Jump Start # 3898
Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
I was reading a paper the other day about what happened to the apostles. We know about Judas and James. The N.T. tells of their deaths. But what about the others? Speculation, rumors, legends and oral traditions passed down through the centuries is what we have. And, all together, that isn’t much.
There is a legend that when the apostle Paul was beheaded in Italy, his head bounced three times. And, each time his head bounced, a fountain miraculously sprang up. Today, there is a church of St. Paul of Three Fountains marking the supposed spot of Paul’s death.
We probably shouldn’t laugh, but the thought of a bouncing head is funny. And, as it hit the ground a fountain sprang up. Did that fountain propel the head higher in the sky? There would be some who would say, “It could have happened.” But, when we hear things like that, one must not close our eyes to everything the Bible teaches us.
The nature and purpose of miracles was to prove Jesus was the Christ, the chosen of God. A bouncing head that produces fountains puts more of the emphasis upon Paul than it would Jesus. And, naming a building after Paul is not something that the humble apostle would be in favor of. He would want all attention to be focused upon the Lord. It was Paul who described himself as a servant. We might today use the terminology of a tool, like a shovel. A shovel that sits in your garage doesn’t do anything. But put it in your hands and you can dig a hole, plant flowers, move a small tree, or remove snow in the winter. You did the work. The shovel was the instrument that you used. That’s how Paul saw himself. He was thankful to be used by the Lord.
Now some lessons for us:
First, we must believe, teach and preach what the Scriptures show us. Chasing after legends, ideas and the thoughts of others, while it may seem fascinating and exciting, like a bouncing head, what is of God, is what is revealed to us in His word. Stick to what you know. Stay with what the Lord has said. We get ourselves into wiggly places when we begin guessing, assuming and making up things. There are many, many secret things. What God has revealed is what we need. What God has revealed is what will get us to Heaven. Leave the unknown, unknown.
Second, there is always an appeal to sensationalism. That’s the way TV shows are constructed. Cliff hangers that stop for a commercial so you have to hang on to find the outcome. Some shows could be finished in ten minutes but they are not. After repeating themselves, adding a bunch of unnecessary drama, throwing in several commercials, you finally get to the outcome in the final few minutes of the show. That makes for good TV. But the Scriptures are not written that way. The appeal is not to your emotions but to you mind and your intellect. Simple statements, such as Jesus was scourged, leave out all the drama and the gory details that would feed our emotions. And, in teaching and preaching, we need to present the Bible as it is and not add our own drama and sensationalism, hoping to stir an audience.
Third, our faith is built upon what the Bible says and not what we want it to say nor how we feel about things. Paul’s bouncing head may create all kinds of thoughts and emotions, but it doesn’t help with our salvation. It doesn’t build our faith. Whether his head was chopped off or not, and whether if just fell to the ground or went bouncing down the road, doesn’t strength our faith in Jesus Christ. It is the word of God that our hope and faith is wrapped around. It is in the word of God that we find the precious promises of God. It is in the word of God that we are warned and comforted by the Lord.
I had some guys working on my roof the other day. The only way I could get into my house was to walk under one of their ladders. Now, superstition tells you that doing such things brings bad luck. The only bad luck would be if the ladder fell on me. What we’ve heard and what we always held to be true must be checked by the word of God.
More incredible than Paul’s bouncing head, is the life he chose to live in Jesus Christ. He suffered, he endured, he continued on with an incredible faith in the Lord. That’s what ought to impress us. Beaten, struck down, chased, he never gave up. He never compromised. He never caved in. Rocks were thrown at him. Prison doors were shut around him. Fingers were pointed at him. He was accused. He was accosted. He traveled while hungry and thirsty. He was poorly clothed. He was homeless. But none of those things stopped him. When he didn’t have a congregation to preach to, prison guards became his audience. The Gospel of Christ was his life. To his dying breath, he believed in the risen Savior. It is that faithfulness, dedication and commitment that ought to fascinate us, encourage us and capture our attention.
Legends are left for the curious. It is the truth that the faithful is drawn to.
Roger