Sha’ul’s Arrest and Trial ~ Part 2

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We continue in the Book of Acts. Sha’ul’s Arrest and Trial continues in Acts 21:27.

When family conflicts arise, you might feel overwhelmed as Sha’ul did in hostile territory. Use his example to show how perseverance matters. Rather than reacting in anger, take a moment to pause and pray for wisdom and patience before responding. Then, try to reconcile differences through grace by acknowledging and validating each other’s feelings, fostering unity and understanding in your home.

Jews Seize Sha’ul in the Temple

²⁷ The seven days were almost up when some unbelieving Jews from the province of Asia saw him in the Temple, stirred up all the crowd, and grabbed him.

The unbelieving Jews from Asia stirred up all the crowd, which included many Judean unbelieving Jews. Sha’ul had long been concerned about them (see 1 Thessalonians 2:14–16, Romans 15:31).

²⁸ “Men of Isra’el, help!” they shouted. “This is the man who goes everywhere teaching everyone things against the people, against the Torah, and against this place! And now he has even brought some Goyim into the Temple and defiled this holy place!”

There are five lies in this one verse. Sha’ul did not teach against the people, the Torah, or this place (the Temple), nor had he brought some Goyim into the Temple or defiled this holy place. The accusations were the ones most likely to stir up feelings against him. A Gentile entering the Temple’s inner court would ceremonially defile it.

²⁹ (They had previously seen Trophimus from Ephesus in the city with him and assumed that Sha’ul had brought him into the Temple.)

Trophimus from Ephesus, whom Sha’ul had brought with him (Acts 20:5). People “from the province of Asia” (Acts 20:4) would have been the ones most likely to recognize him.

³⁰ The whole city was aroused, and people came running from all over. They seized Sha’ul and dragged him out of the Temple, and at once, the gates were shut.

Sha’ul Is Arrested

³¹ But while they were attempting to kill him, word reached the commander of the Roman battalion that all Yerushalayim was in turmoil. ³² Immediately, he took officers and soldiers and charged down upon them. As soon as they saw the commander, they quit beating Sha’ul.

The Roman battalion was stationed in the Antonia Fortress, immediately adjacent to the Temple grounds, so it did not take long for them to arrive and prevent the mob from lynching Sha’ul.

³³ Then the commander came up, arrested him, and ordered him to be tied up with two chains. He asked who he was and what he had done. ³⁴ Everyone in the crowd shouted something different, so since he couldn’t find out what had happened because of the uproar, he ordered him brought to the barracks. ³⁵ When Sha’ul got to the steps, he actually had to be carried by the soldiers because the mob was so wild—³⁶ the crowd kept following and screaming, “Kill him!”

The two chains were perhaps attached to soldiers on either side. Even with the soldiers protecting him, Sha’ul had to be carried as the mob pressed in for the kill. Fortunately, the barracks were nearby, as noted above.

Sha’ul Asks to Speak

³⁷ As Sha’ul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the commander, “Is it all right if I say something to you?” The commander said, “You know Greek! ³⁸ Say, aren’t you that Egyptian who tried to start a revolution a while back and led four thousand armed terrorists out into the desert?” ³⁹ Sha’ul said, “I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city, and I ask your permission to let me speak to the people.” ^[1]

Sha’ul asked permission to speak. His use of Greek surprised the Roman commander. Lysias mistook Sha’ul for an Egyptian rebel. The Jewish historian Josephus said this rebel, a messianic pretender, had gathered several people at the Mount of Olives to attack Yerushalayim in 54 CE. The Romans routed the group, but the leader escaped. Lysias initially suspected that Sha’ul marked the return of this man.

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

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^[1] Acts 21:27–39.