In the first part of Acts 21 Paul was determined to go to Jerusalem.  He is like Jesus with his face set on Jerusalem.  In spite of the warnings from the Spirit, that if he went there would be trouble, he was set on Jerusalem.

In the middle part of Acts 21 Paul did in fact arrive at Jerusalem.  On Pentecost of 57 AD Paul arrived into a city that was a mess.  The brutal rule of the Roman governors had brought on a fervor of nationalistic indignation.

As I said last week, in 57 AD Jerusalem was a
-a stick of dynamite waiting for a match.
-a car stuck in a railroad crossing waiting for the train.
-a parachutist without a parachute waiting for the ground.
-a tornado hunting for a trailer park.
-a linebacker full of steroids looking for someone to hit.

In the last part of Acts 21 we are going to discover that Paul was the match, the train, the ground, the tornado and the hit. His presence caused a riot.   Paul had hoped to avoid this turmoil by following James and the elders’ instructions to take a vow of cleansing, paying for the expensive sacrifices for himself and four others and shaving his head.  He had hoped that by demonstrating his Jewishness, he could still be a witness to his people.  He was willing to do whatever it took to be the messenger of Jesus to his people. But it didn’t work.  In spite of his efforts to appease his Jewish brothers, he failed miserably to avoid being the match, the train, the ground, the tornado, and the hit.  What I want to explore this morning is why?  Why, in spite of his best efforts, did he fail to connect to his own people? And by asking why and working on an answer, we can, perhaps, learn a couple of lessons.

We are going to work through a long section of Scripture found in the last part of Acts 21 and into half of chapter 22.  I attempted to break this section into bite sized pieces but it wouldn’t.  So, we are going to have to get a big mouthful and chew on it all at once. It is an amazing story. Luke goes into careful detail and really captures the feel of Jerusalem in 57 AD and Paul’s heart as he attempts to connect to his people.  So, remember, we are looking for clues as to why Paul failed. Let’s get started in Acts 21:27

Acts 21:27-28   When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, shouting, "Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against our people and our law and this place.

Paul’s old enemies caught up with him.  Jews, who had learned to hate Paul back in Ephesus, now spotted him in the Temple and went ballistic.  The irony here is too much. In the very attempt of appeasing the Jews, he starts a riot.  He had to wait seven days before offering the expensive sacrifices; kind of like buying a hand gun.  And there as he is doing, what to me is a silly gesture to appease the Jews, he is busted by the very people he avoided on his way to Jerusalem.  It is like the, “No good deed goes unpunished.”  

Acts 21:29-30   (They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple area.) The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut.

These Ephesian enemies recognized both Trophimus and Paul together in the city and then conveniently assumed he was one of the four guys Paul took into the Temple.  Here is an interesting historical note.

The Temple was divided into four parts.  The outer part was for the Gentiles, then the next part was for women, and then men and then the priest section which included the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.  Now between the Gentile section and the Women section was a Greek Porch with signs written in different languages posted all along it.  Archeologists have actually discovered two of these signs.  The sign said,

NO FOREIGNER
IS TO GO BEYOND THE BALUSTRADE
AND THE PLAZA OF THE TEMPLE ZONE
WHOEVER IS CAUGHT DOING SO
WILL HAVE HIMSELF TO BLAME
FOR HIS DEATH
WHICH WILL FOLLOW 

It seems to me a simply picture of a Gentile with a circle and slash would have been easier.  But the point is, the Jews in Jerusalem were serious about no Gentiles polluting their Temple.  Whoopee- Do, I wouldn’t have wanted to go in their Temple anyway. 

So, the entire crowd, still there on holiday, was enraged that Paul, this lover of Gentiles, had snuck one into their holy Temple.  Thus Paul became the match, the train, the ground, the tornado, and the hit which ignited the crowd.

I think there is a subtle hint at why Paul failed in these verses.  After they dragged Paul out of the Temple, the Temple guards quickly shut the gates to keep all pollution out.  No one goes to the Temple again in Acts.  The Temple was shut… kind of like a mind.  Hmmm. Back to the story. 

Acts 21:31-36  While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar.  He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.  The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done.  Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks.  When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers.  The crowd that followed kept shouting, "Away with him!"

Archeologists have also discovered that right beside the Temple was the barracks for a cohort of Roman soldiers.  A 1,000 troops were stationed there for this very purpose.  So, the “chiliarch” the commander of a thousand, came in and his only mission was to stop the match, the train, the ground, the tornado, and the hit from blowing up Jerusalem.  The Jews believed that the Temple would stay polluted until the trespasser had been executed.  So, you can at least understand why they were dead set on disremembering Paul into pieces parts. 

We find another clue as to why Paul failed in what the crowd kept on shouting, “Away with him!”  They were not saying take him away they were saying, “Do away with him!”  What does this remind you of?  Perhaps what they shouted at Jesus, “Crucify Him!”  Paul wasn’t so far any more popular than Jesus was in this same spot.  Being Jesus, which Paul was doing, wasn’t making him any more popular than Jesus, to these Jews.

Acts 21:37-40  As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, "May I say something to you?" "Do you speak Greek?" he replied. "Aren't you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the desert some time ago?"  Paul answered, "I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people."  Having received the commander's permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic:

Paul, instead of being thankful to the commander for saving his skin, wants to give it another chance.  Note he speaks in two languages and that he is a citizen of a respectable city.  Luke wants us to see Paul was a sharp respectable person who could even convince the commander to let him speak and even more remarkable could get the crowd to quiet down.  Paul did not fail to connect to his people because he was a bumpkin.  He was a sharp respectable guy.  A lack of intelligence was not why he failed. 

Now let’s focus on his speech and see why it failed to connect.

Acts 22:1-5  "Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense."   When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Then Paul said:   "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.  I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, as also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.”

What is Paul doing?  He is trying to get them to see that he was just like them.  Note his credentials: He speaks Aramaic; he is a Jew; he was trained by the famous and respected scholar, Gamaliel; he was zealous enough to persecute the Way like just them. Paul is connecting at this point.  I am one of you! You can trust me.  So far so good.  They are still listening.

Acts 22:6-16  "About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, 'Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?'  "'Who are you, Lord?' I asked. "'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,' he replied. My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.   "'What shall I do, Lord?' I asked. "'Get up,' the Lord said, 'and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.'  My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me. "A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.  He stood beside me and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very moment I was able to see him.  "Then he said: 'The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth.  You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.  And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.'”

Wow, that is an amazing story.  Here is an important lesson.  When we are attempting to connect to our people, tell your story.  Each of us has an amazing story because each of us has been saved by amazing grace!  Each of us has been called by the Righteous One to have our sins washed away in baptism!  Each of us, who are Christians, has a great story to tell of our own salvation.   And there is no better way to witness to others than to tell them how Jesus showed you the light and lead you into his name!  Wow!  Paul did not fail to connect to his people because he failed to tell his story.  His is an amazing story.  Note, the people were still listening!  

Acts 22:17-21   "When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance  and saw the Lord speaking. 'Quick!' he said to me. 'Leave Jerusalem immediately, because they will not accept your testimony about me.'   "'Lord,' I replied, 'these men know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you.  And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.'  "Then the Lord said to me, 'Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'"

“Right there, and he pointed to the Temple, I got a vision from the Lord to go share my message to the Gentiles.  It was a vision in the Temple that told me to go to the Gentiles.”  Just like Isaiah, Paul saw a vision in the Temple and Paul said, “Here am I, send me!”  Paul was being sent to do the Lord’s will!  Paul wanted the Jewish crowd to understand that it was God who had sent him to the Gentiles.  He was Isaiah being sent.  It wasn’t his choice.  The Lord had commanded him and so he went. 

But it wasn’t enough. He failed to connect. When Paul mentioned the Gentiles it was all over, but the crying.  He became the match, the train, the ground, the tornado, and the hit which ignited the crowd.

Acts 22:22-24  The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, "Rid the earth of him! He's not fit to live!"  As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, the commander ordered Paul to be taken into the barracks.

Paul had failed.  His people still wanted to rid the earth of him. They still thought he was not fit to live!  Why?  Why had he failed?  Why did they hate him so? 
-It wasn’t because he didn’t try.  He made the vow and offered the sacrifices and shaved his head to show he was still a devoted Jew.
-It wasn’t because he didn’t try.  Even after barely escaping with his pieces parts still connected, he wanted to share with them and convince them.
-It wasn’t because he didn’t try.  He told them he was just like them; a zealous Jew who had persecuted the Way.
-It wasn’t because he didn’t try.  He told his story.  What more powerful thing could he have said?
-It wasn’t because he didn’t try.  It was the Lord who gave him a vision like Isaiah, and commanded him to go to the Gentiles! 
-It wasn’t because he didn’t try, because he did. 

Why did he fail? Here is my conclusion. He failed because of the blindness of frightened people.  The Jews in Jerusalem in 57 AD were afraid of brutal Romans.  They were afraid of losing their nation; afraid of losing their religion; afraid of losing their identity; afraid of losing it all.  And frightened people close their minds.  Just like the frightened guards shut the gate of the temple, these frightened people shut the gates of their minds. 

What is the lesson for us?  Well, I think there are two.  Two sides of the same coin.  On the head side of the coin, we too can close our minds when we are frightened.  Can you relate to what I am saying?  When we feel threatened by change, or hatred, or fear of losing, we too can shut the gates of our mind and scream, “Away with it.”  I don’t want to listen any more.  We must be careful not to allow our fears to cause us to miss the Lord’s commands.

But the other point I want to make for us this morning, is to attempt to understand the tails side of the coin; when we attempt to witness our faith to others, it is a scary thing.  When we share our story of Jesus others will immediately be threatened by the changes it may bring. The changes of becoming a believer may scare others into closing the gates of their minds.  It is easy, then, for us to become indignant and write them off as enemies, instead of sympathizing with their fear.

Here is the bottom line; we must be Paul.  Paul knew all of this.  He knew how his people had responded to Jesus and to Stephen and he tried anyway! 
-We try to witness by connecting to who they are; we are people just like they are people.
-We try to witness by not worrying about being rejected but concerned with them.
-We try to witness by telling our own amazing story, which each of us has!
-We try to witness because Jesus has called us to his witnesses, just like Isaiah and Paul.

The bottom line is we try. 

Los Alamos Church of Christ
September 21, 2008