In the movie “Star Trek: First Contact”, the Borg Queen (not Swedish royalty at all) attempts to get the android Data to turn on Captain Picard and the others on the Enterprise. Near the end of the movie, Captain Picard asks Data how long he had been tempted. Data replied, “.68 seconds, which for an android is an eternity”
For the apostle Paul meeting with the original apostles in Jerusalem, he was tempted to alter his gospel for exactly 0.0 seconds. Not even for a moment.
We already saw that the church responded by agreeing with Paul on the issue of circumcision and did not insist that Titus, being Greek, be circumcised in adherence to Jewish law.
How else will the church respond? Let’s see.
6 But from those who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man—for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me. 7 But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter 8 (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles), 9 and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.
It is interesting to see how Paul seems to have thought of those in authority in the Jerusalem church. His assessment is also the same as God’s, and that being that God does not give any preference to any person based on human position or title. God is not impressed with mere appearances, and neither is Paul. But what was important is that they did not try to change anything in his gospel message.
Maybe a different way to put it is that Paul was not indifferent to the leaders in Jerusalem but rather was indifferent as to whether they needed to approve his ministry or not.
But it became obvious to the leaders in Jerusalem that Paul was on to something good and maybe even different. The Jerusalem church had primarily seen their mission focus as being the Jews. But then Paul comes in with stories of what God is doing in the Gentile world and their eyes open up to other possibilities.
They knew that the gospel presentation to the Jews (circumcised) had been entrusted to them but now they see that gospel opportunities to the non-Jews (Gentiles/uncircumcised) had been entrusted to Paul in same way. Those in Jerusalem accepted what Paul had been doing among the Gentiles and had seen it as legitimate.
As Giod had worked effectively through Peter, he was now working effectively through Paul…two difference audiences but the same gospel message. The distinction is of sphere, not type. By telling the Galatians this story, Paul is putting himself on same level as Peter, that of a full apostle.
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