Observation: After Stephen is stoned to death in Jerusalem for proclaiming Jesus, the community of believers faces even more persecution, and so they scatter all over the known world. They resolve to only speak the message of Jesus to their fellow Jews. Yet some in the areas where they are relocated take that message and share it with "Hellenists" (either Jews who spoke Greek and observed Greek customs, or simply Greeks--the text is unclear). If the community of Jesus had remained in Jerusalem, it may only have lasted for a generation or two, a fringe group of Jews with an interesting backstory. But because of this scattering and persecution, the Church is able to grow in leaps and bounds, taking root in places where the original apostles may have had no inclination to go otherwise.
Application: I dabbled in gardening for a few summers after moving to Baltimore. I'd like to get into it again whenever/wherever we get settled. My initial approach was that when it came to planting seeds, "more was better." Sure, the packets said you should plant them a few inches apart, but there were so darn many of them in there, and who knows how many would really get going, so why not two or three seeds in each indentation, and a little closer than it says?
The result, of course, was a mess. Tiny little spinach plants, fighting their sisters and brothers for the same water and sunshine. A tangled jungle of tomato plants, all leaves and virtually no fruit. I didn't trust the instructions--or the life inside the seeds--enough to really scatter the seeds properly.
The life of disciples is the same way. Of course, when you have a group of people with certain gifts and interests, whether it's a small group of friends or a cozy little congregation, your instinct is to want to stay together and enjoy each other's company. But becoming too insular can stunt your spiritual growth. In order to really grow spiritually, and to better share the wonderful riches of God's grace, we need to scatter. We need to spend time in groups that don't agree on everything. We need to talk theology with people of other faiths, and even with people of no faith. We need to cultivate friendships with folks on the other side of issues we care about, not for the purpose of winning them over, but for the purpose of deepening our own understanding and appreciating their gifts and perspectives. Disciples of Christ do not default to the safest and most homogenous space, where our beliefs and views will not be questioned. We head out for the frontiers, to see what God is up to in other corners of the creation. That's where we can grow.
Being scattered does not mean abandoning our commitments and beliefs. It doesn't mean setting aside our belief in Christ as Savior of the world. It doesn't mean acting as though selfishness, greed, racism and violence are equally valid approaches to the love and equality we find in God's kingdom. Quite the opposite, in fact: if we truly believe the love and trust Jesus taught us is stronger than death and destruction, then why on earth would we shield it from the real world, and hide it away? It is precisely because we hold strongly to our belief in Christ that we should allow ourselves to be scattered a little more thinly on the ground, where the leaves of our faith can spread to their fullest, and we can truly bear fruit.
Prayer: As the grains of wheat once scattered on a hill were gathered into one to become our bread, so may all your people from all the ends of the earth, be gathered into one in you. Amen.
(Prayer text: Marty Haugen, based on the Didache)
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