as to bearing with the one in affection, and being ready, when he might, to evangelise the other. Act 19:21, which is translated in the spirit, only means the spirit of Paul. He purposed, in his own mind, saying, When I have been there, I must also see Rome. Afterwards he charge himself with the offerings of the saints in Achaia and Macedonia. He wished to prove his affection for the poor of his own people (Gal 2:10). This was all well. I do not know if it was a function suited to an apostle. It was an evidently Jewish feeling, which set peculiar value on the poor of Jerusalem, and so far on Jerusalem itself. A Jew would rather be poor at Jerusalem than rich among the Gentiles. Poor Christians were there no doubt from the time of their conversion, but that was the origin of this system (compare Neh 11:2 and Act 24:17). All this belonged to relationship with Judaism (Rom 15:25-28). Paul loved the nation to which he belonged after the flesh, and which had been the people beloved of God and was still His people although rejected for a time, the remnant having now to enter the kingdom of God through Christianity. This attachment of Paul to them (which had its right and deeply affecting side, but which on another side had to do with the flesh) led him into the centre of Judaism. He was the messenger of the heavenly glory, which brought out the doctrine of the assembly composed of Jews and Gentiles, united without distinction in the one body of Christ, thus blotting out Judaism; but his love for his nation carried him, I repeat, into the very centre of hostile Judaism-Judaism enraged against this spiritual equality. His testimony, the Lord had told him, they would not receive.
Nevertheless the hand of God was doubtless in it. Paul individually found his level.
As the instrument of Gods revelation, he proclaims in all its extent and all its force the purpose of the sovereign grace of God. The wine is not adulterated; it flows out as pure as he had received it. And he walked in a remarkable way at the height of the revelation committed to him. Still Paul individually is a man; he must be exercised and manifested, and in those exercises to which God has subjected us. Where the flesh has found its pleasure, the sphere in which it has gratified itself, it is there that, when God acts, it finds its sorrow. Yet, if God saw fit to prove His servant and manifest him to himself, He stood by him, and blessed him even through the trial itself-turned it into testimony, and refreshed the heart of His beloved and faithful servant. The manifestation of that in him which is not according to the Spirit, or to the height of his calling, was in love for his blessing and for that of the assembly. Blessed is he who can walk as faithfully and maintain his standing to the same degree through grace in the path of grace! Nevertheless Christ is the only model. I see no one who (in another career) so much resembled Him in His public life as Paul.
The more we search into the apostles walk the more we shall see this resemblance. Only that Christ was the model of perfection in obedience; in His precious servant there was the flesh. Paul would have been the first to acknowledge that perfection may be ascribed to Jesus only.
I believe then that the hand of God was in this journey of Pauls; that in His sovereign wisdom He willed that His servant should undertake it, and also have blessing in it; but that the means employed to lead him into it according to that sovereign wisdom, was the apostles human affection for the people who were his kinsmen after the flesh; and that he was not led into it by the Holy Ghost acting on the part of Christ in the assembly. This attachment to his people, this human affection, met with that among the people which put it in its place. Humanly speaking, it was an amiable feeling; but it was not the power of the Holy Ghost founded on the death and resurrection of Christ. Here there was no longer Jew nor Gentile. In the living Christ it was right. Christ went on in it to the end in order that He might die; for this purpose He came.
Pauls affection was good in itself, but as a spring of action it did not come up to the height of the work of the Spirit, who on Christs part had sent him afar from Jerusalem to the Gentiles in order to reveal the assembly as His body united to Him in heaven. Thus the Jews hearkened to him till it came to that word, and then they cried out and raised the tumult which caused Paul to be made prisoner. [33] He suffered for the truth, but where that truth had no access according to Christs own testimony: they will not receive thy testimony concerning me. It was necessary however that the Jews should manifest their hatred to the gospel, and give this final proof of their inveterate opposition to the ways of God in grace.
At the same time, whatever may have been the subsequent labours of the apostle (if there were any the Holy Ghost does not make mention of them: Paul sees the Jews in his own house, and receives all who come to him; but) the page of the Spirits history closes here. This history is ended. The apostolic mission to the Gentiles in connection with the founding of the assembly is
concluded. Rome is but the prison of the apostle of the truth, to whom the truth had been committed. Jerusalem rejects him, Rome imprisons him and puts him to death as it had done to Jesus, whom the blessed apostle had to resemble in this also according to his desire in Php 3:1-21; for Christ and conformity to Him was his only object. It was given him to find this conformity in his service, as it was so strongly in his heart and soul, with the necessary difference between a ministry which was not to break the bruised reed nor lift up its voice in the street, and one which in testimony was to bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
The mission of the twelve to the Gentiles, going out from Jerusalem (Mat 28:1-20), never took place, so far as any record of it by the Holy Ghost goes. [34] Jerusalem detained them. They did not even go over the cities of Israel. The ministry of the circumcision was given to Peter, that of the Gentiles to Paul in connection with the doctrine of the assembly and of a glorious Christ-a Christ whom he no longer knew after the flesh. Jerusalem, to which the apostle was drawn by his affection, rejected both him and his mission. His ministry to the Gentiles, so far as the free effect of the power of the Spirit, ended likewise. Ecclesiastical history may perhaps tell us more; nevertheless God has taken care to bury it in profound darkness Nothing farther is owned by the Spirit. We hear no more of the apostles at Jerusalem; and Rome, as we have seen, had none, so far as the Holy Ghost informs us, excepting that the apostle of the Gentiles was a prisoner there and finally put to death. Man has failed everywhere on earth. The religious and political centres of the world-centres, according to God, as to the earth-have rejected the testimony, and put the testifier to death; but the result has been that Heaven has maintained its rights inviolate and in their absolute purity. The assembly the true heavenly and eternal metropolis of glory and of the ways of God-the assembly which had its place in the counsels of God before the world was-the assembly which answers to His heart in grace as united to Christ in glory-remains the object of faith. It is revealed according to the mind of God, and perfectly such as it is in His mind, until, as the heavenly Jerusalem, it shall be manifested in glory, in connection with the accomplishment of the ways of God on the earth, in the re-establishment of Jerusalem as the centre of His earthly dealings in grace, His throne, His metropolis in the midst even of the Gentiles, and in the disappearance even of Gentile power, the seat and centre of which was Rome.
Let us now examine the thoughts of the apostle, and that which took place historically. Paul wrote from Corinth to Rome, when he had this journey in view. Christianity had flowed towards that centre of the world, without any apostle whatsoever having planted it there. Paul follows it. Rome is, as it were, a part of his apostolic domain which escapes him (Rom 1:13-15). He returns to the subject in chapter IS. If he might not come (for God will not begin with the capital of the world-compare the destruction of Hazor in Canaan, Jos 11:11), he will at least write to them on the ground of his universal apostleship to the Gentiles. Some Christians were already established there: so God would have it. But they were in some sort, of his province. Many of them had been personally in connection with him. See the number and character of the salutations at the end of the epistle, which have a peculiar stamp, making the Roman Christians in great part the children of Paul.
In Rom 15:14-29 he develops his apostolic position with respect to the Romans and others. He desired also to go into Spain when he had seen the brethren at Rome a little. He wishes to impart spiritual gifts to them, but to be comforted by their mutual faith, to enjoy a little of their company. They are in connection with him; but they have their place as Christians at Rome without his ever having been there. When therefore he had seen them a little, he would go into Spain. But he was disappointed with regard to these projects. All that we are told by the Holy Ghost is that he was a prisoner at Rome. Profound silence as to Spain. Instead of going farther when he had seen them and imparted gifts, he remains two years a prisoner at Rome. It is not known whether he was set free or not. Some say yes, others no; the word says nothing.
It is here, when he had laid open his intentions and the character of his relationships in the Spirit with Rome, and when a large field opens before him in the west, that his old affection for his people and for Jerusalem intervenes-But now I go unto Jerusalem to carry help to the saints (Rom 15:25-28). Why not go to Rome according to the energy of the Spirit, his work being finished in Greece? (Act 21:23). God, no doubt, ordained that those things should happen at Jerusalem, and that Rome and the Romans should have this sad place with respect to the testimony of a glorified Christ and of the assembly, which the apostle rendered before the world. But as to Paul, why put rebellious Jerusalem between his evangelical desire and his work? The affection was good, and the service good-for a deacon, or a messenger of the churches: but for Paul, who had the whole west open before his evangelising thought!
For the moment Jerusalem intercepted his view. Accordingly, as we have seen, the Holy Ghost warned him on his way. He foresaw himself also the danger he was running into (Rom 15:30-32). He was sure (Act 21:29) of coming in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ; but he was not sure that he should come with joy. The thing for which he asked their prayers turned out quite otherwise than he desired. He was delivered, but as a prisoner. He took courage when he saw the brethren at Appii Forum and the Three Taverns. There was no journey into Spain either.
All this to me is very solemn. The Lord, full of grace and tenderness, was with His poor but beloved servant. In the case of such an one as Paul, it is a most affecting history, and the Lords ways adorable and perfect in goodness. The reality of faith is there in full; the ways of grace perfect, and perfect in tenderness also, in the Lord. He stands by His servant in the trial in which he finds himself, to encourage and strengthen him. At the same time, with regard to the desire of going to Jerusalem, he is warned by the Spirit, and its consequences are set before him; and, not turning back, he undergoes the needful discipline, which brings his soul into its place, and a full place of blessing before God. His walk finds its level as to spiritual power. He feels the power outwardly of that whereof he had felt the moral power seeking to hinder his ministry; and a chain upon his flesh answers to the liberty he had allowed it. There was justice in Gods dealings. His servant was too precious for it to be otherwise. At the same time, as to result and testimony, God ordered everything for His own glory, and with perfect wisdom as to the future welfare of the assembly. Jerusalem, as we have seen, rejects the testimony to the Gentiles, in a word the ways of God in the assembly (compare 1Th 2:14-16); and Rome becomes the prison of that testimony; while according to the Lords promise the testimony is carried before rulers and kings, and before Caesar himself.
I have said that grace put Paul into the position of Christ given up to the Gentiles by the hatred of the Jews. It was a great favour. The difference-besides the infinite love of the Lord who gave Himself up-was that Jesus was there in His true place before God. He had come to the Jews: that He should be delivered up was the crowning act of His devotedness and His service. It was in fact the offering Himself by the eternal Spirit. It was the sphere of His service as sent of God. Paul re-entered it: the energy of the Holy Ghost had placed him outside-Delivering thee, said the Lord, from the people and from the Gentiles, to whom I now send thee to open their eyes, etc. (Act 26:17). Jesus had taken him out from them both, to exercise a ministry that united the two in one body in Christ in heaven who had thus sent him. In his service Paul knew no one after the flesh; in Christ Jesus there was neither Jew nor Greek.
Let us resume his history. He is warned by the Holy Ghost not to go up (chap. 21:4). Nevertheless he continues his journey to Caesarea. A prophet named Agabus comes down from Judea, and announces that Paul shall be bound and given up to the Gentiles. It might be said that this did not forbid his going. It is true; yet, coming after the other, it strengthened the warning already given. When he walked in the liberty of the Spirit, warned of danger, he fled from it, while braving every peril if the testimony required it. At Ephesus he allowed himself to be persuaded not to go into the theatre.
The Holy Ghost does not usually warn of danger. He leads in the path of the Lord, and if persecution comes, He gives strength to endure it. Here Paul was continually warned. His friends entreat him not to go up. He will not be persuaded. They hold their peace, little satisfied, saying, The will of the Lord be done. And, I doubt not, it was His will, but for the accomplishment of purposes that Paul knew not by the intelligence given of the Holy Ghost. Only he felt pressed in spirit to go, and ready to suffer all things for the Lord.
Footnotes for Acts Chapter 21
33: And this circumstance is worthy of note, that it was Christs declaration that he should go to the Gentiles; to which we may add that this at the time was accompanied by the declaration, Get thee quickly out of Jerusalem, for they will not receive thy testimony concerning Me. So that what declared his testimony was of no avail in Jerusalem was the occasion of his being seized. On Christs word and his own shewing, his apostolic service was not there but elsewhere.
34: Mar 16:20 is the only passage which may be supposed to allude to what would fulfil it; and even not so as such, for that and Col 1:6 refer to all the world, and are founded on ascension, not a mission to the Gentiles only founded on resurrection.
Fuente: John Darby’s Synopsis of the New Testament
THE VOYAGE CONTINUED
1. And when it came to pass that we embarked, having been farewelled by them. Cos is an island near the coast, celebrated in Grecian history for the temple of Aesculapius, the founder of the medical art. Rhodes is a beautiful island, celebrated for the brazen statue of a man, manufactured by Phidias, so large that it actually strode the entrance into the harbor, ships passing in under it beneath its feet, and we are not astonished that it was celebrated as one of the seven wonders of the world.
Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament
Act 21:1. We came with a straight course to Coos, or Cos. See the map of St. Pauls travels. It is the principal island of the group called Cyclades. Hypocrates the physician, and Apelles the painter, were born here.
And the day following unto Rhodes, an island about forty miles in length, and fifteen in breadth. According to the poets, Minerva rained here a shower of gold; that is, made the inhabitants rich by the art of statuary, in which they surpassed all other nations. So Pindar states in his Olympia, ode 7. Ipsa csiis oculis dea prbuit illis ut in omni arte Prstantissim oper manuum suarum mortales reliquos superarent. The erection of the collossal statue of brass, which stood with one foot on each head of the pier of the harbour, and under which a ship could enter in full sail, is proof of their genius and wealth. It stood seventy cubits high, and was so large that few men could grasp its thumb. This statue was one of the seven wonders of the world, and on account of which the Rhodians were for a long time called Colossians. But their peculiar glory was not antique: having stood about sixty years, the statue fell by an earthquake, two hundred and forty four years before our Saviours birth. See more in Pliny, lib. 34. cap. 37. Thus every Babel of human pride must be brought low: the glory of this world passeth away.
From thence to Patara, a maritime city of Lycia, thirteen miles south-west of Satalia.
Act 21:3. And landed at Tyre, the ancient Tyre, described in Isa 23:1.
Act 21:4. Finding disciples who said to Paul, , by or through the Spirit of prophecy, that he should not go up to Jerusalem. How are we to understand this revelation? Subjunctively, it would seem, that he must not go up unless he were resolved to fight the battles of the Lord. So Paul must have understood both this and the more explicit one of Agabus, in Act 21:10-11; else he had been disobedient to the heavenly vision. He was like the heroes named by Virgil, who in battle do not know how to yield.
Act 21:8. Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven deacons. The accuracy of this description proves that Philip, who preached to the Eunuch, Act 8:35, was Philip the apostle. The evangelists were colleagues of the apostles in preaching the gospel of Christ.
Act 21:9. Four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy. Philip was married. Marriage was very much abstained from in the primitive missionaries for the great love they had to their Masters work; but Paul tells the Corinthians that the preachers had a right to lead about a wife, or a sister, if that sister could be useful as a deaconess in the church. cumenius says that a married man might be a deacon, a priest, or a bishop. There is a slight apparent contradiction on the subject of Pauls marriage, between the fathers. Ignatius affirms he had a wife; and Ambrose, that all the apostles were married, except St. Paul and St. John. Eusebius goes no farther than to say that three of the apostles were married, Peter, Paul, and Philip. Philip was not only married, but happy in his marriage. The holiness of the father had gained the daughters to the Lord, and the Lord had honoured their conversion with the gifts of prayer, of exhortation, and probably with some of the extraordinary endowments promised to women. Joel 2. and Acts 2. See also 1Co 9:5.
Act 21:10-11. There came down from Judea a certain prophet, named Agabus, of whom mention is made in Act 11:28, as foretelling the famine in the second year of Claudius. His life had been spared for the space of twenty years since that prediction. He now bound himself with Pauls girdle, the better to express the mind of God by signs, as well as words, like the prophets of old. Jer 13:1. This was a clear prediction of Pauls bonds, that the malice of the jews to destroy him, (which Agabus well knew) should be frustrated; that they should not stone him, nor assassinate him, as forty of them swore to do; and that the Romans would not be prevailed upon to put him to death. How luminous, how accurate were these predictions! How well calculated to fortify the apostle, and support the church, that the great hero of their faith suffered according to the will of God. Paul had seen the Lord, and would not deny his name.
Act 21:14. The will of the Lord be done. Paul was persuaded that good would result from the conflict he should have to maintain at Jerusalem; and thanking the prophet for his goodness, preferred the battle to a retreat. The prophecy however was not lost; it would confirm the church, and support them in submission to the divine will.
Act 21:18-19. The day following Paul went in with us to James, the only apostle now in the city, and he rehearsed to them what a gracious work the Lord had wrought in Greece, as he had before recited the great work in Asia minor: Act 15:4-5.
Act 21:20. They said to him, thou seest, brother Saul, how many thousands of jews there are which believe. The Greek is, myriads, ten thousands. This no doubt is true, if Luke speaks here of believers in all the six provinces of Palestine; and they are all zealous of the law. This advice was good, and very prudent, to prevent dissension in the church, when they saw that Paul himself lived and walked as a pharisee in the order of his sect. This advice was founded on the reports that Paul had abrogated the law; when, in fact, he had refused only to burden the myriads of gentile converts with circumcision and the ritual obligations. Moses nowhere makes that law binding on the gentile world.
Act 21:23. We have four men which have a vow. Paul was advised, as coming from gentile nations, to purify himself with them. This would not only preserve peace with the church, but would appear better before the jewish council.
Act 21:28. Men of Israel, help. This is the man that teaches everywhere against the people of the Hebrew nation, against the law of Moses, and against this place, the holy temple. We now have him in our power; let his life pay for his crimes. The tumult spread to the city, and the people crowded the outer court of the gentiles. The men who gave the alarm were jewish teachers of the law; and coming from the province of Asia, they had seen the success which had attended his labours at Ephesus.
Act 21:30. They took Paul, and drew him out of the temple, lest his blood should defile the holy place. Claudius Lysias, the chief captain, the commandant, , the commander of a thousand men, the military tribune, ran down with centurions and soldiers to rescue Paul, mistaking or supposing him to be the seditious Egyptian, who about two years before had escaped the hand of justice. This commandant resided in the palace, now converted into a castle.
A word or two about this castle may tend to elucidate these events. John Hyrcanus succeeded his father Simon, as prince and highpriest of the jews, about one hundred and thirty years before the birth of Christ, and reigned as prince and priest for twenty nine years. He built this castle on the northern mount of the temple, with four towers, as the palace of the Asmonean princes. The staircase descended from the palace into the court of the gentiles. Herod the first converted it into a castle, and called it Antonia, in gratitude to Mark Antony. The Roman commanders, with their guards, occupied at that time the castle, because it commanded the temple and the city. See Josephus: Bell. Judges 13.
Act 21:38. Art not thou that Egyptian which leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers. Sicarions, from the Latin sica. Cicero uses the term for a short pocket dagger, crooked at the point, to do the greater interior mischief on the infliction of a wound.
Of the bacchanalians at Rome, Livy has given a full account, but Josephus is brief concerning this fraternity of robbers and assassins. They were strangers, and had come to Jerusalem under the cloak of devotion; but subsisted by rapine and murder, and often killed their enemies in the temple, and escaped in the throng. The Egyptian is called a sorcerer, and in that respect the sect resembled the bacchanalians who affected to disclose the Elysian mysteries. The Sicarions were known in Jerusalem, for Felix the governor had most basely employed them to murder Jonathan, the highpriest. The issues of this desperate fraternity were a revolt against the Romans, with a promise from their Egyptian leader, that on assaulting the city, the walls, like those of Jericho, would fall down. On their arriving at the mount of Olives, Felix so hotly charged them both with horse and foot, that four hundred were slain, and two hundred made prisoners, while the rest escaped. Joseph. Antiq. 20. cap. 6. Euseb. Hist. lib. 2. cap. 21.
Act 21:40. When he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, which led from the court of the gentiles to the castle; and, though his body was sore with the beating he had just received from the jews, he had great presence of mind while addressing one of the most crowded auditories that had ever attended in that court.
REFLECTIONS.
The love that subsists between pastors and the people converted by their ministry, and their mutual prayers, is beyond conception. It is astonishing to the world, to see how those christians love one another. The brethren, their wives and children, attended Paul and his companions, wishing to have another word, and another look before they parted to meet no more on earth. See them kneel at the side of the road, to ask the blessing of their heavenly Father. Truly these were days of the Son of man.
But what we most admire is the invincible courage of the hero in his confession of the faith. After being twice warned by the prophets, and twice entreated by the weeping church, he might have retired from the contest with honour; and with a prudence which he himself might have accounted laudable in another. But to the real hero, there is no honour like that of victory; no reward like that of the crown. As the Holy Spirit had only announced his bonds, and had not expressly forbidden him to go, he silenced all entreaty by declaring his readiness not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. Go on, great apostle: the Lord is thy strength and thy Redeemer!
See the apostles, now accompanied by brethren in the ministry, meet the third time in Jerusalem to recount what God had done among the gentiles, and swell the joys of the church. The apostle James, now residing there, as bishop and general superintendent, delicately apprises Paul of the unfavourable reports circulated against him with regard to his laxity in not enforcing the ceremonial law of circumcision; and they advise him, for the peace of the church, to purify in the temple, and pay his vows, as coming from gentile nations; a thing the jews would often do on entering the territories of the holy land.
Paul was not opinionated; he was even a jew to gain the jews. The ceremonial rituals, though a burden, were not against his conscience. This submission aided him in his future defence; he could tell the Roman kings of Asia, that the jews neither found him in the temple disputing with any man, nor yet in the city, nor in the synagogue; and that they could not prove the things they had laid to his charge. He had, on the contrary, come to bring alms to his country from the richer gentiles of Greece. Thus God was with his servant in Jerusalem, as he had been at Antioch, at Iconium, at Ephesus, and at Philippi, and in all places. He stilled the fury of the people in the temple, and moved the Romans to become his protectors, and force the lions, who had called for his blood, calmly to hear him preach!
Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Act 21:1-6. From Miletus to Tyre.The sailing is by day, with a following wind (cf. Act 20:15). After Patara D adds and Myra, where Paul touched on his journey to Rome (see Act 27:5). Vessels from the East for Rome made for Myra and coasted from there. The vessel from Assos in which Paul was, whether or not chartered for the party, probably went no further than Patara or Myra; he had to tranship, and the rest of his voyage was on the open sea, past the SW. corner of Cyprus, which was sighted. At Tyre there was an enforced delay for the discharge of cargo (cf. accomplished the days, Act 21:5). The Christians in the large city had to be looked for, but they took an interest in Paul and warned him that it was dangerous for him to go to Jerusalem. Paul was himself aware of the danger (Rom 15:30 f.). The scene on the beach shows that the church at Tyre was not a large one; the fragrance of it is still sweet to us.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
From this point onwards there is no record of the work of God spreading as it had previously through Paul’s energetic ministry. In fact, we read of no conversions until Chapter 28:24, though we may be sure there were other cases; but Paul himself becomes confined, as his work does too, as a result of his purpose to go to Jerusalem in spite of being warned by God not to go. We may fully recognize his consuming love toward his people Israel, and his earnest desire to see them turned to the Lord. It was this that moved him mightily in going to Jerusalem. However, it is a mistake to trust our devotion to God and to the interests of His people, no matter how deep this may be: we can trust only the Word of God for guidance, as for everything else.
Leaving Miletus they came with a straight course to Coos, then to Rhodes and Patara. Changing ships, they sail to Phenicia, pass by Cyprus to Syria, landing at Tyre. God put no hindrances in the way on their journey. Indeed, for a man taught of God, as Paul was, the Word of God should have been enough. Smooth circumstances could not change this. Finding disciples at Tyre, however, they remain seven days. Evidently these had not known Paul before, which makes the more unusually striking their telling him, through the Spirit of God, that he should not go to Jerusalem. This is so clear and unequivocal that we can only marvel that the apostle paid no attention to it. Having his mind fully made up, it seems he would allow nothing to change it.
The affections of the disciples here were very real. They all, (including women and children) accompanied Paul and his companions out of the city to the shore where the boat was docked. There they kneeled down on the shore and prayed. The witness of the impending imprisonment and sufferings of Paul produced a serious effect on all the company. Many details are spoken of in the history that appeal to human interest. While the one company boarded the ship, the other returned home again.
Ptolmais was the end of the journey by ship. Here they remained with the brethren only one day, then proceeded by foot to Caesarea, not far distant. Philip the evangelist had come there after the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch (Act 8:40): now this was evidently his home. His house was large enough to accommodate all of
Paul’s company, and they remained with him for many days. Though nothing more is said of Philip’s work, he was still called “the evangelist,” and he had four daughters who prophesied, a lovely commendation. Of course it is not at all implied that they were public speakers, for prophesying may certainly be done in private circumstances. This is a valuable gift for sisters to cultivate.
Observe that Paul had much time on this journey to consider whether he actually ought to go to Jerusalem. Now we read of a brother, a prophet named Agabus coming from Judea to Caesarea. Binding his own hands and feet with Paul’s girdle, he prophesied that in such a way the owner of the girdle would be bound by the Jews and delivered to the Gentiles. This is just what happened to the Lord Jesus, and no doubt Paul thought of this, not in such a way as to dissuade him from going, but the opposite. He would apparently not seek to avoid being treated in the same way as was his Lord. Though both his friends with him and the saints of Caesarea entreated him not to go, he told them he was prepared, not only to be taken prisoner, but the die at Jerusalem. Of course it was there that the Lord Jesus had died . But none of these prophecies had mentioned death for Paul. Yet he had been plainly told, through the Spirit of God, that he should not go up to Jerusalem (v.4). The saints then say nothing more but to commit the matter to the will of the Lord.
The company is enlarged on this last leg of the journey with disciples from Casesarea attending them, and an early disciple, Mnason of Cyprus, who evidently had a home at Jerusalem, where he entertained Paul and his company. Arriving at Jerusalem, they were received gladly by the brethren, at least those whom they first met. Paul then loses no time in meeting with James and the elders, informing them of the great work God had performed among the Gentiles by his ministry. This made no little impression and they glorified God for it.
Though James and the elders at Jerusalem rejoiced for the work God had done among the Gentiles, yet they felt it important that Paul should clarify a matter that was causing thousands of believing Jews some serious concern. They had heard that Paul was teaching Jews among the Gentile nations to forsake Moses by no longer circumcising their children and by giving up the ritualistic customs of the law. We may be sure that Paul did not object to the fact of Jewish children being circumcised, for he himself had circumcised Timothy because his mother was Jewish (Act 26:1-3); but he did teach that the mere outward fact of circumcision gives one no spiritual advantage (Cf.Romans 2:25-29). On the other hand, his letter to the Hebrews is clear enough that Christian Jews ought to leave the camp of Judaism and go forth to the Lord Jesus alone (Heb 13:12-13).
James and the elders, however, do not question Paul about this, but assume that his thoughts are not so different from theirs. They urge him to identify himself with four men who were under a vow, likely the vow of Nazariteship (Num 6:1-21), at the conclusion of which the participant was to shave his head, then offerings were to be made for him. Of course Paul knew that the Lord Jesus had done away with such vows (Mat 5:33-37) in introducing the grace of God to a condemned world, but he probably applied the principle here, “unto the Jews I became as a Jew.” In this case, however, it seems that principle is carried a little too far; but he was in a predicament in which he probably saw no other way out. When we are in a wrong place we shall find ourselves virtually bound to do the wrong thing. The elders expected this to prove that Paul was not guilty of the charges laid against him, and that he himself kept the law of Moses.
They confirmed what they had agreed before as to the Gentile converts, that they were not expected to observe any such things, though urged to keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood and from fornication. It is of interest that they evidently saw no inconsistency in requiring Jews to do what Gentiles were not asked to do. They were very slow to give up the Judaistic system of things.
With the four men then Paul entered the temple, submitting to the ceremonial purification in view of an offering being offered for all of them. Certainly Paul knew better than this as his epistle to the Hebrews declares plainly in Chapter 10:12-18, but no doubt by this means he hoped to gain the ear of the Jews.
This was of no avail, for Jews from Asia, recognizing him, caught him and cried out to inform the people that this was the man who was teaching against Israel, the law and the temple. They added that he had brought a Greek into the temple, which was only an assumption since they seen him in the city with Trophimus, an Ephesian.
The uproar they caused, however, defeated their own purpose. They might have killed him more easily in a more covert way, but the noise drew the attention of the Roman captain of the band, who quickly intervened, taking centurions and soldiers with him, so that he rescued Paul from being beaten to death. Taking him prisoner, he demanded who he was and what he had done. Paul had no opportunity of answering this, for a multitude of voices answered from the crowd, only leaving the matter in confusion.
When the captain gave orders that Paul should be taken into the castle, the soldiers had to carry him up the stairs because of the violence of the crowd in demanding his death. The faith of Paul is seen remarkably here, however, when he asks permission to speak to the captain with the desire of addressing the people. The captain was surprised that he could speak Greek, for he had already supposed that he must be a terrorist, and likely a specific one — an Egyptian — who had before raised an uproar, attracting a following of four thousand men who were murderers. He could not understand such a tumult over one who was not a rabble rouser.
Paul corrected this by giving his Jewish background and as born in Tarsus of Cilicia; then asked permission to speak to the people. When the crowd was in such a state of excited hostility, it seems amazing that Paul would desire to speak to them. Yet the captain allowed him to do so. God miraculously quieted the crowd as Paul stood and beckoned with his hand at the top of the stairs.
Fuente: Grant’s Commentary on the Bible
21:1 And {1} it came to pass, that after we were gotten from them, and had launched, we came with a straight course unto Coos, and the [day] following unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara:
(1) Not only ordinary men, but even our friends, and such as are endued with the Spirit of God, sometimes go about to hinder the course of our calling: but it is our part to go forward without any stopping or staggering, after we are sure of our calling from God.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The trip from Miletus to Tyre 21:1-6
The third "we" section of Acts (Act 21:1-18) is of theological importance because it focuses on Paul’s recapitulation of Jesus’ passion. Note the similarities between Luke’s accounts of Jesus’ trip to Jerusalem and Paul’s. Both stories involve a plot by the Jews and handing over to the Gentiles. There were triple predictions along the way of suffering in Jerusalem in both cases. Both Jesus and Paul steadfastly resolved to go there despite opposition, and both resigned themselves to God’s will. [Note: Longenecker, p. 515.] Luke probably told his story as he did to help the reader appreciate the similarities between Jesus and Paul to authenticate Paul’s ministry.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Cos was an island 40 miles from Miletus. Rhodes refers to the city on the island of Rhodes, "Rhodes" meaning "roses," another 90 miles farther. A gigantic statue of Apollo, the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, stood astride the entrance to this harbor years earlier, but it was now in ruins. From there, Paul’s party continued east to Patara, a 60-mile journey. Paul could have made these trips in three days. In Patara the missionaries were able to transfer to a ship bound directly for Tyre 400 miles away, probably a grain or fruit ship. [Note: Robertson, 3:359.] They sailed to the south of Cyprus. Tyre was in ancient Phoenicia, then part of the Roman province of Syria.