Gospeled People

The early church was a splintered group. Some were Jews who’d embraced Jesus as Messiah. To be followers of Jesus was to be fully Jewish. Others were Diaspora Jews (raised Jewish in Greek settings) who had embraced Jesus as the bridge between the Greek and Jewish world. And then there were Roman citizens with little connection to the Jewish faith who, by the power of God, came to believe “Jesus is Lord.”

The two great threats to the early church may resonate with our current struggle: Empire and Religious tradition. To say “Jesus is Lord” meant “Caesar is not.” It was a radical confession that reoriented one’s allegiance. Joining the church meant all other commitments were considered less or even obsolete. Second, religious tradition threatened the witness of the early church. In the early church tradition is the living faith of the dead, while traditionalism is the dead faith of the living. In all things, Torah or Scripture, temple or church, children of God must remember that we worship a living God. This might change the way we read Paul, he is a missionary not a systematic theologian who lives in the ivory tower.

In reading all four gospels, it is crucial to remember that we read in order to know the author. We read the gospels as we look through a telescope: by looking in it we can see the world in ways we never imagined possible.

We can be a church who allows the gospel to read us. Let’s allow these four gospels tell us what to think, feel, and experience. Let’s permit these gospels to set the agenda for faith, evangelism, worship, and community. These gospels were written to sustain a church already in existence, already struggling with their identity as followers of Jesus. May these ancient words speak a fresh word into our open lives.