Paul completed his third missionary journey and was headed to Jerusalem. Along the way, he stopped in Tyre where disciples urged him through the Spirit not to go to Jerusalem, knowing he would face imprisonment. However, Paul felt compelled by the Spirit to continue on. In Caesarea, a prophet named Agabus prophesied that Paul would be bound and handed over to the Gentiles in Jerusalem. When Paul arrived in Jerusalem, he met with James and the elders. They were concerned that rumors were spreading that Paul taught Jews to forsake Moses. To diffuse tensions and show he still observed Jewish customs, Paul agreed to participate in a purification ritual with some Jewish Christians. He also assured that Gentile believers did not

1. Detailed Study on The Book Of Acts
COACH Institute of Intercultural Studies
Hyderabad

2. Chapter 21

3. Acts 21
Acts Chapter 21, End Of The 3rd.
Missionary Journey, Headed To
Jerusalem, compelled by the Spirit,
Peacemakers, living in obedience to
the law, languages translated

4. Last time was
Acts 20
Paul leaving
Ephesus

5. Acts 21
The End of

6. Acts 21:1, Miletus ToTyre
Acts 21:1-3 After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Cos.
The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. 2 We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia,
went on board and set sail. 3 After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria.
We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo.

7. Acts 21:4, Through The Spirit
• Acts 21:4 Finding the disciples there, we stayed with them seven days. Through the
Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.
• Acts 20:22-23 "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not
knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy
Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.

8. Acts 21:4, Through The Spirit
• Paul was within God’s will;
• Acts 23:1 Paul looked straight at the
Sanhedrin and said, "My brothers, I have
fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience
to this day."
• Acts 23:11 The following night the Lord stood
near Paul and said, "Take courage! As you
have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you
must also testify in Rome."

9. Acts 21:5, On The Beach We Knelt To Pray

10. Acts 21:10-11, A Prophet Named Agabus
• Acts 21:10-11 …a
prophet named Agabus
came down from Judea.
11 Coming over to us, he
took Paul's belt, tied his
own hands and feet with
it and said, "The Holy
Spirit says, 'In this way
the Jews of Jerusalem
will bind the owner of
this belt and will hand
him over to the
Gentiles.'"
• A prophecy, not a
discouragement.
• Acts 20:22 And now,
compelled by the
Spirit, I am going to
Jerusalem, not
knowing what will
happen to me
there.

11. Acts 21:18, James, And All The Elders
• Acts 21:18 The next day Paul and the rest of
us went to see James, and all the elders were
present.
• James, the lord’s ½ brother, didn’t believe
until post resurrection.

12. Acts 21:18-28, Peacemakers
• This is a good example of Biblical conflict resolution. They all
came together to discuss the problem and find a solution;
• 18 …Paul …James, and all the elders were present.
• 19 ..he …greeted them, he began to relate …
• 20 …they heard it… [the problem] …the Jews…believed…zealous
for the Law; 21 …you are teaching all the Jews…to forsake
Moses,…
• 22 "What, then, is to be done? [resolution presented]…
• 23…do this that we tell you…four men…under a vow; 24 take
them and purify yourself …[defuse the problem by showing
them you’re]…keeping the Law.
• 25 "But concerning the Gentiles who have believed …[this does
not change doctrine, they’re steadfast on that]…
• 26 Then Paul… [receives the suggestion, and does it]…

13. Acts 21:23, Peacemakers
• Acts 21:23 "Therefore do this that we tell
you. We have four men who are under a
vow;
• . Matthew 5:9 "Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they shall be called
sons of God.
• . Romans 12:18 If possible, so far as it
depends on you, be at peace with all
men.
• The problem is about religious practice or
not to practice (Rom 14). We have extreme
freedom in Christ (1 Corinthians 10:25-29,
Galatians 5:1-16) and can decide how we
want to worship.
• The problem is not about doctrine like in
Galatians 2. Paul would have fought to the
death if this was about the gospel,
soteriology, Christology, etc..

14. Acts 21:24, Living In Obedience To The Law
• Acts 21:24 Take these men, join in their purification
rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have
their heads shaved. Then everybody will know there is
no truth in these reports about you, but that you
yourself are living in obedience to the law.
• Paul taught the Gentiles that circumcision and Jewish
customs were religiously irrelevant. Paul never taught
the Gentiles, or the Jews, to disregard Jewish customs
or to not circumcise.
• 1 Cor 9:20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the
Jews. To those under the law I became like one under
the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as
to win those under the law.

15. Acts 21:25, The Gentile Believers
• Acts 21:25 As for the Gentile believers, we
have written to them our decision that they
should abstain from food sacrificed to idols,
from blood, from the meat of strangled
animals and from sexual immorality."

16. Acts 21:26, Paul Offered A Sacrifice
• . Acts 21:26 Then Paul took the men, and the
next day, purifying himself along with them, went
into the temple giving notice of the completion of
the days of purification, until the sacrifice was
offered for each one of them.

17. Keep The Law, Or Not?
Gentile Religious Ritual
• Do not have to keep the
law, but can if they want to.
• Either way matters not
concerning our position
before God.
• Our righteousness is in
Christ.
• Salvation is by grace
through faith alone.
Jewish Religious Ritual
• Do not have to keep the
law, but can if they want to.
• Either way matters not
concerning our position
before God.
• Our righteousness is in
Christ.
• Salvation is by grace
through faith alone.

18. Acts 21:28, The Dividing Wall Of Hostility
• Acts 21:28…he has brought Greeks into the temple
area and defiled this holy place.“
• Eph 2:14 For he himself is our peace, who has made
the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing
wall of hostility,
• Bible Knowledge Commentary, “These warned Gentiles
they would have themselves to blame for their deaths
which would certainly ensue if they would proceed
beyond the barrier (cf. Eph 2:14). So deep was this
feeling that the Romans gave permission to Jews to
fulfill this death sentence, even if the intruder was a
Roman citizen.”

19. ACTS 21:34
And some
cried one
thing some
another

20. Acts 21:37, Paul Knows Greek And
Hebrew At Least
• . Acts 21:37 As Paul was about to be
brought into the barracks, he said to the
commander, "May I say something to you?"
And he said, "Do you know Greek?
• . Acts 21:40 When he had given him
permission, Paul, standing on the stairs,
motioned to the people with his hand; and
when there was a great hush, he spoke to
them in the Hebrew dialect, saying,

21. Acts 21:40, He Said To Them In Aramaic
• Acts 21:40 Having received the commander's permission, Paul stood on the steps and
motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic NIV
NIV NET in Aramaic
KJV . CSB ESV NAS NKJ Hebrew
•
•
• Strong’s, 1446 Ἑβραΐς Hebrais {heb-rah-is'}
• Meaning: 1) Hebrew, the Hebrew language, not that
however in which the OT was written but the Chaldee,
which at the time of Jesus and the apostles had long
superseded it in Palestine…
• NET Bible Notes, 163 tn Grk "in the Hebrew dialect, saying." This
refers to the Aramaic spoken in Palestine in the 1st century
(BDAG 270 s.v. Ἑβραΐς).

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