Identity

SCRIPTURE: Acts 17:4-5 NIV Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women. But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city.

THOUGHT: Jealousy is a powerful emotion, especially when ideologies are threatened. If we could put ourselves into today’s text, we would hear the gospel from one of two angles: 1) our identity as ‘sinful’ has been taken care of once and for all – no need for more sacrifices, no need for more laws – there is freedom, joy, and peace with God, or 2) the rituals and traditions we’ve come to revere and trust in are being shaken; our power and self-righteous perfectionism, our identity as ‘good’, is being threatened. As you hear the good news, the question becomes do you identify as sinful or good?

When people admit themselves sinful and find the freedom Jesus’ death and resurrection offers, there will always be those who are offended; jealous, on the one hand of something they don’t believe they (or others) can or should ever have, angry on the other as shouts of freedom echo off the walls of their unbelieving hearts.

PRAYER: Simon-Peter once had a moment of recognition about his identity, falling before you and begging, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” (Lk 5:8) But Jesus, you didn’t go away! The people who don’t come are the ones who believe they are already good, working their way toward God by their own efforts at perfection, believe they are little gods already, or those who don’t believe in you, content with gods of wood, stone, and metal – with hearts as hard as their gods, unwilling to identify with that harsh word, ‘sinful.’