Acts 15:1-6
Chapter 15
The Council at Jerusalem
Some individuals who had come from Judea to Antioch were teaching the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.”Because of this, there was trouble, and Paul and Barnabas had heated disputes with them. For Paul told the people to stay as they were when they believed. Finally, those who had come from Jerusalem suggested that Paul, Barnabas, and some others go to Jerusalem to discuss the matter with the apostles and elders.
They were sent on their way by the Church. As they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they reported how the non-Jews had turned to God, and there was great joy among all the brothers and sisters.
When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, to whom they shared everything God had done through them.
Some believers, however, who belonged to the party of the Pharisees, stood up and said that non-Jewish men must be circumcised and instructed to keep the law of Moses.
So the apostles and elders gathered together to discuss this matter.
Commentaries
The Council of Jerusalem.
The Church in Jerusalem was led by Jewish Christians who saw themselves as a sort of “remnant” or ghetto where the new, definitive Israel was being shaped. However, they did not fully understand the novelty of Jesus, his death, and resurrection, which, while maintaining the spiritual roots linking him to the people of Israel, abolished all boundaries set by race, discriminatory laws, and exclusionary traditions. In contrast, the Antioch community was diverse in composition and active in its mission. Its main characteristic was, internally, the ability to live together in diversity; externally, openness to people of various cultures. This situation, which had lasted for several years, could no longer continue. The spark that ignited the conflict between the two churches came from a group of extremists from Judea. Paul calls them “false brothers,” who traveled to Antioch and began to teach that salvation was impossible without circumcision. Paul, Barnabas, and their group responded strongly. A meeting of representatives from both churches was needed to resolve the issue. The unity of the church was maintained, but discriminatory barriers were broken down, and Gentiles were welcomed into the community. Peter’s words in Jerusalem continue to resonate prophetically today. If God has chosen them, who are we to exclude them? With this statement, Luke concludes his mention of Peter in the book. He no longer refers to him. His actions follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the central figure throughout the Book of Acts.