Acts 9:15-16 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
Acts 20:22-24 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
Acts 21:13 I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
This is the HEART OF A SERVANT of God – dying to self and living for Christ. As the Holy Spirit has revealed, Paul would face hardships in Jerusalem.
Vs 17-20a When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters received us warmly. 18 The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. 19 Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 When they heard this, they praised God.
Vs20b-26 Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. 21 They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. 22 What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, 23 so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. 24 Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. 25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.” 26 The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.
Thousands of Jewish believers now lived in the Jerusalem area. Jerusalem is predominantly Jewish and it is a challenging place because of the various Jewish groups.
- There are the unbelieving Jews who rejected Jesus as Messiah and continued to persecute the Way.
- There are the believing Jews who are zealous for the Law and continued to observe the sacrifices and customs. This is fine but among them are some who believed that salvation is only for them and not the Gentiles.
- And we have Jewish believers who are willing to accept the Gentile believers but only if they become Jewish; be circumcised and abide by their customs.
- We have the church those who understand the Gospel and are willing to embrace the Gentile believers.
Remember its Pentecost, many Jews from the surrounding regions had gathered in Jerusalem. This situation was tense.
The Jewish community in Jerusalem, who valued their Jewish laws and customs, have been stirred up by rumors. They accused Paul of turning the Jews away from the Law of Moses, teaching them to abandon the Law, stop the circumcision and quit observing the Jewish traditions.
Basically, they tell Paul that the peace and unity of the church is at stake, they ask Paul to listen and do what they tell him. Paul humbles himself before them and listens to what they have to say. Paul could have resisted their counsel, challenged their authority and told the Jews to just deal with it. But Paul loved the Church and was willing to do whatever it took to promote peace and unity within it.
WHAT PAUL DID NOT TEACH
Paul did not teach the Jews to forsake the Law or change their customs.
When he wrote to the Romans (earlier from Corinth), Paul specifically told them not to judge Jewish believers who are still practicing their customs. Romans 14
Paul himself being a Jew understands the traditions. So, he did not teach the Jews to quit being Jewish and drop their customs.
SO WHAT DID PAUL TEACH? We can gather this from his writings to the Galatians.
Galatians 2:15-16 “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles 16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
Paul is against trusting the Law and the sacrificial system for salvation. And he is against having believed in Jesus, then going back to trusting the Law again for salvation.
Paul is against imposing the “works of the Law” upon the Gentile believers and laying a burden upon them beyond the truth of the Gospel.
He is against believing in the “works of the Law” because no one can be justified by observing the Law.
Galatians 3:23-25 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
Paul states the purpose of the Law is to make known our sin and our inability to free ourselves from it, apart from Jesus Christ.
The Law points us to Jesus as our salvation; “it leads us to Jesus that we might be justified by faith.”
The Jewish believers could continue to keep the Law and customs BUT with the understanding that these “works of the Law” do not save them.
Paul never taught the Jews to forsake the Law or to see the Law as useless, but to recognize it as pointing them to Christ, the ultimate fulfilment of the Law.
So Paul isn’t anti-Law or anti-Jewish; he is “anti-works of the Law” for salvation.
The elders suggested that he join four men in their purification rites ( a Nazarite vow) and sponsor their sacrifices. In doing this, Paul would be seen as FOR the Law and customs, not against them. Paul has taken earlier in Acts 18:18 while he was in Corinth.
The Nazarite vow is a consecration rite given in Numbers 6:13-15 “‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite when the period of their dedication is over. They are to be brought to the entrance to the tent of meeting. 14 There they are to present their offerings to the Lord: a year-old male lamb without defect for a burnt offering, a year-old ewe lamb without defect for a sin offering, a ram without defect for a fellowship offering, 15 together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and a basket of bread made with the finest flour and without yeast—thick loaves with olive oil mixed in, and thin loaves brushed with olive oil.
So they are basically asking Paul to pay for 5 male lambs, 5 ewe lambs, 5 rams, 5 grain offerings, 5 drink offerings, and 5 baskets of unleavened bread.
The idea is If Paul would join them in this and go to such expense to sponsor them, the accusers might be persuaded to see Paul as a good practicing Jew. Paul agreed.
Some feel Paul made a mistake here. It was unnecessary. He should not have done it. It was a compromise. He gave in to the pressure. We are open to speculations here; it’s a judgment call. No explanation was given.
But knowing Paul and all that he has written, Paul would never have compromised on the truth of the Gospel.
So why then did Paul do it? (Let Paul answer for himself)
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
When with Jews, Paul lived like a Jew. When with Gentiles, Paul lived like a Gentile. Some would say that this is a double standard; but Paul never changed the message of the Gospel. Paul became all things to all people so that he might lead some to Jesus.
Paul did what he did for the sake of the church. With the goal of preserving the unity and mission of the church, and not to cause greater divide.
Paul was thinking less of defending himself, but more of bridging the gap between his enemies and the Gospel. That’s the heart of Paul, that’s the attitude of Christ.
He expressed his deep love for the Jews in Romans 9:1-4 I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit— 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel.
We see the heart of Paul for the church. We see the heart of Paul for his Jewish people. We see the heart of a servant of God.
Conclusion: Did it work? We will know the answer next week.
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