When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.” The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.

We live in a world where pointing fingers and blaming others for challenges in our own lives is sadly commonplace. As I begin to work in the space of helping childhood victims of sex trafficking with our Back the Blue Idaho organization, I have had finger-pointing rear its ugly head there too. One group thinks another group should operate differently. One group will try to control the ministry space so they get the credit and the fundraising needed. All of this can happen at the expense of the overarching goal: helping the childhood victims.

Paul and the Jerusalem church leaders were dealing with a similar issue. There were Jews who liked living under their customs and man-made rules and would not open their eyes to see, open their ears to hear, and open their hearts to understand that Jesus came and ushered into life a new covenant with God.

So what did they do? They operated in a worldly scheme of evil. They stirred up trouble by spreading false rumors about Paul.

I love the simplicity of the response here: the Jerusalem church leaders stood by their earlier decision regarding conduct rules for the Gentile churches. And Paul went to fulfill his Jewish duty in purification rituals. In essence, they did what they were required to do as Jews and did not try to stir up trouble or even defend themselves. There is really no defense that will work when the leaders who make the decisions are corrupt. We must rely on God and his hand to deliver us or provide for us under persecution. And that is just what they did.

Lord, give me a peace that is insurmountable by the trials and evil of this world. May it be solid, immovable, and founded on the Word of God, which is Jesus Christ. I will go where you want me to go and say what you want me to say in order to accomplish the work of your Kingdom!