read Acts 15
The "Council" of Jerusalem is the term frequently used for a gathering of the Apostles and other Christian leaders which took place in the Holy City approximately at the end of the fifth decade of our Christian era. It was at this meeting that the early Church officially broke out of the womb of theJewish tradition, to reach out to all people regardless of race, language, or cultural background. At the beginning, the early followers of Jesus considered themselves to be fulfilling their Jewish inheritance. They did have practices that were typical of their new beliefs -- Baptism, the celebration of theEucharist, prayer directed to Christ as God --, and they lived in a companionship of love which, across the centuries to this very day, still appears as ideally beautiful. But they appeared to all to be a Jewishsect. They lived as Jews; they participated in Jewish worship; they practiced the traditional Jewish forms of piety; and they observed the ancient Jewish law that had come down from Moses.
The great majority of Christians were Jews. In Antioch as in Jerusalem, they considered themselves bound to circumcision, to their dietary laws, and to the customs that forbid their eating with Gentiles. Since the Eucharist took place on the occasion of a meal, the Jews considered it impossible to celebrate it together with their new Gentile brethren. The difficult dilemma was to decide whether, a Jew, should refuse to share communion with Gentiles; or, as an Apostle, should rise above such distinctions; or again whether you should insist that the non-Jewish Christians, a small minority living among Jews and well aware of Jewish traditions at the time of their Baptism, submit freely to Jewish ritual and law.
The Apostles met in Jerusalem, and some historians argue about the date it was held. There were various theories ranging from A.D. 48 to 52. Scripture scholars wonder whether the assembly described in chapter 15 refers to one meeting or two. But no one disagrees that the assembly was one of the great moments in the history of' the Church.The leading Apostles were there: Peter and Paul, John, and James the Less. So were their close assistants and companions, Barnabas, Silas, Titus, and others. Many, especially those of the Pharisees' party inJerusalem, insisted that the Gentiles should be circumcised and instructed to keep the prescriptions of the law of Moses. Others, especially Paul and Barnabas, argued against them. The author of Acts tells us that the discussion went on a long time. In the end the issue was settled: no conditions arising out of the Jewish law were to be imposed on converts to the young Christian Church.The decision of the Council was of course a vital one. It marked the break between Christianity and the Jewish faith. The Christian faith would be represented henceforth and preached in a variety of traditions.
Discussion & or reflection questions
Have you had an experience in a church where there were different worship styles than you were used to? How difficult is it to change workshop styles?
What was running through your mind when reading chapter 15?
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While reading at the end of chapter 15 it struck me that Barnabas and Paul had such a strong disagreement that they parted ways. At first glance it seems sad that they let a simple matter break up what appeared to be such an effective team. But as He always seems to do, God used this for His good. Paul goes on to revisit and strengthen the churches he had previously visited and takes with him a new companion to learn from him. While the Bible does not tell us I would like to presume that Barnabas and Mark went on to Cyprus spreading the gospel. Thus by splitting up they were able to reach more people for Christ.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first converted and became a Catholic, the mass was being spoken in Latin. Even though I had taken the classes in order to convert, this was very confusing to me. Here I was going into a new religion and was dealing with so many changes but now I had to deal with the Latin and not understanding what was being said and the significance of it. I can identify with the inner struggle going on back then and the frustration that was surely felt.
ReplyDeleteScott, good observation. As we know, the Holy Spirit talks with us and we don't always know why he leads us in a particular way; timing can be crucial. Mark may not have been suited for Paul's trip and God was planning on using Mark in a big way with Barnabas.
ReplyDeleteWhat does anyone else think?
When I was reading this chapter, I, like Scott, did not focus on Paul and Barnabas going their separate ways, but I thought that this allowed both of them to spread the gospel to more people.
ReplyDeleteI have also wondered how difficult it was for the disciples in this time not only because of the travel difficulties, but also because they were constantly rejected, especially by the Jews and also had to counter false teachings. Oh what faith they had!!!
I have always assumed that the parting of Paul and Barnabus was part of God's plan to spread the gospel. Too bad they had to do it because of a disagreement, or so they thought.
ReplyDeleteI have been to Catholic funerals and at least one Catholic wedding. The worship style was very different from ours, though the more recent ones were in English. At first I felt a lot of anxiety because I didn't want to do the wrong thing. Then someone told me it was perfectly proper to sit and do nothing and just not worry about when to kneel, etc. Since then it has been easier. When my son went through confirmation in Houston, we took the class to a Jewish Synagogue and a Catholic Church to show the children that part of our history. Both groups were very gracious and did all they could to make us feel comfortable.
While reading Chapter 15, all I could think of was gratitude for being included.