Paul and his party were received with gladness by the believers in Jerusalem when they arrived. The next day they went to James (Jesus’ brother and leader of the Jerusalem church) and the elders. Paul gave a detailed account of everything God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. Paul gave God all the glory while acknowledging the part God had graciously afforded him. In response, they praised God. While Luke doesn’t mention it here, Paul would also have handed over the generous financial gift from the Gentile churches (Acts 24:17) which would also have been a cause for their response of worship.

In Jerusalem, there were thousands of Jews who had become believers in Jesus Christ, but they were still zealous for the Law of Moses. They had heard that Paul was teaching those Jews who lived among the Gentiles to forsake the law, specifically not to circumcise their children or to follow Jewish customs. This was a false accusation. Paul would have correctly taught that under the New Covenant neither Jew nor Gentile was required to follow the Mosaic Law as the means of sanctification or fellowship with God. But he would also have taught that Jews were free to abide by their customs as a free choice even though it afforded them no special spiritual benefit not available to the Gentiles. The complaint accused Paul of actively discouraging Jews from participating in their customs. In anticipation of a potential conflict, the elders suggested that Paul take four men who had placed themselves under a [Nazirite] vow, purify himself along with them and pay their expenses (Num 6:13-17) so they could shave their heads. The result would be that these zealous Jewish believers would be appeased at seeing Paul’s commitment to the law. Was Paul wrong in going along with this arrangement? No. Paul himself had taken a Nazirite vow (Acts 18:18). Paul was later unashamed in discussing this incident (Acts 24:17-18). Most importantly, this action was an underpinning principle in his ministry that he would become like the Jews to win the Jews and to become like one under the Law to win those under it (1 Cor 9:20). Paul would gladly submit himself to local customs, without sinning, where doing so would win those he was trying to reach. The leaders then referred back to the decision of the Jerusalem council to place no burden on the Gentile believers but provided suggestions that would greatly improve the ability for Jew and Gentile to live in harmony with each other (Acts 15:28-29). Their suggestion to Paul was also not in conflict with this earlier decision. So Paul took the men and purified himself along with them and gave notice of his intention to offer the required sacrifices when their days of purification were over.

What requirements might you be placing on others that are not required by God but might be hindering unity in the church? How far are you willing to go to accommodate others, again while not violating God’s word, in order to preserve and promote unity within the church?