Acts 21 - Freedom to Do What?
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 isddd 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.
In chapter 21, Paul makes his way back to the church in Jerusalem, despite the warning by a prophet named Agabus. Agabus prophesied that Paul would be bound and given over to the Gentiles in the same way Jesus was treated. Paul arrives in Jerusalem and meets with James and the elders of the church. While they are excited about the Gentiles that have come to faith during Paul's travels, they have concern about the Jews who have come to believe in Jesus. Many of these Jewish believers came from zealous families, so when the rumors circulated that Paul was anti-Jewish and told Jews not to circumcise their children it presented a big problem. To answer these questions, they propose for Paul to join and sponsor four men in their midst who made a vow of purification to pay for the shaving of their heads.
Paul is at an important point in his ministry. If he gives in to this proposal it might be perceived he is going back to the Jewish Law and moving away from the freedom the new believers were given in Christ. Would he be teaching "legalism" all over again? To the contrary, Paul is giving up his freedom to serve his brothers for whom this became a problem in their own Christian faith. Paul is not saying these rites of purification brought salvation or justification, but for sake of unity in the body he joins and supports these four men.
What can we learn from Paul's decision to join in the purification rites? Paul says in a later verse, "Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. 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. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
As believers we are set free, but we use our freedom to serve others in love. As you look out at the people in your life, who do you need to become more like in order to bring them Christ. I am not saying compromising your faith or lifestyle but building a relationship with them in their world, not yours.
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