Acts 21 Commentary
An outstanding feature of the early church was her oneness. They viewed themselves as one family. At Tyre, Paul sought out the believers and stayed with them for seven days. Of course, today we have smart reasons to support our coldness and the divisions.
See how they came out in numbers to see off the brethren! What love! And imagine the scene, they all knelt to pray on the beach! And then imagine the scene in Heaven!
At Caesarea, they stayed at Philip’s house – one of the seven chosen to serve in the church at HQ during the early days of the church. It was one big family!
Paul is arrested by the mob who beat him and nearly killed him. He is rescued by the commander of the Roman troops. Not exactly a rescue but actually another arrest but officially, properly, and relatively safely.
He suffers the same wrath that he had personally inflicted on the Body of Christ. He is another Stephen but the LORD decides to delay his martyrdom.
But what was Paul doing at the temple? To please the Judaizers among the believers? Yes. The leaders at HQ advised Paul to communicate that he wasn’t against the Law of Moses by action. It was going to carry more weight than words.
Paul finds himself in this mess because of one section of the church. The arguments within the Body of Christ have exposed Paul to violence at the Temple in Jerusalem. He shouldn’t have been there in the first place.
Of course, Paul was always a hunted man. But should fellow believers help the hunters? This is exactly what happens when we argue amongst ourselves. We expose ourselves to attacks from without. We shouldn’t hold our positions too tightly, especially on matters of less importance.
And when we feel an issue is very important, we can always wait upon the LORD in patience and acceptance of diversity. We can agree to differ on the shape and color of the new Sunday school classroom.
What we say in church, the position we hold, and the aggression with which we argue are all important. They affect how others relate to us. They also affect or shape the direction of decisions made by others. We are all Judaizers at one point or the other. Question: Do we want Brother Paul to be exposed to this evil as others try to accommodate us?
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