(part 2)
We are
considering the elements of Paul’s greetings, focusing attention on 2Corinthians 1:1-2. Last time we introduced the fact that Paul was a man of
three worlds and we only looked at the first, exploring Paul the Jew. Let’s
look into the second and third worlds now and consider Paul the Greek and
Paul the Roman.
We read
in Acts 9:10-16 that God
sent Ananias to help Paul after Paul’s conversion and God tells Ananias that
Paul is God’s chosen instrument to carry the gospel to the Gentiles. When in
Antioch of Pisidia, after Paul preaches his first sermon, we find that the Jews
rejected the gospel, but Paul reiterated God’s call: (Acts 13:47) “For so
the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, that you
should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’” Paul quotes the Old
Testament passage of Isaiah 49:6, which show that the nations have always been
on God’s heart. Paul understood the Jewish roots of the Great Commission! Was
it an accident that Acts 18:6 records Paul standing in the synagogue in Corinth
(of all places), saying “I will go to the Gentiles.” How was he
qualified to do this, beyond God’s call? We ask because most of 2 Corinthians
is Paul’s defense of his qualifications.
Paul was
a citizen of Tarsus, a Greek city of historical drama established around 860
B.C. when Shalmanezer of Assyria listed it in his directory of conquests.
Alexander the Great nearly died here and Mark Antony prepared for war in
Tarsus. This was a commercial city, the crossroads of trade into Asia Minor,
known (among other things) for it’s production of goat-hair felt, out of
which people made tents, blankets, clothes, etc. (interesting that Paul was a
tent-maker). Tarsus was also a university town, with an enthusiasm for learning
that rivaled Athens and Alexandria. Commentator William Barclay noted “it
was a city so cosmopolitan that none could walk the streets without coming into
contact with the ends of the earth . . . If a man was destined to be a
missionary to the world at large, there was no better place in all the east for
him to grow to manhood than in Tarsus.”
But
that’s not all! Paul was also a man of a third world: Paul was Roman. The more
we read about Paul in the book of Acts, we find that Paul was a proud citizen
of the Roman empire and never hesitated to appeal to his Roman citizenship or
government. Now, there are different kinds of Roman citizenship: one could
purchase citizenship to gain trade rights; one could be granted citizenship
(such as military draft during times of crises); one could have “captured”
citizenship (via conquest by the Empire); or, one could be born a citizen, and
this was Paul’s case.
When we
wrap up the three worlds of Paul, we have a Jewish man who grew up in a Roman
neighborhood under Greek influence. In order for the gospel to go into ALL the
world, God needed a unique person, and Paul was that person.
Who are
you? What does your human portrait reveal? Does your life seem like a bunch of
loose ends? Think for a moment about where you’ve come from, your experience
and current activities. Is it difficult to tell who you are becoming? “I dunno,
I feel lack of direction.”
Your background exposes opportunities for faithfulness in what He
is doing, not failure-ness. No two churches are alike--you have a unique place,
role in your local body of believers in fellowship. God is not too busy to be
bothered by details of your life.
