Bible Commentaries
Acts 21

Verses 1-40

XXI 1-6 From Miletus to Tyre —1-2. St Luke is still with the party but of the list in 20:4 only Trophimus and Aristarchus are mentioned again (21:29 and 27:2), and it seems that only these three went on with St Paul. The ship was a coastal vessel, so at Patara in Lycia another ship was taken, going direct to Tyre.

4. The church at Tyre was founded by Hellenists after the death of St Stephen, 11:19; cf. 15:3. St Paul, so anxious to reach Jerusalem, must have been forced to wait till the ship sailed. The Holy Spirit was leading him there in spite of the trials which he knew awaited him. It was not through the Spirit that the disciples tried to dissuade him from continuing his journey. The Spirit made known the trials, and their devotion made them try to prevent him from going further as in 10-12.

5-6. All went down the long sandy strand of the narrow peninsula on which Tyre stood. The conversions of whole families, 16:15 and 33, and this the only mention in Ac of children among the faithful are evidence for the practice of infant baptism.

7-14 From Tyre to Caesarea —7. Ptolemais is the modern Acre. The journey seems to have been continued by sea; see 15.

8. For Caesarea see on 8:40. An evangelist was an apostle of the second rank, Ephesians 4:11.

9. The daughters of Philip were filled with the Holy Spirit like their father. Their spiritual gifts were closely related to their virginity, which they had chosen as a permanent state; cf.1 Cor 7, especially v 34.

10-11. St Luke seems to have forgotten that he had already spoken of Agabus, 11:28. The OT prophets often acted symbolically, Isaiah 20:1-4; Jer chh 27, 28, and also our Lord, John 13:4.12-13. Again St Luke suggests the parallel with our Lord, cf. 20:22. cf. also St Peter’s words, Matthew 16:22, and our Lord’s, Luke 12:50.

14. It is the will of the Lord Jesus, 13, that must be done. He governs all things; he is God.

XXI 15-XXIII 35 St Paul at Jerusalem, A.D. 58 —The atmosphere in the city was tense, and made more so by the crowds of pilgrims for the feast of Pentecost. The cruelties of Felix (see 23:24) and the fanaticism of the Zealots were preparing the way for the tragedy of a.d. 70. As for St Paul, from now until his release in Rome, his activity was to be limited by a long captivity. Although he would have many visitors both at Caesarea and Rome, 24:23; 28:30-31, the energetic apostolic labours were for the time being at an end.

15-16 The Arrival at Jerusalem —15. The ’preparation’ involved finding pack-horses for the party and their, perhaps bulky, offerings, now that the sea journey was over. 16. ’Bringing us to the house of Mnason’. In the house of this Hellenist any Gentile Christians with St Paul would feel more at ease than among Jewish Christians.

17-20 St Paul and the Church at Jerusalem —The opposition of the Judaizers to St Paul’s preaching, of which we learn from Gal and Rom, did not enter into the theme of Ac, § 816d. St Luke does not mention them except for the warnings of 20:29-30 and the account of the Council of Jerusalem in ch 15. Like St Paul, Romans 15:1-12, he is anxious to show the unity of Jewish and Gentile Christians. The church at Jerusalem had long since agreed not to impose the Law on Gentile Christians, and now it was prepared to welcome the great enemy of the Judaizers. Misrepresentations of which he had been the object would be the occasion for demonstrating unity and charity.

18. After a private welcome, 17, there is an official reception by the presbyters and St James; cf. 15:13. The alms which St Paul had collected as a sign of union, Romans 15:25-31, were probably presented, 24:17, but perhaps the gesture was not as effective as had been hoped. The ’We-section’ ends here to begin again with the journey to Rome, 27:2. 19-20. The news of the conversion of the Gentiles is received with joy (cf. 15:12) and St Paul is addressed as ’brother’ by these zealous Jews, now very numerous.

21 St Paul’s Attitude to the Law —In view of the false accusations against him St Paul was bold indeed to come to Jerusalem. He had taught that the Law does not justify, which would eventually lead to its abandonment even by Jewish Christians. The Jews rightly concluded that he denied an absolute value to Circumcision, the Law and the temple, 28. On the other hand as long as Jewish Christians acknowledged that salvation came through faith in Christ, he had never forbidden them to observe the Law. It became for them something in the nature of a work of supererogation. The breach with the Synagogue was gradual. It is generally held that after a.d. 70 it was complete, and that then all participation in Jewish rites became unlawful. Thus when St Paul now acceded to the request of St James, he did not go against his principles. He was hardly the man to do that. He acknowledged a relative value in the Law, and he seems generally to have observed it himself; cf. 16:3; 18:18. He claimed to be a strict Pharisee, 23:6; 26:4-5. He protested that he had not offended in anything against the Law or the temple, in which he had come ’to adore’, 24:11; 25:8; 28:17. These things were not incompatible with the preaching of the new faith. They prepared the way for it, and found in it their fulfilment, 24:14; 26:22-23, cf.Rom 9-11, 1 Corinthians 7:18-20.

22-26 The Nazirite Vow —22. ’What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come’. St Paul must clear himself of, the charges that are reported against him.

23. The four men had taken the Nazirite vow; see 18:18. They could not cut their hair until the period of their vow was over, and they had made their offering in the temple.

24. St Paul must pay the offerings of these four Jewish. Christians, whose vow had still seven days to go, 27. He will thus sanctify himself by sharing in their vow, and it will be seen that he ’walks in the observance of the Law’. St James meant St Paul to show that he observed the Law, and to refute the report about his attitude, which implied that he despised it.

25. He is reminded that his vow will not prejudice the case of the Gentile Christians, whose liberty the Apostles and presbyters had recognized at the Council of Jerusalem. Thus his action will not have the effect of that for which he blamed St Peter in the mixed church of Antioch, Galatians 2:11 ff.

26. Being all things to all men, St Paul agrees, goes to the temple, and arranges for the day on which the sacrifice is to be offered. He seems to have had ample funds at his disposal at this period, Ramsay, St Paul the Traveller, 310 ff. ’Being purified’: cf. Leviticus 15:13; ’the days of purification’: cf.Numbers 6:5.

27-30 The Riot In the Temple —27. On the Jews of Asia, see 20:19. 28. Cf. the accusations against St Stephen, 6:14. Passing beyond the boundary stones of the Court of the Gentiles was punishable by death for any Gentile, even for a Roman citizen. One of the temple notices giving this warning in Gk and Latin has been found.

30. The Levites shut the gates to prevent a profanation of the temple, as they often did in the stormy years before a.d. 70.

31-36 The Arrest of St Paul —31. The Tribune, Claudius Lysias, 22:28, commanded the cohort which garrisoned Jerusalem. It was stationed in the Fortress Antonia, which stood at the NW. angle of the Temple, overlooking it. The whereabouts of ’the steps’ is uncertain.

32. Riots were frequent, especially at the feasts, hence troops were on the alert.

33. St Paul is taken, as the cause of the uproar.

34-35. It being impossible to discover the nature of his crime, he is dragged up the steps to the Fortress whence our Lord had set out for Calvary. 36. cf.Luke 23:18.

37-40 He obtains Permission to address the Crowd —38. Josephus gives two accounts of this incident, Jos. Ant, 20, 8, 6; Jos. BJ 2, 13, 5. The Murderers or Sicarii, so called from the short dagger each kept under his cloak, were the extreme nationalist party. 39. St Paul has barely escaped with his life from the Jews, and yet all he thinks of is to save their souls. 40. He speaks in Aramaic and with his hands chained.