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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Act_21:17-26
17After we arrived in Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. 18And the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. 19After he had greeted them, he began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20And when they heard it they began glorifying God; and they said to him, "You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law; 21and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. 22"What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23"Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; 24take 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. 25"But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote, having decided that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication." 26Then Paul took the men, and the next day, purifying himself along with them, went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.
Act_21:17 It was a good sign that the Jerusalem believers gave Paul and these Gentile converts a hearty welcome (cf. Luk_8:40; Luk_9:11; Act_2:41; Act_18:27; Act_21:17; Act_24:3; Act_28:30), but there was also prejudice in the Jerusalem church (cf. Act_21:20-21).
Act_21:18-19 "Paul went in with us to James" There is no special mention here of the gift from the Gentile churches (cf. Act_24:17). Paul made a similar report to James in Act_15:12. James is the half-brother of Jesus and the respected leader of the Jerusalem Church (cf. Act_12:17; Act_15:13).
Act_21:18 "and all the elders were present" Notice that there is no mention of the Apostles. Apparently they were on mission trips out of the country, or maybe they were dead. This use of the term "elders" reflects its Jewish usage (cf. Act_4:5; Act_4:8; Act_4:23; Act_6:12; Act_11:30; Act_15:2; Act_15:4; Act_15:6; Act_15:22-23; Act_16:4; Act_23:14; Act_24:1; Act_24:25; Act_25:15; Heb_11:2; Jas_5:14), not its later use by the church for pastors (cf. Act_14:23; Act_20:17-18; Act_20:23; 1Ti_5:17; 1Ti_5:19; Tit_1:5; 1Pe_5:1; 2Jn_1:1; 3Jn_1:1).
Act_21:19 Some commentators think that Paul received a cool reception and that the money from the Gentile churches was not appreciated. Here is their line of reasoning.
1. Paul stayed at a Hellenistic Jew's home, not one of the leaders of the Jerusalem church.
2. There is no expression of gratitude for the gift. It is not even mentioned.
3. The leadership immediately tell Paul how disliked he is among thousands in the Jerusalem church.
4. The church is never said to have supported Paul in prison or at his trials.
It must be said that there was conflict and confusion about Paul's message and mission. However, Act_21:19 seems to be positive to me!
Act_21:20 "how many thousands there are among the Jews" What a wonderful witness of the power of the gospel and the love of God to Jewish people in Jerusalem. There was a believing Jewish remnant. May be Zec_12:10 has been fulfilled!
▣ "who have believed" This is a perfect active participle (see Special Topics at Act_3:16; Act_6:5). This surely implies true saving faith. One can be saved without complete understanding and even despite misunderstanding of all theological issues, (cf. Act_1:6; Luk_19:11).
Paul would characterize these as "weak" Christians (cf. Rom_14:1 to Rom_15:13; 1 Corinthians 8; 1Co_10:23-33). He would bend over backward to encourage them, as long as their "weakness" did not affect the gospel (the Judaizers of Galatians).
▣ "they are all zealous for the Law" This shows the large number of converted Pharisees, zealots, or Essenes. However, conversion did not remove their religious bias. These were similar to the Judaizers of Galatians. It is remarkable how Paul loved and supported "weak" believers, but would not tolerate "false teachers" or those who misrepresented the gospel.
Act_21:21 "they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses" The phrase "having been told" reflects the Hebrew idiom "re-echo," which implies oral teaching. This is combined with the present tense verb (teaching) to show that the Jews in Jerusalem had repeatedly been told about Paul's activity in a biased sense. These charges were more serious than preaching to Gentiles, which caused so much trouble (cf. Acts 15).
The term "to forsake" is a strong term which comes into English as "apostasy" (cf. 2Th_2:3). The theological issue related to how believing Jews should relate to the OT was not yet settled! In some sense this mirrors the issues of "Messianic synagogues"!
Act_21:23 "We have four men who are under a vow" Apparently these were members of the church. This refers to a limited Nazarite vow (cf. Num_6:1-8). Paul had earlier taken a similar vow (cf. Act_18:18). We are very uncertain about the details of this limited vow (cf. Nazir Act_1:3).
Act_21:23-25 This passage gives us insight into Paul's view about Jewish Christians' relationship to the Mosaic Law. Paul may have continued to observe Jewish traditions (cf. Act_18:18; Act_20:6), at least when trying to evangelize Jews (cf. 1Co_9:19-23). This is possibly an affirmation of Messianic Jewish fellowships in our day.
Act_21:24 "pay their expenses" Paul may not have taken a Nazarite vow himself at this point, but paid for the required sacrifice for the others. The rabbis taught that it was a great honor to pay for the Nazarites vow (Ned. 10a).
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▣ "shave their heads" The Nazarite vow is discussed in Numbers 6. Those who took permanent vows were not allowed to cut their hair. However, the temporary vow was characterized by the shaving of the head at the end of the time period. This verse shows how Paul tried to conform to the culture to which he was trying to preach (cf. 1Co_9:19-23; 1Co_10:23-33).
Act_21:25 "we wrote" This refers to the official statement of the Jerusalem Council (cf. Act_15:19-20; Act_15:28-29). This document mainly removed the ritualistic and dietary barriers between believing Jewish and believing Gentile groups in mixed churches of the diaspora (outside Palestine). It, however, did not relate to believing Jews' relationship to the Mosaic Covenant.
Act_21:26 "went into the temple" This is what would cause the trouble, not solve it!