The Village Project

  Chapter 1 The book of Ruth is a story. It begins like a story. Once upon a time, when the judges ruled, there was a famine . This sentence tells us a few things: 1) it is a story of things that happened long ago, 2) the historical setting is the time of the Judges, and 3) the event that instigated everything was a famine. Because of the opening sentence, the Christian Bible places Ruth immediately after the book of Judges – for the sake of chronology. Placed here it makes a jarring contrast. The book of Judges spans a period in Israel’s history of constant warfare and unrest among the tribes of Israel. A frequent refrain in Judges is “The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” The opening sentence of Ruth, then, reminds us of the overwhelming cruelty going on in the background. But the story of Ruth is not a national story or a cultural commentary – it is a small and intimate tale of a family. What is in a name? In this story, a lot. The author of R...

  Chapters 27 & 28 The last two chapters of the Acts of the Apostles are jam-packed with exciting events, as Paul sets out on his final journey to Rome. I don’t know if Luke was feeling like he had shortchanged Theophilus, his intended reader, and decided to throw in a thrilling adventure at sea? Or if he had a point to drive home about Paul and the gospel. I’m leaning toward the latter. Sea journeys are never without risk, and this one is no exception. Because of the winds, the early part of the journey was slow. By the time they got out on the open sea, it was late in the year – a dangerous time for sailing. Paul was exceptionally prophet-like on this journey. He warned the crew of the danger; he offered them advice and encouragement to get them through safely. They shipwrecked and ended up on the island of Malta, where they were treated well. They spent the winter months there and set off on another ship in early spring. When they arrived finally in Rome, Paul was gr...

Chapter 26 The scene from the previous chapter of Paul’s trial continues. At the governor’s suggestion, King Agrippa hears Paul’s defense, to possibly help the governor make a decision regarding any charges that might be brought against Paul. So, once again, Paul gives a speech. Paul begins with the customary gestures (stretching out his hand) and the customary compliments to his audience. His speech combines some themes from his earlier speeches, but with substantial changes. Take a look again at Paul’s speech in Chapter 22, where he is making his case to the Jews. He addresses his audience as “Brothers and Fathers,” to make clear that he is one of them. Above all, Paul wants to convey the message that he is nothing other than a loyal and faithful Jew. But in this chapter, the tone is different. Paul is speaking to the Roman authorities, and he is clearly working to put some distance between himself and the Jews. He says to Agrippa, in essence, “You and I both know, don’t we, ...

  Chapter 25 As we left Chapter 24, the governor Felix was leaving office, replaced by Festus. Paul was still in a jail cell in Caesarea, held without charges. When Festus takes office, he goes to Jerusalem to see the Jewish authorities. It is immediately apparent that they have not forgotten about Paul. They appeal to Festus to have Paul brought to Jerusalem for trial. There are power plays at work between the governor and the Jewish authorities. They both have responsibilities to the empire for keeping peace in the region. It is essential that they work together, but they sometimes have different interests. The narrator tells us, in an aside, one of the Jewish authorities interests is to have Paul killed. Festus responds to them by asserting his own authority: Paul will remain in Caesarea. If the Jews have accusations to make, they are welcome to make them there. Still, when Festus brings Paul to trial, he suggests doing what the Jewish authorities wanted – sending him to J...

  Chapter 24 The drama has shifted from Jerusalem to Caesarea, the location of Herod’s seaside home. Here we are introduced to the governor, Felix, and an attorney, Tertullus. Tertullus is arguing the case on behalf of the high priest, Ananias. He presents the case against Paul in an abbreviated form. After the requisite flattery toward Governor Felix, Tertullus calls Paul a pestilent agitator with a tendency to start rebellions and profane the temple. All in two sentences. Of course, we have borne witness to all the events that took place in Jerusalem. We recognize that the charge of profaning the temple is false. Paul did not bring gentiles in, as he was accused. And we notice that Tertullus neglects to mention that many others were responsible for starting a riot that ended up leading to Paul’s arrest. The tribune arrested him to remove him from harm’s way. Tertullus does as any smart lawyer would do, he fashions a case that will portray the facts in a way that will best...

  Chapter 23 The saga in Jerusalem continues into a third chapter. At the end of Chapter 22, the tribune has just learned that Paul is a Roman citizen and has taken him to the Jewish council (Sanhedrin) to be further examined. Paul begins to speak and immediately offends the high priest, Ananias. It’s hard to know just what about his words were offensive; perhaps he seemed arrogant and Ananias wanted to put him in his place. It didn’t work, though. Paul responded sarcastically, “I did not realize … that he was high priest,” indicating clearly that he did not find Ananias worthy of his position. In the next moments Paul sizes up the crowd and takes in the fact that there are some Sadducees and some Pharisees. He then introduces himself as a Pharisee, as a son of Pharisees, and declares that the matter he is being tried for is the hope of the resurrection of the dead. I will take a moment here and share that it seems odd for Paul to be telling his inquisitors what the charges...

  Chapter 22 Chapter 21 left us on the edge of a cliff. Paul was, once again, in grave danger and he was given a chance to rescue himself with his words. He is on the verge of speech, with a hushed crowd who will, apparently, give him one chance to convince them he should not be killed. Chapter 22 is, for the most part, his effort to do just that. Paul begins, in Hebrew: “Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense that I now make before you.” From the start Paul wants them to see him as a brother, a fellow Israelite. He makes his case by first telling them who he is – a Jew, from Tarsus, raised at the feet of a respected Pharisee, Gamaliel. He tells them about his zeal for God. In these first verses of his speech Paul is saying to his listeners: I am one of you. Then he begins to tell them about his particular experience on his way to Damascus. Here he retells the story that we first heard in Chapter 9 – but don’t skim over it, because Paul has his own way of telling the s...

  Chapter 21 In this chapter we follow Paul back to Jerusalem. It is a journey the reader might have some anxiety about, as danger is repeatedly foreshadowed. In fact, it grows to resemble, more and more, Jesus’ own journey toward Jerusalem and death. In his farewell speech to the Ephesian elders in Chapter 20, Paul stated that he would not see them again. It was not just a hunch or a bad feeling about things; he spoke with certainty. Paul said, “I know that none of you … will ever see my face again” (20:25). He described himself in v. 22 as a “captive to the Spirit,” sent to Jerusalem, knowing that imprisonment and persecution awaited him there. This knowledge did not derive from human sources; it was from the Spirit. Paul embarked on his journey, toward Jerusalem, making several stops along the way, finding hospitality from the Christians in every location. And they were clearly concerned about Paul’s journey. In Tyre, where he stayed seven days, the disciples there told hi...