Paul's Second Missionary Journey

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Wet Blankets

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Chapter 15, verses 1 thru 5, record a problem that came from those whom I have chose to call, "Wet Blankets". The problem concerned circumcision. Circumcision had long been a necessity for Jewish males. It was demanded of all Jews and Jewish Proselytes. It dated back to Abraham (Gen. 17:10-14) where it became a token of the covenant between him and God.

Now the problem. Some of the new Christian converts in Jerusalem were Jews and some were Jewish Proselytes. These people were still zealous of the Law and felt led to go up to Antioch, hoping to place this burden of the Law upon the new Gentile converts there. Some scholars believe that they were Priests and Pharisees disguised as Christians, but either way, their intent was to convince these new Christians that it was needful for them to obey this Law and them hoping that it would spread into the other churches in Asia Minor.

Notice when they arrived they put on a pretence of concern and joy, pretending to be happy that these Gentiles had embraced the Christian belief. Pretending also to be concerned about their salvation. Congratulating them on their conversion, BUT, telling them that there was still one thing they lacked, they needed to be circumcised.

Now this certainly was not going to stop with this one Law. If they had been successful in getting them to go this, they would have continued to have burdened them with the sacrifices and ceremonies of the Law, all of which they had been freed from under Christ.

Because the teachings of thousands of years could not be overcome in such a shot time, many Jewish converts to Christianity, after being baptized and admitted into the Church, still kept the Law concerning meats, feasts, purification and Temple service. Thus it would become necessary to destroy the Temple and the Jewish nation for a time. By the Grace of God, people like Barnabas and Paul understood the freedoms that are ours in Christ and fortunately, were present when these troublemakers came up to Antioch from Jerusalem. Verse 2 says that Paul and Barnabas had no small debate with them. They had no intention of letting these people place this burden upon these new converts. They stood up publically and debated the question at every opportunity. The message that Paul had preached from Antioch to Derbe, to all Gentiles, was that faith in Jesus Christ was all that was needed to be saved and he was not going to add anything to this or change his Gospel.

It became evident that the problem was not going to be resolved at Antioch, not because there was any doubt at Antioch but because the impostors claimed to have been sent by the Apostles at Jerusalem and therefore they would need to resolve it there. So Barnabas and Paul, along with some of the others, were commissioned to go to Jerusalem to speak to the Apostles and resolve the question once and for all. In this manner they were showing courtesy and honor to the Apostles and also hoping to stop this thing at it's inception.

Debate

They went by way of Phoenicia and Samaria, stopping at all the new Christian Churches along the way to tell of the success of their journey into Asia Minor, and the conversion of the Gentiles. This naturally gave these people great joy because they were not considered Jews themselves.

Now notice what happened when they got to Jerusalem. First, the Church there gave them a great welcome. The Elders, the Apostles and the Brothern welcomed them to their hearts and to their pulpits and Barnabas and Paul gave them a full report of all that God had done with their ministry to the Gentiles. We see something very evident about Paul's ministry. Wherever he went he planted the seed. When ever he returned, he watered the seed. When ever he told about it, he gave God the credit for the increase.

Secondly, we see some of the same kind of thinking that caused the problem in Antioch. Some believers that belonged to the "Circumcision Party" of the Pharisees made it a point to remind, yes even command new converts that it was necessary that they be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses. We need to stop here and observe what has been going on here in Jerusalem sense Paul left. Apparently Pharisees, that group that had been so prejudice against Christ while He lived, were overcome by the power of the Holy Spirit and had accepted Him as their Lord and Savior after His death. These Pharisees were sincere in their faith but were not over joyed with the admission of the Gentiles into the Church, but would, however, allow them to come in if they were treated like Jewish Proselytes and be circumcised and told to obey the Laws of Moses. It is hard to overcome a lifetime of prejudice.

Now if this false teaching was going to be stopped, it had to be stopped now and here in Jerusalem. No false doctrine can be allowed to exist regardless how reasonable it may seem or how expedient it may be at the time. So it was necessary for this to be resolved by the Apostles as an "official" dogma of the Church.

Verses 6 thru 12, record the debate on this question. A Church Council was called. It was made up of the Elders and Ministers of the different congregations. They had assembled to hear both sides of the question and by prayer and supplication, arrive at a conclusion. It would appear that many spoke for both sides of the question. All were given time to speak as they felt led to do so. The Peter rose and spoke to the group. He does not, at first, appear to be speaking for either side but rather to be reminding the group of some past experiences that seemed to be relevant to the question.

First, he reminds them of his vision at Joppa. He was led of the Spirit to go to Caesarea to the house of a Gentile, a Roman Centurion, by the name of Cornelius, and how God gave the Gentiles the Holy Spirit just as He had the Apostles, for God made no distinction between the Apostle and the Gentile. He created within them a clean heart, full of faith, just as He had done for the Apostles.

Secondly, he called the Law a "yoke" around the neck which neither they nor their fathers were able to bear. He believed that those who would put this burden upon others were "putting words in God's mouth". "Why." Peter said, "Do you attempt to make two ways to be saved, one for the Jew and one for the Gentile?" "Are not all men saved the same?" "We believe that we are saved by the Grace of the Lord Jesus, won't the Gentile be saved the same way?" This must have got them thinking , for verse 12 says, "All the assembly was silent, considering the points that Peter had made."

Then Paul and Barnabas took the opportunity to tell the council all the signs and wonders that God had done thru them amongst the Gentiles. Then it came "decision time".

A Decision by Common Consent

Verses 13 thru 35 describe the decision. We see that James, the half brother of Jesus, is now the Moderator of the Council. All have had the opportunity to speak and now it is his duty to come up with a decision that is agreeable to the majority. To do this, he sums up all that has been said. He reminds them of Peter's experiences. He uses scripture. reminding them of prophecy concerning the Gentiles. Then he rendered a "judgment". In the original Greek the word might be better rendered "opinion".

Matthew Henry says that James rendered an opinion not having an authority over the rest but as being an adviser who had listened to both sides and with an open mind, being led of the Spirit, came to a conclusion. Now lets look at that conclusion.

1. Circumcision and the observances of the Ceremonial Law would by no means be imposed upon Gentile converts, not even recommended or mentioned to them. He notes that there have been many Gentiles that have turned to Christ and that he hopes that there will be many more. He believes that they should be treated tenderly and no hardship should be put upon them. He notes that the Kingdom of God is neither meat nor drink nor the obtaining nor the doing of things. No small confession for James.
2. However, he believes that there are certain things that are most offensive to Jews and that Gentiles should try not to do them. He lists three things:
   1. Abstain from fellowship with idolaters especially their worship and taking part in their feasts. (Later we will see that Paul got involved in this with the church at Corinth.)
   2. Abstain from fornication or illicit sexual encounters. (Paul spoke more against this than any other sin) This sin was the "trademark" of the pagan and was very offensive to the Jew. Most Jews assumed that all Gentiles engaged in fornication.
   3. Abstain from anything strangled and from blood. Everything had to be bled before it was prepared to eat. This one was not as distasteful to the Jew as the other two, but eating blood had been forbidden sense the time of Noah and was part of the Law of Moses.

These three restrictions were a token victory for the Jews, small concessions that would allow all to leave in harmony and peace. So in exchange for doing away with the ceremonial laws like circumcision, they would agree to stay from idolaters, refrain from fornication and not eat meat with blood still in it.

Then James, in an effort to help those Jews that might still be having trouble with the inclusion of the Gentile, reminded them that this was not something new, for from early generations other nations had turned to the One Tue and Living God, and verse 22 indicates that this was well received and agreed to and appeared to have unanimous approval.

Having resolved the problem, it seemed expedient to put their decision in writing and send it back to the Gentiles. Now we might think that the obvious messengers to take this letter back would be Barnabas and Paul but notice others from the Church at Jerusalem was chosen. Those chosen were noted leaders, men of eminent gifts and graces, honored men of the Church.

Why were these men chosen?

1. Certainly not because they didn't trust Barnabas and Paul. They had been responsible for bringing this problem to a decision and had, by the leadership of the Holy Spirit, removed a burden from the Christian that they did not have to bare.
2. No, this was apparently done to show their respect for the younger churches and their Gentile Brothern.
3. Also, it was done to enforce and support Barnabas and Paul, leaving no doubt in anyone's mind as to what the decision was.
4. These men would by the very of their position in the Church, show how important this decision was.
5. Also it would afford an opportunity for both churches to cultivate better relations with each other as meetings of this type were rare due to distance and persecution, thus opportunities, when they did occur, had to be taken advantage of.

Now notice who these messengers were. Two were appointed. Judas, who was called Barsabus, who was probably a brother of Joseph who was one of two men who were nominated to take Judas' place as an Apostle and Silas, about whom we know very little apart from the fact that he was an important man in the Jerusalem Church.

Now lets look at the letter that they carried. It was written in the form of a "circular" letter, that is to say it was to be circulated among the churches, Jewish and Gentile alike. Notice the salutation, "To the Brothern, both the Apostles and the Elders (ministers)." This, though it may not appear so, was a humble way of referring to themselves and to those who had assumed places of leadership in the various congregations. Notice that was no claim made here or insinuated to exist, of being the sole judge in matters of faith. This resolution had been the result of much prayer deliberation and was not intended to be a "Church Dogma". We see here the early roots of congregational "autonomy".

Now notice to whom it was written. "To the Brothern who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia." This covered the area directly south, east and north of Antioch.

Lets take a moment to read between the lines and see what great strides had been made at this council in the way of "breaking away from the past" and "looking forward to the future".

1. They had acknowledged the admission of the Gentile into the Church of Jesus Christ.
2. They had acknowledged that certain persons had gone out from them and had caused trouble , but they hastened to add that these people had done so on their own and were not sent or sanctioned by the Brothern in Jerusalem.
3. They acknowledged that they had met and discussed the problems caused by the people, had come to a unanimous decision, and had chosen two men from their group to go back to Antioch with a letter that would substantiate what the men would advise them was the resolution they had arrived at.
4. They acknowledged that it did not seem right to lay upon the Gentiles any greater burden than was necessary, so the matter of circumcision and ceremonial law was not deemed necessary to salvation.
5. They acknowledged that there was certain things which they did that they would recommend that the Gentiles do also i.e.
   1. Abstain from that which had been sacrificed to idols.
   2. Abstain from the blood of animals.
   3. Abstain from unchastity.

"If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well." This was the sum and substance of the letter, and as you can see, required a great change of attitude on the part of these Jews.

So armed with this letter and supported by the two men sent from Jerusalem, Judas and Silas, Barnabas and Paul returned to Antioch and gathered the congregation together. This matter had caused a great deal of trouble in Antioch and elsewhere among the Gentiles and they were anxious to know how the Apostles in Jerusalem would resolve it. Most feared that they would certainly side with the ceremonial laws and had they been left to their own traditions, they would have, but, led of the Spirit, they kept the freedoms that was given to them by faith in Jesus Christ and when the letter was read, all the people rejoiced.

This certainly caused for a great celebration in which all enjoyed the fellowship and communion. Afterward it appeared that Silas and Judas returned to Jerusalem and Barnabas and Paul remained at Antioch, but as we will see in the next lesson, Silas may have stayed in Antioch also.

Paul Proposes Another Trip

It had been a year sense Barnabas and Paul returned from their first missionary journey. They had been busy teaching the new converts and resolving the problems brought by the troublemakers from Jerusalem. Now notice that it is Paul that suggests that they make another journey. Chapter 15, verse 36 records this. His desire was to go back to the churches that they had started on the first journey and see how the work was progressing. He proposes this to his old friend and fellow missionary, Barnabas. "Let us return and visit in every city where we proclaimed the Word of the Lord." "Let us see how they are doing."

Disagreement Over Mark

Paul was anxious to know if these new converts had been able to withstand the persecution of the Jews and if they had been able to stay true to the doctrine that he had preached to them in spite of the pressure of the Jew whom the Gentile believed had a special avenue to God. It would seem that Barnabas was also anxious and indeed ready to go. BUT.... he wanted to again take his Nephew, John Mark, along as they did the first time. Paul had been disappointed in Mark the first and he had no intention of doing it again. This disagreement became so intent that they separated and went their different ways.

Some suggest that Barnabas was concerned about Mark because he was a relative and he felt responsible for him, but most believe that Barnabas saw in him what ultimately became true, he was a tremendous servant for Jesus Christ, but all that Paul could see, at that time, was a young man who did not have the fortitude to continue on the last trip. Later, Mark will become like a son to Paul.

Much is speculated about the separation of these two great men of God. Matthew Henry says we can learn much from this. First, the best of men are, after all, only men, subject to like passions as we are. Secondly, it appeared that neither was willing to make any allowance for the other. Paul expected to much from the young Mark, Barnabas, perhaps, indulged him in his weakness. Both were stubborn, unyielding and certainly not seeking advise from a third person. Thirdly, we can see, through this argument, the need to be charitable of others. If these two great men couldn't get along, how much more might we, of lesser faith, have problems.

But there was a good side to this argument, Matthew Henry says that God would not permit such things to happen if He did not know how to make them serve His purpose. The "age old" argument about "free will" is present here. Did God cause Paul and Barnabas to separate, or did God allow Paul and Barnabas to separate? What good came out of this separation? Very simply, more places were visited by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. More people were able to hear the Gospel and come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior. More hands were brought into the ministry. John Mark, young and wavering in the faith, was given another chance. A man by the name of Silas who was supposed to have returned to Jerusalem, became engaged in missionary work among the Gentiles.

Paul and Silas

Now we might read something into verse 40 that would indicate what the feelings of the people at Antioch were about this. Notice on particular notice was given to Barnabas and Mark as they set sail for Cyprus, but Paul and Silas were recommended by the Brother there as they leave to go to the churches in Syria and Celosia. Perhaps they saw something that Luke did not care to relate to us about this disagreement between Barnabas and Paul or perhaps by the time Luke wrote this he had became very close to Paul and maturity and replaced the inexperience of youth. Matthew Henry believes that the people of Antioch though that Paul was right but could not blame Barnabas for looking after his Nephew.

Later Paul will write in Second Timothy, "Bring John Mark with you for he is profitable to me and the ministry." Also to the Colossians he wrote, "Please welcome and receive Mark for the work of the ministry." Paul teaches a good lesson here that even those whom we condemn, who afterwards prove to be faithful, we should cheerfully receive, forgive and put confidence in. So Barnabas and Mark go to Cyprus and Paul and Silas go to Asia Minor.

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