Thursday, May 31, 2007

Paul 2.9

When Judas had finished, a cache of Amens rumbled through the crowd.

Then Peter spoke. "Israelites, I agree with you that salvation is of the Jews and that we are the people of God. But Scripture also shows that God cares through us for the stranger in the land who is in our midst. And God even sent Jonah to the Ninevites, the greatest enemies of Israel in that day, in order to give them the chance to repent.

"We apostles and elders marvelled some years back when God chose to bring the gospel to the Gentiles by my lips. God gave me a dream of a net with unclean food that He told me to kill and eat. Of course even in my dream I refused. Three times God brought this dream to me. He was telling me to go to the house of Cornelius, even though it would normally make me unclean.

While I was there, God sent the Holy Spirit on these God-fearing men. I was amazed. They were uncircumcised men, and yet God purified their hearts. They were not even baptized in the name of Jesus the Messiah yet!

We could have debated this issue for a long time, but God settled the issue before we even began the debate. The Gentiles can indeed escape God's wrath because of the faithfulness of Jesus the Messiah. They are like the stranger in our midst."

I did not like Peter's approach to the matter, but I recognized it was more likely to convince than my argument would have.

Then I felt deeply patronized when James gave Barnabas and me a moment to tell of the success we had experienced among the Gentiles of Galatia. I was particularly keen to mention the signs and wonders that the Holy Spirit had done through us. What signs had God ever done through these false brothers?

Barnabas told them how he believed God had actually raised me from the dead at Lystra. Even the Judaizers there gave in to laughter at the thought that some in the city there had believed we were Zeus and Hermes, just because we had healed a lame man.

2 comments:

Angie Van De Merwe said...

The Jews (religious) seek for signs and wonders, whereas the Greeks seek "wisdom". Christ was the sign rejected because he did not come in the power (sign) the Jews sought...and he was the "wisdom" of God, in that he knew who he was and where he was going without the help of man, so he was "free" to serve man from "beneath the power position"...he was his own person...apart from the "help of man" (the Temple incident at the age of 12 with his parents) although he still grew in wisdom and knowledge with God and man, as a child...therefore, uniquely (as an individual) He was God's "Son" (Romans 8 manifestation of the Sons of God) and yet, developmentally, human. Such is the case with those who are "called" to thier specific mission....Isn't this Paul's understanding, by faith who Jesus is? He (Paul) understood Jesus message of turning the religious structure on its heels...for it had become an oppressive tool in the hands of the Pharisees...those who were fearful to obey the Law...(unhealthy "fear of God").. A healthy relationship to the Father was what Jesus illustrated...one free of fear...and embracing of all of the differences of individuality....

Angie Van De Merwe said...

By the way, the American evangelical understanding of relationship to God is productivity and/or purpose...that is like saying that a man marries a woman so she can produce his heirs...and not because of her innate desirablity. God loves us because He is love, and because He is love, He doesn't need our "heirs" of productivity (we may like that, but He doesn't. People are Never to be means to an end for that dissolves the person to a commodity and the relationship to one of patronage)..that is part of the American work ethic, American captilistic base, and American "dream" of usefulness and it is truly an American Gospel...I believe it was Maslov who understood that the basic needs (physical and emotional) of a child must be met before that child can reach their potential...part of the Gospel to the "poor" (those whose heritage is missing, the non-Jew) is the love and acceptance of God. This was the message of Christ..those whose heritage is intact have not so much the challenge of potentiality, but of humility in understanding that life is beyond human control and is a gift from God to be given back to Him in whatever potential He has innately given, which is individually determined.
The communal aspect of our faith comes about as we use our gifts within the framework of our convictions to honor God as the Giver of our life, within the community that is most conducive of that life (inclusiveness).