¹When we had parted from them and had set sail, we ran a straight course to Cos and the next day to Rhodes and from there to Patara; ²and having found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. ³When we came in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we kept sailing to Syria and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload its cargo. ⁴After looking up the disciples, we stayed there seven days; and they kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem. ⁵When our days there were ended, we left and started on our journey, while they all, with wives and children, escorted us until we were out of the city. After kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another.

The narrative progresses to describe Paul’s final journey back to Jerusalem. Remember, the apostle and his companions are carrying the benevolence fund collected from the churches Paul had planted, to those believers where the Christian movement began, to help with famine relief. Luke fixes the narrative in the real world of ancient times.

Nothing is said of personal interactions until Paul and company arrived in Tyre, where they lodged for a week with the believers. Tyre is situated on the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, in present-day Lebanon, near the northern border of Israel. Paul bypasses Antioch of Syria, the first Gentile congregation, the one from which he was sent out on his first mission tour (Acts 13:1–4). We may assume he was planning to head back to Antioch after delivering the benevolence fund in Jerusalem.

As with the record of his farewell with the Ephesian elders (Acts 20), so here we see how beloved the apostle was among the believers. He wasn’t just a hard-driving evangelist; he formed deep bonds with many people. And they were quite concerned about him, warning him not to continue to Jerusalem because of what the Spirit had revealed to them was awaiting him there.

Some think Paul was disobedient to the Spirit and went to Jerusalem anyway. Others suggested Paul may not have known the warnings were from the Spirit, only that the believers thought it so. Indeed, the Spirit was giving Paul corroborative forewarning about his fate (Acts 20:23, Acts 21:11). It seems best to interpret this as the prophecy giving occasion for the believers, in their concern for Paul’s safety, to strongly encourage him not to continue on to Jerusalem. Paul was not deterred by their fears. He was willing to die for his Jewish brethren. For most of us, God does not reveal ahead of time the difficulties we must face. But with Paul, the Lord knew his heart and his resolve, and so took Paul into His confidence about his future suffering.

Lord, I believe Your strength and grace will be sufficient for my future suffering.