How far would you go?
Acts 21:17-26
17 When we arrived, the brothers and sisters in Jerusalem welcomed us warmly.
18 The next day Paul went with us to meet with James, and all the elders of the Jerusalem church were present. 19 After greeting them, Paul gave a detailed account of the things God had accomplished among the Gentiles through his ministry.
20 After hearing this, they praised God. And then they said, “You know, dear brother, how many thousands of Jews have also believed, and they all follow the law of Moses very seriously. 21 But the Jewish believers here in Jerusalem have been told that you are teaching all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn their backs on the laws of Moses. They’ve heard that you teach them not to circumcise their children or follow other Jewish customs. 22 What should we do? They will certainly hear that you have come.
23 “Here’s what we want you to do. We have four men here who have completed their vow. 24 Go with them to the Temple and join them in the purification ceremony, paying for them to have their heads ritually shaved. Then everyone will know that the rumors are all false and that you yourself observe the Jewish laws.
25 “As for the Gentile believers, they should do what we already told them in a letter: They should abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality.”
26 So Paul went to the Temple the next day with the other men. They had already started the purification ritual, so he publicly announced the date when their vows would end and sacrifices would be offered for each of them.
What a curios passage. Paul and his companions head to Jerusalem with a monetary gift for the struggling Christians there. They have great news about what God is doing amongst the non-Jews, but, although excited about the new Gentile Christians, the Jerusalem church leaders are concerned about public perception – about the rumours that Paul encourages new JEWISH believers living among the Gentiles to disregard the law of Moses; especially in the area of circumcision. “But not to worry,” the church leaders say, “just take a vow (probably the Nazarite vow see Numbers 6:1-9) with these other guys, pay their way, and everything will be fine. Everyone will see that these rumours about you ignoring the law aren’t true.” I wonder if Paul and his companions looked at each other with befuddled confusion. They had just returned from telling Gentiles that the law couldn’t save them – only faith in Jesus could do that (see Romans 8:3-4). Technically, the rumours were true! So why did Paul go through with the church leaders’ suggestion?
I wonder if Paul wrestled with the implications of this passage like I did. I wonder if his reasons for going ahead with the vow was to help the new Jewish believers continue in their walk with Jesus and not set even the tiniest stumbling block in front of them. I wonder if his heart burned again with the words he said to the Corinthian church years before, “to the Jews I became a Jew, to win the Jews” (see 1 Corinthians 9:20). He wasn’t lying or being deceptive taking the vow. Paul longed to help people know Jesus. Do I? To what extent will I go to win the lost?
Oh Lord, grip my heart in a brand-new way today – to love people and do anything I can to win them for Jesus. Amen
Written by B van Noppen