God’s Word for You
Acts 15:30-34 Down to Antioch
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Tuesday, September 15, 2020
30 They were sent off and they went down to Antioch. They gathered the church together and delivered the letter. 31 After they read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. 32 Then Judas and Silas, who were prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. 33 Then, after they had spent some time, they were sent back in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them.
The first sentence tells us that the little committee or delegation headed away from Jerusalem, “down” to Antioch in Syria. It is likely that they were accompanied for some of the way by other Christian leaders since the letter was to be read in the churches. Since Paul and Barnabas were experienced travelers, the most likely route would have been due west, to the port of Joppa. The trip of about four hundred miles would have been much easier and quicker by sea than on foot.
When they arrived, they gathered the church together. While we might think in terms of smaller groups today, the Greek text implies that it was a single, large event. One man (probably Barnabas) read the letter and, we are told, the church rejoiced. There were additional statements (really sermons) delivered by Silas and Judas Barsabbas. The visit was not hurried. They “spend some time” there, probably talking about the council, the things that were said, and other matters such as greetings from distant friends.
There may be an overlap of Luke’s report at this point. The events of verses 35-39 seem to have taken place before verse 34 when the delegation was “sent back.” We will discuss Paul’s disagreement with Barnabas later in its place, as well as Paul’s new choice of Silas as a companion (verse 40).
What we are left without is any message from Paul about the council’s decision. If Silas and Judas added their encouragements, what about Paul? It’s likely that Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians at this time. Luther introduces his commentary on Galatians this way: “St. Paul wrote this epistle because, after his departure from the Galatian churches, Jewish-Christian fanatics moved in, who perverted Paul’s Gospel of man’s free justification by faith in Christ Jesus…. In every way they sought to undermine the authority of St. Paul. They said to the Galatians: ‘You have no right to think highly of Paul. He was the last to turn to Christ. But we have seen Christ. We heard him preach. Paul came later and is beneath us. Is it possible for us to be in error—we who have received the Holy Ghost? Paul stands alone. He has not seen Christ, nor has he had much contact with the other apostles. Indeed, he persecuted the Church of Christ for a long time.’” (Commentary on Galatians, 1538). In his epistle, Paul answers every one of these questions. He explains what is wrong with insisting upon circumcision for salvation with the fullest and firmest words. While it would be good to read all six chapters, allow a few verses to suffice:
Those who want to make a good impression
outwardly are trying to compel you to be
circumcised. The only reason they do this is to
avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ.
Not even those who are circumcised obey the
law, yet they want you to be circumcised that
they may boast about your flesh… Neither
circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything;
what counts is a new creation. (Galatians 6:12-13,15)
The Confession of our church is in complete agreement with this: “Our churches also teach that we cannot be justified before God by our own merits, works, or satisfactions, but that we receive forgiveness of sin and become righteous before God by grace, for Christ’s sake, through faith, when we believe that Christ suffered for us and that for his sake our sin is forgiven and righteousness and eternal life are given to us. For God will regard and reckon this faith as righteousness, as Paul says in Romans 3:21-26 and 4:5.” (Augsburg Confession, Article 4).
As David says: “I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation” (Psalm 13:5). Where the heart is not truly glad, it cannot rejoice. When the heart of the Christian knows that we have true forgiveness on account of God’s unfailing love, then we are truly glad. We can truly rejoice.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.