May 30 2013
When Jesus Answered Africa
An imaginative but possible rendering of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26-40
The Ethiopian man left Jerusalem with mixed feelings. It had been great to see the holy city and he was thankful he could purchase a scroll of Isaiah. But he had not been able to achieve his main objectives. He wanted to be baptized as a Jew and worship at the temple with all the others. “Sorry sir, we don’t baptize eunuchs” said the priest “It’s in our Law; you can read it for yourself” (Dt 23:1). The priest’s verdict read like a sentence of death. The castrated man had missed out on marriage, on children, and had suffered the stigma that came with emasculation most of his life, and here was one more thing for him to add to his rejection list. It was all becoming a bit much.
He was really looking forward to seeing the temple of Yahweh, but he wasn’t allowed to go through the courtyard gate. He only managed to get a narrow glimpse of the sacred door when the gate was opened momentarily to allow all the ‘real’ Jews in.
Now the long journey back to Africa had begun, More
Aug 29 2014
Only in a Prophet’s Own Home
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law – a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household” (Mt 13:34-36).
Shocking words from Jesus, but what he said is true. The gospel divides families – one brother can embrace it while another one rejects it. And Jesus experienced this in his own home. More