Faith

Don’t shut shop!  Wednesday, 3rd Week of Easter-   Acts 8:1b-8 ( read up to verse 12 for a better understanding)

There is sadness and joy woven together in the same passage; perhaps a well-rounded presentation of Christian life. There are some who believe that being a Christian is like wearing a coat of armour, a sort of protection from the challenges that life throws us. Not so, for Christian life is a balance of both; the Lord gives the Lord takes, blessed be His name.

We are told of a great persecution began in the Church in Jerusalem the day Stephen was stoned. The apostles remained in Jerusalem but the disciples scattered through the countryside. The main protagonist of these persecutions is Saul of Tarsus whose brutal methods included dragging men and women from their house to prison. There was no charge against these Christians nor does it seem that Saul had any authority but perhaps this well describes the madness that surrounds religious jingoism; law gets taken into ones hand.

But while Saul ravaged the Church, the Acts tells of the workings of the Holy Spirit through another man. While Jerusalem was being ravaged, Samaria was being healed. As I mentioned before, of the seven deacons named in Acts, only two find mention again in the New Testament. We heard of Stephen and now we hear of Philip the Deacon. This table boy, like Stephen, shares in the ministry of preaching, teaching and healing and the impact that he makes is sufficient to bring in the big guns from Jerusalem as back up. We are told in verse 14 that the apostles sent Peter and John to help Philip.

For many Christians engaged in ministry, obstacles such as the persecution experienced by the Early Church are reason for them to shut shop. The Early Church teaches us how to take the rough and tumble in our stride but to also pick up the pieces and move on. What man sees as failure is often opportunity in God’s eyes. He needs us to trust in Him.

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Do not hold this sin against them- Tuesday, 3rd week in Easter time- Acts 7:51—8:1a

When you think of the Easter season you think of joy, peace and hope, and yet the Easter season also has jealousy, scheming and murder!

It takes a lot of hate to throw a stone with the deliberate intent, to take another human life. The  waters get even more murky when the murderers are not some half crazed uneducated village folk, stoked by communal hatred, but educated religious leaders of the council, themselves!

Stephen became the victim of clerical jealousy. He himself, a recently ordained “cleric” was now brought down by clerics of another sect. Such was the hatred against Stephen that the sacred author even recounts that the council of elders “ground their teeth at Stephen” and the very men who once saw in his face “the face of an angel” (6:15) now did not want to hear the voice of that angel, for we are told “they covered their ears” in order not to listen to him (7:57).”

These seven verses are so shockingly filled with hate, and to make a point, I am going to list the hate words – enraged, ground their teeth, covered their ears, shouted loudly, rushed at him, dragged him, stoned him and finally, Stephen died. But like the Lord, Stephen too had his last words and they were love filled not hate filled. In that sense you may identify in this passage what you choose to see; hate and jealousy, or love and forgiveness.

Stephen’s death was brutal, but he was passionate in his love for the Lord. He was a dedicated servant at table and an ardent preacher of the word. He allowed the Lord to use him to work great signs, yet he never drew attention to himself. He was not afraid to charge the Jewish authorities with the truth when he called them, “stiff necked people uncircumcised in heart” and yet his last words like Jesus were words of forgiveness for them, “do not hold this sin against them.”

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‘Hate-rid’ –  Monday, 3rd week of Easter- Acts 6:8-15

And so the great persecution of the Church begins with Stephen. On him will be laid the first crown of martyrdom. The Innocent blood of martyrs, such as Stephen’s will drench the Church, thus sowing the seeds of Christianity.

We were told that the apostles felt bogged down with the daily distribution of food. They were convinced that their primary role was to preach and teach the Gospel. It was for this reason that seven men were ordained to carry on the task of the distribution of food within the community.

Ironically we are told that Stephen, who no doubt waited tables, also began to preach and perhaps more eloquently and passionately than the apostles themselves. It is this passionate preaching, and the crowds that were drawn to Stephen that attracted the attention of the Freedmen.

Who were the Freedmen? There are two possible explanations to who these people were. The Greek term Freedmen (Λιβερτῖνος) is a loan word from Latin libertini, who were freed slaves; Jews taken into slavery by the Romans under Pompey in 63 BC, and those whose forefathers were granted freedom.

It is also possible that these were proselytes (converts), enslaved non-Jews, who embraced the Jewish way of life. Their freedom came from their new found Jewish religion and hence they spoke and worshipped Yahweh in Greek (not Hebrew) in synagogues attended by this linguistic group only. Perhaps it was these Greek-speaking people that picked an argument with Stephen.

Stephen the ‘table boy’ who waited at tables also had this great gift of preaching. We are told from the text itself that he was “full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs and had the wisdom of the Spirit.” If you put all this together, it makes Stephen the most desired preacher, teacher and healer of his time. Imagine a Stephen such as this in our day! He would cause sufficient clerical jealousy that could go for the jugular. Perhaps that’s exactly what happened with the rival group of the Freedmen.

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Art/ Heritage

EASTER AT EMMAUS: ‘The Supper at Emmaus’ by Vittore Carpaccio (1513)

Easter indeed is a time of hope and new beginnings! Yet 2000 years ago on the Sunday of Easter the disciples were anything but full of hope. Their eyes still sank in the pale shadows of the brutal passion, their minds in painful vexation of the terrorising events. The songs of freedom of the Passover were transformed into mourns of fear and apprehension. In the midst of this turmoil two of the disciples, Cleophas and his companion, flee from Jerusalem. They set out to cover a distance of seven miles to reach the tranquil village of Emmaus. But their destination soon loses its beauty to the journey they commenced. 

As the disciples traversed along the dusty path a set of footprints accompanied them. Jesus, unnamed, unrecognised joins their company and stirs their soul. He sets their hearts on fire through the scriptures. Marvellously, the road to escape now turns into a therapeutic road to hope. 

As dusk falls, the kind and hospitable disciples urge the unknown, unnamed stranger to stay with them. Tired and hungry, they gather around the table to dine. It is then that the stranger does something significant. The guest at the table turns into the host. He takes the bread, blesses and breaks it. Then he gives it to the now astounded disciples.

It was a moment of revelation and awe and Vittore Carpaccio, an Italian painter of the Venetian school of art, captures this moment through his austere painting ‘The Super at Emmaus.’

Christ here, solemn and stoic, sits in the company of four men. The ones at the outer edges of the table can easily be recognised as the disciples. Cleophas, elderly and bearded, holds his hand to his heart as he digests the truth of the Resurrection. They no longer needed a sign, the greatest sign was in their midst. Christ actions, simple yet symbolic, at once resounded the scene of the Last Supper.

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Cafeteria management- Saturday, 2nd week in Easter- Acts 6:1-7

For many who read the Acts of the Apostles as one romanticised community of believers, Acts chapter six comes in as rude shock. Not long ago in chapter four we were told rather emphatically, that the believers “were of one heart and soul, that no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, and that there was not one needy person among them.” (Acts 4: 32-33)

Turn the page of the Bible and all of the above seems to have disappeared in oblivion. There is clearly a dispute in the community, and a clue to this dispute lies in the opening lines. The tiny group of ardent apostles had now begun “increasing in number”. The Church was hit by organizational issues and the board of management was asked to settle cafeteria issues.

So what were these cafeteria issues? The Bible mentions two groups of widows, Hellenists and Hebrews. In all probability these two groups were Jews but at some time in history, some of the Jews settled in neighbouring countries that were influenced by Greek language and culture. These people were known as the Hellenists and since they lived outside of Jerusalem, were called the Jews of the diaspora.

So was this just a kitchen squabble or was it an assertion of power by two groups in the Early Church? While we may never know the answer to this, we certainly know that management was forced to step in. They soon came to realize that as a consequence of this action their ‘board meetings were neglected’ while they were forced to stand as ‘kitchen supervisors’.

The apostles, recognizing the need to steer the organization with preaching and teaching of the word of God, began an efficient process of decentralization. They chose seven men of good repute amongst them, of whom Stephen and Phillip will be the only ones who find mention in the New Testament beyond this text.

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