Acts 21:35

Monday, 13 November 2023

When he reached the stairs, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob.  Acts 21:35

A literal rendering would be, “And when he came upon the stairs, it happened he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd” (CG).

In the previous verse, it noted that the commander of the soldiers couldn’t determine what Paul had done, if anything, because of the yelling of the crowd. Therefore, he commanded that Paul be taken into the barracks where things could be sorted out. Now, the action continues, saying, “And when he came upon the stairs.”

This takes the reader back to verse 32. The Roman soldiers were said to have run down to the tumult, indicating from a higher area. Now, Paul was being conducted back to that place. As they arrived at the stairs to ascend to the barracks, it next says, “it happened he was carried by the soldiers.”

It doesn’t yet say why this is the case. There would only be one of two reasonable explanations for it. The first would be that Paul was purposefully hindering their ascent, refusing to comply with being taken voluntarily. The second would be because of external pressures bearing down on them. The latter is the case. As it says, “because of the violence of the crowd.”

Luke’s description takes us mentally right into the account. The soldiers literally picked him up by his legs and started carrying him up the stairs because the people were pressed in against them.

The more they were pressed, the more the crowd would reach in, trying to get Paul. With the soldiers busy caring for him, they were unable to fend off the people. Luke uses a word to indicate suddenness, sumbainó – literally, “it happened.”

According to Vincent’s Word Studies, “The verb means, literally, to come together; hence, of a coincidence of events. It is designedly introduced here to express more vividly the fact of the peculiar emergency and the peril of Paul’s situation.”

What this means is that while they were on the flat portion of the temple mount, the guards could easily encircle Paul and have their hands ready at their weapons. However, as they arrived at the ascent, the cohort was unable to fully protect him and the raving crowds pressed in, taking advantage of the confined situation to tear at him.

Life application: Like so many things that occur in life, there are times that our guard is let down. For the Romans surrounding Paul, it was an unavoidable event that they could not fully encircle him due to the layout of the surroundings. At times, we may be exhausted, not paying attention, distracted, etc.

At such times, we may let our guard down unintentionally. It is at such times that others may take advantage of the situation and try to trip us up. Likewise, the devil wants nothing more than to have the people of the Lord ineffective in their lives. When we are busily engaged in matters of life, he will come to rob and steal our testimony.

Therefore, even when we are off guard, we need to be on guard. In other words, the old adage, “When you least expect it, expect it,” applies to believers. We need to always have a subroutine running in the back of our minds to be cautious, wise, and discerning about the world around us.

To hone such skills means to purposefully think about one’s surroundings at all times, until it becomes second nature. A bodyguard is taught to be alert at all times. He scans close by and off into the distance. His job is to protect. Ours is too. But our protection is to be directed to our maintaining a good testimony, no matter what challenges we face. Let us endeavor to do so, considering that we represent the Lord at all times.

Glorious Lord God, You have given us salvation and a new direction in life. Please be with us and help us to always reflect a proper attitude that is honoring You. May our guard be up, and may our lives be alert and ready at all times to stop the attacks that suddenly arise against us. To Your glory, we pray. Amen.