Rumor Control - The One Year Christian History
Rumor Control
He tried to dispel the rumors about him.
PAUL’S THIRD missionary journey had been very rewarding. The Roman province of Asia, along the seacoast of modern Turkey, was now evangelized, and the churches of Greece were doing well.
His next objective was to go to Jerusalem with a collection for the poor (1 Corinthians 16:1-4). Paul and his traveling companions arrived in Jerusalem, where they stayed at the home of Mnason, one of the early disciples. As the news of Paul’s arrival spread, many Christians came to welcome him to Jerusalem.
On May 28, A.D. 57, the day after his arrival, Paul went with his traveling companions to meet with James, the brother of Jesus (Matthew 13:55) and leader of the church in Jerusalem. All the elders of the church in Jerusalem were also present.
Paul first gave a detailed account of the things God had accomplished among the Gentiles through his ministry (Acts 21:19). Then he presented to James the offering he had collected in the Gentile churches for the poor of the church in Jerusalem.
Paul’s report and the generous gift caused the elders to praise God. But at the same time there was an issue they felt they needed to get off their chests. Many thousands of Jews in the Jerusalem church were trusting Jesus as their Messiah but also were very zealous for keeping the laws of the Old Testament. Among the Hebrew Christians of Jerusalem it was widely rumored that not only was Paul teaching his Gentile converts that they did not need to keep the Old Testament law, but he was also encouraging Jewish converts to stop following the law of Moses.
Eight years earlier the Jerusalem Council had officially determined that it was not necessary for Gentile Christians to keep the Old Testament Law, but that ruling was irrelevant to many of the Hebrew Christians of Jerusalem. There was so much opposition to Paul in the Jerusalem church over this issue that the leaders felt that Paul needed to do something to counter the rumors about himself. And the church leadership had a specific suggestion.
Four Hebrew Christians in the church of Jerusalem had taken a temporary Nazirite vow, a special Old Testament oath of consecration to God. Temporary Nazirite vows typically lasted thirty days. However, if the person became ceremonially unclean, by going near a dead body, for example, he had to undergo purification rites at the temple, shave his head on the seventh day, and start his vow all over again. Apparently these four had become unclean and needed purification. James and the elders therefore suggested to Paul, “Go with them to the Temple and join them in the purification ceremony, and pay for them to have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know that the rumors are all false and that you yourself observe the Jewish laws” (Acts 21:24). Then, fearing that Paul might think they were going back on the decision of the Jerusalem Council, they added, “As for the Gentile Christians, all we ask of them is what we already told them in a letter: They should not eat food offered to idols, nor consume blood, nor eat meat from strangled animals, and they should stay away from all sexual immorality” (Acts 21:25).
Paul agreed with their request in order to halt the rumors and went through the purification ritual with the four men.
Reflection
Do you think that Paul did the right thing in agreeing to go through this Jewish ritual? Paul’s strategy was to observe the cultural norms of whatever group he was with so as not to alienate them from Christ.
I have become a servant of everyone so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with the Jews, I become one of them so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with those who follow the Jewish laws, I do the same, even though I am not subject to the law, so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with the Gentiles who do not have the Jewish laws, I fit in with them as much as I can. In this way, I gain their confidence and bring them to Christ.
1 Corinthians 9:19-20
