Acts 21:17-26

                                                                 Acts 21:17-26

When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly.  On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.  After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.  And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law, and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs. What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law. But as for the Gentiles who have believed, we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.” Then Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself along with them and went into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for each one of them.

 

Expectations can be dangerous things.  As I read this text, I can’t help but think that Paul was likely disappointed by the outcome of this meeting.  Things didn’t go as he expected.  It is hard for us to imagine Paul feeling the need to go and report to James and the elders of the church.  However, it is clear that Paul felt it was necessary to do this and he even seems anxious to do this.  What unfolds moving forward must have been difficult for Paul to experience.  Missionaries often return from the field so excited about what has happened only to find that those who have sent them out have a completely different impression about what is happening.

 

PROGRESS REPORTED: Paul’s first order of business when arriving at the church in Jerusalem was to give a report on all the Lord had done in his travels amongst the Gentile nations.  It actually says he talked about those experiences and recounted them one by one.  Joy shared is joy multiplied just like sorrow shared is sorrow divided.  This was a time for sharing and the result was that all of them glorified God for what He was doing.  It had to be an encouragement for all who were involved.  It is important to notice that Paul’s message was delivered in such a way that it brought glory to God and not himself.  That the Lord uses any of us to do anything is simply a matter of His amazing grace and the Spirit’s empowerment.  When we give testimony, it should always point to the Lord.    

 

PROBLEM REVEALED: Unfortunately, the meeting did not end with a praise and worship service to the Lord. When James responds to Paul he reveals that there are some problems and that there were apparently some serious complaints being made against the ministry of Paul.  The focus is taken off the advance of the Gospel amongst the Gentiles and put on the Jews who have believed and the discomfort they are feeling with being a part of the same family of faith with people who were not raised under the Law of Moses.  These people have been accusing Paul of teaching the Jews to abandon the Law and stop circumcising their children.  In actuality, Paul was teaching that circumcision was not salvific and therefore not something that was required of the Gentiles.  It is amazing how words can be twisted.  This kind of judgment and fear of what others think is detrimental to the advance of the Gospel.  Distraction and division are some of the most common tools of Satan.  He used them in Paul’s days, and he continues to use them today.  We need to carefully evaluate our lives to see where we are falling into these traps of focusing on and fighting over the insignificant.

 

PATH RECCOMENDED: When I read about the plan to fix the Jew’s perception of Paul it seems almost humorous.  It is hard to know if we should be laughing or crying.  They want Paul to take four guys to the barber and pay to get their heads shaved.  He was then to purify himself and present himself for purification at the temple as a show of his own submission to the Law.  This was all to be done to try to quiet the Jews who were complaining of Paul’s preaching of the Gospel.  The likelihood of this plan succeeding seems remote at best.  Perhaps what is more surprising is that Paul does what they are suggesting.  It seems he brought up concerns over how this might affect the Gentile believers, but this is put to rest by the letter that was written concerning the freedom of the Gentiles.  The only issues Gentile believers were to be careful about were not eating foods that were offered to idols or strangled and avoiding sexual immorality.  Paul seems to take issues with the food restrictions but certainly promoted sexual purity.  I think the biggest lesson to learn from Paul in this is the importance of deference.  Even when we might not agree with someone in authority over us, it is important to be humble enough to listen to them and try their suggestions.  

 

APPLICATION: Share freely with others about what the Lord is doing in a way that brings glory to God and not ourselves.  Be careful to avoid distraction and division by focusing on that which is most important and not being controlled by a desire to be a people pleaser instead of a God glorifier.  Be submissive to authority as long as they are not violating the Word of God.  Be willing to go above and beyond to promote unity in the body.  However, be sure to temper expectations because judgmental people are not easily quitted no matter how deferent we may be.