Of Sow’s Ears and Silk Purses

Read Acts 8:1–8

Now those who were scattered went from place to place proclaiming the word (v. 4).

The overarching theme of the book of Acts can be found in its last word. In the original Greek of Acts 28:31 the last word is akolutos, and it is most often translated as “unhindered” or something similar. Verse 31 in the NRSV describes Paul’s activity in Rome in this way: he was “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” The whole narrative of Acts depicts the advance of the unhindered gospel. It describes the way the Holy Spirit constantly overcame barriers to the gospel’s advance until it reached the center of power and civilization, the Eternal City of Rome. But geographical advance is only part of the story; Acts is also about how the gospel overcame the barriers of prejudice and ethnocentrism to move from the insular Jewish world to the broader world of the Gentiles.

Chapter 8 of Acts shows this boundary-crossing activity in the ministry of Philip, one of the Hellenistic (Greek-speaking) Jews ordained as “deacons” back in chapter 6 and given the responsibility of seeing that the widows among the Hellenists received their fair share of the community’s resources. This in itself marked an advance of the gospel over the subtle prejudice the Hebraic Jews felt toward their Hellenistic counterparts, which was manifested in their neglect of the Greek-speaking widows. Philip was one of seven deacons put in charge of this initiative of inclusion.

Another of the deacons, Stephen, got a name for himself by doing “great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8) and soon attracted the attention of the Sanhedrin, which brought him up for questioning on spurious charges of blasphemy. Stephen remained stalwart in his testimony about Jesus, and the council sentenced him to be stoned to death. Luke tells us that on the day of Stephen’s death “a severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria” (v. 1). As William Bendix or Daffy Duck might have said, “What a revoltin’ development this is!”

Or was it? Sure, nobody likes or wishes for persecution, but when it comes, it certainly is nice to know that “in all things God works for the good of those who love [God], who have been called according to [God’s] purpose” (Rom 8:28, NIV). The Holy Spirit was at work in the midst of the persecution. When the followers of Jesus were scattered beyond the vicinity of Jerusalem, it only widened the reach of the gospel. Now the people of the Judean countryside and Samaria could hear the good news about Jesus as well. Philip was particularly effective in his proclamation: “The crowds with one accord listened eagerly to what was said by Philip, hearing and seeing the signs that he did” (v. 6). The devastating circumstance of religious persecution was transformed by the Spirit into new inroads for the gospel. The result? “So there was great joy in that city” (v. 8).

God is still at work in our day, making something good out of the difficult circumstances we face. We just have to be open to the movement of the Spirit in our lives; we must not let setbacks overwhelm us, but rather we ought to look for the silver lining in the clouds that obscure the sun from time to time. In what ways can we glorify God even in the midst of down times? In what ways can we cooperate with God as God converts the sow’s ear of our circumstances into a silk purse of divine purpose? How can we play a role in God’s work of turning our trash into God’s treasure? What can we do in our personal lives and in our life together as a congregation to open ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit? If we do these things, don’t be surprised if the results are revitalization, renewal, and great joy.

Grace and peace,
bob