4th Week of Easter
We now turn to the Gentiles. (Acts 13:46)
If we can just get past a couple of misunderstandings, the reaction of “the Jews” that is described in today’s first reading can give us food for thought (Acts 13:45).
One misunderstanding has to do with what actually happened. At first, it sounds as if Paul decided that he would no longer preach to any Jews at all (Acts 13:46-47). But a closer look shows that he meant that he was not going to preach to Jews in Antioch. The very next episode makes this clear: in the city of Iconium, Paul once more began his ministry by preaching in the synagogue (14:1). In fact, throughout his missionary journeys, Paul continued to preach to both Jews and non-Jews, and in both groups, some accepted his message while others did not.
A second misunderstanding concerns what the term “the Jews” in this reading means for us. It is easy for us to write off the whole Jewish race as being enemies of Christ. But if we do that, we miss out on a valuable lesson God wants to teach us. Through Paul, God sent his chosen people a message of salvation, but many of them found it hard to accept. Perhaps they didn’t understand it. Perhaps it would have required a change in their lives that they were unwilling to make. Perhaps they sensed that they would have to start relating with a whole new group of people—Gentiles—and that was too much for them (Acts 13:45). Maybe it was for all three reasons. Whatever the case, many of the Jews decided not to embrace the salvation that Paul was proclaiming to them.
Each of us can probably recall situations when we did something like this. A parent, a teacher, a co-worker, a friend—even a stranger—might have told us something uncomfortable, and we closed our ears. But this passage tells us that God uses many means to speak to us so that we can take the next step in our journey toward him.
So keep your eyes open today. Who might God use to speak to you? Are you willing to receive his word humbly and with an open heart?
“Holy Spirit, help me to keep my eyes open and my heart softened. I want to embrace your word today, whoever the messenger may be.”
Psalm 98:1-4; John 14:7-14
Daily Marriage Tip for May 17, 2014:
Save time at the end of each day to share the highs and lows of your day with each other. Go beyond “just the facts” to how it made you feel.