Monday 23 May 2011

Background

Paul and Barnabas were having quite a time of adventure and riskas they travelled from city to city, country to country, spreadingthe good news of Jesus Christ. In Lystra, Paul healed a man who hadnot been able to walk since birth, having recognised that he hadfaith. The crowd was very impressed! They demonstrated that theyhad a lively faith in the Greek gods, and declared that Barnabasmust be the god Zeus and Paul, Hermes, and they even brought thepriest from the temple of Zeus to offer sacrifices to these godsreturned in the form of men. Of course Paul was not having any ofthis: he and his companion tore their clothes (a sign of distressand grief) and declared to the crowd that they were in fact meremortals and only able to do these things because of the one livingGod to whom they should all turn.

What an interesting reaction - that the crowd should declare thesefollowers of Christ to be great gods from their own tradition. Itis, of course, a very human reaction: when we see something wedon't understand, we try and put it within a story we already know.Even today we are quick to compare important or famous people withothers who have done great things in the past. How many peoplecommentating on the recent royal wedding compared CatherineMiddleton to either Diana, Princess of Wales, or to Grace Kelly? Itseems we have to draw on the icons and stories of our history tounderstand our present. This is not a new way of approaching theworld; when, in Matthew's Gospel (Matthew16:13-16) Jesus asked his disciples who people say he is, theyanswered "some say John the Baptist, but others, Elijah; and stillothers, Jeremiah or one of the prophets". The disciples declaredthat Jesus is the Messiah, the one looked for to save Israel.Again, people were trying to make sense of something extraordinaryby fitting it into their 'story'.

For Paul and Barnabas it was important that people understood thatthe gods they had believed in were meaningless in the face of theliving God who created all things and had sent a witness to thenations to turn them away from things that have no value.

To Ponder

How might you describe Jesus to someone who hasno knowledge of him? Which other characters in history might youcompare him to?

What are the things in your life that Paul mightdescribe as 'worthless', things that distract you from whatmatters? What might you do about this?