“Looking at his disciples, he said:

‘Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man.’

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

‘But woe to you who are rich,
for you have already received your comfort.
Woe to you who are well fed now,
for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep.
Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.’“
Luke 6:20-26

“Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, ‘We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.’

So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified, ‘This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.'”
Acts 6:11-14

–

NOVEMBER 5, 2024

When we look at this early band of Jesus followers, we see the heroes, our courageous forefathers and foremothers. We see ourselves! This is our origin story!

But it’s worth considering how this community was viewed at the time.

To the Jews, this group of Jesus-following Jews were dangerously out of step with orthodoxy and God’s commands. In today’s terms, we might have used words like “liberal” or “progressive” to describe them: not only did they not adhere to the traditional interpretations and practices of God’s word and worship, but they actively re-interpreted them, using these new interpretations to confront God’s priests, scholars, and teachers! This sort of behavior will get you into hot water today; how much more so then?

To the Roman world outside Jerusalem, this group of Christians were labeled not liberal but atheists. They refused to worship the gods or the Emperor. This was dangerous heresy, so untenable to the stability of society that someone believing as the atheists (Christians) did could be put to death.

As Paul would later say, they were a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks (I Corinthians 1:23).

One of themes repeated over and over throughout the books of Moses, and the Prophets, and the Gospels, and Jesus is that God is rarely, if ever, doing His redemptive work through the established authority structures (the “principalities and powers”), or within those who have found success, status, and comfort in society. Instead, God’s prophets confront those with influence and authority to bring awareness to what God is doing, and wants done, for those on the outside. For example, the constantly repeated refrain to care for the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the immigrant.

But it doesn’t go well for those prophets, of course. And that theme is playing out here again, as Stephen becomes the lightning rod for the Jesus-following compassion, service, and teaching the early church is boldly living out right in the face of Rome and Jerusalem.

That theme is still playing out in our societies today, friends. Will we be the ones to take safety in the status quo, or to look for how God is turning the world upside down?

Questions for reflection and discussion:

  • Why would the leaders of God’s people have seen the Jesus followers as dangerous?
  • How does this point to what God values and asks of us?
  • How are we following Jesus in our communities today, and how are we capitulating to those with influence and status?

 

Church Reading Plan: Hosea 11; Psalm 132-134