 a Those "Upsetters of the World" |
|
|
4
|
 What was it like, this Church that the New Testament tells us about? Why were these obstreperous Christians able to make such a noise that not all the bellowings of Nero or his lions could drown them out? Rather than being academic about it, we will let a few vignettes tell the story. SCENARIO FOR A SILENT MOTION PICTURE
Long-distance shot of Oriental market place. Shift to middledistance shots of different booths, occasional close-up of camel or donkey carrying produce for market day. Gradual close-up of a short, sad-faced merchant coming to market-a stranger in town. Shift to booth of tall merchant instructing others about arranging produce-a person at home in the district.
Long-distance shot of short merchant approaching booth of tall merchant. Gradual close-in on the two faces as men converse. A tentative recognition in eyes of tall man as he studies other's face. Shift to middle distance, lower camera to arm of tall man, stick in hand. Shift lower to dust, and focus on point of stick outlining a fish in the dust.
Shift to short man, his face watching the fish being drawn. As he sees what it is, his expression changes, face lights up, the sadness disappears. He looks at tall man happily and nods vigorously. Shift to middle distance, men embrace in Oriental fashion and depart together. Fade out on figure of fish gradually being obliterated by passing feet.
Puzzle: Why did the drawing of a fish in the dirt unite two strangers who had never seen one another before?
(Solution to the Puzzle appears on page 198.)
A LETTER FROM AN AMAZED PUBLICAN
Publius to Romanus, hail! I write you in haste, to tell you of my amazing experience yesterday. As you know, I arrived only two days ago in Jerusalem from Cappadocia, a complete stranger. I chanced to go to a public place where a number of people were gathered. They seemed to be waiting for something and I was intrigued. All of a sudden something quite amazing happened. I don't know how to explain it, but the air seemed to be full of sound -- like those winds which whip over the Cappadocian plains-and the men were transfixed. They seemed almost "on fire" with something they had to share. Then a number of them started talking, and I'll swear (you'll think this is crazy, Romanus) I could distinguish a number of words in my own language.
The man next me shrugged it off with the words, "They're drunk." One of the leaders overheard him and said: "These men are not drunk. After all, it's only nine o'clock in the morning." (That got a laugh.) Then he gave an explanation, in the common Greek all of us speak.
These men, he said, himself included, had received the Spirit of God. And then he went on to tell some of the things they believed. There had been a man named Jesus who had just recently been killed. But he had been raised from the dead and was with them and in their midst. Things like that. When the man finished, I found myself blurting out, "What must we do about it?" And he said, "Get a new start, be baptized, and you will receive the Holy Spirit too."
And, Romanus, I did just that. I have found the God I have always been seeking-only really he has found me. Hurry to Jerusalem so I can share this with you.
FRAGMENT OF A CONVERSATION IN CORINTH
LEADER (reading from a letter): "On the first day of the every week, each of you is to put something aside and save, as he may prosper, so that contributions need not be made when I come. And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem." (Rolls up the scroll.)
That is the portion of Paul's letter we must now discuss. The rest of it is mostly personal greetings. (To young man) Yes?
YOUNG MAN: I don't get it. I admit I'm only a recent convert, but I don't see why we Greek Christians in Corinth should be giving up our hard-earned money for Jewish Christians in Jerusalem we've never even seen.
ANOTHER MAN (jumping in): Well, for one thing, the Jerusalem church is sort of our "mother church." We should never have heard the "good news" if men from there hadn't begun to spread it in Antioch, and then in Galatia, and finally clear over here in Greece.
STILL ANOTHER MAN: Yes, and don't forget that we aren't a lot of different "churches." We are all part of the one Church. We are the church of Christ in Corinth; that same church of Christ is in Ephesus, and in Jerusalem. It doesn't make any difference whether we know each other or not. Christ died for all of us. If he gave his life for us, surely we can give a little money for his children, wherever they are.
Solution to the puzzle:
The tall man, a Christian, wondered if the stranger was a Christian. Since at this time Christians were being persecuted, it would not do to shout the accusing word "Christian?" at a friend, or a possible enemy. So a secret sign language was used. The Greek word "fish" (ichthus) was used as an acrostic. That is, each letter was the first letter of a word in the Christian statement of faith, "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior." Like this:
I=i = Iesous = Jesus
X=ch=Christos=Christ
?=th=Theou=of God
Y=u=(h)Uios=son
?=s=Soter=savior
To draw a fish, then, was to indicate that you were a believing Christian. No one but another Christian would understand the sign. Thus the two men were saying: We both worship the same Christ, and this unites our hearts in love, even though we have never seen one another before.
AND STILL ANOTHER MAN: Besides, we have to remember that there are no differences between people in the Church. I admit it's hard to believe, but just because Christians in Jerusalem are a different nationality from us doesn't matter to God -- and it shouldn't matter to us either.
FIRST YOUNG MAN: Well, it still seems strange to me, but if the rest of you take this so seriously, I guess I can too.
FRAGMENT OF A CONVERSATION IN SAN FRANCISCO
STUDENT: But why was worship in the Early Church that important?
TEACHER (making a supreme effort to understand) : Let's look at it another way. Let's put their experience into modern clothing and pretend it happened today.
STUDENT: O.K.
TEACHER: Imagine yourself a clerk in a San Francisco supermarket. Very early on Sunday morning you went to a big house on Jackson Street. You slipped along the driveway and entered through the back door. In the living room the "church" was gathering. There were all sorts of people. Some you knew, some you didn't. You looked the place over carefully for Government spies. But the deacons seemed to have things in hand. In front of the room, seated on the far side of the living room table, were the presbyters, and one of them, the chief presbyter, finally called you all to order. After you had all warmly greeted one another, a tablecloth was spread on the table, and on it were placed a silver plate and goblet, from the owner's sideboard. As the familiar words of Jesus were repeated, a loaf of bread from the kitchen was broken, and some wine from the cellar was poured into the goblet. After there had been some prayers and responses, the bread and wine were passed around by the presbyters and you all partook. When it was finished, some of you got small pieces of the bread to take home. Then the chief presbyter said, "All right, time to break up," and everybody slipped out of the back door again.
STUDENT (a bit disappointed): You mean that's all there was to it?
TEACHER: On the surface, yes. The details would vary from place to place, and of course as time went on the service got more elaborate. To an outsider it would have almost no meaning. However, on the day we are talking about, there was a sequel.
STUDENT (more hopeful): Yes?
TEACHER: As you left the driveway, somebody looked at you queerly, put two and two together, and began to yell, "Hey, here's a bunch of Christians!" A crowd gathered, somebody got shoved, and pretty soon there was a street fight going on. Then you heard the wail of a siren and a police car drove up. "What's going on here?" the cop demanded, and when he heard people calling you "Christians," he clapped handcuffs on the lot of you, and when the police wagon arrived, he took seventeen people to the station.
It didn't take long for things to happen there. Everybody knew the law: "It is forbidden to be a Christian," just as, "It is forbidden to commit murder," and the procedure was about the same in both cases. You were all asked whether you were guilty or not guilty. Almost everyone admitted being a Christian, and when one fellow faltered, the police judge pointed to a picture of the President and said, "Kneel down before that picture and say, 'God forgive me for my sins.' " The fellow wouldn't do it because it was his faith that only God in Christ forgave sin, and not any human person.
There was nothing more for the police judge to do. You were all guilty. So they took you out to Alcatraz, and put you in the electric chair one by one, all morning long.
STUDENT (rather impressed, now): Why did they risk it?
TEACHER: Just because that little "meaningless ceremony" of worship was the very heart and center of their lives. It brought them into firsthand contact with their risen Lord and with each other. Everything else depended on that.
|
This website is created and designed by Atlantis International, 2006
