I marvel at how flexible and grace filled the apostle Paul was. Writing to the church in Corinth, he said,
“To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law… To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:20-23).
Unfortunately, Paul encountered many people, Christian, Jewish and Pagan, who were not so flexible or gracious.
When Paul arrived in Jerusalem at the end of his final missionary journey, he met with the Christian leaders. The young fledgling church was then led by a committee of elders headed by James, the brother of Jesus. We know from the book of Galatians that the people surrounding James were rather conservative, strict, and rigid. They were traditionalists, which is why they have been called, in the context of Galatians, the “Judaizers,” the ones who came from James to teach the Galatians how to better keep the Jewish law.
Paul reported to James and the elders about the success of the gospel among the Gentiles. Although they seemed happy about the report, the elders also noted, “You see, brother, how many thousands (gr: myriads) of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.”
There’s an undercurrent of dissatisfaction evident in this passage. Maybe the elders felt that Paul had been left unsupervised too long in the Pagan world. Perhaps they felt that in his eagerness to be all things to all people he had betrayed his Jewish heritage and compromised his faith. So, they had to brag that they have thousands of converts who are “zealous for the law.”
The elders likely overstated their case. They did an evangelistic count, which is to say, they exaggerated! They needed to emphasize that Paul’s version of the Gospel was not necessarily the best or most effective. Paul, of course, had taken serious exception to that very attitude on the part of the Judaizers, something he made obvious in his letter to the Galatians.
As if the competitive spirit of the elders wasn’t bad enough, they also felt obliged to inform Paul of an impending scandal.
“They (the converts who are zealous for the law) have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs.”
Was this literally true? No! This was gossip, and rumor. It was fake news! It was a blatant attempt to diminish Paul’s credibility in the guise of helpful advice: “well somebody said,” or “they have been informed,” or “it has come to our attention.” This is the way rumor and gossip gains traction. It’s the way fake news somehow makes its way into the mainstream. And it’s why people often end up fighting over something they know nothing about.
Forming the background of these rumors was a heavy dose of religious patriotism. It was Jewish patriotism that said in effect, we are Jews first, anything else is second. Anyone who teaches a higher loyalty than our Jewish heritage is our enemy. Paul knew. He’d been there and done that!
Now before we’re too hard on James and the elders, let me remind you and myself, that this is us. This is not just about people who lived 2000 years ago. This is us. Let me put it as a question: Are you an Adventist (or whatever label you claim) first, or are you a Christian first? And if you winced when I said that, you know what I’m talking about.
The elders may have felt that Paul’s gospel preaching had caused some problems. But to their credit, they actually did want to be helpful. So, they came up with a plan. It would be a tricky plan to pull off. But in today’s jargon, it would improve the “optics” for Paul. If Paul was perceived as undermining the Jewish faith and being unpatriotic, then they would have Paul participate in a Temple ceremony and thus look like he had always lived according to Jewish law.
It might seem strange that Paul would go along with such a plan. But I suspect he was being respectful to the elders, especially to James. Not only that, with his philosophy of being all things to all people, it was not out of character for him to participate in Jewish activities. He was himself born Jewish and trained as a Pharisee. But he must have winced a bit at taking orders from the traditionalists.
Four men were going to make a vow. Luke doesn’t tell us exactly what sort of meaning or motive was originally behind it. But it was going to involve 7 days of purification, shaved heads, and Paul paying all the expenses. Unfortunately, just when the week was about up, a riot broke out. Someone from Asia, probably Ephesus, accused Paul of bringing an Ephesian Gentile into the Temple. And the devoutly patriotic Jews lynched Paul right there in the Temple courts.
The Roman soldiers stepped in and saved Paul from being beaten to death by the good people defending God and country. And from that point forward to the end of Acts, Paul remained under some kind of arrest—because of rumors, fake news, prejudice, and opposition to the Gospel. The good news is, the gospel succeeded anyway.
Here’s what I learn from this. It’s easier to be religious than to be spiritual. Religiosity is not bad. It’s made up of a lot of good things that people do in practicing their faith, things like church attendance, Sabbath keeping, worship practices, lifestyle choices involving family, work, entertainment and morality. And these things are good in and of themselves. But they don’t substitute for spirituality. And when you force someone else to be religious your way, it does more harm than good.
Being truly spiritual is harder than being religious because it means loving God and our fellow human beings from the heart and without discrimination. In my experience, it’s always a lot easier to choose up sides, love your friends, hate your enemies, and then claim that God is on your side.
Here’s the brutal truth about much of our religious life. Being religious is often just an expression of our own biases and prejudices. And prejudices soon turn into accusations: “You’re doing it wrong, you’re not a real Christian (or a real Adventist), and finally it turns into, “you deserve to be shamed and shunned.” It’s easier to shame people we see as a threat, rather than to love them.
I once visited with a woman who, when she was younger had been shamed in a most public way by her church. She had grown up in the church and also in a rough neighborhood. Some of her family members had been involved in drugs and joined neighborhood gangs. As she struggled to find her own way in that world, she had become involved in relationships that her church found offensive. So, as a struggling young woman she was made to stand at the front of her church and repent of her sexual sins and then was “disfellowshipped.” She later joined another Adventist Church and is today happily married. But I can tell you that the scars from that public shaming remain. Fortunately, she has turned her scars into motivation to help struggling young women in her community.
Living by the law is a fake spirituality. You can fool others and even yourself into thinking that if you uphold a certain standard and shame those who don’t, that you are a spiritual person. But here’s the thing. Being spiritual, that is, actually living by the gospel, demands a heart conversion resulting in real love and respect for others—from the heart!
It’s been said that more is expected of preachers and teachers. They have a high calling and are therefore subject to greater accountability. I take that to mean that preaching the gospel should bear fruit, primarily the fruit of the spirit – faith hope and love. Which means that if my church is hearing and living the gospel, we ought to be the most loving group of people on the planet! Not that it’s a competition, of course.
Unfortunately, some will always take the path of judgment, shame, and prejudice. It’s easier and comes more naturally to our human nature than faith, hope, and love. So, while we find ourselves called and saved by grace, our humanity often turns to shame anyway. Paul advises us to distance ourselves from that part of our nature, even if it means separating from actual people who live by law, guilt, prejudice, and shame.
As a pastor who has made many mistakes, I stand as the grateful recipient of God’s grace — and that of my church! I am grateful to be a preacher of the gospel of Jesus. And although I am guilty of many sins of both commission and omission, by grace I choose gratefulness instead of guilt; joy instead of judgment. I know that in my humanity, I have been the obstacle, and source of division for some. But the good news is, God is not done with me — or any of you — just yet! With that in mind, let’s look to Jesus more than we do to our own religiosity. Let’s be spiritual, not just religious. Let’s love God and each other from the heart. The good news is not fake news.
