The Details
Read
Acts 9:1-32; 13:1-3
Acts 19
Philippians
Psalm 17
Notice
God is relentless
Look out for
Paul
Memorize
Philippians 4:8: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Get Ready
Well, Paul. Narrowing his story down to one week is almost as hard as paring Jesus down to five. Paul was, arguably, the prototypical missionary of the Christian church. While he often spoke in Jewish synagogues, he spent much of his time among the Gentiles – non-Jewish people – and was reviled for it by his own people who thought such things unclean.
Paul is, like Peter, intense, and often misunderstood. Our readings this week look at his conversion as a young man; his commitment, as a mature leader, to establishing the Ephesian church; and his musings as an older missionary, battle-worn and tired, yet filled with faith and encouragement.
A little more
A little background
According to Philippians 3, Paul’s family descended from the tribe of Benjamin. At some point during the Greek or Roman years, his family had settled in Tarsus, a coastal city in southern Turkey. This is the same Tarsus that is called “Tarshish” in Jonah – funny how that story keeps popping up. There were many Jewish communities around the Mediterranean; indeed, Paul would seek out these communities when he first arrived in a new city.
Paul was initially drawn toward Jerusalem, becoming a Pharisee, and an early persecutor of Jesus’ followers. The first time we meet him is after Stephen’s stoning, which receives a curt postscript: “And Saul [Paul] approved of his execution.” Paul is on his way to Damascus, to wreak havoc among the believers there, when a blinding light knocks him off his horse…
A little timeline
The story today begins a few years after Jesus’ resurrection, possibly in the mid-30’s A.D. Our second reading from Acts 19 occurs in the mid-50’s, relating some of Paul’s “adventures” in Ephesus. He was active through the early-60’s at least, when he wrote to the Philippians.
A little geography
Though the story begins on the road between Jerusalem and Damascus, Paul made at least four known journeys through the Mediterranean world. His first, recorded in Acts 13-14, covered just cities in southeast Asia Minor (Turkey). After a pause in Jerusalem, he leads two expansive expeditions all the way through western Asia Minor (Ephesus, Troas) and Greece (Athens, Corinth, Philippi, Thessalonica) (Acts 16-20).
After returning to Jerusalem, Paul is arrested and tried for fomenting revolution. A couple of years imprisoned on the coast in Caesarea were followed by a trial where it became apparent that the Jews wanted Paul dead, no matter what. Paul found safety by appealing to Caesar, which won Paul a journey to Rome (Acts 27-28). It is in the capital, under house arrest, that we lose Paul’s trail.
A little epilogue
It is unknown, for sure, what happened to Paul in Rome. The strongest traditions have him martyred at this time, or from a later arrest. Some attribute to him a fifth journey, perhaps as far west as Spain, but there is no Biblical evidence in any direction.
We do know from Philippians, and especially from 2 Timothy, that Paul was often under duress – both from his labors for the churches and from constant persecution – and he was tired. I strongly recommend reading the later “pastoral” letters of Timothy and Titus, where you can sense Paul’s weariness from decades of service, and his concerns for the next generation.
Getting deeper into the weeds
What can you learn about God’s character, personality, or priorities here?
In order to map out a journey – any journey – you need three primary sources of information: The Starting Point, the Destination, and the Route you’ll travel. Paul tells us about his starting point in Philippians 3:
“…Circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless…”
Yet, here’s how Paul viewed this:
“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.”
Not only do we learn about Paul’s attitude (Read Philippians!), but we see how God can be molding someone’s background for generations, in order to capitalize on their preparation. It seems that only a thoroughly Jewish man, but one born and raised in foreign lands, could have wrestled so deeply and written so forcefully about the reality of Christ for both Jews and Gentiles… of Jesus’ connection with, and triumph beyond, the Law of Moses.
How can parents help their kids through the readings?
The most familiar story from Paul’s life is found in Acts 9; you can’t go wrong reading the story of his conversion. There is a man determined to pursue Christians, even to see them die (Acts 8:1); He has an encounter that “knocks him off his horse;” He changes instantly, dramatically; His former enemies don’t trust him; God reveals that this is for real, and is His doing; the new convert is immediately in danger from his old comrades, who pursue him with what looks like a personal vengeance for decades afterward. It’s a breathtaking story.
Keep this in mind: Jews understood themselves as set apart from everyone else in the world – people they called, “Gentiles.” Beliefs ranged about what this meant: At one end Gentiles were “unclean,” just like certain foods or practices; at the other end, Gentiles were seen as God’s enemies, and were tolerated only until God brought their end. The more zealously a Jew thought of his heritage, the more likely was his intolerance of non-Jews. But no matter where a Jew stood on this scale, they knew that God saw them as different.
Now notice: Paul’s Jewish name was “Saul,” like the Old Testament king. But he began to go by “Paul” at some point during his first missionary journey (Acts 13:9), and this is the name we know him by. This isn’t just trivia: Paul is a Greek name. Paul, a Jewish man who worked primarily in Gentile areas, chose to be known to the world by his calling, instead of his heritage. Paul was identified – Paul talked a lot about identity – with Christ, and as Christ’s. What does this say about Paul, and about God, and about ministry? Something to think about with your kids.