Wednesday 25 January 2023

Psalm 67

Background

Paul, whose conversion to Christianity is remembered today, embodies one of the greatest transformations of all time. In this passage we hear his description of his meetings with Peter and James more than three years after his conversion experience.

Personally, I am continually surprised that this is not a much higher profile passage for many Christians as it is incredibly powerful.

Too often I think we minimise what a threat Paul (or Saul as he was called at the time) was to the earliest Christians. His presence and support of the killing of Stephen gets minimised and he's described as just holding the murderers' coats. However, I don’t imagine that Peter and James minimised Paul’s part in the death of Stephen or what came immediately after. See Acts 7:54-8:3 and then his conversion and their first meeting in Acts 9:1-31.

This transformation in Paul following his Damascus road experience is matched by the transformation of the apostles that means they are willing to meet one of the leaders of the hate and violence against them. They don't just meet him but share with him, and listen to him.

I am concerned that we have lost how radical this all is. Our society doesn’t accept radical transformations and certainly doesn’t welcome former enemies who have been transformed. Instead our media continually manipulate us by stirring up old (and new) fears and hatreds.

Then all these years later Paul is back with Peter and James. He hasn’t spent those years keeping his head down, being careful not to cause upset. Instead he has continued to transform the understanding of the gospel, who it is for and what rules and traditions the gentile Christians need to adhere to.

So this meeting with Peter and James wasn’t going to be easy. It could have gone very differently. They could easily have reacted: "Look we accepted your conversion, we accepted your faith, but since then you have continued to cause us trouble and you won’t keep quiet."

Instead, the transformation, the different approach is something to give glory to God for.

To Ponder:

• How do you feel about the transformation of himself that Paul describes?
• How do you feel about Peter and James responding to Paul as they did?
• Our society often denies that people can change. It rejects accepting difference and being challenged by others. Where does that leave us?

Prayer

Holy Spirit, open us to the transformations you want to gift us. Amen.