Under Arrest Sermon Short

“Under Arrest”
Acts 21:17-36
July 13, 2008

Today we begin the final section of our Unleashed study on the book of Acts, because as we’ll see, Paul is arrested, and for the remainder of the book, Paul is under arrest until he finally reaches Rome. But we begin on a happy note.

I. A Glad Reunion - :17-20a
James, the brother of Jesus was the leader of the church in Jerusalem, and it was appropriate that Paul seek him out first. This was at least their fourth meeting, these two men who represented the twin streams of Christian faith; James the Jewish strain, and Paul the Gentile. The elders of the church joined the meeting as well. Finally, Paul is able to present the offering that has been collected for the poor believers in Jerusalem (his reason for going to Jerusalem in the first place! See I Corinthians 16:1-4; Romans 15:25-27.) and to fill in the leaders of the “mother church” on the events of his missionary journeys. While Luke makes no mention here of the gift, it’s obvious that the church leaders received it, along with news of Paul’s successes in promoting the gospel, with real joy; note that the Hero of the story isn’t Paul, though, but God Whom they glorified. But there is a problem that will need to be addressed; in reality, it’s

II. A False Charge - :20b-22
Think about the position that the Jerusalem Jewish converts were in. All their lives, they’d been taught to keep the Law of Moses; now they’d come to follow Christ as their Messiah. So what to do with the Law? What about the ritual of circumcision, so central to their identity? What about the religious feasts they’d grown up keeping? These are the things that had been part of their worshipping God.

It is one thing to teach the Gentiles that adherence to the law of Moses was not mandatory for them—it of course was not. At the same time, that’s not the same thing at all as encouraging Jews to dispense with their heritage and customs, which Paul did not do. Paul was not telling Jewish people to abandon their culture; he was pointing them to the promised Messiah, and to the fact that the Law that the Jews held so dearly was never given as a means to achieve life eternal.

There were some Jewish believers in Christ who were being swayed; certain prejudices were being instilled in the minds of these believers by ne’er-do-wells intent on the destruction of Christian faith, such that Paul and his mission were viewed with suspicion by some of them. Further, there were likely some in the Jerusalem church who, though understanding that they were saved by the grace of God, may have lapsed into the belief that they were kept saved by keeping the law of Moses. And there are folks today who believe similar things, that our good works, while not playing a role in obtaining our salvation, nonetheless play a role into our “hanging on to” our salvation. What does the Word say?

• We are saved by God’s grace through faith, apart from our good works (good works are not the basis of salvation);

• Real faith is such that it changes us, and good works are the proof of real faith (James: “show me faith by works”);

• We are kept by the grace of God, and not our good works;

• We do not lose, then, our salvation by sinning or failing to do good works (because good works aren’t its basis);

• Our salvation is sealed by God on the basis of His grace and power (it’s a good thing it doesn’t depend on me!).

And so we come back to the question: what should Paul do to allay the fears of some in the Jerusalem church? We note what I see as

III. A Reasonable Plan - :23-26

Here’s what’s going on: the church leaders were effectively saying to Paul, “we can accept this gift and identify with the Gentile believers; can you undergo ceremonial purification and thus identify with your fellow countrymen?” It was a little touchy, calling for decorum and clear communication, but that’s exactly what these men did: they assured Paul that they had no desire to force legalism on Gentile believers, using their previous actions as evidence. They suggested that by this tangible, visible act on Paul’s part, he would allay any fears that Jewish Christians might have had that he was teaching Jews to abandon their heritage and customs. Paul willingly did all of these things, not for the purpose of reverting to some legalism, but to identify with the Jews, his people, and not allow his freedom in Christ to be a stumblingblock to others. Paul could see and understand in the Jewish rituals their real significance, as they pointed forward to Christ.

Not that it worked, for next we see
IV. A Violent Outbreak - :27-30
There was a balustrade, a small wall, that blocked access of Gentiles into the Holy Place, and there were placed all along this wall warnings in Greek and Latin to the effect of “No Trespassing” by Gentiles. Paul was undoubtedly thinking of this wall that separated Jews and Gentiles when he wrote, in Ephesians 2, “remember that at one time you Gentiles…were…separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility…that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.”

Paul was charged by some Jews with having brought into the Holy Place a Gentile. It’s likely that some of the instigators were Jews from Ephesus, men who had hassled Paul during his ministry there. We can thus imagine the anger that must have burned in the hearts of pious Jews who viewed Paul in this way, and the lynch mob that formed would have taken Paul’s life then and there had it not been for Roman soldiers nearby who intervened.

V. A Turbulent Arrest - :31-36
This “tribune” was a commander of Roman troops, and as you’ve probably learned by now, the main operative marching order for Romans was “keep the peace at all costs!” And so to quell the uprising, and assuming that Paul must be a criminal, the order was given to arrest Paul at once, and to bind him with not one chain but two, with a Roman soldier bound to each arm. Paul was spirited away by the Roman soldiers, with the screams of the mob for his blood echoing in their ears, reminiscent of a mob scene in Jerusalem some 27 or so years earlier…

Points to Ponder
We see in this text several of Paul’s attitudes. Note

• Paul’s attitude toward evangelism
For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. (I Cor. 9). The issue for Paul was that the gospel go forward, not that we get caught up in the trivialities of preferences and cultural differences. And his attitude is that of a servant. We serve others that we may point them to Christ!

• Paul’s attitude toward trivial matters
Paul wasn’t concerned with changing customs and denying heritage; he was concerned with proclaiming the gospel. And we, if we’re not careful, can concern ourselves with outward appearances and the like and miss the grace of God. Romans 14:5, in speaking of differences among Christians, says that “each one should be convinced in his own mind”.

• Paul’s attitude toward unity
Paul was willing and eager to take the suggestions of the Jerusalem church leaders that would make for peace. As Paul did some above-and-beyond things, submitting to others for the sake of the entire church. Further, Paul had a kingdom perspective; it was about more than his work in the Gentile world, but about the gospel spreading among the Jews as well (Romans 9-11).

• Paul’s attitude toward Christ
We won’t take the time to do it right now, but an interesting study would be to notice the many parallels between the crucifixion of Christ and the imprisonment and abuse of the apostle Paul. Though Paul’s attitude toward Jesus would undoubtedly have been much like John Baptist’s—“I’m not worthy to tie His shoes”—it still is interesting how Paul’s treatment mirrors that dished out to Christ.

Not surprising, though; Paul said, “To me, to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21). Christian, how would you fill in the blank at the end of that statement? “To me, to live is ________.” There is one right answer: Jesus Christ.

5 Good Questions

1. Read Romans 15:25-27 and I Corinthians 16:1-4 for Paul’s rationale for going to Jerusalem. Why would it be important for Paul to deliver the gift personally? What difference does the “personal touch” make in ministering to others?
2. We can get attached to “customs” and mistake them for the gospel, if we’re not careful. What are some customs that we get attached to in Christian churches that we could do without? Can you think of any that we should do without?
3. Read through the five truths regarding our salvation (under the second point). Why is it so important to hold all of these truths together?
4. Read Ephesians 2:12-16. What are the truths that we can mine regarding our salvation in Christ?
5. Read I Corinthians 9:19-22. What are some of the ways in which Paul lives out the truth of this passage? What are some ways we can do this in our lives?

Looking Ahead

Next week, we’ll be studying Acts 21:37-22:21. Read the text of Paul’s autobiography, and talk about the differences—and similarities—between his faith-story and yours.