Acts 21:16–22:29
With Jesus, the Law was fulfilled. This is why past Jewish rituals are no longer necessary. For example, the Jews no longer needed to sacrifice a perfect animal to atone for their sins because the death of Jesus atoned for all sins forever. Then why did Paul do it? In 1 Corinthians 8:13, Paul urged us to not do things that would cause others to stumble. We need to remember what is the end goal here: Paul is trying to spread the Gospel in a way that other people can listen to and understand. If Paul aggravated his audience before he even gets the chance to talk to them, what is to gain from it all?
The key thing here is that the rituals themselves are not bad. They are no longer necessary, but if they help us remember God’s grace and love, there is nothing wrong with taking part in the rituals. We need to note that these rituals are not demonic rituals. These rituals were Jewish rituals commanded in the Old Testament before Jesus’ time. These were Godly rituals that Jesus fulfilled. This is why we no longer have to do it. In fact, as Gentiles, we don’t need to bring an innocent animal to be slaughtered when we go to church today. Old Testament rituals were not part of our history. However, many Jewish Christians still carry out Old Testament rituals because it helps them remember what God did for them and their people in the past.
In sum, Paul went through with the rituals because he was also a Jew. It was not necessary for him to do those rituals anymore because Jesus did it all. However, it wasn’t wrong for him to do it out of reverence for God. And it certainly wasn’t wrong for him to do it so that his Jewish brothers wouldn’t stumble, so that they could be in friendship and fellowship with Paul and hear the Gospel message.
As a note of caution, I just want us to be vigilant when it comes to keeping rituals in check. The rituals above, I cannot stress more, were not man-made or demonic. The rituals were rooted in God. Though Jesus made those rituals unnecessary, they were still rituals rooted in God. There are other types of rituals that man keep. Some are demonic in nature, whereas others are man-made. There is no way keeping those rituals would help us get closer to God. I realize I'm speaking generally, but I pray for Holy Spirit-led guidance and wisdom in our lives to guide us as we follow God. We need to remember that the most important thing is our living relationship with God. Rituals, after Jesus, are just that: rituals. Godly rituals can help us remember God, but Godly rituals do not build that relationship for us. To build that relationship, we need to actively communicate with God and walk with God. It is not just about following through with the motions of the rituals. It's about getting to know God; it's about understanding His love; it's about being so overfilled with His love, we can't help but share it with EVERYONE! And guys, that's the Gospel!
Zondervan NIV footnote:
* Acts 21:24. living in obedience to the law. Paul had earlier taken a vow himself (see 18:18 and note), he had been a Jew to the Jews (see 1Co 9:20-21), and Timothy had been circumcised (see 16:3 and note). However, Paul was very careful not to sacrifice Christian principle in any act of obedience to the law (he would not have Titus circumcised, Gal 2:3).
* Acts 21:27 seven days. Cf. Nu 6:9. These were the days required for purification, shaving their heads at the altar, the sacrifice of a sin offering and burnt offering for each, and announcing the completion of the priests. Jews from the province of Asia. Paul had suffered already from the hands of Asian Jews (20:19).
* Acts 22:14 to see the Righteous One. Cf. 3:14; Lk 23:47 and notes. To see the resurrected Jesus was all-important to Paul (see 26:16; 1Co 9:1; 15:8). It was that experience that had convinced him of the truth of the gospel and that became the foundation of his theology.
Acts 22
Paul has committed his life to preaching the Gospel. Physical death does not scare him because he is eternally alive in Christ.
Acts 23:1-6
To humans, Paul’s life was horrible. He’s always being harassed, beaten, or thrown into jail, and he lived poorly. To Paul, however, he loved what he did in Jesus’ name. His eyes are on Christ and His eternal kingdom.
I think this attitude is simply breathtakingly inspirational. If anyone needs an example of what it means to live with our eyes on Jesus, he/she should look no further than Paul.
If we're talking about pain, physical or emotional, Paul's most certainly experience it all. It is definitely not a pain-free life, the life of a Christian, but we do it because we are looking at eternity. Paul knew that his life on Earth was to get the Good News to as many souls as possible. It's all about saving souls, because come eternity, only souls matter. Any kind of pain, God has already promised us that all sorrow would be wiped away.
I'm not saying I can adopt Paul's attitude with ease. I think it's very hard, and I think when the pain hits, it's definitely easier to run the other way. But then, so what? So... I ran away... and then what? Kind of like Jonah's predicament, huh? When Jonah ran away, he didn't just abandon his walk with God. He abandoned the people he was suppose affect. The Gospel will not spread itself. If we don't do it, who will?
Acts 23:4-5
Paul apologized for speaking ill against the high priest. He apologized because one of God’s commandments (Exodus 22:28) was to not speak evil about the ruler of your people. We can tell from Paul's apology that Paul didn't mean to speak ill. He simply did not know who the high priest was. This is understandable since Paul had been away for a while and may have lost track of who the present-day high priest was.
* Exodus 22:28 = Do not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people.
Acts 23:6-8
Paul related to Pharisees by telling them about his upbringing as a Pharisee. In fact, he was trained by the best and went to the best schools. There was no one better trained than Paul.
Acts 23:12–35
Paul found out about the plot to kill him, and he was able to be avoid the mob and at the same time be tried in Caesarea (where he would get a more fair trial). During his transfer to Caesarea, there were "two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen" protecting Paul (Acts 23:23). These are examples of how God guides His people around obstacles and leading them to the next challenge.
* Pharisees believe in resurrection, angels and spirits. Sadducees does not believe in any of these (Acts 23:8).
Zondervan NIV footnote:
* Acts 23:11 the Lord stood near. In time sof crises and need for strength, Paul was given help (see 18:9; 22:18; 27:23; cf. 2Co 12:7-10 and notes).
Acts 24–26
Zondervan NIV footnote:
* Acts 24:2-3 long period of peace ... with profound gratitude. The expected eulogy with which to introduce a speech before a judge. In his six years in office Felix had eliminated bands of robbers, thwarted organized assassins and crushed a movement led by an Egyptian (see note on 21:38). But in general his record was not good. He was recalled by Rome two years later because of misrule. His reforms and improvements are hard to identify historically.
* Acts 24:25 Felix was afraid. Hearing of "righteousness, self-control and the judgement," Felix looked at his past life and was filled with fear. He had a spark of sincerity and concern. When I find it convenient. Lust, pride, greed and selfish ambition made it continually inconvenient to change.
* Acts 24:26 offer him a bribe. Felix supposed that Paul had access to considerable funds. He had heard of his bringing an offering to the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem (see v. 17 and note). So he wanted Paul to give him money in order to secure his release. Paul no longer had the money, nor would he offer a bribe if he had it.
From Paul’s speech before Agrippa, we learn the following:
Jesus is the Messiah (Acts 26:15-18)
The stumbling block of the Jews is that they refuse to repent and turn to God (Acts 26:20-21).
Before Paul was awaken by Jesus, he persecuted Christians (Acts 26:9-16). He went from being someone who hated Christians to someone who devoted everything in his life to Christ. There is no conversation more powerful than Paul's.
Zondervan NIV footnote:
* Acts 26:6 my hope in what God has promised. Including God's kingdom, the Messiah and the resurrection (see v. 8).
* Acts 26:8 Paul had been speaking to Agrippa but at this point must have addressed others as well, such as Festus and the commanders (see note on 21:31), who did not believe in the resurrection. Agrippa was also allied with the Sadducees, whom he appointed high priests, and probably rejected both the resurrection of Christ and resurrection in general.
* Acts 26:11 force them to blaspheme. He tried to force them either to curse Jesus or to confess publicly that Jesus is the Son of God, in which case they could be condemned for blasphemy, a sufficient cause for death (See Mt 26:63-66).
Acts 26:16-18
Jesus gave Paul the following goals:Acts 26:16-18
1. Paul was to be a witness of Jesus, not only that Paul had seen Jesus but also what Jesus had shown Paul.
2. Paul will be sent to the Gentiles, to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, to turn away from Satan and toward God. This is so that the Gentiles can receive forgiveness of sins through Jesus.
Acts 27–28
Paul heroically guided the people on the ship through the storm. Paul was calm because he knew his time was not up, and he knew God would guide him through the storm (Acts 27:23-25). This is exactly how God's men should be able to guide others during crises.
Jonah, too, was caught in the middle of a storm on a ship. However, instead of being a rock for the people on the ship, he was the reason for the storm! The people on the ship were better off once they threw Jonah off the ship!
What was the difference? Well, there are many differences between Paul's and Jonah's circumstances, and I'm not going to address each one in detail. I do think the big picture is placing our faith in God. Learn from Paul. Learn from Jonah. Both ran into situations that were frightening beyond imagination. Paul, instead of running away, he simply planted his two feet firmly in the ground and let God guide him. He may not know how he was going to make it day to day, but he knew God knew, and that was enough for Paul.
We are weak and fallible when we rely on ourselves. When we rely on God, we can trust that He will always deliver.
Acts 27:22–35
The Holy Spirit reassured Paul that he would be there for the trial and that those who were on the ship with him will all survive. The Holy Spirit protected all those who stayed on the ship. The Holy Spirit gave Paul courage (Acts 27:22-25), guidance (Acts 27:31), wisdom (Acts 27:33) and thankfulness (Acts 27:35).
Acts 28
For Paul personally, it’s another great evidence that God is protecting him to continue to do God’s work. If Paul didn’t have God’s protection, Paul would have died a long, long time ago. (Let's just say this wasn't the first time Paul was pursued by angry mobs of people.) But time and time again, we see Paul miraculously surviving through some of the toughest trials in life.
For us, it’s pure inspiration. We can see the miracles of God working through Paul. Through Paul, we not only gain a clear teaching of the Word, we also gain a great teacher, a great example.
Paul is an extremely intelligent person, and his transformation is simply amazing. He went from someone who killed Christians to someone who preached the Gospel around the world, enduring hard abuse and was ultimately hanged for his efforts. People who are afraid of being persecuted by family, friends, co-workers, think of Paul. He has endured so much more than any of us have. Nothing we go through is comparable. And if we still think we have it hard, look at Jesus. He was abused and murdered on the Cross for us. He died for us so that we can have the Good News to share with the world. He died so that our sins can be forgiven! With such inspirational examples like Paul and Jesus, we have absolutely no excuse to not stand strong in our faith in Jesus.
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