Ordinary Time Week 7

Ordinary Time Week 7

Psalm: Psalm 30 or Psalm 66:1-9

Old Testament: 2 Kings 5:1-14

 or Isaiah 66:10-14

Gospel: Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Epistle: Galatians 6:1-6, 7-16

I want to do something a little different this week from my normal post. As I was reading Gal. 6 I stopped short at the words in verse 17, "From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus." The "brand-marks" of Jesus Paul wrote. I don't think I have ever heard this passage preached on, nor do I recall ever reading it, although of course I have. The word for "brand-marks" in Greek is stigmata: a word that I always thought referred to the phenomenon of having Jesus' five wounds appear on a believer. In the Middle Ages, and even today, experiencing "Stigmata" is seen by some to be a sign of blessing from God on a prophet.

But removing ourselves from that, I believe misguided phenomenon, what was Paul referring to? And how does that relate to us? First stigmata in the Greco-Roman world had a few meanings. The most common one referred to the marks slaves received to identify their master. According to one source this was not just for any slave, but rather one who had committed a crime or tried to escape. It was also used for military deserters. Thus, rather than a mark of status, it was a mark of social shame. (New Beacon Bible Commentary, Galatians, pg. 398) Stigmata also referred to tattoos given to religious proselytes as signs of devotion honoring their deities.

The term in the ancient world referred to a physical mark--a tattoo. And Paul also meant a physical mark. He had literally been marked in the cause of Christ: shipwrecked, beaten, jailed, stoned, etc. There can be no doubt that he was bruised and permanently scarred in the service of Christ.

Christians today, particularly of a certain demographic, like to get religious tattoos to "mark" themselves for Christ. I have nothing against this, but it is a far cry from the marks to which Paul was referring. It reminds me how soon after persecution ended for Christians in the Roman world, desert monasticism rose in popularity. In place of actual hardship and death arose an enforced personal asceticism as a way to prove devotion. Again nothing against monasticism, but the historical connection is interesting.

So here is the different part for the week. Rather than reading any more of my words, check out The Voice of the Martyr’s website (http://www.persecution.com) or another source as a reminder that there are Christians even today who are experiencing much of what Paul was experiencing. They don't need tattoos or to remove themselves from society to prove they belong to Christ. Their daily existence is an act of devotion and hardship. As we learn about this let us also pray for our fellow believers and seek other ways to support them.

Grace and peace.