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10 Only [monon] they would that [hina] we should remember [mnemoneuo] the poor; [ptochos] the
same [autos][touto] which [hos] I [spoudazo] also [kai] was forward [spoudazo] to do. [poieo] KJV-Interlinear
10 They
only asked us to remember the poor — the very thing I also was eager to do. NASB
From the previous verse, Paul along with Barnabas, had a conversation with James, Peter and John.
In that conversation was discussed the requirements of salvation and the role of which circumcision had in salvation. And, that circumcision had no role in salvation, therefore was not a requirement of salvation, and therefore any gentile who believed in Christ would not be required to be circumcised in order to somehow confirm or seal his salvation.
Also, was discussed the respective audience of James, Peter and John, as opposed to Paul and Barnabas.
James, Peter, and John preferred to take the message of the gospel of Christ, to the Jewish peoples (the circumcised), while Paul was to take the same exact message of the gospel of Christ to the gentile people (the uncircumcised).
Circumcision was the tradition of the Jewish people and had been since Abraham circumcised himself many centuries prior. Non-Jewish people back then, the gentiles, did not practice circumcision as a matter of culture or tradition. This also was a tradition and practice that set Abraham and his faith, apart from the other nations and peoples of his time. Even the muslim religion of today who wrongly and arbitrarily claim Abraham as their father, do not practice circumcision.
And even though western civilization took up that practice, it was out of the Christian influence that gentile peoples adopted that practice. Today there are now good medical reasons for using circumcision which again has nothing to do with salvation.
And finally, since the thrust of their respective gospel missions was going in different directions, James, Peter and John requested that the poor of Judea (implied by their conversation), would not be forgotten.
Paul states clearly that he would not forget but would remember and help with enthusiasm as best he could.
James, Peter and John would naturally have a soft spot in their hearts for their people and would want to help them as much as possible.
Paul on the other hand, was more mission oriented, as his directive was issued directly from God, to spread the truth to the gentile people, a much larger task spreading the word to the entire world.
And even though James, Peter and John had a smaller group, the Jewish people, to focus on, their burden was directed toward a people who were more stiff necked toward the truth, despite their having custody of that truth for many centuries since the time of Moses.
God has promised all generations that that race, the Jewish race, would enter into the Kingdom of God, which we know will not occur until the second-advent.
That kingdom we know, has not yet occurred and that many centuries have already passed. So to maintain some semblance of Jewish Christianity across many centuries and generations until then would be a huge undertaking. Something that man cannot control or accomplish, and only God can do.
Remembering the poor would be difficult enough, while in their day, just existing in the face of a world full of anti-Christian policies was to be an overwhelming task.
