In our scripture readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Paul and Silas make their way from Philippi to Thessalonica, where Paul does his usual evangelizing in the synagogue to the Jews. Many come to faith, but those who reject his message become jealous, and threaten violence. Paul and Silas escape to nearby Beroea, but then the Jews from Thessalonica catch up to them, and Paul is sent further away for safety – to Athens, and then to Corinth, where Paul changes his tactics...and his target audience....
There was an article in the National Post this week about “Canada's Most Dangerous Professor.” If you haven't heard her name before now, Professor Frances Widdowson was at the University of Lethbridge this past weekend, and she was removed from the campus in handcuffs and given a $600 citation for trespassing. She was fired from Calgary's Mount Royal University in 2021, essentially for generating controversy which disturbed her colleagues, by questioning the narrative that has been built on the results of ground-penetrating radar surveys of a residential school site in Kamloops. In February, her presence at the U of L caused jealous people who want to control that narrative to do what jealous people usually do these days – they put together a mob of protesters, who banged drums and shouted abuse at Professor Widdowson, and set the campus in an uproar. And the university responded the way they usually do these days, not by rebuking the protesters threatening violence, but by issuing a trespass notice to Professor Widdowson....
Paul and Silas have made their way from the jail in Philippi, down the east coast of Greece to the city of Thessalonica. And since there was a synagogue in town, Paul started his missionary efforts there, convincing the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. “Some of them were persuaded,” it says, but the rest of them became jealous to the point of forming a mob, dragging Paul's supporter Jason in front of the authorities, and threatening violence to Paul. And that begs the question – jealous of what, exactly?
Were they jealous in the way they explained it to the authorities – jealous on behalf of the emperor looking for the full and unreserved loyalty of the people? Please! There's always a reason that sounds good to authorities, and it's never the real reason. Were they jealous that Paul was gaining influence over the community, a religious influence that the Jews thought should belong to them? That's getting closer, although it might not explain the intensity of their reaction. Were they jealous that the fledgling Christian church in Thessalonica might thrive and their own synagogue might become unviable? That's getting closer, although it might not explain why they continued to harass Paul once he had moved on to Beroea. I THINK the Jews in Thessalonica were jealous the way Cain was jealous of Abel in the book of Genesis. God, their God, the God of Messiah, was rewarding the efforts of Paul and Silas with miracles, and momentum, and growth, and it just wasn't fair. God was picking favourites, and the kind of jealousy produced by this, was able to bring Cain to the point of murderous rage. Then again, THAT explanation doesn't really explain why the Jews of Beroea were more receptive to Paul and Silas, until the Jews from Thessalonica arrived to incite them. Whatever the rationale for their jealousy, the Jews from Thessalonica did everything in their power to sabotage Paul's efforts: they enlisted some ruffians to form a mob, they threatened Paul's supporters, and if they had found Paul or Silas, who knows what violent result would have occurred.
When we look around at the groups who are forming mobs and threatening violence today, of whom and of what are they jealous, exactly? Are they jealous towards those who have money and power on behalf of the poor, who could have so much more if only the rich and powerful had less? Please! There's always a reason that sounds good to authorities, and it's never the real reason. Are they jealous that the rich and powerful have more influence than they do, or that their very existence is threatened by the rich and powerful? That would be the prevailing theme in the media. But I think those who form mobs and threaten violence today are jealous of successful people the way Cain was jealous of Abel. It's just not fair, that the successful are successful. So the system, or the God, that produces their success must be sabotaged.
Paul escaped from the Jews that wanted to sabotage him, and made his way to the city of Athens. And he noticed two things about the people of Athens that resulted in a change of tactics for his evangelizing. First, he noticed the people of Athens had a desire to please the gods – any and all gods! There were so many temples with so many altars for sacrifices, and the people were willing to make those sacrifices. And second, the people of Athens were humble about their knowledge of God, even to the point of inscribing an altar with “to an unknown god.” For these people, “Messiah” was a meaningless word, and describing Jesus as Messiah was pointless. So Paul instead, starts his message with God the Father – a God who made the world and everything in it, and who is not served by human hands as though he needed anything. Paul started with the new-to-Athens concept of monotheism, as the Athenians were attuned and receptive to new concepts. And from there, Paul introduces Jesus as the appointed judge on the last day, whose credentials are his resurrection. In presenting the message in this fashion, Paul convinces Dionysius and Damaris and others, creating a community of faith in the city of Athens.
What can we notice about the people around us, and what change would that recommend for our evangelizing tactics? Well, if I had the definitive answer to that question, I would have already sold a million books! Here are a few preliminary thoughts: One, we are much more interested in entertaining and influencing each other than we are in pleasing the gods – we are not as religious as Athens, unless you count environmentalism and Marxism as religions. Two, we live mostly in idea bubbles that reinforce our confidence in our own opinions, and we are not always keen to listen to new concepts. Three, the things we need that we find hardest to get in life are no longer food, clean water, and shelter – they are relationship and meaning. And four, we are entering a time of technological advancement so rapid that we can't imagine what the effects will be. If a certain way of presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ jumps out at you based on these things we notice, please write that book! And in any event, it will be critical to follow the Holy Spirit's leading, each time we get the opportunity to witness.
Gracious God, we thank you for the Holy Spirit, our guide to your direction in our lives. Keep us listening to the Spirit's voice, and keep us effective in bringing your word to the people around us, in Jesus' name....