Tuesday, November 24, 2020

The Acts of the Apostles, the history of the early church, by Luke the physician - Acts 21:15-26 comments: Paul with the elders at Jerusalem

 


Acts 21:15 ¶  And after those days we took up our carriages, and went up to Jerusalem. 16  There went with us also certain of the disciples of Caesarea, and brought with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple, with whom we should lodge. 17  And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. 18  And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present. 19  And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. 20  And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law: 21  And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. 22  What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come. 23  Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; 24  Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law. 25  As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication. 26  Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.

 

We see here again that the Jewish converts are still being told that they must obey the Law of Moses. In verse 20 it is said that the thousands of Jews that believe are also zealous of the Law. Later we will see Paul’s argument against such teaching.

 

Galatians 3:1 ¶  O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? 2  This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3  Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

 

Paul is accused of telling the Jewish Christians not to obey Moses or have their children circumcised. He doesn’t exactly say that. He says we are not justified by the Law and for an adult Christian to be circumcised for religious reasons is bending to the Law and not to Christ.

 

Galatians 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

 

Galatians 5:1 ¶  Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2  Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be

circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3  For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4  Christ is become of no effect unto you,

whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. 5  For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6  For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision

availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. 7  Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? 8  This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. 9  A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

 

But, Paul did surrender to this notion for the Jews’ sake with regard to Timothy in Acts 16, which goes against what he himself will believe is right.

 

The elders at Jerusalem appear to accept a division between Jew and Gentile Christian, with the Jew obeying the law and the Gentile not having much required of them. But, the Holy Spirit through Paul will show us all that there is Jew and Gentile and then there is the Church composed of both Jew and Gentile believers in one faith not two separate religions.

 

Ephesians 2:11 ¶  Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands [Jews who practice circumcision]; 12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

 

    14 ¶  For he is our peace, who hath made both [Jew and Gentile] one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us [Jew and Gentile}; 15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17  And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18  For through him we both [Jew and Gentile] have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

 

Perhaps it took chaining Paul to a Roman soldier in a rented house in Rome to straighten out his doctrine. Here, James and the elders instruct him to take four men, presumably Jewish Christians, to the temple to take a vow and show obedience to the Law of Moses perhaps as a Pharisaic extension of regulations in Numbers 6 and other Old Testament places. At the same time they reinforce what few things are expected of the Gentile Christians.

 

I noted previously that animals which were strangled would not have the blood properly removed from them, which is the interpretation used by most commentators. But consider the context. Things offered to idols, eating things offered to idols, is the first proscription. So, now we are in the realm of heathen worship. Then comes mention of fornication, which we do note as practiced in rites of certain goddesses. Keeping in the context of pagan worship we have things strangled and from writers like the Greek historian, Herodotus, we know that certain tribes practiced ritual strangulation in some of their ceremonies. We then come to the forbidding of eating blood which is banned before the Law;

 

Genesis 9:4  But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

 

Under the Law given to Moses;

 

Deuteronomy 12:23  Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.

 

And, of course, here. Drinking blood was commonplace among many religions of the ancient world including Egypt just as it is a practice in witchcraft.

 

Psalm 16:4  Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.

 

So, taking these admonitions to the Gentiles in context it is at least arguable that they were from more a desire to keep Gentile Christians from the pollution of pagan worship than from a desire to make them a little Jewish. These forbidden practices defined ancient religion in its expression. Paul will go into more detail in Corinthians.

 

This confusion in the early church must be straightened out. As we saw earlier, first God had to motivate them to get out of Jerusalem and fulfill His commissions for them.

 

Matthew 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

 

Acts 1:8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

 

He will plant Paul in bondage in Rome to have him give us the beautiful doctrine of his letters which must be very, very important to God.

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