When Jesus chose his
disciples he was not looking for dauntless heroes. Just as we do, they feared
the actions of hostile officials. But they were fearful at other times too. For
example when Jesus quelled the storm and walked on the waves.
æ
In awe they asked themselves what manner of
man this was, and when they saw that the healing of the demonised man was
followed by the suicidal plunge of the pigs into the sea, they became afraid.
æ
The entry of Jesus into the world brought
with it the supernatural, and in the face of paranormal forces, it is not
surprising that the people of that time should express fear.
æ
We could speculate today how the world
would react to reliable news from scientists claiming an intelligent response
to radio signals from outer space.
The evidence of alien forces in a world we
think is our own would inevitably to threaten our security.
Not surprisingly the first words of the
angels to the shepherds were, 'Fear not'. Such was the shock when an angel
rolled the stone away from the tomb that the keepers ëshook with fear and
became as dead men‰.
æ
Christians believe that the power Jesus had
was literally out of this world. So frightening, unexpected and disconcerting
were Jesus‰ resurrection appearances to his friends that his first words to
them were, 'Peace be unto you‰.
æ
The fact that the Christian
knows peace, where he once knew fear, should be
especially valued, for Jesus entered into
this world with peace, and has promised it to those who believe in him.
Ref:
Acts 6. 8, 4 .
The Gospel was spread to Jews and Gentiles alike. This is
clear from the early disputes over discrimination in the aid provided to widows
and orphans of two different classes of people:æ Hebrew and Greek speakers.
It was a very busy time as new disciples were recruited daily
and every worker was needed to cope with the continuing influx of new converts.
Probably, the care of these indigent ones would be of lesser importance than
the work of evangelism and teaching. So, who was available for this kind of
pastoral work?
æ
The
answer was perhaps surprising as the recommendation was to seek outæ men who were 'full of the Spirit and
wisdom', rather than those who were less gifted. Far from being of lesser
importance, care of the indigent was given top priority. Seven men, of evident
faith and full of the Holy Spirit, were chosen for this work of caring for
those dependent on aid and unable to reciprocate.
More
surprising, however, was that two of the men selected seemed better qualified
for the development and expansion of the Church. Stephen showed himself to have
all the qualities of a teacher in his masterly command of the Scriptures during
his trial.æ Philip is recorded as
travelling to a city in Samaria to preach the gospel.æ He was also the one called away to the conversion of the
Ethiopian in the desert.æ Therefore, was
the choice of these two men toæ look
after the 'base camp' work a case of misjudgement and underestimation of their
gifts?
Did
the Ethiopian ask Philip what was his role in the church, and would he have
expressed surprise at the answer received? ‹I left the others to come to youŠ.
As frequently
happens in the Christian church, those who understand the concerns of the needy
may also be those best suited to preach the Gospel.æ The Gospel is not only about caring for spiritual welfare, but is
also concerned with the ëwhole person‰ and their individual value to God.
How much more appreciative are the recipients of this care
when they know it has been given by people who are regarded as having a level
of expertise far beyond that necessary to deal with their problem?
æ
It
should always be so with the Church. There should be no sharply defined role
(bureaucratic compartmentalization?) between caring for the needy andæ caring for souls.
RESURRECTION
POWER
The Act of
Parliament known as Habeas Corpus*.passed in the reign of Charles II, may soon
be abolished under a new rule. 'Produce the body'* meant the issue
of a writ directing anyone taking a person into custody to bring the said
person before the court or a judge to justify the reason, and so described 'as
one of the great bulwarks of English liberty'.
In
a different context produce the body would also seem important. Either
that of the dead Jesus, or the living one the disciples claimed they had seen
and talked with. One or the other surely would have settled the
matter. Despite the sealing of the tomb and a guard over it, Jesus' body
was clearly missing. And from the way in which the disciples claimed God
had resurrected him, it seemed they were very sure the body never would be
found, declaring that they, along with several hundred others, had seen
him disappear above the clouds. Without visible proofs it seemed a no-win
situation for either party. In any case,æ
to all intents and purposes the disciples had lost their leader.
End of story. But it was only the beginning. The disciples who had chickened
out when Jesus was arrested continued to
display a remarkable boldness. What had changed them?
Along with those
who believed them, the disciples had been drawn mainly from the ordinary run of
folk, hardly the kind one would think of to change the world. What would a jury
make of them? From Jesus'æ humble
origins living in the shadows (until entering the limelight when he was
around thirty) his mission was confined largely to helping the lower
levels of society. So does it surprise us that those he now uses should come
from their ranks, and not those of the powerful? Even more, the
first person he reappeared to was a distraught woman whose sanity he had
restored. The next was to be a group of women who certified reality by holding
him by the feet. Doubts about his identity were further settled by the sight of
the nail prints, marks which those who had called for his crucifixion had not
thought about. And Peter, who had previously lost his nerve in denying
him, was to be the rock on which he would build his church! Jesus
overturns conventional thinking almost at every turn.
To prove the point that he has the power to change men and women he takes the weak and the needy. Instead of working from the top down he chooses to lift 'from the ground' upwards. It is by changing the individual heart that he changes society. It is how we make sense of Paul's statement, when I am weak, then am I strong. His dependence is not on himself, but on Christ, the giver of life, the life that he demonstrated in his rising from the dead. This is God-given strength to those who seek it wherever, or whoever, they are. It is the personal experiencing of this power on which the Christian faith thrives and continues to challenge in every age, even today. Those who know they possess it will always encourage others to believe, not matter what.