23 “Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; 24 take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law. Acts 21:23–24
This twist in the plot has always puzzled me. One has to get into Paul’s head to understand why he’d participate in such a plan. He’d brought his team of Gentile believers into James and the elders as Exhibit A, and they bestowed upon them the generous gifts from their churches. He relayed one by one the many exciting accounts of the gospel taking hold in Europe and Asia, and described the changed hearts that would gladly join in giving to the Jerusalem church. But there was an underlying problem that James and the leaders could not ignore, that many in their orbits believed Paul taught against the traditions and teachings of Moses.
At first blush, I’m thinking Paul would have nothing to do with the leaders’ plan to erase these misconceptions, that is to join in with the four men concluding their Nazirite vows and pay their expenses. I am thinking this is where Paul the firebrand says, “No way!” But it was no skin off his nose, so to speak, since he too took such a vow a while back of his own volition (Acts 18:18) and obviously he’d so wanted to come back to Jerusalem to observe Passover with his fellow saints, but had to settle for Pentecost. This would be an act of unity, over and above the monetary gift, costing him nothing in reality, and in the minds of the church leaders, should be enough to further demonstrate the bond existing among those in the faith, regardless of nationality and culture. After all, the Gentiles kept their side of the bargain, avoiding things strangled and blood and meat sacrificed to idols and fornication. In others words, the leaders weren’t asking anything that he couldn’t justify or use later to advance the gospel (Acts 24:17-18), so he agreed and commenced with the plan.
For a second, can we consider if there is anything practical here for us. Does this mean we join in with this those observing Lent, or pull the plug on the worship band, or confiscate anything but King James bibles, or hand out hats to women entering the sanctuary? No. It’s more like agreeing to fast and pray, or refraining from participating in doubtful practices so as to not hurt the consciences of other believers, especially new ones.
In the final analysis, there was nothing in what Paul was doing that amounted to anything less than displaying his serious devotion to God and a sincere desire to demonstrate love for his Jewish brothers, and what the four men were doing, assumed to be believers, was commendable, even if thought unnecessary under the New Covenant.
Paul’s act was a calculated risk that likely produced the desired result amongst the Jerusalem believers, but would not in anyway appease his many detractors, in this case those Jews who had trailed him from Asia (Acts 21:27) As predicted earlier by the prophet Agabus (who was from Judea), Paul was about to be bound with his own belt. Acts 21:19-11
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