Paul has been warned multiple times not to go to Jerusalem. It was God's will for Paul to go elsewhere. But, Paul was a stubborn man, and his desire to bring the gospel to the Jews was greater than his desire to obey God.
Acts 21:17-19- And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present. And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.
Missionaries now-a-days follow Paul's example of not only going out and giving the gospel to the lost in other places, but also of writing home and giving details of all the things that had happened to them and the souls saved through their ministry.
The apostles were pleased with what they heard, and they glorified God for all that He had done.
Then, they made a suggestion to Paul that they thought would help with the Jew's anger towards him.
Acts 21:20-25- And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law: And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come. Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law. As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.
The apostle's suggestion to Paul was that he go with a few men to the temple and go through one of the Jewish customs to prove to the Jews that he wasn't throwing the law of Moses away.
They made it clear that all the traditions of the Jews did not have to be followed by the Gentiles- only that they shouldn't eat sacrifices to false gods, they shouldn't eat meat from an animal killed by strangulation, they shouldn't eat blood, and they shouldn't pretend to be married when they weren't.
Paul emphasized in his epistles that the rules of the 10 Commandments should also be followed by believing Gentiles.
Paul thought that the suggestion of the apostles was wise and he was going to follow it.
Acts 21:26-30- Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them. And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him, Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place. (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.) And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut.
As Paul was nearing the end of his purification process, some of the Jews from Asia who had been upset with Paul came to Jerusalem. When they saw him in the temple, they were so filled with anger that they didn't even stop to find out what he was doing there. They started spreading lies about him and got a mob together who dragged Paul out of the temple.
Acts 21:31-34- And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul. Then the chief captain came near, and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and demanded who he was, and what he had done. And some cried one thing, some another, among the multitude: and when he could not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the castle.
Before the mob could kill Paul, the Romans came and took him prisoner. They wanted to know what was going on, but everyone was shouting different things!
The Roman decided that it was best to take Paul to the Roman castle until he could figure out what to do with him.
So, bound in chains and beaten badly, Paul was taken to the castle. As he was climbing the steps to go in, he decided he would try to plead his cause.
Acts 21:35-38- And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of the people. For the multitude of the people followed after, crying, Away with him. And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek? Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers?
The Roman captain was curious that he could speak in their language. He had thought Paul to be an Egyptian seditionist and murderer.
Acts 21:39-40- But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people. And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,
The Roman captain allowed Paul to speak to the people when he realized that he wasn't the wicked man he had believed him to be.
Paul turned to the audience and using his hands to calm them began to speak in the Jewish language- Hebrew.
Because he was speaking in Hebrew, the Jews decided that they would listen to what he had to say.
Acts 22:1-3- Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you. 2 (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,) I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.
Paul started out with his heritage. He told them how he was raised to obey all the laws of the Jews, as a strict Pharisee. He told them about his beginning when he persecuted the Christians.
He then told them about his encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus, and how there were witnesses who could attest to this. He spoke of the blindness he endured for three days, and how a man named Ananias came to heal him.
He told of the special job the Lord called him to.
Acts 22:14-16- And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
As he spoke, the Jews listened to his story. They may have heard some of this before. Perhaps they were remembering some other men preaching about the things of which Paul was speaking.
Paul told them that he was there when Stephen was murdered by the religious leaders hands. And, he went on to say that he heard from God in heaven that he was to do something that most others weren't.
Acts 22:21-23- And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live. And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air,
They listened until he said the word "Gentile". That was it! They hated the Gentiles so much that they would hear no more. They started yelling and demanding that he should be killed. They starting throwing clothes and dirt into the air.
The Roman captain decided it would be best to take Paul inside now.
Acts 22:24-26- The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him. And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned? When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.
Paul had been beaten before. He wasn't afraid of taking a beating for Christ.
But, this time was different. This time, he was going against God's will and he didn't know how that would affect him.
So, this time he found a way out of the beating. He told them that he was an uncondemned Roman citizen. Basically, it was against the Roman law to beat a citizen of Rome without a trial and a guilty verdict.
Acts 22:27-28- Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea. And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.
Back in those times, people could attain Roman citizenship two ways- through birth or through money. The Roman captain had paid a large fee to be granted Roman citizenship. He came to Paul and asked how he became a Roman citizen.
Paul said that he was a citizen by birth. Which means that somewhere back in Paul's lineage one of his ancestors had bought or married into the Roman status.
Acts 22:29-30- Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him. On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.
The Roman captain removed Paul's chains and began the process of the trial. First, Paul would appear with the religious leaders of the Jews before a council to determine whether he was guilty of breaking any Roman laws.
It wasn't going to be an easy time for Paul. The trial process had many steps and could take years. And, Paul was going to be a prisoner of the Roman Empire until that process was finished.
