After spending considerable time at Philip the Evangelist’s house in Caesarea, Paul and his traveling companions saddled their horses and prepared for the final leg of their journey to Jerusalem. Mnason of Cyprus provided their lodging. When they arrived in Jerusalem, these travelers were received with great joy by the Jerusalem church.
The very next day, Paul, Luke, and the other Gentile travelers met with James and all the elders of the Jerusalem church. First, Paul gave a lengthy report of all that God had done among the Gentiles throughout his missionary journey. The elders responded with enthusiastic praise to God, exalting His name. They then informed Paul that God’s hand of salvation had also been upon the Jews, with thousands having come to the Christian faith! Importantly, these new Jewish Christians felt very strongly about still adhering to the law of Moses.
A malicious rumor had been spreading about Paul that he was actively encouraging Diaspora Jewish Christians to completely abandon the law and circumcision and ceremonies and to live exactly as Gentile Christians do. Although the Jerusalem elders didn’t believe this report, they wanted to publicly address such a false rumor now that Paul was back in Jerusalem. They requested Paul take 4 poor young Christian men from their church who had submitted themselves to a Nazirite vow, to publicly coordinate the completion of their vow by paying for their necessary offerings, and to purify himself along with them as a public demonstration that he was not actively campaigning against all Jewish ways and customs.
These elders clarified that the judgment they had given in Acts 15 to the Gentile Christians still stood, but this was different. They wanted Jewish Christians to know that they were not required to live like Gentile Christians. Paul agreed, undergoing a personal purification process and entered the Jerusalem temple, notifying the priest of the days when their purification would be completed and the offerings to be presented that he was personally sponsoring. This was an announcement of exactly where Paul would be on a certain day, and such an announcement spelled imminent danger.
Why is there no mention by Luke about the gift Paul brought? Is there any significance to the statement that all the elders were present? Was the report about Paul’s teaching true? Why does Paul agree to their proposal? Were his actions compromising or a poor decision or even a sinful failure on his part?
You can listen to this teaching on Acts 21:15-26 by clicking on the following link: A Servant To All
