Galatians 2:10 – Remember the poor

Only that we may be remembering the poor, which same thing I endeavor also to do.

With “the right hand of fellowship” that James, Cephas and John offer, Paul gets full recognition for his calling. Nothing is imposed on him (:6). The “only” in this verse is therefore not a condition that the “pillars” place on Paul, but a request not to forget the poor in Jerusalem in fulfilling his worldwide mission. And Paul agrees and has generously proved it. We know from Romans 15:25-27, 1 Corinthians 16:1-4 and 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 that he has been busy making a great ingathering for the poor in Jerusalem.

But precisely when Paul arrived in Jerusalem to support the poor saints from among the nations, he ran into a wall of resistance among the Jewish Messianic believers in Judea (Acts 21:20,21). They hated his “pagan message” (read: “the Gospel of the uncircumcision”) and this led to Paul’s imprisonment and going to Rome. This despite the recognition of the “pillars”. Paul could no longer do any good with their supporters in Judea.

How illustrative it is that “the riches of the nations” that Paul brought (Rom. 11:12) revealed the very poverty in Jerusalem. Behold Paul’s ministry in a nutshell!

Delen: