Acts 15:22-35
22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsab′bas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren, 23 with the following letter:
“The brethren, both the apostles and the elders, to the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cili′cia, greeting. 24 Since we have heard that some persons from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, 25 it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: 29 that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from unchastity. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
30 So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch; and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31 And when they read it, they rejoiced at the exhortation. 32 And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, exhorted the brethren with many words and strengthened them. 33 And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brethren to those who had sent them. 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.
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There is a never a time when the church community isn’t faced with controversies, often stirred up by self-appointed guardians who take upon themselves the protection of the church. Such were the men who went from Jerusalem to Antioch to insist that the new Christians keep fully to the Jewish tradition. As the Council recognized in their reassuring letter to Antioch, these men “troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions.”
Bu the fact is that these men also gave the Church an opportunity to clarify its thinking and to set a new direction for Christian mission. So we can be grateful that the apostles and elders of the early Church allowed the debate to take place freely. In the end they stood by the new way opened up by Paul and Barnabas, and they accepted that God’s Holy Spirit was acting in ways they had never anticipated. In this, trust played a big role. The community trusted Paul and Barnabas because they had demonstrated faithfulness to Christ through the witness of their sacrificial lives. This was instrumental in helping the community see God’s hand in opening a new path for the Gentiles.
Notice how careful the Mother Church is to do things decently and in good order. They sent two additional witnesses—Judas and Silas—to confirm the new instructions and they sent a respectful letter to be hand delivered for a personal explanation to the gathered community.
Update
Treasurer Melanie Ringa and I met yesterday with Bishop Michael and the New York-New Jersey Diocesan Council in Bronxville, NY for a candid discussion about finances in preparation for the 18th All-American Council in July. We will be having meetings with other dioceses as well with the aim of coming to a common mind on financing the work of the Church.
His Beatitude, along with representatives from other Orthodox Churches, will be attending the funeral of Cardinal Egan today at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. Cardinal Egan, 82, is perhaps best known for this exemplary pastoral role following the 9/11 attacks. The current Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, will preside at the funeral for his predecessor.