7 On the contrary, they recognized that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised. 8 For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles. 9 James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. 10 All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along. (Galatians 2:7-10)
In today's text, we learn that the early church leaders commissioned Paul to preach to the uncircumcised (Gentiles) and Peter to the circumcised (Jews). In addition, we learn of one of Peter’s failures. This story is not recorded in the book of Acts, and Peter himself doesn’t comment on it in his own writings.
Before the Apostle Peter became a follower of Jesus, he was a fisherman. After a year of following Jesus and His teaching, Peter then left everything to follow Him. Like us, Peter's relationship with the Lord was one of spiritual raged progress in which God trained him to be dependent on God’s transforming grace. Like all of us, Peter experienced some failures along the way which were useful for his success.
As the gospel spread to the believing Gentiles, they became a part of the church. And, as a result controversy brewed. The Jewish leaders believed that these new converts should have to become Jews, and one of the BIG teachings in Judaism was circumcision. However, as we have seen in previous blogs, requiring the Gentiles to be circumcised created a BIG problem between Paul and Peter. This is where we are in our text today.
Like I have said before, when we lose sight of what our relationship with God is all about, we will make it about the most insignificant things. The Jewish Christians were afraid of losing their culture. To lose the culture that God has given is not good, but to lose the culture that man gives, well, that's another story. And the Jews had changed the purpose of circumcision.
You see, the heart of God, as spelled out in the scriptures, is always for the needy. In v.10, the Apostle Paul accentuates this value of God, where he wrote, "All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along." It is not just the poor, but it is the poor who is crying out to God. (see Matthew 5:3).
A forgiven heart is a compassionate heart. The disciples had seen the Lord Jesus value the needy in His ministry. In fact, in Matthew 25 Jesus said, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”
A forgiven heart is a compassionate heart. The disciples had seen the Lord Jesus value the needy in His ministry. In fact, in Matthew 25 Jesus said, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”
In addition, Zacchaeus gave half of his possessions to the poor, and Jesus responded by saying, “Today salvation has come to this house.” (see Luke 19:9).
I have discovered that when I have been most mindful that I need God, I was most blessed. And the opposite is true, when I am least mindful of my need of God, I am most "cursed".
In Deuteronomy 10:16, we read, "Circumcise then your heart, and stiffen your neck no more." And, in Deuteronomy 30:6, we read,
"Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, in order that you may live." A sure sign that we are growing in our walk with the Lord is that we are gaining His heart for the needy.
