Acts 15


The Council at Jerusalem

¹Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." ²This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. ³The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad. ⁴When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.
⁵Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses."

Acts 15:1-5

Explanation:

The Jerusalem Council (15:1-35)
In a day when the cultural diversity of world-class cities is more "stew pot" than "melting pot," the church needs to relearn lessons from the Jerusalem council. These lessons will help the body of Christ seize the moment for further evangelistic advance, for we will be able to model a harmonious cultural diversity that the world with all its ethnic strife can only hope for. Here is great good news for Theophilus and us: a gospel that recognizes diversity yet enables harmonious living based on a higher unity, our identity in Christ.



The Problem Surfaces (15:1-5)

The grand reunion at Antioch continues for some time (14:28). And in due course some from Judea come and begin to teach (edidaskon imperfect is ingressive) "another gospel." They baldly claim, Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved. This incident may have been the same as the one described in Galatians 2:11-14, although from what we learn at the council the visitors should not be organically linked to Peter or James. Though they claim the latter's name, they are probably more rigorous concerning the law than he. It is likely that they come from among the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees, since their doctrine is the same (15:5).

These teachers are adding a performance condition to salvation: circumcision and, as their Jerusalem compatriots articulate it, obedience to the law of Moses. Such a "proselyte model" of Gentile conversion was natural to Jews steeped in the Old Testament, which promises that in the last days Gentiles, through the witness of a restored Israel, will flow to Jerusalem and be incorporated into the one people of God (Is 2:2-3; 25:6-8; 56:6-7; 60:2-22; Zech 8:23).

Paul and Barnabas disagree so strongly with this group that a sharp dispute, turbulent quarreling, arises as they debate the issue (compare 23:7, 10). When the church (including its leaders--Longenecker 1981:443) sees that discussion is not producing a resolution, it orders that a delegation be sent to the apostles and elders at Jerusalem to address the problem. Such an appeal is most appropriate, for the Judean visitors came from the Jerusalem church, and naturally it is the next highest court of appeal. Not only do Jesus' apostles lead this original post-Pentecost church, but it is also the mother church of Antioch (11:19-21) and has expressed some proprietary interest (11:22-23).

The behavior of Paul and Barnabas teaches us that it is right to contend for the truth of the gospel in spite of the debate that may ensue. No local church or denomination should settle for politically expedient peace at the expense of doctrinal purity. At the same time, Antioch's decision to appeal to Jerusalem shows us that doctrinal purity maintained in an atmosphere of contentiousness--at the expense of peace--is an equally wrong situation.

Sent . . . on their way, escorted some distance by the church, the delegation travels by land, visiting fellow believers in Phoenicia and Samaria. These rejoice at the report of the conversion of the Gentiles (14:27; 15:12). What a contrast to the suspicious reaction of the teachers from Judea! Luke's note shows not only that the Judaizers are in the minority but, positively, that joy is the appropriate response to news that persons of any cultural group have come to salvation (Lk 1:14; 15:7, 10, 32; Acts 11:23). One of the best litmus tests for the presence of the saving grace of God in our hearts is whether they overflow in joy at the news that another has found the Savior.

The church and its leaders welcome the delegation and receive a report of everything God had done through (preferably "for"; Bauer, Gingrich and Danker 1979:509; compare 14:27) them (15:4). A Judaizing response comes from the Pharisaic party (hairesis--not heresy or sect, but "wing," like evangelicals and Anglo-Catholics in the Anglican Church). To them, to allow Gentiles to be converted and incorporated into the church by faith and baptism is a truncated approach: The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses. Before we are too hard on these zealous Jewish Christians, let's ask ourselves, What cultural dos and don'ts have we appended to the gospel as conditions for church membership?

⁶The apostles and elders met to consider this question. ⁷After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. ⁸God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. ⁹He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. ¹⁰Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? ¹¹No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."
¹²The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. ¹³When they finished, James spoke up: "Brothers, listen to me. ¹⁴Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. ¹⁵The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:
    ¹⁶" 'After this I will return
       and rebuild David's fallen tent.
   Its ruins I will rebuild,
       and I will restore it,
    ¹⁷that the remnant of men may seek the Lord,
       and all the Gentiles who bear my name,
   says the Lord, who does these things'
        ¹⁸that have been known for ages.
¹⁹"It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. ²¹For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath."

Acts 15:6-21

Explanation:

The Witness of the Spirit and the Word (15:6-21)

Church leaders and members must learn to debate with each other so that the truth may be embraced by all. The Jerusalem Council shows us the right ammunition for debate and a church leader's responsibilities in it.

Peter's Speech (15:6-11)

At an official gathering of the Jerusalem church leaders, apostles and elders, there is much debate (compare 15:2). Finally Peter rises to speak. He begins by stressing the divine initiative in the inauguration of the Gentile mission. He reminds the church, alluding to the Cornelius incident, that some time ago (ten to twelve years) God chose him to be the mouthpiece by which Gentiles would hear the gospel and come to saving faith (10:33, 36, 43; 11:13-14). Next he points to the divine acceptance of the Gentiles: God, who knows the heart (1:24), a person's true spiritual state, gave the Holy Spirit to them as he had to Jewish believers at Pentecost (10:44-48; 11:15, 17). Here Peter strongly challenges the Jewish view that the only acceptable outward evidence of the conversion of Gentiles is their willingness to be circumcised and live as Jews. If God has taken initiative toward the Gentiles and accepted them for salvation, God's lack of prejudice against the Gentiles is obvious.

Peter draws a negative and positive conclusion from his experience with Cornelius and his household. Negatively, to insist on circumcision and living under the Jewish law is actually to put God to the test. Though secondarily this would be to call "into question [God's] power to cleanse the hearts of the uncircumcised by His Spirit" (Williams 1985:253), primarily it means tempting God to inflict punishment, even eternal condemnation, by placing the Gentile convert back in the "law performance" way of trying to relate to God. Taking on the yoke of the law and carrying it was a positive image in Judaism (m. Berakot 2:2; m. 'Abot 3:5). Peter here claims that with respect to obtaining salvation, the responsible keeping of the law is futile (Acts 13:38-39; Gal 3:10-12). Positively, using the Gentiles as the standard, Peter declares that it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that "we believe so as to be saved," just as they [the Gentiles] are (compare 2:21; 4:12; 14:3; 16:30-31).

We must let this simple truth sink deep into our hearts, for as Lloyd Ogilvie observes, "The struggle for faith alone never ends. It's a part of our own inability to accept a gift. And deeper than that: we want to be loved because of what we do for God" (1983:227).

The Testimony of Barnabas and Paul (15:12)

In the face of Peter's cogent theological reasoning the whole assembly became silent. The groundwork for settling the issue in favor of Paul and Barnabas has been laid, and basic unity has been restored. Now Barnabas and Paul speak, telling about (providing "detailed information in a systematic manner"--Louw and Nida 1988:1:411), all (literally, "so many"--not in NIV) the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. As at Cornelius's conversion, God's miracle working has accompanied this Gentile mission (14:3, 9-10). Therefore Paul's mission and message--the law-free gospel of grace--has the same divine legitimacy as Peter's. Here we again encounter a focused function for signs and wonders: confirmation to Jews of God's approval of the Gentile mission (see comment at 14:3).

James's Assessment (15:13-21)

James, the half-brother of Jesus, who as the chief elder may well be chairing the meeting, spoke up--literally, "answered." He will now give his assessment of the evidence presented and offer a solution to the controversy. He interprets Peter's experience with Cornelius as a major event in God's salvation history. At first--that is, long ago (compare v. 7)--God showed his concern (v. 4; literally, "visited"). James's wording places the salvation of the Gentiles on a par with God's saving acts toward Israel, past and future (Ex 3:16; 4:31; Jer 39:41 LXX; Lk 1:68, 78; 7:16; Testament of Levi 16:5; 1 Enoch 25:3). His purpose is to take a people for his name from among the Gentiles. By using phrasing that closely echoes God's choosing of Israel, James heightens the radical nature of the new thing God has done (Ex 19:5; Deut 7:6). Now a people [laos] for himself (literally, "for his name"; compare Acts 15:17) will be taken from among the Gentiles.

Though the Jews expected God's salvation to reach to the Gentiles, they thought that Gentile participation would occur through incorporation into the already existing people of God, Israel. They never thought that the people of God would comprise both Jew and Gentile but not be Jewish. Note that Luke uses laos consistently in Acts to refer to the Jews as the people of God (4:10; 10:42; 13:17; 26:17, 23; 28:17; contrast 18:10).

Though this may be a radically new thought to the first-century Jew, it is not new to God. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this (15:15, referring to either the book of the twelve minor prophets--Acts 7:42; 13:40; compare Zech 2:11--or the fact that many prophets so agree). Here we have a reversal of roles for the promise and fulfillment. Usually it is the alleged fulfillment that must agree with the promise. Here the fulfillment becomes the hermeneutical key for understanding how the prophet Amos could prophesy that in the last days the "people of God" would include Gentiles who had not first become Jews.

The wording of the Amos 9:11-12 quotation (Acts 15:16-17) is a comprehensive statement of what God has done through Peter. The rebuilding of David's fallen tent may point ultimately to the whole saving program of God in his Messiah (Kaiser 1977:108; compare the Qumran use of the passage--CD 7:16; 4QFlor 1:12) and hence to Jesus' saving death and resurrection (Bruce 1988:293-94), but it does not do so in a spiritualizing way that violates the original context. To say that James equates the "house of David" with the church and the prophecy as a whole with "the church gathering to itself all the nations" does violate Amos's original intent (contra Williams 1985:254). Rightly interpreted, the rebuilt Davidic tent refers to a restored Israel, which in the person of Jewish Christians God chooses to inaugurate the Gentile mission (15:7, 14; compare Longenecker 1981:446). That was, after all, the purpose of Israel's restoration: that the remnant of men may seek the Lord.

James has grasped the very heart of Amos's eschatological message concerning the nature of the salvation that Messiah brings to the Gentiles. In so doing, James has replaced a proselyte model of Gentile salvation with an eschatological/christocentric one. The Lord has chosen to place his name on Gentiles as Gentiles, without requiring that they surrender their ethnic identity. That name, "the Lord Jesus Christ," is the basis on which they have repented and believed (Lk 24:47; Acts 4:12; 10:43), the identity they have adopted in baptism (2:38; 10:48; compare 11:26) and the reason they will suffer (compare 5:41; 14:22).

This Old Testament text teaches that Christians' new identity in Christ both supersedes and allows room for their cultural identity. Christians are saved from the error of prejudicial ethnocentrism. What a liberation, to respect and appreciate differences, not using them as weapons of prejudice but at the same time not being imprisoned by them!

James concludes the quote by affirming that this plan for Gentile salvation is not of human origin and is not new. It has been known by God for ages (compare Is 45:21). To oppose it with human cultural traditions, even those that appeal to Scripture, is to oppose God's eternal revelation.

What solution to the controversy does this freshly articulated understanding yield? James makes an "official" proposal of one negative and one positive action with respect to Gentile converts. We should not make it difficult for them: that is, Jewish Christians should not pressure Gentile converts (compare Judg 14:17; 16:16 LXX) into adopting circumcision and the yoke of the law as a necessary condition and sign of their salvation (contrast Acts 15:1, 5). Positively, the council asks Gentile converts to abstain from food polluted by idols (compare 15:29, "food sacrificed to idols"; Ex 34:15-16; compare Lev 17:7-8), sexual immorality (possibly meaning marriage within Levitical degrees--Lev 18:6-18), meat of strangled animals (meat that has not been ritually slaughtered so as to drain the blood properly--Lev 17:13) and blood (eating blood--Lev 17:10).

Interestingly, each of these prohibitions was originally addressed not only to Jew but also to Gentile aliens living alongside them in the land. The rules' specifics and their rationale (Acts 15:21) show they are given to promote table fellowship between uncircumcised Gentile converts and Jewish Christians who observe the dietary laws. There is no surrender here of the gospel freedom alluded to in verse 19. Rather, that freedom is to be used in love to serve Jewish Christian brothers and sisters, but not beyond the bounds of Scripture (Gal 5:13). Sexual immorality, as an ethical matter, not having to do with ritual purity, may seem out of place. But given that one of the Jews' ongoing concerns was "low ethical and moral standards among Gentiles" (Scott 1992:14), it is appropriate in this list to represent the category of moral standards.

James's proposal, then, teaches us three things about life together in a culturally diverse church. We must say no to any form of cultural imperialism that demands others' conformity to our cultural standards before we will accept them and their spiritual experience. We must say yes to mutual respect for our differences. And we must live out that respect even to the extent of using our freedom to forgo what is permissible in other circumstances.

In a day when transportation and urbanization make it easier to stay apart than face the challenge of living together as a multicultural body of believers, the church has yet to model consistently what James calls for. But even our separate culturally homogeneous fellowships may face challenges of gender, music and generation gaps. We need to take Acts 15 to heart.

Acts 15


The Council's Letter to Gentile Believers

²²Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers. ²³With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. ²⁴We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. ²⁵So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul-- ²⁶men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁷Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. ²⁸It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: ²⁹You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.
³⁰The men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. ³¹The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. ³²Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers. ³³After spending some time there, they were sent off by the brothers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. ³⁵But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.

Acts 15:22-35

Explanation:

The Council's Letter (15:22-29)

James's assessment and proposal carry the day not only with the leaders but with the whole church. The Judaizers lose the argument, though their influence may continue (compare 21:20-25). The council decides to send a letter and personal envoys to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. Judas (called Barsabbas) is possibly the brother of Joseph Barsabbas (1:23), though the patronymic Barsabbas ( son of Sabba, Seba or Sabbath) was common. Silas, the diminutive of Saul (little wolf), later becomes a traveling companion of Paul (Lake and Cadbury 1979:179; compare 15:40). Both are leaders, prophets (v. 32) and possibly representatives of the Hebraic Jewish and Hellenistic Jewish wings of the church, respectively. They will carry the letter (not write it; contrast Campbell 1988:509) and verify the council's decision in person.

The letter's very address shows a balance between unity in Christ and respect for diverse cultural identities. The apostles and elders, your brothers, address Christian brothers and sisters, recognizing their ethnic identity: To the Gentile believers, literally, "to the brothers from among the Gentiles."

The body of the letter communicates in essence the decisions on the two key issues: the spiritual status of uncircumcised Gentiles who have joined the church and regulations for their table fellowship with Jewish Christians (vv. 24-27, 28-29). The council does not address the first issue directly. It indicates its position through a disassociation from the Judaizers and an identification with and commendation of Paul and Barnabas. It describes in the strongest terms the disturbing effects of the Judaizers (compare Gal 1:7; 5:10). Troubling your minds is quite literally "a ravaging of your souls," as destructive as an army's devastation of enemy territory (Josephus Jewish Antiquities 14.406). In blunt terms the council disowns their mission and message, saying that these went out from us without our authorization.

By contrast, Paul and Barnabas are owned as our (esteemed) dear friends (literally, "beloved ones"; compare Rom 16:5; Jas 1:16; 1 Pet 2:11) and commended as those who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This commendation does not refer to their total commitment to Christ (contra Bruce 1990:345). Rather, it points to the literal hazarding of their lives (contrast the Judaizers--Gal 6:11-13).

The council handles the second issue through a Spirit-inspired apostolic decree (Acts 15:29). The rationale in verse 21, the presence everywhere of Jews with scruples in these matters, indicates the circumstances in which this responsibility or burden must be met. It is normative practical wisdom, applicable as a matter of courtesy and Christian love whenever fellowship with Jewish Christians with scruples should warrant. Abstaining from sexual immorality as an ethical norm, however, is universally applied.

The decree's prohibitions still come into play today, either universally in the case of sexual practices or particularly in the case of dietary regulations--wherever Gentile Christians encounter Jewish Christians who are keeping a kosher table. By extension these rules guide all Christians to use their freedom to abstain from practices that would offend the cultural sensitivities of another. What interethnic and intergenerational harmony the church could know if all rushed to give up their "rights" to please the others!



Antioch's Reception (15:30-35)

The Antioch church is glad for the letter's encouraging, indeed comforting, message (compare 9:31). Where there had been terror (v. 24) there is now joy. And rightly so, for the Gentile converts know where they stand with reference to Judaism and to Jewish Christian believers. There is no circumcision requirement, but full acceptance. They have received guidance on respect for Jewish Christian scruples so full table fellowship can be enjoyed. When gospel truth and Christian love are promoted, there is every reason for joy among all those who would enter and live in such an attractive, wholesome fellowship.

Being prophets, Judas and Silas are supernaturally gifted, like their Old Testament counterparts, to apply the word of God to the personal and corporate circumstances of God's people (compare 1 Cor 14:3, 31). They enter into a lengthy ministry of pastoral exhortation, to encourage and strengthen the brothers. They repair the Judaizers' damage (Acts 15:24) and enable the saints, in matters of the gospel, to re-lay a firm foundation (Bauer, Gingrich and Danker 1979:768; compare 14:22).

Ceremoniously, the prophet-envoys later take their leave of the Antioch church with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. And the church with renewed vigor engages in outreach. Paul, Barnabas and many others remain to teach and "evangelize the word of the Lord." As living organisms are able to rejuvenate themselves when damaged, so the Spirit of God can and will repair the wreckage of hurt feelings, strained relations and wrong thinking brought to the body of Christ by the infiltration of false teaching. What it takes is a church willing to take the time, expend the human resources and make the effort to do the repair work.

Acts 15


Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas

³⁶Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing." ³⁷Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, ³⁸but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. ³⁹They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, ⁴⁰but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. ⁴¹He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Acts 16


Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

¹He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek. ²The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. ³Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. ⁴As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. ⁵So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.

Paul's Vision of the Man of Macedonia

⁶Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. ⁷When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. ⁸So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. ⁹During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." ¹⁰After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Acts 15:36-16:10

Explanation:

Mission to Asia Minor and the Macedonian Call (15:36--16:10)

Part of St. Patrick's benediction, "May the wind be always at your back," well suits the experience of the Pauline missionary band at the beginning of its second journey. The wind is, of course, the wind of the Spirit, and it blows in some surprising directions. Hearing how this push west into Europe began under God's good hand is certain to give the reader confidence that the gospel message is more than just another Eastern cult threatening to pollute Roman minds and hearts. We too can gain confidence as we think about God's direction of the nature, personnel and carrying out of the same mission.

The Right Purpose: Nurture of Believers (15:36, 41; 16:4-5)

The plan of the second missionary journey is follow-up nurture, then further outreach. Paul is not one to "dip and drop" his converts (Talbert 1984:68). He suggests to Barnabas that they visit (denoting caring oversight; compare Lk 1:68, 78; 7:16; Acts 15:14) the brothers and sisters in the churches they have planted (13:13--14:20; 15:41; 16:1, 4-6; Gal 1:2, 21; 3:1-5). This was always Paul's practice (Acts 14:21-23; 18:23; 19:21; 20:1-6).

So after disagreeing with Barnabas and choosing Silas, Paul went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. As had been done at Antioch, the emissaries shore up the Gentile Christians' faith, which has almost been dismantled by the Judaizers (compare 15:32). They probably also deliver the Jerusalem Council's decrees (15:23). The summary statement about ministry in the Galatian churches explicitly notes such activity (16:4-5).

The result is the same: wise and healthy decisions (used of imperial decrees at Lk 2:1; Acts 17:7) help to strengthen Christians in the faith (compare 3:7, 16; Col 2:5; 1 Pet 5:9). Qualitative growth is matched by quantitative growth. With reaffirmation of the Gentiles' full acceptance by faith alone and instructions on how to fellowship with scrupulous Jewish Christians, it is not surprising that the churches grew daily in numbers (compare 2:41, 47; 4:4; 5:14; 6:7; 9:31; 11:21; 12:24). So today God's hand of blessing, manifest in quantitative growth, will be seen where Christians proclaim a gospel of grace without additional cultural requirements and promote multicultural unity. And this fruit will remain when we choose the right purpose: nurture.

The Right People: Silas and Timothy (15:37-40; 16:1-3)

Paul gathers his companions for the journey in some unexpected ways. His recruitment begins logically enough when he asks Barnabas to accompany him (v. 36). But Barnabas's intention to take John Mark leads to such a sharp disagreement, literally "a heated disagreement" (compare Deut 29:27 LXX; Jer 39:37 LXX), that Paul and Barnabas decide they can no longer work together. So they separate.

Luke does not explain why Barnabas wants to take John Mark along. Is it that this encourager's sympathy reaches out to restore the deserter (compare Acts 4:36; 9:27)? Is it Barnabas's sympathy with the viewpoint of the strict Jewish Christians, which he may share with Mark, and which may have occasioned Mark's earlier defection (Gal 2:13)? Is it simply the family tie between them (Col 4:10)? What we do know is that from Paul's perspective, John Mark's desertion in the midst of the first missionary journey rendered him unfit for the second (Acts 13:13; compare Lk 8:13; 1 Tim 4:1). Luke has not told us why John Mark deserted. Paul does say that Mark had not continued with them in the work, and earlier that work was defined as "the door of faith" being opened to the Gentiles (14:26-27). It may be that on a journey to communicate the Jerusalem church's affirmation of the Gentile mission, this defector would have proved more of a liability than an asset.

In any case, the separation doubles the church's mission, for Barnabas takes John Mark and goes to his home area, Cyprus (4:36), and Paul chooses a new partner, Silas. Silas is well suited to the task. He is spiritually gifted, a prophet (15:32). He embodies the church's commitment to a Gentile mission with the law-free gospel, for he was one of the envoys bearing the council's letter (15:22, 27). As a Roman citizen, he can move about easily within the Empire (16:37).

Given Luke's emphasis on unity as the mark of the Holy Spirit within the church, he can hardly approve of the divisiveness that led to the separation (2:44-46; 4:32; 5:12). Yet he does approve of Paul's team and notes that it is commended [having been handed over to] by the brothers to the grace of the Lord (compare 14:26).

This incident shows us that past performance reveals character and properly serves as a basis for judging suitability for future service. Further, even though differences in judgment may produce schism, God can so rule and overrule that there is no permanent barrier to the advance of his mission.

The other "right person" for Paul's mission is Timothy (16:1-3). Though he obviously fills the gap created by Paul's refusal to take John Mark, there is also an element of providential surprise in his selection (compare the introductory kai idou, "and behold," untranslated in the NIV). Timothy will be very useful for the mission. He is a disciple, a man of good character (Phil 2:20-22; compare Acts 6:3; 1 Tim 3:7) whose reputation has extended even to Iconium, a day's journey away. He is a person of mixed parentage.

Timothy's one defect is a lack of circumcision. If the Jews at this time traced Jewish descent of mixed marriages matrilineally (m. Qiddusin 3:12; m. Yebamot 7:5; Cohen [1986:267] questions whether the principle was applied this early), uncircumcised Timothy is a Jew by birth but apostate. The small Jewish community at Lystra was either too weak or too lax to enforce circumcision in a culture that determined ethnic and religious heritage patrilineally. Still, Timothy has a good spiritual heritage from his mother (2 Tim 1:5; 3:15). With his father now possibly deceased (the verb tense seems to indicate this), there is no impediment to circumcision. And there is every reason. If Paul condones Timothy's uncircumcised, apostate status, he will not have access to synagogues, his strategic point of contact in most cities. Further, the decree's underlying principle of respect for cultural identity will be compromised by the presence of a Jewish Christian who has "gentilized." So by circumcising Timothy, Paul clarifies his status for Jewish believer and unbeliever alike.

This is not inconsistent with the circumcision-free gospel to Jew and Gentile so recently affirmed at the council. Rather, it reflects Paul's higher consistency. For Paul never denied his religious heritage or its practices as an appropriate way to live out his Christian commitment (Acts 21:21-24), yet he could treat circumcision as a matter of indifference and use it as a means of cultural adaptation to further the gospel (1 Cor 9:19-23; Gal 5:6).

The "right people," then, to promote the advance of the church's mission are spiritually fruitful, morally faithful and culturally flexible. Today such men and women are God's gift to the church for the cutting edge of mission advance.

The Right Place: Divinely Chosen Macedonia (16:6-10)

From Pisidian Antioch in the region of Phrygia and Galatia Paul evidently intends to make his way straight west into the Roman province of Asia on the Via Sebaste, 150 miles to Colosse and then 150 more to Ephesus. We are not told how, but the Holy Spirit clearly prevents them from taking that route so that they could preach the word in Asia. This occurs probably before they set off or early in their passage, for they evidently turn northward almost immediately.

They come to Dorylaeum, or more probably Cotiaeum, at the border of Mysia (the latitude of Mysia), the northern portion of the province of Asia, and sought to head northeast into the province of Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. Again there is no indication of the means he uses. Paul evidently takes this negative guidance to mean that he must push the mission farther west, across the Aegean to Greece. He heads for Troas, the port of embarkation for Macedonia, even though there is no direct route to it from where he begins (compare Bowers 1979; Haenchen 1971:487 disagrees).

Troas, more properly Alexandria Troas, was an important seaport for travel from the northwestern part of the Roman province of Asia to Macedonia and the west. Ten miles south of the ancient site of Troy, the now deserted site has ruins of an aqueduct, a theater and city walls six miles in circumference, giving mute testimony to its prosperity and magnitude. There during the night Paul receives positive guidance. In a vision (compare 9:12; 18:9; 22:17; 26:16) he sees and hears a man of Macedonia . . . begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." This "begging" is a strong appeal (compare 13:42).

Now that Paul has received extraordinary and circumstantial guidance, his team corporately reasons, putting together (symbibazo) the positive and negative guidance, to the conclusion that God has called them to evangelize the Macedonians (compare 13:2). And they act immediately, getting ready (literally "seeking") to leave for Macedonia.

How does God guide his church to the right place for mission? There will be "closed" as well as "open doors." There will be guidance addressed to individuals as well as to the entire team. There will be guidance via circumstances, sometimes extraordinary, as well as through the use of reason in evaluating circumstances in the light of God's Word. And specific guidance will come only to those who are already on the road, living out their general obedience to the Great Commission. Being able to say, "God sent me; I come with the wind at my back," is a strong witness to one's hearers that one's message is from God and true.