A Study of Acts: Paul Arrives in Jerusalem
Acts 21:15-26 - Flexibility is for responding to the Will of God and not to the concerns of humans.
“After these days we got ready and started on our way up to Jerusalem. Some of the disciples from Caesarea also came with us, taking us to Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple of long standing with whom we were to lodge.
After we arrived in Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. And the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. After he had greeted them, he began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. And when they heard it they began glorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law; and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law. But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote, having decided that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication.” Then Paul took the men, and the next day, purifying himself along with them, went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.”
Acts 21:15-26 NASB1995
The photos today show scenes of Jerusalem found on Unsplash.
Paul and the disciples travel from Caesarea “up” to Jerusalem. Caesarea was on the sea coast and Jerusalem is located nearly 2,500 feet above seal level, so traveling there from most directions involves traveling uphill. The group intended to stay with a Christian disciple from Cyprus named Mnason. What do we know about Mnason? I like this discussion about this disciple from Jack Arnold in Precept Austin:
He was a man still true to the Lord and had accepted growing old graciously. Apparently he had not grown inflexible and critical as so many do in their latter years, for he was willing to accept Paul who many of the Jews called a libertine and a destroyer of the Law. Apparently Mnason was not afraid of change for he knew Paul's theology was radical. This man had enough graciousness and flexibility to be in the center of the Christian movement even in his latter days. He was able to adjust and to be where the spiritual action was.
For those of us who are growing older, let us pray that we can be flexible, make adjustments, be willing to change and identify with what God is doing today. Let us pray that God will keep us from a critical and cynical attitude about life. Even as we grow older we must seek the will of God for our lives. God has a great need for older people. Their wisdom, prayer, hospitality, encouragement and often their finances are needed in the body of Christ. At every age a person must seek the will of God, submit to the will of God and do the will of God.
We must be careful that we are not like King Solomon whose devotion for the Lord waned in his older years. “For it came about when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been” (1 Kings 11:4). God used 1 Kings 11:4 in a mighty way in my own life some time ago. I was sitting in an apartment in Weisbaden, Germany reading my Bible. My eyes fell on this verse, and God spoke to me about my devotion to Christ as I had passed the forty mark. I found myself crying out, “Lord, don't let me grow cold to You as I grow old.” Tears streaming down my face, I cried out, “Lord, let me have true devotion to you in my latter years, and don't let me be negative, bitter, critical and hard as I move on in years.” (Acts 21:15-26 The Will of God in Concession)
As an older person who came back to belief when I was in my early 50’s, this speaks to me very profoundly. When we are older, we can still serve the Lord in many ways, through our testimonies, our finances, our encouragement, our prayers, our hospitality and even through ways like writing these devotionals (as a way to do deep and more effective Bible studies for me). We can be in the center of where God is moving. One cautionary note, and I know Jack Arnold would agree, is that we should not be so eager to adjust our beliefs to popular thinking that we fall out of alignment with God’s Will. Flexibility indicates our willingness to take on something for Him that is new or different; it does not mean that we jump on the social justice bandwagon or embrace causes that are contrary to His Word.
When the group arrives in Jerusalem, they are embraced by the brethren. They meet with James (the half-brother of Jesus) and the other elders, who glorify God for the work that has been done with the Gentiles. However, they speak words of caution to Paul about the many Christian brethren in Jerusalem who were also Jews and are still zealous for the Law. The rumors have been flying that that Paul is teaching other Jews that they should forsake the Law of Moses and not circumcise their children. They advise Paul to do an action to appease these Christian Jews: There are four believers who are under a vow and they request that Paul go with them and pay for their expenses for shaving their heads and their purification and to do this for himself. This will demonstrate to those Christian Jews that Paul is orderly and still abides by the Law.
So Paul does what they request. This seems a bit strange to me, coming from the apostle who preaches salvation by Grace alone, but apparently he understands the political nature of the situation and he honors his upbringing. This influence of the rituals and Law from Jews who are the early Christians fades in time from the early church; the Epistle of Hebrews (directed from God) also explains in ways that are incontrovertible the transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. The Jerusalem Council concurs that the requests for the Gentiles that they agreed upon (abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, avoid blood and strangled sacrifices, avoid fornication) are sufficient for them, but not required for salvation (only to maintain peaceable relationships with Jewish Christians). Here’s a good commentary on this passage from Enduring Word:
You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law: The elders of Jerusalem were happy for what God was doing among the Gentiles. Yet in Jerusalem the Christian community was almost entirely from a Jewish background, and these Christians still valued many of the Jewish laws and customs. They were still zealous for the law.
They have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses: The Christian community of Jerusalem heard bad, false rumors about Paul. They heard that he had become essentially anti-Jewish, and told Jewish Christians that it was wrong for them to continue in Jewish laws and customs.
Based on Romans 14:4-6, it seems that Paul didn’t have a problem with Jewish Christians who wanted to continue to observe old customs and laws. It seems that he himself did so sometimes, such as when he took and fulfilled a vow of consecration in Acts 18:18-21 (probably a Nazirite vow). Paul seemed fine with this, as long as they didn’t think it made them more right before God.
What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come: This has the sense of, “Paul, this is controversial and people will hear about it. Let’s do something about this.”’
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We have four men who have taken a vow. Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses: They advised Paul to both join and sponsor these four Christians from a Jewish background.
Four men who have taken a vow: The particular vow of consecration was probably similar to Paul’s Nazirite vow mentioned in Acts 18:18-21.
That all may know: The Jerusalem elders believed this would convince everyone that Paul did not preach against Jewish laws and customs for those Christians who wanted to observe them.
Paul agreed to do this, to demonstrate that he never taught Christian Jews to forsake Moses and not to circumcise their children and that they were required to ignore Jewish customs, as he had been falsely accused by some among the Jerusalem Christians.
But concerning the Gentiles who believe: The Jerusalem elders understood that this had nothing to do with Gentiles who believe in Jesus. It didn’t mean that they had to perform any Jewish rituals to be right with God. Paul would rightly refuse to compromise on this important point.
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Then Paul took the men: Paul could agree to this and sponsor the four men taking the vow of consecration because there was never a hint that such things would be required of Gentiles as a test of righteousness.
“He had shown them that their ceremonies were useless but not destructive; that they were only dangerous when they depended on them for salvation.” (Adam Clarke)
Many commentators believe this was a terrible compromise on Paul’s part; that he was a hypocrite. Yet the motive behind Paul’s sponsorship of these Christian Jews completing their Nazirite vow is explained in 1 Corinthians 9:20: And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law.
At which time an offering should be made: It’s important to understand that this offering – an animal sacrifice – was not in any way for the purpose of atonement or forgiveness. Paul absolutely understood that only the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross atones for sin. Yet not every sacrifice in the Jewish system was for atonement; many were for thanksgiving or dedication, as this one was.
Offerings to God should be done for thanksgiving or dedication, not for atonement, as we are saved by the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.
Finally, I must share this great insight from Jack Arnold again on missing the point of our salvation if Christians demand adherence to Old Covenant Laws, from Precept Austin:
The Law of Christ is a higher law than that of the Mosaic Law, but not all Christian brethren have learned this truth. For instance, many Christians observe the Sabbath on Saturday and others are Sunday Sabbath keepers, and they honestly believe that the Christian is to observe the Sabbath, making the Sabbath conform to Mosaic Law standards. Other Christians say no New Covenant Christian is a Sabbath keeper but is to honor the Lord’s Day, Sunday, as a day of worship. If a person wants to place himself under the Old Testament Sabbath principle, he is free to do so, although in my opinion he has missed the great blessing of grace under the Law of Christ. The Mosaic Law said, "Keep the Sabbath or you will be punished.” The Law of Christ says, “Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some is” (Heb. 10:25). Christians under the Law of Christ do not gather on the Lord’s Day out of pure obedience alone, but out of genuine love for Christ. The law of Christ reveals the depth of love one has for Christ and deals with the motivation of the heart. However, if a brother wants to observe worship on Saturday, or be a Christian Sunday Sabbath keeper, he has the freedom to do so, although he does not have to do so.
“Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind” (Rom. 14:4-5).
Another case of putting oneself under the Mosaic Law is that of tithing; that is, giving 10 percent of one's money to the Lord's work. Nowhere does the New Testament specifically teach tithing for the Christian today. The Law of Christ seems to teach that a Christian is to give as the Lord has prospered him, “On the first day of every week let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come” (1 Cor. 16:2), so that one motivated by love for Christ gives out of love for Christ and not on a legal principle per se. In the Mosaic Law, every Jew was required to give 10 percent twice a year which amounted to 20 percent. Every third year, the Jew was required to give 30 percent of his total earnings, the extra 10 percent was given to the poor. Under the Law of Christ, however, a man is commanded to give out of his pure love for Christ as he has been prospered. It may be that a man, under the Law of Christ, may only give five percent if that is all he has to give, but the Law of Christ is a higher law than the Mosaic Law and it may be that Christians ought to begin where the Old Testament leaves off, at least 10 percent and then more is given, not out of the motivation of obedience alone but out of pure love for Christ. However, if a person wants to place himself, as a free man, back under the Mosaic Law, he can, but he may well be missing the whole point of the Law of Christ.
In conclusion, it may be said that Paul was not out of the will of God in taking this vow but he may have gone too far in trying to please men. (Acts 21:15-26 The Will of God in Concession)
Paul was a great man of God and a great Apostle, but he was human, too. I think he did compromise a little bit, perhaps with the hopes that they (the Judaizers) would leave him alone and not fulfill the prophecies that he had heard were imminent, but as we will see in the next passage, the problem for him will be the Jews that are not converted.
My next devotional examines Acts 21:27-40, Paul is seized in the Temple.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Please help me to be flexible in responding to Your will for me. I am so joyful to be doing these things for You in the last years of my life. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Precept Austin was accessed on 01/09/2024 to review commentary for Acts 21:15-26.
Commentary from Enduring Word by David Guzik is used with written permission.