The Amazing Race - Paul in Prison
A lot has happened to Paul since he
began his Amazing Race. He had a life
changing moment where he went from Saul, the persecutor of the early
Christians, to Paul, a messenger to the Gentiles in the name of Jesus Christ. He has traveled from Jerusalem north to
Antioch, across the sea to Cyprus, north to Lystra and now over to what is
modern day Greece, the city of Philippi.
Last week, he and Barnabas were in
Lystra and were being worshipped as the Greek Gods, Zeus and Hermes. This time of misdirected praise for their
good news quickly went sour as Paul was stoned and left for dead. And now, in the city of Philippi, Paul’s
ability to bring about God’s healing leads to a brutal flogging and
imprisonment. He has reached his
elimination round.
On most reality tv game shows, there
is a process as to how people are
eliminated from the game. On the Amazing
Race, it is based on who comes in last.
On some of the other shows, like Survivor and the Biggest Loser, people
are voted off. On most of these shows,
once you are voted off that is it, you’re done.
But on the biggest looser, those voted off still have the opportunity to
win second place. Who ever can loose the
most weight off the ranch, at home, wins a large cash prize. A few seasons back, they really shook things
up and brought back the voted off contestants and let them try to gain a place
back on the show. Ali managed to get
back on and became the first woman to win the Biggest Looser. So what appears to be the end of the road
does not always end up that way.
So, here we have Paul, continuing to
bring the message of Jesus Christ to as many people as he can. Some major changes have happened since last
week. He and Barnabas are no longer a
team. They have had a falling out and
Paul has recruited a new team mate, Silas.
He also recruits a young man named Timothy. Timothy’s father is Greek, and as Paul
journeys into Greek territory, having someone with strong cultural understandings
is beneficial.
As they enter into Philippi, the
team has a successful encounter with a woman named Lydia and she and her
household became believers and were baptized. Now, just like last week, Paul
manages to heal someone. Last week it
was a man crippled since birth and the outcome was that people worshipped him
as the god Hermes. This week, as he
heals a slave-girl of her demon, he is arrested, flogged, and put into prison. Perhaps, in the eyes of Paul, the slave-girl
needed to be healed. But not in the eyes
of her owners. She was a source of
income, revenue, part of their lively hood that Paul had suddenly taken from
them. She was theirs, a slave, and Paul
had no right to alter her in any possible way.
She was property and Paul had ruined her and so he must pay the
price. There is no rejoicing that this
girl has been made whole. There are no
people coming to the faith and being baptized.
No conversions, no new disciples, no awe and wonderment that Paul was
able to heal this girl. Only anger and
violence.
And so Paul, Silas, and Timothy are
put into prison, into the inner most cell and their feet are put into
stocks. They are truly locked in. That is until around midnight, when through
the power of prayer and singing of hymns, the prison shakes as if there is an
earthquake and the prisoners are unbound and the doors are flung wide
open.
The most significant message of this
passage is about freedom versus bondage.
Those that appear to be free, such as the slave owner and the jailor
have structures of imprisoning them, structures they may not even be aware
of. The jailor is imprisoned by the code
of honor for his occupation. If he fails
at his job, if the prisoners escape, he is disgraced. So, instead of loosing honor, he is willing
to take his own life. Is that
freedom?
And then we have those that are imprisoned are made free,
unfortunately, the slave-girl has two forms of bondage. She is both mentally ill as well as being a
slave. Paul is able to free her of his
demon, but she remains a slave. While Paul
begins this passage as a free man, he is the imprisoned, through prayer, belief
and faith in God, the structures of imprisonment literally fall away and once
again he is free.
Instead of escaping, he witnesses to
the jailor, he reaches out to him and assures him that the prisoners are still
all there. This moment of personal
relationship, of being present to another, brings this jailor and his family
into the faith. We have various things
weaving together in this passage: A
dramatic healing only stirs up anger and violence, but compassion and outreach
brings wholeness. The earthquake and
shaking of the prison got the jailors attention, but still was not the miracle
needed to bring him to Christ.
It was Paul’s words, “do not harm
yourself” that slowed the man down, and gave him the opportunity to learn more
about the amazing work of God in the world.
And so the jailor, upon hearing the world of the Lord, brought Paul,
Silas, and Timothy to his home, washed their wounds, and had his entire family
baptized. For all the violence this
passage holds, there is such tenderness in its ending. Such compassion and hospitality and ministry
that is two-sided. Paul ministers to the
Jailor but the Jailor ministers to Paul as well. What a gift. And then, finally, there is
rejoicing. Rejoicing was missing from
the earlier healing, but now, as an entire family comes to know God through
Jesus Christ, as an entire family is baptized, as an entire family breaks bread
and practices hospitality, there is rejoicing.
Even in his possible elimination
round, Paul is able to continue to bring in believers for God. He does not allow prison to stop him. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, he is
able to allow God to work through him.
What man means for harm, God can use for good. God is always calling us to freedom. For Paul, bringing people to freedom meant
his own imprisonment, his own beatings and persecution, but he was willing to
suffer, to suffer for Christ who took his own cross for us.
We are called to look at our own
lives, at the things that may be in our own way keeping us from the freedom God
desires us to have. It could be so many
different things such as stress, or addictions, lies, or unhappiness, broken
relationships, or grief. I just attended
an anti=racism training event through the presbytery, and our deep cultural
structures, in this land of freedom, are still holding people back. I struggle with globalization, and how we
take advantage of low wage workers in other countries for the commodities we
desire.
We all have barriers keeping us from
wholeness, that is part of why we need the church, why we need a community to
nurture and support us on our own Amazing races. And why it needs to be a two-way street, where
we minister to each other. We are the
priesthood of all believers, and we should all be concerned about each other,
lifting each other up in prayer, getting to know each other more than just a
simple hello on Sunday mornings. Paul
and the Jailor broke bread together, the jailor brought him to his home and
washed his wounds, and Paul baptized his family. They may never see each other again. Paul is off and running, he has other places
to go and other people to share God’s good news with. But in their encounter God was present. Ministry occurred. A moment of wholeness was born.
Paul has been more than voted off
the island. Even after a public apology
from the magistrates, team Paul is still asked to leave the city. He has been eliminated, but will he be
successful as he continues on his own?
Come back next week as we see how Paul does as he continues on his
Amazing Race.
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