Rumors and Response

Scripture:

Acts 21:17 ¶ When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us warmly.
Acts 21:18 The next day Paul went with us to visit James; and all the elders were present.
Acts 21:19 After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
Acts 21:20 When they heard it, they praised God. Then they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands of believers there are among the Jews, and they are all zealous for the law.
Acts 21:21 They have been told about you that you teach all the Jews living among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, and that you tell them not to circumcise their children or observe the customs.
Acts 21:22 What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come.
Acts 21:23 So do what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow.
Acts 21:24 Join these men, go through the rite of purification with them, and pay for the shaving of their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself observe and guard the law.
Acts 21:25 But as for the Gentiles who have become believers, we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication.”
Acts 21:26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having purified himself, he entered the temple with them, making public the completion of the days of purification when the sacrifice would be made for each of them.

Observation:

Paul arrived back in Jerusalem and the inner circle warmly welcomed him. They were excited to hear about the missionary journeys and all that God had been doing among the Gentiles, but there was a problem. Rumors had spread throughout Jerusalem about Paul’s ministry and the group gathered together to talk to Paul about this issue.

They were feeling the pressure of all the lies that were being spread and they thought that something had to be done to address them. They encouraged Paul to tackle the rumors by trying to prove to those who were upset that he was really a committed Jew. We don’t get a feel for the conversation but some commentators believe that Paul reluctantly agreed to the plan of action and probably against his better judgement. How would trying to prove anything to the rumor mill solve anything? But, indeed, they chose to try and respond by showing the people that Paul was committed to Jewish law and customs by joining with four men who had been under a vow. He went through purification with them and paid to have their heads shaved.

Paul’s action of joining with these four did nothing to dispel the talk against him. Those who were spreading rumors about him had made up their minds and nothing that Paul could do would change their opinion. John Wesley said that the response flowed from carnal wisdom and not from the Spirit. In this case, human wisdom tried to prevail and instead of simply being who he was in the Spirit, Paul agreed to try and appease the rumor mongers. It failed.

Application:

Social media has created a medium by which rumors can be fanned into flames in almost a nano-second. There is a great temptation, yes, even among God’s people — to participate in the spreading of rumors.

What are we to do in the midst of a rumor driven world? Let’s try and learn from Paul’s situation.

1) Don’t spread the rumors. Be the one who stops the talk.

2) Live your life in the flow of the Holy Spirit. Allow the Holy Spirit to be your guide in all things.

3) Be true to what the Spirit is saying. In other words, keep your eyes on Jesus and live in such a relationship with him that the only thing that matters is him!

4) Don’t react to rumors — even if they are about you! Go back to points 2 and 3 — live in the flow of the Spirit and keep your eyes on Jesus.

5) Don’t react with carnal wisdom — let the Spirit do the work. Writing that letter or response or doing things to appease people may simply make things worse!

The situations in which we find ourselves today are not new — only the tools that are utilized are new. May we learn from the past and put into practice the lessons learned in the present and may God help his people to be bearers of his truth, living lives of holiness on a daily basis.

Prayer:

Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14) Amen.