Romans 15:26

For it hath been the good pleasure of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints that are at Jerusalem. [It was quite natural that there should be many Christians in Jerusalem, for Palestine was filled with poor, and it was to that class that the gospel was especially preached (Luke 7:22), and it was among that class that it was everywhere successful (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). But it is also likely that these poor, being converted, lost their employment because of their faith, for such petty persecution has been common in all ages (James 2:4-7; Galatians 2:10; 1 Peter 4:15-16). But, unhappily, these cruel distinctions, when made by Jews against Jewish Christians, did not cause the latter to affiliate with Gentile Christians. On the contrary, Jerusalem became the center of a vast and practically worldwide enmity cherished by Jewish against Gentile Christians, by reason of racial and educational prejudice. To break down this prejudice and hatred, that the partition wall might be removed between Jew and Gentile, Paul conceived the idea of inducing the Gentile Christians to send an offering to the poor Jewish Christians at Jerusalem (1 Corinthians 16:1-3), hoping thereby to make each faction think more kindly of the other. In this he partly succeeded (2 Corinthians 9:12-15). The Bible accounts of this collection lead us to think that it was quite large. See Acts 19:21; Acts 24:17; 2 Corinthians 8:1-24 through 2 Corinthians 9:1-15]