A Minor Point…Maybe

Acts 18:12-28

According to our reading from Acts today, Apollos had become a powerful evangelist for the Christian faith as he demonstrated “by the scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus” (Acts 18:28b). What strikes me here is that according to Acts, Apollos did not try to prove that Jesus is the Messiah, but rather “that the Messiah is Jesus.” Perhaps this is only a minor point, a choice of syntax or a style of grammar. Or maybe it means something more significant.

As Christians know, “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God” (John 1:1). The Nicene Creed, finalized about 381 AD, professes faith in “one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made…” The question, for Christians anyway, is never Who is Jesus? Jesus existed with God from before anything else, indeed was a part of the creative process behind all being, and not a product of the creation. Based on these facts, to say “Jesus is the Messiah” limits Jesus within a cultural framework, a small fragment of the universe that he as the word of God helped to create. The question is Who is the Messiah? and the answer is “The Messiah is Jesus.” This way we have not limited Jesus within a cultural perspective, but instead we have greatly enlarged our understanding of the Messiah, pushing the image beyond a particular religion and a particular nation out to the furthest reaches of the universe, all the way to the very throne of God.

So it isn’t a question of whether or not Jesus is the Messiah, the fact is that the role of Messiah takes its true shape within the reality of Jesus.

Prayer: Gracious God, lead us in our lives of faith through your Son Jesus Christ to whom we give glory and honor. Amen. 

Always More to Learn

Acts 18:12-28
Luke 3:15-22
I admire Apollos. Here is a man “well-versed in the scriptures” (Acts 18:24), with a “burning enthusiasm” who teaches “accurately the things concerning Jesus” (v. 25). “But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the Way of God to him more accurately” (v. 26). Apollos, for his part, was willing to listen and apparently eager to learn. There is always more to learn, always more to the story, always another way that the good news can touch us and heal us and guide us. John the Baptist also offers a “more accurate” message, this to the people who flock to hear him. Not only do they need to repent—live as wheat and not as chaff (Luke 3:17)—but they also must recognize that John is not the one they are seeking. “I baptize with water;” he tells them, “but one who is more powerful that I is coming…. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (v. 16).

One of the things that constantly surprises me is the fact that on Sundays such as Easter and Pentecost, with a limited number of texts to draw from––texts that that have been read on those days for centuries—there is always a fresh word, a new application, a more accurate way to hear what God is saying. Is the word changing? No, not really. But we are. Our lives are in a constant state of flux yet the word of God remains relevant to our needs. There are only four Easter accounts in scripture, and only one passage that really depicts Pentecost, yet we return to them again and again for meaning and hope and encouragement, all of which we find.

This is one reason why the people of God must remain attentive to God’s word. To quit wrestling with the scriptures is to assume that God has said everything God intends to say which is simply not true. The Holy Spirit still pulses through the pages of the Bible offering up new truths for our day and beyond. Apollos knows he has more to learn. John shows the people that they have more learning to do. So do you and I. There is always more to learn, but it takes time and it takes a willing spirit.

Prayer: Lord, give us hearts and minds set upon your word that we may continue to grow in our knowledge and appreciation of your love and that we may live lives of faithful discipleship. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Sea of Changes

Esther 4:4-17
Each of our readings today contains a significant and noteworthy transformation, what Shakespeare calls a “sea change” (The Tempest, I. ii. 403). In Esther a pliant, child-like niece is transformed into a Queen and the deliverer of her people. When her uncle Mordecai tells her that she may have “come to royal dignity for just such a time as this” (Esther 4:14) Esther begins to issue instructions and to formulate a plan. This verse comes as close as any in the book to revealing the presence of God. In fact, we may assume that God has begun to work through Esther at this point to bring about God’s will in the midst of God’s people.

Acts 18:1-11
Another sea change takes place with Paul’s words, “From now on I will go to the Gentiles” (Acts 18:6). Paul had been rebuffed by the majority of Jews in Corinth (v. 6). So Paul sets his sights elsewhere. Not only does this mark a change in Paul’s ministry, but also a change for the Christian movement in general. Not long before Peter had still claimed the role of missionary to the Gentiles (15:6-7), but from now on it is Paul who will take on this role. Indeed, through the rest of the book Paul moves even more to the front and center as the gospel continues to spread.

Luke 1:1-4, 3:1-14
John the Baptist’s call to repentance plays a key role in the early story of Jesus’ ministry which is, of course, the greatest sea change of all. Interestingly John’s message is not one of impractical asceticism, but of real repentance, real “turning around.” If someone is in need share from your abundance. If you are a tax collector collect only what you are due. If you are a soldier be satisfied with your wages and do not extort others. These challenges are reasonable and yet they mark a profound change in the lives of those who accept them.

What does all of this change mean to us? It means that we can expect God to move us in unexpected directions, to challenge our comfortable notions, to draw more from us than we knew we had to give. Esther might never have known how decisive and determined she could be until she was challenged by Mordecai. Paul and the early church both found new definition and a new audience that might never have been fully reached without Paul’s realization. And John the Baptist’s audience might never have known the practicality of social justice had he not come to prepare the way of the Lord. How will God challenge you and me today? And how will we respond?

Prayer: Help us to discover in ourselves the resources we need to serve you and others in an ever-changing world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.