Acts 21:15-26

When you go into battle, what a blessing to do so with friends. Yet, like Jesus, Paul’s final trip to Jerusalem was of inevitable suffering. Paul faced his impending spiritual and physical battle with courage. Paul was undoubtedly aided by his friends. But most of all, he met this test with the encouragement of his God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

So here’s my takeaway from this passage. We have to be prepared. We must be right with God. Ready to be jailed and even to die for Him.  Paul faced sure trouble in Jerusalem. The mobs of Asia would be magnified in Jerusalem. But for the rescue from the Author of Life, Paul’s ministry would have ended at the hands of the Jewish mob. There was a victory to follow this seeming defeat.

Church growth, glory to God, and Kingdom expansion will not please those seeking to build kingdoms in this world. They are liars and deceivers. They are in it for themselves, for power and control. They are slaves to sin and self-indulgence. Stay away from them. And, with God’s help, expose their wickedness and remove them from places of power (Proverbs 25:5).

We see clearly in this passage (as we will talk about more in Romans) that there was tension between following Jesus’ Way and following the law of Moses. This tension, still present today, was there right at the beginning of the church (v. 21). The elders of the Jerusalem church struggled with this early culture war.

They required Paul to follow all of the Jewish laws. Even though we know Paul viewed them as rubbish, he still agreed to the elders’ plan. They were creating two classes of believers, one set of rules for Jewish believers - and then the Acts 15 requirements for Gentiles (v. 25). That is not Jesus’ Way. And sure enough, the riots and accusers of Ephesus found their way to Jerusalem despite the elders’ attempt to appease the legalists. Frothing with evil, they shouted, “kill him, kill him!” (v. 36). Sound familiar? It should.

Yet Paul had confidence. He knew he must speak the truth and share the Gospel. As you go through the roughest time, Jesus will whisper in your ear: “Be encouraged, keep going, just as you have been faithful and honest in your witness for me today; tomorrow I will give you a new opportunity and new responsibility.” 

So, let’s be clear about this passage. There is only one way to have your sins washed away, only one way to be made new and forgiven. It is by calling on the name of the Righteous One, Jesus.

Peter knew that, and so did Paul. And so must every believer in Jesus Christ. Jesus died on the cross - once for all time.

Listen: the law of Moses will not save you. It cannot. Nor will it save a Jewish person. We know this, but we often see churchmen, like the elders in this passage, pretend or acquiesce to the pressure and create two classes of believers, Jews, and Gentiles. Don’t fall for that. It takes a brave man to charge toward the front line when others are fleeing in fear. My friend Rich did just that as he served as a Marine officer in Iraq. As others fled, he ran at the enemy. He was shot, but God protected him and helped him prevail. We must have courage in spiritual battles. Sometimes we have to mount up and ride into the storm.

And I thank God for Luke and the believers here from Caesarea that accompanied Paul. They all knew they were going into a spiritual hornet’s nest. They went anyway.

Jesus declared the Jewish laws wholly fulfilled in Him. He was and is the sole purpose of the Jewish laws.

God showed Peter that he should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean (Acts 10:28). God shows no favoritism (10:34). God accepts men based on faith in the Savior alone - He is Lord of all (10:36).

The Jewish believers never got the message, And many don’t know today. Just as the Jewish believers criticized Peter (11:2), they also criticized Paul for preaching what the Holy Spirit so clearly declares: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean” (11:9).

Oh, Lord Jesus, open our eyes to your Way today. Show every person that we all have the privilege of repenting our sins and receiving eternal life Please give me your peace and confidence today, and help me to be an encourager Amen.

My son Ben in front of Big Ben.