The chairperson of the church, Floradale Mennonite, that I just left after 25 years, inspired the church to read through the Bible this year. We were supposed to read some Old Testament and some New Testament each week. The Old Testament is hard to read for me. The New Testament is easier to read, and has much about Jesus of Nazareth, my Saviour and Lord. The four biographical sketches of Jesus are found in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Following these books/pamphlets is the history book of the early church, called Acts of the Apostles.
In chapter 21 and 22, there is an interesting conversation around language. Paul is being accused of being a terrorist from Egypt. One of the guards of the Empire is about to arrest him. He asks him if he speaks Greek. Paul does speak Greek, and possibly Latin as well. He was a Roman citizen. Paul then begins to speak to the crowd in Aramaic, a local dialect of his home area. It is connected to Hebrew, the religious language of Paul, and of Jesus too. Paul tells his Damascus Road conversion story. He tells about being hit by a flash of light, being knocked off of his horse, and being struck blind. He is telling the story to invite others into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
So, who is listening ? What do they hear ? And in what language are they translating it into on that day ? This story from the book of Acts has gone through hundreds of translations and cultural shifts since it was first told. What do I hear in Paul’s telling of his faith story ?
We had some people from the Netherlands visit with us this week. We spoke English with them, so they are hearing us in a second language. Our daughter Hannah is at home for a month. She lives in Colombia, and speaks Spanish. We are hosting a young woman from Uruguay for six weeks. She speaks Spanish and German, and some English. So, when we sat down for supper, what were we all hearing as we shared of our lives ? We laughed a lot.
It is a great gift to communicate. But, it is complex and hard. How does the Gospel speak to this kind of language differences in our world today ? What is the Gospel speaking to us now ? Discuss.
Fred Redekop
Ponder Anew 