Acts 15:1 Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.”
Jesus’s ministry was one of inclusion. He made sure that those who were marginalized, treated as less than, knew that there was a place for them at His table. Ironically (or maybe it’s more typical than ironic), Christians far and wide seem to spend an inordinate amount of time putting limits on who qualifies as Jesus’s beloved. And today’s scripture shows us that this habit of trying to limit who’s included isn’t new.
Acts 15:2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.
I wonder if the human tendency to limit who can be called God’s beloved is related to the scarcity mentality that exists today. Are those who try to limit who can claim God’s love scared that if too many are allowed “in,” there won’t be any love left for them? When I think, “God surely didn’t mean *them*” (and, sadly, I’m human. I have thought that), am I afraid that if too many people love Jesus, there won’t be any of His love left for me?
Acts 15:3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad.
Lord, Your love is expansive and inclusive. You welcome all. You created all. You love all. And yet, we try to put limits on Your love. Forgive us. Help us to love inclusively like You do. Help us to know without a doubt that there is room for everyone in Your kingdom that there is enough love to go around. Help us to shine Your light. Amen.
Acts 15:4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.
Have a blessed day.