Bible Reading
Acts 21:27-36 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.”
[24:16]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. And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done. Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, for the mob of the people followed, crying out, “Away with him!”
[27:20]Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
[48:19] not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
[48:29]1 Corinthians 11:23-26 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,
[55:18] and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
[55:28]In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
[55:35] For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
[55:44]Matthew 23:5-7 They do all their deeds to be seen by others.
[39:45] For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.
[39:51]Observation questions
- What three areas do the Jews from Asia say Paul is teaching against, and what additional accusation do they make about Trophimus?
- What details in Acts 21 show that the crowd is confused and violent, not carefully seeking the truth? [27:46]
- According to Acts 21, what do the Roman tribune and his soldiers do when they arrive at the riot?
- In Matthew 23:5-7, what specific kinds of recognition, attention, and status do the religious leaders love?
Interpretation questions
- Paul’s opponents were partly right that the gospel changed the meaning of “the people,” “the law,” and “the place,” but they were deeply wrong to say Paul was rejecting God. How does faith in Jesus reshape each of those three things? [35:52]
- Why would the message that Jews, Gentiles, and Samaritans all have equal standing through faith in Jesus feel like a threat to people whose identity was built on being closer to God than others? [30:27]
- How does Jesus fulfilling the law differ from simply saying that holiness, sin, and obedience no longer matter? How does Jesus making the unclean clean help answer that question? [31:37]
- Ephesians 2:8-9 says salvation is God’s gift rather than the result of works. Why does this truth remove both pride from the outwardly religious person and hopelessness from the person who feels far from God? [44:01]
Application questions
- Where is the temptation strongest to see certain people as “closer to God”—because of family background, church experience, knowledge, behavior, politics, culture, or something else? How can the group resist building those kinds of first-class and second-class categories? [44:49]
- What good things might a person quietly use to feel better than others—such as serving, giving, avoiding certain sins, knowing the Bible, or being involved at church? Which of these is most tempting for you to turn into a source of self-honor? [45:07]
- Jesus does not become unclean when sinners come near him; he makes the unclean clean. Where do you most need to trust that Christ’s holiness and mercy are enough to forgive, heal, and make you new? [49:21]
- Paul knew hardship was waiting in Jerusalem, yet he went anyway. Is there a hard but faithful step you sense God calling you to take—perhaps a difficult conversation, an act of obedience, or speaking honestly about Jesus? What makes that step difficult? [23:10]
- God used Roman soldiers and an unexpected rescue to preserve Paul’s life and keep his witness moving forward. Can you identify a difficult situation in which God may have used an unlikely person, structure, or circumstance to provide help or open a door? [29:03]
- Communion calls believers to remember Christ’s body given and blood shed because hearts easily drift back toward self-reliance. What are the usual signs that you are starting to trust yourself or the things of this world more than Jesus? [53:36]
- Baptism pictures dying to self-centeredness and rising to new life with Jesus. What would it look like this week to put one self-honoring habit to death and to live more openly as someone whose hope is in Christ alone? [51:20]
