Acts 15:22-31
Chapter 15
They brought with them the following letter:
“Greetings from the apostles and elders, your brothers, to the believers of non-Jewish descent in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia.
We have heard that some individuals from among us have worried you with their discussions and disturbed your peace of mind. They were not appointed by us.
But now, it seems right to us, in an assembly, to choose representatives and to send them to you, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
who have dedicated their lives to serving our Lord Jesus Christ.
We are sending you, then, Judas and Silas, who will personally convey these instructions to you.
We, with the Holy Spirit, have decided not to impose any burdens on you except what is essential:
You are to abstain from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from prohibited marriages. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.
After saying goodbye, the messengers went to Antioch, where they gathered the community and handed them the letter.
When they read the message, everyone was excited about the encouragement it provided.
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.