Beloved, I am pleased to share with you today the above theme from Acts 21:13. Indeed, brotherly love is manifested throughout this journey. In Tyre as in Miletus, Paul separated from the brethren after praying with them on his knees on the shore (Acts 20:33-38). And the Spirit emphasizes the presence of children, so desirable at meetings.
What leads the apostle on this journey are his ever-vivid affections for those of his people. For he was the bearer of the gifts of the churches of Macedonia and Achaia and rejoiced in bringing them himself to Jerusalem (Rom 15:22-29). Therefore, he does not heed the warnings of the Spirit, nor those of the prophet Agabus (Acts 11:27-30), nor the supplications of the brethren. We cannot afford to judge him. But this account is given to teach us that by listening only to his feelings, however good they may be, even an apostle can get out of the path of dependence. Serious lesson for each of us!
But to go from Greece to Rome, the apostle had offered to go through Jerusalem (Acts 19:21-22)! Despite this unfortunate detour, the Lord’s will will be done (Acts 21:10-14). Only the path we choose ourselves is never simple; we can expect to encounter all kinds of complications there. For Paul is invited by the elders of Jerusalem to “Judaize,” to reassure Jewish believers, and thus finds himself trained to contradict his own teaching. Painful dilemma for him. For once again, we see how much the Christians of Jerusalem had remained attached to their Jewish religion. They try to put the new wine in old wine (Mt 9:14-17). It is to these Israelites “zealous for the Law” that James speaks of the “law of liberty” and “pure and spotless religion” (Jam 1:27; Jam 2:12). This zeal does not consist in a bodily “purification” but in “keeping oneself pure from the world”, as well as visiting the afflicted.
So Paul is here as if caught in a gear. He frequented the temple and submitted to the rites of worship to be pleasing to his brothers. In vain, moreover, because the Jews take this as a provocation and seek to kill him, putting the whole city in turmoil. Fortunately, he was torn from the violence of the crowd by the intervention of the chiliarch, that is, the commander of the Roman garrison. The latter, who first mistook him for a famous bandit, softens when he hears him speak Greek and allows him to address the crowd. In front of it, and in a solemn silence, Paul recalls that he did indeed have a very guilty past but in a sense quite opposite to what the Jews thought.
Because endowed with unusual qualities and advantages… “Hebrew of the Hebrews; as for the Law, Pharisee” (Phil 3:1-7), his reputation was that of a pious and blameless man. Well! His religious zeal, similar to that which animated the leaders of this crowd, had led him, despite the warnings of his master Gamaliel, to make war on God (Acts 5:38-39).
So Paul goes up to Jerusalem and tells of God’s work among the Gentiles; they invoke the Judaism of which the multitude was filled, and while rejoicing in the good that God had done through the Spirit, they desire paul to be obedient to the law. For it was necessary for the believers of Jerusalem to gather on the occasion of Paul’s arrival, and to satisfy their prejudices against the law. Then Paul placed himself in the presence of the demands of men: to refuse to comply with them would have been to declare that their thoughts were well founded towards him; and to act according to their desire would have been to make a rule, not of the direction of the Spirit, in complete freedom of love, but of the state of prejudice and ignorance in which those around him found themselves. For the cause of the apostle’s difficulty was that he was in Jerusalem, not according to the Spirit, but according to his attachment to his ancient connections with Judaism. That is why one must be above the prejudices of others, and free from their influence to be able to condescend in love to these prejudices.
Once in Jerusalem, Paul could do little but satisfy the demands of the Judaizing Christians. Now, the hand of God is there. And in seeking to please the believing Jews, Paul’s act throws him into the power of his enemies; it is in the mouth of the lion, in the hands of the Jews who are opponents of the Gospel. Let us add that from that moment on we no longer hear about the Christians of Jerusalem: they had done their work. They accepted, no doubt, the alms of the Gentiles.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
- Examples of Love for Christ
-the sinful woman: Lk 7:47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven: for she loved much. But the one to whom we forgive little loves little.
-Thomas: John 11:16 On which Thomas, called Didymus, said to the other disciples: Let us also go, in order to die with him.
Mary of Bethany: Jn 12:3 Mary, having taken a pound of a perfume of pure nard of great price, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the smell of perfume.
Mary Magdalene: Jn 20:11 However, Mary stood outside near the tomb and wept. As she wept, she lowered herself to look into the tomb;
Peter: Jn 21:16 He said to him a second time: Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? Peter replied, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Jesus said to him: Feed my sheep.
Paul: Acts 21:13 Then he answered: What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready, not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.
- Self-sacrifice
From Paul: Acts 20:24 But I do not make any of my life for myself, as if it were precious to me, provided that I carry out my race with joy, and the ministry I have received from the Lord Jesus, to proclaim the good news of God’s grace. Acts 21:13 Then he answered: What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready, not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. 1 Co 8:13 Therefore, if a food scandalizes my brother, I will never eat meat, so as not to scandalize my brother. 1 Co 9:23 I do everything because of the gospel, so that I can share in it. 1 Co 10:33 in the same way that I too strive in all things to please all, seeking not my advantage, but that of the greatest number, so that they may be saved. 2 Co 12:15 For me, I will spend very willingly, and I will expend myself for your souls, due to me, loving you more, being less loved by you. Phil 3:8 And even I look at all things as a loss, because of the excellence of the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord, for whom I have renounced everything, and I look at them as mud, in order to gain Christ;2 Tim 2:10 That is why I endure everything because of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Jesus Christ, with eternal glory.
- Suffering for Christ: Some trials that believers may be called to endure:
Persecution: Mt 5:11 Blessed will you be, when you are insulted, persecuted, and falsely said of you all kinds of evil, because of me.
Hatred: Mt 10:22 You will be hated by all, because of my name; but he who endures to the end will be saved.
-the loss of life: Mt 10:39 He who keeps his life will lose it, and he who loses his life because of me will find it again.
-the renunciation of the treasures of the earth: Mt 19:29 And whoever has left, because of my name, his brothers, or sisters, or his father, or his mother, or his wife, or his children, or his lands, or his houses, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life.
-suffering: Acts 9:16 and I will show him all that he must suffer for my name.
-the loss of reputation: 1 Co 4:10 We are foolish because of Christ; but you are wise in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong. You are honored, and we are despised!
-Death: 2 Cob 4:11 For we who live are constantly delivered to death because of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our mortal flesh.
- Martyrdom
Mt 10:21 The brother will deliver his brother to death, and the father his child; the children will rise up against their parents, and make them die. ; Acts 21:13 Then he answered: What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready, not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. 1 Co 13:3 And when I distribute all my goods for the food of the poor, when I even deliver my body to be burned, if I do not have charity, it is of no use to me. Rev 6:9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and because of the testimony they had given. Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones; and to those who sat there were given the power to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the witness of Jesus and because of the word of God, and of those who had not worshipped the beast or its image, and who had not received the mark on their foreheads and on their hands. They came back to life, and they ruled with Christ for a thousand years.
From all of the above, we note that brotherly love is manifested throughout this journey. Despite his unfortunate detour, the Lord’s will be done (Acts 21:10-14). For Paul is invited by the elders of Jerusalem to “Judaize,” to reassure Jewish believers, and thus finds himself trained to contradict his own teaching. Painful dilemma for him. Thus the whole city was in turmoil and the temple closed. The commander of the square comes to deliver Paul from the hands of the Jews who wanted to kill him, but arrested him himself, because the Romans were accustomed to this violence and cordially despised the beloved people of God, but also proud and degraded as to his condition. Paul, however, commands the respect of the commander by his way of questioning him, and this allows him to speak to the people. So, let’s choose instead to follow the way of the Spirit, instead of that of men. May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you in your efforts to follow the way of the Holy Spirit.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may be shining in my life right now.
Thank you Lord Jesus for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby watering point to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow “Paul’s talk on the steps of the fortress concerning the voice of Jesus.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.