15 And after those days we packed and went up to Jerusalem. 16 Also some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us and brought with them a certain Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to lodge. 17 And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. 18 On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. 19 When he had greeted them, he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many myriads 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. 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. 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.”
Commentary
Vs. 15-16 15 And after those days we packed and went up to Jerusalem. 16 Also some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us and brought with them a certain Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to lodge.
The Apostle Paul and his traveling party now take their leave of the brethren at Caesarea to make their way to Jerusalem, which would’ve been about a fifty or so mile journey on foot. Also, some brethren from there went with them, including a disciple named Mnason of Cyprus (an early disciple) who was going to lodge them when they all arrived at Jerusalem. This small band of believers then was heading right back to where the churches persecutions had begun, and where they who first believed, had all been scattered from.
Vs. 17 “And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.”
Now the brethren that remained there, (even during the persecutions), greeted them with open arms, receiving them gladly.
Vs. 18-19 18 On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. 19 When he had greeted them, he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
With their arrival there the next day, the Apostle Paul and those who traveled with him went and met with James, the Apostle of the Lord, as well as with all the church leadership (i.e., elders) that were there. Now it had been almost a decade since Paul had last been there, and seven or so years since the Jerusalem council’s decision that the Gentiles were not bound to be circumcised, nor keep the Law of Moses as Jews; and so, upon greeting them all Paul had many things to tell them of, especially how God had worked mightily among the Gentiles through His ministry to them. This then would’ve been and exciting and encouraging time for them, and for him, as they would now hear firsthand how far and wide the Gospel had spread in such a short time. Notably though the other Apostles are not mentioned as being there, including the Apostle Peter, and so some believe that these were themselves now out fulfilling the Great Commission themselves.
Vs. 20-21 20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many myriads 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 leadership at Jerusalem upon hearing what God had done through the Apostle Paul then glorified the Lord. However, they were also concerned about those myriads of Jews who had also believed, who were all zealous for the law, who had heard many false reports about the Apostle Paul and his ministry, that he was telling the Jews to forsake Moses and that they are not to circumcise their children, nor walk according to the customs they were reared under. Now the Apostle Paul never commanded anyone of Jewish descent to abandon their history or ancestry, he only told them that they and all the Gentiles who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ were no longer required by God to observe those things. For in the Lord Jesus Christ, we all have our Righteousness, and Right standing with God, through faith in Him. Therefore, if they continued to do so, as he himself did, but not as a man under law, but only to be a good witness to those Jews who did not yet believe, then so be it. For the Apostle Paul could be a Jew of Jews when amongst them, or be at liberty like all Gentiles when amongst them, to try to save any or all of them (1 Cor 9:20-23; also consider 1 Cor. 10:31-11:1). Therefore, the Apostle Paul never commanded Gentiles to live like Jews while he himself expressed his liberty in Christ as the Apostle Peter once did (see Gal. 2:11-21), for all Jews and all Gentiles by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are no longer under law but under grace (Rom. 6:14).
Vs. 22-25 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. 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.”
And so with the Jerusalem elders knowing that their assembly which was dominated by Jews would hear that the Apostle Paul had now come there, and these having been exposed to the slanderous reports about him, now ask Paul to go with four men from amongst them, who had already taken a vow, and go to the Temple and pay their expenses and be set apart with them, so that the Jews there will see that the Apostle Paul also walks orderly and keeps the law, just as they do. Which for the Apostle Paul who was reared under such things was a small concession for him to make and do if it would make for peace amongst the Jewish brethren there (vs. 22-24). That said and asked of the Apostle Paul, the leadership makes it clear that there is no concession towards, or allowance for those Jews who would try to compel Gentiles to live in the manner of Jews (as per the Jerusalem decree in Acts 15). Therefore, these things when they were done, were all done outside of the church gathering, and not as an established part of it. Now of the four things that are stated in the Jerusalem decree, that all Gentiles should abstain from, and that are reiterated here, the first three all concern the ancient worlds idolatry, and their worship practices, while the last one, sexual immorality is the one that is still most relevant today since worship of idols is not something Christians are generally inclined to do unless they were reared under such things in their past lives (as there still is idolatry today practiced by many peoples and cultures).
Scripture Quotations
New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson.
No comments:
Post a Comment