Acts 13:40-52 Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you: “‘Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your day that you would never believe, even if someone told you. ’”As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God. On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him. Then 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. For this is what the Lord has commanded us: “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. But the Jewish leaders 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. So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
In the above scene we see Paul and Barnabas finishing up their work in Antioch of Pisidia. For two weeks Paul had tried to convince the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles to follow Jesus Christ of Nazareth. As in most of these Greek cities where they evangelized, some Jews but many God-fearing Gentiles accepted the Good News. As the prophets foretold, many Jews were scoffers. They wonder and perish for they fought openly against the Good News. Paul became very tired of the Jews contradicting what he was ministering. They heaped abuse on him, and probably as did the Greeks in Athens, Greece, they ridiculed what he said. On the second Sabbath a large crowd gathered to hear what Paul was ministering; this made the Jews jealous to see such a large gathering. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. Of course this happened in Jesus’ ministry too. Large crowds followed him, making the elite Jews of Jerusalem jealous of him. They knew they were losing the people to this man, Jesus. Now In Antioch of Pisidia we see the same thing: jealousy and hatred of the two disciples of Christ. Paul knew his commission from Christ was to go to the Gentile world, so that is why we find the two in Turkey. However, since they were both Jews, they felt the best reception to the Good News would be from the Jews. But Paul’s primary mission from Christ was to minister the gospel to the whole world. I have made you a light for the Gentiles that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth. So we see this once respected Rabbi, Paul, out into the the Gentile world, talking about a man, Jesus Christ, who was resurrected from the dead. Paul had lost his place of honor within the Jewish community. When he was hunting down Christians to have them murdered or at least tortured in Jerusalem, he had the confidence of the High Priest. The elite priests of Jerusalem knew Paul had all the qualifications and qualities to be part of their brotherhood: leaders of the Jewish society in Israel. He was a Pharisee who conformed to the laws and regulations of Judaism in the strictest manner. (Acts 26:5). Nevertheless, when Paul is presented to King Agrippa after his two years of confinement in a Roman prison, Governor Festus introduces him as a person hated by all Jews everywhere. The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high-ranking military officers and the prominent men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. Festus said: “King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. (Acts 25:23-24) Paul was a scourge to the majority of the Jews everywhere. When he was arrested in Jerusalem, the Roman soldiers had to lift him to their shoulders to keep the mob from killing him. This once respected Rabbi, a darling of the elite, was now considered an anathema to the Jewish people. He was perfect when he was killing Christians, but now he was hated by the majority of the Jews, who were willing to do anything to have him killed. When he was killing others for the sake of Judaism, he was acceptable. Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities. (Acts 26:11)
Paul had lost everything in life: all of his closely held dreams of what he would become eventually as a strict follower of God. He thought that through the works in his life as a dedicated follower of God, he would win many promotions in the Pharisee sect. He probably knew he would after a time become part of the Sanhedrin that rules Israel. Once loved by leaders of Israel, now he was hated by them, with a constant target on his back. Jesus’ call to him on the road to Damascus cost him everything: his life, aspirations, dreams. ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.’ "‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked. “And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. Tell people that you have seen me, and tell them what I will show you in the future. And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. (Acts 26:14-18) To emphasize this call, Saul was blinded for three days. And we can assume that he requested many things from Jesus, but not to be an anathema to the whole Jewish community. He might have pleaded with God as Jesus pleaded with God. Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. (Matthew 26:39) But the cup was not taken away from Jesus and neither was it taken away from Paul’s life. We hear Jesus say to Saul, Now get to your feet! A command given to all of us who are born-again because we met Jesus on the road to Damascus. Your feet, your hands, your lips are to be used. No divine intervention will happen; you will carry out your assignment in the flesh. We heard the angel who rescued Peter from jail, “ Get to your feet and get dressed. You are going to carry out your assignment in fleshly deeds and work." Peter walked out of prison. He had to walk. He did not float out of prison, he walked! Jesus carried the cross; He was totally in the flesh. He did not just find himself at a place called Golgotha. Jesus walked, Peter walked, and Paul will walk out his life, walking thousands of miles to drink the cup that God had placed on his life. For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. Tell people that you have seen me, and tell them what I will show you in the future. And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Jesus rescued him as he was on the missionary field, but finally in Rome after his mission was completed as God directed him. It is told by history that Paul died a violent death. When he fulfilled his mission, God took him home. He found his home that he was seeking all along.
Paul was disgusted with his fellow Jews; he knew one reason they did not want to move away from Judaism: the cost in their lives would be very great. The followers of Jesus would certainly find themselves ostracized from the Jewish community. No longer would they be accepted in the synagogues. They would lose their standing in the Jewish society. To be a follower of Jesus would carry much trauma. The Jewish leaders and the Greeks of high standing rallied against Paul’s ministry. The Jewish leaders 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. So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. By this discouraging outcome of their ministry in Antioch of Prisida, Paul and Barnabas knew their target for the Good News was primarily the Gentiles. We see later on in their ministry, some Jews believed but many Gentiles believed. The strongest opposition to the Good News came primarily from their fellow Jews. Paul always carried the charge of Jesus Christ when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. He could not avoid this command of Jesus. He could never go back and blend into the Jewish community. God had called him for a special mission, one that was held in the heart of God from the beginning that salvation through Jesus Christ is to all people. God through Paul, would open the Good News to all people. However, the cost was great to this missionary, Paul. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:7-11) Paul was conformed to the death of his Savior, a cross-bearing life. He counted his life as nothing. He sold his life to Christ. The price of servanthood is sometimes very great. To keep in step with the Spirit sometimes leads us to a place where we do not feel comfortable. For some of us, we say to ourselves, why should I start my day with Jesus and end my day with Jesus? Why? Because we are the light of the world; we are ambassadors of a kingdom that is eternal, that will never fade away. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:1-3) Paul’s whole ministry speaks of a home for all people that is eternal. He spoke of a resurrected Christ who has paid the price for this home. We shall never die if we put our trust in this gift of love: Jesus, who has been given to us by the Creator himself. This message is pure love for all people whom He has made in his image. It cost Paul a lot to deliver this message. He lost honor and prestige with his own people to give this message to the world. Then the question for us is how much are we paying for our home. Are we unwilling “TO GET UP” and deliver the Good News in words and actions to all we meet? Often we hear good messages coming from our pastors. We hear them and say, Amen! But then the feet, the hands, the lips that are necessary to carry out what we heard in church are not there. Paul carried a message of Good News to the world. At that time implementing the gospel message would cost some their lives and for others, they would face persecution. In this Christmas season as we celebrate a little baby’s birth, let us remember in our celebration, that we, whether new or old in Christ, must carry out our assignment in life as Paul did. The Jews in Antioch did not accept his message, but did not prevent him from going to Iconium. Let no obstacle, no discourgement in our lives prevent us from going to Iconium.
No comments:
Post a Comment