21:17-19 As he had done before, Paul related to a group of elders what God had done on his missionary journeys among the Gentiles (14:27; cf. 18:23). This undoubtedly helped the Jerusalem church accept the gift that Paul had brought from their Gentile brethren. James, the Lord's half-brother, was still the recognized leader of the Jerusalem church (cf. 12:17; 15:13), but this church also had elder leadership (cf. 11:30). Luke mentioned nothing about Paul's delivery of the monetary gift, Paul's main reason for going to Jerusalem (cf. Rom. 15:25-27; 1 Cor. 16:1-4). His purpose was primarily to emphasize the spread of the gospel. The Gentiles had remembered the poor as Paul had urged them to do (Gal. 2:10).
Even though the third "we"section ends with verse 18, Luke may have remained with Paul in Jerusalem. He could have stopped including himself in the narrative to stress Paul's leadership. Alternatively he may have departed for some other destination.
21:20-21 Having rejoiced over Paul's account of the Gentiles' conversion, the elders also added that thousands of Jews had become believers, many of them in Jerusalem. They explained that these Jewish Christians had some misgivings about Paul's ministry about which they had heard. The word on the streets was that Paul was going beyond his actual practice of not requiring Gentile converts to undergo circumcision or to obey the Mosaic Law. They had heard he was telling Jewish converts not to practice circumcision or to observe the customs of Judaism. This was a false report. Paul did not teach that these customs were evil, just unnecessary for justification and sanctification.
21:22-24 The elders' plan aimed to prove to the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem, and to all the Jews there, that Paul had not abandoned the customs of the Jews. He had, of course, ceased to believe and teach that salvation came by obeying the Mosaic Law. He was no longer a Jew in religion, but he was still a racial Jew and as such observed Jewish cultural practices (e.g., the Nazarite vow, 18:18).
The four men in question had taken a temporary Nazarite vow of separation to God, as Paul had done earlier (18:18). At the end of the vow each of them had to bring an offering to the temple. This consisted of two lambs, one ram, a basket of unleavened cakes and wafers, a grain offering, and a drink offering (Num. 6:13-15). After presenting these to the priest, they would cut off their hair and burn it on the altar (Num. 6:18). The elders suggested that Paul go with them to the temple, purify himself with them for temple worship, and show his support of the Nazarite custom by paying for their offerings. Paul could do this, and did so, without compromising his convictions since the Jews did not regard taking a Nazarite vow as essential for acceptance by God. It was strictly voluntary. They regarded circumcision, on the other hand, as essential. However, Paul did not even object to circumcision as a custom (16:3), though he did object to it as a rite essential for God's acceptance (Gal. 2).
21:25 James and the elders repeated their former conviction regarding the instruction of Gentile converts. This was simply a point of clarification designed to emphasize that the decision of the Jerusalem Council still stood (cf. 15:20, 29). Their counsel to Paul on this occasion did not contradict their strong commitment to salvation by grace.
21:26 A Nazarite would announce the completion of his vow to the priest and then seven days later present his offerings. The Law did not prescribe this week's wait, but it was customary. Paul accompanied the four men into the temple and underwent the rites of purification with them because he was paying the expenses of their vow.846The Jews considered paying the charges for Nazirites' offerings an act of piety and a symbolic identification with the Jews. Herod Agrippa I had previously done this.847
