In 57AD, when Paul was in Jerusalem, things were heating up. Jesus had predicted the events of these days. He said there would be wars and strife, that false prophets and false Messiahs would arise, and all this would lead to the temple being desecrated and destroyed along with the whole city. There would be an unparalleled level of suffering and disaster. Jesus even told his disciples that these things would happen within their generation (Matthew 24:34). It happened just as Jesus predicted. When Paul came to Jerusalem these things were already beginning to happen. There were multiple uprisings, false messiahs and false prophets. (Acts 21:38 refers to an Egyptian false prophet who led a disastrous attack on the Romans.) Throughout the Old Testament, whenever God’s people were galloping towards disaster, God always sent prophets to turn them around. Now Paul was coming to speak to his people. But as with their response to every other prophet, they didn’t want to hear his message. The expression, ‘blinded by ambition’, sums up the problem here. It is possible to be so set on a certain goal or course of action that you become blind to God’s leading. If you ever feel a bit lost and distant from God, check whether you haven’t been blinded by some other ambition. If you are chasing the wrong dream, then the best thing God could do is dash that dream and wake you up. I always pray that God would do this for me if I need it.
Ask God to guide you in the right way and keep you sensitive to his leading.
Read 22:22 – 23:11
