Acts 15:7-21

Acts 15:7-21

After much debate had taken place,

Peter got up and said to the Apostles and the presbyters,

“My brothers, you are well aware that from early days

God made his choice among you that through my mouth

the Gentiles would hear the word of the Gospel and believe.

And God, who knows the heart,

bore witness by granting them the Holy Spirit

just as he did us.

He made no distinction between us and them,

for by faith he purified their hearts.

Why, then, are you now putting God to the test

by placing on the shoulders of the disciples

a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?

On the contrary, we believe that we are saved

through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they.”

The whole assembly fell silent,

and they listened

while Paul and Barnabas described the signs and wonders

God had worked among the Gentiles through them.

After they had fallen silent, James responded,

“My brothers, listen to me.

Symeon has described how God first concerned himself

with acquiring from among the Gentiles a people for his name.

The words of the prophets agree with this, as is written:

            After this I shall return

                        and rebuild the fallen hut of David;

            from its ruins I shall rebuild it

                        and raise it up again,

            so that the rest of humanity may seek out the Lord,

                        even all the Gentiles on whom my name is invoked.

            Thus says the Lord who accomplishes these things,

                        known from of old.

It is my judgment, therefore,

that we ought to stop troubling the Gentiles who turn to God,

but tell them by letter to avoid pollution from idols,

unlawful marriage, the meat of strangled animals, and blood.

For Moses, for generations now,

has had those who proclaim him in every town,

as he has been read in the synagogues every sabbath.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, by sending your Son and Spirit, you have rebuilt the fallen hut of David and established the Church as the seed and beginning of your Kingdom on earth. I am so blessed to be a part of that Kingdom.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Controversy in the Early Church: The mission of Paul and Barnabas to the Gentiles was not without controversy. It seems that John Mark left the mission due to his disagreement with Paul about the Gentile converts not having to follow all of the Laws of Moses. And even Barnabas, it seems, had his doubts (see Galatians 2:13). The controversy was noted early on in the Acts of the Apostles, when Peter returned to Jerusalem after baptizing the Gentile Cornelius and his family. Peter was criticized, not for baptizing Cornelius, but for eating with someone who was uncircumcised. And so, there was a debated question. Some, like Paul, held that the Gentile converts did not need to be circumcised; others, who were called “the circumcision party,” held that they did. When Peter arrived in Antioch (Galatians 2:11), he began to eat with the Gentiles. But when people, sent by James the Lesser, came from Jerusalem to Antioch, Peter started to separate himself from the Gentile Converts. “With that the controversy burst into flame, threatening the unity and very identity of the new Christian movement” (Gray and Cavins, Walking with God, 296).

2. Joy During the Debates at the Council of Jerusalem: According to the First Reading, the joy of Christ lasted even when the disciples endured trials. The early followers of Jesus were known to rejoice even under persecution. We can suppose that true Christian joy lasted throughout the Council of Jerusalem (in A.D. 49). The Council’s debates, discussions, and discernment all took place in the context of prayer and Christian charity. The Apostles and elders (presbyters) of the Church earnestly sought the will of God and sought to understand the signs and wonders God worked through them among the Gentiles. At the Council of Jerusalem, Peter affirmed that both Jews and Gentiles receive the gift of salvation through faith and the grace of Christ, and not through circumcision and the burdensome yoke of the Old Law. To demand that the Gentile believers submit to the sign of circumcision and the Old Law would mean putting God to the test (like the Israelites in the desert) and would only place a yoke of burden on the Gentiles. Paul and Barnabas confirmed what Peter decided and spoke of the signs and wonders God worked through them among the Gentiles. The Sacrament of Baptism commanded by the Messiah, not the sign of circumcision commanded by Moses, was the way of entry into the New People of God.

3. James Agreed with Peter: James the Lesser – who was the son of Alpheus, the brother of the Lord, and the Bishop of Jerusalem – agreed with the decision of Peter: “We should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God.” But James also taught that, in accord with the Law (Leviticus 17:8-18:30), the Gentile believers should refrain from several things: eating meat sacrificed to pagan gods; sexual immorality; eating meat with blood in it; and eating meat from animals slaughtered improperly or not properly drained of blood. James was concerned that if the Gentile believers continued to do such things, this would destroy the communion and table fellowship between Jewish and Gentile Christians. James quoted the prophet Amos, who foretold of the day when God would rebuild the fallen hut of David. As a descendant of David, Jesus accomplished this restoration and rebuilt David’s hut, tabernacle, tent, or dwelling (skene). What is more, Amos foresaw that this restoration signaled the day when all the Gentile nations, and not just the tribes of Israel, would seek the Lord and be welcomed into his people. The Gentile believers are to be welcomed not with the burden of the Old Law, which was powerless to save, but with the grace and love of Jesus Christ, which does save. It was important to highlight how James agreed with Peter, since James was more traditional in his beliefs and was the one who, for a time, resisted the idea that the Gentiles did not need to follow everything in the Law of Moses when they converted to Jesus Christ.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are my Savior. You have rescued me from the slavery of sin and the scourge of death. Strengthen me today to abide in you and keep your commandment to love. Pour out your Spirit so that I may enjoy true and lasting joy as I journey toward the eternal joy of heaven.

Living the Word of God: Do I see the fruits of the Holy Spirit in my life? Where is there joy, love, and peace? Am I able to discern when something is from God and manifests the fruits of the Spirit and when something is not from God and manifests the fruits of the devil?