Act 21:6 | KingComments | STEP | For Paul and his companions, the delay in Tyre offers a wonderful opportunity – not to admire the city, but – to look up the disciples. Once they have found them, they stay there seven days. As in Troas ( ), this cannot but mean that they want to celebrate the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week in Tyre as well. On every day Paul will have taught God’s Word there. The disciples have not only listened to Paul, but they also have a message for him. They tell him not to go to Jerusalem. It is a message of which Luke tells us that it comes from “the Spirit”. We have already read in Acts 20 how the Holy Spirit is engaged with Paul about his purpose to go to Jerusalem ( ). What we read here goes beyond that. There it seems as if the Holy Spirit wanted Paul to think about his purpose to go to Jerusalem by certain directions. Here, however, it is no longer a reflection on whether he will go, but a clear warning not to go. The highest way for Paul would have been not to go. Yet the will of the Lord is accomplished in his going to Jerusalem. He is the apostle of the Gentiles, but he cannot repress his love for his people. That love is so great that he deviates from the path of faith and chooses the path of natural love. It remains difficult to say of a man like Paul that he consciously went against the will of the Holy Spirit. In my opinion there is no direct disobedience. Paul is driven by completely selfless motives. It is not a question of black and white, but of a choice between the good and the better. It does not suit us to criticize the apostle for this. We read that the disciples “through the Spirit” tell Paul not to go to Jerusalem, but they do not say: ‘This is what the Holy Spirit says.’ Later Agabus will do so, however, not in a warning but in a foretelling sense ( ). How often have we noticed that others have said something to us ‘through the Spirit’? In the weakness of his love for his compatriots, he is willing to go to Jerusalem, despite the bonds and afflictions that await him there. He is even prepared to die for it, as he says further on ( ). It is not to ignore an explicit command of the Holy Spirit, but to follow a natural love for his people. Nor is it overconfidence that does not know what he is doing if he does not heed the warnings of bonds and affliction. He knew these things only too well. On top of all this, the Lord, once Paul is captured in Jerusalem, encourages him with the command that he, as he witnessed to Him in Jerusalem, must witness to Him at Rome also ( ). There is no reproach from the Lord’s mouth. How, then, should we condemn Paul’s actions or blame him? We can see that in his desire to go to Jerusalem, he does not walk on the heights of the faith he preaches among the nations. God did not send him to Jerusalem. We can also observe that he does not act at the height of faith when, in order to please his brethren according to the flesh, he submits himself to a law of purification ( ). He preaches everywhere that the believer is not under the law. One would wish that all Christians would share Paul’s desire to bring the gospel to his people. However, it is to be feared that many do not even reach that level with regard to the people with whom they are connected by natural bonds. The days of being together with the disciples in Tyre are coming to an end. The journey must be continued. All the disciples with women and children escort them out of the city. Also the children are present to say goodbye to ‘uncle’ Paul. The apostle will certainly have shown his interest in them, following the example of his Lord Who also had this interest ( ). The whole group kneels down on the beach and prays. It will have impressed the people who may have seen it. Those people also saw how they greeted each other when they said goodbye. Here we have the expressions of the new life. There is loving God and loving each other. One cannot do without the other. This beautiful testimony of the new life is given on the beach, in the open air. After greeting each other the paths separate. Paul and his companions board the ship to continue their journey to Jerusalem. The others go home, to continue their testimony there. From Tyre they sail to Ptolemais. Also in Ptolemais, where they stay only one day, they spend time with the brothers. Each time we see how Paul seeks fellowship with the local believers. He does not only preach about the church, but he also practices the church.

‏ Acts 21:6

With the Believers in Tyre and in Ptolemais

For Paul and his companions, the delay in Tyre offers a wonderful opportunity – not to admire the city, but – to look up the disciples. Once they have found them, they stay there seven days. As in Troas (Acts 20:6-7), this cannot but mean that they want to celebrate the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week in Tyre as well. On every day Paul will have taught God’s Word there.

The disciples have not only listened to Paul, but they also have a message for him. They tell him not to go to Jerusalem. It is a message of which Luke tells us that it comes from “the Spirit”. We have already read in Acts 20 how the Holy Spirit is engaged with Paul about his purpose to go to Jerusalem (Acts 20:23). What we read here goes beyond that. There it seems as if the Holy Spirit wanted Paul to think about his purpose to go to Jerusalem by certain directions. Here, however, it is no longer a reflection on whether he will go, but a clear warning not to go.

The highest way for Paul would have been not to go. Yet the will of the Lord is accomplished in his going to Jerusalem. He is the apostle of the Gentiles, but he cannot repress his love for his people. That love is so great that he deviates from the path of faith and chooses the path of natural love.

It remains difficult to say of a man like Paul that he consciously went against the will of the Holy Spirit. In my opinion there is no direct disobedience. Paul is driven by completely selfless motives. It is not a question of black and white, but of a choice between the good and the better. It does not suit us to criticize the apostle for this.

We read that the disciples “through the Spirit” tell Paul not to go to Jerusalem, but they do not say: ‘This is what the Holy Spirit says.’ Later Agabus will do so, however, not in a warning but in a foretelling sense (Acts 21:11). How often have we noticed that others have said something to us ‘through the Spirit’?

In the weakness of his love for his compatriots, he is willing to go to Jerusalem, despite the bonds and afflictions that await him there. He is even prepared to die for it, as he says further on (Acts 21:13). It is not to ignore an explicit command of the Holy Spirit, but to follow a natural love for his people. Nor is it overconfidence that does not know what he is doing if he does not heed the warnings of bonds and affliction. He knew these things only too well.

On top of all this, the Lord, once Paul is captured in Jerusalem, encourages him with the command that he, as he witnessed to Him in Jerusalem, must witness to Him at Rome also (Acts 23:11). There is no reproach from the Lord’s mouth. How, then, should we condemn Paul’s actions or blame him?

We can see that in his desire to go to Jerusalem, he does not walk on the heights of the faith he preaches among the nations. God did not send him to Jerusalem. We can also observe that he does not act at the height of faith when, in order to please his brethren according to the flesh, he submits himself to a law of purification (Acts 21:21-26). He preaches everywhere that the believer is not under the law. One would wish that all Christians would share Paul’s desire to bring the gospel to his people. However, it is to be feared that many do not even reach that level with regard to the people with whom they are connected by natural bonds.

The days of being together with the disciples in Tyre are coming to an end. The journey must be continued. All the disciples with women and children escort them out of the city. Also the children are present to say goodbye to ‘uncle’ Paul. The apostle will certainly have shown his interest in them, following the example of his Lord Who also had this interest (Mt 19:13-15).

The whole group kneels down on the beach and prays. It will have impressed the people who may have seen it. Those people also saw how they greeted each other when they said goodbye. Here we have the expressions of the new life. There is loving God and loving each other. One cannot do without the other. This beautiful testimony of the new life is given on the beach, in the open air.

After greeting each other the paths separate. Paul and his companions board the ship to continue their journey to Jerusalem. The others go home, to continue their testimony there.

From Tyre they sail to Ptolemais. Also in Ptolemais, where they stay only one day, they spend time with the brothers. Each time we see how Paul seeks fellowship with the local believers. He does not only preach about the church, but he also practices the church.