The Tupelo journal., 1909-10-01
Paul q Prisoner
The Arrest
Specially Arranged for This Paper

dure hardness, as q good soldier OF jesus
CHRISTI Tim. S.3.
TIME.-Paul arrived at Jerusalem Fri
day, May 81. The feast of Pentecost was
Saturday. May %. The mob was dur
Ing the following week. about June ].
PLACE.-Jerusalem. at the home OF
James, or the meeting place of the
church, and in the Temple Courts.
Suggestion and Practical Thought.
The Reception to Paul by the
Church of Jerusalem.-Vs. 1920. Paul
and His Company. Paul did not come
alone to Jerusalem, but was accom-
panied by Luke, his beloved physician
("we"), Trophimus of Ephesus (Acts
21:29), and probably Aristarchus of
Th~essalonica (Acts 27:2). Kendall
thinks that all who are mentioned as
beginning the journey with Paul (Acts
20:4) continued with him to the end
at Jerusalem; thus adding to those
mentioned above, Sopater of Berea,
Secundus of Thessalonica, Gaius Of
Derbe, Timothy Of Lystra, and Tych-
icus of Ephesus (Eph. 6:21). The
number and character of these men
have made an impression on the Chris.
tians of Jerusalem.
The Gifts from the Gentle Churches
were probably presented at this time
(Acts PAID.
The First Welcome on the day they
arrived was one of private and per.
sonal greetings, which were expires.
sions of gladness, after so long a sep
aration. 1t was seven years since
Paul had made any prolonged stay at
Jerusalem (Acts 15).
The Second Reception took place
the next day, probably the Day of Pen.
tecost (Acts 2O:16), the 9th ami.
versary of the great day when the
Christian church was born. The el.
ders and leaders of the church, OF
whom James, the brother of Lord.
was chief, met together, and Paul re.
ported to them the wonderful things
which God had wrought among the
Gentiles since his last report, seven
or eight years before (Acts 15:1-13).
The Impending Crisis.-Vs. 20-26.
The settlement, seven or eight years
D0lolC, NY NOlC VI lAC NbOlC hul I'll
at Jerusalem, of the great question
whether the Gentiles must keep the
Jewish laws and ceremonies in order
to belong to the Christian church, did
not change the opinions of all the
Jewish Christians. Large numbers OF
them were intensely Jealous for the
keeping of the law, for it was divine.
They had heard vague rumors oi
Paul's teaching and conduct that he
taught that not only the Gentiles, but
even the Jews, need not keep the
law of Moses.
The leaders of the Jewish Chris.
tians advised Paul to show in a pub.
lie manner by his own actions that
he did not reject or despise the Jew
ish law, but was a true Jew as well
as a Christian.
Paul was between Scylla and
Charybdis and reluctantly yielded co
the advice of the church to come and
help. He refused to set up his opin'
ion against their in a case which did
not involve principle.
Paul Mobbed in the Temple Court.
VS.. 27-31.
Some Jews from the region of Eph.
esus who had been in conflict with
Paul there, or at least knew of his
teaching there, saw Paul in the inner
court where the Gentiles were for.
hidden to come. They had also seen
one of the Ephesian Gentle Chris
tians walking with Paul around the
city. Putting these two facts togeth.
er they imagined that Paul had
brought this Greek Gentle within the
forbidden court; contrary to fact.
Anyone could enter the outer court
of the Gentiles. This cry aroused the
whole Jewish crowd in the Temple
courts. The Jews laid violent hands
on Paul, dragged him out of the court
of the women, through the Gate Beau
tiful, then down the steps into the
Court of the Gentiles, where they
tried to kill him.
The Rescue.-vs. 31-39 81. The
"chief captain was equivalent to our
colonel, i.e., captain over a regiment
of a thousand men. His nam was
CIaudius Lysias (Acts 1926. "Of the
band" A Roman cohort, the tenth
part of a legion, or about six hundred
men.
~"Centurions." Captains of a hun.
bred.
Bound with two chains" One
from each of his arms to a soldier
on each side of him Compare Acts
1850. This secured the prisoner, yet
left him free to walk away with his
guards when the detachment was
marched off.
He was borne of the soldiers" No
sooner had he got on the stairs than
the mob made a rush for him, but
owing to his letters he was carried
along with the soldiers. When the
top of the stairs had been reached,
Paul asked, and was granted permits.
sion to speak.
Paul's Address from the Castle
Stairs. Acts 21:40-22:23. Paul
stood on the castle stairway, chained
to a soldier.
Paul's address was courteous and
conciliatory. He showed how strong
and active a Jew he had been. He
then gave the arguments and reasons
which convinced himself, and ought
to convince them.
He had found the Messiah whom all
Jews longed for.
The Jews listened to Paul till he
smoke of his mission to the Gentiles,