Acts 21:27-36

                                                                     Acts 21:27-36

When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut. And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.  Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done.  Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks.  And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, for the mob of the people followed, crying out, “Away with him!”

 

It seems that all the deference, head shaving, and purification was less than successful at preventing Paul from being attacked by the Jews.  We can make plans to avoid conflict and have best of intentions; but that will not guarantee that we will escape harm.  God has not promised that we will be free from suffering.  In fact, just the opposite is true.  However, He has promised to be with us in our sufferings, use them for His glory and reward us eternally in our suffering.

 

PAUL WAS MISUNDERSTOOD: When the Jews from Asia saw Paul in the temple, they were both surprised and enraged.  Surprised that he would go to the temple and enraged that the person they judged to be in violation of their laws would desecrate their holy place.  They also presumed that he had brought Greeks into the temple because they had seen some of his Greek friends in the city.  They were prejudice against Paul and just presumed the worst possible about him.  Our good intentions and even good behavior will not guarantee that we will be preserved from difficulties.  Our actions, words and especially our intentions can be easily misunderstood. Those who are looking for reasons to condemn will find them even if only in their own minds.  It is important to be prepared for injustice.

 

PAUL WAS MISTREATED: When the Jews misjudgment was made public, it led to mistreatment.  The crowd was caught up in the confusion and attracted to the violence that ensued.  As fallen creatures we are drawn to violence against another person.  Many in the crowed didn’t even know who was being beaten or why; they simply wanted to see what was going on and then joined in on the action.  Paul was not given an opportunity to defend or explain himself.  He was simply subjected to the beating the mob was dishing out.  Pain and suffering will come from unexpected sources.  The price of following Christ is high.  When the truth of God’s Word is used to confront the sins and false beliefs of others; they will often respond violently.

 

PAUL WAS MISJUDGED: The confusion of the crowd and the mass gathering of people got the attention of the Roman authorities.  Their job was to keep the peace and prevent rebellion.  This kind of confusion must be avoided and called to a halt.  When the soldier arrived, the Jews stopped beating Paul and then the soldiers tried to find out what the problem was.  This was no easy task because most of the people had no clue what Paul had done and those who thought they knew were both wrong and knew that the Roman soldiers would not care in the least about the sacredness of their temple.  Understanding the truth was not as important as putting a stop to the disorder.  Since Paul was at the center of the mess, the only way to restore order was to remove him from the public place.  Our best intentions can easily lead to misunderstanding which will lead to mistreatment and then misjudgment.  The conclusion of the matter was simply “away with him.”  Paul was never out to destroy Judaism.  He was giving his life to redeem it from the man-based religion it had become.  God’s purpose from the call of Abraham was to bless all nations.  Paul’s desire was to restore them to God’s design.   

 

APPLICATION: As this world move closer to the coming of Christ and further from the authority of God’s Word; followers of Christ must be prepared to suffer unjustly.  When individual happiness is considered to be the ultimate right of everyone, we as believers will be misunderstood, mistreated and misjudged.  We must not shrink from proclaiming the truth even in the face of suffering.  We must be prepared to suffer the consequences of following Christ and calling others to follow Him with us.