Paul knew his end was near . Everywhere he went the Holy Spirit was warning him of chains, imprisonment and more.  So much so that he started saying his good-byes to all his friends.

They begged him not to go.  Kind of like Peter telling Jesus he would not go to die on the cross (Matthew 16:21-23).

But Paul pressed forward.  He loved Jesus enough he was Ok with dying in Jerusalem.  But he still wanted to preach the gospel in Rome.  That was his dying wish.

After Paul had said good-bye to more of his friends, he continued on to Jerusalem.  The anger of the people against him was already at peak.

The local disciples told him he should take a vow to prove he had not abandon the Law.  That was the accusation lodged against him.  But it didn’t work.

Someone started shouting against him that he was turning people against the Law, and the whole crowd came running.  They tried to kill him, but the Roman commander intervened.

The rage was so great that they barely respected even the command of the Roman governer.  Paul had to be carried by them.

And what did Paul do?  He wanted to speak to the crowd that was trying to make sure he was dead.

Because it was not about Paul.  It was about the gospel.

It was not about his life.  It was about the life of those that needed to hear.

We all need the selfless fire back.

Myself included.