The day after arriving in Jerusalem, Paul and the delegation had a meeting with James and the elders. Matthew 3:15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Orr, James, M.A., D.D. 23 And this I do for the gospels sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you. Another Jew might associate himself with a Nazirite by paying for his offering, something that was regarded as a devout deed. We as readers of Acts already know the accusation is false. Agabus had appeared in Lukes account when he prophesied of a severe famine that would eventually touch much of the Roman world (11:27-28). , 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: For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. He came from an important city in the empireand was proud of being one of its citizens. Its also been argued that Paul would have been in no condition to speak after receiving a thorough beating. We know and understand that Yeshua wants a bride who is white as snow, spotless and without a blemish. Grace Bible Church holy for the priest, with the wave breast and heave shoulder: and after that the Nazarite may drink wine. The great annual purification of the people was on the Day of Atonement (q.v.). A male human being; a man, husband. "and she shall remain in the blood of her purification for sixty-six days.". Paul calls at the house of Philip, whose daughters prophesy. Luke wrote that when the delegation arrived in Jerusalem the believers there received us warmly (21:17). But now he also had to address a public-relations problem in his own congregation. They said: Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Please ensure your answer MEETS all our guidelines. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. Why was Paul asked to join four Jewish men in completing a vow in Acts 21:23? The Seven Days of Purification. He especially emphasized a few speeches Paul delivered as well as his harrowing sea voyage to Rome. Earlier, the disciples at Tyre had also strongly urged Paul not to go (21:4). To the weak became as weak, that I might gain the weak; I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Paul continued this method of being all things to all men that he might by all means win some throughout his book of Acts ministry. 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. The death penalty was applicable only to a Gentile who had violated the ban. 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. Paul however wasnt forsaking Moses. No doubt these were some of the same Jews who had been so hostile to Paul in Ephesus (19:9; 20:19). With some minor adaptation, we will introduce the follow material from our commentary, The Acts of the Apostles From Jerusalem to Rome. Paul had successfully removed himself as the center of attention. What then [is . 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. Paul in fact made no offering at all. b. Paul humbled himself to do these things because, as he admitted himself, he would sacrifice . Acts 21, Smith's Bible Commentary, One of over 125 Bible commentaries freely available, this commentary is written by one of the most influential men of the modern Christianity movement. Fare ye well. Acts 2:147:60 describes the . Jesus allowed himself to be baptised for the remission of sins, even though he had none and had zero need to be baptised of John, but for the sake of his mission. Acts 21:26, NASB: Then Paul took along the men, and the next day, after purifying himself together with them, he went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them. 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. For I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 21:13). the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all, this I do for the gospels sake, that I might be partaker thereof with. It must also be noted that Paul did NOT actually complete the ritual anyway. Many allege that Paul, in a moment of weakness, knowingly sinned, yielding to the pressure. From hagnizo; a cleansing, i.e. now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. 27 When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem. He wrote in his letter to the church in Corinth that there was nothing wrong in eating food sold in the meat market, although most such meat had previously been sacrificed to an idol (1 Corinthians 8:4). 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. This urge on the part of Pauls brethren seems to have been divinely designed to test his obedience to that inward moving of the Holy Spirit which bound him to witness again in Jerusalem. The Gentiles freedom in not having to live their lives as Jews did had been established during the Jerusalem conference of A.D. 49 (15:19-22). The suggested strategy by the church elders to have Paul take part in the purification rites had backfired. Some within the Jerusalem church were giving credence to rumors that Paul had been teaching against the ancient Jewish customs. get to know the Bible better! Report, November 23 2019 If you liked this study please subscribe here , One merely needed to be careful not to offend a church member who thought it was wrong. The Voice (VOICE). No Gentile was allowed into the temples inner courts. It began with 3,000 on Pentecost (2:41), increased to 5,000 (4:4), to which were added more converts (6:7). 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. 11 And when he was come unto us, he took Pauls girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. Luke repeated the thought that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar (21:31, 30). many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus. Includes sharing tools for Facebook, Twitter and Google+. At this point, in a roundabout way, the prophecy of Agabus had come true (21:11). Today, we would put such information in a footnote. "Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them went into the temple, declaring the fulfillment of the days of purification, until the offering was offered for every one of them" (Acts 21:26). Acts 21:26 Context . The ritual was only meant for those wishing to become Nazarites and wasnt performed by the vast majority of Jews. There is no evidence that the apostle was under a vow. Only Jesus can make us clean of sin and the practice of unrighteousness . But Luke referred to the offering only once, in an aside in Pauls speech before Felix (24:17). chapter 15). The Voice Update. Perhaps, then, this was the distinction (or one of them) between evangelists and apostles. For Paul, circumcision made no difference regarding ones status before God (Galatians 5:6;6:15). where he is apprehended, and in great danger, but by the chief captain is rescued; and requests, and is permitted to speak to the people. Something had to be done to put the evil rumors to rest. James was the leader and spokesperson of the Jerusalem church, just as he was during the landmark conference of A.D. 49 (15:13). But Luke is not troubled by such discrepancies; he does not see prophecy as being an exact picture, but as a general prediction of the outcome: Paul ends up being imprisoned by the Gentiles. that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. But quite the opposite had happened; he had been accepted. . After Paul had gotten from, or torn himself from, the disciples of Ephesus, he moved on toward Jerusalem, stopping at Tyre, where he sought and found disciples (Acts 20:37-21:4). Almost certainly, Paul and the delegates presented the collection for the poor saints when they reported the progress of the Gentile mission. 9When the seventh day comes[c] he must shave all his hairhis head, his beard, his eyebrows, all his hairand he must wash his clothes, bathe his body in water, and so be clean. They repeated the four stipulations to emphasize that, as far as they were concerned, the stipulations were still valid. Luke was pressing the similarity and wanted readers to note it. when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. Their testimony is as followsAnd when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done (Acts 21:14). Acts 21- 21 And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. 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.. English Standard Version. That is, that he was teachingJewsnot to practice their ancestral religion. One of these Greek notices was found by C.S. . We will soon learn that his name was Claudius Lysias (23:26). The Holy Spirit seemed to be expressing a neutral position regarding whether he should or should not go to Jerusalem. He may have used this time to gather information for the writing of his Gospel and the early chapters of Acts. 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. David Williams writes, Philip was called the evangelist when he had settled in one place. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. The elders would have also needed to reaffirm the exceptions, which they did (21:25). What did the manger for baby Jesus look like, and symbolize? For example, the case of the leper ( Leviticus 1314 ,14), and of the house defiled by leprosy ( 14:49-53 ; see also Matthew 8:2-4 ). (The church in Jerusalem, along with James, now disappears from Lukes account.). As the Jews went about to kill the apostle, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar (Acts 21:31). Ptolemais, called Acco in the Old Testament (Judges 1:31), had been an important Phoenician seaport. a. It is not a sin to record the commission of a sin. of Asia--in all . Luke Johnson writes. In this study I look at how Jesus could forgive sins yet not be God. According to Josephus, he led some 30,000 followers to the Mount of Olives in order to overthrow Jerusalem (Wars2:261-262;Antiquities20:169-172. To signify the accomplishment of the days of purification . She must not touch any holy thing or go into the sanctuary until completing her days of purification. The chief captain took soldiers and centurions with him and rescued Paul from the hands of the Jews. Ablution of the person and of the clothes was required in the cases mentioned in ( Leviticus 15:18 ; Leviticus 11:25 Leviticus 11:40 ; Leviticus 15:18 Leviticus 15:17 ) In cases of childbirth the sacrifice was increased to a lamb of the first year, with a pigeon or turtle-dove. But due to Lukes silence, we do not know for sure. The, the definite article. 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. The title the Seven was complementary to the Twelve, and perhaps they had a special ministry to Hellenistic Christian Jews. The full nazarite vow, which would have included abstinence from wine and strong drink as per the law in the book of Numbers would have started long before Paul joined in for the last 7 days. See how Acts 21:26 ranks against other Bible verses and view it in context with surrounding scriptures in several versions. Your donation gift(s) are very much appreciated and may qualify as a charitable deduction for federal income tax purposes. In other words, is one logically, If Paul erred in this episode, why did he later, in an. Paul may have thought that Judaizers in the church would now claim that he and James had gone back on their agreement. The elders explained the problem to Paul: You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. There is nothing in the text to indicate that Paul needed to perform this ritual. All answers are REVIEWED and MODERATED. (For additional comments on the Nazirite vow, see the commentary on 18:18.). From dia and the base of aggelos; to herald thoroughly. Acts 21:26 chapter context similar meaning "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." Acts 21:26 KJV copy save Meanwhile, some in the mob were still trying to get at Paul, so he had to be carried by the soldiers into the fortress (21:35). 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. 2), so could Paul. when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them ( Acts 21:25-26). Share This is the first of three speeches that Paul would make in his defense, and which take up a considerable part of this section (22:1-21; 24:10-21; 26:2-23). 4And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem. Francis D. Nichol, Ed., The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Washington, DC: Review & Herald, 1957, p. 405). This probably meant that Paul was handcuffed to a soldier on either side of him, much in the manner of Peter (12:6). Some of the disciples from Caesarea decided to go with Paul and the delegation. by Gary Deddo. Paul Arrested. Luke summarized Pauls report as being positively received, saying, When they heard this, they praised God (21:20). In conclusion it may he observed that the distinctive feature. In this study I look at the evidence for the crucifixion of Jesus and examine the arguments used by Muslims against it. Then he suffered him. 26 The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. 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. Here was the problem: a report had been circulated widely that Paul went about constantly teaching that Jews, especially those who lived in Gentile lands, should forsake, (apostasia cf. Understand the meaning of Acts 21:26 using all available Bible versions and commentary. 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? He demonstrated to the thousands of Jews which believed that he himself was walking orderly and keeping the law. Acts 21:17 And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. Paul agreed to the suggestion. We must again notice that the Elders had agreed that the Gentiles need not be brought in under the law. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. Clermont-Gannau in 1871 and two Greek fragments of another were found in 1935. This move on his part was in perfect harmony with his testimony found inI Corinthians 9:19-22For though I am free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. The prophecy was fulfilled in principle, but not in detail, when a mob of Jews grabbed Paul and the Roman garrison commander ordered him to be bound with two chains (21:33). Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular. On the next day Paul took the four men and purified himself along with them (21:26). How did sprinkling an unclean person with the ashes of an "heifer" provide sanctifying and purifying of the flesh? Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural. It seems odd that the elders repeated the decrees word-for-word back to Paul. Although it is often stated that Paul offered a sacrifice after the sacrifice of Jesus, a nazarite vow did NOT necessarily involve a sacrifice for sin at all. Inspiration, Authority, and Reliability of the Bib Timeless Truths in Cultural Clothing, by Michael M Is there a Best Version of the Bible? 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. The Tarsus of Pauls day was an important center of Hellenistic culture. . BEST VALUE in digital Bible study. But in the details of daily life there were special . Paul greeted the brethren and then, item-by-item, rehearsed (imperfect tense the narration took a while!) 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Us to fulfil all righteousness Paul take part in the details of daily life there were special his Gospel the. Fulfil all righteousness biblical analysis here, < meta name=propeller content=0cf2d66aa880ee3e17ae01c1be87f41e > when they heard this they... B. Paul humbled himself to do these things because, as he admitted himself, declared! Person Singular make us clean of sin and the delegation and the delegation had a special ministry Hellenistic...

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