Acts 15:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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 Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers,

NIV: Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers.

NASB: Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas who was called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers,

CSB: Then the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, decided to select men who were among them and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas, called Barsabbas, and Silas, both leading men among the brothers.

NLT: Then the apostles and elders together with the whole church in Jerusalem chose delegates, and they sent them to Antioch of Syria with Paul and Barnabas to report on this decision. The men chosen were two of the church leaders — Judas (also called Barsabbas) and Silas.

KJV: Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren:

NKJV: Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren.

After Paul and Barnabas returned to Syrian Antioch, they told the story of the many churches they had planted in central modern-day Asia Minor. These congregations were filled with Jews and Gentiles who had accepted the salvation and forgiveness of sins offered by Jesus. Before long, Jewish Christians arrived from Judea. Before they were saved, they were Pharisees: devout men who surrounded themselves with burdensome laws that went beyond what Moses had commanded (Matthew 23:2–4). The "Judaizers" insisted that Gentiles could not receive salvation unless they first fully converted to Judaism. Paul, Barnabas, and the church disagreed, so the two men traveled 300 miles south to Jerusalem to get confirmation from the apostles and the church elders there (Acts 15:1–3).

After discussion, the church confirms the leaders in Antioch are right. Not only are circumcision and following the Mosaic law unnecessary for salvation, to request such things is harassment. James, however, sees the bigger picture. The Jews have had to make many concessions to embrace Gentiles as brothers and sisters in Christ. For thousands of years, it was against the Mosaic law to have such close interaction. James feels it is reasonable for the Gentiles to make small changes in their lifestyle for the sake of the true unity that Jesus planned (John 10:16). He orders the Gentiles to refrain from sexual immorality—probably meaning marriage between close relatives—and eating blood and things sacrificed to idols (Acts 15:4–21).

The council agrees and senses the approval of the Holy Spirit. But as honorable as Paul, Barnabas, and the other leaders from Antioch may be, Pharisaical Jewish Christians are everywhere and not easily thwarted. So, the church enlists Judas Barsabbas and Silas as official representatives of the church in Jerusalem to present the official verdict.

Nothing more is known of Judas Barsabbas. "Barsabbas" means "son of the father," which tells us nothing except that he somehow resembles his own father. This reference might be like a modern man having the nickname "Junior."

Silas, however, has a much bigger role in the rest of the book of Acts. When Paul and Barnabas prepare for their second missionary journey, Barnabas wishes to take John Mark. Paul disagrees, still stinging over Mark's abandonment on their first trip (Acts 13:13). Barnabas leaves with Mark, and Paul takes Silas (Acts 15:36–41). Silas is imprisoned and beaten with Paul in Philippi (Acts 16:22–40) and partners with Timothy when Paul can't (Acts 17:14; 18:5). Like Paul, Silas is a Roman citizen (Acts 16:37) and Paul mentions him several times in his letters (2 Corinthians 1:19; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1).

Paul and Barnabas are in Syrian Antioch, home from their first missionary journey. Legalistic Christians from Jerusalem arrive and insist Gentiles must convert to Judaism. When negotiations fail, a delegation travels to Jerusalem to request clarification from Jesus' closest students. The leadership in Jerusalem agree with Paul and Barnabas. They write a letter that Gentiles should only make concessions, mostly dietary, which will ensure unity with the Jews in their congregation. After delivering the letter to Antioch, Paul takes Silas and Barnabas takes John Mark to share the letter to other churches they have planted.

Acts chapter 15 resembles Acts 11:1–18, where Peter testified before the leadership of the church in Jerusalem. His subject was how the Holy Spirit had fallen on uncircumcised and unbaptized Gentiles. Here Paul and Barnabas also testify that Gentiles are coming to faith in Jesus without being circumcised. The issue the leadership must decide is the extent Gentiles must be responsible to follow the Mosaic law. Their decision is that the Law is in no way required to be saved, but Gentiles should graciously make concessions so their Jewish brothers and sisters feel free to live in community. This forms a partial background to the rest of Paul's missionary journeys as explained in Acts.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.