A Great Cooperation

Galatians 2:1-10

Introduction

On January 1, 1942, the Grand Alliance was formed. This was an alliance between Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union. The beginning of the war was Britain and France against Germany. Unfortunately, France was defeated leaving Britain only supported by her Commonwealth. In June, 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union despite earlier having signed a non-aggression pact. Six months later, Japan attacked Pearl Harbour, bringing the United States in against Japan, as well as Germany and Italy. Britain, United States, and the Soviet Union. Three very different nations with three different international goals. Even natural allies such as Britain and America had their differences. Britain wanted to keep its empire, while the US had anti-imperialistic views. And then there was the Soviet Union. British and American leaders had no idealistic opinions that they were on the exact same page as Stalin. It would seem very unlikely that they would be allies. And yet there was a threat with Hitler and Nazi Germany that made them cooperate despite their differences. Was this is the right decision? The Cold War that followed might make us reconsider the wisdom. And yet what would the war have looked like the Soviet Union had made a separate peace and it had only been the English-speaking world against the Axis? We cannot know. What we do know is that unlikely partners joined together because there was a mission that needed to be completed. Differences had to be put aside, although not forgotten, for the greater good.

This is an interesting reflection for us as Christians. It has been estimated that there are 45,000 different Christian denominations worldwide. Even within the Baptist tradition, there are dozens and dozens of different denominations. I want you to think about the diversity within Christianity. Now think about the diversity among the three major divisions of Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant. Now think of the diversity within just one Protestant tradition. Then consider the diversity within one congregation within one tradition or denomination. How can we get anything done when there are so many different opinions and interpretations? And yet we do.

I would like to share an example of how this has happened in the past and why it must continue into the future.

Paul and the Jerusalem Apostles

The passage that we are looking at gives us a rare glimpse of the dynamics within the early church. In this passage, we find Paul and his associates going to Jerusalem to meet with the leaders there. What we find is Paul walking a very fine line. Paul wants to do two things here. Paul wants to meet these leaders and make it clear to everyone that they are preaching the same gospel. But Paul at the same time wants to be clear that his gospel came directly from Jesus and not from the apostles. So he wants to meet them but he does not want to give the false impression that his authority comes from them. If you read this passage carefully, you get a sense of the dance that Paul is doing.

Although Jerusalem was a Jewish Christian church, Paul makes it clear that it was never on the table for Titus to get circumcised. There was nothing wrong with Jewish people getting circumcised, but as a Greek, there was no reason for Titus to get circumcised. This is a key point for the main issue facing the Galatians.

Paul then takes on a rather passive aggressive stance toward the pillars of the church. I don’t think that Paul had anything against them as individuals but he understood how others saw them. So Paul downplays the authority they have, not because they were hostile, but to highlight that they did not have authority over Paul. Paul is fighting for his role as an independent contractor. 

It was recognized that just as Peter was called to be the apostle to the Jews, so Paul had been called to be the apostle to the Gentiles or non-Jews. This makes it clear that there was differences but there was mutual agreement about the importance of that sharing of the work. We also find that the pillars of the church-Peter, James, and John-agreed that they were preaching the same gospel. For Paul it is important that they acknowledge that without wanting to give off the impression that Paul needed it. In the end, the Jerusalem apostles give the right hand of fellowship. 

What we need to see is that there were serious differences and even divisions within the early church. We see this in Acts as well. We should not pretend that the early church was some golden age where everyone agreed on everything. There were sharp differences. But there was also the right hand of fellowship. There was an accepting of differences and a willingness to work together for their common mission.

A Diverse Church

The early church was more diverse than many people realize. The diversity within the church today is even greater. That diversity can come in different ways. There can be differences in musical style or frequency of communion or whether or not ministers wear robes. There are some differences that are not that important but there may be other differences that we feel are significant. How much water do we use in baptism and it for babies or believers? Those are great questions to discuss.

But there is other diversity that cuts across denominations and that has to do with where we should focus our energy. I am going to offer four areas that Christians tend to see as important.

There are those who believe in hands on charity. We should be feeding the hungry and serving the poor. There are others who believe that we should focus on justice and address the systemic imbalances that our the root causes for the suffering we see. There are others who believe that we should live for telling people about Jesus and bringing people into the church. Then there are others who see our primary purpose as being about worshiping God. Now there is biblical support for all of these activities. It is hard to disagree with any of them.

The problem comes when one is passionate about one of them and cannot understand why everyone else is not like them. People who have a different focus must either be ignorant or unfaithful. Isn’t obvious that this is the way?

And yet that is not what we see in this passage. Peter was passionate for his calling and Paul was passionate for his calling and yet they offered each other the right hand of fellowship.

In addition to my work as a pastor, I am an army chaplain. I have colleagues from a wide range of Christian traditions plus chaplains of other religions. I am able to work effectively with Jewish rabbis and Muslim imams for the common mission of caring for soldiers. If that is the case, how much more should people who follow Jesus, even if they differ on what they emphasize, work together on our common mission. We are called to build the kingdom of God. Can you imagine someone having a house built only to find that the electrician, plumber, and carpenter are all arguing that their job is the most important? Our world needs Christians of every persuasion, tradition, and calling. It is not about denying our differences but acknowledging that our differences make us stronger.

Conclusion

While we cannot know for certain, I suspect there was some tension at the meeting of Paul with the Jerusalem apostles. The other apostles may have thought of Paul as a loose cannon and Paul may have seen them as traditionalists that would reject his cutting edge ministry. In the end, they acknowledged their differences but also gave the right hand of fellowship. 

We are here as people from different congregations and denominations. Even within our congregations, we may differ on what we want to focus on. You may want to serve in a soup kitchen or write to a Member of Parliament against injustice or share the good news about Jesus or sing a hymn in worship to God. God is using all of us, even if deep down we feel our convictions are the most important. The church is a big church and we are just a little part of it. Let us work together to the glory of God.