Acts 21:23-26 23Therefore, do what we tell you. There is to us four men having a vow upon themselves. 24Taking these men, purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads, and everyone will know that there is nothing in what they have been reported about you, but that you yourself also live by observing the law. 25But as for the Gentiles who have believed, we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.” 26Then Paul, taking the men the next day, purified himself along with them and went into the temple, announcing when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for each one of them.
The Jerusalem elders came up with a plan they thought would save Paul. The problem in these verses is that there is no mention of prayer or the Holy Spirit’s guidance. The implication is that this was a human idea that significantly backfired on Paul. Their plan was to send Paul to the temple along with four men who had taken a vow. The purpose for the vow is not described. Pious Jews would sometimes take a vow that involved letting the hair grow, similar to the Nazarites of the Old Testament. When the vow was completed, they would shave their heads and bring an offering to the temple for purification. These four Jewish Christians would have been good examples of piety. The elders thought these men would show that Paul was also a pious Jew, therefore, stopping any further criticism and smoothing over the situation. They even added that Paul should pay for the offering of all of them, which would have been quite substantial (Numbers 6:14).
Deeper down, the elders were trying to appease any legalists rather than trust in God’s protection. The Sovereign God already knew all that would happen to Paul and had warned him of trouble through the Holy Spirit and prophets. As for the Gentiles who were with Paul, it was best for them to stay back. Verse 25 rehearses the four points of the edict from the council meeting in chapter 15. This verse implies that Paul’s Gentile colleagues should stay back and were not obligated to go to the temple and make a sacrifice. The Jewish Christians seemed satisfied with their earlier decision about what the Gentile believers needed to do to appease any misgivings of the legalists among them.
Paul did not know when or how he would face problems. If he had known of the trouble at that temple, he might have chosen a different way to go there and worship. He, too, went along with the plan. Verse 26 indicates that Paul remained a Jew, but his Jewishness did not supersede his faith in Christ. He did not reject the law and still practiced many elements of Judaism (18:18; 20:6; 23:5). However, he saw the law in a new light, not as the way to salvation but as the guide to holy living when it was understood as being fulfilled in Jesus. The elders thought their plan would show that Paul was still a law-abiding Jew with the hope that any legalists or even the temple priesthood would be satisfied. Paul could do his part, and everything would continue on as usual.
James tried to maintain a balance in all this. During this time, around 60 AD, Jewish nationalism was on the rise and would reach its peak in a few more years when the Jews rebelled against Rome, and the Romans came in and destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. In retrospect, one might wonder if this was the best plan for Paul at that point. He could have carried on his mission in other parts of the Roman Empire, even traveling as far west as Spain. However, as he wrote to the Romans in 8:28, all things work out for the best of those who love God and are called to do his will. Without the following events, many letters of the New Testament would not have been written, and new ministries would not have been established.