When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly. On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law, and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs. What then is to be done?They will certainly hear that you have come. Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law.
A couple of lessons come out of this. One is that rumors spread. Somewhere someone accused Paul wrongly of teaching a false doctrine and the cancer spread. Be careful, be very careful to teach correctly. The other point that I see in this episode is that all things are part of the LORD, God, the Almighty's plan. The elders proposed a reasonable solution, but as we see later on in the story, v 27, that the well-crafted proposal came to naught and Paul began his trip to Rome.
Today's readings in the Psalms:
Morning: Psalm 142
Mid-day: 119:153-160
Evening: Psalm 67
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