But thanks to impassioned speeches by the apostle Peter (Acts 15:7-11), Paul and Barnabas (Acts 15:12) as well as James (Acts 15:13-21), these leaders decide that there is no reason to add such a yoke to these non-Jewish believers. If God has given them His Holy Spirit marking them as followers of Jesus, how could they ask more of them?
At this point, the leaders of the early church decide to send a delegation to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas (v22). The two men are "Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers." There is little known about Judas Barsabbas from Scripture except that he was a prophet (Acts 15:32). There is speculation that he is the brother of Joseph called Barsabbas, one of the two candidates put forth to replace Judas Iscariot as apostle (Acts 1:23). Their nickname Barsabbas probably indicates they were the sons of Sabba. There is probably some connection between these two men, but nothing conclusive can be gained through Acts.
The other man is Silas. He will be a key figure in Paul's second missionary journey (Acts 15:50-18:5). He is also called Silvanus. He acted as Peter's amanuensis (scribe) for his first epistle. Silas is most likely Jewish as well as a Roman citizen (Acts 16:37).
The leaders of the Jerusalem church selected Judas and Silas because they were among the best and brightest. The various translations describe them as "leading men," "chief men" or "leaders." These two had stepped up into positions of authority and responsibility. This is a great reminder of the continual need to identify and train new leaders in the local church.
The leaders in Jerusalem send these four men with a letter to not only the church in Antioch, but "to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia" (v23). Clearly non-Jews made up much of these churches. Chances are that Paul planted these churches. His hometown of Tarsus is in the region of Cilicia. In his letter to the Galatians, he describes how he returned "to the regions of Syria and Cilicia" after visiting Jerusalem (Gal 1:21).
The Jerusalem leaders go out of their way to include these Gentile believers as brothers and sisters in Christ. This is VERY important. If Jewish Christians from Jerusalem welcome their Gentile brethren into the family of faith, who could exclude them?
The letter goes on to say, "Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions" (v24). In other words, those folks may have come from Jerusalem but they didn't have permission to speak on behalf of our church.
The verbs "troubled" and "unsettling" deserve a closer look. "Trouble" is the Greek tarasso. It means to trouble the mind, to shake up or stir up (like water), to terrify. "Unsettle" is the Greek anaskeuazo. The basic term carries the idea of packing up baggage or breaking camp. Used in this context, it means to dismantle or destroy something. In extrabiblical literature, writers used the term to describe someone in financial bankruptcy. The terms used in this letter let us know the spiritual damage these men had done in the Gentile churches.
The letter goes on to say that the apostles and elders have come to agreement on the issue, "having come to one accord" (v25). They are in consensus regarding what is required of any non-Jews who follow Messiah Jesus. They have chosen these two men, Judas and Silas, to accompany Barnabas and Paul to bring their decision to Antioch.
The church leaders describe how Barnabas and Paul "have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ" (v26). Remember how Jews in Iconium put a hit on these two (Acts 14:5), eventually stoning Paul to the point that they thought he was dead (Acts 14:19). Christ had given these men a message that was too important to let the threat of death stop them.
What the Jerusalem church leadership wrote in the letter will be reinforced by Judas and Silas (v27). These two men will answer any questions the churches might have about the ruling.
The Holy Spirit has guided these leaders in their decision. They didn't simply come up with what they thought was the best idea. God inspired their decision. "It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us" (v28). Peter, James and the others sought the Lord's guidance in what to do.
The leaders decision is in agreement with James' proposition in Acts 15:20. Gentile Christians should avoid anything sacrificed to an idol, blood, anything strangled and sexual immorality. These things were important because each of them were central to pagan idolatry. Non-Jewish Christians were to completely turn their backs on the activities of the pagan temples.
Such letters would be key to early believers, explaining doctrine and helping people understand what it meant to be a follower of Jesus. This letter to the churches of Antioch, Syria and Cilicia came about the same time as James' epistle and Paul's letter of instruction to Galatia.
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