Good morning and welcome back!! Today is our 33rd anniversary. Sherri and I were married in Ithaca at Anna Bell Taylor Chapel on the Cornell campus. It was a cold, blustery, snowy, icy day! We were both nervous and scared, but looking forward to being together forever! Happy for 33 years!
Paul leaves Ephesus (v 1) and eventually gets to Tyre. There is no evidence as to how the church in Tyre was founded (v 4), but there were obviously some followers of Christ there. This follows with some of our discussion from the last few days: Acts only gives us a partial story (Luke's story) of what happened. There had to be growth in other areas and had to be action from the other original apostles- but we don't have canonized evidence of it. I will do some research and see what I can find! There is definite foreshadowing of danger (v 4) and we will see some later too. It was customary for people to follow others to the city limits- but uniquely Christian to keen and pray for them. I tend to do that- and most others too- follow people out to their cars when they leave. I like the idea of praying for them. Maybe I should start that ritual!
A few more days of travel and they end up in Caesarea at the home of Philip (one of the seven chosen in Acts 6). It is cool that at almost every place they stop, they run into other Christians! What a sense of welcome, coming to a town where some of the people think like you! Philip's daughters were able to prophesy, but it was a different person, Agabus (probably the same person we saw in Acts 11), that prophesied danger to Paul in Jerusalem. The people insist that Paul not go to Jerusalem, but his response, "I am not only ready to be tied up in Jerusalem, I am ready to die for the Lord Jesus" (v 13) shows his conviction to do God's work. Do you have that conviction? Given the various prophecies that Paul had, he was at least prepared for what may happen!
Paul eventually gets to Jerusalem (v 17) and gave a report of his ministry to James and the other elders. I see this like a DCOM meeting or a meeting with the DS! Even with all the success in converting Gentiles to Christianity- there is some discussion and controversy at the following of Mosaic law (vv 20-21)!
To settle this controversy- that Paul was against Jewish customs, the leaders advised Paul to "sponsor" (pay the sacrificial expenses) four Christian Jews who are fulfilling a vow of consecration (probably similar to the Nazarite vow Paul had taken earlier in his life). By this, Paul will show the community of Christian Jews in Jerusalem that he is not opposed to their continued observance of certain Jewish customs, though he does not require such observance of Gentiles who come to Jesus. Paul could agree to this and sponsor the four men taking the vow of consecration because there was never a hint that such things would be required of Gentiles as a test of righteousness. As before, Paul is not against Judaism, he is for Christianity.
Surprise! A riot begins to emerge! The case against Paul is unfounded. Regarding the Gentile Trophimus, possibly entering the temple (v 28-29): it was prohibited for Gentiles to go beyond the designated "Court of the Gentiles" in the temple grounds. Signs were posted which read (in both Greek and Latin): "No foreigner may enter within the barricade which surrounds the temple and enclosure. Any one who is caught trespassing will bear personal responsibility for his ensuing death." The Romans were so sensitive to this that they authorized the Jews to execute anyone that offended in this way, even if the offender was a Roman citizen.
Rome comes to the rescue (v 31- 32)! Paul has been seized by an enraged mob, and the mob didn't just want to take him out of the temple courts. They wanted to kill him, right there in the outer courtyard area of the temple mount. Paul had been near death because of the attacks of murderous mobs before and he must have thought, "Here we go again!" The Romans didn't sympathize with Paul, but they were interested in keeping public order, and they arrested Paul both for his own protection and to remove the cause of the uproar. The reference to two chain (v 33) means Paul was handcuffed to a solider on either side. Paul must have immediately remembered the prophecy of Agabus (v 11).The shouting of "Kill him!" (v 36) probably reminded Paul of his involvement in the stoning of Stephen or possibly at the "conviction" and crucifixion of Jesus (close to 25 years ago). Imagine the thoughts going through Paul's mind at this point!
The Roman commander thought Paul was a "terrorist" (v 38) that was running rampant across the area. The Egyptian (v 38) mentioned (also mentioned by Josephus) led a ragged army of four thousand men to the Mount of Olives where they declared they would take over the temple mount. Roman soldiers had quickly scattered them, but the leader got away. When Paul identified himself to the Roman commander (v 39), it put him in an entirely different standing. He was a citizen of Tarsus, not a suspected terrorist. Hmmm...does this happen today?
Paul is permitted to speak...and we will cover that on Monday (Chapter 22)!
Poor Paul...trouble always seems to find him...but he is doing the work that God wants of him. The passion and drive he has is remarkable! If I only had some of that!
Have a great weekend! COVID #2 for me later today!! Yahoo!! And both sets of kids will be with us this weekend. It will be Morgan and Bobby-Jo's first time with Joseph. Excited and happy grandpa/dad!
Enjoy! See you all Monday!!
Shalom+
Pastor Paul
First of all - congratulations on 33 years of marriage!! How wonderful for you both!
ReplyDeleteI don't know why, but whenever Luke is with them, to me, in the KJV, the writing seems to change. Maybe it's because when Luke is writing the story when he is not with Paul it's from what people are telling him or maybe even from what other people wrote - but it just seems different to me, there is an account of every day where in other parts of Acts it's just that they left one place and travelled to another. And the wording seems different. Anyone (outside my immediate family of siblings and parents), including those we married, will always tell you that an Oakley (my maiden name) goodbye means another hour or two. Hugging, kissing, talking to the car - so I can imagine that's how it was each time Paul and his entourage left a place. But I do like the idea of praying for the people who are leaving - or the ones being left.
So we see that Phillip hasn't traveled much since the conversion of the Ethiopian - but Paul? WOW - he has wondered around spreading the Good News for almost 25 years. That is a long time to be moving. And I am thinking from the timelines I can see, he has to be in his 50's now! Can you imagine being beaten in our 50's? Difficult enough to survive when you are in your 30's. I am a little surprised that Paul, who listens and obeys all his own visions and "visits" from the Holy Ghost does not listen to Agabus and his vision. Is it possible that Paul is being given another direction? Or is Paul so set on being in Jerusalem for Pentecost that he might not be listening clearly? After all, he does say a few things in previous chapters that change. When you say Rome comes to the rescue, do you mean the Roman Government? My Bible says that Paul spoke to the chief captain in Greek - which surprised the captain - so were the soldiers Greek? And is that why they seem lenient with Paul because the Jews were upset because Paul "supposedly" let Greeks into the temple - a prejudice against the Greeks? Knowing Paul as we do in reading Acts, we can see that Paul would NEVER go against the Temple "rules" and allow anyone in except for Jews. In fact, in many places in Acts it says that Paul went alone - which is probably why he was always in trouble and not the others - as in the instance. It is strange that the captain does mistake Paul for the Egyptian. And, oh yes, it happens today - all the time. Again I feel there are mixed messages. James and the elders tell Paul that the Jews that believe but are still zealous in the law are "hearing" from other Jews that are among the Gentiles that Paul is preaching to "forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs." (vs. 21). So to PROVE that Paul is not against Moses or the laws, he is to do the purification ritual with the four men = and in vs. 26 says that Paul purifies himself as well. Are they again talking the talk but not walking the walk? So if the early Jewish Christians were doing things to keep the believing Jews happy and "with them", are we doing the same today? By saying all is wonderful and well and God forgives all no matter how we continue to live our lives instead of talking about damnation and hell? And where is James, the elders and all the other Christians when this is happening to Paul? What a "cliff hanger" - waiting until next week to see what Paul has to say.
I know you won't see this until Monday, but have a wonderful weekend with your family!!!
I think you are right Donna. When Luke is travelling with the group, there is more detail-- probably because he is there. And like you say, when he isn't with the group, he is dependent upon what people say happened...and we know how accurate that is!
DeletePaul is set about going to Jerusalem for Passover- regardless of the warnings he gets. Although a "Christian". Paul really sticks with his Jewish roots.
Re: soldiers in the temple-- I was under the impression that they were Romans, since Rome had such a stronghold- especially on Jerusalem- especially during the Passover! That's one big reason why Pilate was in Jerusalem for Jesus' Palm Sunday entry!
You ask a tough question about walking the walk and talking the talk. Denominations differ in their theology of grace and forgiveness. Eg the UMC is all about grace and forgiveness and Wesley's idea is that all are worthy. Other denominations- not so much all the time. That is one reason why some UMC pastors are hesitant to preach hell and damnation- it goes against our theology and doctrine!
Unfortunately- family weekend was postponed again due to COVID concerns! Long story!
Thanks for the comments and thoughts!
Congratulations on your anniversary! And on your second shot.
ReplyDeleteTrouble certainly does seem to follow Paul. I so admire his courage and steadfastness. I know that I would never have an ounce of what Paul has but maybe this was Gods path for Paul. I think Jesus knew that he was on a mission, a path that he accepted. Paul’s spirits must have lifted meeting up with other Christians.
I know that there were other books that weren’t included in the Bible. I’ve never looked into what this- what they are about. It would be interesting to see what other disciple were doing.
Have a good weekend everyone.
I do also admire the courage and faith Paul has to keep going against the tide of riots and anger he seems to face. How many of us would just ditch the whole idea and say "Forget it!"
DeleteThere are many other writings of what went on during this time period. Some of the books are in the Catholic bible- The Apocrypha (translated as "hidden" or "secret" documents). There are others more than those too. Many historical accounts that were not canonized. It would be interesting to do a study of them some time!
Thanks for your thoughts Cathy!
Congratulations on your 33 years Paul and Sherri.
ReplyDeleteA lot of traveling to get back to Jerusalem but they stopped at many established churches on their way a spoke with people there. Many warned Paul not to go to Jerusalem but he was determined to go there.
In Jerusalem Paul meets opposition from some Jews and he proves that he follow the old laws but also believes that it is by repentance and faith the way of salvation. the Jews want him killed reminds me of Stephen and Jesus again the Romans are brought back into focus and are taking Paul to prison when he speaks to them in Greek So they know he is a learned man. at the end of this chapter Paul is about to speak to the people with permission of the Romans.
we wonder why we don't know or hear much about the original 11 disciples there were other books written that were not included in the Bible could those books have spoken of the other disciples? Just wondering??
Have a great weekend all!
Paul was determined to get to Jerusalem for Passover- a good Jew!
DeleteThere are many similarities we can see between Paul and Stephen!
I am doing some research in to the "fate" of the other disciples. That is a big question we all have!
Thanks for the comments CLara
Congratulations on your 33rd anniversary. I spent a lot of time on the Cornell campus when I was working for Unisys repairing Dell computers. It is a beautiful place, but I do not have the smarts to have ever been a student there. What I remember is that you better keep your parking fees paid or else! Rhea had a reaction to the second shot (she was sick for 4 days). I was talking today to my son, Jeff and he had a fever for 24 hours after his second shot. I was tired the day after my second shot, but that was my only reaction. I hope nothing like this interferes with your visit with your family and your grandson this weekend.
ReplyDeletePaul caused quit a stir when he arrived in Jerusalem. Rioting. We both commented after reading this chapter about how similar this chapter sounded to what's going on in our own country. I think we all need to pray for our republic and its future.
I still cannot get over the amount of traveling Paul did, and it was probably mostly on foot except for the passages at sea. He did meet many people along the way whom he had converted to Christianity in the past. They all tried to convince him not to return to Jerusalem, knowing what would happen there. It turns out that his fears were well founded as he was beaten almost to death. As Donna asked, "...can you imagine being beaten in our 50s..." as Paul was? My 50's have come and gone, and I don't believe that I come survive a beating.
As I implied yesterday, I would have run the other way if I knew that I was going to be beaten upon my return to a city. Paul knew he would be arrested and he probably knew the beatings would go along with it, but he went to Jerusalem in spite of this knowledge. However, I think I can see why they thought that Paul was a terrorist. I Have the "cheat sheet" in front of me that convinces me that Paul was not a terrorist. If I lived in that time and did not have the Bible and the cushion of 2000 years, I probably would have thought that he was a terrorist, too. This is just me and the way I think. There are times, however, when I wonder if I am out of step with reality.
It's warm here in the Wild West, but I hear that we are going to have snow tomorrow night into Sunday!
Second shot went well...just tired. And family was unable to come this past weekend- COVID concerns again. I am so ready for this to be over and gather as a family again!
ReplyDeletePaul likes (unintentionally?) causing trouble (both Paul the Apostle and Paul- me!)
Paul did lots of travelling. Most was on foot, although they did have horses and donkey at the time to carry luggage, etc. They may have ridden for a short while too?
The beatings were quite severe too!
I think you are right- Paul was looked at as a terrorist, a definite rebel to stir up controversy- like Jesus! Like you said- we look back, knowing the 2000 years of history and ask why didn't they believe Paul (or Jesus for that matter), but we have the history!
Snow?! Oh no!! Rainy and gray and cool here- a typical spring day!
Thanks for the comments Jack!