Week 1 April 2026, Devotion Part 1

And when they read it, they rejoiced at the exhortation. And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, exhorted the brethren with many words and strengthened them.   Acts 15:32

The letter was short and sweet. “The apostles and elders, your brothers, to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: greetings. We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul – men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.”

No wonder the Gentile converts rejoiced. Having just dodged the Judaizers’ bullet of mandatory circumcision, skipping the blood sausage at the Antioch Epicure was a non-issue. Ask the man who just dodged the bullet of a near-fatal heart attack if he plans to continue his love affair with red meat. Watch the rapturous look on his face as he professes his new and undying love for all things green. Realistically, will he nibble on raw broccoli when his buddies throw a party to celebrate his return to good health? Fat chance when well-marbled steaks the size of Texas are sizzling on the grill!  Part 1 of 2

Comment: Judas was a common and respected name in Israel, until the disciple from Kerioth betrayed Jesus. It meant “praise” or “thanksgiving to God,” invoking the preeminence of the tribe of Judah, and the fame of Judas Maccabeus, celebrated at Hanukkah. His victory over the Syrian king Antiochus IV Epiphanes and his Syrian-Greek army prevented the imposition of Hellenism on Judea and preserved the Jewish religion. Interestingly, in the context of this prophetic assignment, Judas was picked as a traditional Hebraic Jew, whereas Silas as a Hellenistic Jew was culturally more aligned with Greek speakers, and held a Roman citizenship. When it “seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” to specifically send these two men, it signaled unity and the assurance that both Jewish and Gentile concerns would be heard. The word “prophet” occurs hundreds of times in both the Old and  New Testament and uniformly translates into “Inspired Speaker.” The one not filled with God’s Spirit is a “false witness” called “pseudomartureo.” The word “martyr” in Greek was a legal term for giving one’s testimony as a witness.  In the thrilling postscript to the Resurrection in Luke 24:13-35,  Jesus tells the two disciples on the Emmaus Road how all the prophesies of the OT have now been fulfilled.  He breaks bread with them and afterwards they testify, “Were not our hearts burning within us…while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?”