Sat, 21 January, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.

Acts 21:1-14

¹ And when we had parted from them and set sail, we came by a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. ² And having found a ship crossing to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. ³ When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unload its cargo. ⁴ And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. And through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. ⁵ When our days there were ended, we departed and went on our journey, and they all, with wives and children, accompanied us until we were outside the city. And kneeling down on the beach, we prayed ⁶ and said farewell to one another. Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home.

⁷ When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for one day. ⁸ On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. ⁹ He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied. ¹⁰ While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. ¹¹ And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” ¹² When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. ¹³ Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” ¹⁴ And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.”

This is a hard passage. People are by the Spirit warning Paul not to go to Jerusalem, yet he continues to press on. Is Paul disobeying the Holy Spirit by going to Jerusalem? Is the Holy Spirit trying to stop Paul from his foolhardy trip?

Probably the best way to understand this is that the Holy Spirit is revealing to the disciples in Tyre (in verse 4) and to Agabus (in verse 11) what is going to happen to Paul in Jerusalem. These people then, out of their own concern for Paul’s welfare, warn him to not go to Jerusalem. It isn’t that the Holy Spirit is warning Paul to not go to Jerusalem, but He is preparing Paul for what will come.

Paul had some idea of what the outcome of his journey would be. In the previous chapter, he told the Ephesian elders:

Acts 20:22-25

²² And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, ²³ except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. ²⁴ But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. ²⁵ And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again.

These prophets are just augmenting what Paul has already comprehended: he would be incarcerated in Jerusalem. He would suffer in some way. But Paul says that he is constrained by the Holy Spirit to go there. These little glimpses of what is going to happen are apparently to steel him for the coming difficulties. The Holy Spirit is not leaving Paul to walk blindly into the fires. But as the prophets by the Holy Spirit warn Paul of his coming suffering, they also add their own counsel him to avoid the troubles by not going to Jerusalem.

Paul persists in his intention to go to Jerusalem despite knowing of the coming hardships, and eventually those who are trying to persuade him to abort the trip give up trying to talk him out of going, and instead commit the whole thing to God.

What do we learn from this?

We want to avoid suffering for ourselves and for others. That is natural. Suffering is difficult, and given the option, we prefer to live in comfort rather than in pain. But avoiding difficulties must not be our highest priority, for there are things that are more important than our own comfort. Sometimes it is God’s will for us to suffer for His glory and for our good. If we could somehow sidestep the difficulty God sends us, we would also miss the opportunity that God has in store.

This is not to say that we shouldn’t seek to avoid pain and hardship when we can do so without compromise. But there are times when we have no choice but to face the suffering if we truly put God first in our lives.

Where is Christ in this passage?

As we think of Paul being willing to go to Jerusalem knowing he will face suffering for the sake of the gospel, it reminds us of Paul’s Lord and Master who also set His face to go to Jerusalem. Jesus Christ knew what was going to happen to Him in Jerusalem, yet He completed His difficult and painful task, knowing it would bring glory to the Father and would win the salvation of His people. Jesus Christ sought to obey the Father rather than to maximize His own comfort.