1 The journey by sea from Miletus to Ptolemais
Text, Acts 21:1-7, KJV: 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.
Thoughts:
--Paul and several others left Miletus by ship and made several stops (“ports of call”, to use a nautical term) as mentioned in verses 1-4.
--At Tyre, they found other disciples. Some of these may have been those who had fled Jerusalem after Stephen was martyred, settling in Tyre (“Phenice”, or Phoenicia, per Acts 11:19).
--These disciples of Tyre warned Paul, through the Holy Spirit, to not go to Jerusalem. Clearly, Paul did not heed their warning but decided to go to Jerusalem anyway.
--After spending a week, Paul and the others “departed, and went [their] way”. They stopped at the shore, knelt down, and they all prayed together. Paul and the others sailed on from Tyre to Ptolemais, but the other believers in Tyre returned to their homes.
--Paul and the others arrived at Ptolemais and spent one day after greeting the brethren.
2 The journey by land from Ptolemais to Jerusalem
Text, Acts 21:8-16, KJV: 8 And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him. 9 And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy. 10 And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus. 11 And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's 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. 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 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. 14 And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done. 15 And after those days we took up our carriages, and went up to Jerusalem. 16 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.
Thoughts:
--Ptolemais was on the shore between Tyre and Mount Carmel. Ptolemais was almost due west from Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Chorazin (https://bibleatlas.org/full/ptolemais.htm).
--Luke says that “we . . . of Paul’s company” left Ptolemais and traveled to Caesarea. Luke does not say if they went by foot or by ship but my guess is by ship.
--At Caesarea, Paul and the others met Philip the evangelist. He was one “of the seven”, meaning he was one of the first seven who are generally called deacons, though there is no record he ever had or used that title. Acts 8 has a summary of what he did and where he ministered.
--Philip had four daughters, virgins, who prophesied. This took place before the “canon” of Scripture was complete and the gift of prophecy seems to have gone away. We are not told where these four women prophesied and we have none of their prophecies. Remember that God only gives a word or revelation when it’s needed or when He deems it necessary.
--Luke says they stayed there “many days”. During that time, the prophet Agabus came to Philp’s house and prophesied. His message has one of the few direct quotes by the Holy Spirit. Of note is that this is the second and last recorded prophecy by Agabus. He had also predicted a great famine during the reign of Emperor Claudius (Acts 11:28), which “came to pass.” Otherwise, Agabus would have been a false prophet and wouldn’t need anyone to listen to him.
--Hearing this (at least) second prophecy about danger to come, Luke and others begged Paul, “Don’t go to Jerusalem!” Paul basically said, “I’m going and that’s that”, to which Luke and the others (resignedly?) said, “The will of the Lord be done.”
3 The journey in Jerusalem to the Temple
Text, Acts 21:17-26, KJV 17 And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. 18 And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present. 19 And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. 20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law: 21 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. 22 What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come. 23 Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; 24 Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, 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. 25 As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication. 26 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.
Thoughts:
--Paul and his friends arrived in/at Jerusalem and met “the brethren”, who received Paul and the others gladly. The “brethren” are not specified but could well be leaders in the Church.
--On the next day Paul met with James and “the elders”. Again, these men are not identified but seemed to be leaders in the Church. Paul greeted them, then and “declared particularly (“one by one, John Trapp’s commentary, https://bibleportal.com/commentary/section/john-trapp-complete-commentary/422117), “in detail”, per Jamieson, Faucett, and Brown’s comments, https://bibleportal.com/commentary/section/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/140183, and Robertson’s notes at (https://godrules.net/library/robert/robertact21.htm)”.
--These leaders “glorified the Lord” but didn’t say much of anything praiseworthy to Paul. What they did say to him was probably not something he expected to hear.
--The leaders first reminded (?) Paul that there were “thousands of Jews (who) believe” and were zealous of the Law. They went on to say, “they’ve been informed about you—you’re teaching the Jews, who live among the Gentiles, to forsake Moses, not to circumcise their children, and to not walk after the customs”—none of which were true. A glance at Acts 13-20 would prove this otherwise, and it’s also unsettling that nothing was mentioned about what the Jews had done to Paul as he preached to these Jews!
--Now the elders proposed a solution, of a sort, to prove Paul was still “keep[ing] the law”. This involved a purification ritual for four other men plus Paul (verse 24). They reminded Paul that the Gentile believers had been instructed before about abstaining from four things, and that these Gentiles were not under any obligation to follow/observe/keep the Law of Moses (Acts 15).
--Paul then went to the Temple and did as he was instructed. But trouble was about to come.
4 The first steps in the journey from freedom to bondage
Text, Acts 21:27-40, KJV: 27 And 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, 28 Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place. 29 (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.) 30 And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut. 31 And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32 Who 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. 33 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. 34 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. 35 And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of the people. 36 For the multitude of the people followed after, crying, Away with him. 37 And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek? 38 Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers? 39 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. 40 And when he had given him licence, 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, saying,
Thoughts:
--This is one of the few chapters ending with an incomplete thought. It’s well to remember that in the original writings—and for many years later—there was no punctuation or divisions between chapters and verses. I’ve seen copies of “uncial” manuscripts (all capital letters) with little if any punctuation or division into sections.
--Note that the ones who cried “Wolf!” so to speak were Jews from Asia, probably Ephesus. These may have been the same, or part of the same, group who had waited for Paul at the dock when he was about to sail back to Syria (the territory including Syria, Israel, etc.)
--Also note the hypocrisy or sheer ill-will towards Paul: he was there, fulfilling a request of the church leaders, while other Jews, allegedly there to celebrate one of the feasts, had in mind nothing less than murdering Paul!
--As in Ephesus, the city “was moved” but now they found Paul (he was in the Temple, after all), grabbed him, and tried to kill him! At the very least, they had been beating Paul (verse 32) but we’re not told if the beating was with fists, clubs, or anything else. Whatever it was, it had to hurt Paul a great deal.
--Unlike Ephesus, this time Paul found help when he needed it the most. The “chief captain”, or “chiliarch”, the commander of 1000 soldiers, got wind of this and quickly tried to stop the commotion before it became a genuine riot. Matthew Henry calls this man a “colonel”, https://biblehub.com/commentaries/mhcw/acts/21.htm.
--The chief captain, Claudius Lysias (see Acts 23:26), didn’t come by himself but brought other soldiers and centurions. This was enough for the Jews to stop beating Paul.
--Lysias had Paul bound with two chains (several think this means one of Paul’s arms chained to a soldier) and demanded to know what was going on. Compare his approach to that of the town clerk in Ephesus, Acts 20.
--There was so much noise from people shouting one thing and then something else that Lysias ordered Paul brought into the barracks (“castle”, KJV), for safekeeping or “protective custody”, one might say nowadays.
--Lysias, like many people of the day, spoke Greek and seemed very surprised to hear Paul ask him, in Greek, “May I speak unto thee (verse 37)?” Lysias, incredibly, asked not only “do you speak Greek?” but also, “aren’t you the Egyptian who gathered 4000 murderers in the wilderness?” Paul had been accused of many things, but I doubt he was ever thought a foreigner!
--Paul explained to Lysias, “I’m a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of a city that’s not undistinguished!” He also asked, “May I speak to the people?”
--Lysias did so, and Paul motioned to the crowd that he had something to say. There was a “great silence”, Luke records, quite a contrast from moments before when a riot was going on!
--Paul began to speak to the people in Hebrew (or, possibly, Aramaic) but the text of his message is only found in the next chapter.
Conclusion: Paul had walked into Jerusalem a free man, just days before this event. He seldom had a moment of true freedom the rest of his days. Even so, the Lord used him in a mighty way. Wherever we are, whatever we do, may we all be as faithful as Paul in serving the Lord!
Scripture quotations taken from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV)
