But I have written to you rather boldly in some respects to remind you,
because of the grace given me by God
to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles
in performing the priestly service of the Gospel of God,
so that the offering up of the Gentiles may be acceptable,
sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
Saint Paul has been blamed for changing Jesus' mission from a Messiah to the Jews to the Savior of Gentiles. As I read the Gospels, I don't see that. Jesus was neither a revolutionary nor a reformer; he had come, as he said, to fulfill the Law, not to change even the smallest part of it.
But we probably can credit Saint Paul for challenging his fellow apostles to give up trying to bring all Jews over to Christ, and welcome the entire world. Galilean fishermen and tax collectors might not have been able to imagine such a mission; it would have been unimaginable, "beyond their wildest dreams."
But a well-educated Roman citizen from Tarsus, speaking Greek and Aramaic and comfortable with archaic Hebrew, could dream dreams well beyond the rustics from Nazareth. His deep knowledge and love of the Jewish tradition, his experience of its international dimensions, along with his education in Greek philosophy, helped him to know himself as more than a Jew. He was a human being like millions of others, a descendant of Adam and Eve. And they must know the Lord!
It took time and patience to persuade his fellow missionaries of his vision. And it helped enormously that Saint Peter, working in a different place, agreed with him. Despite his serious reluctance to eat unclean food, the leading apostle had been challenged first by a revelation in Joppa, and then by the inspired eagerness of men in Caesarea to welcome gentiles into Christian fellowship.
The two of them then testified to their peers in Jerusalem, and a new religion was born from the Jewish faith, much as Jesus had been born of a virgin in Bethlehem. It was unexpected, unprecedented, and clearly God's will.
The story is more than an important historical fact for us. It reminds us to be open to the unexpected, especially as God may invite people we instinctively and perhaps unconsciously avoid. We just don't want to learn a new language, or hear a difficult accent, or taste an unfamiliar food, or be associated with strangers. We're more comfortable with familiar people. We might say, "There's a time and a place for everything and this time, this place, and this occasion are not for foreigners!"
Unless, of course, the Lord wills it.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.