Commentaries:
People's Commentary (NT)
Acts 21:21
That thou teachest, etc. Paul, in advance of the rest, had learned
that the Jewish forms were not to be imposed upon Gentiles, were not an
obligation upon Jewish Christians, but he still observed them, at least
in part, himself, and so far from bidding Jewish brethren to forsake
Moses, he circumcised Timothy (Acts 16:3), and said, "Let every man
abide in the same calling (whether Jew or Gentile) in which he is
called". Read the whole connection of 1 Corinthians 7:18-20. He had not,
therefore, taught "Jews to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to
circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs".
Acts 21:20-22
When they heard [it]. Paul's report of the wonderful success of the
gospel. They evidently approved of and sympathized with his work.
Thou seest, brother, now many thousands . . . believe. The Greek
reads: "How many tens thousands". There were not only many thousands of
Christians in the Jerusalem church, but many thousands of Jewish
Christians who had come up to the feast of Pentecost. Twenty-seven
years before there were five thousand men who believed in Jerusalem
(Acts 4:4).
They are all zealous for the law. "Zealots" for the law in the
Greek. They believed upon Christ as the Messiah, but did not understand
that the Old Covenant had passed away to give place to the New
(Hebrews 8:13). Hence, while they observed the Christian rites, they
still kept up the forms of Judaism. It took a direct interposition of
the Spirit to teach that Gentiles were entitled to baptism without
circumcision (Acts 10:46-48). It required a council in Jerusalem to
settle the question that Gentile Christians were not to keep the Jewish
law (Acts 15:19-21). God taught the church, lesson by lesson, but up
to this time that at Jerusalem had not yet learned that they were freed
from the obligation to keep the law of Moses.
Other commentary entries containing this verse:
Acts 21:20-22
Acts 21:21
Romans 15:31
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