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The Tuesday Afternoon Bible Study - Acts 21 Paul Continues His Journey Back to Jerusalem

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The Tuesday Afternoon Bible Study - Acts 21 Paul Continues His Journey Back to Jerusalem The Tuesday Afternoon Bible Study - Acts 21 Paul continues his journey back to Jerusalem Luke is still narrating (“we”). This final quarter of Acts (chapters 21-28) will read like a different kind of story - we will now see “political intrigue, legal maneuvering, several long speeches, and a lot of waiting” (Matthew Skinner) as Paul is tried in various courts and finally requests he be tried before none other than Caesar himself. In Acts 20 we saw Paul’s famous tearful goodbye to the elders from the church in Ephesus, who came out to meet Paul in Miletus. Acts 21 begins with us sailing on with Paul on his final journey to Jerusalem. Read Acts 21: 1-16 Paul’s journey to Jerusalem Here is our handy map: http://www.bibletrack.org/notes/image/Paul_Third.jpg 1. Look on the map and find Cos, Rhodes, Patara. Phoenicia is the ancient name of modern-day Lebanon today. They sail past the large island of Cyprus and land at the ancient port city of Tyre, in Lebanon. Twice I have walked on this major street in ancient Tyre and seen hundreds of arches, columns, and ruins of ancient Roman architecture. This area is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 2. Now find Ptolemais and Caesarea. Here is a rendering of what ancient Caesarea might have looked like. It was built by Herod the Great from ca. 25-10 BCE. It was a huge city and military fortress with a man-made harbor. 3. Remember Philip? He was one of the original 7 Deacons chosen back in Acts 6. He ends up being scattered to Samaria and preaches there. Then in Acts 8 an angel sends him on the road to Gaza where he meets the Ethiopian eunuch and baptizes him. Then he goes to Azotus, about 22 miles from Caesarea on the coast. Now, some 20 years later in Acts 21, Paul meets up with Philip, where we find him living in Caesarea and meet his “4 unmarried daughters who have the gift of prophesy.” 4. Speaking of prophets, we now meet the prophet Agabus – we heard of him back in Acts 11, where he was described as one of several prophets who came down from Jerusalem to Syrian Antioch, where Paul was ministering. He predicted that a great famine would spread over the entire Roman world. That did happen, the Bible reports, under Emperor Claudius. Thus, the church in Antioch began to gather money to send to the Christians living in Judea, sending the money with Paul and Barnabas. “This monetary gift was a fitting response because in the ancient Roman Empire there was usually still food available for purchase during a famine, but at dramatically elevated prices. With adequate funds, the Christians in Judea would still have been able to purchase food. Furthermore, the Christians in Judea may well have been cut off from their families and from their normal means of support. The love gift from Antioch was all the more important as a sign of the unity of Jewish (in Judea) and Gentile (in Antioch) believers—a unity for which Paul was continually laboring.” (Gotquestions.org) Now in Acts 21, Agabus arrives in Caesarea to prophesy impending imprisonment for Paul, which makes everybody urge Paul not to go, but he is resolute. Perhaps the purpose of this prophecy was to mentally prepare Paul for what will lie ahead. 5. Now, joined by some from the church in Caesarea, they head on to Jerusalem, staying with Mnason’s household on the way. He is described as a native of Cyprus and an early disciple (as was Barnabas - perhaps they were friends?). This is the only time Mnason is mentioned. Read Acts 21: 17-26 Paul with James and the Jerusalem church 1. While the Jerusalem elders are pleased with Paul’s ministry, note the false allegations they have heard about Paul. 2. Once again, the solution to please the Jews is for Paul to take part in a vow. Read Acts 21: 27-36 Paul is arrested 1. It is angry Jews who followed Paul from Asia back to Jerusalem. They stir up the crowd in the temple. Note their false accusations. The whole city is caught up. 2. Note the anger of the mob, who drag Paul out of the temple. It is soldiers and centurions who have to rescue Paul from them. Paul is now in custody, and will never be released again - and Acts goes on for 8 more chapters. Read Acts 21: 37-40 Paul Defends Himself 1. After more mistaken identities, then Paul is allowed to speak. We will see his speech next week. 2. Note Paul’s boldness and willingness to speak up. He has known this day was coming. “More than transforming into a legal drama, the rest of Acts becomes a drama about God’s involvement in the life of Jesus’s followers even as one of those followers, Paul, transitions into a different kind of cultural environment” (Matthew Skinner). Paul becomes a prisoner, but we will see him exercise all the freedoms Christians enjoy - the freedom to express our faith in Jesus by continuing to bear witness and make a persistent influence over all who he comes into contact with. .
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