The Law of Love, Acts 21:15-26

 

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Family Unites - vv 15-20a

Religion Divides vv 20b-25

The Law of Love Prevails v 26

Acts 21:15 And after those days we packed and went up to Jerusalem.

Family Unites

After many days with Philip the evangelist and his four prophetess daughters (Acts 21:8-10) they packed up and headed up south to Jerusalem. About 70 miles.

Up south sounds funny to US, however, whenever heading to Jerusalem they always said, “up” for it was higher in elevation, and considered a high and holy place.  

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.

Christianity is Family.

Don’t miss this powerful family portrait. 

From the beautiful Mediterranean shores of Caesarea and from the island of Cyprus, some of the disciples went with us, to the overcrowded, politically charged, religiously tense, highly dangerous, streets of Jerusalem.

Highly dangerous, because it had been prophesied repeatedly through the Holy Spirit, that only trouble awaited Paul in Jerusalem, thus by association, anyone with him.

Yet, like Thomas said when Jesus was headed toward trouble in Jerusalem, “Let us also go and die with Him.” John 11:16.

Like when King Saul’s son Jonathan said to his armor bearer, Let’s go up to these uncircumcised Philistines, perhaps the Lord will deliver us. For nothing can restrain the Lord from saving by many or by few. His awesome armor bearer said, Let’s go. I’m with you, heart and soul. 1 Samuel 14:6-7.

Notice, Mnason is called by name. Perhaps elderly, one of the early disciples, perhaps he met Jesus. Perhaps wealthy, from Cyprus, the same island as Barnabas, the encourager, who sold land and gave the money to the Church in Acts 4. Mnason has a home in Jerusalem and invites the disciples to stay with him there.

All those disciples willingly chose to walk away from their lovely life and home.

If we can’t prevent our brother Paul from walking into trouble for the cause of Christ, we will not let him walk alone.

We’ll go with him, perhaps to protect him, or, perhaps to die with him.

Either way dear brother Paul, we’re with you, heart and soul.

It’s what family does.

Christianity is Family.

Jesus puts it like this: Who is My mother, sister and brother? Those that do the will of My Father. (Matthew 12:46–50; Mark 3:33-35; Luke 8:19–21).

¹⁷ And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.

Just like when family comes from out of town.

¹⁸ On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.

They all met at a gathering place. Just like a family reunion.

Speaking of family. James was half-brother to Jesus. Mary and Joseph had at least a half dozen kids after, Jesus. Matthew 13:55-56. 

James wrote the awesome little book of James. 

James is head of the Jerusalem Church.

By the way, when it says "the elders were present" it doesn’t mean old folks, it means the pastors.

¹⁹ When he had greeted them, he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

Just like family. What’ve you been up to? Tell me everything.

Told in detail, literally means he recounted one by one.

We ought to do the same. Remember and recount what the Lord has done in our lives.

Psalm 103 
Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
² Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits.

Notice that Paul detailed the things God had done. Not Paul.

²⁰ And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. ...

Hallelujah. Just like family.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15.

Just like a good Godly family, gathered around the table getting caught up, telling old stories, laughing ‘til your stomach hurts.

Christianity is family and brings unity.

In John 17, Jesus prayed for you, His family, those the Father had given Him. The very prayer is an intimate conversation between Father and Son.

Here’s some excerpts from the powerful prayer:

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that Your Son may glorify You... I’ve finished the work You’ve given Me to do...  I do not pray for the world, but for those You’ve given Me... I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.... I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; ²¹ that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. ²² And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³ I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me....”

Christianity is family.

The family of God.

The God kind of family.

One in Love.

Family is God’s idea.

In the beginning God said it’s not good for man to be alone and He created Eve and brought her to Adam, and the two became one, and they were both naked and not ashamed.

Nothing to hide.

No hidden agenda.

That is how Genesis chapter 2 ends.

If only HIStory would’ve been frozen in that moment.

It’s that kind of moment Jesus was praying for. Father, make them one, again.

Alas, Genesis 2 doesn’t end with “and they all lived happily ever after.” It continues to chapter 3, where the first thing we read there is, “Now the serpent was more cunning...”

Now, back to Paul and family around the table getting caught up, telling old funny stories, laughing ‘til their stomach hurts.

If only HIStory would’ve been frozen in that moment.

But the Bible is no fairy tale.

Que ominous music, while the mood changes, and somebody brings up the elephant in the room.

²⁰...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;

Ruh Roh.

Religion Divides

Dear brother Paul, you’ve seen thousands of gentile converts, that’s wonderful, awesome, really. But see how many, myriads, multitudes, tens of thousands of Jews who’ve believed...

If only they’d have stopped right there, Paul’s heart would’ve leapt for joy. He loved the Jews. He had already written in Romans:

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. Romans 10:1.

I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them (Israel). Romans 9:3.

If only they’d have stopped there. But they went on to say they are zealous for the law.

You meant zealous for the Lord, right?  

Zealous for the law? The Law?

Evidently, they hadn’t read Paul’s letter that he had already written to the Corinthians where he said: “The letter kills but the Spirit gives Life.” 2 Corinthians 3:6.

Zealous for the law? Zealous? 

Jesus tells us, in Revelation 3:19, be zealous and repent.

Paul had already written: Never let your zeal be lacking, be fervent in Spirit serving the Lord. Romans 12:11.

Be zealous and repent, yes.

Be zealous in serving the Lord, absolutely. 

But be zealous for the law?

What are they thinking? Paul’s thinking, I’ve been there done that. It didn't turn out so good.

Later as a prisoner in Rome, Paul would write to the Philippians, about himself: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to righteousness in the law, faultless. Philippians 3:5-6.

Paul (Saul) had been the poster child of perfection for being zealous for the law—and where did all that lead him?

We just read it, “persecuting the Church.”

Fortunately, he met Jesus, or we should say, Jesus met him, and then all that Jewish learning and pedigree stuff, then, he counted it as a bunch of horse manure, dung. Phil. 3:7-8.

Or, since there’s an elephant in the room, maybe it’s...

Whatever it was, it stunk.

Paul knew it.

But that’s not all. They’re not done. It gets worse.

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.

That was untrue, as all rumors are.

Paul taught that the law of Moses could not save you, it could only show you your need for a Savior.

About two or three years later, he’d write to the Ephesians:

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9.

But a lie often told is soon believed and the damage was done.

And why were they even talking about it? Why did they care?

Because they were zealous for the Lord?

No, because they were zealous for the law.

Too many to this day get the law and the Lord mixed up. They get religion confused with relationship. Keeping customs right, instead of keeping their heart right.

Which leads to disputes and divisions and strife as already explained by Paul a few years earlier in a letter to the Corinthians.

They were saying: I’m of Paul, I’m of Apollos, (I’m of Baptist, I’m of Methodist, Pentecostal, I’m Catholic, I’m of Church in the Clubhouse. Well, I’m Christian... ) I I I... sounds like an I-dol problem.

You’re carnal! Said Paul.

Who is Paul, who is Apollos? One plants, the other waters, God gives the increase. 1 Corinthians 3:3-7.

He also wrote in Galatians 3:28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

IF you be Christ’s.

So, what we have is a group of Jewish believers that are carnal. They believe in Jesus but aren’t ready to let go of their religious customs. Their old traditions. Their denominational doctrines.

Jesus told those clinging to customs, that by their tradition they made of none effect the Word of God. Mark 7:13.

The Holy Spirit was probably convicting these Jewish believers.

Down inside they should have known the rumors about Paul were not true. He was well known and well-traveled and outspoken, even in Jerusalem. He wasn’t shy in talking about circumcision and the law and the Jews. Back in Acts 15, he was a major part of the Jerusalem decree which they refer to in a moment.

So, these Jewish baby believers were probably being convicted by the Holy Spirit, thus irritated with Paul speaking Truth they didn’t want to hear.

So, the temptation to discredit him, to ease their conscience would’ve come all too easy.

The Jerusalem Church leaders might have been a bit too accommodating to their myriads of Jewish believers.

Because instead of asking Paul to have a talk with them, they asked him to put on a show for them.

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.

So, in a sense, they were using something sacred, a vow four men made to God, and using it to appease, or perhaps we should say enable, a myriad of carnal believers.

The whole scheme was to show that Paul walked orderly and kept the law.

When what really matters is that you walk with God and love the Lord.

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.”

They reiterated the Jerusalem Decree that Paul and Barnabas and Silas and others delivered from Jerusalem to Antioch several years earlier.

For them to mention it here and now seems out of place. It was already established back in Acts 15.

Perhaps it was nervous energy wanting to move past the tough subject to something they knew Paul agreed with.

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.

Law of Love.

So, Paul went along with their appeasement plan.

Appeasement never works.

Why’d Paul go along with it?

Well, because of the law.

Not the law of Moses that they professed to be so concerned about. 

The Law of Love.

Paul had already written the love chapter 1 Corinthians 13, but more specifically he had written about what he was doing here in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.

¹⁹ For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; ²⁰ and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; ²¹ to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; ²² to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. ²³ Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.

James should've recognized Paul's behavior as wisdom from above because he had written about it 10 years prior in James 3:13-18:

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.  ¹⁴ But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.  ¹⁵ This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. ¹⁶ For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. ¹⁷ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield (easily intreated KJV), full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. ¹⁸ Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Christianity is family.

Family unites.

Religion divides.

The Law of Love Prevails.

Paul chose Christianity, he chose family, he chose Love.

So, do we.

Let’s pray.

 Lord Jesus, thank You for inviting us to be part of Your family; the greatest joy and honor of this life. We choose You, Your family, Your Love, over religion and division. We pray as You prayed; make us one and You are one. Cause us to walk in Your Love, keep us from evil, and of all those You’ve given us, let none be lost.

Thank You.

We love You, forever.

Amen.

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