A Glad Reception

“When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers gladly received us” (Acts 21:21).

The life of Paul, as told through the book of Acts, is a life of hostility (from and into), hope and hardship. That the New Testament church didn’t have it all together is evident in its treatment of people like Paul. It should seem odd for Luke to publish upon their return to Jerusalem what to us would be expected, but given the history of the early church, that Paul would necessarily receive a warm at Jerusalem upon his arrival, wasn’t a foregone conclusion. 

Upon his conversion to Christ, he spent time in Damascus honing his skills at nearby synagogues, but now seen as a traitor, he faced immense difficulty at the hands of the Jews (Acts 8:19-25). Eventually he would venture to Jerusalem, but the other disciples were reluctant to associate with him (v. 26). So at this juncture, he more than likely departs to Arabia (Galatians 1:17). Despite his role and reputation as a Jewish “strong arm” prior to his conversion (Acts 8:1-3; 1 Timothy 1:13; Phil. 3:4-6), his migration to Arabia and work away from Jerusalem proper left him a relative unknown to the Judean churches (Galatians 1:22).

Consequently, I think it is safe to suggest that his later confrontation with Peter over hypocritical treatment of Gentile converts (Galatians 2:11ff) would’ve earned him no rewards points in the minds of a not so insignificant number of the Jerusalem church. Paul had little issue with verbalizing his frustrations to his Jewish Christian critics (Romans 2; 1 & 2 Corinthians), neither was he afraid of apprising others of how wrong it was to hold brethren with contempt (Philippians 4:2-3).

So Acts 21:21 is fascinating. That the glad reception of the Jerusalem brotherhood warranted mentioning only goes to show that there was real grounds for concern and that their return was rather controversial. I can’t help but believe that Paul and Luke made the trip to Jerusalem with a sense of uneasiness about how the church would respond to them.

Paul was going back with a purpose though. He explicitly declares it to the Ephesian eldership. The Holy Spirit had testified that hardship was in store, although Paul admits that he doesn’t really know the particulars of what to expect when he arrives at Jerusalem. Undoubtedly, the non-Christian Jewish powerbase was at the forefront of his mind. They had before made attempts at his life, but given his difficulties with churches with which he was associated, Corinth for example, he more than likely would’ve been thinking similarly about Jewish Christians in Judea!

Have you ever been to a place but not been welcome there? We’ve all heard stories or even possibly seen for ourselves, first hand, the kinds of racial prejudices that would lead a person to post on the door of their convenience store, “No Blacks Allowed!” Many blacks can attest to what it means to not be well received. Of course, non-racist whites have their stories of not being “gladly received” in black communities as well. Regardless of who is on the receiving end, no one likes to not be welcome!

Acceptance is one of the great human needs. We long to be accepted both by God and by brethren. What could be worse, though, than being accepted by God, but not by brethren? God hasn’t been silent about this matter either. “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions” (Romans 14:1).

I would like to think that Acts 21:21 is a testimony to the fact that by the power of God’s Spirit, people can be changed, prejudices can be surrendered, and poor attitudes can be replaced with the attitude of Christ. Can a once partial and prejudice people be shown the error of their ways? I would hope that the answer can be gleaned from a simple sentence from the book of Acts.