Acts 21:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come.

NIV: What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come,

NASB: So what is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come.

CSB: So what is to be done? They will certainly hear that you’ve come.

NLT: What should we do? They will certainly hear that you have come.

KJV: What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.

NKJV: What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come.

The elders of the church in Jerusalem are in a bind. A large contingent of their church is composed of Jewish Pharisees—a group prone to over-emphasize the Mosaic law and make up new rules when they feel the Law isn't enough. Unlike the Sadducees, who stick to the Law as written but enjoy the cultural and financial advantages of the Roman Empire, the people like the Pharisees and look up to them.

Paul was in training to be a Pharisee when he met Jesus far away on the road to Damascus (Acts 22:3; 9:3–4). Since then, he has spread Jesus' message to Gentiles in modern-day Turkey, the island of Cyprus, Greece, and Macedonia. He has already had run-ins with Pharisee-Christians who tried to convince Gentile Christians they had to follow the Mosaic law, as well. After a great debate, the apostles met with the pastor and elders of the church in Jerusalem and decided the Gentiles only needed to refrain from sexual immorality, food that had been sacrificed to idols, and eating blood (Acts 15:1–21).

Somehow, the Pharisaical Christians in Jerusalem heard that Paul was telling Jewish Christians they shouldn't circumcise their sons or eat a kosher diet. This rumor is, of course, not true. In fact, Paul circumcised Timothy because he was Jewish (Acts 16:1–3). When Paul was out in the field, the Jerusalem church didn't have to worry directly about his teachings. Now he's back.

But Paul's not alone. He's come with several representatives who have brought donations from their predominantly-Gentile churches for the church in Jerusalem (Acts 20:4; Romans 15:26). What if the Pharisees think it's a bribe to entice the elders to lighten restrictions on Jewish and Gentile believers?

From a practical standpoint, Paul is more "expendable" than the Pharisees in the Jerusalem church. That is, to lose the support of that group would be a tragic misunderstanding and a major blow to evangelism in the city. So, the elders make Paul fix the problem. As it happens, a group of men need to finish the rites of their Nazirite vow. If Paul acts as their sponsor, it should clarify that he still values Judaism. Paul agrees, but before he can fully complete the rite he is falsely accused of bringing one of those Gentile gift-bearers into the temple; a riot erupts and Paul gets arrested (Acts 21:23–36).

Acts 21:17–26 is an account of Paul reporting to the "upper management" of the early church. He has spent the last several years along the coastline of the Aegean Sea, establishing the church in Ephesus and building up the congregations in Troas, Macedonia, and Corinth. Now he returns to Jerusalem to give an account of his ministry. James and the elders of the Jerusalem church also have news: a rumor is going around claiming Paul teaches that Jews who worship with Gentiles should entirely forsake the Mosaic law. Ironically, when he cooperates with the elders' recommendation to prove his respect for Old Testament truth, Paul is again falsely accused and arrested.

In Acts 21, Paul returns to Judea from his third missionary journey and promptly gets arrested. He begins by visiting Philip in Caesarea Maritima. Church elders in Jerusalem ask Paul to help men fulfill a Nazirite vow, to dispel rumors he has apostatized his Jewishness. While doing so, Ephesian Jews accuse Paul of bringing one of his Gentile Ephesian companions into the temple. The Roman military tribune keeps the enraged crowd from tearing Paul limb from limb by arresting him.

Acts 21 fulfills the fears of many of Paul's friends. Throughout the last part of his third missionary journey the Holy Spirit has been telling him he will be arrested in Jerusalem (Acts 20:23–25). When Paul reacts to dire personal prophecy, the Jesus-followers in Caesarea Maritima try to stop him from going on (Acts 21:8–14). Through a complicated trail of rumors, lies, and wrong assumptions, things go according to the Holy Spirit's foreknowledge and Roman soldiers arrest Paul. He will face the next 5 years in custody in Caesarea and Rome, but he will spread Jesus' story the entire time (Acts 22—28).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.