A Study of Acts: Paul is Seized in the Temple
Acts 21:27-40 - Doubt comes to half-hearted believers when they think about how they would react to mob hysteria. Paul demonstrates his passion and his strength in this situation.
“When the seven days were almost over, the Jews from Asia, upon seeing him in the temple, began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him, crying out, “Men of Israel, come to our aid! This is the man who preaches to all men everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. Then all the city was provoked, and the people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul they dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut.
While they were seeking to kill him, a report came up to the commander of the Roman cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. At once he took along some soldiers and centurions and ran down to them; and when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. Then the commander came up and took hold of him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains; and he began asking who he was and what he had done. But among the crowd some were shouting one thing and some another, and when he could not find out the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. When he got to the stairs, he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob; for the multitude of the people kept following them, shouting, “Away with him!”
As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the commander, “May I say something to you?” And he *said, “Do you know Greek? Then you are not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?” But Paul said, “I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.” When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the stairs, motioned to the people with his hand; and when there was a great hush, he spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect, saying,”
Acts 21:27-40 NASB1995
Chapter 21 of Acts ends on a cliffhanger. The seven days of Paul’s purification ritual are nearly over. He is in the temple when Jews from Asia (likely from Ephesus, as they immediately recognize Paul) lay hands on him and demand that he be arrested for defiling the temple. They claim that he preaches against the Law and the people and that he brought Greeks into the temple, mentioning having seen him in the city with Trophimus from Ephesus. The mob drags Paul out of the temple and the doors were immediately shut.
Here is a marvelous graphic of the Temple in Jerusalem in the time of Jesus that I found on Precept Austin (no source was identified but going to the original link will allow you to see a larger version). There were clear markings that prohibited any Gentiles from coming into the interior of the temple from the Court of the Gentiles. According to commentary, the Romans helped enforce this by letting any trespassers be summarily executed by the Jewish leaders.
Enduring Word has a good explanation for this separation in the Temple:
Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd: They claimed that Paul was against the people [Israel], the law, and this place [the temple], but these accusations were unfounded. Paul simply rejected trust in any of these as a basis for righteousness before God, which comes only through Jesus Christ.
The charges against Paul in Acts 21:28 were an echo of the charges Stephen was executed for (Acts 6:13). Paul helped preside over that execution; now he is accused in a similar way.
All the city was disturbed; and the people ran together: The crowd was enlarged because it was feast-time (Acts 20:16). It was enraged because they believed Paul not only preached against the people, the law, and the temple, but also profaned the temple by bringing Gentiles into its inner courts (they said, “he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place”).
Trophimus the Ephesian… whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple: It was absolutely prohibited for Gentiles to go beyond the designated “Court of the Gentiles” in the temple grounds. Signs were posted which read (in both Greek and Latin): “No foreigner may enter within the barricade which surrounds the temple and enclosure. Any one who is caught trespassing will bear personal responsibility for his ensuing death.” The Romans were so sensitive to this that they authorized the Jews to execute anyone that offended in this way, even if the offender was a Roman citizen.
It is ironic that Paul is now accused of the very things that resulted in Stephen’s execution, which he eagerly attended. Quite honestly, dear reader, if you are in need something to prove the veracity of Scripture, the conversion of Paul and his subsequent dogged devotion to the truth of the Gospel is certainly one of the best ways to get there. He could not have had an encounter with anyone less than our Lord Jesus on that day near Damascus.
The Romans hear the commotion and run to the crowd. The mob is attempting to take justice into their own hands right on the spot and they intend to kill Paul. The arrival of the soldiers stop the beatings; Paul is bound to two soldiers, one on each side. This is apparently in fulfillment of the prophecy from Agabus. When the soldiers reach the stairs to their barracks station, they must carry Paul because of the violence of the pursuing mob. The mob is yelling at the soldiers “away with him”, wanting Paul’s death.
As Paul is being brought into the Commander’s office, he politely asks the Commander if he can speak. The commander is probably shocked that he speaks Greek and seems highly educated, as there was a rebellion attempt by an Egyptian and a group of assassins recently. Paul informs him that he is a Jew from Tarsus and he wants to speak to the people. Here’s more commentary from Enduring Word:
Now as they were seeking to kill him: Paul had been seized by an enraged mob, and the mob didn’t just want to take him out of the temple courts. They wanted to kill him, right there in the outer courtyard area of the temple mount. Paul had been near death because of the attacks of murderous mobs before (Acts 14:5, 19), and he must have thought, “Here we go again!”
News came to the commander of the garrison that all Jerusalem was in an uproar: From the Tower of Antonia, at the northwest corner of the temple mount, more than 500 Roman soldiers were stationed only two flights of stairs from the Court of the Gentiles.
When they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul: The Romans didn’t sympathize with Paul, but they were interested in keeping public order, so they arrested Paul both for his own protection and to remove the cause of the uproar.
Two chains means Paul was handcuffed to a solider on either side. Paul must have immediately remembered the prophecy of Agabus (Acts 21:11).
The multitude of the people followed after, crying out, “Away with him!” When the mob cried out for his death, Paul must have remembered when he was part of such a mob, agreeing with the martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 7:54-8:1).
Or, perhaps, it even reminded him of the trial of Jesus: “The shout Away with him! which pursued him as he was carried up the steps was the shout with which Jesus’ death had been demanded not far from that spot some twenty-seven years before (Luke 23:18; John 19:15).” (F.F. Bruce)
[James Montgomery] Boice on Away with him! “They did not mean, ‘Take him away from the temple area.’ They meant, ‘Remove him from the earth.’ They wanted him dead.”
As Paul was about to be led into the barracks, he said to the commander: At first, the Roman commander thought that Paul was a terrorist, and was surprised that Paul was an educated man and could speak Greek.
The language was a surprise, because both the language and phrasing showed that Paul was a man educated in the Greek world, not a rabble-rouser. The phrase itself was a surprise; it seems far too polite and reserved. We would expect Paul to be screaming, “Help, help!” and not, “Pardon me sir, may I have a moment with you?”
The Egyptian mentioned (also mentioned by the Jewish historian Josephus) led a ragged army of four thousand men to the Mount of Olives where they declared they would take over the temple mount. Roman soldiers had quickly scattered them, but the leader got away.
I am a Jew from Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: When Paul identified himself to the Roman commander, it put him in an entirely different standing. He was a citizen of Tarsus, not a suspected terrorist.
I implore you, permit me to speak to the people. At this moment, when his life was in danger from an angry mob and he was suspected of being a dangerous criminal, Paul had one thing on his mind: “Let me preach the gospel!”
It’s amazing that Paul could think and speak so clearly, considering that he had just been beaten. Some critics – such as the German theologian Ernst Haenchen – think that this proves that this whole account is a fabrication. What they don’t take into account is the power of the Holy Spirit and Paul’s great passion.
Whoever German theologian Ernst Haenchen was (see this link) as noted by Guzik in this commentary, Haenchen thought this calmness of Paul meant that the whole story was made up. When “theologians” start doubting Scripture because it doesn’t meet their ideas of how humans would behave under certain circumstances, then they are well on the road to completely discarding the supernatural mysteries of God and the Gospel. Paul has been through many difficult situations by this point in his life and this is yet another one that he leaves in God’s hands, as we will see in the remaining chapters of Acts.
A final commentary from Enduring Word as Paul begins to speak, in Hebrew, to the mob:
Paul stood on the stairs and motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language: What a dramatic moment! Paul, standing on stairs overlooking the massive open courtyard of the temple mount, made a dramatic sweep of his hand – and the angry, rioting mob fell silent. Then, Paul spoke to them in the Hebrew language, identifying himself with his Jewish audience, not with his Roman protectors.
This was an opportunity Paul had waited a lifetime for. He had an incredible passion for the salvation of his fellow Jews (Romans 9:1-5), and had probably thought of himself as uniquely qualified to effectively communicate the gospel to them – if he only had the right opportunity.
Similarities between Jesus and Paul as shown in Acts 20 and 21:
Like Jesus, Paul traveled to Jerusalem with a group of disciples.
Like Jesus, Paul had opposition from hostile Jews who plotted against his life.
Like Jesus, Paul made or received three successive predictions of his coming sufferings in Jerusalem, including being handed over to the Gentiles.
Like Jesus, Paul had followers who tried to discourage him from going to Jerusalem and the fate that awaited him there.
Like Jesus, Paul declared his readiness to lay down his life.
Like Jesus, Paul was determined to complete his ministry and not be deflected from it.
Like Jesus, Paul expressed his abandonment to the will of God.
Like Jesus, Paul came to Jerusalem to give something.
Like Jesus, Paul was unjustly arrested on the basis of a false accusation.
Like Jesus, Paul alone was arrested, but none of his companions.
Like Jesus, Paul heard the mob crying out, Away with him!
Like Jesus, the Roman officer handling Paul’s case did not know his true identity.
Like Jesus, Paul was associated with terrorists by a Roman official.
In a way unique to most of us, Paul really did know the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death (Philippians 3:10).
Paul’s particular call and ministry make these similarities especially striking, but we are called to follow after Jesus also. We shouldn’t be surprised when events in our lives are like events in Jesus’ life. There may be a time of temptation in the wilderness, a time when people come to us with needs only God can meet, a time when we seem at the mercy of a storm, a time when we must cry out to God as in the Garden of Gethsemane, a time when we must simply lay down our lives and trust God will gloriously raise us up. We, like Paul, are predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29).
However, Paul’s experience was obviously different in many ways, not the least of which was the manner in which he will make his defense in the next chapter, while Jesus refused to defend Himself before His accusers.
The commander agreed to let Paul speak, so that sermon to the mob and their reaction is found in my next devotional, which examines Acts 22 in its entirety.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Each day, gently remind me of the incredible power of the Holy Spirit and the passion and courage that come from being a bearer of the Gospel. Amen!
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Precept Austin was accessed on 1/11/2024 to review commentary and graphics for Acts 21:27-40.
Enduring Word commentary by David Guzik is used with written permission.