From Acts 14:
“[During Paul’s missionary journey in Asia Minor / modern Turkey]
- in Iconium…a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed…
- Lystra
- and Derbe…
- and unto the region that lieth round about…
- returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium,
- and Antioch in Pisidia…
- Perga…
- Attalia
And thence sailed [back] to Antioch [in Syria], from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled.
And when they…had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles…
From Acts 15:
And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas…should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question…
And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe…
James [High Melchizedek of Messianic Judaism] answered… “Simeon / Peter hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles / Europeans, to take out of them a people for his name.” (Acts 15)
What a snub to Paul! Peter led one Gentile to salvation in the Jewish Christ, while Paul endured years of suffering that surely established his commitment to leading multitudes of Gentiles to convert from paganism to YHVH’s Savior.
“Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also…For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage…Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
- Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
- Thrice was I beaten with rods,
- once was I stoned,
- thrice I suffered shipwreck,
- a night and a day I have been in the deep;
- In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
- In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness…
- In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me: And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.” (II Corinthians 11:16-23)
At least – most significantly – James derives his ruling not from the signs of speaking in tongues by Cornelius, but from scripture
“For Moses of old time hath in every [i.e. foreign] city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written.”
“The words of Amos…In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen [the resurrection of Jesus the Christ]…That they may possess…all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.”
We can’t miss that this ruling by James absolutely establishes Jewish leadership over Gentile believers in the Christ at this time.
From Acts 16:
“Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, [basis for birth-right Jewish identity] and believed [in YHVH’s Savior];
but his father was a Greek: Which was well reported of by the [Messianic Jewish] brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek [who would not have had him circumcised.]
And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem. And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.”
The Jerusalem church maintained authority over Paul “the apostle to the Gentiles” as inferior to their apostleship over Messianic Judaism.
From Acts 21:
“And when [again after multiple missionary journeys] we were come to Jerusalem…Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present. And when he had saluted them / acknowledged their authority, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.
And when they heard it, they…said unto him…thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law: And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs…”
They would not take Paul’s word or Timothy’s example or even an oath proving that this was slander, another obstacle to Paul’s already difficult ministry.
Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that…all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.” (Acts 21:17-24)
Clearly including Gentiles into the Jewish Messianic Faith was a sketchy business even for the top Apostolic leadership. Paul spent his entire career protesting his qualifications.
“Am I am not an apostle?…have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord?…the seal [as in Good Housekeeping seal of approval] of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord.” (I Corinthians 9:1-2)
As a disciple of Gamaliel Saul of Tarsus was one of the Pharisees who hounded the Lord Jesus and, albeit as an opponent, consequently companied with Jesus’ disciples and learned all of Jesus’ doctrine.
“[After arresting him] The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine. Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews / rulers always resort; and in secret have I said nothing. Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me [no doubt looking eye-to-eye with Saul of Tarsus], what I have said unto them:
As a member of the exclusive council / Sanhedrin where only members had voting rights, he was deeply grounded in the scriptures Jesus used to prove he was the Son of David / Messiah. The faith that Paul had once destroyed but then preached was in the oracles of God committed unto the Jews.
“they came to…a synagogue of the Jews: And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, Opening and alleging [in the common debate style], that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.” (Romans 3:1-3)
The proof of Paul’s apostleship is his followers’ strict adherence to the scriptures.
“Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.” (I Corinthians 11:1-3, 23-26)
“ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God…For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification,
- that ye should abstain from fornication:
- That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified
- to love one another.And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
- That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.” (I Thessalonians 4)
Paul’s egalitarian association with the Gentiles appalled the Messianic Jews as much as interracial couples in the Deep South. The church leadership at Jerusalem never accepted Paul’s authority. No doubt, as is so commonly the case, what really put them off wasn’t so much what he said as how he said it.
From Galatians 2:
“Then fourteen years after [being confirmed as an apostle by Peter and authorized to to go out to the Gentiles I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also…and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain [be disassociated from them]. But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised…[by] false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
And proving Paul had what it took to stand up against a host of opinionated Jews;
“But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man’s person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me: But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me [from his commitment to it, regardless of the threat to his backing by them]…And when James, Cephas [familiar name for Peter], and John, who seemed [apparently some wavering there] to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision…
But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles [who did not practice extra-biblical Kosher laws of cleanliness]: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation…”
When I attended a Messianic Jewish synagogue there were pot-luck lunches after the Sabbath service. One time a Gentile brought his sister, who brought a home-made cake decorated with the current Halloween theme of orange icing with a rat figure outlined in black icing. The Jewish person in charge of the kitchen was outraged that I set it out with the other foods because a rat is non-koshe, and removed it. Those folks never came back.
Paul had a different attitude.
“I said unto Peter before them all…why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?…Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”
“God…hath
- quickened / brought to life us together with Christ…
- raised us up together [in status], and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus…
- ye being in time past Gentiles [belonging to the Roman nation] in the flesh...
- aliens from the commonwealth of Israel
- strangers from the covenants of promise [to Israel]
- having no hope, and without God in the world;
- But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ…
- who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
- that he might reconcile both unto God in one body…
- Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.“ (Ephesians 2)
