The Healing Jesus: An Advent Devotional to Encourage Anybody and EverybodySampel

AQUILA: THE ONE WHO OPENED HIS HOME

I'm Aquila, and I should let you know that I'm not great with words; that's my wife Priscilla's department. But I can tell you that nothing makes me happier than opening my home to others. I have done my duty if I can give you a warm fire, a full belly, and a soft pillow for your head. Priscilla shared that we are far from home here in Ephesus. But I wouldn't have had it any other way.

God's faithfulness has shown up in our lives time and time again. We have always been devout Jews, but everything changed for us when I welcomed Paul into my home and learned about the message of Jesus. Over the following decades, the church shifted from a primarily Jewish community in Jerusalem to an international moment stretching to the world's farthest corners.

Priscilla and I had followed the Jewish practices since we were children. We ate kosher food, endorsed circumcision, and honored the Sabbath. We wanted to be the chosen people that God called us to be in Exodus. Those practices made us different from others and kept us holy and pure. We were set apart. But Paul showed us that Jesus came for all men: Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, young and old, educated and uneducated.

We realized that trusting in God's Spirit leads us to share the good news in our words and actions. When we began serving meals to Gentiles, opening our homes to the rich and poor alike, and gathering to listen to both the young and old share their experiences of following Jesus, the idea of following Jesus changed for us.

It was no longer about getting everyone else to look more Jewish but about forming diverse communities where people were equals. That meant eating foods we had never eaten before. It meant letting go of our conviction that to follow Jesus, you had to be circumcised. Although the Sabbath would continue to be a habit, we didn't rebuke those who didn't practice it the way we always had. They had never done it before.

The paradox of Christianity is precisely what kept it alive. It was a Jewish Messianic movement with ethnically diverse people eager to share and support one another. When we all give allegiance to Jesus, lives are changed.

Jesus is healing through open doors and homes.

Questions for Talk it Over:

1. What were the Jews saying the Gentiles had to do to become Christians?

2. How have you opened your home this past year? Does that come easy?

3. How have you experienced Jesus through the hospitality of others?