Summary retelling of Acts 13:26-31
Having
gone through the history of the Hebrew people, Paul now focuses on Jesus. Paul talks about how the leaders in Jerusalem
did not recognize nor understand Jesus because they did not understand the
words of the prophets. Paul tells the
people how they killed Jesus in spite of not being able to find him guilty of
anything. We then hear about Jesus being
laid in a tomb as well as His resurrection.
Finally we hear about Jesus’ appearance to many after being raised. Paul tells the people of Psidian Antioch that
these people are now the ones who are testifying to the truth about Jesus.
Thoughts for Today
First Thought:
It
might be really easy for us to think that Paul is picking on the Jewish leaders
in this passage. However, remember that
for most of his younger years Paul was a Pharisee. He was one of those people who persecuted
Christians. He was one of the guys who
didn’t understand! Paul knows what it is
like to be completely in the wrong and to have to change his mind about
everything. Paul has every right to talk
about the Jewish leaders because he was one of them for a time in his life!
How
do our past mistakes often help bring an air of realism to our proclamation –
especially our proclamation about repentance and needing forgiveness?
Second Thought:
Imagine
yourself going to church one day when a person stands up and tries to talk
about how much Lutheranism has gotten wrong.
Or for anyone who is reading and not Lutheran, insert your own
denomination (or non-denomination).
Imagine how you would initially react to someone coming in with that
message. Now multiply that reaction
throughout the whole congregation that has gathered. Now imagine how much potential irritation and
anger would be initially focused upon the speaker by the congregation. Now think about the speaker and the courage
that would be needed to bring such a message in the first place.
My
point in the entire paragraph above assumes that the speaker’s message is actually
true, by the way. If the speaker isn’t
speaking truth, then it isn’t courage but evil that would inspire the speaker
bringing the message. But let’s be
honest, no denomination has absolutely gotten the perfect interpretation of
Christ’s church. We all have room to
grow. So this scenario is possible. It is worth considering how much courage it
would take for a person to come into our midst and proclaim our need to change.
Do
you have the same amount of courage that Paul needed to be able to speak truth in
this story? What might keep you from
having that courage?
Third Thought:
We
hear Paul talk about the people who saw Jesus after he died. They are the ones out testifying to His
life. All of these people who saw Jesus
after He had died felt the need to go out and tell other people about what had
happened – regardless of how impossible it seemed.
Why
is personal testimony so important to the understanding and faith of other
people? Why is it important that you be
able to talk to other people about what Jesus is doing in your life? Think about a few people who have the ability
to share their relationship with God with you.
Why is that so important to you?
Passage for Tomorrow: Acts 13:32-39
2 comments:
The same idea of like what we talked about yesterday that the hardest people to change are people who are like us, especially the older people get I believe.
I think in general you are correct. The older people get, the more they think that they have life figured out. So the more difficult it becomes to influence or change people.
And then there are the people who are the most like us. People who are so similar we end up rubbing each other the wrong way because of the small differences rather than celebrating the common stuff between us. Those relationships are sometimes the most frustrating indeed.
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