Teachers: this lesson may present challenges to you as the teacher because it focuses on considerations often overlooked in scripture and not discussed in classes. You want to teach and affirm everything revealed in scripture's message, but nothing that disagrees with scripture's full message. Take time to study and think. Do not hesitate to acknowledge the limits of your understanding.
The point: Jews could be Jews and be Christians. A Jewish Christian did not have to renounce his or her Jewish heritage and practices in order to be a Christian. He or she had to see Christ [not Jewish heritage and practices] as the source of forgiveness and salvation. Spiritual confidence must not be placed in Jewish heritage and practices. Spiritual confidence must be placed in Jesus Christ.
Today most Christians are comfortable with the truth that first century people who were not Jewish did not have to adopt Jewish customs and practices. That fact receives emphasis in our teaching. Most Christians have not considered the fact that Jews who accepted Jesus as the Christ were not required to abandon Jewish heritage and practices. This fact is quite evident in the practices of the Jerusalem church. That truth has not received parallel emphasis in our teaching.
Likely, this material will be a new consideration for many students. Introduce them to the thoughts. Help them realize these thoughts are built on scripture's declarations. Do not force students to be defensive or reactionary. Be patient and give them time to think and study.
The people who descended from Abraham through Isaac are valued by God. From their beginning, they were special to God. Their place in God's heart did not continue by existing. They often deceived themselves by believing "bad things cannot happen to us because we are God's special people." They were special to God because Abraham's relationship with God was special (Exodus 17:1-7; Deuteronomy 4:37; 7:6,7; 10:15).
The "are" in the opening sentence of this paragraph, in my understanding and judgment, is accurate. Israel was special at the time of biblical writings because (a) they were the promised descendants of Abraham [who maintained a unique relationship with God], and (b) they were the people through whom God worked to bring the Christ. Heritage did not make them special [as John told them in Matthew 3:9]. Abraham's faith in God and their place in God's purposes made them special.
They suffered consequences when they abandoned faith or embraced evil. That happened often in the period called the judges. (See Judges.) Being "special to God" did not protect them from the Philistines in King Saul's reign or later prevent the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities. However, their faithlessness, disobedience, and ungodly behavior did not destroy their place in God's heart.
Each time Israel concluded heritage and identity made them special, they endured severe consequences. The facts that (a) Abraham was their forefather and (b) they had God's temple did not excuse sinfulness, idolatry, or faithlessness.
When the United Kingdom divided, the Northern Kingdom dedicated itself to idolatry. Jeroboam established worship sites at Dan and Beersheba to discourage people from returning to Jerusalem's temple (1 Kings 12:25-33). In the Northern Kingdom's entire existence, their kings never renounced idolatry, never returned to Jerusalem to observe the holy days (Deuteronomy 16:16). For almost 200 years they ignored God's pleas. Read Hosea 11:1-11 and note God's love for these people. Near the time for the Assyrian captivity, God grieved because the Northern Kingdom rejected His love.
The prophet Hosea was the only writing prophet from the Northern Kingdom. [He was not the only prophet of God in the Northern Kingdom. He was the only prophet who wrote. Elijah and Elisha were powerful spoken prophets in the Northern Kingdom.] From our human perspective, 200 years of idolatry and rebellion would be more than enough to destroy God's feelings for a people. Yet, Hosea 11 declared the Assyrian destruction of Israel [the Northern Kingdom, often called Ephraim by Hosea] was a source of anguish and grief to God. After 200 years of wickedness, God retained special feelings for them.
When the Southern Kingdom's wickedness made their Babylonian captivity inevitable, God plainly informed Hezekiah of that captivity (Isaiah 39). God also used the same messenger to comfort His people (Isaiah 40:1).
The prophets in the Southern Kingdom were clear in condemning and renouncing Judah's evil. As an example, read Isaiah 1. Yet, God emphasized that He would restore a remnant (Jeremiah 23:3). The Southern Kingdom would not be destroyed. Hope based on God's certain promises would prevail.
Paul indicated that Jesus' death and resurrection did not end these people's place in God's heart. Paul as a Christian missionary affirmed God's continuing love for Israel (Romans 11:25-29).
This scripture's meaning and theological significance has been and is greatly debated. Whatever its meaning and significance, Paul's affirmation was based on the Jews' special place in God's heart. In Paul's illustration, God can as easily graft Israel back into the olive tree as He grafted people who were not Jews into that olive tree [Romans 11:23,24].
The power of the gospel was [is] incredible. Through Jesus Christ God saved people who existed in differing cultures. The saved renounced evil, not their culture. In Christ they were called to be God's community of believers [the church] within their culture.
When a person reads Acts with "open eyes" looking for scripture's full message, in Acts it is evident in chapters 2 through 9 and chapters 21:17 through 23:35 that the Jerusalem church practiced Jewish customs. Obviously, being Christians did not involve renouncing their Jewish heritage and practices.
God did not expect Jews to cease being Jews because they were Christians. The first Christians were thoroughly Jewish (Acts 2). Daily they went to the temple to pray (Acts 2:46). The apostles Peter and John did that (Acts 3:1). This first congregation functioned within its culture. They renounced evil and embraced God's purposes.
If the early Jewish church had abandoned their Jewish heritage and practices, Jewish Christian evangelistic outreach in Palestine would have been ineffective [or dead]. Yet, it is quite obvious in late Acts the church continued to be strong in Jerusalem [note the emphasis in 21:20 that numbers Christians in Jerusalem in the thousands]. They were Christians who were respected as Jews.
Paul never asked Christians who were not Jews to adopt Jewish practices. Neither did Paul ask Jewish Christians to cease Jewish practices. The gospel's message: depend on the resurrected Jesus Christ, not your culture, for salvation. Cultural practices save no one. Jesus Christ can save anyone.
This writer concludes that to be a significant point in Philippians 3:2-11.
While Paul did not place spiritual confidence in his Jewish heritage, neither did Paul renounce his Jewish heritage.
Significant evidences supporting this understanding occur in Paul's personal defenses after his arrest of Acts 21:30-33. He declares his Jewishness to defend himself before Jews and before Roman authorities who governed the Jews. Consider Acts 22:1-3; 23:6; 24:10-21; and 25:7,8.
Read Philippians 3:2-11.
Take note that Paul declared there was a "false circumcision" (2:2) as well as a "true circumcision" (2:3). The "true circumcision" manifested itself in three ways. (1) People of the "true circumcision" worshipped in God's Spirit. (2) They found their "glory" in Jesus Christ. ["Glory" can be correctly translated as "boast" in the sense of asserting one's personal significance. Their sense of significance was determined by what Jesus did, not by what they did]. (3) They did not place their confidence in their flesh. [Their claim to salvation was not based on physical heritage or human acts of achievement.]
Paul could have placed his spiritual confidence in his Jewish heritage and accomplishments: his national identity; his tribal identity; his devotion to his identity; his devotion to the law; his conservative religious commitment; his religious zeal; his unrestrained determination to destroy anything perceived to be a threat to Judaism.
Paul placed his spiritual confidence in the value of the knowledge of Christ. Knowledge of Jesus Christ exceeded confidence produced by heritage and human achievement.
Confidence produced by heritage and achievement was based on ancestry, deeds, and behavior that honored customs. Righteousness depended on ancestry [which a person could not determine or control] and religious achievements [the flaw: the more one does, the more inadequate he or she realizes "I am"].
In Christ confidence is based on what God did through Jesus' death and resurrection. Righteousness is based on trusting God's accomplishments in Jesus Christ. When one realizes the contest is between (a) the person's ancestors and personal accomplishments and (b) God and His accomplishments in Jesus, he or she places faith in Jesus, not in self.
The all-consuming goal of existence becomes knowing Jesus and understanding what God did through Jesus. That, not faith in what one does, results in resurrection.
Paul did not renounce Jewish culture, traditions, and practices. Rather, he placed no spiritual confidence in them. They were not the source of his salvation.
Paul planned to go to synagogues in Damascus to arrest Christians. At that time, Christians were primarily Jewish. They were found in Jewish synagogues. The high priest could authorize Paul to exercise jurisdiction over people in synagogues even in other countries (Acts 9:1,2).
Paul was comfortable teaching about Jesus in Jewish synagogues. His comfort was not his primary reason for teaching in synagogues. Paul's primary reason for teaching first in synagogues upon arriving in a community was this: he understood it was necessary for Jews to learn about Jesus first (Matthew 10:5,6; 15:24; Acts 3:26; 13:46; Romans 1:16).
Paul cut his hair because he had taken a vow.
Background information is helpful in understanding Acts 21:17 forward. Remember that Luke researched his writing to present an orderly [consecutive] account of events (Luke 1:3 and Acts 1:1-3). The first evident fact about Paul's visit to Jerusalem and his arrest: Luke "slowed" his report down drastically to record these events. It was an important point of transition. All recorded lessons that Paul presented prior to Acts 21 were evangelistic in nature. All speeches Paul gave following Acts 21 were defenses. In the original language, the two styles are distinctly different.
Local events were significant. The Jewish situation in Palestine was tense and volatile. The Roman governor Felix unwisely abused his power when he dealt with Jewish problems. In attempts to "nip problems in the bud," he unified the Jews and moved them toward rebellion against Roman (non-Jewish) influences in Palestine.
The capable Festus replaced Felix in an effort to calm the situation, but Festus lived only two years after taking office. The approach of those who succeeded Festus was more like Felix's approach. Throughout this period, the Jewish situation in Palestine became increasingly unsettled. It was ready to explode. In that charged political climate, any person who appeared to be a threat to Judaism or a sympathizer with people who were not Jews was perceived immediately to be a threat against the Jewish nation.
Paul's work among people who were not Jews was highly unpopular among devout Jewish people, particularly in Jerusalem. He was accused of things he did not do. Both Paul and his work presented significant problems for the Jerusalem church's leadership. They did not want to withdraw their approval of Paul and his work among people who were not Jews, but neither did they wish to alienate the people they wanted to evangelize. To them, the obvious solution was to demonstrate that Paul did not oppose the nation's identity or practices. This could be done through vows and sacrifices at the temple.
Read Acts 21:17-26.
Paul related "one by one the things God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry." He gave an update report on his work among people who were not Jews.
The false report: Paul taught all Jews living among people who were not Jews (1) to forsake the teachings of Moses, (2) not to circumcise their children, and (3) not to practice Jewish customs.
The solution: take four men [Christians] under Jewish vow to the temple, purify himself and as they purified themselves, and pay the expense of their vows as they shaved their heads. If the vows they were under were the Nazarite vow (see Numbers 6:1-6), it was common to shave the head when the vow concluded. The hair was offered with a sacrifice.
All Jews in Jerusalem would know the reports concerning Paul were false. They would know Paul conducted his life orderly [by Jewish standards} and followed the law.
Christians who were not Jews were not expected to keep such practices. They were expected not to eat meat sacrificed in an idol's temple, not to eat blood, not to eat animals that died by strangulation, and not to practice sexual immorality.
The vows would be concluded with animal sacrifices.
Read Acts 16:1-3 and Galatians 2:1-3. Explain why Timothy was circumcised and Titus was not.
Timothy had a Jewish mother. That classified him as Jewish. No Jewish person would respect him nor listen to him if he rejected the Jewish rite of circumcision. Titus was not Jewish. Neither his mother or father were Jews.
Read Acts 20:16. On this occasion, why was Paul in a hurry to get to Jerusalem? Consider Deuteronomy 16:16.
If possible, Paul wanted to be in Jerusalem on Pentecost day.
Read Genesis 17:7; 17:13, and Exodus 12:14. Note the use of everlasting and permanent. To Jews their customs and practices were not temporary because their covenant with God was an everlasting covenant.
Link to Student Guide
Quarter 1, Lesson 9