Acts 21:1-16
And when we had parted from them and set sail, we came by a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Pat′ara. 2 And having found a ship crossing to Phoeni′cia, we went aboard, and set sail. 3 When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left we sailed to Syria, and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload its cargo. 4 And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. Through the Spirit they told Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5 And when our days there were ended, we departed and went on our journey; and they all, with wives and children, brought us on our way till we were outside the city; and kneeling down on the beach we prayed and bade one another farewell. 6 Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home.
7 When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolema′is; and we greeted the brethren and stayed with them for one day. 8 On the morrow we departed and came to Caesare′a; and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9 And he had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied. 10 While we were staying for some days, a prophet named Ag′abus came down from Judea. 11 And coming to us he took Paul’s girdle and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this girdle and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” 12 When we heard this, we and the people there begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “The will of the Lord be done.”
15 After these days we made ready and went up to Jerusalem. 16 And some of the disciples from Caesare′a went with us, bringing us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge.
The Book of Acts is—as the title implies—a record of dramatic events, new initiatives, travels and actions. But the inner fountain for all this action is the constant awareness of the Holy Spirit. Moses had once had wistfully said, “I wish to God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!” (Numbers 11:29.) This had now come to pass, and one of the hallmarks of life in the early church was consciousness of living after Pentecost, in the age of the Spirit. And so in very practical terms it was completely natural to pay attention to the many and various ways that the Holy Spirit was speaking.
All were called to this watchful awareness, but there were some who had a special gift for this and were identified as prophets. In this short account of Paul’s return trip to Jerusalem we hear of three prophetic moments woven into the story:
- The disciples in Tyre, “through the Spirit” told Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.
- Phillip had four daughters “who prophesied”
- Agabus, like many of the Old Testament prophets, acted out his prophecy
All of these prophetic voices were unanimous in predicting trouble for Paul if he continues on his way to Jerusalem and so everyone begs Paul not to go.
One might think that such forceful and repeated prophetic intervention, which all believed to be of the Holy Spirit, would have led Paul to change his plans. But no: he hears what they’re saying, he feels deeply their love and care for him, but he also has his own sense of direction from the Spirit leading him further along the way of the Cross. And in the end, the people too accept Paul’s difficult but immovable choice as the will of the Lord.
Update
Melanie Ringa and I returned to New York late last night from San Francisco after an excellent meeting with Archbishop Benjamin and the Diocese of the West’s Diocesan Council.