CRITICAL REMARKS
Acts 21:7. And when he had finished our course from Tyre might be read but me, having finished our voyage, came down from Tyre (Alford). From Tyre, a moderate day’s journey by land and a few hour’s by sea. Ptolemais.—The ancient Accho (Judges 1:31), the modern Akka of the Arabians, and Acre or St. Jean d’Acre of Europeans. With arrival at this port the sea voyage from Neapolis to Syria ended.
Acts 21:8. Cæsarea.—The third visit (see Acts 9:30, Acts 18:22). That the distance from Akka to Cæsarea, about forty miles, was performed on foot appears (Holtzmann and others) incompatible with the haste which would not suffer Paul to land at Ephesus (Acts 20:16); but the land route may have been rendered necessary because of inability to find a ship without waiting. Philip the Evangelist.—See on Acts 8:40. Of the seven.—See on Acts 6:6.
Acts 21:9. And the same man.—Better now this man.
Acts 21:10. Agabus.—In all probability the person already known (Acts 11:28). Whether he had heard of Paul’s arrival and come to Cæsarea on that account (Baumgarten) must be left undecided. It is worth observing that Philip’s daughters were not selected as the medium through which Paul was warned.
Acts 21:11. Compare the symbolical actions of Old Testament prophets (1 Kings 22:11; Isaiah 20:2; Jeremiah 13:1; Ezekiel 4:1, etc.).
Acts 21:12. They of that place were the Christians there.
Acts 21:13. What mean ye?—Better, what do ye, weeping and breaking my heart? Compare Mark 11:5.
HOMILETICAL ANALYSIS
Acts 21:7-14. With Philip at Cæsarea; or, Renewed Fore-announcements of evil
I. The journey from Tyre to Cæsarea.—
1. The Voyage from Tyre to Ptolemais. Commenced after the seven day’s sojourn in Tyre and the affecting farewell upon the beach; it continued probably not more than a few hours, as Ptolemais was distant from Tyre not more than a moderate day’s journey by land.
2. The halt at Ptolemais. Not to examine into either the antiquities or the splendours of the town, though in respect of both it was then worthy of attention. Given to Asher at the conquest (Judges 1:31-32), Acco, the original name of Ptolemais, had never been completely cleared of the Canaanites, but remained in possession of the Phœnicians, till taken by Shalmaneszer of Assyria. In B.C. 333 it passed into the hands of Alexander the Great, and from his, when his dominions were divided among his generals, into those of Ptolemy in B.C. 320, who, having greatly enlarged and beautified it, called it Ptolemais. Ultimately it fell beneath the yoke of the Romans, and received further embellishment at the hands of Herod. At the time of Paul’s visit it had been raised to the rank of a Roman colony and must have been a splendid city (see Picturesque Palestine, 3:87–89). Yet none of these things attracted the apostle. What tempted him to linger a day within its borders was a desire to meet with the Christian disciples who were to be found here also as at Tyre.
3. The walk from Ptolemais to Cæsarea. The distance extended to nearly forty miles; while the route lay along the coast and round the head of Carmel. Why the travellers footed this instead of sailing cannot with certainty be said. The apostle may have deemed it better to hurry on overland than wait for the sailing of his ship (if it was going further) or (if it were not) for the finding of another.
4. The arrival at Philip’s house. This Philip was the Jerusalem deacon (Acts 6:5), who, following the example of his brilliant colleague Stephen, became an eloquent preacher of the gospel in Samaria (Acts 8:5), and after being used by the Spirit for the conversion of the Eunuch (Acts 8:26), was last heard of as publishing the good news in all the cities on the coast northwards from Azotus (Acts 8:40), till he came to Cæsarea, where he finally settled, and for nearly twenty-five years fulfilled the office of an evangelist. When Paul in A.D. 58, paid his third visit to the town, Philip had four grown up and unmarried daughters endowed with the prophetic spirit (Acts 2:17)—i.e., who gave inspired utterances and expositions of Christian truth, and also foretold future events. Whether they joined (Spence) or did not join (Hackett) Agabus in predicting Paul’s approaching captivity is unrecorded; but Luke represents Paul and his companions as having been so pleased with their reception and entertainment in Philip’s family circle that they “tarried there many days,” perhaps longer than they at first intended. Luke himself must have here for the first time met Philip, who would no doubt supply him with much of the information about himself and others which appears in the earlier Chapter s of the Acts.
II. The warning renewed in Philip’s house.—
1. The person of the speaker. A certain prophet from Judea, named Agabus, most likely the same who fourteen years before in Antioch had predicted the coming of a famine (Acts 11:28), though otherwise unknown. God often sends important communications through obscure messengers.
2. The symbolic action. Having found his way into Philip’s house, he laid hold of Paul’s girdle—i.e., the sash wherewith in Oriental countries the flowing robes were tied round the waist, and with it bound in succession first his own hands and then his own feet—after the manner of the Old Testament seers (see “Critical Remarks”).
3. The prophetic utterance. “Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.” Agabus distinctly claimed to speak with divine authority, and Paul accepted his announcement as such. Besides solemnly confirming what Paul had previously heard at Tyre, the language of Agabus explained the exact nature of the peril which now threatened the apostle. Under some grave charge not revealed he would be delivered over by his countrymen into the hands of the Roman Government.
4. The friendly appeal. When Paul’s companions and the inmates of Philip’s house, with probably other Christians came to hear of Agabus’s prediction, they entreated their beloved teacher not to proceed to Jerusalem. Agabus, it will be observed, did not join in this entreaty, though the Tyrian disciples did (Acts 21:4)—which shows that most likely these last overstepped the limits of what the Spirit had revealed to them (see “Critical Remarks”). The parallel between Christ and Paul, who were both dissuaded—the former by Peter (Matthew 16:22), the latter by his friends—from going to Jerusalem to suffer, is too apparent to escape notice.
5. The heroic response. “What are ye doing? thus weeping and breaking mine heart,” etc. The apostle, with a fortitude which resembled that of his Master, gave his friends to understand that he perfectly realised the situation, and accepted it with unreserved submission, that he felt ready to face the worst at Jerusalem for his Master’s sake, that death itself had no terrors for him, and that their tearful entreaties would have no effect in keeping him back from the fate which he saw impending. The course he was pursuing had been adopted under the Spirit’s guidance, and aimed at the glory of Jesus and the furtherance of the gospel, by publishing once more the tidings in the Metropolis at the most numerously attended of all the feasts, and by seeking fresh recognition from the mother Church for his Gentile mission. Hence he could not flinch; their tears and entreaties, therefore, only rendered his separation from them the more acutely painful. When he said they were breaking his heart, he did not mean that they were lacerating his soul by conjuring up before him the bonds and afflictions” that awaited him, since he could truthfully affirm none of these things moved him, but that it broke his heart to be obliged to witness their grief and resist their weeping and supplication.
6. The submissive acquiescence. When his friends perceived that he could not be persuaded they desisted, saying: “The will of the Lord be done!”—borrowing their expression, it has been conjectured, from the Master’s prayer, which by this time had attained to familiar and perhaps daily use among Christians. If there is a time to speak there is also a time to be silent, and this was one.
Learn.—
1. The variety of offices in the Christian Church—evangelists, prophets, apostles.
2. The value of dramatic action in preaching.
3. The calm heroism of him who walks in the way of duty.
4. The preference a good man should give to duty over life itself.
5. The necessity laid on Christians to acquiesce in their Master’s will.
HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS
Acts 21:8. Philip of Cæsarea.
I. Not an apostle like his namesake of Bethsaida (John 1:44), but a deacon like his gifted colleague Stephen (Acts 6:6).
II. Not a pastor of a Church like James the brother of Our Lord (Galatians 2:9), but an evangelist like Timothy (2 Timothy 4:5).
III. Not a celibate like Paul (1 Corinthians 7:8 (?)), but a married man like Peter (Mark 1:30).
IV. Not a wandering missionary like Paul, but a preacher of the gospel having a fixed centre from which to evangelise.
Acts 21:9. Virgins which did prophesy; or, the place of Woman in the Christian Church. The fact here stated proves—
I. That woman has an equal standing in the Church with man.—In Christ there is neither male nor female (Galatians 3:28).
II. That woman equally with man is susceptible of receiving the highest spiritual endowments.—Examples in Hebrew Church—Miriam (Exodus 15:20), Deborah (Judges 4:4), Huldah (2 Kings 22:14), Noadiah (Nehemiah 6:14), Anna (Luke 2:36). In the New Testament Church Philip’s daughters stand alone.
III. That though woman was not intended to rule in the Church of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 14:34-35; 1 Timothy 2:12), nothing hinders her from exercising her gifts as a preacher of the truth (see Acts 18:26; and 1 Corinthians 11:5). As a possessor of the truth she is equally with man under obligation to disseminate it; and if God has endowed her with the gift of sweet speech there appears no sound reason why that gift should not be utilised for such a holy purpose.
IV. That the number of women called of God and the Spirit to this work will most likely always be few.—This a warrantable deduction from the exceptional character of the present instance.
V. That woman may be equally helpful to the cause of Christ in other ways than by prophesying.—Like Dorcas (Acts 9:39), Phebe (Romans 16:1), Mary (Romans 16:6), and others.
Acts 21:10. The Prophet Agabus; or, comfort for obscure men.
I. Obscure men are all known to God.—Simon, the Joppa tanner, was as well known as Peter the apostle; and Ananias of Damascus as Saul the emissary of the Sanhedrim.
II. Obscure men may become vessels of Divine grace.—“Not many mighty, not many wise, not many noble, but God hath chosen the poor of this world rich in faith.
III. Obscure men may be employed on great missions.—Ahijah the Shilonite predicted the rending of the kingdom from Rehoboam and the elevation of Jeroboam to the throne of Israel (1 Kings 11:29-31). Humble shepherds were made the first preachers of the Incarnation (Luke 2:17). Agabus announced to Paul his impending imprisonment.
IV. Obscure men may eventually come to high renown.—The name of Agabus is for ever associated with that of Paul; the names of the humblest believers will for ever be connected with that of Christ.
Acts 21:12-13. The great Modern Counterpart of Paul—Martin Luther. “When he entered a town the people flocked together to see the wonderful man who was so brave and who dared make a stand against the Pope and all the world that held him to be a God in opposition to Christ. Some gave him poor comfort, telling him that, because there were so many cardinals and bishops at Worms at the Diet, he would speedily be burned to powder, as Huss had been at Constance. But Luther answered such men as follows: “And if they should build a fire between Wittenberg and Worms that would reach to heaven, in the Lord’s name I would appear and step into Behemoth’s mouth, between his great teeth, and confess Christ and let Him do His pleasure.” (Frederick Myconius: quoted by Hagenbach: History of the Reformation, i. 133) … “Spalatin also, the court preacher of the Elector of Saxony, and the intimate friend of Luther, advised him by a post messenger, that he must not go immediately to Worms. It was then that Luther uttered his ever memorable speech: “And if there were as many devils at Worms as there are tiles upon the roofs, I would go thither” (Hagenbach, Ibid., pp. 133, 134).
Acts 21:13. Paul’s Sacrifices in the Cause of Christ.
1. Of ease. Recount his labours. Contrast them with ours.
2. Of friendship. A warm-hearted man who delighted to love and to be be loved. Sacrificed his affections at the shrine of duty. We must not allow the influence either of our relatives or of our friends to interfere with our supreme devotion to the cause of Christ.
3. Of liberty. Value of liberty. Paul was capable of appreciating it, and did appreciate it highly. Was willing to forfeit it, and did forfeit it. His imprisonment was overruled for good. It is scarcely possible that any of us should be, in our own country at least, literally a prisoner for Christ We may be exposed to social and political disadvantages. We ought to be willing to bear them.
4. Of life. The highest proof of devotion to any cause. Paul gave it. The fact was in his case a confirmation of the truth of the religion he professed. It was, at all events, a proof of his own sincerity. A willingness to die for the cause of Christ is the best preparation for all minor trials.—G. Brooks.
Acts 21:14. “The Will of the Lord be done!”
I. A prayer put into the Christian’s mouth by Christ (Matthew 6:10).
II. A precept for the Christian, illustrated by Christ (Matthew 26:42).
III. A pattern of Christ that should be followed by His servants.
Or thus:—
I. A vow of becoming obedience.
II. A confession of believing submission.
III. A declaration of holy courage (Leonhard and Spiegel, from Lange).
Christian Resignation.
I. Enjoined and illustrated by Christ.
II. Exemplified and recommended by Paul and his friends.
III. Approved and rewarded by God.
Acts 21:11. Lessons from Paul’s Girdle.
I. Apostolic fidelity.—Christian ministers, like Paul, are bound to be faithful to their Lord.
II. Apostolic trial.—Christian ministers, if faithful, may expect, like Paul, to experience the hatred of the world.
III. Apostolic zeal.—Christian ministers, like Paul, should always be ready for whatever suffering or duty lies before them (from Gerok).
The True Bonds of a Christian.
I. Not the bonds of his own flesh and blood, which he has torn asunder by the power of the Spirit.
II. Not the bonds of human force and enmity, which cannot injure him contrary to the will of God.
III. Not the bonds of brotherly love and friendship, for whosoever loveth brethren or sisters more than the Lord is not worthy of Him.
IV. But only the bonds of love to his Lord, to whom he is bound in grateful love and childlike fidelity, even unto death (Gerok, in Lange).
Acts 21:13-14. The Heroism of Paul; A study for the followers of Christ.
I. The splendour of his heroism.—Exhibited in—
1. The calm courage he displayed in the prospect of death.—“I am ready not to be bound only, but to die also at Jerusalem.” This utterance was not made—
(1) In ignorance of what suffering and death was. Paul and misfortune had been companions for many years. For twenty years he had been an object of unsleeping persecution, had experienced every sort of calamity, and had more than once been in the grips of death (2 Corinthians 11:23).
(2) In secret expectation that both might be escaped. Paul had no such hope or expectation. Already it had been too clearly signified to him that “bonds and imprisonment awaited him.” Agabus’s words, too, left no loophole for escape.
(3) In a feeling of despair, because he saw that evasion was impossible. On the contrary, humanly speaking, Paul perceived that the only thing necessary in order to escape was to keep away from Jerusalem, renounce his mission, cast off Christianity, and go back to the fold he had left. The Jews would receive him with open arms.
(4) In a spirit of braggadocio. Like Peter, to gain for himself a reputation for valour, with no real intention of ever fulfilling his words. Paul maintained the same intrepidity before Festus (Acts 25:11), and in writing to the Philippians from Cæsarea (Philippians 2:17). Later he exhibited the same spirit when sending an epistle to Timothy from Rome (2 Timothy 4:6).
2. The triumphant victory over the prospect of death which he obtained. Not only was he calm and unmoved in the contemplation of his arrest and execution, but as it were death was so overcome that it could not hinder him from thinking about the interests of others. One would naturally have expected that with the prospect of bonds and imprisonment before him, although externally unperturbed, he would be inwardly sad and occupied with his own misfortunes. But he was not. The grief of his friends even could not thrust him in upon himself. How like his master who, when in the agonies of death, prayed for His murderers, pardoned the robber and cared for His mother! How like Stephen, who, with his latest breath, interceded for his assassins! And since then men have sometimes been found over whose heroic spirits death had no power.
II. The secret of his heroism.
1. Love to the Lord Jesus Christ. Between Paul and Jesus Christ existed such a bond of personal love and devotion as has probably never since existed. Paul’s individuality was almost swallowed up in Christ. “Not I, but Christ liveth in me!” “To me to live is Christ!” Paul had such a conception of Christ’s love to him—“He loved me and gave Himself for me”—that it kindled in him a responsive flame of affection that wellnigh consumed him. “The love of Christ constraineth us!” And there is no consideration or force that will transform a man into a hero sooner than this.
2. Love for the souls of men. When Paul said “for the name of the Lord Jesus” he practically meant “for the gospel’s sake,” which again signified, “for the souls of men.” He wanted to go to Jerusalem to preach to his countrymen at Pentecost, and was willing to face bonds, imprisonment, and death for so sacred a cause. This the next strongest force to the love of Christ. Paul was willing to die for the gospel, not because it was the highest philosophy, or divinest theology, but because it was the power of God unto salvation to every one who believed.