Acts Chapter 21 Verses 18-25

Acts 21:18  “And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present. 19 And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. 20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law: 21 And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. 22 What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come. 23 Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; 24 Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law. 25 As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.” 

“And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.”  Here Paul went to see James the pastor of the church at Jerusalem and all the elders of the church at Jerusalem.

 “And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.”  Paul gives to the elders an account of what God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.  We notice that Paul gives the praise to God just as we should give the praise to God for the fruit of our labors in the Kingdom of God.

“And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:” When the elders heard Paul’s account they glorified the Lord as they should have.  They then related that there were thousands of Jews which now believed through their ministry.  They also noted these Jews were also zealous of the law.  While this may seem like a contradiction to us, we have to remember that the covenant of the law and the covenant of grace as covenants of worship ran parallel to one another for a period of time.  Paul informed in Heb. 8:13 that the law covenant would soon disappear: “In that he saith a new covenant, he hath made the first old.  Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.”  With the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 A.D. worship under the law covenant effectively ceased.  

“And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.  What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.”  Apparently there was a general belief among the disciples that Paul was teaching the Jews which were among the Gentiles to forsake the law of Moses and not to circumcise their children and observe the Old Testament customs.  However, Paul had not been teaching that and no doubt these were rumors started by the detractors of the gospel of grace.

“Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.”  The elders requested Paul that he join with four men which had a vow and purify himself (an Old Testament custom) that it may prove that Paul was walking orderly and keeping the law. 

“As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.”  Here the elders affirmed the conclusion of the counsel at Jerusalem that the Mosaical law did not apply to the Gentiles.

Verses 26-40

Acts 21:26 “Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them. 27 And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him, 28 Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place. 29 (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.) 30 And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut.

31 And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32 Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul. 33 Then the chief captain came near, and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and demanded who he was, and what he had done. 34 And some cried one thing, some another, among the multitude: and when he could not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the castle. 35 And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of the people. 36 For the multitude of the people followed after, crying, Away with him. 37 And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek? 38 Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers? 39 But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people. 40 And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,”

“Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.”  This was being carried out in keeping with the ordinance of purification set forth in the Old Testament.

“And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him, Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place.  (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)”  The charges against Paul were all false, but the accusers didn’t care because of their hatred for Paul and the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The very law that they accused Paul of breaking they themselves were breaking as they brough false witness against him and plotted to murder him.  This also teaches us that detractors will lie about us and bring false accusations against the believers and defenders of the truth. 

“And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut.  And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.”  Now when the crowd got involved they completely ignored the law requiring a person be brought before the magistrates when such an accusation was made.  While they claimed to be defenders of the law, in actuality, they were the worst breakers of the law. 

“Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul.  Then the chief captain came near, and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and demanded who he was, and what he had done.”  Because of the uproar the Roman chief captain took soldiers and centurions and ran down upon the crowd and when they saw the chief captain and soldiers they left beating Paul.  Their beating Paul was against the Roman law.   Then the chief Captain had Paul bound and demanded of Paul who he was and what he had done.  He assumed Paul was guilty of malfeasance because of the uproar of the crowd. 

“And some cried one thing, some another, among the multitude: and when he could not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the castle.”  When people make up accusations, often their stories and accusations will not agree together.  The captain at this time was uncertain of the charges against Paul.  Consequently he commanded he be carried to the castle so as to get away from the tumult. 

“And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of the people.  For the multitude of the people followed after, crying, Away with him.”  As Paul was borne of the soldiers because of the violence of the people, the howling multitude cried out away with him, away with him.

“And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek?  Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers?  But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people.”  Paul requested to speak with the Captain who was surprised that he would speak Greek.  The captain had assumed that Paul was an Egyptian who had led a band of four thousand murderers into the wilderness.  It is interesting how people will often think the worst of you, especially if they don’t know you.  After Paul told the Captain who he was he requested of the Captain to speak to the people. 

 “And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,”