Paul in Jerusalem
Acts 21:17-chapter 23:24
Paul went to Jerusalem. There some Jews accused him of teaching
against Jewish law and of
defiling the temple by bringing Gentiles into it. The whole city
was in an uproar, and people
came running to see what was happening. They were trying to kill Paul,
but he was rescued
by the Roman soldiers. The crowd was so violent they had to
carry Paul to get him away
from his enemies.
They stopped on the stairs to the castle and Paul asked to speak to the
crowd. With
soldiers around him, he began to defend himself. He told of his
conversion. They listened
for awhile until he said the Lord had sent him to the
Gentiles. Then they became violently
angry. The commander took him inside and ordered him to be
beaten.
They didn't know Paul was a Roman citizen, and Roman citizens were not
to be beaten.
When he told them of his citizenship, they became fearful of how
they had treated him.
The commander ordered him to appear before the Jewish
Sanhedrin. He caused a
division between the Pharisees and the Sadducees by revealing he
was a Pharisee and
believed in the resurrection of the dead. There was another
uproar, and the commander
took him to the barracks.
That night the Lord stood near Paul and told him to take courage.
He was going to Rome
to tell the people there about his faith.
There was a plot to kill Paul, but his nephew learned of it and told
the authorities. The
commander decided to send him to Governor Felix. To insure
his safe arrival, he was
accompanied by 200 soldiers, 70 horsemen, and 200 spearmen. They
left at 9:00 at night
with Paul riding on horseback.
Memory Verse:
As for God his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is
a shield for all who
take refuge in him.
Second Samuel 22:31 NIV