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- Acts Chapter 21 (part 3)
"When disciples followed a rabbi, they followed him closely so they would never be out of his sight, never be someplace where they couldn’t hear him speak. They followed him so closely that his sandals often kicked up dust."
May you be covered in His dust.
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Before you dive into my notes, I encourage you to read Chapter 21 first.
Yes, I include all the scripture below, but there’s something about sitting with the whole chapter first — giving yourself room to be curious.
What doesn’t make sense?
What catches you off guard?
Who’s that?
Those questions will make the notes hit deeper.
Prepare your heart. We are handling holy things.
Last week we ended with Paul entering the temple. No speeches. No defenses. No drama.
Just quiet obedience.
But today, everything changes.
The seven days are almost complete when the crowd from Asia sees him. They stir up the city. They grab him. And they accuse him of something he didn’t even do.
The peace is over. The storm has begun.
Let’s pick it up there.
When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.”
For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.
There are a couple of things to note here:
Jews from Asia
These weren’t random strangers. They’d probably seen Paul before. Most likely in Ephesus. They may have been part of the crowds that stirred up riots against him there. And now, they’re in Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost, one of the major festivals when Jews from all over the Roman Empire would travel to the temple.
So when they spot Paul, they don't just recognize him. They remember him.
And they already hate him.
Trophimus the Ephesian
Trophimus wasn’t just any Gentile, he was known in Christian circles.
He was from Ephesus, where Paul spent nearly three years preaching and building up the church. The believers there were strong, and Trophimus was part of Paul's trusted traveling group.
Acts 20:4 tells us that Trophimus was one of the official representatives from the churches in Asia, traveling with Paul to bring financial support to the suffering believers in Jerusalem:
“Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus.”
So when the Jews from Asia accused Paul of bringing a Gentile into the temple, they weren’t just making a random guess. They knew who Trophimus was. They had seen him with Paul. And in their anger, they jumped to a conclusion that ended up unleashing a riot.
Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.
Imagine the scene.
People are pushing through the temple courts, moving fast. Paul didn’t fight them. He was dragged through the crowd, straight to the outer court.
The temple leaders move quickly to take control. Violence inside the sacred courts would desecrate the temple.
The gates slam shut. The lockdown begins.
Now Paul is outside, in the Court of the Gentiles.
Surrounded.
No protection.
No escape.
And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
The Antonia Fortress was connected to the Temple Mount by a staircase and overlooked the temple courts (it’s the dark building at the top of the painting).
So when it says "word came to the tribune," it doesn’t mean someone had to run across town. They could see the chaos from their post.
There were probably Roman guards stationed at key spots, watching.
Soldiers and centurions
This wasn’t a couple of guards jogging over.
Centurions commanded 80–100 men each.
If the tribune brings multiple centurions with him (plural — “centurions”), he’s bringing a serious show of force — dozens, maybe hundreds of soldiers.
He wasn't just responding to a fight. He was responding to the first signs of a riot. And under Roman rule, riots had to be crushed immediately or the commander could lose his post, or worse.
Jerusalem was overflowing with people.
It was Pentecost, one of the three major feasts when every Jewish man was required to travel to the city.
Normally, about 60,000 people lived in Jerusalem, but during the feast, the population could swell to over 150,000 or more. Men, women, and children from all over the Roman Empire filled the streets, camping outside the walls, crowding into every open space.
The temple courts were packed.
The whole city felt tense, like it could boil over at any moment.
The Romans knew it too. That’s why they had a strong military presence at the Antonia Fortress, watching the temple courts closely, ready to move at the first sign of trouble.
Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done.
Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks.
And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, for the mob of the people followed, crying out, “Away with him!”
Paul is fully restrained.
The tribune orders him to be bound with two chains, fastening his hands and feet so there was no chance of escape. Soldiers close in on him, pulling the chains tight. It wasn’t about guilt or innocence at this point. It was about sending a message.
The crowd sees it. Paul is no longer in their hands. He belongs to Rome now.
The chains are heavy, but the real weight pressing in is the confusion and violence all around him.
It’s hard not to hear the echoes.
The same streets.
The same temple.
The same cry: "Away with him!"
Twenty-seven years earlier, they shouted those words at Jesus.
Now they shout them at Paul.
Somewhere in the noise, with chains on his wrists and a crowd shouting for his death, Paul must have remembered the words of the prophet Agabus:
“Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’”
This was exactly what the Holy Spirit had warned would happen.
This moment in Acts 21 is a major turning point in Paul’s life.
It is the beginning of the end of his freedom. After this arrest, Paul is never truly free again. He spends the rest of his life either in prison, under house arrest, standing trial, or being transported under guard.
He will never again travel freely like he did before.
Later, sitting in prison, writing to the churches he once visited freely, Paul calls himself:
"an ambassador in chains." (Ephesians 6:20)
Not a victim.
Not a prisoner of Rome.
An ambassador.
Still on mission… even in chains.
As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek? Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?”
The tribune thinks Paul is a specific Egyptian. What?
A few years earlier, an Egyptian had led a rebellion. He promised miracles, gathered thousands of men, and tried to attack Jerusalem.
The Romans crushed the uprising, but the Egyptian escaped.
Now, in the chaos, seeing Paul at the center of the violence, the tribune assumes he must be that man.
Another revolutionary.
Another threat.
Another problem for Rome.
Paul replied, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.”
It’s a bold ask.
Paul stands there in chains, bruised and bloodied, and asks for permission to speak. Not to defend himself. Not to plead for his life.
But
to
preach.
He reminds the tribune he’s from Tarsus, “no obscure city,” but a center of learning and influence. He’s not some random troublemaker caught in a riot. He’s an educated Roman citizen with something to say.
And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language, saying:
It feels like Paul has been waiting for this moment.
Right?
He stands on the steps, bloody and chained, and raises his hand. Somehow, the crowd falls silent.
The soldiers are standing there, armed. Everyone knows, if the crowd explodes again, Rome will crush them. Even though Paul is beaten and bound, something about the seriousness of the moment grabs their attention.
He begins to speak. Not in Greek. Not in Latin. But in Hebrew, their language, their identity.
The whole city leans in.
I hate to do it... but I have to pause here.
It’s the end of the chapter.
Paul’s standing on the steps.
Chains on his wrists.
The whole city holding its breath.
You could wait until next week to find out what happens...
But why?
Keep reading. Find out for yourself and we’ll break it down next week. Here’s Chapter 22.
I love you,
George
Uncovering Scripture
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George Sisneros is a full-time missionary in Guatemala and the founder of Ordinary Missionaries and the El Rosario Christian Academy for Boys.
He’s been married to his wife, Vonda, for 26 years. He’s a father to nine children, five adopted.
In 2024, George and his wife expanded to Cuba, joining forces with nine pastors committed to transforming lives through the gospel.