Paul's Journey to Jerusalem
Acts 21:1-16
What place did your parents have to drag you to, because you were scared to go there; Circus? Dentist's? Elsewhere?
#God #People #Time #Place #Obedient faith #Sin #Key Idea
Paul Goes
to Jerusalem
1And when we had parted from them and set sail, we came by a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from
there to Patara.a 2And having found a ship crossing to Phoenicia, we went aboard
and set sail. 3When we had come in
sight
of Cyprus, leaving it on the left we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre, for there
the ship was to unload its cargo. 4And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven
days. And through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5When our days there were
ended, we departed
and went on our journey, and they all, with wives and children, accompanied us until we were outside the city. And kneeling down on the
beach, we prayed 6and said farewell to one
another. Then we went
on board the ship, and they returned home.
7When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and we greeted the brothersb and stayed with them for one
day. 8On the next day we departed
and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and
stayed with him. 9He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied. 10While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11And coming
to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own
feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jewsc at Jerusalem will bind the man who
owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” 12When we heard this,
we and the people there urged him not to
go up to Jerusalem. 13Then Paul answered, “What are you doing,
weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned
but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said,
“Let
the will
of the Lord be done.”
15After these days we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. 16And some of
the
disciples from
Caesarea went with us, bringing us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom
we should
lodge.
#Philip the evangelist (one of the seven)
#four unmarried daughters
#Mnason of Cyprus (early disciple)
- God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
- We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
- What do verses 21:1-16 reveal about God, especially the Holy Spirit?
- How is Paul interpreting these warnings differently than his friends do vv. 4,10-13; see 20:22-23)? If the Spirit did not want the saints to try to stop Paul (as they mistakenly concluded), then what was the Spirit seeking to do? What were the saints to learn? What was the reason for these revelations? Why doesn't he listen to their advice?
- Have you ever had to make a decision against the wishes of people you loved and trusted?
- What else do you know about Agabus (see 11:27-29) that gives more credence to his prophecy? Does Paul strike you as courageous or foolish, given this belt-tightening message? Why?
- Why does he want to go to Jerusalem? Do you think Paul made the right decision in going on to Jerusalem?
- Why do you think God gave this message to Paul in advance of his Jerusalem experience?
- Do you see Luke’s parallelism between the journeys of Jesus and Paul to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51-62)? Why do you think he developed this idea?
- Why was Paul so resolute in his reaction to his friends’ pleas that he not go to Jerusalem?
- What did Paul’s friends mean when they told Paul, “The Lord’s will be done”?
- In what ways is the Lord’s will the same for all people? In what ways distinctive to each person?
- How do you determine the Lord’s will for your life in difficult situations?
- What do verses 21:1-16 reveal about God, especially the Holy Spirit?
- I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How can I apply it to my life this week?
- In your eyes, did Paul make the right decision to go to Jerusalem, even though godly people through the Spirit urged him not to go?
- When have you made decisions against the wishes of people you admired and trusted? What happened? In retrospect, were your decisions wise ones? Explain.
- You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.
ON TO JERUSALEM (Acts 21:1-16) — Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
The narrative of Paul's journey to Jerusalem is of literary and historical significance because it comprises the third of Luke's four "we" sections (21:1-18; cf. 16:10-17; 20:5-15; 27:1-28:16). This section is theologically significant because Luke seems to describe Paul's trip to Jerusalem in terms of Jesus' going up to Jerusalem to die. Luke knows, of course, that Paul did not die at Jerusalem. Yet he seems to sketch out Paul's journey to Jerusalem in terms that roughly parallel that of Jesus:
(1) a similar plot by the Jews;
(2) a handing over to the Gentiles (v.11);
(3) a triple prediction on the way of coming suffering (20:22-24; 21:4, 10-11; cf. Luke 9:22, 44; 18:31-34);
(4) a steadfast resolution (v.13)
(5) a holy resignation to God's will (v.14). As Luke has reserved for Paul the mission to the Gentiles, which Jesus saw as inherent in the Servant theology of Isaiah 61 (cf. Luke 4:16-21), so he describes Paul's journey to Jerusalem in terms reminiscent of the Suffering Servant.
Also, this passage contains several warnings given by the Spirit that Paul would encounter trouble during his visit to Jerusalem (vv. 4, 10–12). But the apostle persisted (v. 14), later being arrested and sent to Rome under guard. Arguments to whether or not Paul was in the perfect will of God are pointless. What is useful is to note 1) prophecies do not have to dictate the decisions or manipulate the will of a godly person; 2) even though they may be true, God’s purpose may yet be realized, as was the case in God’s will ultimately bringing Paul to Rome.
It is essential that as disciples obey Jesus. What is God calling you and I to do today?
Think about it!
=================Did Paul
Disobey the Holy Spirit?
By Mark Moore
In Acts 21:4 the brothers of Tyre urged Paul "through
the Spirit" not to go up to Jerusalem. Paul ignores their appeal and heads
toward the capital city. Two days later, on route to his "destiny,"
Paul is urged again not to go, this time by the prophet Agabus in the city of
Caesarea. He binds himself with Paul's belt and says, "Paul, this is what
is going to happen to you if you continue in your present course." Of
course Paul is not dissuaded. With these strong words he rejects their
pleadings; "I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem
for the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 21:13).
Here's the issue: Paul gets a clear message from the Holy
Spirit through Christian brothers that he would be arrested and beaten in
Jerusalem and yet he persists in going. Is he disobedient to the Holy Spirit?
After all, his actions got him brutally beaten and landed him in jail for
nearly four years. We should consider several things here.
First, Paul has twice before indicated that he was bound
"in the spirit" to go to Jerusalem (Acts 19:21 & 20:22). Granted,
we might read "spirit" as a lower case rather than a capital
"S," thus indicating that this was Paul's desire, not God's. However,
that is not the natural reading of this Greek construction (en followed by the
dative article and pneumati, cf. Luke
1:27; 4:1; unless another pneuma is
specified, cf. Luke 1:17; Rom 1:9). It looks an awful lot like Paul means to
say that the Holy Spirit led him to go to Jerusalem and then on to Rome.
Second, the fact that Paul gets beat up and thrown in jail
does not mean that this goes against God's will. Like it or not, God's primary
agenda is not our comfort but the proclamation of the gospel. Furthermore, Paul
has been arrested and beaten throughout his ministry and his sufferings have
consistently advanced the gospel. There is nothing new or surprising here. The
fact that Paul's travels were halted for four years may bother us, but these
imprisonments also afforded both Paul and Luke the opportunity to do a good bit
of writing which has proved to be even more effective and enduring than their
itinerant tours. Moreover, Paul's actions eventually got him to Rome through
God's sovereign hand. Here he was privileged to evangelize Nero himself (Acts
27:24). Luke, as a historian, apparently sees this as part of God's design. At
least that's the way he paints the picture in his narrative.
Third, the Christians in Tyre and Caesarea received a
message from the Holy Spirit about Paul's sufferings, not necessarily a message
forbidding him to go to Jerusalem. Hence, their urging Paul not to go may be
their assumption about the Holy Spirit's message beyond the message itself. As
Stott says, "Perhaps Luke's statement is a condensed way of saying that
the warning was divine while the urging was human" (p. 333). Granted, Paul
is not Jesus. Thus, it is not blasphemy to blame him for making a mistake or
not heeding the warnings of the Holy Spirit. But in this case such an
accusation seems premature. Rather, it looks like both Paul and the brothers
hear the same message from the Holy Spirit and decide to do two different
things about it. The brothers have a tender and proper concern for Paul's
welfare. Paul has a zealous and proper concern for the conversion of his countrymen.
Both are correct and God's will is done.
=================
Forty Wrestlers for Christ
#Spiritual
#Conflict
In the days of the Roman Emperor Nero, there lived and served him a band of soldiers known as the "Emperor's Wrestlers." Fine, stalwart men they were, picked from the best and the bravest of the land, recruited from the great athletes of the Roman amphitheater.
In the great amphitheater they upheld the arms of the emperor against all challengers. Before each contest they stood before the emperor's throne. Then through the courts of Rome rang the cry: "We, the wrestlers, wrestling for thee, O Emperor, to win for thee the victory and from thee, the victor's crown."
When the great Roman army was sent to fight in Gaul, no soldiers were braver or more loyal than this band of wrestlers led by their centurion Vespasian. But news reached Nero that many Roman soldiers had accepted the Christian faith. Therefore, this decree was dispatched to the centurion Vespasian; "If there be any among your soldiers who cling to the faith of the Christian, they must die!"
The decree was received in the dead of winter. The soldiers were camped on the shore of a frozen inland lake. It was with sinking heart that Vespasian, the centurion, read the emperor's message.
Vespasian called the soldiers together and asked: "Are there any among you who cling to the faith of the Christian? If so, let him step forward!" Forty wrestlers instantly stepped forward two paces, respectfully saluted, and stood at attention. Vespasian paused. He had not expected so many, nor such select ones. "Until sundown I shall await your answer," said Vespasian. Sundown came. Again the question was asked. Again the forty wrestlers stepped forward.
Vespasian pleaded with them long and earnestly without prevailing upon a single man to deny his Lord. Finally he said, "The decree of the emperor must be obeyed, but I am not willing that your comrades should shed your blood. I order you to march out upon the lake of ice, and I shall leave you there to the mercy of the elements."
The forty wrestlers were stripped and then, falling into columns of four, marched toward the center of the lake of ice. As they marched they broke into the chant of the arena: "Forty wrestlers, wrestling for Thee, O Christ, to win for Thee the victory and from Thee, the victor's crown!" Through the night Vespasian stood by his campfire and watched. As he waited through the long night, there came to him fainter and fainter the wrestlers' song.
As morning drew near one figure, overcome by exposure, crept quietly toward the fire; in the extremity of his suffering he had renounced his Lord. Faintly but clearly from the darkness came the song: "Thirty-nine wrestlers, wrestling for Thee, O Christ, to win for Thee the victory and from Thee, the victor's crown!"
Vespasian looked at the figure drawing close to the fire. Perhaps he saw eternal light shining there toward the center of the lake. Who can say? But off came his helmet and clothing, and he sprang upon the ice, crying, "Forty wrestlers, wrestling for Thee, O Christ, to win for Thee the victory and from Thee, the victor's crown!"
See: Acts 21:13
================
Who Will Die?
Fearful scenes are flung our way;
Masses jostle to a judgement day,
led by liars headed for fire;
death they ignore and demons admire;
helpless, hopeless, tricked, but proud --
who will go and love this crowd?
He who bravely met the test leaves for us the scene impressed:
Who will die as Jesus died, calmly setting self aside?
-- Byron Harting
See: Acts 21:13
======================
Humor: A Plateful of Prayer?
#Prayer
#Bowing in Prayer
Our three-year-old grandson, Daniel, stayed with us while his parents went on a weekend trip. As usual, we bowed our heads as my husband prayed out loud before all our meals. Daniel watched curiously each time his grandpa prayed.
On the day his parents came to pick him up, we all sat down at the table to have lunch. Just as his daddy started to pick up his sandwich, Daniel shouted, "Wait, Daddy, we can't eat 'til Grandpa reads his plate!"
-- Diana L. James, Laguna Hills, CA. "Heart to Heart," Today's Christian Woman.
See: Ge 24:26; Ac 21:5
