Sticks and Stones

Today's Reading Acts 14

Context:
Paul and Barnabas went to Iconium and preached so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed. But again the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the crowds and they were chased out of the city. They preached in the surrounding countryside. In Lystra they healed a man who was lame since birth, and the crowd believed Paul and Barnabas were the gods Zeus and Hermes in the flesh. They tried to offer sacrifices to them but Paul and Barnabas shouted back at them the truth about the only living God, barely keeping the crowd contained.

Today's Text Acts 14:19-23

¹⁹Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. ²⁰But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.
²¹They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, ²²strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said. ²³Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. (NIV)

taken from www.biblegateway.com

The first time we ever hear about Paul/Saul is in Acts 8:1, when he is watching over the cloaks of those who are stoning Stephen. During that episode, Stephen fell to his knees in prayer and vocally forgave his persecutors. I imagine that scene was heavily imprinted in his mind as each stone hit his body. Do you think he felt that he deserved this punishment? I wonder if he knew that he would live through this or if he was hoping he would die sooner rather than later. Was he able to muster up forgiveness for his tormentors?

Just a few days later he is again preaching the Good News. As he revisits the very city where he was stoned, maybe even before all the cuts and bruises have faded, he tells the believers of Jesus' words that there will be trouble in this world. I'm not able to find any information in my reference books about Paul's statement that "we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God." It almost sounds like there is a need for us to be persecuted and complete difficult tasks to accomplish entrance, although there are many passages that convince me that salvation is attained at the moment of repentance/surrender.

I know that entire religions have been formed to address passages like this, and I won't pretend to have theological wisdom for this argument. I do know that we in America are pretty clueless about the realities of persecution the folks suffered in the early days of the church. I've never been purposely hit with stones for what I believe, have you? Regardless, Paul was a very credible witness. I think I would have gone far out of my way to avoid revisiting a city that had caused so much physical pain and I would have let someone else strengthen the members of that church. How about you?

Shake off the dust

Today's Reading Acts 13:13-52
NOTE: While we are in Acts, I'll add a link for daily reading in case you want to read both chapters before we have class. Just click on the text reference above and it will take you directly to http://biblegateway.com and the verses for the day.

Context:
Paul and his companions sailed to Pisidian Antioch (please note this is not the Antioch where they started this first missionary journey) and they went to the synagogue on the Sabbath. Upon the request of the rulers, Paul told how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament and many of the Jews followed him to hear more. The following week almost the whole city gathered to hear Paul preach and the Jewish leaders were jealous and began speaking abusively against Paul and Barnabas.

Today's verses -- Acts 13:46-52

⁴⁶Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
" 'I have made you^a]">[a] a light for the Gentiles,
that you^b]">[b] may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'^c]">[c]"

⁴⁸When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

⁴⁹The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. ⁵⁰But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. ⁵¹So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. ⁵²And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. (NIV)

Footnotes:

1. Acts 13:47 The Greek is singular.
2. Acts 13:47 The Greek is singular.
3. Acts 13:47 Isaiah 49:6

I wonder what it must have felt like to be a Gentile in those days. The Good News had always been preached first to the Jews and most likely not many had heard of the few times Gentiles had received the Holy Spirit up to this point. I imagine they stood outside the synagogue (because they weren't allowed in) or on the edges of the crowd anxious to understand what all the excitement was about.

If they heard the message and believed, did they think that they first had to become a Jew to receive the gifts of Christ and the Holy Spirit? Were they facing the pain of circumcision and significant life changes due to all of those rules? It says that they were glad when they heard that Paul and Barnabas were commanded to turn to the Gentiles -- what a relief that must have been! They honored the word of the Lord and they believed.

I do find Paul's words interesting in verse 46. Instead of berating the Jews for their disbelief, he instead lays full blame for their decision at their feet, "Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life . . .." I wonder how that technique would work today for some of the folks we witness to? I imagine we'd have to use those words carefully.

It would have been easy for Paul and Barnabas to be discouraged as they left Pisidian Antioch since they were expelled from the region amidst great persecution, however the text tells us they were filled with joy as they shook the dust from their feet (verse 52). Aren't you discouraged when you give others good news and advice that can change their lives forever but they refuse to listen -- they even go so far as to tell you to butt out of their lives? We've had several situations in our lives where we have had direct experience and training in the very thing others are struggling with, but even when they requested our help they refused to believe our recommendations were better than the way they had always done it. And to be honest, we were never filled with joy as we watched them continue to struggle.

Maybe we need to shake the dust off of our feet and admit that they have rejected the advice and they don't consider themselves worthy of what it is they seek. Let them take the responsibility for their choices and move on to other areas, allowing ourselves to be filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit and work in areas where His light can shine more brightly.

I wish it were as easy to do as it is to type. . .

Following Blindly?

After a long 'vacation', I am starting up the daily devotions again since we are once more on a regular study schedule with our Sunday School lessons. We are back in the book of Acts, and this week we are studying chapters 13 and 14.

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Today's Verses: Acts 13:6-12

Context:
There was a meeting of prophets and teachers at the church in Antioch, and the Holy Spirit requested that Barnabas and Saul be set aside for special work. After fasting and prayer, they went to preach the word of God in Jewish synagogues in Cyprus, and John (probably John Mark) was there to help.

Text:

⁶They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, ⁷who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. ⁸But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. ⁹Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, ¹⁰"You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? ¹¹Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun."

Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. ¹²When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord. (NIV)

taken from www.biblegateway.com

Verse 9 is the first time that Saul's new name, Paul, is referenced. Saul is a Hebrew name meaning "asked (of God)", and Paul is a Roman name which means "little". From this point on, he is called Paul in Acts. We don't know if Paul chose his new name himself or if someone else gave it to him. Some believe that he earned this new name at the time of this particular passage -- from preaching so successfully to Sergius Paulus. I've also heard (but can't quickly find a valid reference) that when people got baptized in Bible times they often took on a new name to reflect their new life in Christ. Kind of a neat concept! What does your given name mean and what new name would you take on to reflect your life in Christ?

As we read a little further, we see that Paul chastises Bar-Jesus, a false prophet and Jewish sorcerer, the same person whom is also called Elymas later in the passage, for being a "child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right!" Then Paul performs his first recorded miracle -- to cause someone else to be blind as a way for him to see the true light. It is interesting that he uses this treatment on someone who is "perverting the right ways of the Lord" just as he was (maybe not with exactly the same intent, but with the same end result -- anything against the will of God takes people further away from God), most likely with the hope that it will turn Elymas around just as significantly as it did himself.

We see in this situation it had a significant effect on Sergius Paulus, the proconsul, but we don't know what happened to Elymas. Did he convert? Did he get his sight back? Did he become an advocate for Christ? His name means 'sorcerer' in Hebrew, so I imagine he changed it if he converted to Christianity, so he could well be referenced in future texts, but we may never know. And we don't hear any more information about Cyprus, although Barnabas and Mark spent time there after they separated from Paul's ministry for a time.

I wonder if any of the people who were with Saul at the time of his conversion were also amazed at the work of the Lord?

More Thoughts from Robert Jeffress' Clutter Free Christianity

On Forgiveness

Two of the greatest examples of forgiveness in the Bible are Jesus on the cross saying, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34 NIV), and Steven crying out "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" as he is stoned to death. (Acts 7:59-60 NIV) Both of those are amazing situations where truly godly witnesses were able to overcome severe pain to remember to request good for their tormentors. We aspire to be that holy. I think I would have instead cried out something like "God, why is this happening to me? I've been good....please make it stop."

But in reality, how do we feel others people who forgive. Do we truly believe it is possible for a child to forgive a molester? For a parent to forgive the one who murders his child? For an Auschwitz survivor to forgive her captors? For someone like Jeffrey Daumer to be forgiven by God?

And what about those who are forgiven? Will those who are forgiven for heinous crimes think that it's ok to kill or mutilate again -- especially in those cultures where forgiveness is expected? Would that make groups like the Amish, who forgave the man who killed ten school children, or Christians, who forgave the man who killed their preacher, targets?

And when we feel like the wrongs against us are just too big to forgive...do we lose the forgiveness of God? Look at the following verse:

Mark 11:25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions.

And how about the servant who had a huge debt forgiven, only to demand payment of a small debt owed to him. When this was discovered, the man to whom he owed a fortune threw him into prison and tortured him until he could pay (essentially for the rest of his life).

Our salvation is secure, but will God withhold our forgiveness for sins perpetrated after we refuse forgiveness for others?

You may want to do some Bible study on that one -- I'm not going to profess to know the answer.

We've all heard that unforgiveness hurts us more than the one against whom we hold a grudge. Writer Anne Lamott suggests it is like drinking rat poison and expecting the rat to die!

We are not capable of truly forgiving on our own. It takes the assistance of Jesus. But do you truly want to forgive? Do you think the things done to you are worse than the things done to Jesus or to Stephen?

Where do you really stand?

Daily Devotions for the week of Mar 30 - Apr 3

I'm reading a new book, Clutter-Free Christianity by Robert Jeffress, that is really causing me to think. So much that my brain is filled with so many questions about where I am in my faith that I'm having trouble coming up with devotions that seem worthwhile.

So for the rest of the week, I'll just send some of these questions to you. I think they are really valid and valuable for us to chew on for a while.

Verse:

2 Corinthians 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.(NIV)

Tuesday's Question:
Do you really want to be like Jesus?

My first response is "Of course I do!" But if I'm really honest, there are several difficult things that I have to do in order to make this happen, and I don't know that I want to do them. I have to commit to daily, intense time with God. I must seek him first in everything I do, then obey immediately. It's okay to question once, but then I must do his will, not mine. I must be willing to give up all creature comforts, talk to everyone I see about the gospel, pray for the good of my enemies, forgive anyone who does me wrong, treat my body like a temple of God with appropriate food and exercise, and be willing to accept humiliation, pain, and even death that I don't deserve. If I really wanted to be like Jesus, I'd be doing these things.

God, help me want to want to be like Jesus!

God in a Box

Today's Verses Luke 20:27-40

Context:
Continuation of Jesus' activities the week of his crucifixion.

Text:
27Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. 28"Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. 29Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. 30The second 31and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. 32Finally, the woman died too. 33Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?"
34Jesus replied, "The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, 36and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection. 37But in the account of the bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord 'the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.'[a] 38He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive."
39Some of the teachers of the law responded, "Well said, teacher!" 40And no one dared to ask him any more questions. (NIV)
Footnotes:
Luke 20:37 Exodus 3:6
taken from www.biblegateway.com

The Bible doesn't really tell us much about the Sadducees, so I checked out the Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary. It says that the Sadducees came from the most powerful families in Israel -- merchants, priests, and aristocrats. The most powerful members of the priesthood were usually Sadducees.

The key difference between them and the Pharisees was the basis of their beliefs. Sadducees believed only the Pentateuch, the five books of the Law written by Moses. If something wasn't clearly stated there, they didn't believe it. Over time, others had created 'traditions' by trying to explain what the laws meant in specific situations, and the Sadducees vehemently disagreed with this practice. In addition, if something wasn't covered in the Pentateuch (like Heaven or Hell), they didn't believe it existed. They put God in a very tight box.

Apparently they enjoyed trying to lock others into a box, too. They liked to make fun of their opponents by showing how others beliefs led to ridiculous conclusions through such 'what if' questions as we see in this text.

To us, well at least to me, Jesus' answer seems pretty confusing. But when taken in context with the culture and the beliefs of the Sadducees, his response made them look more foolish than they'd intended to make him look! He spoke knowingly about several Biblical concepts, resurrection and angels, in which the Sadducees did not believe.

So, if we look at the text in chapter 20, Jesus has summarily made the Pharisees, Sadducess, teachers of the law, and priests all look foolish for trying to trap him. And since they had tried to do this in public, all of Jerusalem was buzzing with the public humiliation of the self-revered leaders of the people.

Do we ever use scripture to put God in a box like the Sadducees did? They picked and chose which books to believe and how to interpret them -- any one who interpreted a passage differently than they did was wrong. I think we do the same thing today when we try to apply passages that were specific to the culture of Biblical times to our current world -- AND when we write a passage off because of cultural differences by saying that the world was so different then that it surely must not apply today. Yes, I know that sounds like I'm on both sides of the fence, but we have to be careful not to blindly apply everything or to do the opposite and blindly write everything off because of such cultural differences. How can we maintain the proper balance?

Questions

Today's Verses -- Luke 20:20-26

Context:
Jesus' final days before the crucifixion. He's been regularly showing the Pharisees how ungodly they were in subtle and not so subtle ways.

Text:
20Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. 21So the spies questioned him: "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 22Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
23He saw through their duplicity and said to them, 24"Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?"
25"Caesar's," they replied. He said to them, "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."
26They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent. (NIV)

taken from www.biblegateway.com

It is so clear to me that the Pharisees had no idea who Jesus really was -- sending spies who pretended to be honest? Come on -- the Son of God could easily see through that! I wonder if he just shook his head, or even smiled a little when he saw these poor fools sauntering up to him. Did he wonder, "Is that the best they've got? They just don't get it!"

Can't you see it now -- the chief priests and teachers of the law meeting in a secret place trying to come up with questions that would trap Jesus? I'm sure they thought there was no possible answer for this one that didn't break either the Roman law or cause his faithful followers to be disappointed by his agreement to continue paying tax to extortioners.

But God always has a right answer -- and it's usually beyond the foresight of mere humans.

How often do we ask God questions, especially tough ones that we can't possibly comprehend the answers to? Such as 'why do good people have to suffer?' 'why didn't you make me ....(rich, beautiful, smart, whole, taller, talented, you fill in the blank)?', and 'how come I can't have ..... (again, fill in the blank)...so and so does and he doesn't appreciate it'.

I imagine he smiles a little and shakes his head at our ignorance. He may see these questions in the same manner as he saw the questions of those trying to trap him. No matter what he answers, we won't think it's fair. We can't begin to comprehend the big picture from Heaven's side of the universe, and until we walk through those pearly gates we will just have to trust that he is right.

Do you trust him when life doesn't make any sense?