If there is any striking
characteristic of the great saints, it is this: they put God first in all
things. This section of Scripture gives us some good examples of this
attitude. It's a bit long - but worth it.
(Acts 21:17-40 NIV) When we arrived at Jerusalem, the
brothers received us warmly. {18} The next day Paul and the rest of us went to
see James, and all the elders were present. {19} Paul greeted them and reported
in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. {20} When
they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: "You see,
brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous
for the law. {21} They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live
among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise
their children or live according to our customs. {22} What shall we do? They
will certainly hear that you have come, {23} so do what we tell you. There are
four men with us who have made a vow. {24} Take these men, join in their
purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads
shaved. Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you,
but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. {25} As for the
Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should
abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled
animals and from sexual immorality." {26} The next day Paul took the men
and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice
of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be
made for each of them. {27} When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews
from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole
crowd and seized him, {28} shouting, "Men of Israel, help us! This is the
man who teaches all men everywhere against our people and our law and this
place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple area and defiled this
holy place." {29} (They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the
city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple area.) {30}
The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions.
Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were
shut. {31} While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the
Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. {32} He at once
took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw
the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. {33} The commander
came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he
asked who he was and what he had done. {34} Some in the crowd shouted one thing
and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of
the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. {35} When Paul
reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by
the soldiers. {36} The crowd that followed kept shouting, "Away with him!" {37}
As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the
commander, "May I say something to you?" "Do you speak Greek?" he replied. {38}
"Aren't you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists
out into the desert some time ago?" {39} Paul answered, "I am a Jew, from Tarsus
in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people."
{40} Having received the commander's permission, Paul stood on the steps and
motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic :
(Acts 22 NIV) "Brothers and fathers, listen now to my
defense." {2} When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became
very quiet. Then Paul said: {3} "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia,
but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law
of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. {4} I
persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and
women and throwing them into prison, {5} as also the high priest and all the
Council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in
Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be
punished. {6} "About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light
from heaven flashed around me. {7} I fell to the ground and heard a voice say
to me, 'Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?' {8} "'Who are you, Lord?' I
asked. "'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,' he replied.
{9} My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him
who was speaking to me. {10} "'What shall I do, Lord?' I asked. "'Get
up,' the Lord said, 'and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you
have been assigned to do.' {11} My companions led me by the hand into Damascus,
because the brilliance of the light had blinded me. {12} "A man named
Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly
respected by all the Jews living there. {13} He stood beside me and said,
'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very moment I was able to see
him. {14} "Then he said: 'The God of our fathers has chosen you to know
his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. {15}
You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. {16} And
now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away,
calling on his name.' {17} "When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying
at the temple, I fell into a trance {18} and saw the Lord speaking. 'Quick!' he
said to me. 'Leave Jerusalem immediately, because they will not accept your
testimony about me.' {19} "'Lord,' I replied, 'these men know that I went
from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you.
{20} And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving
my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.' {21}
"Then the Lord said to me, 'Go; I will send you far away to the
Gentiles.'" {22} The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they
raised their voices and shouted, "Rid the earth of him! He's not fit to
live!" {23} As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging
dust into the air, {24} the commander ordered Paul to be taken into the
barracks. He directed that he be flogged and questioned in order to find out
why the people were shouting at him like this. {25} As they stretched him out
to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, "Is it legal for
you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn't even been found guilty?" {26} When
the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. "What
are you going to do?" he asked. "This man is a Roman citizen."
{27} The commander went to Paul and asked, "Tell me, are you a Roman
citizen?" "Yes, I am," he answered. {28} Then the commander
said, "I had to pay a big price for my citizenship." "But I was
born a citizen," Paul replied. {29} Those who were about to question him
withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that
he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains. {30} The next day, since the
commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he
released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble.
Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.
Appearances
There is a certain attractiveness
in appearing bold and unconventional. The teenage rebel is a fixture in
films; and Hollywood could not do without the "mature" adult who
defies the "prudes." But the church is where reality truly strikes,
and we know that we have a duty to others.
Relationship between Paul and
the church at Jerusalem
You can see the primacy of God in
the way that Paul brings his report to the church. He does not report to them
as if he were an independent force; rather, he is reporting as a missionary
dependent upon them. Indeed, his report is not about what he did, but what God
did.
James, in return, points out what
God has been doing in the church at Jerusalem - and that this has brought about
a difficult situation. There is no note of condemnation; indeed, James is
quite specific that this is a local problem, and he is appealing to Paul as a
brother to help them with it. Both are concerned for the unity of the church;
both are concerned that the faith of others is undamaged.
The issue: how to deal with
the weaker brother
James outlines the problem quite
simply:
·
God has been pleased to provide many converts to the faith among
the Jews.
·
These people still follow the Law of Moses. This is not
prohibited to a Christian, nor is it required - but their faith does not yet
allow them to dispense with it. They sincerely believe it is necessary.
·
They also think that Paul doesn't follow the Law. Note that the
problem is not with what Paul is teaching the Gentiles; it's what they've
heard about his teaching the Jews.
Note the response: it is not to
teach this Christians to be Gentiles. Rather, it is to show them - in action -
that Paul is following the Law! We need first to take a look at this vow:
The vow in question is a form of
the Nazarite vow. It requires the Jew to abstain from meat and wine for 30
days; to worship daily in the Temple for seven days, and on the last day to
present certain ritual (and expensive) sacrifices. It is a vow of
thanksgiving, of praise to God. Most men could not afford to do this, as they
were day laborers. They would starve before they could complete the vow. But
a rich benefactor might share the vow with them - participating as they do -
and pay their expenses. This was a doubly pious act for the Jew: first for
the vow itself, and secondly for the charity which allowed others to give this
act of devotion to God.
The principle Paul and James are
following is clearly laid out in Romans:
(Rom 14:1-8 NIV) Accept him whose faith is weak, without
passing judgment on disputable matters. {2} One man's faith allows him to eat
everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. {3} The
man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who
does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted
him. {4} Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he
stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. {5}
One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every
day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. {6} He who regards
one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord,
for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives
thanks to God. {7} For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to
himself alone. {8} If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to
the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
James and Paul see the weaker
brother. Rather than proclaim their own correctness of doctrine, they accept
those weaker brothers and try their best to strengthen their faith and promote
harmony within the body of Christ.
We often see such things and say,
"doesn't this set a bad example? Isn't Paul being inconsistent?" We
ought not to worry so much about it. Rather, we should give glory to God by
tending to his body, the church, in all things.
Imposters
Hidden in this passage is another
problem: the Roman commander mistakes Paul for some revolutionary. We often
hear that we must do this or that "to preserve the character of our witness."
In other words, we don't want to have others mistake us for the frauds around
us. Hear John Chrysostom on the point, however:
Then
let us not grieve that heresies exist, seeing that false Christs wished to
attack even Christ both before this and after; with a view to throw Him into
the shade, but on every occasion we find the truth shining out transparent. So
it was with the Prophets: there were false prophets, and by contrast with these
they shone the more: just as disease enhances health, and darkness light, and
tempest calm. There is no room left for the Greeks to say that (our teachers)
were impostors and mountebanks: for those (that were such) were exposed. It was
the same in the case of Moses: God suffered the magicians, on purpose that
Moses might not be suspected to be a magician: He let them teach all men to
what length magic can go in making a fantastic show: beyond this point they
deceived not, but themselves confessed their defeat. Impostors do us no harm,
rather do us good, if we will apply our mind to the matter. What then, you will
say, if we are partners with them in common estimation? The estimation is not
among us, but with those who have no judgment. Let not us greatly care for the
estimation of the many, nor mind it more than needs. To God we live, not to
men: in heaven we have our conversation, not on earth: there lie the awards and
the prizes of our labors, thence we look for our praises, thence for our
crowns. Thus far let us trouble ourselves about men--that we do not give and afford
them a handle against us. But if, though we afford none, those choose to accuse
us thoughtlessly and without discrimination, let us laugh, not[1] weep.
The point is simple: we are not
to be concerned with what others think. We are to be concerned with Christ's
command. We are therefore concerned with what other Christians think, with a
view to keep them from being weakened in the faith. So we appear inconsistent
- but in fact we are consistent towards God, keeping him first in all things.
Paul's Defense
Paul's defense before the crowd
also shows the primacy of God.
Humility
Note first that Paul is really
not arguing or speaking in arrogance:
·
There is no sense of "you idiots" in his speech.
·
He asks them to hear his "defense" - the word in the
Greek implies a pleading tone.
·
He stresses his one-ness with them: he learned at the feet of
Gamaliel, and he learned the Law "of our Fathers."
All this is to gain their
hearing. He doesn't need them to listen to him; he needs them to listen to
his message - again, the primacy of God.
The point: to win all we can
Paul's purpose here is to win all
that he can to Christ. These are the Jews, the people he loves. It is likely
enough that most of us would have run from the situation. He sees it not so
much a mob as an audience - full of his brothers.
To this audience he now offers
his personal testimony. This is an example to us as well.
·
First, I am (like Paul) a witness to what has happened to me. I
cannot speak directly to what Paul experienced, but I can certainly speak about
what has happened to me.
·
Paul's method is simple and effective: look at Paul before
meeting Jesus, and after. Each of us has the same story. What am I without
Christ? What can I not be with Him?
Exalting Christ, not himself
Even in his account, he tells us
of the supremacy of Christ:
·
"Who are you, Lord?" - Instantly he recognizes
that supremacy.
·
He tells them that he has seen "the Righteous One" -
which to the Jews meant the Messiah.
·
He is told to "call on the name of Christ" - and the
Jew is to call on the name of God alone. Therefore, he is explicitly telling
them that Jesus is divine.
The Vow
The center of this lesson,
however, is one of the most solemn ways in which we honor the primacy of God -
by which we put him first. It is "the vow." We do not use the word
very much anymore - except in the context of weddings. Very well, let us
examine the concept of the vow, seeing how it is used to put God first - and
then see if there are lessons for us in our lives.
Definition
My dictionary contributes three
points. A vow:
·
Is a solemn promise to God,
·
To perform some specific act or sacrifice,
·
For some specific purpose.
So, in this instance, the solemn
promise is to perform ritual sacrifices for the purpose of thanksgiving. Similarly,
the wedding vow is a solemn promise (to God, as well as to each other) to cling
to each other only, for the purpose of creating a godly family.
A vow must be acceptable to
God
We may vow - and God might not be
pleased. If we put him first, we will fulfill our vows in his way. The Old
Testament gives us two principles:
·
First, the sacrifice to be presented must be without defect:
(Lev 22:21-23 NIV) When anyone brings from the herd or
flock a fellowship offering to the LORD to fulfill a special vow or as a
freewill offering, it must be without defect or blemish to be acceptable. {22}
Do not offer to the LORD the blind, the injured or the maimed, or anything with
warts or festering or running sores. Do not place any of these on the altar as
an offering made to the LORD by fire. {23} You may, however, present as a
freewill offering an ox or a sheep that is deformed or stunted, but it will not
be accepted in fulfillment of a vow.
Notice that last line: it must
be acceptable to fulfill the vow. It is holy; it is set apart. It will not
do for me to place my wife after another woman, or after my career. It is not
acceptable to God.
·
The sacrifice must not come from sinful activity:
(Deu 23:18 NIV) You must not bring the earnings of a
female prostitute or of a male prostitute into the house of the LORD your God
to pay any vow, because the LORD your God detests them both.
Would you accept an expensive
gift from your wife if she earned the money as a prostitute? To ask the
question is to hear the answer.
It is not sufficient to make the
vow. The fulfillment must be acceptable to God, for he comes first. If you
are putting your career ahead of your wife, no amount of money from that career
will be an acceptable sacrifice for your wedding vow. Put God first.
A vow must not be rash
Have you ever been to a wedding
where you knew that the couple were going to regret this - and soon? It is not
good to take wedding vows lightly, for God is holy, and what is promised to him
is holy:
(Prov 20:25 NIV) It is a trap for a man to dedicate
something rashly and only later to consider his vows.
(Eccl 5:4 NIV) When you make a vow to God, do not delay in
fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.
If you place God first in your
life, you will consider wisely, well and long before making promises to him -
including wedding vows.
God does, however, understand
that sometimes we cannot perform our vows because we do not have the means. In
that instance, he provides that - under his authority - the vow may be reduced
or revoked.
The key is this: "under his authority." We are not permitted, for
example, to release ourselves from marriage. But under his authority, we are
permitted divorce in case of adultery.
Take God seriously. Put him in
first place in all things:
·
Put him in first place in your relations with others. Do not
cause the weaker brother to stumble, but do what is necessary - however
inconsistent it might appear - to uphold that brother.
·
In your testimony to the world, do not defend yourself. Rather,
exalt Him.
·
In your vows - your promises to God - take Him seriously. Be
quick to perform, and do so righteously.
In all this there is blessing,
for as the Psalmist tells us:
(Psa 61:5 NIV) For you have heard my vows, O God; you have
given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
Put God first - and receive the
heritage of those who fear his name.