He knew it was coming, but it didn’t stop him. Paul was on his way to Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost. On his way, he stopped at Caesarea to visit with some friends when a warning came that Paul was facing trouble in Jerusalem. But that wasn’t going to stop Paul. Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 21:13)
When Paul got to Jerusalem, the church leaders expressed concern that there were those who might misunderstand about Paul’s reputation as a preacher to Gentiles. They encouraged Paul to display his Jewish heritage by participating in certain Temple rituals, which Paul gladly did. At the Temple there were Jews from Ephesus who recognized him. They had seen Paul hanging out with a Gentile earlier that week and had assumed that Paul had brought the fellow into the Jewish part of the Temple. The ensuing riot was because they misunderstood Paul to have done something he hadn’t done. When the Roman police force saw the riot breaking out, they arrested Paul thinking he was a notorious Egyptian rebel, which he wasn’t. Again a misunderstanding.
Sometimes we are the ones who misunderstand others and give them grief. Take time to listen before you judge. Sometimes we are misunderstood. Paul was misunderstood a lot, but that didn’t stop him. He followed Jesus no matter what.
