Reading: Acts 13:1-15:21

Acts 15:10 – “Why then are you now challenging God by placing a burden on the shoulders of these disciples that neither we or our ancestors could bear?”

Beginning in chapter 13 we see the spread of the church past the first Gentile city out into the Gentile world. Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark are sent out from Antioch as missionaries. There is great success overall but the growth of the church is not without persecution and controversy.

The missionaries begin in Cyprus, proclaiming the word of God. Paul confronts a false prophet, demonstrating the power of the Holy Spirit. Moving on to Pisidian Antioch, John Mark deserts Paul and Barnabas, returning to Jerusalem. Paul accepts the invitation to preach on the Sabbath. His powerful sermon on Jewish history and Jesus’ ministry yields an invitation to preach again. A large crowd gathers on the next Sabbath, stirring up jealousy amongst the Jews. Their rejection of the message leads Paul and Barnabas to focus on the Gentiles. Moving on to Iconium, Luke reports that “the same thing happened” – some believe but others are opposed to their message.

Paul and Barnabas move on to Lystra. Here Paul heals a man who believed that he could be healed. The locals mistake Paul and Barnabas for Greek gods. They head off the sacrifice of bulls to them, but Jews arrive from Antioch and Iconium, stirring up the crowd. Paul is stoned and left for dead. He gets up and they travel to Derbe the next day. After making disciples there, Paul and Barnabas work their way back to Antioch. Along the way they encourage the believers and they appoint elders to lead these new churches.

Jews from Jerusalem arrive in Antioch and stir up some tension. They tell the Gentile believers that they must first be circumcised in order to be saved. The idea of “you’ve got to be just like us” is not an invention of the modern church. Paul, Barnabas, Peter, and James all argue against placing Jewish requirements on Gentile believers. Peter asks the pertinent question: “Why then are you now challenging God by placing a burden on the shoulders of these disciples that neither we or our ancestors could bear?” No one has been able to keep the Law. This is why Jesus came – to do for us what we could not do on our own. By his life, he gave us what we cannot earn and what we do not deserve: the forgiveness of sins that leads to life eternal. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, how wide and deep is your love. It flows from your heart, out in all directions. It does not avoid certain places or people. It carries the power to wash away sins, barriers, and presumptions. May your love wash over us, filling us to overflowing with your love. Amen.