24:17,18
Paul had not come to Jerusalem to stir up trouble, but to bring gifts to the poor. In a number of his letters we read of Paul organising a collection among the Gentile churches for the Jerusalem church, see 2 Cor 8. When he went to the temple he was ceremonially clean. While Paul clearly taught that Gentile believers did not need to be circumcised, he himself as a Jew continued to observe the Law. And there was no crowd with him. So there was clearly no intention of stirring up trouble.
24:19-21
Indeed the only ones aiming to stir up trouble were some of the Jews who had come from the province of Asia. They should have been the ones facing charges! We often see this reversal of the way things should be from what they are. The worst enemies of the Palestinian people are Hamas and similar groups. The trans activists are the worst enemies of trans people. Paul challenges his accusers to state clearly what crime he has committed, instead of merely casting slurs. Then Paul again mentions the resurrection. This had previously caused an uproar, but this time has no such effect. Either the group was much more homogenous in their views on this, or they had learnt their lesson from the previous episode.
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