Acts 21:1-16--Paul Goes to Jerusalem

Acts 21:1-16
English Standard Version

Paul Goes to Jerusalem
21 And 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. 2 And having found a ship crossing to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. 3 When 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. 4 And 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. 5 When 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 6 and said farewell to one another. Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home.

7 When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for one day. 8 On 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. 9 He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied. 10 While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 And 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 Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” 12 When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then 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.” 14 And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.”

15 After these days we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. 16 And 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.

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Last time we saw that the Holy Spirit told Paul that he would not be returning to Ephesus or the province of Asia again.  Though Paul didn't know exactly what what coming (some more details will be revealed to Paul in today's passage), he was ready to be beaten and imprisoned and even die if necessary.  Before he set off on his missionary journey to Rome though, he knew he was supposed to go back to Jerusalem, and he had hoped to get there by the Feast of Pentecost so that he could once again celebrate this high holy day with the Jewish disciples in Jerusalem.

Luke is going to give us a summary of how they travelled back to Jerusalem by way of Cos, Rhodes, and Patara.  There they found a ship sailing for Phoenicia (we'd call this Lebanon today--it is just north of Israel).  They went past Cyprus and then put into port in at Tyre.  Paul was really close to Israel at this point, and I would assume that at this point he was getting where he wanted in time to make it to Jerusalem for Pentecost, but the Holy Spirit taps the brakes when Paul and his team get to Tyre.  The Holy Spirit tells Paul very directly to not go to Jerusalem yet as he had wanted to do, so they waited a full week and visited with the brothers in the city of Tyre.

After being with them for a week, the brothers and sisters of Tyre walked with Paul to the beach and knelt down and prayed for him there on the beach before he boarded the ship to travel further south in his journey towards Jerusalem.  The next place they would put in would be Ptolemais, which is just a bit south of Tyre, in the land of Galilee (the northern part of Israel).  Paul greeted the brothers there and met with them for a day before continuing his journey to Caesarea, where they would stay with Philip the Evangelist, one of the seven deacons of the church in Jerusalem.

Luke continues to tell us throughout this journey that people are prophesying to them.  Prophecy does not always mean that someone is telling you something about the future, but in this case I think Luke is making sure that we know that the closer Paul is getting to Jerusalem, the more that the Holy Spirit is revealing to him what is going to happen to him when he gets there.  The clearest and most direct prophecy is going to come at this time when he is very close to the city-in fact, the Holy Spirit is going to send a prophet from Judah down to Caesarea to meet Paul and give him a message.  That prophet's name is Agabus, and he gave Paul the message that the Holy Spirit told him to deliver by taking Paul's belt and using it to bind his own hands and feet, saying, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’”

Paul now had a choice.  If he didn't know already that he was going to be captured upon return to Jerusalem, he knew for sure that would happen now.  He could at this point choose to not go to Jerusalem to avoid capture or he could look at this revelation as God declaring what was His will for Paul to go through next.  It is important here that the Holy Spirit lets Paul know that the Jews are not going to kill him themselves, but they will turn him over to the Gentiles (meaning the Romans).  This assured Paul the opening that he wanted to go to Rome, though he now knew that he would make that trip in chains, for he could always use his Roman citizenship to appeal his case to Caesar if necessary--in fact, this is exactly what we're going to see him do later when he perceives that he may be let free by one of the lesser rulers that wanted to hear his case for he will go all the way through the entire court system of local magistrates to governors and regional kings before making his appear to Caesar.

It would be fair to say that those with Paul were not encouraged by this prophecy and they tried to discourage Paul from going up to Jerusalem, but they could not dissuade him for he knew what the Holy Spirit had told him to do, and the Holy Spirit sent this prophet not only to Paul but to all that were with Paul so that they would be prepared knowing that God knew of this and had intended for it to happen, though we've had some idea of this from almost the moment that Saul of Tarsus was saved on the Road to Damascus and Ananias was sent to lay hands on him.

Paul has to stop them and ask them why they are weeping and breaking his heart when he told them at the outset that he was not only willing to be arrested but even to die to go to Jerusalem for he was certain that God wanted him to go there, no matter the cost--even if it cost him his life.  Paul has no regrets about any of his ministry (and he said so when he left Ephesus).  He faithfully did all the worth that he was sent to do.  If it's time for him to die, he can do so knowing that he had run his race and finished the course that was laid out before him--yet he feels like there is still another leg of this race to run, and somehow that involves him going to Rome.

Everyone there seeing that their arguments trying to convince him to not go to Jerusalem were not persuasive then finally said, "May the Lord's will be done" (they gave up trying to argue with Paul and entrusted him to the Lord).  Even knowing what was coming, it seems like no one from Paul's party stayed behind in safety, and they even brought some of the brothers from Caesarea with them as they travelled to Jerusalem.  It seems that Paul did not make it to Jerusalem on his timetable (trying to get there for Pentecost), but God's timing is going to be perfect, for God is going to have a Gentile centurion there in the city at that very time that is going to save and protect Paul from the rioters and the plots of the Sanhedrin and will safely deliver Paul to the Roman authorities.