Acts 21:17-26

People are proud of their heritage. Heritage.com and ancestry.com make lots of money helping people trace the history of their family lineage. Knowing where their family comes from gives people a way of connecting to the past. People who have never stepped foot out of their own country feel connected with nations thousands of miles away. It is only natural that the Jewish Christians connected with their Jewish heritage and Israel.

Opponents of Christ and the gospel were operating a rumor campaign against Paul. They were telling the Christian Jews of Jerusalem and Judea that Paul was teaching Jews who lived among the gentiles to turn away from Moses, to quit circumcising their children and to ignore their Jewish customs. The Jewish Christians were greatly offended when they heard this. They knew that salvation was a gift from God and He required them to have faith in Jesus, yet they were still proud to be Jewish. Rumors are hard to combat and they can be very destructive; that is why the bible mentions so often that spreading rumors is a sin.

The Elders of the church wanted Paul to make a large public demonstration that would illustrate he was still keeping Jewish law and customs. Paul was happy to do this because he knew that the deceitful rumors were harming the church. Being a Christian and living right with God does not require a Jew to become a gentile any more than it required a gentile to become a Jew.

Paul knew this truth, but historically the church has often forgotten or ignored this truth. That is both tragic and unrighteous. Native Americans should not have had to become like the white man to know Jesus. People living in Asia, Africa, or anywhere else do not have to accept European or American culture to hear and believe the gospel. Abstaining from immorality, false gods and idolatry does not require surrendering national and cultural heritage. Jesus is not a European Savior; Jesus is Humanities savior.