21:17,18
They were welcomed gladly by the believers in Jerusalem. One of the themes in Acts, and in Paul’s letters (especially Ephesians) is the unity in Christ of the Jewish and Gentile believers. The next day Paul and others went to see James. Notice the mention that all the elders were present. Elders seem to be more or less on a par with apostles. We are always looking for distinctions in hierarchy, the Bible is more concerned with distinctions in function.
21:19-21
There is more emphasis in the unity. Paul gives an account of all the things that God has been doing, especially among the Gentiles. This was welcomed by the Jewish believers. They then mention that there were lots of Jewish believers, and these believers were zealous for the Law. This was a potential flashpoint, for Paul did teach that Gentile believers did not need to be circumcised, but this could be misrepresented as being anti-Jewish. We don’t appreciate what a big issue this was for the Jewish believers, how deeply ingrained it was in their psyche and culture.
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