Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Acts
Book: Acts
Chapter: 21
Overview:
Paul's voyage towards
Jerusalem.
(1-7) Paul at
Caesarea. The
Prophecy of
Agabus,
Paul at
Jerusalem.
(8-18) He is persuaded to
join in ceremonial observances.
(19-26) Being in danger from the
Jews, he is rescued
By the
Romans.
(27-40)
1-7 Providence must be acknowledged when our affairs go
On
Well. Wherever
Paul came, he inquired what disciples were there,
and found them out. Foreseeing his troubles, from
Love to him,
and concern for the
Church, they wrongly thought it would be
most for the
Glory of
God that he should continue at liberty;
but their earnestness to dissuade him from it, renders his pious
resolution the more illustrious. He has taught us
By Example, as
Well as
By rule, to pray always, to pray without ceasing. Their
last farewell was sweetened with
Prayer.
8-18 Paul had express warning of his troubles, that when they
came, they might be
No surprise or terror to him. The general
notice given us, that through much
Tribulation we must enter
into the
Kingdom of God, should be of the same use to us. Their
weeping began to weaken and slacken his resolution. Has not our
Master told us to take up our
Cross? It was a trouble to him,
that they should
So earnestly press him to do that in which he
could not gratify them without wronging his
Conscience. When we
see trouble coming, it becomes us to say, not only, The will of
the
Lord must be done, and there is
No remedy; but, Let the will
of the
Lord be done; for his will is his
Wisdom, and he doeth
all according to the counsel of it. When a trouble is come, this
must allay our griefs, that the will of the
Lord is done; when
we see it coming, this must silence our fears, that the will of
the
Lord shall be done; and we ought to say,
Amen, let it be
done. It is honourable to be an old
Disciple of
Jesus Christ, to
have been enabled
By the
Grace of
God to continue long in a
course of duty, stedfast in the
Faith, growing more and more
experienced, to a good old
Age. And with these old disciples one
would choose to
Lodge; for the multitude of their years shall
teach
Wisdom. Many brethren at
Jerusalem received
Paul gladly.
We think, perhaps, that if we had him among us, we should gladly
receive him; but we should not, if, having his doctrine, we do
not gladly receive that.
19-26 Paul ascribed all his success to
God, and to
God they
gave the praise.
God had honoured him more than any of the
apostles, yet they did not envy him; but
On the contrary,
glorified the
Lord. They could not do more to encourage
Paul to
go
On cheerfully in his work.
James and the elders of the
Church
at
Jerusalem, asked
Paul to gratify the believing Jews,
By some
compliance with the ceremonial
Law. They thought it was prudent
in him to conform thus far. It was great weakness to be
So fond
of the shadows, when the substance was come. The religion
Paul
preached, tended not to destroy the
Law, but to fulfil it. He
preached
Christ, the
End of the
Law for
Righteousness, and
Repentance and
Faith, in which we are to make great use of the
Law. The weakness and evil of the human
Heart strongly appear,
when we consider how many, even of the disciples of
Christ, had
not due regard to the most eminent
Minister that even lived. Not
the excellence of his character, nor the success with which
God
blessed his labours, could gain their esteem and
Affection,
seeing that he did not render the same respect as themselves to
mere ceremonial observances. How watchful should we be against
prejudices! The apostles were not free from blame in all they
did; and it would be hard to defend
Paul from the charge of
giving way too much in this matter. It is vain to attempt to
Court the favour of zealots, or bigots to a party. This
compliance of
Paul did not answer, for the very thing
By which
he hoped to pacify the Jews, provoked them, and brought him into
trouble. But the all-
Wise God overruled both their advice and
Paul's compliance with it, to serve a better purpose than was
intended. It was in vain to think of pleasing men who would be
pleased with nothing but the rooting out of Christianity.
Integrity and uprightness will be more likely to preserve us
than insincere compliances. And it should warn us not to press
men to doing what is contrary to their own
Judgment to oblige
us.
27-40 In the
Temple, where
Paul should have been protected as
in a place of safety, he was violently set upon. They falsely
charged him with ill doctrine and ill practice against the
Mosaic ceremonies. It is
No new thing for those who mean
honestly and act regularly, to have things laid to their charge
which they know not and never thought of. It is common for the
Wise and good to have that charged against them
By malicious
people, with which they thought to have obliged them.
God often
makes those a protection to his people, who have
No Affection to
them, but only have compassion for sufferers, and regard to the
public peace. And here see what false, mistaken notions of good
people and good ministers, many run away with. But
God
seasonably interposes for the safety of his servants, from
wicked and unreasonable men; and gives them opportunities to
speak for themselves, to plead for the
Redeemer, and to spread
abroad his glorious
Gospel.