Why Did The People Of Jerusalem Want To Kill Paul?

Tom:

This is our Understanding the Scriptures segment, we are going through the Book of Acts.We are in Acts chapter 21. And we’re going to pick up with verse 30:“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.”Dave, as you know, but for some of our audience, who maybe is the first time with us, Paul went to Jerusalem to—I won’t say—to appease the Jews, but to demonstrate that what they were thinking about him, their view of him, turning against the law, turning against his Jewish background, it wasn’t true.So, he tried to do things that would demonstrate to them that what they were accusing him of was false, but it didn’t work.Verse 31:“And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.”And this would be the Roman captain, the Roman chief.

Dave:

Now Tom, this is a, talk about fanatics—all the city was moved!Somebody has been running around, they didn’t have e-mail, they didn’t have cell phones—

Tom:

Didn’t have some guy standing on the paper, “Extra, Extra, Paul’s in town!”

Dave:

No, I mean, they probably had been talking about this because they knew Paul was there, and the whole city is moved, and they go about to kill him, and tidings come to the chief captain.This is of the band of Roman soldiers that are there to keep order, all Jerusalem is in an uproar.Wow!Remember, earlier in the Book of Acts, in another city one of the leaders said:These are the men who turned the world up side down.Well, it’s certainly turning Jerusalem up side down here because of the hatred.Not that they are trying to arouse, Paul was not trying to arouse a riot, he wasn’t stirring up the people.It goes back to what Jesus said.Tom, I’ve been accused of causing division.Well, Jesus said in Luke 12, He came to bring division.In fact, if we read in John’s gospel, three times it says that there was a division among the Jews because of him.A division of what kind?Between truth, the truth of God, and the lie of the serpent.So, we’ve got two different opposing beliefs.They are opposed to one another, and when Jesus stands for the Truth, He says, I am the Truth, thy Word is Truth, it’s going to cause division.All Paul was doing was teaching the truth from God’s Word, from their own scriptures, and they would have none of it.And Jesus said to his disciples, in John 15, remember? “Well, they hated me, they will hate you.If you are true to me, what do you think they are going to do to you?Do you think they will receive you?No, they will treat you like they treat me.”So Paul is experiencing that first hand.

Tom:

It’s amazing, Dave, these verses that you quoted, they’re avoided by the ecumenists, those who quote some verses where we need unity, we need to be one, another verse that is applied to Jesus.

Dave:

Paul writes in Ephesians 4, “Keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, and there is one God, one Lord, and so forth.So, we don’t make unity through an ecumenical movement, we keep the unity that God has made. All those who have received Christ, all those who as their Lord and Savior, all those who follow the Word of God, all those who are born again of the Spirit of God, they are united in the truth, they are united in Christ.

Tom:

Well, Jesus said, Sanctify them by thy Truth, thy Word is Truth, so that’s going to bring division.

Dave:

Yeah, so there’s a big division here.Tom, we don’t read much about the other side of course, we don’t read of loyal disciples standing up and trying to stop this, maybe some of them did but we don’t get all the details.

Tom:

Well anyway verse 32, this captain “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.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.”Well, sounds like something that happened to Jesus. Not quite this physical at first, but certainly crucifying him, away with him.

Dave:

Well, the captain has the job of keeping order in Jerusalem.It’s a tough job and he’s got a riot on his hands.He’s trying to find out, he’s doing his best to find out, later on they are going to examine Paul by scourging him, and they are going to set about to do that, and Paul will stop that for a good reason.Well, one cries one thing, another and another, they want to get a hold of Paul, they want to tear him apart.Verse 37: “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 made an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers?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 license, 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….”So, he can speak Greek and he can speak Hebrew, he’s an educated man and—

Tom:

—a citizen of Tarsus.

Dave:

Right, and he is a Roman, but the captain doesn’t know that yet.

Tom:

Yeah, he’s going to bring some back-peddling among the Romans in control here.

Dave:

And when he writes this report he says, Knowing he was a Roman, I went in and rescued him.Well, he didn’t know that at that time.But anyway, so the next chapter we will find out what Paul had to say.Well, I guess we have time, we can through it now, why don’t you go ahead, Tom.

Tom:

Okay, we can get started.Chapter 22:1:“Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defense which I make now unto you.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.And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders:from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them, which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.”

Dave:

Well, this is an introduction, he’s setting the stage, that he’s a Jew, that he persecuted the church, that he grew up at the feet of Gamaliel, who was one of the well known rabbis, and Paul is getting their attention.They are listening carefully and they want to know what he’s going to say next, and I guess that’s what we will get to next week.