November 22

Acts 21:17-26

17 When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us warmly. 18 The next day Paul went with us to visit James; and all the elders were present. 19 After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 When they heard it, they praised God. Then they said to him, "You see, brother, how many thousands of believers there are among the Jews, and they are all zealous for the law. 21 They have been told about you that you teach all the Jews living among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, and that you tell them not to circumcise their children or observe the customs. 22 What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 So do what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow. 24 Join these men, go through the rite of purification with them, and pay for the shaving of their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself observe and guard the law. 25 But as for the Gentiles who have become believers, 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 is strangled and from fornication." 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having purified himself, he entered the temple with them, making public the completion of the days of purification when the sacrifice would be made for each of them.

The issue of circumcision is not over. The assembly of the elders had made a decision and Paul has taken that letter to Antioch. He has done his work among the Gentiles with this as his basis. But within the Jewish church this is still a controversy. In an attempt to head off opposition the elders recommend that Paul join other Jewish Christians who will be observing the Jewish rite of purification at the temple.

The early church continues to wrestle with the question of how to relate to Judaism. Ethnically many of the believers are Jews. They continue to worship at the temple in Jerusalem. It is apparent that they still offer sacrifices for purification and perhaps for other purposes. It is also clear that the rules for Gentile Christians are still based on the decisions of the elders recorded in Chapter 15.

Like the circumcision of Timothy, this keeping the rite of purification and paying for the shaving of the four men under a vow, shows that Paul is not rejecting the rituals of the Jews. The hope of the elders is that this will calm the Jewish believers and calm the situation.

Reflection question
1. Do we have ethnic or historical practices that affect our ability to share the gospel?
2. How do we decide when to keep those practices and when to let them go?
3. Are the elders being conflict avoidant in recommending that Paul pay for the purification ritual of the four men?