15:1 And certain men
came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised
according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 Therefore, when Paul
and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined
that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to
the apostles and elders, about this question.
3 So, being sent on
their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing
the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the brethren.
4 And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the
apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with
them. 5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It
is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”
In 1936 Polish athletic star Stella Walsh (Stanislawa
Walasiewicz) lined up against Helen Stephens at the Olympic games in Berlin and
lost. Walsh was the established champion of the 100m race and Stephens a young
upstart. The defeat was a shocker but not as shocking as what happened next. Poland
accused Stephens of being a man disguised as a woman and for the first time in
history an Olympic athlete was subjected to an examination of her genitals.
Stephens passed the test but many years later Walsh was killed in a botched
robbery attempt and an autopsy revealed she was the one with physically
ambiguous genitalia that made her more male than female.
Yesterday I told you this passage used to make my blood boil
but I didn't tell you why. For some the reason is obvious. For others maybe
not. I also want to share why it doesn't have quite the same effect any more.
Paul was preaching the truth about Jesus but others followed
him who claimed he wasn't doing it right. It turns out the accusers were in the
wrong just as the Polish were in the wrong when they accused Helen Stephens.
The guilty attacked the innocent. Paul was telling the truth. His accusers said
he wasn't when really they were in the wrong. You can see now why it made my
blood boil. Here is a man literally risking his life to make Jesus known and
then a crew follows along behind who have no idea what they are talking about
telling these new Christians that he wasn't really teaching them correctly.
Now let me tell you why it doesn't make my blood boil any
more. Life has a way of teaching us humility. We find at as time passes that we
were wrong about some things. When we find out that there were things we were
sure we right about and were actually wrong it really changes one's
perspective. You start to question everything or you dig in and deny you were
ever wrong about anything.
It would take too long to explain here but let me assure you
I have been humbled along the way. The self-righteous pride that permitted my
blood to boil against the "ignorant" Jewish Christians has had some
holes shot through it. I have come to realize that although they were wrong in
what they were doing they sincerely believed they were right. It's hard to hate
people for trying to do what they believe is right.
They were raised knowing that men who were true followers of
God were circumcised and they were right. God designed it that way and they
were right. What they failed to understand is why God established the custom to
begin with. Had they understood they would have realized that circumcision for
religious reasons after the arrival of Jesus was as unnecessary as killing
animals for religious purposes after Jesus died once for all as the Lamb of God
who takes away the sin of the whole world.
These Jewish Christians were passionate because they believed
they were right and Paul resisted them because he knew he was right and why he
was right. After all he had been a chief Pharisee and was himself a Jewish
Christian.
The lesson for all of us is simple yet often painful and
humiliating. Firstly never be closed to the idea you could be wrong even if you
are sure you are right. Secondly always dig until you understand the
"why" behind the "what" of everything you believe. They
were right about the "what" but didn't know the "why" and
as a result ended up fighting against the very person of Jesus whom they were
trying to follow. Worse they were causing confusion and division in the church.
Better to be humbled and get reoriented than to ignorantly
hold to our false ideas because we refuse to examine them openly and honestly.
You can be assured of this much. When there is a sharp
controversy there is likely some truth on both sides but until humility
prevails the full truth will never gain the day. There are seven things God
hates and pride is one of them. It's an evil only He can wash away. As
unsettling and even frightening as it may be no one can afford to assume they
are never wrong.
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