Reading the passages that run through the immediate post-Easter celebrations (from the Book of Acts) I am constantly reminded of the debate that arose in the emerging church about what it means to be a follower of Christ and who is, or is not, eligible to belong to that group. The early community was made up entirely of members of the Jewish faith, who in the early stages were still practicing Jews, however, this soon began to change as the Good News was proclaimed. The debate about belonging arose as more and more non-Jewish people, on hearing the story of how Christ died for us, wanted to join in the community. At first there was all sorts of barriers – see Acts 8:38 for an example- but over time and by the grace of God the first followers realised that God not only wanted them but all humanity as the prophet Isaiah had argued centuries before.
The Church soon lost sight of that insight and set up its own barriers to belonging. It soon became a case of, “if you are good enough, you can belong) a position that ran counter to every episode we read of where Jesus met someone new, in the New Testament. He didn’t say to the Pharisee, “You’re a good guy, you’re in, or to the Sanhedrin, “You defend everything that is Jewish, you’re in”. He did however invite in those who had previously been excluded from participating in the faith – the unclean woman, the centurion’s child, the lame man, the person possessed by demons even the woman at the well who belonged to a different culture and who argued with him. All these examples express something of the failure of the religious in Jesus time to understand that the grace they had been given was a prelude to the salvation of all. Simeon got it, St Luke 2:29-32) and thankfully those first followers who were faithful Jews understood that God, in Christ, had created something beautiful, a new community that would embrace all who believed.
Tom
The Church soon lost sight of that insight and set up its own barriers to belonging. It soon became a case of, “if you are good enough, you can belong) a position that ran counter to every episode we read of where Jesus met someone new, in the New Testament. He didn’t say to the Pharisee, “You’re a good guy, you’re in, or to the Sanhedrin, “You defend everything that is Jewish, you’re in”. He did however invite in those who had previously been excluded from participating in the faith – the unclean woman, the centurion’s child, the lame man, the person possessed by demons even the woman at the well who belonged to a different culture and who argued with him. All these examples express something of the failure of the religious in Jesus time to understand that the grace they had been given was a prelude to the salvation of all. Simeon got it, St Luke 2:29-32) and thankfully those first followers who were faithful Jews understood that God, in Christ, had created something beautiful, a new community that would embrace all who believed.
Tom