I was thinking about a quote from Jackie Pullinger recently. She was being interviewed for the Alpha course some number of years back, and she made a comment that I’ve long-since misremembered. The original quote is that “God wants us to have soft hearts and hard feet.”

And this is a good quote. A thought-provoking quote. But at the risk of offending someone, I like my misremembered version of it even better: God wants us to have soft hearts and thick skin.

The problem is that our modern, American culture has run into the completely opposite direction, and it’s taken many of us in the Church right along with it. Unless we discipline ourselves to rebel against this deleterious trend daily, we’ll find ourselves developing a hard heart and remarkably thin skin.

I had a recent conversation in which the words “racism” and “bigotry” were mentioned, and I was astounded with how powerful these words have become in our modern culture. Even within the safe confines of a private conversation, these words practically had to be whispered so as not to offend any bystanders by the mere mention of such distasteful words.

Oh there are plenty of these words and phrases going around now. Regular words that we now treat as profane. Words that we’ve given far too much power, in my opinion. One can hardly say the word “gender” today without making someone offended. And forget about mentioning anything like a color. You might be looking at the selection inside of a box of crayolas, but don’t you dare say those colors out loud, because someone will get offended.

Contrast this with the Apostle Paul, in Acts 17. “Now while Paul was waiting for them (Silas and Timothy) at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols.” (Acts 17:16)

Well here, at least, we finally have a decent reason to be offended. Paul was Jewish – a Pharisee, for crying out loud – but more than that, he was a Christian, a follower of Christ. 

Without recapping the whole of Scripture to explain why this is significant, suffice it to say that one of the most primary themes in all of the Scriptures, maybe even the dominant theme, is that of victory over, and freedom from, idolatry. There are many reasons for this, of course. Idolatry robs worship from God, robs joy from us, and robs clarity of purpose from all of creation. Add to that about a thousand more reasons, and you start to get the picture that idolatry is a bad thing. So then, for Paul to observe a city full of idols? Yeah, offensive is a good word for it.

So how does Paul respond?

If he were us, he might plaster it all over social media, blasting these wretched Athenians for their vial offenses. He might blab about it to his friends and family. He might “cancel” the Athenians, writing them off as just one more lost cause, unworthy of redemption or grace, or even a second thought.

I mean, why not, right? We do it for all sorts of things that are much less offensive than idolatry – much less offensive than the bondage that kills and steals and destroys God’s good creation. So if we do it, why not Paul?

But he didn’t.

No, he did something quite different, actually. Something I wonder if we might strive to emulate?

He went to the Areopagus – or Mars Hill if you prefer Roman mythology over Greek – the very place in Athens where the Epicureans and the Stoics and all of the other philosophers would gather and discuss things like religion, philosophy and pretty much any other “new” or interesting idea. 

Check this out:

“So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, ‘Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.” Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.’” (Acts 17:22,23)

Paul then goes on to explain that this “unknown god” is actually God – Jesus! This is the God, the Creator, the Father, and the Righteous Judge. 

But let’s pause for a moment and look back at Paul’s response. He didn’t cancel the Greeks. He didn’t run around like a madman, screaming about how much they were all offending him. Oh, there probably were some other people who had done that, but neither them nor any record of what they were offended about was recorded in the history books.

That’s probably because offense is cheap and annoying and everybody just wants to forget about it. But Paul’s path? Well, now that’s something invaluable and refreshing and makes everybody want to think about it some more. Although Paul’s audience was rocked by the idea of the resurrection, they actually invited him, Paul – a Christian – back to the Areopagus! 

My goodness, what a testimony for us to replicate!

So what did Paul do that was so revolutionary, and how can we apply his strategy in our own day and culture? Feel free to study it for yourself. There’s a lot to chew on, so I’ll just highlight three things for now:

1. Paul complimented the Athenians (see verse 22). Consider doing the same thing with the people who offend you. Perhaps you’re familiar with the old saying that “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” There’s not much that I would add to this, except to make the simple observation that far too many of us have been working with far too much vinegar for far too long, and we’d all benefit by swapping that vinegar out with some honey.
2. Rather than blast all of the heathens for their offensive idolatry, Paul spun it in a way that not only acknowledged their positive attributes (such as being so diligent in their worship that they even sought to worship that which they didn’t know), but which also gave him an opening to share the Gospel message of hope, peace, joy and grace. Repentance IS the good news – we don’t have to live in bondage to sin and idolatry any longer. There’s a better way, and that Way is the way of life abundant!
3. Paul quoted their own poets (see verse 28). In other words, Paul went (proverbially) 90% of the way, meeting them where they were, rather than insisting that they come and meet him where he was. This could probably be applied in a physical sense as well – most folks in the Church like to wait around for people to stumble through the front doors by accident, rather than going out and inviting them in. But this has more to do with the mental/psychological/relational aspect. Paul related to the Athenians in a way that they could understand and appreciate, and this made his testimony so palatable that they actually invited him back.

I know it’s not fun to take the high road, but hey, that’s life. That’s what it means to grow-up and mature. Any toddler can (and often does) throw a tantrum, but Church – people of God, let’s take the high road. Let’s lay down our offenses for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Because when you think about it, that’s really what matters the most anyway.

Shortly before Jesus’ ascension, we read his powerful words to the disciples: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you shall be My witnesses in both Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

This immediately conjures up images of the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12. After God promises to bless Abram and his descendants, he adds the crucial line: “through you, all the nations of the world will be blessed.”

It is curious (and sad, if we’re honest) that Abram’s descendants appeared to be very happy with the parts about how God planned to bless them, but then how they seem to have completely and consistently rebelled against those latter words – the part about blessing the rest of the world.

As we read through the Old Testament, we get a rather disappointing account of Israel’s various commitments to idolatry and rebellions against God. There are wonderful exceptions, of course, but the tragic majority is depressing. 

By the time we reach Amos, we find ourselves having to ask the question, “What happens when God’s people rebel against His plans, His lordship, and the ministry work that He has placed in our hands, telling us to do something about it?”

Amos 1 and 2 record a fascinating series of “reckonings” that the prophet is announcing on God’s behalf. It begins with Aram (Amos 1:3-5), then moves to Gaza (v6-8), then Tyre (v9-10), Edom (v11-12), Ammon (v13-15), then Moab (Amos 2:1-3), Judah (v4-5) and then finally Israel.

With a minor exception or two, when you look at a map, these reckoning announcements move from the further lands/nations in a “spiral” inward before hitting the “bull’s eye” of Israel.

This passage is fascinating, in part, because it reveals the heart of the Israelites in that day. Their focus was inward, toward themselves and their own prosperity, toward their own pleasures and idolatry. They seemed to care nothing for the world other than to wish that it would politely go away and die somewhere and stop bothering them. 

What happens when God’s people rebel against His plans, His lordship, and the ministry work He has placed in our hands and told us to do something about? Well, we find ourselves dispassionately observing the calamities of others around the world as they spiral ever closer to us – the bull’s eye, at which point it’s too late.

I can’t help but think of the image of a flushing toilet, which spirals downward until, assuming the plumbing works fine, the waste is deposited into the sewer. And that is right where dispassionate and selfish vainglory belong.

But Jesus’ words in Acts 1:8 fill us with hope and instruction. For what happens when God’s people observe His plans, honor His lordship, and work faithfully in the work He has given us to do? Well, then we see ourselves faithfully ministering to, and discipling those in:

Jerusalem – our immediate context (family, work, neighborhood, church, etc.)

Judea – our city, state, nation

Samaria – our neighboring nations (and also our enemies, as the Jews of the day considered the Samaritans to be their enemies)

The ends of the world – all around the world.

This, again, is a spiral. But it’s not a spiral inward and downward. It’s a spiral outward and upward.

The curse is reversed when God’s people “put Him back on the throne” of their hearts and minds. Our focus becomes outward-facing, blessing and ministering to others, and finding the “bread we have to eat that you do not know about.”

It’s not asceticism. It’s not about impoverishing ourselves and becoming miserable. 

It’s rather about booting ourselves off of the throne once more so that God can have that spot.

To quote the old Dutch proverb: “What is heaviest must weigh heaviest.”

What’s the point in studying the Scriptures? Surely we can learn everything we need to know by simply reading our modern English translations of the text, right? Sure – as long as you are a first-century Palestinian Jew. But if not, we’ve got a ways to go before we can hope to understand even a fraction of the Scriptures.

Today, we’ll take a brief look at some of the relevant people groups in and around Jerusalem at the time of the Incarnation ministry:

1. Sadducees, Priests and Aristocracy. The great majority of the priests were not aristocrats, nor were they particularly wealthy. Many of these, along with the Levites – their assistants – lived away from Jerusalem (a great many lived in Jericho, for instance) and would travel to Jerusalem when it was their time to serve at the temple. The rest of the time they were the primary teachers and arbiters of Jewish law and religion. The chief priests, however, at the top of the social pecking order were notoriously corrupt, greedy, and unliked. These were wealthy aristocrats (through corruption, nepotism and other connections), and most belonged to the group known as the Sadducees.

The Sadducees rejected almost everything the Pharisees (and pious Jews) believed theologically. For instance, they did not believe in angels, spirits, the resurrection, the last judgement, life after death, or a coming messiah. These ostensibly held a majority in the Sanhedrin (the Jewish court) and had massive influence both theologically and politically amongst the Jews. However, their wealth and livelihood was linked to the temple, so they disliked Jesus’ predictions regarding the impending destruction of the temple.

2. Pharisees. These were the equivalent of lay pastors, to use a modern metaphor. Although not exclusive, it seems that most of the Pharisees were not official priests. A relatively small group (around 6,000), the Pharisees were split into two schools – the school of Shammai (larger during Jesus’ ministry) and the school of Hillel (smaller).

The Pharisees were a Jewish renewal movement. The word “Pharisee” seems to come from an Aramaic term meaning “separate” or “holy,” and indeed we see that they were a holiness movement, encouraging the Jews to (finally) live and honor their covenant(s) with God. These were effectively antithetical to the Sadducees in almost every way. The chief priests were despised, the Pharisees were loved. The Sadducees enforced rituals, the Pharisees encouraged holiness. The Sadducees represented formal religion, the Pharisees represented practical faith – faith in action.

Theologically, much of what the Pharisees believed was also believed by early Christians (and indeed, Jesus Himself). It is a strange and harmful misconception to think of the Pharisees as self-righteous, hypocritical adversaries to Jesus, when in reality most of Jesus’ teachings were almost perfectly aligned with the school of Hillel. “The reality is that Jesus’ debates with the Pharisees would be better seen as torrid insider debates between different visions of the same goal: the coming of God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.” (Wright, The New Testament in its World pp. 125)

3. Essenes. A group of pious monks who lived relatively secluded from the broader culture and spent their days in prayer and study. They refused to own slaves, and spent much of their time working, living, eating and worshipping together in community. They were wiped out during the Jewish War, but left behind a significant library in the caves of Qumran – the Dead Sea Scrolls!

The Essenes were strongly anti-temple, and strongly legalistic about ritual purity. Theologically they were similar to the Pharisees, but practically they were incredibly legalistic and exclusive, viewing themselves as the righteous remnant living in the last days. “New members were allowed in only after an extended novitiate (two or three years) and a series of solemn vows.” (Elwell & Yarbrough, Encountering the New Testament pp. 58)

4. Zealots. The Zealots were theologically similar to the Pharisees, but much more extreme in practice. Many Zealots were revolutionaries (who stirred up the ire of Rome). They prized liberty and Jewish patriotism to the point of violence on many occasions. They refused to acknowledge any man as a lord over them – only God. These were, politically speaking, the antithesis of the Herodians.

5. Herodians. This was a political group loyal to the Herodian dynasty (Herod the Great and his sons). They sought political advantage and greater autonomy through peaceful relationships with their Roman overlords. Herod the Great had been gifted his kingly title by Caesar, granting a measure of autonomy to the Jews, but this autonomy was constantly under threat due to revolutionaries such as the Zealots.

6. Samaritans. Samaria was the former capital of Northern Israel until the Assyrian conquest in 722 BC. The remnant permitted to stay in the land adopted pagan worship practices and assimilated with the Assyrians. Several centuries later, they were prevented from helping to rebuild Solomon’s temple – an insult they never really forgave the Southern Jews for. They built their own temple on Mount Gerizim and ceased to recognize the authority or legitimacy of the temple in Jerusalem.

Bad blood persisted through the centuries – a “blood-feud,” if you will. John Hyrcanus (around 128 BC) invaded Samaria, devastated the land and destroyed their temple. Later, after the removal of Archelaus (in 6 AD), the Samaritans defiled the temple in Jerusalem by scattering corpses around. And so on. Things were so bad that the two groups – related by blood and by covenant – tried to avoid each other altogether.

And so we return to our premise that studying the Scriptures, as well as the significant times, places and people surrounding the original events and text, is an essential and beneficial practice. Perhaps this short survey of just some of the relevant contemporaries to Jesus and his Incarnation ministry will help to inform and enlighten the ways you read and apply the New Testament Scriptures moving forward.

“Behold, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:5)

Happy New Year!  I love this time of year.  It’s the one holiday that people all around the world seem to celebrate, regardless of culture, background or religion.  Many take the opportunity to reflect on the previous year (or “put the last nail in the coffin” as it were) before turning to look forward to the new year and all the hopes and doubts which accompany the unknown.  It may well be the most hopeful time of the entire year as people dream and plan and wonder what’s in store.  There are the goals, the wishes and the resolutions.  “I resolve to do more of this, or less of that, or eat less cake after 8:00pm.”  

For a long time I simply thought of this as a silly ritual – a way for people to temporarily feel better about themselves, or a ploy for local gyms to bolster memberships for a couple of months.  Because surely we can set new goals anytime of the year.  Surely we can dream and wish and aspire anytime of the year.  And yes, that’s true.  But you know what?  That doesn’t change the air of anticipation and hope which palpably permeates the atmosphere this time of year.  And so, arbitrary or not, I’ve come to appreciate the good in this season – this special holiday and all it symbolizes.

In Scripture, we are often reminded that Creator God is in the business of making all things new (Rev. 21:5), which is another way of saying that God is in the business of renewal.  Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus (John 3), His earthly ministry with the disciples, the Great Commission, and the insights of Paul and others in the epistles constantly reinforce this idea that God does not give up on His creation, but rather seeks to renew it.  We, His Church, are then invited to join in this ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18) as Christ’s ambassadors and kingdom of priests (Her. 5:6).

Seen in this light, the New Year then represents a profoundly Biblical value – the value of renewal.  And indeed, when we really break down the nature of our goals, our hopes, wishes, fancies, aspirations and resolutions, we find that at their center is the vision of renewal.  We are refusing to give up on ourselves, even as God refuses to give up on us.  We are committing to ourselves the ministry of renewal, a subconscious partnership with our creator.  

And so may we find joy in the cycles of renewal rather than fatigue and cynicism.  Sure you may have broken your diet yesterday, but today is a new day.  Sure you may have broken your habit of daily prayer, but today is a new day.  Sure you may have neglected God’s word for days, weeks, months, years, but today is a new day.  Let us forsake our cynicism, forsake our apathy, and once again partner with God in the ministry of renewal, to others, and even to ourselves.