As this passage begins, Paul is returning to Jerusalem for Pentecost (the Jewish festival also known as Shavuot). In the first part of chapter 21, he spent time with friends along the route from Miletus in western Asia Minor. In hindsight, it is the conclusion of what scholars of Acts have called his third missionary journey.
On the way, a prophet named Agabus (who had appeared in Acts before) borrowed Paul’s belt and tied his own feet and hands with it. Like Old Testament prophets, Agabus uses a strange action to illustrate a prophecy that he conveys verbally: Jews in Jerusalem will turn over Paul to the Romans to be arrested and imprisoned. Paul’s friends interpret the sign as a warning for Paul not to go on. If you read through Acts, you’ll see situations where the Spirit instructed Paul and his friends to change their travel places and visit other places instead. Paul, however, knew that the Spirit wanted him to continue, even at the risk of Paul’s death. Paul was very willing to face both arrest and death for the sake of the Gospel. In fact, he wanted his friends to stop being so emotional about an eventuality that he was willing to face!
It is wonderful to me how Paul is so certain about the Spirit’s guidance, even when his friends were advising him otherwise. When I was young, I wasn’t always so confident what God’s will might be. Even getting advice could be distracting rather than clarifying. But that’s the thing—I was young. Paul, however, not only matured as a person but matured in his relationship to God’s Spirit. He had prayed, studied, and acted long enough to understand how the Spirit guided him. Importantly, he was able to discern the Spirit’s guidance amid competing advice!
In the next section, vss. 17-26, Paul and James met. James was the leader of the church in Jerusalem, and he expressed his concerns that rumors had been spreading about Paul: that Paul taught Gentiles to forsake Moses and to ignore Jewish customs. Paul had done no such thing, and Paul accepted James’ idea to share in Jewish rites of purification. That way, other Jewish worshipers would see Paul’s sincerity.
Nevertheless, the rumor spread that Paul taught against Judaism and even disrespected the Temple. A crowd ganged up on Paul, and he was taken into custody by the Roman tribune in order to calm the crowd. I think of that saying, “No good deed goes unpublished.” In this case, James had tried to anticipate and address a crisis—but the crisis came anyway! Perhaps Paul knew in his heart that James’ advice might not have the desired outcome.
I, too, like to stay in (at least a little bit of) control of situations. On the other hand, the Spirit may be working within our activities in order to bring about something surprising later on---something outside of our control. Ideally, we shouldn’t fear losing control, because the Spirit does not abandon us.
These events, for instance, are the beginning of the bigger story of Paul’s eventual journey to Rome. True, his new adventures would be fraught with difficulties. Nevertheless, the Spirit was giving Paul the opportunity for Paul’s long-time dream: to preach in Rome!
God’s Spirit guides us in surprising ways. How wonderful when we know that it is, indeed, the Spirit’s voice, rather than our own or other’s!
(A devotion written for our church.)
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