Summary: The book of Acts tells a story about two traveling evangelists, Paul and Silas, as they encounter severe resistance in Philippi, a Roman colony. After the pair are dubiously accused, savagely beaten, and shamefully incarcerated, an earthquake miraculously frees them from their chains and cells. What might look like a story of supernaturally aided escape is really a story about vindication, a means of God exposing the futility of Roman attempts to obstruct the preaching of the gospel. The whole scene has a burlesque quality to it, for its aim is to expose the powerlessness and peevishness of an imperial culture that sets itself up to resist God’s presence, with violence if necessary. The passage speaks about more than ancient Roman realities, however, for its portrait of imperial abuses looks uncomfortably similar to the ways in which modern societies protect their interests and prerogatives. In the end, the story suggests that God offers a different reality, one beyond our ways of suppressing outsiders and clinging desperately onto our attempts at self-preservation.
Read the full article, which is part of the ON Scripture–The Bible project, on The Huffington Post, Day1, and Patheos.
Psalm 126: Dreams of Restoration, in Every Sense
Summary: Psalm 126 originally spoke of the cultural and geographical restoration experienced (or expected) by those who had returned home from a prolonged exile. It delights the senses with its images of refreshment and sustenance. It reminds us that dreaming can offer a way into knowing who we are, why we suffer, and what we want for our future. The short and colorful psalm gives us language to use when imagining the kinds of restoration we long for as we move forward in the confidence that God is committed to our well-being and in the hope that the future must be greater and more just than the past.
I wrote this article for PsalmSeason, a project led by Hebrew College’s Miller Center for Interreligious Learning and Leadership and Interfaith Youth Core. PsalmSeason is an 18-week exploration of 18 Psalms conducted by a diverse and multifaith group of religious leaders, cultural critics, musicians, poets, artists, and activists. Read the full article at PsalmSeason.
Bible commentary: general audience
covid-19 dreams exile future harvest psalms restoration water