Acts 21:20

Sunday, 29 October 2023

And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law; Acts 21:20

More precisely, the Greek reads, “And they, having heard, were glorifying the Lord. And they said, ‘You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are having believed. And all are zealots for the law’” (CG).

In the previous verse, Paul told James and the elders in Jerusalem all that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. Now, in response to that, it says, “And they, having heard, were glorifying the Lord.”

Depending on the source manuscript, this will either say “Lord” or “God.” Verse 19 says “God,” but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it carries through to this verse. Either way, it doesn’t substantially change the intent. The Lord Jesus is the God/Man.

As for Paul’s work among the Gentiles, it was to these leaders a source of great praise and of glorifying the Lord. There is nothing in what is said here to somehow suppose that they felt jealousy or feelings of ill will towards Paul. Instead, they rejoiced in his apostleship and the fruit that it bore.

That is important because the rest of the verse and several verses to come are misused by Judaizers to indicate that Paul’s ministry was not working in accord with their own twisted view of the grace of God in Christ. Understanding this, Luke next records, “And they said, ‘You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are having believed.’”

Using the word “brother” indicates that they felt he was certainly in right standing among them and that they had friendly feelings towards him. That is a key point to consider in relation to the coming words.

They knew the details of Paul’s ministry. They knew and acknowledged that he taught that the Gentiles did not need to observe the Law of Moses. They knew that Peter had associated with the Gentiles and had been rebuked by Paul for his actions, as recorded in Galatians 2, etc.

However, they also knew that the temple was still standing, that the Law was still being observed by Israel, and that if they did not observe the law, it would only further complicate their lives and evangelism of the Jews. Thus, they remained obedient to the law for both cultural and practical reasons.

As for the word myriads, it indicates a large but indeterminate number, quite often in the tens of thousands. Some translations will say “thousands” instead of myriads in order to convey the sense to an English audience, but “myriads” or “tens of thousands” would be more appropriate.

This large, indeterminate number shows how the smallest of mustard seeds had truly grown into a great tree before Israel was eventually brought into judgment for rejecting Christ as a nation.

It is probably only about 25 or 30 years after the cross at this point. Further, adding in the Gentiles would bring the universal church up to a rather large number. Of these believing Jews, it next says, “And all are zealots for the law.”

It is James who is probably speaking. The word he uses is a noun, not an adjective. Thus, they are zealots. Thayer’s Lexicon says it signifies “a person with zealous enthusiasm who (literally) ‘boils over with passion.’” It says this because the word is derived from zeó, to boil or be hot. Thus, it figuratively refers to one who is passionate or fervent about a matter.

Those of Israel who had believed in Jesus during this period continued to be faithful observers of the law. The Gentiles were not of Israel, they were not in Israel, and they had never observed a single rite of the law. Instead, they came directly to Christ who is the fulfillment of the law.

As for the Jewish believers, their ability to observe the law would be ended with the temple’s destruction in AD70. It would be the final termination of the Law of Moses. From that point on, any observance of the law would be pointless.

Observing or not observing the law after coming to Christ did not affect their standing before the Lord. With the temple gone, they would be able to rely solely, and more properly, on the grace of God in Christ as is intended for all believers.

Life application: Just because these believers of Israel continued to be zealous for the law after coming to Christ, it doesn’t mean that their actions gave them any greater standing before the Lord.

This must be true, because without the temple after AD70, they remained saved. Not observing the rites of the law did not change their position in Christ at all. The time between the ascension of Christ and the destruction of the temple was a time of grace for Israel to turn to Jesus.

When that time ended, just as prophesied by Jesus in Luke 11:31, 32, the nation’s time was up, and the temple was destroyed. The focus of God’s attention turned solely to the Gentile-led church age, and that has continued to this day.

At the rapture, the focus will return to Israel. Until then, the Law of Moses cannot be observed, nor is it right for those in the church to attempt to do so, in part or in whole. We are to trust exclusively in the merits of Jesus Christ for our salvation and continued salvation. Don’t mar grace, but trust in Christ!

Lord God, thank You for the guarantee of eternal salvation that is found in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.