Sunday Morning Bible Study: Acts 21: Paul returns to Jerusalem and is arrested
- Ken Kalis
- Dec 7
- 5 min read
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Acts 21 — “Doing the Will of the Lord, Whatever It Costs”**
Key Verse:“I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”— Acts 21:13
Acts 21 is a turning point in the Book of Acts. It carries us from Paul’s missionary freedom into his years of imprisonment — years in which the Gospel will reach kings, governors, and even Caesar’s household.
The chapter shows us a man utterly surrendered to the will of Jesus.
Let us walk through it step by step.
1. In Caesarea: A House Filled With the Spirit
Paul arrives in Caesarea and stays in the home of Philip the Evangelist — one of the original seven deacons (Acts 6) and the man who had preached Christ in Samaria and baptized the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8).
Luke records a remarkable detail:
“He had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.”— Acts 21:9
A Spirit-filled household! These daughters — unnamed, uncelebrated in the world — were honored by God.
They remind us that the early church was not carried forward only by apostles but by families, quiet servants, and faithful young women who lived close to the Spirit of God.
2. Agabus: A Prophetic Warning
While Paul is staying there, the prophet Agabus arrives from Judea.
In the Old Testament style of symbolic prophecy, he takes Paul’s belt, binds his own hands and feet, and declares:
“So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle…”— Acts 21:11
The message is unmistakable: Paul will suffer. Chains are ahead.
Everyone pleads with Paul not to go.
But Paul answers with holy courage:
“Why weep ye and break mine heart?I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”— Acts 21:13
Here is the Christian life in one sentence: Obedience, not comfort. Surrender, not safety. Christ, not self.
And when they realized Paul could not be persuaded, they said what every believer must learn to say:
“The will of the Lord be done.”
3. Meeting With James and the Jerusalem Elders
Arriving in Jerusalem, Paul meets with James, the brother of Jesus and the leader of the Jerusalem church.
Paul recounts all that God had done among the Gentiles:
churches planted
souls saved
miracles performed
idols forsaken
Christ exalted
The elders glorify God — but they also warn Paul about the tension in the city.
Many Jewish believers had heard rumors that Paul was encouraging Jews to forsake Moses.
It was untrue, but rumors often carry more weight than facts.
To show goodwill, Paul agrees to participate in a purification ceremony in the Temple.
Here we see Paul’s humility: He is willing to bend and serve to keep peace in the body of Christ — so long as the Gospel itself is not compromised.
4. The Riot in the Temple
But peace did not come.
Some Jews from Asia recognized Paul in the Temple and cried out:
“Men of Israel, help! This is the man…”
A mob forms. They drag Paul out of the Temple. Doors slam shut. They begin to beat him — intent on killing him.
The place where Paul had hoped to show peace becomes the place of violence.
This is the world Paul lived in — and the world we live in today: Truth is often met with fury. Grace is often met with misunderstanding. The Gospel provokes both repentance and rage.
5. The Romans Intervene
A Roman commander, Claudius Lysias, hears the uproar and rushes in with soldiers.
Seeing Paul being beaten, he orders him arrested — assuming he is the cause of the disturbance.
Paul is literally carried by the soldiers as the mob screams,“Away with him!”—the very words shouted about Jesus.
Luke wants us to see it: Paul is following in the steps of his Lord.
6. Paul’s Defense: “Permit Me to Speak to the People”
As he is being led into the barracks, Paul turns to the commander and asks in Greek:
“May I speak unto thee?”
The commander is surprised — Paul is no ordinary criminal.
Paul then asks for permission to address the crowd. Standing on the steps, battered but unbroken, he begins speaking to them in Hebrew — immediately gaining their attention.
This is Acts 21’s climax: Paul, beaten by the mob, stands with chains on his hands but with freedom in his heart, and gives his testimony.
He tells them:
how he was raised as a strict Pharisee
how he persecuted the church
how Jesus appeared to him
how he was commissioned to preach to the Gentiles
When he speaks the word “Gentiles”, the crowd explodes again —and the chapter ends with Paul once more in Roman custody.
It seems like defeat.
But it is not defeat. It is preparation.
From here, Paul will preach to:
the Sanhedrin
Felix
Festus
Agrippa
and eventually to Caesar’s household
Acts 21 is the doorway to Paul’s greatest witness.
Preparing Our Hearts for the Lord’s Supper
As we gather at the Table tomorrow, Acts 21 calls to us:
Surrender:“I am ready…”Are we ready to follow Jesus anywhere?
Trust:“The will of the Lord be done.”Are we willing to release our fears, our plans, and our loved ones to His care?
Courage: Paul walked into suffering because Jesus had walked there first.The cross always comes before the crown.
Witness: Paul seized every moment — even chains — as a pulpit.What might God want to speak through us this week?
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, You walked the path of suffering for us. Make us brave to walk it for You. Give us Paul’s surrender, Philip’s hospitality, Agabus’s faithfulness, and James’s wisdom. Prepare our hearts for Your Table. We are Yours. Amen.
I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.
Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!
There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.
---Fanny Crosby, 1875
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. – James 4:8
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