Walking Through Acts
Acts 21:17
17 When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly.
If you were here for last week’s message, you would understand the gravity of this
one sentence. Last week, we learned that Paul was being told on multiple
occasions by multiple people, “don’t go to Jerusalem!” And they were telling him
this because they had received revelation from the Holy Spirit what was going to
happen to him once he got there. A man named Agabus prophesied that Paul
would be bound and be delivered into the hands of the Gentiles. And that really
got people worked up and they pleaded with him to not go. And Paul responds by
telling them, he’s going anyway. And the very reason he does this, I’m convinced,
is because the persuasion of the Almighty was far greater than the voices of those
who urged him not to leave.
My wife, JJ and I, from the time we were married have a phrase that we use from
time to time, especially during times of testing. It is simply this…”No matter what
comes our way.” And it’s usually followed by a fist bump. Now, I’ve said this
before, but not in the same context. Marriage is but a microcosm pointing to the
fidelity that we ought to have with God. Our dependency and trust in God is one
that says, “We are in it together, no matter what comes our way.” (Fist bump) This
is the resolve that indwells inside of Paul. He is not moved by the opinion of man,
but rather by the will of God. And he says himself that he is not only ready to be
imprisoned for the cause of Jesus, but even to die for him. And so it is today, that
we arrive at these very words to begin our message.
“When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly.”Acts 21:18-19
18 On the following day Paul went in with us to 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.
We remember James, the half-brother of Jesus that we got introduced to earlier
on in the book of Acts at the Jerusalem conference. And here we see James still
having a prominent role in the Jerusalem Church. And there with him, stood the
elders. And it is in this meeting that Paul takes the time to explain everything that
had happened since the last time he had been in Jerusalem. This phrase, “he
related one by one”, is reserved for times when things were told to the greatest
detail. They didn’t have social media back in that day where one could just take a
quick selfie and give an update every five seconds what they were doing where
they were going or who they were with. A lot of information back in that day was
written down, or simply memorized and then shared in person.
Some of the events he would’ve shared would’ve been about the time he was
imprisoned with Silas only to have the shackles fall off and the prison doors
opened. He would’ve talked about preaching the gospel in Athens standing in the
Areopagus in the midst of a lot of people who were probably much smarter than
him, but something about his message had them hooked. He would’ve brought up
the huge riot that had happened at Ephesus because of the lifechanging power of
the gospel. And then of course, telling of the offering collection that had been
taken up to bring to Jerusalem for distribution to the poor. And I’m sure as James
and the rest of the elders were listening, their jaws must’ve been on the floor.
They were probably thinking to themselves, man, this Paul guy is the real deal.
Also notice that in the last part of verse 19, Paul is describing these events in such
a way that it is clear that it is not Paul taking the credit for all the amazing things
that had happened, but it’s all about what God had done. And take notice what
happens next.
Acts 21:20a
20 And when they heard it, they glorified God.What we are seeing here is an expression of worship which ought to be our
response anytime we see or hear or experience in any way how God has worked
and is working in our lives and in the lives of those around us.
Acts 21:20b
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,
Now, the number of Jewish Christians referenced here seems to be too large a
number for the population of Jerusalem alone. But many were observing the feast
of Pentecost which would draw many to gather in Jerusalem during this time. And
still today, there are many travelers and tourists who visit Jerusalem for any
number of reasons, many of them religious. And so it was very possible for the
elders to tell Paul as they directed his vision to the large crowds of people in the
streets, look how many Jews have come to faith in Jesus. And then they add on
this tag line, “They are all zealous for the law.”
And here comes a point that may need some clarity. At first it may seem that a
Christian observing the Law of Moses would be contradictory. Like hey, didn’t you
ever hear about the new covenant that Jesus made by the shedding of His blood?
Here’s the thing, there is nothing wrong with a Christian observing the Law of
Moses so long as it doesn’t hold prominence over what Jesus had accomplished
through his death and resurrection. We have to remember Jesus’ words that he
didn’t come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Many of you in here today grew up
with the Ten Commandments displayed on the wall in your home or perhaps you
were taught it was important to keep them and obey them. So, is it against
Christianity to follow the Ten Commandments just by virtue of them being the
foundation of the Law of Moses? Of course not. But we, living after Christ’s
resurrection must never think that following the Mosaic Law could ever be a
substitute for Jesus’ redemptive act on the cross. In other words, the Law of
Moses could not and will not ever be able to save us. But here’s the good news.
Jesus made salvation possible through obedient faith in him.
Here's what was happening in Jerusalem at the time of our reading. There are
many Jews in Jerusalem from all over and though they are Christians, are stillobserving the things they had been taught since they were born. And knowing
this, we can better understand why they were so zealous. It’s the only thing
they’ve known up to this point in their lives. And again, the completed New
Testament had not been completed yet, and so all they had to go off of was the
Law of Moses. Now, of course we know that a lot of the laws found in the Law of
Moses are no longer necessary under the New Covenant such as animal sacrifices
and purification ceremonies amongst others.
However, we know how difficult it is in our own lives, to make big changes. We like
what’s familiar to us. It’s very difficult to break away from tradition, from doing
the things we’ve always done. And there’s nothing wrong with tradition in and of
itself. However, it always carries with it the potential to distract from what really
matters. And what the elders are doing here is preparing to share with Paul some
of the obstacles he will have to face. The Jewish Christians were zealous about the
Law, when they should’ve been zealous about Christ.
Acts 21:21
21 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.
Now who is the “they” here? It is anyone who has taken on the task of subverting
the ministry Paul has set out to do. Every effort is taken to confuse people in order
to paint Paul in a negative light. And as a result, people are left to question Paul
and his motives and unfortunately, the credibility of his message. This is why it is
so important, and I can’t stress this enough, for ministers of the gospel to live our
lives consistent with the values that we teach. Now, all of us are called to be
ministers (not all of us are called to be in the preaching role), but all of us are
called to be messengers of the gospel. Remember a couple weeks ago, we learned
how Paul appealed to the Ephesian elders. He said, you’ve known me all these
years. I am consistent in my teaching as well as in my conduct. I do not live a
dualistic life where I act one way here and another way elsewhere.
And so here in Acts 21, there are rumors being spread about Paul. There’s a lot of
“he said, she said” going on here. And what we will soon see is that,unfortunately, sometimes living a life beyond reproach isn’t enough to satisfy
skeptical minds.
Let’s look at what’s being told about Paul. Here are the accusations. “Paul’s telling
the Gentiles to forsake Moses.” And you can understand why this would cause
people to not like Paul. The Law of Moses was everything to them.
Here’s the thing, good lies are ones that carry a hint of truth to them. The best lies
are one’s that carry a lot of truth.
What did Paul teach?
Galatians 3:24-25
24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be
justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a
guardian,
Galatians 5:6
6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything,
but only faith working through love.
You can see how some have taken these words of Paul and twisted them to make
it sound like he was entirely against the Mosaic Law. In his letters to the Romans,
the Corinthians and the Galatians, Paul made it clear that keeping the Law of
Moses was not essential to man’s justification now that Christ has come.
And yet, people took this and made the claim that Paul is telling people not to
follow the Law and not to circumcise. There is an obvious lack of intellectual
integrity as Paul had, in fact, circumcised Timothy. Paul was pointing to a better
way, but that did not mean that he was in opposition to the Law.
It’s like, having a favorite flavor of ice cream. My boys love ice cream. If they
could, they would have it for breakfast, lunch and supper. Their favorite ice cream
is mint chocolate chip. One day we had two flavors of ice cream to choose from:
Mint chocolate chip and Moose tracks. They chose mint chocolate chip. Theydidn’t choose mint chocolate chip because they hated moose tracks. They chose it
because it was better. I know this analogy isn’t perfect, but I hope it brings us
closer to an understanding of what is happening here.
With all this in view, James and the elders give Paul some advice.
Acts 21:22-25
22 What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 Do
therefore what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; 24 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. 25 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.”
Piano to play here.
To some of us in here, we may think, no way should Paul do those things for, if he
did, that would be compromising the gospel. If there are any of us in that camp
today, there is a lesson in here for us to learn. We must be able to distinguish
between the things we as Christians are at liberty to do for the sake of others, and
that which we are bound to do in order to obey God.
Even though circumcision wasn’t necessary for salvation and right relationship
with God, Paul still circumcised Timothy in Acts 16. Paul is consistent with his
principle. “To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews…I have become all
things to all men, that I may by all means save some.” And take notice that he
never gives allowance to sin in order to win people to faith in Jesus. That’s never
an option. But as we have seen and will see in the next verse, he has and will
remove any kind of barrier that may be in the way of someone hearing the gospel
message.
Acts 21:2626 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.