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Response
After Paul’s third missionary journey, he traveled to Jerusalem despite knowing he would be arrested. Initially, he reported to James, the half-brother of Jesus and the leader of the church in Jerusalem, along with the elders. Paul discovered that some Jewish believers in Jerusalem had a distorted view of his actions. They had heard that Paul was encouraging Jewish believers in Asia Minor and Macedonia to abandon Jewish customs, such as circumcision. To demonstrate his adherence to the Mosaic laws, the elders requested Paul’s participation in a ceremony for four men completing a vow (likely a Nazirite vow). Paul complied with the elders’ request, proving that he respected the Law and Jewish traditions (Acts 21:17-26).
During the ceremony, the men were to present themselves to the priests in the temple. It was there that some Jews from Asia accused Paul falsely of bringing a Gentile into the temple. A mob seized Paul, dragged him out of the temple, and beat him until the tribune, the commander of the Roman cohort, intervened with soldiers and centurions to disperse the crowd. The tribune arrested Paul—without specifying any charges—chained him, and confined him to the barracks. Initially, the tribune mistook Paul for an Egyptian who had led a recent revolt and escaped with a band of Sicarii (dagger-wielding assassins). Paul clarified his identity and requested to address the crowd (Acts 21:27-40). The tribune granted his request.
Paul proceeded to share his testimony with the Jerusalem crowd. The Jewish audience listened attentively until he mentioned that God had sent him to preach to the Gentiles. This statement reignited the uproar among the crowd. Perplexed by the Jews’ reaction, the tribune took Paul back into the barracks and ordered him to be flogged, believing that a scourging would elicit information.Encourage him to explain what was truly happening. Paul avoided the flogging at the last moment by revealing he was a Roman citizen. The tribune withdrew, realizing he should not have bound Paul, let alone threatened him with a flogging (Acts 22:1-29).
The following day, in an effort to comprehend the situation, the tribune arranged for Paul to meet with the chief priests and council: “On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.” (Acts 22:30). Paul presented his credentials, declaring himself a Pharisee and appealing to the Pharisees’ belief in the resurrection of the dead. This led to a dispute between the Pharisees and the Sadducees (who rejected the resurrection), achieving Paul’s goal of diverting attention from himself. The resulting commotion was so intense that the Roman tribune had to return Paul to the barracks before he could be torn apart (Acts 23:1-10). That night, Jesus encouraged Paul that he would preach the gospel in Rome, a desire Paul had long cherished (Acts 23:11; Romans 1:11).
The next day, Paul’s nephew overheard that a group of forty men had sworn to kill Paul or die trying. He informed Paul, who then relayed the information to the Roman tribune (Acts 23:12-22). That evening, the commander dispatched Paul to Felix, the governor in Caesarea, with an escort of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen. The commander drafted a letter outlining the situation and requesting that Felix.Take over the investigation against Paul. The soldiers and spearmen returned to the commander when Paul was safely away, and the horsemen continued to Caesarea with Paul. Governor Felix promised to hear his case once his accusers arrived (verses 23–35).
Five days later, Ananias the high priest, some Jewish elders, and a hired lawyer reached Felix’s palace. They appealed to Felix’s ego and fear by insisting that Paul caused severe civil disturbances, disrupting the peace Felix had provided (Acts 24:1-9). Paul confidently presented his defense, providing details of the recent days and explaining his only “crime” was believing in the resurrection of the dead. Paul also highlighted that his initial accusers from the temple were absent, and the Jewish elders had no charges against him (verses 10–21). Felix had knowledge of Judaism and Christianity, and he postponed a decision until the Roman commander who had arrested Paul arrived (verse 22). Felix kept Paul under guard but granted him a fair amount of freedom (verse 23). Felix also conversed with Paul frequently, hoping Paul would offer him a bribe (verse 26). However, two years passed with no change in Paul’s situation, and Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. Festus, aiming to gain favor with the Jewish leadership, left Paul in prison (verse 27).
The Jewish leadership desired more than Paul’s imprisonment. They requested Festus to order Paul’s transfer to Jerusalem—they were secretly planning an ambush along the way to kill Paul. Festus instructed the Jewish leaders to present their case against Paul in Caesarea, and they did, bringing numerous unfounded charges against Paul. Caught between the Jews’ falsehoods and Festus’s wish to appease his new subjects, Paul appealed to Caesar (Acts 25:1-11). Governor Festus approved the appeal (verse 12).
A few days later, King Agrippa and his wife Bernice arrived.Visit Festus in Caesarea. Festus informed him about Paul’s case, and Agrippa wanted to hear Paul speak. Festus was pleased. He was legally required to send Paul to Caesar, but there were no charges. He hoped Agrippa could find something to justify Paul’s imprisonment and transfer to Rome (Acts 25:13-27).
Paul was also pleased to speak, knowing King Agrippa was well-versed in Judaism. During his defense before Agrippa, Paul presented a more detailed account of his testimony, including his conversion on the road to Damascus and his ministry among the Gentiles (Acts 26:1-23). Agrippa concluded that Paul was innocent. If Paul had not insisted on his right to appeal to Caesar, Festus would have been required to release him (verses 24–30).
Therefore, Paul was on his way to Rome, a journey he desired to make—though not necessarily as a prisoner.
Julius, the centurion overseeing the prisoners’ transport, treated Paul well. Their first stop on the voyage was Sidon. Luke and Aristarchus, a believer from Thessalonica, were permitted to accompany Paul, and Julius allowed other friends of Paul to visit him in Sidon and attend to his needs (Acts 27:1-3). They sailed as far as Myra on the southern coast of Asia Minor before switching to another ship (verses 4–6). The weather became unfavorable, and the ship reached Fair Havens on the southern coast of Crete with difficulty. Paul advised Julius to spend the winter in Fair Havens, but the centurion followed the pilot and the ship’s owner instead of Paul, continuing west in the hope of reaching the Cretan port of Phoenix to winter there (verses 7–12).
Their destination of Phoenix was never reached. A severe storm with gale-force winds veered the ship off course, battering it for many days and causingThe crew began to lose hope (Acts 27:13-20). One night, an angel appeared to Paul with a message: “Do not fear, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar, and God has granted you the lives of all who sail with you” (verse 24). Paul reassured everyone on board by predicting that all lives would be spared; only the ship would be lost when it grounded on an island (verses 21–26). As Paul (and the angel) had foretold, the ship was wrecked, but all aboard safely reached the shore of the island of Malta (verses 39–44).
The Maltese people showed kindness by building a fire for the shipwreck survivors to keep warm and dry. While Paul was gathering sticks to add to the fire, a venomous snake bit his hand (Acts 28:1-3). The islanders speculated that he must be a criminal being punished by the gods (verse 4), but when Paul suffered no harm, they thought he was a deity (verses 5–6). The chief official of the island hospitably hosted Paul and his companions for three days. During this time, Paul had the opportunity to heal the official’s father, who was ill with fever and dysentery. Subsequently, other islanders brought their sick to Paul for healing (verses 7–10).
Although still technically a Roman captive, Paul remained in Malta for three months until another ship was ready to transport them to Rome. Upon their arrival, Paul met with local believers in his lodgings. He also engaged with Jewish leaders, recounting the events in Jerusalem. Some were receptive to his message, while others were not. Paul stayed in Rome (at his own expense) awaiting trial, dedicating two years to teaching and preaching the gospel. It is probable that he authored the books of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon during this period.
The book
The Book of Acts concludes with Paul still in Rome, where he was under house arrest awaiting trial. It appears that Paul was eventually set free after a two-year period. It is believed that his accusers, the Jewish elders from Jerusalem, did not travel to Rome to press charges against him. The events following Paul’s release are somewhat ambiguous, with his epistles providing only subtle clues. However, there is a possibility that Paul embarked on a fourth missionary journey before facing his subsequent and ultimate imprisonment in Rome.
