Daily Liturgy and Scripture

There is a real sense in these passages that the Spirit is moving Paul and his partners intentionally. They are not roaming the streets shouting and preaching, but the movement is intentional. The Spirit goes with them and before them, because this growth of the Church is the work of God among his people, and not only the people.

There was no single way of doing things other than following Jesus in the early church. The rule of circumcision was debated against the Jews, but Paul circumcised Timothy so he could lead Jewish believers. Arguments happened between Christians and non-Christians, but also between leaders like Paul and Barnabas. Still, perhaps Paul would never have found Timothy if he and Barnabas had never parted ways.

Growing the Kingdom isn't just about letters (which formed the New Testament), but also about sending people. Letters alone would have served as instruction, but sending a person has a different effect: to teach the value of the relationships that are vital for the growing Church.

It's hard to let go of something familiar, even if it's not the thing that's best. That's what was happening with Jewish evangelists who contradicted the message of the apostles by telling them that they needed to follow old Jewish rituals to be believers. Their error is easy for us to see, but perhaps not so much for those who were trying to figure out how a religion started by a Jewish rabbi fit without being totally Jewish. Being a member of the early Church wasn't easy!

This episode of Paul and Barnabas's ministy includes the "shaking the dust of their feet" piece. This is a phrase that often means something like, "give up on someone," perhaps someone who has been unreceptive to the gospel. It was also a ritual that Jewish people used to show that they were separated from Gentiles, so the using of the action to show digust with Jewish leaders might have been specifically for them. Those who sought to weaponize religion wielded their influence in that city, and Paul and Barnabas recognized the limits of their abilities, and the need to find more receptive ears.

It's quite a leap to go from looking like gods to being stoned. Of course, Paul probably preferred the stoning, as he would never have wanted to claim godhood. What was the thing that made the difference? A group of religious people who turned the crowd against him. That attitude is the polar opposite of Paul's, and we should take a note that using religion as a way to punish our enemies is not the mind of Christ.

Getting the word out about Jesus and what his coming meant in God's plan was quite a task. The people of God, building on centuries of tradition, had a new reality: Jesus fulfilled the promises God made to them, and now there was a new Kingdom to live in, one that included others. Paul's background in Judaism made him especially adept in spreading this message, and this is the work he set himself to.

It's interesting that Paul, whose conversion experience included being struck blind, now inflicts blindness on someone else. Perhaps he thought that it might produce the same result? Whatever the case, it seems that the blindness was equated with spiritual things in Paul's mind, and he uses it as a tool to stop the perversion of the ways of the Lord.

Why did God allow some of the apostles to be executed and other to be miraculously saved? That's an answer only God can give, and that's a plan that none of us could improve upon. The church is growing, sometimes by those who are willing to die for its cause, and sometimes through the actions of those who remain. Both play a critical role.

The Church is finding its identity by spreading, but remaining connected by the Spirit. This was a new thing, because the working of the Spirit defined the life of this new body. It must have been a wild time, and somewhat uncertain. Building something new is never without challenges, even when that new thing has the hand of God upon it.