Sha’ul’s Arrest and Trial ~ Part 1

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We continue in the Book of Acts. Sha’ul’s Arrest and Trial begins in Acts 21:17.

As you navigate professional relationships, you may feel pressured to compromise your beliefs, just like Sha’ul had to defend his ministry against false accusations. Consider establishing clear boundaries for your ethical and moral standards at work. Communicate your values respectfully to your colleagues and be open about your Messianic faith when appropriate. Demonstrating integrity in your work and being available to help colleagues in need can make others curious about your source of strength and hope, presenting opportunities to share the gospel.

Plan for Unity

The prophecy of Agabus (see last post) will soon be fulfilled. Upon his return to Yerushalayim, Sha’ul now finds himself arrested and attacked by local Jews who have stirred up certain men from Asia. Fortunately, however, he will be rescued by Roman soldiers acting under Claudius Lysis, the local Roman commander. The historical record sets forth Sha’ul’s attempt to defend himself before a mob, which is demanding his death. It indicates a fair reception to his discourse until he mentions being God’s messenger to the Gentiles. The angry reaction to that assertion forces Claudius Lysias to take Sha’ul into custody. When a plot to kill Sha’ul is uncovered, he is secreted away by night to Caesarea, where he will later be brought before the Governor, Felix.

As Luke records Sha’ul’s arrival in Yerushalayim before his arrest, Ya’akov and the elders try to calm the anxiety of Jewish Believers, who are uncertain about Sha’ul’s teaching. ^[1]

¹⁷ In Yerushalayim, the brothers received us warmly. ¹⁸ The next day, Sha’ul and the rest of us went into Ya‘akov (the half-brother of Yeshua and leader of the Messianic Community in Yerushalayim), and all the elders were present. ¹⁹ After greeting them, Sha’ul described in detail each of the things God had done among the Gentiles through his efforts.

Sha’ul does not mention the great collection he and his companions were bringing with them for the Jewish poor in Yerushalayim; we assume it was duly delivered (see Acts 24:17). His concern is instead with the things God had done among the Gentiles through him. He is not boasting; the elders need to be updated on how the Lord is moving in places abroad (compare Acts 14:26–27).

²⁰ On hearing it, they praised God, but they also said to him, “You see, brother, how many tens of thousands of Believers there are among the Judeans, and they are all zealots for the Torah.

On hearing it, they praised God. An attempt is sometimes made to prove that the Believers in Yerushalayim opposed Sha’ul’s efforts to reach Gentiles with the Gospel. These words demonstrate the contrary: These Believers, intensely committed to their Jewishness, praised God for what Sha’ul was doing and addressed him as “brother.”

²¹ Now, what they have been told about you is that you are teaching all the Jews living among the Goyim to apostatize from Moshe, telling them not to have a b’rit-milah for their sons and not to follow the traditions.

What they have been told about you. Not, “They know that you ….”Ya‛akov’s careful choice of the verb “katêchêthêsan” (from which comes the English word “catechism”) in the passive voice means that he was fully aware that what these zealous Messianic Jewish Brothers had heard about Sha’ul was not valid. They had been told a lie; a rumor had spread, and gossip had circulated. The problem, as becomes evident immediately, was not what Sha’ul had done (for he had not done the thing these people had been told) but how to deal with a situation where people are misinformed and feelings run high because they are zealots. What had they been told? That you are teaching all the Jews living among the Goyim, living among the Gentiles, in the nations outside Isra’el, in the Diaspora, to apostatize (Greek apostasia means, literally, “standing apart” and implies rebellion) from Moshe, that is, from the Torah God gave to Moshe on Mount Sinai, from the Jewish Law. This apostasy consists of two parts: telling them not to have their sons circumcised and not to follow the traditions. These were also the issues in Acts 15. ^[2]

²² “What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. ²³ So do what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow. ²⁴ Take them with you, be purified with them, and pay the expenses connected with having their heads shaved. Then everyone will know that there is nothing to these rumors which they have heard about you; but that, on the contrary, you yourself stay in line and keep the Torah.

Action is necessary to head off a violent confrontation with the “zealots” due to their believing the false rumor of v. 21. Despite the arguments of v. 21 confirming Sha’ul’s loyalty to Judaism and the Torah, many Believers suppose that when Sha’ul came to faith in Yeshua, he stopped being Jewish, stopped observing the Law and began teaching other Jewish Believers to do likewise. However, those who hold this mistaken opinion have a serious problem with the ethics of these verses. If Sha’ul was not Torah-observant, if he did teach the Jews in the Diaspora not to have their children circumcised and not to follow the traditions, then he and Ya‛akov are exposed orchestrating a charade to deceive the Jewish Believers zealous for the Torah into discounting the truth they had been told and believing a lie instead. Nothing in the Brit Hadashah justifies this understanding of how Ya‛akov, Sha’ul, or any other believer functioned.

²⁵ “However, in regard to the Goyim who have come to trust in Yeshua, we all joined in writing them a letter with our decision that they should abstain from what had been sacrificed to idols, from blood, from what is strangled and from fornication.”

This repeats the din (Hebrew for “ruling,” halakhic decision) of Acts 15:19–20 and 28–29, reassuring Gentiles that the preceding three verses dealing with the situation of Messianic Jews do not affect the earlier determination that Gentiles can become Believers without becoming Jews.

²⁶ The next day, Sha’ul took the men, purified himself along with them, and entered the Temple to give notice of when the period of purification would be finished, and the offering would have to be made for each of them.

It is somewhat surprising that Sha’ul agreed to perform the ritual of purification. Perhaps he sensed this was part of God’s overall plan, to which he was partially privy (Acts 21:10–11; 20:22–23).

In our next post, we will continue to learn about Sha’ul’s Arrest and Trial.

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^[1] F. LaGard Smith, The Narrated Bible Chronological Order.

^[2] Acts 21:17-26.