Stephen W. Hiemstra's Blog, page 45

Prayer for Ministry Partners

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Most Merciful Father,

All praise and honor, power and dominion, truth and justice are yours, because you raise up charismatic leaders from the most unexpected of places and personally mentor us through your Holy Spirit. Be ever near.

Forgive us for overlooking the talents of the people around us and rushing to speak when we should listen. Forgive our prideful ways.

Thank you for human mentors, such as Barnabas and Paul, who look beyond themselves to build up the church and strengthen newcomers in the faith. May we emulate their mentorship.

In the power of your Holy Spirit, raise up a new generation of leaders in your church who can speak with authority and live lives worthy of the faith that you have given them. 

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Prayer for Ministry Partners
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com


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Paul’s Ministry Partners

Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement),

 a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him 

and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet. (Acts 4:36-37)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Joseph of Cyprus, a Levite, is better known to Christians as Barnabas, a nickname given him by the Apostles. In Hebrew, Barnabas literally means son of the prophet, but Luke tells us that it means son of encouragement, a metaphorical inference or gleiche (Acts 4:36).

The nickname was likely given because Joseph made a substantial donation to the early church (Acts 4:37), which no doubt demonstrated serious encouragement. But the second time that Barnabas is mentioned his encouragement takes an entirely different turn:

“And when he [the Apostle Paul] had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.” (Acts 9:26-27)

Bringing Paul to the Apostles took moxy—Paul had previously been a persecutor “ravaging the church” (Acts 8:3) and, out of fear, the Apostles shunned him.

Mentoring Beyond Words

But Barnabas did not stop with introductions—he actively mentored Paul in ministry. When the Apostles heard that the Antioch Church was growing, they sent Barnabas to investigate. Barnabas worked with the Antioch Church and his ministry helped them grow. But Barnabas saw more potential:

“So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.” (Acts 11:25-26)

Antioch was one of the first century’s most important churches, but more importantly this was where—thanks to Barnabas—Paul learned to be an evangelist. This after previously have been more-or-less exiled by the Apostles to his hometown in Tarsus.

It was in Antioch that Paul received his gentile commission: “The Holy Spirit said, Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul [Paul] for the work to which I have called them. Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” (Acts 13:2-3) Note that the commission is attributed the Holy Spirit and that Barnabas continued his work of mentoring Paul even during his first missionary trip.

Fruit of Mentoring?

What if Barnabas had just tooted his own horn, ignored Paul’s talents and shunned him like everyone else? Petty, self-serving, and weak leadership is more typical than good mentoring in most organizations, not just the church. Recently, I learned of a pastoral colleague and friend who has been taken offline because of an accusation of just one individual. One-strike-you-are-out behavior is an all-too-typical employment practice in our competitive world.

Paul’s evangelism established churches throughout Asia Minor into Greece all the way to Rome. He also personally wrote more than half the books of the New Testament (NT) and likely motivated authors to write most of the other NT books. These accomplished helped form the foundation of the early church. None of them would have been done (or at least would have been delayed) had Barnabas not mentored Paul.

Mentee Becomes Mentor

Barnabas’ influence is obvious in Paul’s effort to continue the mentoring of many churches through his letters and many individuals, including Silvanus, Sosthenes, Timothy, and likely Titus,  who are all mentioned. Timothy is mentioned four times as a co-author of a Pauline letter; Silvanus is mentioned twice. Paul likely mentored each of these colleagues and mentioned them in letter introductions because they served as messengers to bring the letters to the churches addressed. Titus, like Timothy, is addressed in a separate letter and mentioned many times but he is more a colleague of Paul than a mentee.

Even today, co-authorship often suggests a mentoring relationship. A professor, such as my father during his time at Purdue University, might co-author papers with his graduate students and lesser-known colleagues to lend them credibility and visibility in professional circles. Oftentimes, the students wrote the papers which the professor edited. In Paul’s case, his colleagues also may have served him as an amanuensis (or scribe), whose particular talent would be to legibly write in Greek using the least amount of parchment, which was expensive.

Paul’s Influence on the Gospels

Two of Paul’s ministry partners were also influential in their own right: Mark and Luke. Both traveled with Paul on his missionary journeys and both later authored Gospels (e.g. 2 Tim 4:11) even though neither were among the apostles.

Scholars believe that the Gospel of Mark was the first Gospel to be written, because both Matthew and Luke display literary dependence on Mark’s Gospel. Some believe that Mark’s role (and perhaps, Luke’s) in Paul’s ministry was to recite the stories of Jesus, because Paul did not know the person of Jesus only the Risen Christ. Mark had served as a amanuensis to the Apostle Peter so he was well acquainted with these stories. Early written accounts of these stories are likely the source of the Q manuscript, which scholars describe as the source for the Jesus stories common to the synoptic Gospels.

Outside of Paul’s roles as a mentor, he gave his ministry partners an audience for the stories of Jesus, something unique to humble leaders who don’t feel obligated to talk all the time. While most of us tell colorful stories about the people we know, only the stories written down ordinarily pass the test of time. Paul’s contribution to the preservation of the Jesus stories should not be underestimated.

Paul’s Ministry Partners

Also see:

The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

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Kaplan Writes Funny

Steve Kaplan. 2013. The Hidden Tools of Comedy: The Serious Business of Being Funny. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions.

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

Comedy is one of the building blocks of fiction. Much like you learn to write sentences and paragraphs in a writing class, comedy has structure and logic even if it is not obvious to a reader. Not every character is comedic, but neither do all characters play life straight. We recognize the jester in every office as much as the bully or the jerk. Why then is it so hard to find good books on building comedy into your stories?

Introduction

The introduction to Steve Kaplan’s The Hidden Tools of Comedy: The Serious Business of Being Funny includes this purpose statement:

“While there were books on how to be a stand-up comic, or on improvisation or theater games, there were few books that offered serious analysis of comic theory and its practical application for writers, directors, and actors.” (xvii)

Kaplan focuses on tools to fix problem in writing comedy when something just doesn’t click (xix).

Background and Organization

 Steve Kaplan has a Bachelor’s degree from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York and a masters degree from California State University in Northridge, CA. He is widely known as an educator and consultant and has a second book on comedy: The Comic Hero’s Journey: Serious Story Structure for Fabulously Funny Films (2018).

Kaplan writes in fourteen chapters divided into three parts:

PART 1: UNDERSTANDING COMEDY

The myths of comedy
The comedy perception test
The answer (theory of comedy)
The comic equation
Introducing the tools

PART 2: THE HIDDEN TOOLS OF COMEDY

Tool 1: Winning
Tool 2: Non-hero
Tool 3: Metaphorical relationships
Tool 4: Positive action
Tool 5: Active emotion
Tool 6: Straight line/wavy line
Tool 7: Archetypes or commedia tonight
Tool 8: Comic premise

PART 3: THE PUNCH LINE

Comedy F.A.Q. (ix-x)

These chapters are proceeded by introduction and reading guide, and followed by an afterword, acknowledgments, and an about the author.

What is Comedy?

The book focuses on unpacking Kaplan’s definition of comedy:

“Comedy is about an ordinary guy or gal struggling against insurmountable odds without many of the required skills and tools with which to win yet never giving up hope.” (27)

The reason for the focus on this definition is that Kaplan is not explaining how to tell a joke. He is focused on comedy in the context of television and film writing where the comedy bounces from scene to scene over time and must carry the audience along.

Because the audience identifies with non-heroic characters, the comedic element arises organically. Jokes and quips only make sense when they advance the plot. The laughs arise as the non-hero struggles and fails, but does not give up. It’s like when I started jogging again after a 30-year hiatus and an old lady with her dog walked past me as I jogged slowly down the road. I wasn’t even whistling Eye of the Tiger, but my wife and kids thought it was a hoot. Yet, it was a story, not a joke.

Kaplan compares comedy with drama. He writes: “Drama helps us dream about what we could be, but comedy helps us live with who we are.” (20) He describes a soap opera where an unnaturally handsome guy talks with an unbelievably beautiful woman with a low-cut dress without checking out her cleavage. How natural is that? If he only looks in her eyes—it’s drama. If he peeks at the cleavage—it’s comedy (18-19). In that sense, comedy tells the truth (21).

Assessment

Steve Kaplan The Hidden Tools of Comedy should be in every author’s library. Screenwriters should take special note.

Some aspects, like the comedic premise (the one magical assumption like time travel), drive classic comedies, but also help move many dramas forward. What if the woman falsely driven out of town for adultery came back thirty years later a billionaire? Would she exact her revenge? How would that work? Her revenge need not evoke comedy—it could be legalized, cold-blooded murder (Dürrenmatt).

Kaplan’s work is educational, but it is also fun. He does a good job of using scenes from famous films to illustrate his points. And he tells more than a few jokes.

References

Friedrich Dürrenmatt. 1957. Der Besuch der Alten Dame. [The Visit of the Old Woman] Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

https://www.kaplancomedy.com.

Kaplan Writes Funny

Also see:

The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/East_Apr2024 , Signup

 

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Divinity: Monday Monologues (podcast), April 22, 2024

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on Divinity. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).

To listen, click on this link.

Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!

Divinity: Monday Monologues (podcast), April 22, 2024
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com





Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/East_Apr2024 , Signup
 

 

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Divinity Prayer

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Beloved Lord Jesus,

All praise and honor, power and dominion, truth and justice are yours because you came to us in the person of Jesus and sparkled among us.

Forgive us for our preoccupation with ourselves, ignoring your guidance, and living as if there were no tomorrow.

Thank you for dying on the cross that we might approach the Father as sons and daughters.

In the power of your Holy Spirit, help us to look up from our own preoccupations and participate in the lives of those around us.

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Divinity Prayer
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

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Primacy of Divinity

Whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, 

he would remove the veil, until he came out. 

And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded,

the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, 

that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. 

And Moses would put the veil over his face again, 

until he went in to speak with him. 

(Exod 34:34-35)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Warner Sallmon painted one of the most recognizable portraits of Jesus called the “Head of Christ” in 1940. As a successful commercial artist and ad man, Sallmon marketed this image all over the world. While this image has recently come under attack for its portrayal of Jesus as a white European (House 2020), what stands out looking at the painting is its picturing of Jesus sporting “the glow.” The glow is something missing from most postmodern renderings of Jesus, irrespective of the ethnicity depicted, because of the recent focus on the humanity, not the divinity, of Christ.

The Preoccupation with Divinity

“The glow” is a traditional reference to to the way that Moses’ face radiated light after he met with God. In the New Testament, Jesus oozes light primarily during the Transfiguration (Matt 17:1-8). The glow could be thought of as a physical manifestation of the New Testament’s preoccupation with the divinity of Christ. Consider the Apostle Paul’s report on the resurrection:

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.” (1 Cor 15:3-7)

Even after recognizing that Paul never met the person Jesus, but only the Risen Christ, at least three reasons suggest why this preoccupation makes sense.

The first reason why this preoccupation occurs is because divinity is more topical than humanity. If you met the Son of God and were to tell your friends, what details would have priority? Paul states clearly that the most important thing to know is that Christ died for our sins and has been resurrected—he is alive.

The second reason is because the resurrection was a public event and the entire New Testament was written post-resurrection. Paul reports that Jesus appeared to as many as five hundred brothers at one time, many of whom were still alive when he wrote. This implies that Christ’s divinity was beyond dispute for these eye witnesses. Jesus’ teaching gets an exclamation mark with his divinity. Jesus’ humanity—other than his ethnicity—was so obvious that it went without mention.

The third reason is that Paul wrote primarily to a gentile audience with a focus on pastoral and evangelistic objectives. In this ministry context, we can all agree on objective ideas like divinity, priorities, and theology, while subjective ideas, like feelings, politics, and ethnic/cultural/gender concerns are harder to communicate and agree on. Traditionally, a good leader was someone who focused on the things that we can all agree on, not the things that lead to strife. Jesus’ ethnicity and appearance would not be a selling point with a gentile audience.

Jesus is pictured as an emotionally intelligent person, but we not given insight into his personal appearance, friends, and family, except in passing. And the details that we have been told were communicated primarily through the Gospels that were finalized years after Paul was martyred.

Ethnicity Revisited

When I was in my doctoral program at Michigan State, I studied agricultural economics, especially economic development, and I lived in the graduate student dormitory. Most of my friends were foreign students and I had many colleagues from West Africa, both because of my field of study and because foreign students seldom lived off campus like the Americans. Consequently, I was a de-facto member of African club and was privy to African student views on various topics.

At student parties and other events, the Africans used to quietly make fun of the Americans (usually former Peace Corps volunteers) who would come dressed in traditional African garb. When I asked why they felt this way, my African friends would explain that when they visited villages to offer assistance they always put on a  white shirt, black suit and tie, imitating European visitors in spite of the tropical temperatures. Dressing this way elevated their status among the villagers.

I took this advice to heart in ministry. When I worked in Providence Hospital that served the African American community in Northeast Washington DC, I always wore a black suit, white shirt, and tie (2011-2012). My attire served me well in my interactions with the staff and patients, but garnered push-back from other chaplain interns who dressed more informally and did not receive the same level of access and cooperation. My usual response to this push-back is to argue that our social position is one of the crowns that we lay at Jesus’ feet (Rev 4).

The question of Christ’s humanity versus his divinity occupies a similar landscape in the New Testament.

Primacy of Divinity

Also see:

The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/East_Apr2024 , Signup

 

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Hellerman: Church Family is Serious Business

Joseph H. Hellerman. 2001. The Ancient Church as Family. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

Perhaps one of the most challenging tasks of faithful theologians in our time is to determine cultural critiques of the first century are valid, supporting improved exegious, and which are invalid, adding nothing to our knowledge of scripture. Knowledge about things like Jesus’ social position and relationship to friends and family is helpful because scripture is laconic, providing a bare minimum of detail, when we frequently want to know more—who is the real Jesus?

Introduction

Joseph Hellerman’s book, The Ancient Church as Family, begins with an intriguing question: what explains “the marked growth of the early Christian movement?” (1) The answer to this question that he offers is that the early church was a surrogate family which:

“…may be defined as a social group whose members related to one another neither by birth nor by marriage, but who nevertheless (a) employ kinship terminology to describe group relationships and (b) expect family-like behavior to characterize interactions among group members.” (2)

This is an intriguing hypothesis because we observe sibling terminology being used by Peter even on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 1:16)—before the church had been organized—and it is used throughout the writings of Paul (e.g. 1 Cor 1:10). We also note that referring to God as father (e.g. Matthew 6:9 and John 17:1) is also consistent with the idea that we are all brothers and sisters in the faith. Furthermore, the early church shared resources, acting like a family in taking care of one another (Acts 2:44-45).

The Christian church was not the only group out there in the first century—why was it so much more successful?  Hellerman sees first century groups as having these common characteristics—they were voluntary (5), had a religious orientation (7), and shared common meals (8). Only some groups were also trans-local (9), socially inclusive (10), structurally egalitarian (11), and focused on study (13). The early church stood out in opposing the dominant culture (14), having an exclusive allegiance (20), and emphasizing family (21). Of these characteristics, the functioning of the church as a surrogate family was culturally the most distinctive.

If the early church functioned as a family, then what sort of family are we talking about?

Hellerman argues that the dominate template for family in the first century was the “patrilineal kinship group” (PKG), which differs in significant ways from the traditional American family. While the American family is viewed in individualist, relational terms, the PKG viewed marriage as:

“a legal and social contract between two families for (1) the promotion of the status of each [family], (2) the production of legitimate offspring, and (3) appropriate preservation and transferal of property to the next generation.” (31)

A key distinctive for the PKG is that siblings, not spouses, are where one seeks emotional support (36). Hellerman writes:

“frequently brother-sister relationships [have] an almost romantic quality. Even into later life, the men with whom women feel most comfortable and upon whom they can most depend are their brothers. Brothers remain their sisters’ primary source of companionship, advice, and defense.” (37)

Treachery within the PKG is deepest therefore when, like with Cain and Able, it interferes with expected sibling intimacy, not marital intimacy (39). Sibling solidarity is therefore minimally to involve protection of family honor (over even things like honesty) and sharing of resources (41). And, of course, the kingpin in the PKG is the role of the patriarchal father (30). Therefore, if the church is a family, then we are all brothers and sisters in the faith under one father—God.

Hellerman spends a great deal of time and effort convincingly validating his hypothesis from biblical (especially Paul) and early church sources, including Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Cyprian. For example, he notes in Paul’s letters 118 occurrences of sibling terminology, 40 occurrences of father terminology, and 14 instances of inheritance terminology (92), which is used primarily to reinforce social order in the churches (92-93).  What is interesting is that, contrary to the expected linguistic strategy of appealing to PKG to reinforce the hierarchical structure of Roman society (97), Paul employs “homonoia rhetoric” to reinforce an egalitarian structure typical of his churches (113). Hellerman writes:

“Paul draws upon sibling terminology in order to (1) elicit expression of generalized reciprocity, (2) provide assurance of honest administration of the funds, and (3) challenge his readers to respond in a manner worthy of the sibling bond that they share with other Christians who have already demonstrated their generosity.” (113)

This is an important finding, in part, because the prevailing interest among many writers today is to allege that the PKG model is used rhetorically to promote hierarchy at the expense of socially disadvantaged groups. Hellerman disagrees writing:

“those who had the most to gain from the image of the church as a family were the poor, the hungry, the enslaved, the imprisoned, the orphans, and the widows. For brother-sister terminology in antiquity had nothing to do with hierarchy, power, and privilege, but everything to do with equality, solidarity, and generalized reciprocity.” (221)

Background and Organization

Hellerman is a professor of New Testament and the history of Christianity at Biola University, La Mirada, California and Pastor at Oceanside Christian Fellowship, El Segundo, California. He writes in 7 chapters:

Christianity in Its Social Environment.
Mediterranean Family Systems: Structure and Relationships.
Origins of the Surrogate Kin Group Idea
The Communities of Paul of Tarsus
Second-Century Christian Writers
North African Christianity
Summary and Evaluation.

These chapters are preceded by a preface and followed abbreviations, notes, bibliography and an index.

Assessments

Johseph Hellerman’s book, The Ancient Church as Family, provides important background on the use of family terminology in the New Testament and the early Christian church, serving as an important apologetic in meeting postmodern challenges to the role of the church in society. While seminary students and pastors are the obvious audience for this book, a wide range of others will have an interest. The book is both accessible and engaging—I doubt that I will ever read the Bible in quite the same way.

Footnotes

“But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.  And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.” (Matt 23:8-9)

http://www.talbot.edu/faculty/profile....

Hellerman: Church Family is Serious

Also see:

The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com


Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Lent_Mar_2024 ,  Signup

 

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Conversion: Monday Monologues (podcast), April 15, 2024

 By Stephen W. Hiemstra

This morning I will share a prayer and reflect on Paul’s Conversion. After listening, please click here to take a brief listener survey (10 questions).

To listen, click on this link.

Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!

Conversion: Monday Monologues (podcast), April 15, 2024
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com





Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Lent_Mar_2024 ,  Signup

 
 

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Living in Faith Prayer

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

Almighty Father,

All praise and honor, power and dominion, truth and justice are yours because at just the right time, Christ died for our sins (Rom 5:6) that in following his example we might have everlasting life.

Forgive our unwillingness to pay attention to nudges of the Holy Spirit, to deal with our weaknesses, and to follow your example.

Thank you that through the example of Jesus, we can live as you lived, make ourselves available to those around us, and die to our sins through confession and God’s grace.

In the power of the Holy Spirit, open our eyes, unstop our ears, and grant us a willing heart to read your word and hear your message.

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Living in Faith Prayer
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com


Newsletter at:  https://bit.ly/Lent_Mar_2024 ,  Signup

 

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Paul’s Conversion

Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, 

and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him.

And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, 

Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

And he said, Who are you, Lord? And he said, 

I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 

(Acts 9:3-5)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

If the Apostle Paul played a critical role in setting the tone of the New Testament in writing first, then his faith story is critically important. Before his conversion, Paul was primarily known by his Hebrew name, Saul. (Acts 13:9).

Paul’s Conversion

No one anticipated Paul’s conversion, least of all Paul. Paul traveled to Damascus to arrest Christians and stamp out the church. The text makes it clear that he was obsessed with his mission of persecuting the church (Acts 9:1-2). As cited above, Paul’s plans changed when he encountered the Risen Christ.

Paul’s conversion experience on the road to Damascus is repeated three times in the Book of Acts (Acts 9:1-20, 22:4-21, 26:9-23). The first telling is simply part of the narration by the writer of the Book of Acts. The second is a speech given during a riot in the Temple in Jerusalem. The third is a presentation in Caesarea before King Agrippa. In each case the dialogue contains the same words given above, but in the third case Jesus also says enigmatically: “It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” (Acts 26:14) A goad is spiked stick used to guide a pack animal.

We are not told what goads Paul is kicking against, but we might infer from the context that he is not paying attention to the testimony of the Christians that he has been arresting—a sort of spiritual deafness.

Paul’s Mission

Paul’s mission is also given in each of the three accounts. In the first account, the mission is given in a vision to Ananias:

“But the Lord said to him [Ananias], Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” (Acts 9:15-16)

In the second account, Jesus tells him: “Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.” (Acts 22:10) Later, Jesus gives him details in a trance (Acts 22:17). In the third account Jesus tells him:

“But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” (Acts 26:16-18)

In this third account we hear an echo of the call of the Prophet Ezekiel (2:1). The observation that Paul is now paying attention to visions of his peers, such as Ananias, and his own visions, which is an indication of spiritual attentiveness and growth. This is big step up from kicking against the goads.

Paul’s encounter with the Risen Christ has clearly been a catalyst for spiritual growth.

Separation from Judaism

E.P. Sanders (1977, 552) in his exhaustive study of what distinguishes the Apostle Paul’s writing from other Jews in the first century writes:

“In saying that participationist eschatology is different from covenantal nomism, I mean only to say that it is differs, not that the difference is instructive for seeing the error of Judaism’s way.”

By participationist eschatology, Sanders is referring to passages like “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Rom 6:5) The Greek word translated here as united (σύμφυτος BDAG 6997) is unique to Paul and used nowhere else in the New Testament and it expresses this idea of participation that Sanders focuses on.

In other words, we should emulate Jesus’ life story in order to participate with him in glory (See also Phil 3:10-11). This salvation arises, not in adhering to the laws given in the Mosaic covenant (e.g. covenantal nomism), but in living in Christ, Paul’s expression for modeling our lives after Jesus’ example. Sanders sees this break with Judaism as coming, not so much from Paul’s conversion story or the political break with Judaism in the rebellion against Rome, but in the substance of Paul’s theology. God’s new covenant arises in following Christ’s example.

Paul writes explicitly about this break in his own life, which is often glossed over:

“Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.” (Acts 26:19-21)

Paul did not have a death wish. He simply honored God rather than men. It was part of his witness to King Agrippa before going to Rome where he later died around AD 64.

References

Bauer, Walter (BDAG). 2000. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. ed. de Frederick W. Danker. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. .

Sanders, E.P. 1977. Paul and Palestinian Judaism: A Comparison of Patterns of Religion. Philadelphia: Fortress Press.

Paul’s Conversion

Also see:

The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



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