Thursday 21 March 2019

Psalm: Psalm 102:1-11

Background

Paul had not spoken of his own faith-story when evangelising in Galatia. But the troublesome visitors in Galatia now advocating an alternative gospel to Paul’s took delight in destroying his reputation. They gleefully told how Paul had once persecuted the churches, determined to destroy them. How could anyone trust a person who so dramatically changed his stance? Would he do it again?

Paul owns the narrative of his early life. He had been a Jewish firebrand, more fastidious and devoted to Judaism than almost anyone in his generation. Then God had intervened. Through an act of grace God called Paul to a new vocation. God revealed God’s Son ‘in’ Paul (it was a profound conversion of the heart) and it was God who made Paul an apostle ­– to the Gentiles.

Paul immediately went for a private and silent retreat in Arabia, to sort out in his head what had happened to him. He came to the conviction that his story was like that of Jeremiah of old (Galatians 1:15 cites Jeremiah 1:5). Then he returned to Damascus, the scene of his conversion.

Paul was vulnerable to the charge that he had simply reinvented himself. If he was so sure of being called to be an apostle, why had he not checked with those who were established apostles, and visited the ‘mother’ church in Jerusalem? In reply he can only tell the truth! (v. 20). He did go to Jerusalem – admittedly only after three years and only for a fortnight. But he had stayed with Cephas (Peter). And, to be sure, the only other apostle he saw was James, the brother of Jesus. If only Paul could have said, “And they endorsed me!” But he is silent. Paul’s ‘gospel’ was radical. Peter and James needed time to get their heads round it. Meanwhile Paul was off to Syria and Cilicia, relying on his inner confidence in God’s call (1:1, 12). No, he had not visited the churches in Judea; but they had heard of his transformation, and praised God for it.

To Ponder:

• Paul never suggests that his faith story has to be everyone’s story. His evangelism focused on the crucified Jesus, not on himself. Where and how have you profitably reflected with Christian friends on the varied ways in which God touches human lives, and changes people?
• If someone challenged you with the thought that you are not a genuine Christian, what would you say about your own faith story?