I note a few things here. . . . . . .
Acts 15 AMPLIFIED
1BUT SOME men came down from Judea and were instructing the brethren, Unless you are circumcised in accordance with the Mosaic custom, you cannot be saved.(A)
2And when Paul and Barnabas had no small disagreement and discussion with them, it was decided that Paul and Barnabas and some of the others of their number should go up to Jerusalem [and confer] with the apostles (special messengers) and the elders about this matter.
Acts 15 THE MESSAGE VERSION
To Let Outsiders Inside
1-2 It wasn’t long before some Jews showed up from Judea insisting that everyone be circumcised: “If you’re not circumcised in the Mosaic fashion, you can’t be saved.” Paul and Barnabas were up on their feet at once in fierce protest. The church decided to resolve the matter by sending Paul, Barnabas, and a few others to put it before the apostles and leaders in Jerusalem.
. . .
1. The religiously prissy seem to always be around in virtually every context and group. The Judiazers were hot on the trail of another chance to coerce, to force the gentiles to march to their legalistic !!!!TRADITIONS!!!! law, customs, pontifical edicts. And, they were quite happy to tack the heavy duty SAVATION issue on it as contingent on circumcision. That should sound QUITE FAMILIAR to anyone used to reading the persistent pontifications of some of the RC reps hereon.
2. Mercifully, Paul and Barnabas knew better as evidently, The Lord via His Spirit had taught them better. They were quick to PROTEST the evidently bureaucratically driven legalists still bound by !!!!TRADITIONI!!!!
3. The church, including Paul and Barnabas, concluded that the matters must be settled by sending Paul and Barnabas to . . . drum roll . . . NOT A POPE IN JERUSALEM; NOT A SINGLE LEADER IN JERUSALEM; but to the group—the special messengers—the Apostles and elders functioning in that elder congregation in Jerusalem.
4. There’s no evidence that said elders in Jerusalem were functioning as LORD-IT-OVER-OUTLYING-CONGREGATIONS-AS-MAGICSTERICAL-LEADERS. There were merely being consulted as an elder group respected as such—as part of the more elder congregation in . . . . drum roll . . . NOT ROME but JERUSALEM.
AMPLIFIED:
3So, being [a]fitted out and sent on their way by the church, they went through both Phoenicia and Samaria telling of the conversion of the Gentiles (the heathen), and they caused great rejoicing among all the brethren.
THE MESSAGE:
3After they were sent off and on their way, they told everyone they met as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria about the breakthrough to the non-Jewish outsiders. Everyone who heard the news cheered—it was terrific news!
The picture I get here is of brothers infected with The Joy of The Lord over the gentiles being grafted into The Kingdom and sharing that news and joy with all they meet who would at all give a hearing. It’s like wonderful family news about the adopted shirt-tail relatives who’ve been on and off drugs and in and out of prison for decades and now are clean, reformed, employed and doing great—by God’s Grace. Wonderful news, indeed. Lost but now found and SAVED by faith in Christ.
. . . . . . 6The apostles and the elders were assembled together to look into and consider this matter. 7And after there had been a long debate, Peter got up and said to them, Brethren, you know that quite a while ago God made a choice or selection from among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the message of the Gospel [concerning the [c]attainment through Christ of salvation in the kingdom of God] and believe (credit and place their confidence in it). 8And God, Who is acquainted with and understands the heart, bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit as He also did to us; 9And He made no difference between us and them, but cleansed their hearts by faith ([d]by a strong and welcome conviction that Jesus is the Messiah, through Whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God). . . . 3. And GOD HIMSELF CONFIRMED with Signs following just as He said He would. That sure trashed !!!!TRADITION!!!! rather handily right there. Holy Spirit was having none of it. . . .
<AMPLIFIED:
4When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were heartily welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they told them all that God had accomplished through them.
5But some who believed [who [b]acknowledged Jesus as their Savior and devoted themselves to Him] belonged to the sect of the Pharisees, and they rose up and said, It is necessary to circumcise [the Gentile converts] and to charge them to obey the Law of Moses.
THE MESSAGE:
4-5When they got to Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas were graciously received by the whole church, including the apostles and leaders. They reported on their recent journey and how God had used them to open things up to the outsiders. Some Pharisees stood up to say their piece. They had become believers, but continued to hold to the hard party line of the Pharisees. “You have to circumcise the pagan converts,” they said. “You must make them keep the Law of Moses.”
“ . . . Graciously received by the whole church, INCLUDING the apostles and leaders. “ Fascinating emphasis. No ring kissing audience with even the LOCAL grand pontificator.
And then THE PHARISEES pontificated—THE !!!!HARD!!!! party line—probably ancestors to Marxists and the HARD party line? !!!!MUST!!! !!!!LAW!!!! LAW!!!!LAW!!!! They were Believers . . . sort of. Yet, they still had at least one foot in Moses’ sandals—in !!!!TRADITION!!!!
<AMPLIFIED
THE MESSAGE:
6-9The apostles and leaders called a special meeting to consider the matter. The arguments went on and on, back and forth, getting more and more heated. Then Peter took the floor: “Friends, you well know that from early on God made it quite plain that he wanted the pagans to hear the Message of this good news and embrace it—and not in any secondhand or roundabout way, but firsthand, straight from my mouth. And God, who can’t be fooled by any pretense on our part but always knows a person’s thoughts, gave them the Holy Spirit exactly as he gave him to us. He treated the outsiders exactly as he treated us, beginning at the very center of who they were and working from that center outward, cleaning up their lives as they trusted and believed him.
1. “A special meeting was called to consider this particular matter.” No standing magicsterical committee, here.
2. Hmmmm . . . I think Peterson’s phrasing is rather apt . . . embrace the Good News . . . and not in any secondhand or roundabout way, but FIRSTHAND! None of this multilayered bureaucratic RELIGION but DIRECT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
4. “GOD treated the outsiders exactly as He treated us . . . beginning at the very center of who they were and working from that center outward, cleaning up their lives as they trusted and believed him.” BUT, BUT, BUT, BUT . . . . uhhhhh He CAN’T DO THAT! GOD CAN’T DO THAT!!!! There’s all these rituals they must follow. And if they think they might be deviating from the list of dogmas and rituals in the slightest, they’d better check every other half step with the magicsterical committee or at least the magicsterical’s local henchmen! !!!!TRADITION!!!! . . . . And Holy Spirit was having none of that.
. . . . . . 12Then the whole assembly remained silent, and they listened [attentively] as Barnabas and Paul rehearsed what signs and wonders God had performed through them among the Gentiles. “God said it and now he’s doing it. It’s no afterthought; he’s always known he would do this. 12-13There was dead silence. No one said a word. With the room quiet, Barnabas and Paul reported matter-of-factly on the miracles and wonders God had done among the other nations through their ministry. The silence deepened; you could hear a pin drop. After this, I’m coming back; . . . 1. There was silence because this was not a magicsterical bureaucracy used to pontificating endlessly in committee. The individuals still had sufficient personal relationship with God to be touched and moved by His Truth and reports of His power and will. This was not a political committee competing with God for power, air-time and influence with the serfs.
AMPLIFIED:
10Now then, why do you try to test God by putting a yoke on the necks of the disciples, such as neither our forefathers nor we [ourselves] were able to endure?
11But we believe that we are saved through the grace (the undeserved favor and mercy) of the Lord Jesus, just as they [are].
THE MESSAGE:
10-11″So why are you now trying to out-god God, loading these new believers down with rules that crushed our ancestors and crushed us, too? Don’t we believe that we are saved because the Master Jesus amazingly and out of sheer generosity moved to save us just as he did those from beyond our nation? So what are we arguing about?”
1. “ . . . why are you now trying to out-god God, loading these new believers down with rules that crushed our ancestors and crushed us, too?”
2. Sounds very familiar. Bureaucracies have been trying to out-god God and loading the serfs down with crushing burdens for millennia.
3. Circumcise this. Circumcise that. Gild this. Gild that. Statuary this. Statuary that. Iconize this. Iconize that. Ritualize this. Ritualize that. Dogma to death this. Dogma to death that. Jump through this list of hoops in the morning . . . that list of hoops in the evening. Do a double-back-flip at lunch. Be sure to pray all the Stations of the Circumcision 3 times a day and twice on Sundays and holidays. And don’t forget the Hail-Mommy-Pelosi-Full-of-Grapes prayer just before sleep.
4. Wear the stone toes away with kissing. Wear the knees out crawling up the stairs. Kiss the ring off the Lord-it-Over’s finger. Fondle the beads compulsively clockwise on even days and counter-clockwise on odd days. Genuflect with your right hand in the morning and your left in the evening . . . and your right foot on holidays. Take the wafer on your tongue—never in your hand—and remember—serfs are not to touch the wine. That ‘burden’ is only for the bureaucracy.
5. “. . . loading these new believers down with rules that crushed our ancestors and crushed us.” Oh, No! You misunderstand! The RC New Mexican and Philippine brothers delight to feel the nails biting through their flesh. And the jolt of that upright cross is a particularly exquisitely glorious pain. And the bloody knees up the stairs are such a treasured pleasure. And the staying up nights wondering if all the rituals were done just right today is such a privilege. And my ancestors so enjoyed the rack and the firebrands. Nothing crushing there.
6. “ . . . saved because the Master Jesus amazingly and out of sheer generosity moved to save us just as He did those from beyond our nation?” NO! NO! NO! That’s a misinterpretation Unauthorized by the reigning magicsterical. He can’t do that without Merry Mommy Pelosi’s permission. The only TRULY TRUEST TRULY TRUTH TRULY TRUE Salvation is that delivered through the Magicsterical-Mangler-Transmorgefier. Of course it won’t look or smell or taste or touch anything like Salvation when it comes out, but that’s the point!
AMPLIFIED:
13When they had finished talking, James replied, Brethren, listen to me.
14Simeon [Peter] has rehearsed how God first visited the Gentiles, to take out of them a people [to bear and honor] His name.
15And with this the predictions of the prophets agree, as it is written,
16After this I will come back, and will rebuild the house of David, which has fallen; I will rebuild its [very] ruins, and I will set it up again,
17So that the rest of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles upon whom My name has been invoked,
18Says the Lord, Who has been making these things known from the beginning of the world.(B)
THE MESSAGE:
13-18James broke the silence. “Friends, listen. Simeon has told us the story of how God at the very outset made sure that racial outsiders were included. This is in perfect agreement with the words of the prophets:
I’ll rebuild David’s ruined house;
I’ll put all the pieces together again;
I’ll make it look like new
So outsiders who seek will find,
so they’ll have a place to come to,
All the pagan peoples
included in what I’m doing.
2. GOD MADE SURE . . . outsiders were included. Sounds like rather the opposite of the RELIGIOUS power-mongering political committee insuring that the unwashed OUTSIDERS get washed through all the myriad rituals or stay outside, beyond the pale.
3. OUTSIDERS WHO SEEK WILL FIND . . . NOT outsiders who jump through all the prescribed magicsterical hoops will sort-of maybe, possibly get in line to possibly lolly-gag around the porch to Heaven in the hopes that someone back on earth MIGHT pray them out and into Heaven proper . . . or that perhaps Mommy Pelosi’s Marxist Munificence might, full of grace, condescend to send a memo springing their tenuous souls finally of the porch and truly into Heaven.
. . .
19-21″So here is my decision: We’re not going to unnecessarily burden non-Jewish people who turn to the Master. We’ll write them a letter and tell them, ‘Be careful to not get involved in activities connected with idols, to guard the morality of sex and marriage, to not serve food offensive to Jewish Christians—blood, for instance.’ This is basic wisdom from Moses, preached and honored for centuries now in city after city as we have met and kept the Sabbath.” . . . 4. It’s very difficult for some serfs to realize that OUR statues are NOT idols. THOSE statues of THEIRS, . . . the unwashed splitists and buddhists over THERE–THOSE ARE idols. So simple. Why, oh why will they NOT understand! Merry Mommy Pelosi and the magicsterical know best! That’s just what happens when you leave Scriptural interpretation to amateurs. What horror! Don’t they know that all our gilded finery has purchased a monopoly on Holy Spirit and His leading into all truth? He’s not allowed to break the union contract. The magisterical says so! Harrumph.
AMPLIFIED:
19Therefore it is my opinion that we should not put obstacles in the way of and annoy and disturb those of the Gentiles who turn to God,
20But we should send word to them in writing to abstain from and avoid anything that has been polluted by being offered to idols, and all sexual impurity, and [eating meat of animals] that have been strangled, and [tasting of] blood.
21For from ancient generations Moses has had his preachers in every town, for he is read [aloud] every Sabbath in the synagogues.
THE MESSAGE:
1. Hmmmmm . . . evidently James was considered chief spokesman or some such. Not Peter? Obviously a mistranslation. No doubt the Little Pebble set James to right with a slap to his ears shortly thereafter—Peter had a thing about punishing ears (/sar).
2. “. . . not going to unnecessarily burden non-Jewish people who turn to the Master.” OH DEAR! Get to work on a magisterical committee rewrite STAT! That will NEVER do. Our whole existence is to burden the serfs with burdens we wouldn’t touch with a 6 foot mitre.
3. “Be careful to not get involved in activities connected with idols, . . .” OH, MY! OH MY! THAT HAS TO BE REWRITTEN IMMEDIATELY. Get the whole magisterical committee BUSY! BUSY! I SAY!—particularly the rewrite sub-committee. Someone might . . . MISUNDERSTAND.
5. “ . . . to not serve . . . blood, for instance . . . “ Oh, Dear. Can’t have that. REWRITE! REWRITE! We have to have BLOOD at every service! It’s one of our monopolistic distinctives. It’s one of our nooses around the necks of the serfs. They must think they can’t make Heaven without it. REWRITE! REWRITE!
. . .
AMPLIFIED:
22Then the apostles and the elders, together with the whole church, resolved to select men from among their number and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, [both] leading men among the brethren, and sent them.
23With [them they sent] the following letter: The brethren, both the apostles and the elders, to the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings:
THE MESSAGE:
22-23Everyone agreed: apostles, leaders, all the people. They picked Judas (nicknamed Barsabbas) and Silas—they both carried considerable weight in the church—and sent them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas with this letter:
. . .
1. 22 “Then the apostles and the elders, together with the whole church, resolved . . .” REWRITE! REWRITE SUB-COMMITTEE—FRONT AND CENTER! This cannot stand. The chief Pontificator with the Magicsterical and Merry Mommy Pelosi MUST be the sole deciders of anything. What affrontery! We can’t allow the serfs to realize that God had the whole kit and kabootle—serfs, sharecroppers and all deciding ANYTHING!
2. What a horror! YOU’D THINK HOLY SPIRIT WAS SENT TO ALL BELIEVERS! HARUMPH! That bunch of rabble wouldn’t even know what good political manipulating was all about. How could they accomplish anything! They need a stout rosary resolved around their necks! Harumph.
3. “ . . . both carried considerable weight in the church . . . “ WHAT??? Weight by their personal spirituality and Holy Spirit’s obvious operations through those serfs! Harumph! What affrontery to the Chief Pontificator . . . and to Merry Mother Pelosi! What spiritual egalitarian hideousness! REWRITE! REWRITE! FRONT AND CENTER!
. . .
24As we have heard that some persons from our number have disturbed you with their teaching, unsettling your minds and [e]throwing you into confusion, although we gave them no express orders or instructions [on the points in question], . . . 1. “ . . . they had no authority from us . . . “ Sounds like they were faithful to nip the little blossoming Popes running around loose in the bud. . . . . . . 1. What a collegial group. No Lording-it-Over-Overlord. No magisterical. No great gulf between the super spiritual and the serfs. Some more experienced and a bit older in the faith with a strong connection with the FIRST WITNESSES . . . yet all quite egalitarian. Nothing pontifical. Nothing ritualistic. Nothing legalistic. Nothing magisterical in the least. . . .
AMPLIFIED:
25It has been resolved by us in assembly to select men and send them [as messengers] to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
26Men who have hazarded their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.
27So we have sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will bring you the same message by word of mouth.
28For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to lay upon you any greater burden than these indispensable requirements:
29That you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from [tasting] blood and from [eating the meat of animals] that have been strangled and from sexual impurity. If you keep yourselves from these things, you will do well. Farewell [be strong]!
THE MESSAGE:
From the apostles and leaders, your friends, to our friends in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:
Hello! 24-27We heard that some men from our church went to you and said things that confused and upset you. Mind you, they had no authority from us; we didn’t send them. We have agreed unanimously to pick representatives and send them to you with our good friends Barnabas and Paul. We picked men we knew you could trust, Judas and Silas—they’ve looked death in the face time and again for the sake of our Master Jesus Christ. We’ve sent them to confirm in a face-to-face meeting with you what we’ve written. 28-29It seemed to the Holy Spirit and to us that you should not be saddled with any crushing burden, but be responsible only for these bare necessities: Be careful not to get involved in activities connected with idols; avoid serving food offensive to Jewish Christians (blood, for instance); and guard the morality of sex and marriage. These guidelines are sufficient to keep relations congenial between us. And God be with you! Barnabas and Paul Go Their Separate Ways
2. “ . . . be responsible only for these bare necessities . . . “ OH DEAR! REWRITE! REWRITE! THAT will NEVER do. We have to encrust layer upon layer of dogma, ritual, pontificals, encyclicals, lily white hankles and little bottles of blessed snake oil upon the backs of all the serfs. “Bare necessities!” Harumph! No money in that! No power-mongering in that! That’s a good example of why the serfs never make good religious politicians. No vision. No capacity to imagine or construct a vast bureaucracy feeding off their wallets and adorations. Simpletons. Harumph.
AMPLIFIED:
30So when [the messengers] were sent off, they went down to Antioch; and having assembled the congregation, they delivered the letter.
31And when they read it, the people rejoiced at the consolation and encouragement [it brought them].
32And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets (inspired interpreters of the will and purposes of God), urged and warned and consoled and encouraged the brethren with many words and strengthened them.
33And after spending some time there, they were sent back by the brethren with [the greeting] peace to those who had sent them.
THE MESSAGE:
30-33And so off they went to Antioch. On arrival, they gathered the church and read the letter. The people were greatly relieved and pleased. Judas and Silas, good preachers both of them, strengthened their new friends with many words of courage and hope. Then it was time to go home. They were sent off by their new friends with laughter and embraces all around to report back to those who had sent them.
34However, Silas decided to stay on there. 35Paul and Barnabas stayed on in Antioch, teaching and preaching the Word of God. But they weren’t alone. There were a number of teachers and preachers at that time in Antioch. 1. “Word of the Lord [concerning the [f]attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in God’s kingdom].” . . . 36And after some time Paul said to Barnabas, Come, let us go back and again visit and help and minister to the brethren in every town where we made known the message of the Lord, and see how they are getting along. . . . 1. WHAT? THEY CAN’T DO THAT! With merely Holy Spirit guiding them as they saw fit??? What horror. The magisterical must be informed IMMEDIATELY! Cancel their passports! Put a hold on their power-mongering expense accounts! Sheesh. What’s RELIGIOUS POWER-MONGERING POLITICS coming to! Next thing ya know, they’ll be acting like Independent Free-Will Baptists! What a travesty! . . .
AMPLIFIED:
35But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch and with many others also continued teaching and proclaiming the good news, the Word of the Lord [concerning the [f]attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in God’s kingdom].
THE MESSAGE:
. . .
2. Hmmmmmmm. Through Christ. Not through ritual. Not through hoop gymnastics. Not through pleasing the magisterical. Not through submitting to the professional political RELIGIOUS power-mongers. THROUGH CHRIST.
3. “But they weren’t alone. There were a number of teachers and preachers at that time in Antioch. “ Hmmmm . . . Again . . . no magisterical. No Grand Pontifical Political Overlord. Some had learned more and were gifted to teach so they taught. No political grandstanding. No Chrisitian Channel begging sharathons. No sales of endless plastic idols and religious trinkets for traveling and grandiosity building funds . . . Just believers doing what they could, were gifted to do and could do as led of Holy Spirit.
AMPLIFIED:
THE MESSAGE:
36After a few days of this, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit all our friends in each of the towns where we preached the Word of God. Let’s see how they’re doing.”
37Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark [his near relative]. 38But Paul did not think it best to have along with them the one who had quit and deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work. 39And there followed a sharp disagreement between them, so that they separated from each other, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. 37-41Barnabas wanted to take John along, the John nicknamed Mark. But Paul wouldn’t have him; he wasn’t about to take along a quitter who, as soon as the going got tough, had jumped ship on them in Pamphylia. Tempers flared, and they ended up going their separate ways: Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus; Paul chose Silas and, offered up by their friends to the grace of the Master, went to Syria and Cilicia to build up muscle and sinew in those congregations. . . . 1. OH DEAR! Human beings! Not some prissy magisterical pretending to be flawless and infallible??? What a horror! Yet, somehow, God had HIS way. Fancy That! 2. So endeth Quix’s pontifications on Acts 15.
AMPLIFIED:
40But Paul selected Silas and set out, being commended by the brethren to the grace (the favor and mercy) of the Lord.
41And he passed through Syria and Cilicia, establishing and strengthening the churches.
THE MESSAGE:
Hi Quix, It’s marbren, Great fun reading. God’s blessings to your blog! I AGREE with what you wrote.
Now to my present concern. Isn’t replacement theology actually the Acts 15 circumcision party in reverse. I do believe we as gentiles have liberty to follow as the Holy Spirit leads. Now if you are a Jewish Christian, the remnant IMHO, Sould they not still follow the jewish traditions? Martin Luther who fell for the replacment theology lie, persecuted the jews and it lead to Hitler. (BTW sorry about any spelling errors I love spell check)