We can get our fairytales and our Bible confused sometimes.

In fairytales (at least the Disney versions), there is a problem a hero is trying to solve, some trouble they get into, and then a triumphant return to win. Good wins over evil, the world is changed, and everyone lives happily ever after.

Sometimes the Easter story can feel like a fairytale: Jesus is wrongfully arrested and murdered, only to rise again after defeating sin and death and extending eternal life and grace to us all. And we all lived happily ever after, right?

Even though we all know that we aren’t perfect, we can see as early as Acts that the broken systems that led people to kill Jesus are still at work. Paul encountered the same struggle, where people wanted to hold onto power instead of focusing on the love and acceptance of others. While Paul was definitely not Jesus, it was notable that despite Jesus rising from the dead, the power structures anchored in exclusivism and exploitation, where people used religion to make themselves strong, still ruled the day.

While Paul was teaching others that Jesus’ death and resurrection meant fulfillment of the old covenant and opened up the grace and love of God to Gentile believers, this made Paul a target, and our passage for today shows Paul getting arrested.

When we encounter transformation in our own lives, it’s easy to be discouraged when the world around us seems the same. It even threatens to challenge our experiences, as we question whether or not we were fooled into thinking we could change in the first place.

But take heart! Even as Paul faced more challenges while arrested, it’s clear that God was using Paul and his various gifts to talk about the gifts of God’s love to those who might not have encountered it otherwise. Paul’s status as a Roman citizen, his language abilities, as well as his knowledge of Jewish law, were all over these passages to do what only he could to bring God’s kingdom to the world.

We might not live in a fairytale, but Jesus has ensured that we indeed get to look forward to a happy ending.

Reflection:

  • Where might God be encouraging you to use your individual gifts to be God’s hands and feet in the world?
  • Do you think of your skills this way?
  • This week, what is one way you could use what God has given you to bless others?