Day #215: Acts 21:27-22:2

The city was thrown into an uproar, and a great riot followed. In mob-like fashion, Paul was dragged out of the Temple, and the gates were closed behind him. These were the gates between the inner court and the Court of the Gentiles. The Temple guards (Levites) shut the gates to prevent the mob from coming inside.

How ironic that the final scene at the Temple in the book of Acts is the gates slamming shut to keep Paul out. Evidently, the mob probably was going to try to beat him or stone him to death. Because Jerusalem was under Roman control, an uproar in the city would quickly be investigated by Roman authorities. The commander of the Roman regiment at this time was Claudius Lysias.

Lysias called out his soldiers and officers. The quick action of Lysias and the close proximity of the garrison (the Antonia Fortress was adjacent to the Temple area) were all that saved Paul’s life. The seizing of Paul by the crowd was superseded by the seizing of Paul by the Roman soldiers.

Paul actually was fortunate to be arrested and bound. Luke, ever the one for details, wrote that Paul was bound with two chains. The chains handcuffed him to a Roman soldier on each side. This would be normal treatment for a criminal. After seizing Paul, the commander asked the crowd who the chained man was and what crime he had committed.

The commander could not get a direct answer because the crowd could not agree on what the issues were—of course, that had not stopped them in their murderous course a few moments earlier. Because the commander couldn’t find out the truth, he ordered Paul to be taken to the fortress, probably the safest place for the apostle in all Jerusalem! This was the Fortress of Antonia, built by Herod the Great to defend the Temple area. It was located northwest of the Temple and connected by stairs to the Court of the Gentiles. The fortress housed nearly one thousand soldiers.

Paul’s defense before the Jewish mob in the Temple courts is a textbook example of how to communicate to a hostile audience. He disarmed the Roman commander by speaking to him in Greek. Then he established common ground with the Jews gathered below him by speaking to them in their own language. Presenting his credentials as a devout Jew trained under the highly respected rabbi Gamaliel, Paul then described his unlikely encounter with the risen Christ on the Damascus Road. The crowd listened attentively until Paul mentioned “Gentiles.” At that word, the mob erupted in anger. Although Paul knew his statement would cause controversy, he refused to dilute the truth.

The historian Josephus wrote of an Egyptian who had led a revolt of thousands of Jews in Jerusalem in a.d. 54 (just three years previous). This self-proclaimed prophet had convinced his fanatical followers to accompany him to the nearby Mount of Olives. He said that, at his word, the walls of Jerusalem would collapse and this miraculous event would precipitate the destruction of the Roman Empire. Governor Felix had dispatched troops to deal with this insurrection. Hundreds of Jews were either killed or captured, and the Egyptian ringleader of this sect had disappeared into the desert. Lysias apparently assumed that Paul was this rebel, returning to make more trouble.

Paul requested the commanding officer to speak. The commander agreed to Paul’s request.
Paul looked out on an enraged mob, and his heart broke. He ached for his people to understand the truth about Christ. He had been just like them—spiritually blind—and he wanted his Jewish brothers to experience this same salvation.

Paul began the first of five defenses recorded by Luke in the book of Acts. He commanded the mob’s attention by speaking Aramaic, their own language, because many Jews of the Dispersion (that is, Hebrews who were born or reared outside of Palestine) could not speak Greek or Hebrew. The mob would have assumed that Paul, an outsider, could speak only Greek. Paul’s ability to speak Aramaic gave his Jewish credentials even more weight and helped win him a hearing.

SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

Listen to what Jesus said in Mark 13:5-13 (NIV);

"Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

9 "You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 12 "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved."

This is what Paul experienced in his ministry. Would to God that we would be able to bear up, like Paul, when the trials and sufferings of life come our way. Would to God that we would keep our head and faith. Would to God that we would stay the course and persevere. Lord, give us a heart to overcome. Give us a heart to battle against the waves of depression and guilt and missed opportunities that come our way. Give us a heart to rise up every morning and fulfill your purposes for our lives.

Lord, build COV into a church where people faith grows deep roots. Build it into a place where people learn to stand fast. Lord, teach me this, teach my family this.

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV)