Misunderstanding
[Acts 21:20b-24]
Have you ever experienced being misunderstood? Have you gone through the pain of being misunderstood by someone even when you haven't done anything wrong? Today, I want to reflect on Acts 21:20-24 and consider a couple of reasons why misunderstandings occur and how we should deal with them.
The first reason for misunderstandings is negative thinking.
Look at Acts 21:20 - "... Brother, you see how many thousands of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law." Do you have negative thoughts about someone? If you answered "yes," why did you form those thoughts? One reason could be that the person is not adhering to something you strongly believe in and uphold. For example, if I strongly believe in keeping the Fourth Commandment of the Sabbath holy and refraining from watching movies or spending money on Sundays, I might develop negative thoughts if I see someone doing otherwise. In today's passage Acts 21:20b-24, we see that the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem had negative thoughts about Paul. What was the cause of this negativity? We can find the reason in the latter part of verse 20: “... Brother, you see how many thousands of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law.” In other words, the numerous Jewish Christians in Jerusalem believed that they were all zealous followers of the law, and they thought that Paul lacked zeal for the law. For example, they might have been saying, 'We are diligently keeping the Fourth Commandment, so why isn't Paul doing the same?' With the perspective of legalists, Paul appeared to be lacking zeal for the law, leading them to form these negative thoughts about him.
The lesson we learn here is that our strengths can become our weaknesses. In other words, what I am doing well and diligently can also become a disadvantage. Being zealous for the law is good, but the issue with many Jewish Christians in this context was that they were zealous for the law even more than Jesus within their faith. In other words, their problem was forgetting that the law pointed to Jesus and seeking righteousness through law observance rather than faith. Look at Galatians 3:24 – “So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.” We need to discard negative thoughts.
Another reason for misunderstanding is baseless rumors.
Look at Acts 21:21 – “They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs.” Many Jewish Christians in Jerusalem heard a teaching that Paul was instructing Jews living among the Gentiles not to circumcise their children or follow customs. However, there is no evidence anywhere in the Book of Acts that Paul said anything like this about Jews (Yoo). On the contrary, the author of Acts clearly pointed out three instances where Paul respected Jewish customs: (1) Circumcising Timothy, born to a Gentile father and a Jewish mother, during his second missionary journey (Acts 16:2-3); (2) Shaving his head in accordance with his Nazirite vow at the end of his second missionary journey (18:18); (3) Observing the Feast of Unleavened Bread carefully during his last journey to Jerusalem, as shown by his plan to arrive before Pentecost (20:6, 16). These facts clearly demonstrate that Paul, as a devout Jew, continued to observe customs related to Moses' law. This refutes the baseless rumor that many Jewish Christians, who had negative thoughts about Paul, heard—that Paul was teaching a departure from Moses' law, which had no factual basis (Yoo).
How common is it to be misunderstood due to unfounded rumors? An article titled ‘My Name is Rumor’ in the Atlanta Journal (May 1995) sheds light on this issue: ‘I am 'Rumor. I absolutely hate the truth. I can ruin people without laying a hand on them, deteriorate relationships effortlessly, tear hearts apart, and destroy lives. I am cunning and evil, growing stronger with time. The more I am on people's lips, the more they believe in me. Those ensnared by me are desperate; once caught in my web, there is no escaping. Tracking me down? Impossible. The more I'm pursued, the more crafty I become. I am nobody's friend. My mission is simply to blemish someone. Once targeted by me, a person can never be the same. I bring down governments and shatter once-happy marriages. I turn long-established careers and trust into nothing. I make people lose sleep and suffer headaches. Making good people cry into their pillows is what I do! I don't need to speak loudly; I spread quietly, like a whisper. That's why my name is Rumor’ (Atlanta Journal).
So, how should we deal with misunderstandings?
Look at Acts 21:23-24: "So do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law." How did James and the elders of the Jerusalem church propose to resolve the misunderstanding? They urged Paul to participate in a purification ritual with four men who had taken a vow, paying for their expenses and allowing them to shave their heads (vv. 23-24). In the eyes of the Jews, covering the expenses for poor Nazirites was seen as a highly pious act. Paul accepted the suggestion from James and the Jerusalem elders and put it into practice. Why did he do so? Look at 1 Corinthians 9:19-20: "Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews, I became like a Jew, to win the Jews." Paul, though free, became like a Jew to win more of them for Christ. But was this approach effective? Did it resolve the misunderstanding between Paul and the Jews? The answer is "No." On the contrary, the whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut (v. 30). So, how should we handle misunderstandings? Rather than saying that Paul tried to resolve the misunderstanding, it would be more appropriate to say that he sought to lead even one more Jew to salvation despite the misunderstanding. While he may not have cleared up the misunderstanding, he seized the opportunity to testify to the Gospel amid persecution (Acts 22). This implies that we may experience sufficient misunderstanding, and despite our efforts to resolve it, it may persist. Nevertheless, in such situations, we should follow Paul's example and turn them into opportunities to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The renowned philosopher Plato once experienced a serious misunderstanding from those around him. Despite facing widespread criticism, he chose not to defend his position. When a disciple asked him, ‘Teacher, why don't you justify yourself?’ Plato responded, ‘The only way to put an end to their criticism is not through my defense. The only way to silence their criticism is through my consistently righteous conduct.’ As we navigate through life, there are occasions where we may face condemnation due to misunderstandings. Despite various attempts to resolve such misunderstandings, they may persist or even deepen like a twisted thread. In such moments, we, as believers, should know how to wait quietly for God's guidance and timing. It is unwise to try to resolve problems beyond our reach before God. Jesus Christ Himself faced numerous misunderstandings and criticisms during His time on earth. However, He patiently endured everything, waiting for the Father's timing. This serves as a beautiful example of complete obedience to God's will. Seeking understanding rather than misunderstanding and patiently awaiting God's timing are crucial aspects of a life beautifully surrendered to God's plan (Internet).
Pursuing understanding, not misunderstanding,
James Kim
(Guarding against negative thoughts and baseless rumors)