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Paul Being Jewish - Acts 21
Paul Being Jewish - Acts 21
The situation that occurred in Acts 21:20-26 has perplexed many modern believers.
No one HAD to keep the law in order to be saved.
ANY keeping of the law based on the idea that by such they were made righteous with God was wrong.
Paul COULD and DID ‘become all things to all men’, drawing the line at that which was sinful or led others into sin.
1 Corinthians 9:19–20 — 19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.".
"Being in Christ neither required that the Gentile become a Jew nor that the Jew cease to be a Jew” (NAC )
It was in light of this that Paul had Timothy to be circumcised (Acts ) and utterly refused to allow Titus to be circumcised (Gal. 2: ).
Paul himself appears to not have abandoned totally the ‘keeping of the Torah’..
Acts 18:18 — 18 After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow.".
There were MANY Jewish believers who yet were zealous ‘for the law’. (20).
Four such brothers had ‘taken a vow’. This is taken by many to be
Longenecker explains the procedure that Paul subjects himself to:
Coming from abroad, Paul would have had to regain ceremonial purity by a seven day ritual of purification before he could be present at the absolution ceremony of the four Jewish Christians in the Jerusalem temple. This ritual included reporting to one of the priests and being sprinkled with water of atonement on the third and seventh days.
Paul was therefore NOT taking the vow of a Nazarite. That vow would be for at least a period of 30 days while Paul was only going to be involved in this for 7 days (vs. 27).
Rather, he was becoming responsible for the expenses that these men would encour as the had to offer the various sacrifices upon the completion of their vows.
At the end of the N. vow, a person would cut their hair and burn it as an offering. In addition a number of costly sacrifices were required—a male and a female lamb, a ram, and cereal and drink offerings (Num 6:14f.). (from NAC).
It would seem that Paul did undergo the purification ritual. In the provision for the Nazarite vow there was the provision made for one who, while under this vow, touched a corpse and became defiled
The NAC states: "Often a Jew on returning to the Holy Land after a sojourn in Gentile territory would undergo ritual purification. The period involved was seven days (cf. Num 19:12), which fits the present picture (v. 27). Paul thus underwent ritual purification to qualify for participation in the completion ceremony of the four Nazirites which took place within the sacred precincts of the temple.”
Paul had come to Jerusalem from Gentile territory and was ceremonially unclean. He had to submit to Levitical purification before he could be the benefactor for the four Nazirites and participate in their ceremonies. For him, the prescribed days of purification lasted one week. On the third day of the week, he was sprinkled with atonement water (v. 26); a second sprinkling took place on the seventh day (v. 27). Afterward, when the sacrifices were scheduled to be offered, Paul would then defray the expenses of the four Nazirites. Kistemaker, Baker NTC
While refusing to allow ANYONE to bind the keeping of the law as necessary unto salvation.
Hugh DeLong
