Why was Paul asked to join four Jewish men in completing a vow in Acts 21:23? One merely needed to be careful not to offend a church member who thought it was wrong. Paul however wasnt forsaking Moses. But people were shouting different things, and with the din of the crowd, confusion reigned. In this case, when Pauls ship reached Tyre it had to unload its cargo, which apparently took several days. 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; and they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after their customs. The woman herself is to bring her offerings according to Leviticus 12:6, 8. [b] Then afterward he may enter the camp, but he must live outside his tent seven days. Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? But the zealous Christian Jews of Jerusalem were concerned lest the rumors were true, that Paul was telling Jews to stop observing their ancestral customs. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law of Christ), that I might gain them that are without law. The missionary group was there and so were the Jerusalem elders, together with James, Jesus half-brother (cf. Acts 21:27 And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him. Notice here it states OFFERING not a sin sacrifice. The remaining chapters of Acts will be devoted to about four years of Pauls life, all of it spent as a prisoner of the Roman government. To utilize circumcision as a matter of salvation was apostasy (Gal. From ekpleroo; completion. Then they said to Paul that these believing Jews knew that he was teaching the Jews amongst the gentiles NOT to follow Moses. Did Paul sin when he purified himself in the Jerusalem temple, according to the record in Acts 21?. If the apostle could circumcise Timothy as an expediency, with no design of associating the ritual with salvation (as was sometimes done Acts 15:1), why could he not have done the same with reference to a sacrifice? The Voice translation 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society 27 Now when the seven days were almost ended, u the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and v laid hands on him, Their testimony is as followsAnd when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done (Acts 21:14). Bible Dictionaries - Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Purification, Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Bible Dictionaries - Easton's Bible Dictionary - Purification, Bible Dictionaries - Smith's Bible Dictionary - Purification, Encyclopedias - International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Purification, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Report. A crowd followed the soldiers, shouting, Get rid of him! (21:36). Surprisingly, everyone quieted down. The apostle had written clearly on the matter of the laws abrogation in other letters that were composed before this incident. In this study I look at the evidence for the crucifixion of Jesus and examine the arguments used by Muslims against it. Neither is it clear why the crowd, which was in a hysterical frame of mind, would have even listened to a word of what Paul had to say. Pauls act of purification, therefore, need not suggest that he was seeking personal forgiveness by means of an animal sacrifice. What does not stifling the Holy Spirit mean? Patara was a commercial city and possessed a fine harbor. There may be a third reason why the elders repeated the four prohibitions stated in Acts 15. What did the manger for baby Jesus look like, and symbolize? Caesarea was in the province of Judea, but the city was not considered part of the Jews land because of its Gentile population and outlook. All the Days of His Life (18 instances in 20 translations . Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular. Pauls decision was apparently in his own hands. Paul and his delegation disembarked and located some disciples in the city with whom they stayed a week (21:4). Does Jesus forgiving sins mean that he is God? Here is Lukes record of the incident in question. Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural. In the final analysis, I must say this. Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular. Jesus was not baptised through need but to fulfill righteousness. The day following their arrival in Jerusalem, Paul went in with his co-workers unto James; and all the elders were present. Fort Worth TX 76112-3017, Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. How is Christ the "atoning sacrifice"? Though James and the brethren did not agree with the assessment that Paul radically opposed the law, they felt the matter needed remedy in some fashion. A church in Tyre had probably been established by the Christian Hellenists who had been forced to flee Jerusalem after Stephen was martyred (11:19). b. Paul humbled himself to do these things because, as he admitted himself, he would sacrifice . Many of the Old Testament prophets had begun their oracles with the words, Thus says the Lord (Isaiah 3:16;Jeremiah 2:31;Ezekiel 4:13;Amos 3:11;Nahum 1:2;Haggai 1:6;Zechariah 1:16). The commander of the fortress was a Roman military officer, the chief Roman authority in Jerusalem. Perhaps the commander thought Paul was an uneducated foreigner, but Paul spoke Greek like a native, without the accent common in Judea. Given Lukes tendency for trying to show that Pauls Gentile mission and the Jerusalem church marched together, it seems odd that he would not discuss the offering. Deepen your knowledge of Scripture. ( Please subscribe to this page and our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7zBKawK9iRYdUgxIiIbZJg. The suggested strategy by the church elders to have Paul take part in the purification rites had backfired. Acts 21:3Now when we had discovered Cyprus, we left it on the left hand, and sailed into Syria, and landed at Tyre: for there the ship was to unlade her burden. (Leviticus 5:4). Acts 21:20 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: So this is the elders speaking to Paul. The phrase many thousands translates the Greek wording that is often used for a very large number, or myriads. Many students of the Word are quick to criticize Paul for making his last visit to Jerusalem. Telling him about the Jews now following Jesus but also telling him that those same Jews remained devoted to the law of Moses. This decision on the part of the elders in Jerusalem was accepted by the apostle Paul. Most likely the church would have liked to help Paul, but it was powerless to intervene. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place (21:28). In this study I look at who killed Goliath. Share Luke, the Gentile delegation and the Caesarean disciples pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem (21:12). Acts 21:24 Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave theirheads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but thatthou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law. That is, that he was teachingJewsnot to practice their ancestral religion. They grabbed him. A biblical analysis here, . This defense is the first of a series of speeches that dominate the rest of the narrative until Paul leaves Caesarea for Rome. They had already started the purification ritual, so he publicly announced the date when their . The term believed is employed to summarize their obedience to the gospel. The Jerusalem garrison is thought to have consisted of some equivalent number of troops. Acts 21:10 And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus. For the sake of unity and to help the Jerusalem church, Paul agreed to follow its urging and join the purification rites of the four believers. It was a popular port-of-call for large vessels plying such eastern Mediterranean areas as Macedonia, Achaia, Asia, Syria, Judea and Egypt. For Paul, circumcision made no difference regarding ones status before God (Galatians 5:6;6:15). Perhaps, then, this was the distinction (or one of them) between evangelists and apostles. They also told him of the many thousands of Jews in Jerusalem that believed, yet they remained zealous (devoted) to the law. The Voice Update. Paul in fact made no offering at all. The multitude followed, crying, away with him. This reminds us of the cry against Jesus Christ. Acts 21:26 (ESV) Then Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself along with them and went into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for each one of them. As Jesus himself attested to when he said that Moses wrote of him. 21. At the time that. Numbers 6:3He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. Acts 21:27 The Voice (VOICE) 27 The seven days of purification were almost completed when some Jews from Asia recognized Paul in the temple. Rather, Pauls teaching on the abolition of the law had been clear and definitive (cf. To signify the accomplishment of the days of purification . that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The next day the ship sailed southwest to the island of Rhodes. Acts 21: 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. To go in, enter (originally: I shall go in). (literally) the time space between dawn and . From there the party docked at the coastal city of Patara. But because Pauls activities became such a focus of Lukes narrative, he may have chosen to speak of him as though he were alone. One argument used by those who try to say that the law has not passed is to show where Paul purified himself in the temple. Very good results were obtained in both groups. May 09 2019 However, since he recently had been in Gentile territory, he would be viewed as ceremonially unclean, hence would need to purify himself in order to partake with the others (Simon Kistemaker, Exposition of the Acts of the Apostles, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1990, p. 760). - 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. 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 (21:20-21). Agabus apparently lived in Jerusalem, and earlier he was said to be from that city. Arrested in the Temple. Paul appeared to have a choice about the matter. Perhaps they thought Paul had brought the entire delegation into its inner courts.) Those that say that Paul followed the law use this to show that Paul did indeed follow the law of Moses and therefore Paul did not teach that the law had passed, seeing he himself followed it. But in the details of daily life there were special causes of cermonial uncleanness which were severally provided for by ceremonial laws enacted for each separate case. ( Mark 7:3 ) What play have been the specific causes of uncleanness in those who came up to purify themselves before the Passover, ( John 11:55 ) or in those who had taken upon themselves the Nazarites vow, ( Acts 21:24 Acts 21:26 ) we are not informed. The fact that he had the name Claudius probably means that he received his citizenship under the reign of this emperor, and took his name as a token of honor. There may have been a greater good (the unity of Jew/Gentile relations) to be accomplished in this case, than whatever negative impressions might have resulted from Pauls offering of a sacrifice. As a commander (Greek,chiliarchos), Lysias was the leader of a thousand or the head of a cohort. At full strength, the cohort would have consisted of a thousand troops, including foot soldiers and horsemen. We remember that the Jerusalem leaders had also given Peter a positive review when he explained how the first Gentiles had been converted (11:18). 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