新约 - 使徒行传(Acts)第21章

After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Cos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara.
We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail.
After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo.
Finding the disciples there, we stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.
But when our time was up, we left and continued on our way. All the disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray.
After saying good-by to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home.
We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for a day.
Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven.
He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.
After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.
Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'"
When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.
Then Paul answered, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."
When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, "The Lord's will be done."
After this, we got ready and went up to Jerusalem.
Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus and one of the early disciples.
When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers received us warmly.
The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present.
Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: "You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.
They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs.
What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come,
so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow.
Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law.
As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality."
The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.
When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him,
shouting, "Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple area and defiled this holy place."
(They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple area.)
The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut.
While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar.
He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done.
Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks.
When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers.
The crowd that followed kept shouting, "Away with him!"
As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, "May I say something to you?" "Do you speak Greek?" he replied.
"Aren't you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the desert some time ago?"
Paul answered, "I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people."
Having received the commander's permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic:
使徒行传第廿一章   第 21 章 

  徒 21:4> 保罗真是一意孤行,怎也要去耶路撒冷,这不是不顺服圣灵吗? 

  21:4 保罗到耶路撒冷,是否不顺服圣灵呢?不是。极有可能是圣灵预先通知这些信徒,保罗在耶路撒冷将遇到苦难,于是他们认为既然有危险,保罗就不应该去。 

  徒 21:8> 21:8 这是使徒行传 6 章 5 节及 8 章 26 至 40 节提到的腓利。 

  徒 21:9> 妇女无地位?谁说的?你看那些女子能做什么?圣经记载的女性颇多,再考考你,还有谁? 

  21:9 显然,男人和妇女都可得着说预言的恩赐,妇女也积极地参与神的工作( 2:17 ;参腓 4:3 )。曾经说预言的妇女包括米利暗(参出 15:20 );底波拉(参士 4:4 );户勒大(参王下 22:14 );挪亚底(参尼 6:14 );以赛亚的妻子(参赛 8:3 )及亚拿(参路 2:36-38 )。 

  徒 21:10> 21:10 十五年前亚迦布已预言耶路撒冷会有饥荒( 11:27-29 )。 

  徒 21:13-14> 你说你真的想遵行神的旨意,也看到保罗为此要承受的一切,你不怕吗? 

  21:13-14 保罗知道自己在耶路撒冷将会入狱,他的朋友也苦劝他不要去,但他知道这是神要他做的事情。没有人想遇到苦难,但一个忠心的门徒最大的愿望就是得神喜悦。渴望得神喜悦应该胜过我们逃避困难和痛苦的欲望。我们真的想遵行神的旨意,就必须接受随之而来的一切──甚至是痛苦。这样,我们便可以说:“愿主的旨意成就。” 

  保罗往罗马之旅程 

  保罗回到耶路撒冷 

  徒 21:21> 若换了是我,我就不遵从他们的决定,你说为何要那样做? 

  21:21 耶路撒冷会议( 15 章)解决了外邦信徒行割礼的问题。显然,有谣言指保罗在会议决定外附加指示,甚至禁止犹太人为他们的孩子行割礼,这当然不是真的。所以保罗甘愿遵从犹太人的习俗以表明他没有做出违反会议决定的行为,而且他仍遵守犹太人的生活方式。有时候,我们必须多走一步,以免引起误会,妨碍神的工作。 

  徒 21:23-24> 保罗看重律法?又反对律法?自相矛盾?律法于你有何用? 

  21:23-24 我们可以从两方面来思想犹太律法。保罗反对一方面,接纳另一方面。( 1 )保罗反对的,就是旧约律法将救恩只带给那些守律法的人这个观念。其实,救恩是神因祂的恩典而白白赐给我们的,只要我们凭信心就可接受这恩典。律法只可以显出我们的罪,并不能将救恩带给我们。( 2 )保罗同意旧约律法预备和教导我们迎接基督的降临。基督成就了律法,将我们从罪恶的重担下释放出来。不过,律法仍然给我们许多宝贵的原则,指引我们如何生活。保罗不是为了救恩而遵守律法,他守律法只是为了避免冒犯那些他想向他们传福音的人。(参罗 3:21-31 ; 7:4-6 ; 13:9-10 ;有关律法与救恩的关系,请参加 3:23-29 ; 4:21-31 。) 

  徒 21:23-24> 妥协是懦弱?坚持传统才算虔诚基督徒?保罗那样做是怕事吗? 

  21:23-24 保罗遵从犹太人的习俗,以求保持耶路撒冷教会的和睦。虽然保罗有坚强的信念,然而他愿意在一些并非最要紧的问题上作出妥协,向什么样的人,就成为什么样的人,为的是救回一些人(参林前 9:19-23 )。很多时教会因为一些传统或小事的争论而分裂,我们应该像保罗一样,在基要教义上坚定不移,毫不妥协;但在一些并非最要紧的事情上,则灵活运用。当然,任何人都不应违反真正的信仰,但有时候我们也需要为福音的缘故彼此顺服。 

  徒 21:28-29> 神的工人常受攻击──有时人真说得很真切的──你要我不要太相信,这…… 

  21:28-29 这些人知道保罗在亚西亚的工作极有成果。他们的阴谋是贬低保罗的信誉,进而削弱他的工作。因此,当你听见人对神工人的指责时,就要警醒,有些人也许是要贬低他们的信誉,来妨碍他们的工作。你不要抱有成见,并且要为这些工人祷告,他们会因你的支持而得到坚固。 

  徒 21:31> 21:31 由于耶路撒冷是在罗马统治下,所以罗马当局会调查城中的骚乱。当时的驻军首领是革老丢吕西亚( 23:26 )。 

  徒 21:37-38> 你知道会说希腊话表示了什么? 

  21:37-38 保罗说希腊话,显明他是受过高深教育、极有文化的人,并不是一般市井无赖在街头生事。他所用的语言引起了营长的注意,并且得到保护,让他有辩护的机会。 

  徒 21:40-22:2> 一时用希腊话,一时用希伯来话,保罗是别有用意的吧…… 

  21:40-22:2 保罗向民众所讲的“希伯来话”应该是指当时巴勒斯坦犹太人所通用的“亚兰话”,他讲亚兰话不单是为了与听众沟通,也同时显明他是一个虔诚的犹太人,尊重犹太人的律法和习俗。保罗对罗马官员讲希腊话,对犹太人就讲亚兰话。要更有效地服事某一类人,最好是用他们的语言来沟通。──《灵修版圣经注释》