What went wrong?

David Self’s commentary divides the material for teaching, “Jerusalem: Facing Conflict” into these steps: Recognizing the Problem (1), Presenting the Issues (2), James’ Clarification (3), and Reaching a Consensus (4).

I like his summary applications: Avoid doctrinal error, God’s truth leads to unity, and our mission is the Great Commission. I’ll use these as alternate titles for the lesson.

In the early ‘90s, I read the book, Getting to Yes, by Fisher, Ury, and Patton as part of management training on negotiating a good outcome for my employer. The negotiation process had to include effective communication, and build up the relationship between the parties.

A good outcome must be better than the BATNA (pronounced Bat-nah) of the parties involved while satisfying their interests. It must be legitimate and include commitments that are realistic and operational.

All of these elements can be seen in the background passage, Acts 15:1-35. Particularly, Peter did not forget to include God’s interests (see verses 7-11). The place fell silent, and when Paul and Barnabas spoke (v12), they kept the same high level of interest by relating God’s involvement (from which we can deduce His interests). James continues the focus on God’s interests when he relates the Scriptures, or God’s Word (v16-).

Here is an example of where God was left out of the debate. Work with members to identify what elements of negotiation went wrong between the two parties in the example cited.