Lechem Panim #221 “Paul’s Attempt To Dispel Rumors” (Acts 21:20-26) Pastor Cameron Ury

Greetings! It’s good to have you with us today. You know, just recently I had a friend of mine (also a pastor) share with me about a recent cruise he and his family had gone on. He had been a little reluctant to go because of his workload at the church. But he and his family went. And what was interesting about the story he shared with me was not just the cruise (and all the fun things to do while on a cruise), but what God did through him while on that cruise. On three separate occasions God brought people to him with whom he had the opportunity to share the gospel. And he found that God had already been preparing each of them and that they were “ripe for harvest” so to speak. And so he invited them to receive Christ. And all three of them did. Now imagine his church’s surprise on hearing (after he got back) that he (in the midst of his vacation) had the opportunity to lead three people to Christ. What a great report! And I just loved how (even on vacation) my friend didn’t just switch (as is so easy to do) into self-serve mode. No, he was still thinking missionally; who he could reach for Jesus. May we all be like that. And what an amazing story he had to tell because of it. Now in our passage today here in Acts 21, we find that Paul and his companions have at last arrived at Jerusalem. And they have some amazing stories as well. And so they have come before James and the elders and (after delivering the offering collected for the needy church there) share all that God had done through their ministry. And what a great missions report it was! And it says of James and the elders in…

Acts 21:20a (NKJV)— 20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord.

The Stories— Now Paul’s report was (as verse 19 says) in detail. And what this meant was that he didn’t just run them through the number of conversions, sanctifications, and various other statistics. No, he was sharing with them the stories of what God had done; the personal God-sightings he had had in the lives of those touched by his ministry; how God had moved in amazing ways in and through himself and his team. And the elders are thrilled to hear this. But their joy was also mixed with concern. It says in…

Acts 21:20b-21 (NKJV)— And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many myriads {(which, by the way means tens of thousands)} of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law; 21 but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs.

The Ceremonies Still Observed— Now these Jewish Christians of whom the elders are speaking (who are hearing these false rumors) are still observing all the rituals and customs of the Old Covenant. They had not yet forsaken them. Now they didn’t see any of those things as saving in and of themselves. They did believe in salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone; that issue had already been settled. But their faith was still very intertwined with their Judaism. In fact their faith in Christ drove them to become even more zealously motivated to obey the rites and ceremonies of the Old Covenant; the required feasts, Sabbath regulations, ritual vows (v.23), and dietary restrictions. And that was fine. The Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) forbade those things being placed upon the Gentiles, but allowed the Jewish believers to continue to observe them. And so this lie being spread by the false Judaizers had a lot of power to cause division in the church. Plus it would hurt the Church’s witness to non-believing Jews, who were hearing that Paul was teaching that to become Christians meant they had to forsake their Judaism, when nothing could be further from the truth.

The Running Lie— Now the underlying Greek word behind the phrase they have been informed in verse 21 is κατηχέω, where we get out word catechism, which is of course is a method of learning by repetition. And so what it signifies is that these lies are being repeated over and over again and really being drilled into the minds of the Jewish believers by these false teachers. It has been said “If you tell a lie loud enough and long enough, eventually everyone will believe it.” And sadly, that’s true in our age as well. Now here, just as with our modern-day politicians, their stories change based upon who their audience is. In Galatia the Judaizers falsely accused Paul of advocating circumcision (Gal. 5:11); but here in Jerusalem they falsely accuse him wanting to do away with circumcision. So they say whatever they know will incite whatever particular group they are speaking to. It’s kind of depressing to note that nothing has changed in 2,000 years. But (as we well know) none of this was true. Even some of the letters Paul had already written (such as Romans and Galatians) confirmed this. But these Jewish believers didn’t all have access to those writings. And even if they did, it is sadly often the case that slander spreads more quickly than truth. It’s as Mark Twain said, “A lie can travel around the world and back again while the truth is lacing up its boots.” And sadly that was the case here. So the elders (anticipating a confrontation between Paul and the zealous Jewish Christians) try to get ahead of this and settle the issue before any serious conflict arises. So they say in…

Acts 21:22-24 (NKJV)— 22 What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come. 23 Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow. 24 Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads, and that all may know that those things of which they were informed concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly and keep the law.

Paul’s Sponsorship— Now these four men were under (as the detail about head-shaving reveals) were under a Nazirite vow, which was a period of separation to God in which the vower was to abstain [from alcoholic beverages and all other products derived from grapes, letting the hair of the head grow long, and avoiding contact with dead bodies.] Paul himself had taken a Nazirite vow earlier in Acts 18 and then in that same chapter he goes up to Jerusalem, where he most likely completed his vow (18:22). And then in the very next verse he began his third missionary journey, which has now just come to a close. And (like Paul was in chapter 18) these four men were likely at the very end of their vow. And so what the elders are likely telling Paul to do is twofold. First, they advise that Paul [participate in the ceremony marking the culmination of the four men’s vows.] That would show that he was not against the rules and regulations they were observing (which were pretty extreme for those undergoing a Nazirite vow. But before he could do that (since he himself has just returned from Gentile lands and was therefore considered by the Jews to be ceremonially unclean) he would have to undergo ritual purification himself. So once again, that shows he is not against the Jewish law. Furthermore, they advise him to [pay the four men’s expenses in order that they might shave their heads. The expenses connected with he Nazirite vow (including paying for the hair-cutting ceremony in the temple and several expensive sacrifices [Num. 6:14ff.]) were considerable, and undertaking them for another was considered an act of piety. That would be further proof that the Judaizers’ charge against Paul were false.]

A Good Compromise— Now the elders weren’t asking Paul to compromise on his beliefs. And Paul certainly didn’t see it that way. They simply wanted him to discredit the claims of the Judaizers in order to preserve the unity of the Church. Paul wasn’t being asked to compromise doctrine (which we know he was never under any circumstance willing to do) but only to demonstrate by performing these Jewish rituals that he was not against them. And they affirm once again the decision of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15. They say in…

Acts 21:25-26 (NKJV)— 25 But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality.” 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having been purified with them, entered the temple to announce the expiration of the days of purification, at which time an offering should be made for each one of them.

He Does It— And so Paul agrees to all of this, which is (by the way) another demonstration of his remarkable humility, as he was willing to go through all these rituals to try to help keep the peace. He really illustrates the principle he laid down in…

1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (NKJV)— 19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; 20 and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; 21 to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; 22 to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23 Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.

Let Us Love— Now sadly we will see that despite all of this, Paul will still end up in chains. But nevertheless, we see demonstrated in all of this an extraordinary willingness to do whatever it takes (short of doctrinal compromise) to bring people to Christ. And you know, you and I need to have that same mindset. You and I need to be willing to put ourselves in uncomfortable situations in order to reach people. That may mean uncomfortable situations at home. For others of us it might mean suffering for Christ on the mission field; or maybe allowing you son or your daughter to follow God’s call to go to the mission field. No matter how you look at it, sacrifice is involved. But that is what love is. Love (if it is true love) is ALWAYS sacrificial; it always involves humbling ourselves and doing whatever it takes to be God’s channel of blessing in somebody else’s life. Because every one of us is here today because of a missionary, somebody who was willing to get out of their comfort zone for you. And so let us (like Paul) also be willing to do that for others. Let’s do so. Amen.