Acts 21:27-36: "Paul Seized in the Temple"
After being in Jerusalem for several days the prophetic words of the Holy Spirit (Acts 21:11) came true. It seems that wherever Paul went crowds gathered and tempers were stirred up. This is only more proof that the truth was being preached. Jesus promised his disciples in John 15:18-19, "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you". Any proponent of God including Christ himself stirred up things because the things they preached were divisive. "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will be the members of his household". Matt. 10:34-36. Also, "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart". Heb. 4:12. Clearly, when we abandon our earthly ways and give our lives to Christ we will cause dissension and problems with those we come in contact with. Just as the Jews hated Christ and killed Him, just as the Jews (including Paul) hated Stephen and killed him, they are looking for Paul's blood as well.
In V.27 we see that when the seven days of Paul's vow he had made previously was almost up, the Jews see him in the temple and begin to, "stir up all the multitude and laid hands on him". The Jews, so blinded by their zeal for the law, saw Paul as a huge threat. Just like most bullies, they could never confront anyone by themselves. Instead, they always had to stir up a multitude and get a group together to come after the disciples. That time in history, just as today, the world is influenced by what man thinks of them. There are power in numbers. And knowing this, the Jewish leaders would always get an angry mob stirred up to get things done the way they wanted.
In V.28 we can see the "false" accusations they bring against Paul. Just as the zealous Jewish converts in the last passage, these Jewish leaders spoke falsely of Paul. They accused him of
1) Preaching against the Jewish people
2) Preaching against the Law
3) Bringing Gentiles into the temple
With a blind hatred the mob is stirred up and they grab Paul, "seeking to kill him". God's providence allows the Roman cohort to become aware of the situation and ultimately saves Paul life. The Roman soldiers come to restore order as, "some were shouting one thing and some another". As the Jewish mob got more frenzied and hate-filled (many probably never have ever met Paul), finally he is carried up to be brought to the barracks so they could get to the bottom of it.
You can see why Christ would call the Jewish leaders of the day a, "brood of vipers". Constantly stirring up people to kill those who would claim Christ. Although they had many times been told the gospel, their blind eyes, hardened hearts, and seared conscience would never allow them to truly hear what is being told to them. They have an agenda and that is to put a stop to Christianity. Fortunately, in the power of the Almighty God, they had no chance of doing such a thing.
In V.27 we see that when the seven days of Paul's vow he had made previously was almost up, the Jews see him in the temple and begin to, "stir up all the multitude and laid hands on him". The Jews, so blinded by their zeal for the law, saw Paul as a huge threat. Just like most bullies, they could never confront anyone by themselves. Instead, they always had to stir up a multitude and get a group together to come after the disciples. That time in history, just as today, the world is influenced by what man thinks of them. There are power in numbers. And knowing this, the Jewish leaders would always get an angry mob stirred up to get things done the way they wanted.
In V.28 we can see the "false" accusations they bring against Paul. Just as the zealous Jewish converts in the last passage, these Jewish leaders spoke falsely of Paul. They accused him of
1) Preaching against the Jewish people
2) Preaching against the Law
3) Bringing Gentiles into the temple
With a blind hatred the mob is stirred up and they grab Paul, "seeking to kill him". God's providence allows the Roman cohort to become aware of the situation and ultimately saves Paul life. The Roman soldiers come to restore order as, "some were shouting one thing and some another". As the Jewish mob got more frenzied and hate-filled (many probably never have ever met Paul), finally he is carried up to be brought to the barracks so they could get to the bottom of it.
You can see why Christ would call the Jewish leaders of the day a, "brood of vipers". Constantly stirring up people to kill those who would claim Christ. Although they had many times been told the gospel, their blind eyes, hardened hearts, and seared conscience would never allow them to truly hear what is being told to them. They have an agenda and that is to put a stop to Christianity. Fortunately, in the power of the Almighty God, they had no chance of doing such a thing.
posted by amesfam | 12:10 PM
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