Galatians 2:10 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.
This verse reveals the heart of compassion that the Jerusalem leaders had and how the early church was unified in its mission. Theological controversies were not the issue for them, although it was of utmost important. They were unified in the gospel. They eyes had been opened and their understanding stretched with the inclusion of the Gentiles. Their old paradigms were not adequate any more. They needed to expand their thinking about this message of Jesus. This was bigger than any one of them. God was doing amazing things that they could not understand or put in a nice little Jewish box. The world is a big place and God’s message of grace is even bigger.
The pillars of the church in Jerusalem, Peter, James (the brother of Jesus and not the son of Zebedee who was beheaded by Herod in Acts 12:2 before this meeting), and John wanted Paul and the scattered church among the Gentiles to remember the poor. This is a significant historical note in this middle of this autobiographical section. It reveals three concepts.
First, this was at the heart of Jesus during his ministry. These disciples were following their teacher and had hearts of compassion also. They had watched Jesus respond to the poor and had heard his teaching about taking care of the poor.
Second, it implies something about their situation in Jerusalem. It was difficult to be a Christian in Jerusalem. At least two of the three names mentioned were fishermen. How do you catch fish upon a hill in the middle of a desert? The early church was persecuted by the Jews. Many of the first believers had sold all they had and given the money to the poor. They had no more economic base. They were living by faith in the midst of a difficult economic time when the region was also experiencing a famine. The church in Jerusalem needed help.
Third, it shows a strong connection between the needs of the Jerusalem church and one of Paul’s key mission goals of raising an offering for these believers. There is no way to know, but this meeting may have begun Paul mission of the offering for the saints of Jerusalem, which is mentioned in several of his letters. He collected this offering from various churches and later returned to Jerusalem with it. Verse 10 shows that Paul, Barnabas, and Titus already wanted to take care of the poor. Now they saw a great need in Jerusalem and after this may have begun the campaign to raise resources to care for the believers there.
Thus, we see a vision and a need come together at this point in the early church. There were no doubt many Christians who lived in poverty throughout the Roman Empire, especially where there was persecution. These believers learned to grow their faith through these trials and tribulations. Even in their poverty, they gave to others. Compassion is a crucial outcome of the gospel because it is at the heart of Jesus.
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