The Acts of the Apostles

How the Gospel was carried from Jerusalem to Rome

David M Pearce

Chapter 10

Trouble at Jerusalem

As the great ship ploughed east across the Mediterranean bearing Paul and his companions towards the land of Israel, a troubled look would occasionally cross his weather–beaten face. It was not the safe keeping of the bullion they were carrying that worried the apostle, although the total value of the Great Collection for the poor disciples in Jerusalem probably amounted to thousands of pounds. It was something else. He had already expressed his fears in his letters to the Romans some months before, as he outlined to them his plans for the journey. "Strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf" he had begged them "that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints" (Romans16:30, 31).

The first point was an obvious one. Several years had elapsed since he last visited the Jewish capital, and his work of preaching to the Gentiles had made him many enemies amongst the orthodox Jews. He was showing great courage in going to Jerusalem at all, equivalent to walking into the lion's den. However, the collection of money from the Gentile believers for the Jewish Christians had been his own idea, and he felt obliged to see the project through to the end, whatever the dangers. His prayer that the collection would be accepted by the people for whom it was intended, shows that he was suffering another anxiety. It would prove embarrassing and hurtful indeed if Jewish pride was to reject the kindness shown at such self–sacrifice by the Gentiles, and he was made, crestfallen, to take the collection back.

Caesarea

In the event his fears were quite justified. Landing at Caesarea, Paul travelled on foot from the coast up to the capital, accompanied by his friends. It had been arranged that he would stay with a disciple from Cyprus who was living in Jerusalem. Next day a meeting was called of the Jerusalem church, or ecclesia, and Paul presented a detailed report on his work overseas – "he related one by one" writes Luke "the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry" (Acts 21:18,19).

At this point we would expect to read about the handing over of the collection, and the gratitude of the people receiving it. Unfortunately the record is silent. It looks as though Paul's alms giving, undertaken in such a loving spirit, was received with little enthusiasm. Worse was to follow. After making his report, he was forced to take an important decision, the results of which were to change the course of his life for years to come.

The fact was, Paul was an embarrassment to the Jerusalem believers. They respected the dramatic results of his preaching – "when they heard it, they glorified God" Luke records (Acts 21:20). But Paul himself had acquired a reputation for teaching not only the Gentiles, but the Jews as well, in the countries he had visited, that it was no longer necessary to keep the Law of Moses. This upset the Jewish Christians living in Jerusalem. They had to rub shoulders every day with unbelieving Jews, who viewed them as heretics, in the same way that Paul himself had done when he used to be Saul the Persecutor. Most of them had decided to reduce this friction by continuing to observe the Law of Moses themselves, as well as following Christ. After all, they could argue, there was nothing wrong with the Law of Moses. While you accepted it could not bring salvation, observing the Sabbath and praying in the Temple did no harm, and certainly made life easier. So they said to Paul 'we want you to go along to the Temple straightaway and take part in a public service of purification, so that everyone will realise you are still a supporter of the Law'. This put Paul in a difficult position. The fact was he, like them, had continued to observe the rules of the Law of Moses after his conversion. His reason was quite different. It was not to avoid persecution – he collected plenty of that from the unbelieving Jews. It was to give him the facility of entering the synagogues in the cities he visited overseas, in order to preach the gospel to the Jews. If he had stopped observing the Law, they would have refused to listen to him, and he would not have been able to follow the principle he insisted was God's way – "the gospel is the power of God for salvation to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Romans1:16). His observance of the Law was not out of compulsion, but as a means to an end. "To those under the Law" he wrote "I became as one under the Law – though not being myself under the Law – "that I might win those under the Law" (1 Corinthians 9:20).

So, to go into the Temple as if he were a law–abiding Jew would draw the teeth from his Jewish critics, but it would weaken the emphasis of his gospel, that salvation is by faith in Jesus. It was a nasty dilemma. He slept on it. By morning light, Paul had decided to humour his Jewish brethren. With four other men, he purified himself, set off for the Temple and gave notice that in a week's time he would be returning to offer sacrifices. He then had to wait around in Jerusalem until the seven days had elapsed. That delay proved fatal.

Amongst the crowds of worshippers, thronging the Temple like flocks of saintly birds, were visitors from overseas, including Jews from the province of Asia. Some of them recognised the diminutive figure of the apostle, and the sight of his face brought back unpleasant memories of wordy battles in their home towns, when he had drawn away many of their members from the synagogue to be followers of Jesus. This was an opportunity for revenge.

The unsuspecting apostle, quietly worshipping, was seized by rough hands. "Men of Israel, help" they cried "This is the man who is teaching men everywhere against the people and the Law and this place … " (Acts 21:28). Their shrieks of rage warned Paul that, not for the first time, his life was in the hands of a fanatical mob. They dragged him, bruised and defenceless, into the Temple courts and began to beat him to death.

The Romans had built a large fortress overlooking the Temple area for the very purpose of controlling such riots, which were all too common amongst their Jewish subjects in that sacred place where feelings ran high. The frenzied disturbance below was noted by the guard, and reported at once to the Chief Officer. He rushed out with a strong detachment of soldiers, and was able to intervene in time to save Paul from the mob. Assuming the battered figure before him had disturbed the peace, he formally arrested the apostle, chained him securely, and began to march him off to the barracks for interrogation. The fire of Paul's character shines out in what happened next. Addressing the tribune in Greek, he asked permission to speak to the crowds from the barrack stairs.

In spite of his pain, Paul was not going to let this opportunity pass to address his fellow countrymen on the subject nearest to his heart. He had kept a low profile during the week in order to avoid trouble, but now he had been recognised, he was determined to let them know why he had become a Christian. It was a strange circumstance to start preaching. Most of us would have been thankful just to escape from a violent death. But to Paul, these men who so hated him were sinners to be saved.

His oration got off to a good start. It was an extraordinary spectacle, as the dishevelled little man peered down from between the burly Roman soldiers, waving his manacled hand until a deep hush fell over the crowd. They listened intently as he explained how Jesus of Nazareth had appeared to him in a blinding light on the road to Damascus. They followed his account of his baptism, and his commission to be an apostle. But when he came to Jesus' command that he should preach to the Gentiles, the spell was broken. Howling, waving their clothes, throwing dust into the air, they so alarmed the Roman tribune that Paul was immediately rushed inside.

That day was the beginning of a long, dark chapter in Paul's life. He was to stay in prison, first at Jerusalem, then Caesarea and Rome, for a period that was to be measured in years. He had done nothing unlawful. He was brought before court after court, with different judges, but somehow, although they could find no good reason for his being kept in prison, they never got round to setting him free. Roman law was good, but its execution depended on officials who were more concerned with their pockets and careers than strict standards of justice. The Jews, Paul's enemies, had influence in high places, and saw to it that Paul, if not dead, was at least silenced from his preaching.

Even in prison, Paul was hardly safe. While he was being kept at Jerusalem, a band of assassins planned to set up a roadside ambush to kill him when the Jewish leaders had arranged for Paul to be brought temporarily out of prison to appear before the Jewish Council. Only the sharp ears of Paul's little nephew foiled their plot. Acts 23:12–22 tells us how the lad warned the tribune that Paul's life was in danger. But such excitement and danger was soon to be a thing of the past. Packed off to the Roman headquarters at Caesarea, the apostle found himself locked away for long, dreary years in damp, harsh cells. It must have been galling, frustrating and downright depressing, especially when he had done nothing wrong.

Why, you might well ask, did God allow his servant to finish up like this, after years of faithful service? It is a good question, and we must attempt an answer before we conclude. Firstly, we cannot hope to understand the reasons for all God's actions until the Day of Judgement, when the full perspective of His work will be revealed. We have to recognise that we are only his servants, doing our duty. It may be that Paul's appointed task of founding new communities of believers was now complete, and it was time for others to carry on, while he took a back seat. Secondly, suffering comes to all God's servants sooner or later. It teaches them patience, faith and trust in God. Even Jesus is said in the book of Hebrews to have been made perfect through suffering (Hebrews 2:10). So perhaps Paul still had something to learn from those lonely hours in prison. Lastly, there is one definite benefit from Paul's imprisonment, for which we give thanks. Unable to visit his dear friends overseas, he wrote to them instead – long, meaty letters of counsel and warning, full of principles for the life of the disciple. Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, Philemon, 2 Timothy and probably Hebrews – all these have been preserved, and in them we have the finest fruits of the apostle's wisdom and experience.

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