Acts 19-21

Paul's last recorded visit to Jerusalem ended with his arrest. A week before that Paul had met with James and the elders of the Jerusalem church. They encouraged Paul to sponsor some fellow Christians who had taken a vow. The vow would be fulfilled with a sacrifice sometime around the feast of Pentecost. What may have been planned as a celebration of God's firstfruits in a new covenant became a major shift in the focus of Paul's ministry.  Why did Paul agree to sponsor those who had made the vow? Why was Paul so anxious to associate himself with such a Jewish ritual? Why did Paul agree to a sacrifice when he believed that Jesus was the final sacrifice? Is it possible that Paul no longer saw this process as action of worship but rather a cultural barrier. A barrier that if he ignored or rejected its value among the Jews might limit the church's out reach to his fellow Jews with the Gospel message? What lessons can we learn from Paul action in this situation?
Stuart