Acts 21-23:11- Paul's Final Visit to Jerusalem

Acts documents three missionary journeys by Paul:

• The first missionary journey started in Antioch, looped through Asia-Minor, and back to Antioch, before finishing in Jerusalem.
• The second started in Jerusalem, went through Antioch, Asia-Minor, went on to Macedonia and Greece, visited Jerusalem, and finished in Antioch.
• The third would start in Antioch and finish in Jerusalem but focused on Ephesus.

As we just read last week, Paul quickly left the elders of Ephesus at Miletus and sailed quickly to Caesarea and on to Jerusalem.  Paul was driven to get there despite being told multiple times not to go.

• The disciples at Tyre tell him "through the Spirit" that he should not go to Jerusalem (Acts 21:3-4).
• The prophet Agebus at Caesarea acts out prophetically how Paul would be bound and led away in Jerusalem (Acts 21:8-12).

Paul pressed on anyway saying "For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 21:13b).  While the Spirit was accurately communicating what would occur, Paul was not being commanded through them not to go.

Paul already had his marching orders.

After coming under the protection of the Roman authorities, while he addressed a riotous crowd, he related his conversion experience and the prophetic word from Ananias, who had restored Paul's sight.

Acts 22:14-15

And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard.

Acts records three additional times when Paul would receive a direct word from our Lord Jesus Christ.

• Immediately following his conversion, Paul fell into a trance while praying in the temple and was commanded "Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles."(Acts 22:17-21).  This he did with three missionary journeys.
• On the second missionary journey, having reached Greece, he was told in Corinth “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” (Acts 18:9-10).  This he did as he came under the providential protection of the Romans.
• And after he had testified before the Jewish council in Jerusalem, he was commanded “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” (Acts 23:11).

With these marching orders, Paul ignored the warnings of the Christians at Tyre and Caesarea, and used every possible strategy to achieve that goal:

• He used a plan hatched by James to show people that Paul was still an observant Jew (Acts 21:17-30)
• He used the protection of the Roman cohort as an opportunity to speak and give his testimony (Acts 21:37-22:23).
• He used his Roman citizenship into a second opportunity to speak and demonstrate his love for the Jewish Law (Acts 23:1-5).
• He split the Jewish council down the middle, confounding their efforts to present a unified front against Paul to the Romans (Acts 23:6-10).
• He began to use the command and control structures of the Roman authorities to start his way to Rome under their protection (Acts 23:31-35).

He did not simply wait for the door to be opened, he opened them.