Fast Fridays: 30 Minutes for God: Difference between revisions
→Friday, Nov 8: Saint Paul: the perfect choice for Christ
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Using the notion of "contingency," which means in this sense "alternatives" or "options", we can see how Paul is the perfect Apostle for the mission Christ embarks him upon, to spread the Good News to the Gentiles: | Using the notion of "contingency," which means in this sense "alternatives" or "options", we can see how Paul is the perfect Apostle for the mission Christ embarks him upon, to spread the Good News to the Gentiles: | ||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
|+ | |+Paul, the Perfect Choice | ||
! | !Quality | ||
! | !Necessary Contingency: | ||
! | !Purpose | ||
|- | |- | ||
|Pharisee, learned under Gamaliel | |||
|... to be thoroughly knowledgeable of the OT and Mosaic Law | |||
| | | | ||
* to demonstrate Christ as fulfillment of the prophets (see [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/10?4 Rom 10:4]) | |||
* authenticity in challenging the "Judaizers" (Council of Jerusalem, [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/15?1 Acts 15:1]) | |||
* authenticity in converting the Gentiles | |||
|- | |||
|Persecuted Christians | |||
|... to have experienced a complete and literal conversion (''metanoia,'' Greek for "changing one's mind"'')'' | |||
| | | | ||
* to demonstrate the authenticity of his faith and mission | |||
* to better convert others | |||
|- | |||
|Born outside of Israel | |||
|... familiar with the Greek and Roman world outside of Israel | |||
| | | | ||
* to be sent to Damascus by the Pharisees | |||
* to spread the Gospel to the Gentiles | |||
|- | |- | ||
|Speak Greek and Hebrew (and/or Aramaic) | |||
|... speak these languages natively | |||
| | | | ||
* for authenticity in Jerusalem (see his speech to the people in [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/21?37 Acts 21:40]) | |||
* for protection by the Romans ("Do you speak Greek?"[https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/21:37 "Acts 21:37]) | |||
* shift preaching from the Jews to the Gentiles ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/13:46 Acts 13:46]) | |||
* the Holy Spirit gave Paul the ability to "speak in tongues" | |||
|- | |- | ||
|Roman citizen | |||
|... have legal rights of a Roman citizen | |||
| | | | ||
* to be protected by the Romans in Jerusalem ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/21?37 Acts 21:39]) | |||
* to be sent to Rome ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/25:8 Acts 25:8]) | |||
|} | |} | ||
Thus, Paul was the perfect vehicle for Christ -- all those characteristics of Paul were essential to the mission, it's authenticity, and its timing. | |||
Thus, Paul was the perfect vehicle for Christ -- all those characteristics of Paul were essential to the mission, it's authenticity, and its timing. | |||
But he needed a few more qualifications, things about his character: | But he needed a few more qualifications, things about his character: | ||
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*First of all, he was very, very smart. | *First of all, he was very, very smart. | ||
**see [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2peter/3?15 2 Pt 3:15-16] on how Paul is "hard to understand" | **see [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2peter/3?15 2 Pt 3:15-16] on how Paul is "hard to understand" | ||
**quick thinker: | |||
***[https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/23:25 Acts 23:5] (after being smacked in the mouth at the High Priest's command) | |||
***[https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/23:6 Acts 23:6]: splitting the Sanhedrin | |||
* He was enormously patient: | * He was enormously patient: | ||
** [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/colossians/3:12 Col 3:12] he calls for "patience" from believers | ** [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/colossians/3:12 Col 3:12] he calls for "patience" from believers | ||
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<blockquote>"For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not that you might be pained but that you might know the abundant love I have for you."</blockquote> | <blockquote>"For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not that you might be pained but that you might know the abundant love I have for you."</blockquote> | ||
* | * Had a great memory: | ||
** quoting Isaiah | ** quoting Isaiah ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/28?25 Acts 28:4], etc.) | ||
* in [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/10 Romans Ch. 10] he uses extensive OT quotes in order to demonstrate Christ as fulfillment of the prophets: | |||
<blockquote>For Christ is the end of the law for the justification of everyone who has faith. ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/10?4 Rom 10:4])</blockquote> | <blockquote>For Christ is the end of the law for the justification of everyone who has faith. ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/10?4 Rom 10:4])</blockquote> | ||
* Some other qualities of Paul | |||
** | * from [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/13?47 Acts 13:47], quoting [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/49?6 Is 49:6] | ||
<blockquote>Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.’”</blockquote> | |||
* '''Some other necessary qualities of Paul''' | |||
** Keen political sense | |||
*** splitting the Sanhedren | |||
** Very high pain tolerance: | |||
*** see [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/11:30 2 Cor 11:30-33] for Paul's "boasts" and "labors" (listed [[Saint Paul#2 Cor 11: Paul’s Boast: His Labors|here in our page on Saint Paul]]) | *** see [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/11:30 2 Cor 11:30-33] for Paul's "boasts" and "labors" (listed [[Saint Paul#2 Cor 11: Paul’s Boast: His Labors|here in our page on Saint Paul]]) | ||
** | ** Unafraid of heights | ||
** | *** lowered in the basket in [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/11?33 2 Cor 11:33] | ||
** | ** Ability to swim (see [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/27?43 Acts 27:43]) | ||
** | ** Unafraid of snakes ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/28?3 Acts 28:3]) | ||
** Talk all night & still have the energy to revive a boy from the dead ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/20:9 Acts 20:9]) | |||
*** (although he could be a little boring...) | |||
----I have an additional question, though: did Paul see or even meet Jesus before the Crucifixion? We know he knew about him, as the Disciples on the Road to Emmaus tell the stranger they meet,<blockquote>“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?”([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/24?18 Lk 24:18]) </blockquote>This site says he did: I like to think that Paul not only saw Jesus, but was one of the "scribes and Pharisees" who brought the adulteress to Jesus for stoning ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/8?1 Jn 8:1]) -- of course there's no evidence for it, but it'd be consistent with Paul's attitude. Imagine were he the last of the group to walk away!" If so, it might also give us a clue as to what Jesus wrote on the ground ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/8?8 Jn 8:8]) I always thought he was playing tic-tac-toe, with the final "scratch" as they walked away in shame, but maybe it was a note to Paul, "''See you on the road to Damascus!''" :) | ----I have an additional question, though: did Paul see or even meet Jesus before the Crucifixion? We know he knew about him, as the Disciples on the Road to Emmaus tell the stranger they meet,<blockquote>“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?”([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/24?18 Lk 24:18]) </blockquote>This site says he did: I like to think that Paul not only saw Jesus, but was one of the "scribes and Pharisees" who brought the adulteress to Jesus for stoning ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/8?1 Jn 8:1]) -- of course there's no evidence for it, but it'd be consistent with Paul's attitude. Imagine were he the last of the group to walk away!" If so, it might also give us a clue as to what Jesus wrote on the ground ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/8?8 Jn 8:8]) I always thought he was playing tic-tac-toe, with the final "scratch" as they walked away in shame, but maybe it was a note to Paul, "''See you on the road to Damascus!''" :) | ||