A Reflection for Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter
The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. (Acts 13:52)
The Old Testament prophets were not always happy warriors. Jonah was perhaps the most reluctant, but almost no one in ancient times seemed particularly thrilled to be chosen as God’s special messenger to Israel. Elijah and Elisha could be decidedly gruff, while Moses complained that he was ill-equipped for the role of prophet, being “slow of speech and tongue.” Hosea’s entire book is a long lament comparing Israel to an adulterous wife. Jeremiah’s mood was so bleak that he has been dubbed “the weeping prophet.”
It’s hard to blame them. Preaching repentance to ancient Israel was no easy job. Some, like Jeremiah and Isaiah, were rewarded for their efforts with violent deaths. Others had to flee for their lives when their message was poorly received. All things considered, a little crankiness can probably be excused, and yet we see none of that in Jesus’ disciples. They were certainly persecuted, just like their earlier counterparts, and many died violently. Tradition holds that both Paul and Barnabas would ultimately be martyred for the faith. They certainly understood that human beings are fallen, and rejection was a common experience, but they were still overjoyed at their divine calling. Instead of lamenting Israel’s shortcomings, we see them thinking optimistically about as-yet-unconverted lands full of souls yearning for grace. By the Book of Acts, of course, the Apostles do recognize that their mission is somewhat different from that of Jeremiah or Habakkuk. They are not tasked with keeping one people on the straight and narrow. Rather, they are called to spread God’s word to the ends of the earth. The prophetic script has been flipped.
Sometimes calls for repentance are needed, but we must also remember to be joyful as we share the good news about our risen Lord.
At the time of Paul and Barnabas, there were probably about 200 million people in the world. That’s a lot of souls to save, and given the logistical challenges of spreading any news in that era, their optimism about bringing the Gospel “to the ends of the earth” is impressive. We have many more tools today, but also many more people. There are almost 8 billion souls in the world today, and many of them are lonely, desperate,and thirsting for God’s grace. There are incredible opportunities in our time to spread God’s word, helping to heal the wounds of hatred and sin that blight. Why then do we spend so much time thinking like Old Testament prophets, bitterly lamenting the mistakes and shortcomings of our culture, our compatriots, or our church? Sometimes calls for repentance are needed, but we must also remember to be joyful as we share the good news about our risen Lord. We, too, are Christians. The Apostles’ evangelical mission is also ours.
As we look at the state of the world, it can be very easy to become despondent or embittered. Like Jeremiah, we see lives blighted by sin and beautiful things forgotten or destroyed, and we grieve. Sometimes that is appropriate, and yet, if we live by Jesus’ word, we are assured that we can still be his disciples, under all earthly circumstances. We can serve as his instruments for the salvation of others, with help from the Holy Spirit. This is an incomparable privilege, and it should fill us with joy.
