ACTS 21 – RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE
The first thing that I notice about today’s chapter is the detail. [v1-3] 
If this is a made-up story to complain about unfounded religious animosity, it wouldn’t have been wise at all for Luke (the author of this report) to add so much detail to this second extensive report to Theophilus.[a] As a Roman official, Theophilus would have access to shipping activity in the Mediterranean and, proving one part of the story wrong, would bring the rest of Luke’s report into question.
The fact that Luke adds all this detail to his report (which serves only to bore us in our chairs as we sip our coffee on a September morning in the 21st Century) proves that he has nothing to hide. What he is documenting is an exact account of what actually took place, and it’s recorded long before we had digital filing systems! That being so, we can now concentrate of unpacking what happened so that we can begin to understand why the Creator God would have miraculously preserved this private document between Luke and Theophilus, so the we can read it today. My guess is that, because the Creator doesn’t do random, it holds significantly important guideposts for our FAITH journey. So, what have I learnt?
To begin, Paul sort out Believers in Tyre. This means that the Creator’s Good News of Eternal Life had spread to Syria, and people were following The Way as “disciples” – learners. [v4] This was the pattern of Paul, Barnabas and their small group of companions wherever they went. Apart from being safest in doing this, 
they was able to meet all sort of interesting people. [v7-9] Philip, for example, was the man who had a bizarre encounter with an Ethiopian Eunuch.[b] He was also one of seven who had been picked in Jerusalem for leadership, because he was known to be filled with the Holy Spirit and with wisdom.[c]
And yet, dotted in this story of nice moments, is a growing concern for Paul’s trip to Jerusalem. So evident was this that all the Believers in Tyre turned out for Paul’s farewell and – not caring who was watching or what negative backlash may be caused from other religious groups – the entire group knelt on the beach to pray. [v5] At that point, Paul was visited by a prophet from Judea with a very definite message of backlash ahead. [v10-11]
With that said though, there’s something in this story that’s important to remember. A prophet doesn’t always work for Father God i.e. there are false prophets.[d] So Paul had to sift the information that he was given – weigh up the voices all around him then ask Father God for clarity. Logic would have told him that it couldn’t be a simple coincidence that a number of people were saying the same thing. So, was Father God telling him to avoid Jerusalem? Or, was He simply preparing Paul by telling him ahead of time, so that he could brace himself, be prepared both emotionally and spiritually, and would not taken by surprise nor left confused when the worst hit?
When we get prophecies today, we need to weigh them up against our Maker’s Handbook for Life and with the help of His Holy Spirit within us – as we pray for discernment. Wisdom is: using rightly the knowledge we have; and, by the way Paul responded [v12-14], we can see that he was putting puzzle pieces together. 
Everyone knew that his countrymen had persecuted and killed the prophets in the past. They then killed Jesus.[e] So the outlook wasn’t bright! But more than this, Paul knew two things:
The general calling from Jesus for any disciple: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”[f]
His own specific calling as “a chosen instrument” to bear his Maker’s Name before unbelievers and kings. He’d also come to know how much he must suffer for his Saviour’s name’s sake.[g]
Knowing that the Creator God’s Will, will always be done [v14], Paul knew who his Maker is and what He is capable of. In this firm knowledge, Paul could then rest assured that his Maker had him firmly in hand.[h]
And so, upon entering Jerusalem, Paul met with the “elders” – the original disciples including James, Jesus brother. [v16-19] It’s therefore worth noting again here, that both Paul and Luke (who had been traveling with Paul) had time here to receive first-hand information about Jesus from those who lived with Him and had moved about with Him. In other words, the writings that we have today, are from real people who had first-hand access either to Jesus or else to those who had been in His inner circle. In Luke’s case (the man writing this report in today’s chapter) first-hand access to those who knew and lived with Jesus.
It’s also worth mentioning here that even “elders” can get it wrong. In a bid to protect Paul, a plan was devised to demonstrate Paul’s commitment to the Mosaic Law. [v26-26] The idea was to shave their heads and go through a purification ritual – a thing that was commonly done under the old covenant Law given through Moses, but not necessary once grace and truth had been realized through Jesus death and resurrection – His one perfect sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin.[i]
Purification was about repentance and cleansing – saying sorry to the Creator God and going through a “spiritual detox” in order to get your act together, before re-setting your lifestyle with a firm commitment to the right path thereafter. If Paul needed purification at all, the plan to use it for gaining credibility with his fellow countrymen, didn’t work! [v27-29] God’s Will was done and Paul was indeed arrested just as predicted.
All this happened to Paul in Jerusalem, the city where he had previously been a religious zealot and part of “the in crowd”. With extreme religious intolerance, Paul had once gone house to house dragging out Followers of The Way, to throw them into prison while “breathing out murderous threats” against the Lord’s disciples.[j] With the same level of religious intolerance, the tables had turned in today’s chapter and Paul was now the one being dragged from the Temple courts and beaten. [v30-32]
However, since no two witnesses had the same accusation – a thing that was needed by the Law of Moses[k] – they were planning on killing Paul without a fair trial. [v31a] The irrational religious intolerance at the start of a 2,000-year-old argument had become out of hand. The 
whole city in an uproar (similar to the day Jesus died) and a troop of Roman soldiers had to be deployed to save Paul! [v32-34] And so began Paul’s long journey fulfilling what Jesus had told him. It would be a fulltime and life-long calling that would take him before governors and kings for the rest of his life. And while that might be incidental information to you, don’t click the exit button until you understand this one thing – the issue wasn’t about Jesus and his insane band of liars who should be squashed before the corrupt the world. The issue was very very simple…. the message, what was so bad about this Good News, was that it was for ALL people.[l] Now if you really can’t believe that global inclusion was the core theological issue that ignited a world to tension – splitting Israel in half then and pitting Islam against Christianity since – and this simply over those who believed/believe Yehoshua den Dovid (Jesus, Isa) and the Creator God’s epic storyline from beginning to end, against those who fervently and vehemently did/do not[m], then you may want to continue reading on…..
CLICK to return to today’s “Daily Breadcrumbs”
[a] Acts 1:1 (See also Luke 1:1-4)
[b] Acts 8:26-40
[c] Acts 6:1-6
[d] Jeremiah 6:13-14
[e] Acts 7:51-53
[f] Matthew 16:24
[g] Acts 9:15-16
[h] Psalm 58
[i] John 1:17
[j] Acts 8:3 and Acts 9:1
[k] Deuteronomy 17:6
[l] Luke 2:8-11 (referencing v10)
[m] Luke 4:16-30