Acts Chapter 21 Verse-by-Verse Commentary
Acts 21:1-3
After we had torn ourselves away from the Ephesian elders, we set sail and made a straight run to Cos. The next day we went to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. On finding a ship that was crossing over to Phoenicia, we embarked and set sail. After sighting Cyprus, we passed it on the left, sailed to Syria and landed at Tzor, because that was where the ship was unloading its cargo.
We continue with the travel log as Paul gets closer to his ultimate destination of Jerusalem. Phoenicia is what is known today as the country of Lebanon. We notice here that Paul didn't own a ship or really anything else as they sailed on a commercial ship to the port city of Tyre. When Paul had accepted Christ, he gave up the things of this world to serve the Lord and that is a great example for us today. We have forgotten the fact that Jesus said that it would not be easy to follow Him and that many would give up everything to do so. We have to ask ourselves if we are ready to do the same.
Acts 21:4
Having searched out the talmidim there, we remained for a week. Guided by the Spirit, they told Sha'ul not to go up to Yerushalayim;
There are those that use this verse to say that Paul made a mistake and was out of the will of God in going to Jerusalem. Quite simply, they are wrong. The disciples in Tyre were listening to the Spirit but the Spirit was warning Paul (just as he had said in chapter 20), that he had to be prepared for the sacrifice that he would make. God had been preparing Paul for this and making sure that he knew what he was getting into. The same thing is happening in this verse. Paul is simply listening to God and following Him. His actions agree with what Jesus said in Matthew 5:38-48 and served to further the gospel. Paul was confident that he was in the will of God as he was able to say (at the end of his life) that he had finished the course set before him.
Acts 21:5 & 6
but when the week was over, we left to continue our journey. All of them, with their wives and children, accompanied us until we were outside the town. Kneeling on the beach and praying, we said good-bye to each other. Then we boarded the ship, and they returned home.
Imagine the sight of this very large group of people kneeling on the beach to pray. Even as Paul continues his march to Jerusalem, he is still teaching the people on the way as well as us. Here we see once again how Paul knew the value of prayer and I am sure that the disciples that were on that beach with him understood as well.
Acts 21:7-9
When the voyage from Tzor was over, we arrived at Ptolemais. There we greeted the brothers and stayed with them overnight. The following day, we left and came to Caesarea, where we went to the home of Philip the proclaimer of the Good News, one of the Seven, and stayed with him. He had four unmarried daughters with the gift of prophecy.
Paul and the group continued on their trip to Jerusalem and reached Caesarea where they stayed with Philip. This is the Philip that we are introduced to in chapter six when he was given the job of running the daily distribution of food to the widows. We see, here, that he had four daughters that were prophets and this is a good lesson for those who say that women cannot be leaders in the "church".
Acts 21:10 & 11
While we were staying there, a prophet named Agav came down from Y'hudah to visit us. He took Sha'ul's belt, tied up his own hands and feet and said, "Here is what the Ruach HaKodesh says: the man who owns this belt - the Judeans in Yerushalayim will tie him up just like this and hand him over to the Goyim."
In this passage, Paul gets another warning about the persecution he is going to face. This time, the Holy Spirit is specific about who and how as it seems that God wants Paul to be prepared.
Acts 21:12-14
When we heard this, both we and the people there begged him not to go up to Yerushalayim; but Sha'ul answered, "What are you doing, crying and trying to weaken my resolve? I am prepared not only to be tied up, but even to die in Yerushalayim for the name of the Lord Yeshua." And when he would not be convinced, we said, "May the Lord's will be done," and kept quiet.
Once again, Paul has people trying to get him to listen to them instead of listening to the Holy Spirit. Although they have good intentions, they are trying to pull Paul out of God's will and that is not of God. This reminds me of what happened between Peter and Jesus (see Matthew 16:21-23) where Jesus went so far as to call Peter Satan for trying to go against God's will. Paul's answer to them is to teach them by letting them know that he is not only ready to be bound but, in fact, he is willing to die for the name of Jesus. It is amazing to watch God work and to see the people finally come to accept that God's will is what matters.
Acts 21:15 & 16
So at the end of our stay, we packed and went up to Yerushalayim; and with us went some of the talmidim from Caesarea. They brought us to the home of the man with whom we were to stay, Mnason from Cyprus, who had been a talmid since the early days.
God not only changed the hearts of the people in Caesarea in the previous passage but we see here that some of them even went on to travel with Paul. This is a good reminder that our testimony is a combination of our words and actions. The people there heard Paul's words before and now some are going to get to see his actions in the face of persecution. That will help them to grow in their faith. Mnason also reminds us that, as Christians, we should be ready to share our things (homes, finances, time, etc) with those who are fellow workers for the Lord.
Acts 21:17-19
In Yerushalayim, the brothers received us warmly. The next day Sha'ul and the rest of us went in to Ya'akov, and all the elders were present. After greeting them, Sha'ul described in detail each of the things God had done among the Gentiles through his efforts.
Paul made a courtesy call on the leaders of the church in Jerusalem. I say this because there are many who take his visit here and try to make a case for a certain "church" structure and even to go so far as calling a man on earth the "head of the church". In Ephesians 1, Paul explained that God's will is for Jesus to be the head of the church and not a man here on earth. Paul worked with the leaders of the believers in Jerusalem but he was subject to Jesus Christ and listened to the Holy Spirit for direction. He simply informed them about what God had been doing in his life. (We would call this sharing a testimony.)
Acts 21:20 & 21
On hearing it, they praised God; but they also said to him, "You see, brother, how many tens of thousands of believers there are among the Judeans, and they are all zealots for the Torah. Now what they have been told about you is that you are teaching all the Jews living among the Goyim to apostatize from Moshe, telling them not to have a b'rit-milah for their sons and not to follow the traditions.
When the leaders in Jerusalem heard about what God was doing in his ministry, they praised God but then had to inform Paul that not everyone was happy with his ministry. The thousands of Jews that believed were "zealous for the law" instead of zealous for Jesus as Paul was. Therefore, Paul was being falsely accused of turning people away from their customs. Paul was not doing that but was simply telling people that customs, rituals, or belonging to a particular group of people did not bring salvation. Sadly, we face many of the same issues today as legalism has crept back in and even taken over in some groups of believers.
Acts 21:22-24
"What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. So do what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow. Take them with you, be purified with them, and pay the expenses connected with having their heads shaved. Then everyone will know that there is nothing to these rumors which they have heard about you; but that, on the contrary, you yourself stay in line and keep the Torah.
So, Paul was accused of telling the Jews that they did not have to keep the law to be saved and this made the other Jews angry. The solution from the leaders in Jerusalem was for Paul to demonstrate obedience to the law. Paul was ok with obeying the law; he just knew that obedience to the law did not bring salvation because salvation was only possible through Jesus Christ.
Acts 21:25
"However, in regard to the Goyim who have come to trust in Yeshua, we all joined in writing them a letter with our decision that they should abstain from what had been sacrificed to idols, from blood, from what is strangled and from fornication."
The elders are saying that they have handled this question by sending these instructions to the Gentile believers. By putting them under part of the law it satisfied the Jews. This decision was made at a meeting in Jerusalem described in chapter 15.
Acts 21:26
The next day Sha'ul took the men, purified himself along with them and entered the Temple to give notice of when the period of purification would be finished and the offering would have to be made for each of them.
Paul agreed to take part in this ritual purification because he knew that it was not a matter of salvation. He knew that he did not need to do it to be saved but was willing to do so to reach others. This ritual is a picture of our repentance as the people had to be humble enough to let people know they had sinned (were unclean) by announcing it at the temple and that they wished to be cleansed (freed from the sin).
Acts 21:27 & 28a
The seven days were almost up when some unbelieving Jews from the province of Asia saw him in the Temple, stirred up all the crowd and grabbed him. "Men of Isra'el, help!" they shouted. "This is the man who goes everywhere teaching everyone things against the people, against the Torah and against this place!
So, even as Paul was obeying the law, he was seized and accused of leading God's people astray (being a false prophet). In fact, Paul was not doing what they accused him of; he was simply telling everyone that Jesus had died for their sins and been raised again. The charge of being a false prophet has been used throughout history by religious people who do not agree with someone.
Acts 21:28b & 29
And now he has even brought some Goyim into the Temple and defiled this holy place!" (They had previously seen Trophimus from Ephesus in the city with him and assumed that Sha'ul had brought him into the Temple.)
One charge was not enough for them so they came up with another which was defiling the temple by bringing someone who was unclean (a Gentile) in. Nobody saw Trophimus in the temple but they didn't let the facts get in their way. Gossip and rumors were a destructive force back then and they are as well today. In James 3, we are warned about this destructive force. The good news is that this gossip will be used by God to spread the gospel.
Acts 21:30
The whole city was aroused, and people came running from all over. They seized Sha'ul and dragged him out of the Temple, and at once the gates were shut.
We see that the gossip and rumors that started with a small group has got the whole city going. Nobody has stopped to ask whether the charges are true or not but now you have a mob. This calls to mind the words of Jesus and the six woes mentioned in Luke 11:37-53. The last woe was where He said that the experts of the law were hindering the gospel.
Acts 21:31 & 32
But while they were attempting to kill him, word reached the commander of the Roman battalion that all Yerushalayim was in turmoil. Immediately he took officers and soldiers and charged down upon them. As soon as they saw the commander, they quit beating Sha'ul.
The people of God were the ones that were trying to kill Paul but God intervened and sent the Romans to protect his life. The same type of thing happens today as too many Christians are fighting other Christians instead of resisting the devil.
Acts 21:33 & 34
Then the commander came up, arrested him and ordered him to be tied up with two chains. He asked who he was and what he had done. Everyone in the crowd shouted something different; so, since he couldn't find out what had happened because of the uproar, he ordered him brought to the barracks.
Those that were making accusations against Paul couldn't even get the story straight. Even so, Paul did not resist but still kept his eyes on the fact that God is in control. This is a good example of what God would have us to do in the face of persecution.
Acts 21:35 & 36
When Sha'ul got to the steps, he actually had to be carried by the soldiers, because the mob was so wild - the crowd kept following and screaming, "Kill him!"
The mob wasn't happy with just having Paul arrested as they even followed as he was being taken away. This reminds me of the times that we live in and the misguided religious fervor that is often seen. A simple comment or picture of Muhammad can start the same type of mob reaction around the world. The sad fact is that religious fervor does not get you any closer to God or heaven.
Acts 21:37 & 38
As Sha'ul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the commander, "Is it all right if I say something to you?" The commander said, "You know Greek! Say, aren't you that Egyptian who tried to start a revolution a while back, and led four thousand armed terrorists out into the desert?"
As Paul was being taken into the barracks, he spoke to the commander in Greek which surprised the commander. The commander did not know Paul and did not recognize him but instead thought he was a common criminal. This speaks much about Paul and his ministry in that it was all about Jesus and not self promotion. Today, there are many that are peddling the gospel for fame and profit but Paul was simply led by the Holy Spirit and shared the gospel.
Acts 21:39 & 40
Sha'ul said, "I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city; and I ask your permission to let me speak to the people." Having received permission, Sha'ul stood on the steps and motioned with his hand to the people. When they finally became still, he addressed them in Hebrew:
After Paul cleared up the case of mistaken identity, he received permission to speak to the crowd. He had spoken in Greek to the commander but switches to Aramaic to speak to the Jewish people.