Paul’s Mission – 2 REPORTS
A.D. 57
Previously:
TO James and the Church:
And when he had saluted them, he rehearsed one by one the things which God had wrought among the Gentiles through his ministry.
Acts of the Apostles 21:19 – ASV – Paul’s account of his third mission to th
James and the leaders of the church in Jerusalem then put forth a plan for Paul to prove his faithfulness to the LAW of Moses to the thousands of Jews in the Temple.
TO Jewish Worshipers including Proselytes in the Temple courts:
Followers of the Way of Jesus Christ are convinced, yet through the Spirit Paul will proclaim Christ to the larger multitudes of the Temple courts divided for Jews and separately set-apart areas for God-seekers among the Hellenists and pagans.
Acts of the Apostles 21: ASV
and they have been informed concerning thee, that thou teachest all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.
James, of course, does not receive the murmuring of those influenced by the anti-Christs among the temple leadership; however the issue at hand is for Paul and the Apostles to proclaim CHRIST TO JEW AND GENTILE ALIKE.
The Lord Jesus had received the same sort of reception in the Temple as the Apostles do now.
John 5:
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that bear witness about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.
Gospel of John 5:39-40 LSB – witness of the Lord Jesus to the leaders of the Temple
“How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the only God?
“Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope.
“For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me.
Gospel of John 5:46 – The Lord Jesus challenging leaders of the Temple
“But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
James knows how these same Temple officials some twenty ago had falsely convicted and then crucified his beloved half-brother, JESUS.
These will not believe Paul either.
Yet by God's grace some will believe the Apostle when Paul once again proclaims Christ in Jerusalem's Temple.
What God hath Wrought through MOSES
a Scriptural sample from the Torah from which PAUL or any of the Apostles could have preached on this or any day.
מֹשֶׁה
מֹשֶׁה (mōšê), occurs 766x in 704 verses in the WLC Hebrew.
He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses H4872 hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
– Exodus 3:6
Then Moses H4872 answered and said, “What if they will not believe me and will not listen to my voice? For they may say, ‘Yahweh has not appeared to you.’”
– Exodus 4:1
So Moses spoke thus to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their weakness of spirit and hard slavery. – Exodus 6:9
Therefore the people contended with Moses and said, “Give us water that we may drink.”
And Moses said to them, “Why do you contend with me? Why do you test Yahweh?”
But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to put us and our children and our livestock to death with thirst?”
– Exodus 17:2-3 LSB
the Tabernacle & the Temple
Now it happened, in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected… He erected the court all around the tabernacle and the altar, and he put up the screen for the gateway of the court.
Thus Moses finished the work.
– Exodus 40:17,33 LSB
Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of Yahweh filled the tabernacle.
40:34 וַיְכַס הֶעָנָן אֶת־אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וּכְבוֹד יְהוָה מָלֵא אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּן׃
Paul could have preached of MOSES and the Tabernacle.
The Apostle could have witnessed SCRIPTURE recalling THE GLORY OF THE LORD filling the Temple during its dedication by Solomon.
Paul legitimately could have asked Judea's leaders,
‘WHEN HAS THE GLORY OF THE LORD EVER FILLED THIS TEMPLE REBUILT BY HEROD UNDER ROME? ‘
Yet Paul had no need to reiterate this truth that leading Jews under ROME seeking the Apostle knew all too well.
AND the Apostles knew all-to-well that ‘circumcision’ (the mark of the Jew) was NOT the real issue.
‘forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children..’
FALSE WITNESS against the Apostle to the gentiles, Paul.
Nor was Moses, against whom many had been stiff-necked.
περιτομή – Circumcision
Earlier in Paul's missionary journeys:
(the matter settled by James and the A.D. 49 Council of Jerusalem)
But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the Law of Moses.”
Both the apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter.
Acts of the Apostles 15:5-6 LSB
ACTS 21
Then Paul took the men, and the next day, purifying himself along with them, went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.
27 Now when the seven days were almost over, the Jews from Asia, upon noticing him in the temple, began to throw all the crowd into confusion and laid hands on him, crying out,
“Men of Israel, help!
This is the man who teaches to everyone everywhere against our people and the Law and this place;
and besides, he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.”
MORE false accusations and lies
This latest stirring of the CROWDS in ROMAN JERUSALEM resembles earlier riots and controversies ignited against the GOSPEL of JESUS CHRIST which Paul and many disciples of The Way have now proclaimed throughout much of Asia and Europe.
Paul, a Jew among jews, has abandoned an old Covenant broken by the Jews many centuries Before Christ.
“So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer.
Deuteronomy 10:16 וּמַלְתֶּם אֵת עָרְלַת לְבַבְכֶם וְעָרְפְּכֶם לֹא תַקְשׁוּ עוֹד׃
“Circumcise yourselves to Yahweh
And remove the foreskins of your heart,
Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Lest My wrath go forth like fire
And burn with none to quench it
Because of the evil of your deeds.”
Jeremiah 4:4
NEXT God-willing, we will return to the controversy unraveling in the Temple.
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