Jul 2 – 2 Kings 4:38-44, 2 Kings 5, 2 Kings 6:1-23 Acts 21:27-40, Acts 22:1-22 Psalm 79:1-13
Acts 21:27-30
When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him,
crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.”
For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.
Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.
Paul’s arrest – the riot that takes place around him… was based on an assumption. We are told that they had perviously seem Trophimus the Ephesian with him and assumed he’d brought this man into the temple. They were hugely offended that this gentile was in this place – bringing in Greeks and defiling the Holy place!
But… it’s something they had supposed. He’d took these man and purified himself with them, presumably in one off the purification pools near the temple – but there’s no indication that he had took them into the temple with them.. but they did’t even checked. They just assumed, because they were already angry at Paul.
People are fast to assume what you believe. People are very quick to throw words like “bigot” at Christians without first checking what they really think. This isn’t a surprise, or really anything new.
But Paul’s reaction is great. It takes this opportunity, and instead of getting upset – he uses it as an opportunity the preach and tell people about Jesus.
