The Anointed!




Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

This might seem a very strange reading following Christmas Day, but today we celebrate the feast of Stephen, the first Christian martyred for Christ. His is a very interesting story, which can be found in Acts 6 and 7. Here is the story in a nutshell. The church had begun to grow and the number of disciples were increasing. However, despite the blessings they were receiving, people began complaining about the tiffin service: they were not being served food! The fault lay with the apostles who were not only preaching, they were serving food! Talk about humility. 

But the multi-tasking wasn’t working effectively anymore, not with the numbers of disciples increasing. So the apostles decided to appoint the task of distributing food to others. They gathered the disciples and told them to choose seven men from among them who were known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom to wait on tables! (see Acts 6:3). Seriously? Yes! Seriously! We believe “anointed” men and women of God should preach and teach and do other “glamorous” work, but here we find anointed people being told to wait on tables. 

Anyway, one of the seven chosen was Stephen, described as “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5). Now when he was not serving food, Stephen went about preaching the gospel, and great signs and wonders accompanied him. Needless to say, some people got jealous, and they trumped up charges against him and brought him before the Sanhedrin, where he delivered a long sermon. He wasn’t very diplomatic and they became furious with him. Scripture says, they “gnashed their teeth at him”. God chose that moment to give Stephen a vision of Jesus standing at his right hand. And Stephen chose to share this with the Jews. Totally enraged now, they hauled him out of the city and began stoning him.

And “while they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (Does that sound familiar?) When he had said this, he fell asleep” (Acts 7:59-60). Which is a nicer way of saying he died. This brings me to what Jesus said today to those he was sending out to preach the good news. “They will persecute you because you preach the gospel. They will hate you because of my name. But the one who endures will be saved.”

And you thought following Christ was just going for Sunday service? :)

Watch a video of this reflection by Aneel Aranha here: https://youtu.be/ZLvDrN4ycdg

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Let’s Get Healed - A Reflection on Matthew 18:21-19:1

Image
  Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me...
Read more

Patience - A Reflection on Luke 2:33-35.

Image
  And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”   This is probably the shortest passage that we have reflected upon this year. In it, we find a man named Simeon making a prophecy about three things. One, about Jesus. Two, about the people of Israel. And three, about the pain that Jesus’ mother Mary would go through. We have seen all his prophecies came true. But who is Simeon? And what can we learn from him? Ok. On the 40th day of his birth, Jesus is taken by Mary and Joseph to the temple to be officially inducted into the Jewish faith. When they were there, a man named Simeon came in to see them.   He is described as “righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Isr...
Read more

Dying and Killing

  The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God.” Jesus answered, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’—and the scripture cannot be annulled— can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands. He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earl...
Read more