Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Acts 6

I couldn't help but notice that the disciples are more than a little politically incorrect in this chapter. Verses 1-2:

Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists [29] arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.


It would be very easy to misconstrue this as "I'm too holy to be bothered with earthly things". This isn't the first time that waiting on tables has been looked-down upon in the New Testament, either. Compare Luke 10:38-42:

38As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

41"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42but only one thing is needed.f]">[f] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."


Does this imply that God really doesn't care about the fact that people need to eat? That preachers are the best and the people who wait tables are some sort of "spiritual losers"?

Absolutely not! Recall that Jesus also fed people (over 5000 of them in John 6). And Jesus set the bar as high (low?) as possible for servitude when he washed the disciples feet (John 13).

But I think the disciples do recognize an important principle here. No one can do everything. We each have our own role to play and spending our time on tasks that aren't part of that role can be just as damaging as doing nothing at all. Instead, recognizing that they can't do everything, the disciples gladly delegate this authority in verses 3-6:


...Therefore, brothers, [30] pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.


I pray that God will give me the wisdom to know what my role in the kingdom of God is. And what it isn't.

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