Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“The same thing occurred in Iconium, where Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers.”
NL Daily Devotion for Thursday, April 29, 2021
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
“The same thing occurred” meaning people got mad about what they were saying, stirred up a mob, and ran them out of town. Paul and Barnabas apparently had that effect on people. Okay, it wasn’t them personally. It was the truth they were dropping on the local community—a truth which threatened the powers that be in lots of ways. They roll into town, share about the transformational love and freedom given in Jesus, and the local authorities freak out that the people might not want to listen to them anymore. Might actually want to change things around here. Those are fighting words, requiring a quick smear campaign and incitement of mob mentality, to make sure those two rabble rousers never pedal their propaganda about God’s redemptive power and living in harmonious and egalitarian community around here again!
I’m going to try to be a little less overtly political (I’ll probably fail in the future, of course) and simply challenge you to think about where this kind of thing is still happening in our communities today. Where do you see yourself in the story? Are you Paul and Barnabas? The authorities? The new believers? The mob? Are we not sometimes all of the above? Does it change based on circumstances?
God, inspire me to share the good news of your transformative love regardless of how it is received. Amen.
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