Free Bible Commentary
“Acts 21:1-14”
Categories: Acts“When we had parted from them and had set sail, we ran a straight course to Cos and the next day to Rhodes and from there to Patara; and having found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. When we came in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we kept sailing to Syria and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload its cargo. After looking up the disciples, we stayed there seven days; and they kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem. When our days there were ended, we left and started on our journey, while they all, with wives and children, escorted us until we were out of the city. After kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another. Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home again. When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and after greeting the brethren, we stayed with them for a day. On the next day we left and came to Caesarea, and entering the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, we stayed with him. Now this man had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses. As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, ‘This is what the Holy Spirit says: “In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.”’ When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, ‘What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.’ And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, ‘The will of the Lord be done!’”
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We are tracing Paul’s final leg of his third preaching journey back to Jerusalem from Miletus. Luke takes us quickly from Miletus to Kos to Rhodes to Patara. Switching ships, Paul and his companions traveled under the Island of Cyprus, and then landed at the Syrian port city of Tyre. Luke covers this stretch in three short verses (verses 1-3), with his attention obviously focused on the events that would take place in Jerusalem, but he does give us some detail of their brief stays in Tyre and Caesarea.
Paul and company spent a week with the brethren in the city of Tyre. They urged him “through the Spirit” not to go to Jerusalem (verse 4). The Holy Spirit had revealed to some of these Christians that Paul was not going to be treated kindly in the “Holy City”. When it became obvious that they would not be able to persuade Paul to change his mind and take a safer course, they did the best thing that they could do for him. All the brethren, including their families, escorted Paul to his ship at the end of the week, and there on the beach they “knelt to pray” (verse 5).
This verse arouses a beautiful image in my mind as I see a family of God’s beloved kneeling on the sand, united together in communion with their Lord, as the waves lightly slap the beach under a crystal blue sky. I guess that’s just my idealized way of imagining this scene, but I think that it helps me to see more clearly the beauty of prayer. Whether kneeling on a seashore, sitting on a sofa or standing in a church building, prayer is always a delightful and powerful activity to engage in, and especially so when united in mind and spirit with brothers and sisters in Christ.
Prayer should be our first and last line of defense because it is always our best line of defense. Actually it is going on the offensive when we give our minds to God in prayer. Quite often it is doing something positive and proactive when there is little else that can be done. Paul had his heart set on going through with what he had determined to do, so his brethren were helpless to change his mind. But there is always one potent thing that Christians can do to help a person in need or in danger—and that is to pray for them. Do you have someone in your life who has made up their mind to travel a course that you know will be dangerous and even destructive to them? Have you reasoned and argued and begged and pleaded with them in futility to change their minds? Just remember this: Even if you have been made to feel powerless to help them, they are helpless against the power of you prayers.
When Paul and his traveling companions arrived in Caesarea, they stayed at the home of Philip the evangelist (verse 8). While they were there a prophet named Agabus came to visit from Judea (verse 10), and he prophesied through the Spirit that Paul would be arrested by the Jews and handed over to the Roman authorities if he ventured on to Jerusalem (verse 11). It’s kind of ironic that this same Agabus had earlier prophesied about a worldwide famine that actually prompted Paul to go with Barnabas to Jerusalem to help out the needy saints who lived there (Acts 11:28-30). But this time he told Paul that Jerusalem would be his downfall, and all his brethren begged him not to go (verse 12).
“Then Paul answered, ‘what are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus’” (verse 13). This journey was the Lord’s work and the Lord’s will, and nothing would stop Paul from doing the right thing. He was, once again, carrying a collection to help the needy saints living in Jerusalem, and he would fulfill his mission even if he had to die doing so. He also had much good news to report to the church at Jerusalem about all the Gentiles that had been saved as a direct result his preaching endeavors (verse 17-20). He was going to Jerusalem “bound by the Spirit” (Acts 20:22), and he knew that “bonds and afflictions” awaited him there (Acts 20:23). Even so, he would press on…
Please read Acts 21:15-26 for tomorrow.
Have a great day!
-Louie Taylor
