The Apostle Paul, just as predicted, is arrested at Jerusalem. He's arrested on false charges and beaten before Roman soldiers rush in and take custody of him to prevent him from being killed.
We recall from yesterday's study that Paul had agreed to sponsor four men who had taken a vow. Upon the completion of the days of their vow he was to provide the sacrifices and offerings they would be required to bring to the temple. But trouble breaks out before the days are completed. "When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple." (Acts 21:27a) Paul suffered persecution from some of the Jews of Asia Minor when he took the gospel to various cities, and now it would appear that some of these same men have come up to Jerusalem for Pentecost. They recognize him. They know he is the man who preaches that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, who states that the Messiah is a man who hung on a tree like a criminal, and who declares that salvation can only be found in this Jesus who rose from the dead. Such an idea goes against everything these particular men believe the Messiah should be, so they fly into a rage when they see Paul at the temple. His presence there is ruining the festival for them.
We want to always remember that when Luke tells us "the Jews" do this or that, he is not speaking of the entire nation. A large number of the Jews accepted the gospel of Christ. An even larger number of the Jews didn't accept Christ, but that didn't keep them from being able to live peacefully with the Christians in their midst. The average citizens were just going about their daily lives as usual, unconcerned with whatever the Apostle Paul was doing, and not troubled by the fact that he was at Jerusalem for the feast. But because it's Pentecost there are people pouring into the city from all the surrounding areas, and some of them are enemies of the gospel. When these enemies of the gospel from out of town manage to stir up the faction at Jerusalem that is against the gospel, Paul is seized and assaulted.
"They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, shouting, 'Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.' (They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple.)" (Acts 21:27b-29) These are all bald-faced lies. Paul has never done anything to stir up the Christians against the Jews. He has not spoken against the law or against Jerusalem. He certainly hasn't brought Gentiles into the inner court of the temple where they are not allowed. He's been busy trying to prove that he respects his people, the temple, and the law by sponsoring the four men who have taken a vow. The last thing he would do is insult his own people by defiling the temple.
"The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut." (Acts 21:30) People come running from all directions to see what the commotion is about. Upon hearing the lie that Paul has defiled the temple, a mob of angry men who aren't fans of Paul anyway grab him and drag him outside. They shut the gates, likely meaning the gates to the outer courtyard where Gentiles were allowed, perhaps to prevent friends and supporters of Paul from rushing outside to his aid.
Aid comes from an unexpected source: Rome. "While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul." (Acts 21:31-32) There was a Roman garrison located near the northwest corner of the temple complex and news of the riot travels quickly to the commander stationed there. The Roman soldiers are always especially concerned with keeping the peace in Jerusalem during high feasts like Pentecost, so the last thing this commander wants is to be reprimanded by his superiors for allowing a riot to break out under his watch.
The commander doesn't know what Paul has done or whether he has done anything at all. Until he can determine what's going on, and in order to keep Paul from being killed, the commander arrests him. "The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done. Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers. The crowd that followed kept shouting, 'Get rid of him!'" (Acts 21:33-36) The rabid anger focused on the Apostle Paul is like that which was focused on the Lord Jesus when His enemies cried out, "Crucify Him!"
The Apostle Paul will speak many times in his letters about the ways he has suffered for Christ. He considers it an honor to be counted worthy of suffering the same type of hatred and persecution that Christ suffered. As he is carried up the steps with the shouts of the angry mob behind him, I think he feels very close to the Lord Jesus. I think he understands, in part, how Jesus felt when the shouts of "Crucify Him!" rang in His ears.
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