The Contribution of Nicola'us the Greek

Acts 6:1-7

1   Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists murmured against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.

2   And the twelve summoned the body of the disciples and said, "It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.

3   Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty.

4   But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."

5   And what they said pleased the whole multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Proch'orus, and Nica'nor, and Ti'mon, and Par'menas, and Nicola'us, a proselyte of Antioch.

6   These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands upon them.

7   And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.

He was there. Not that Nicola'us said much, or rather said much that could be recorded. But he was quietly glad of that even as he was satisfied about the recognition and, at last, he was clear about the work he had to do. At least for the moment. But he didn't like anyone looking too closely at him. That was a distraction. There was work to do and he just wanted to get on with it. Just like the other fellows were doing.

There had been all that argument about who was to get what. The twelve had given their approval and the 7 of them, the deacons as some called them, were to get to work immediately. It would spread the load and help the 12 keep to their own teaching and preaching work … or so it seemed.

Unintended consequences. Irony. That's what it was. The Greek-speaking widows had been cut out of their share in the moneys collected to help widows in these hard times. Synagogue collections had come in from all over. Not much mind you but enough to get started with helping the many in need and what had resulted?

Here they were - followers of the Messiah; waiting for Him to return and some were saying that it was a special privilege for the Greek widows to experience the hard times, the scarcity of food, as a fast. And so they had almost been in the midst of their own special Jesus-followers riot!

What trouble! What crazy nonsense. That was until the twelve had intervened. How was anyone expected to believe the message they taught about Jesus if all the followers and converts were going to make that kind of distinction among them? It had almost started their own inter-tribal war. Except, of course, they were no longer tribes.

"Funny that", Nicola'us mused, "we don't really know what we are, except I suppose a gathering of His."

So the apostles had put an end to the rancour. The brawling which had threatened over who got what out of their own poor-box was sorted. And now Nicola'us - who was well and truly a convert, of Greek parents - had put his hand up because he thought with his background it might help show that this thing was bigger than just one or two groups but that all kinds of people - people like him - had been drawn by the message about Jesus.

So he had his work cut out for him. He was now to see that whatever funds and food they had it was to be spread around fairly. So, as one of the seven, he was uncertain but happy to have something practical to do to advance the cause. If you sat around all day listening to the apostles, then maybe they would get funny ideas into their heads that you were a Rabbi in the making.

"No thanks. That's not me." Nicola'us was relieved. "I'm happy to give the books out. I'll read along and even read when it is my turn to do so. But that's the limit. I'll arrange the mats and the pillows, the chairs and the tables. But I'm no would-be Rabbi, no teacher. Besides …. I don't have Jewish parents …. I better not say that because that's irrelevant… but anyway I'm not a teacher."

Nicola'us was quite capable of developing an extended argument with himself. He shuddered. He was happy with his helping others work. It was difficult being a Gentile convert. Everyone seemed to get exercise by jumping to conclusions at his expense. He thought a lot. He asked himself a lot of questions - he debated - in his head - but he didn't dare ask any of his strange questions out loud. Everyone would get the wrong idea if he did … if he could …. He didn't want anyone thinking he knew more than he did or meant something he didn't.

Actually he didn't mind some teachers. It was just those teachers who thought he had to be teacher one day. They scared him. They were not nice people. Not like James. James told him his story, early on when he had first heard the story about how James' brother had been crucified and … James admitted to him that he had had a big personal problem. And it took years for him to come to terms with it.

"I don't know what I would do if Jesus was my brother" Nicola'us thought to himself. He began thanking God that he wasn't a Jew; and then he wondered if that was the right sort of prayer he should be praying. If he had been a Jew, knowing his luck, he would probably have been one of Jesus brothers or at least one of his cousins. Just like James and look at the personal problems that James had to deal with?

"No, for me," he thought "it's as well that I am who I am and a gentile convert. After all God is God of the Gentiles too. Leave all that stuff in the too hard basket and let Him take care of it."

Nicola'us found himself often thinking like this. But if, in the middle of such a train of thought he was asked to say what was on his mind he would say something like:

"I like listening to James, Jesus' brother. He's cool."

If the person asked him why, he could say, "Just because …" and "I like listening to him. Don't you like listening to some teachers?" and leave it at that. Nicola'us was learning how to answer inquisitive Jewish questions, but usually they were sympathetic and tried to understand him.

James had said some things that hit Nic right between the eyes, like

"Don't kid yourself boy-o. What you have is what you've been given. Since God has given it to you, your first task is to be thankful."

Now that was helpful. Nic was happy to hear things like this. He could grasp that kind of comment. It was short and sweet and it meant that his own desire to help solve the food distribution problem had not just come out of thin air, it hadn't come from nowhere.

Indeed, when he listened to James, Nicola'us could say that his desire to help had come from God. This was his gift, the gift he was going to give back to God … the way James had said it meant he could take it on board and then put it to work, to use it. He didn't have to sit and wonder all day if it was really God's; for James it seemed the way we had to prove whether the gift was from God or not was whether we were prepared to actively give it back, to pass it on, to let God's gift grow. Well that was something he could understand and so he would set to work.

Being one of the seven Nicola'us was glad to be part of a special group. He felt that he understood not only the message, not only the work but also himself and the other fellows. Not that they were all peas in a pod. Take Stephen for example. Look at his gift. God had obviously given him the gift of wonderful story telling. Amazing. And it was great to listen to him as they worked together and distributed the food and found new people to help and assist as the food and money kept coming in as more and more people joined the movement.

But working with Stephen was so good. Listening to him Nic knew he had work to do and that he could wait patiently while God got busy changing things for what he wanted done. "OK" thought "Nic, mind racing "if God wants it done and wants me doing it, something, then part of Him getting things set up is Him preparing me to do when he does. But until then I'm just a worker among the widows' distribution service and a story listener." James had also said something like that, didn't he?

Not everyone should be allowed to become a teacher!

Great. James was one of the teachers that Nicola'us respected. That was part of the thing which had attracted him in the first place; not like those other Teaching Jews, the Pharisees, they made him shiver. They taught as if everyone was going to become Rabbi. Who wants to be part of the Kingdom of Heaven if it's all a bog school? Sure the school of life, I can handle that. But everyone as a school-teacher … I don't think so and certainly not for me. What the Pharisees taught bounced off Nicola'us and anyway they weren't that keen on him anyway because he was not a true-blood or the son of a true-blood. They never hit home. But James! That was teaching he could listen to.

James didn't make him scared. He didn't feel as if he was under judgment when he heard James. And James was Jesus' brother. And James had told him that he had to stop trying to teach as if he was Jesus. He said it had taken him a long time to learn how to teach as James. He said that Jesus had insisted upon that. No faking. But he had learned, Thank heaven for James. And thank Jesus for Stephen's great stories as they cleaned up after those weekly widows' dinners.

And so that was what was in Nic's mind as he with the others got on with their work. And as they did what they were asked, quietly and methodically, patiently and faithfully, the numbers began to grow. And new opportunities developed. New converts were being won over day after day. Nic was in demand. Since he was the first they brought new Gentile converts to him and expected him to show them around.

Stephen and Nicola'us

The group of 7 had its own special way of working. They did their work well. And it meant that the apostles' teaching took root in a wider and wider circle.

Stephen was especially excited. He began to understand in new ways. He may have been set aside to help with the poor relief, but as he, and the others, did the work his own understanding grew, and his ability to tell the whole biblical story burst into flower like a magnificent garden. It was an amazing time. It was as if the gospel message was growing of its own accord. The 12 became aware that Stephen had a special gift. And he was able to help Jewish followers of Jesus, just as much as he was able to encourage sad widows and gentiles who had no synagogue background at all. But because he began to see God's work in new ways he became a kind of new Rabbi.

The seven would meet together a couple of times a week to review their work and discuss their plans. And as they did it was Stephen who developed his story-telling from the earliest stories of Abraham and Moses, and Philip was enthused by the teaching of the prophets. The group of 7 was not just waiting on tables for widows. It was not just making sure that the poor-relief was distributed so that all had enough. The group of 7 had become another source for preaching the gospel.

But trouble was ahead. Nicola'us knew enough to realise that. He became very worried, although he didn't know what it was that made him fearful. He loved hearing Stephen's latest version of the story. He began to see how God kept moving and that it was not the task of the followers of Jesus to find a safe place to stay still. Yes. They were the group of 7 and they had a special task but even of that seven God was giving new gifts and giving them new opportunities. They were working hard to serve the widows and as they did God helped them develop special gifts which spread the message far and wide. The numbers kept growing.

Things were on the move. Like Abraham. "Keep going" God had said. And now Stephen and Philip were no longer just in charge of poor relief; they were that but things were sprouting up. They were becoming gentile Rabbis with special story-telling gifts.

The group were believers from all over the world, not just from among the Jewish groups dispersed all over the Mediterranean but also, like him, a Greek, a Gentile. And here they were, followers of this Rabbi from Nazareth who were together working their buts off looking after Greek speaking widows. The old rules, the old divisions no longer applied. New things were happening and God was bringing new things into existence. He was clearly on the move and Nic was glad to be part of a movement that moved with him. Otherwise it would be all too scary. Well, it was scary enough, he thought. The numbers were growing, people were learning new languages and well …

Like Stephen's story-telling. Like Simon from Cyrene when Jesus was nailed. Now was that a lucky coincidence or what? Nic knew part of the story but from Simon's hometown there grew a campaign against those who followed the crucified, particularly converts like himself. Simon, and his sons, Rufus and Alexander were especially helped by Stephen's story-telling, but it came at a price.

The Cyrene-Alexandrian Synagogue circuit were dominated by those who claimed to be Freedmen - because they were jews living in Egypt - and they just didn't like it. It wasn't that Jesus was crucified, or even that Simon their fellow Jew had taken part in the last stages of Jesus' execution and could confirm things that Stephen told in his stories. It was something else they didn't like.

And Nicola'us came to know what it was. He felt it deeply.

He was not Jewish by birth and Stephen's story went back to Abraham and made a special point of emphasising those times and places where God showed Himself to be the God of all nations. The way Stephen explained the background to Jesus' story, His coming meant something new for Jews and Gentiles alike. Now that Jesus had come being Jewish meant something completely different. And it also meant something different for being a Gentile too. But the Cyrenian synagogue which was giving Simon, Rufus and Alexander so much grief, did not like the idea that a Gentile follower of a Jewish Rabbi, could tell the Jewish story and interpret their history for them.

Nic might never have heard the story if he hadn't become a convert and been circumcised. Sure. He was lawfully a Jew according to the standards that Moses wrote down. But God was not God because he, Nic, had made the Lord God his God. No it was the other way around. Stephen's story-telling reminded him that God, the Lord, Yahweh, was busy making His people into His people of promise and that included all people's and races on the earth.

This meant … he didn't much want to think about it. It was so enormous. It was as if … he felt that it was getting dangerous to be what he had become. Somehow those Freed Egyptian Synagogue fellows who were arguing every point with Stephen would not stop. They would go all the way. The story made them think again and they didn't want to think again.

But Stephen kept at it. He was determined that they get the story right. What did it mean to be a Jew? They were already trying so hard to prove to the Jewish "big guns", the "true bloods", just how true-blue and real they and their gentile Proselytes could be.

And now Stephen was telling the entire biblical story from a new angle. He was saying that to be a truly free synagogue you didn't have to enslave yourself to the temple in Jerusalem. So we could be truly free servants of God, God Himself had become a servant for us, for people, for Jews and Gentiles. That was the story of the Jewish people. That was their special theme in the law and the prophets. But that was the story so many religious wise-guys just did not understand. That was the story they wanted to suppress. They needed to suppress it. It had to be eradicated.

And that's when Nicola'us took special interest in the debates. When they occurred which was often they were very intense.

Stephen's enemies were furious. Nic really didn't like going along. It was just too hard. Too hard. Not that he didn't understand. He didn't understand it all completely anyway, but he certainly knew that if those wild-eyed fanatics had turned to him and said:

"What about you, eh? You aren't saying much. What do you think?"

He knew he wouldn't be able to counter them so he got ready with a simple one-line answer. That's all he needed. "I believe what Stephen says!" was all his preparation and until that jarring moment came, he just prayed that God wouldn't let it come. Not that he was a coward. He just knew he didn't have the words … Thoughts? Yes. Words? No. But it didn't come. They didn't ask. But Nic sat there. Supportive. He was there as a witness hoping he wouldn't have to give his testimony. He was there because he and Stephen, and Philip and the other fellows were in it all together.

There were other witnesses and supporters there. Someone piped up "I heard someone ask Jesus about the temple once …" Someone else shouted, "It was … " but the noise was high and you couldn't hear who it was they were referring to.

"Jesus had said that … oh what was it … it was what got him into trouble with the Council …. This guy was showing Jesus the beautiful stone-work that had been on the temple. And he wouldn't have any of it. He must have hated the temple. Some say He predicted that it is going to collapse. What do you say?"

"He went there to pray as the law and the prophets indicate that true worship means praying to our Heavenly Father." Stephen was alert. "And yes that was when he cast out the money-changers and the merchants from the court of the gentiles so they could pray there in peace and quietness again … and he even told people to pay the taxes the Romans levied … that was when they came to him hoping he'd use the temple as a kind of special protection against criticising the Roman Emperor. But his teaching was that we must obey God's law in all things, including our relations with the Romans."

"So why did he hate the temple? Why was he so quick to predict its collapse? Tell us that!"

Stephen was ready: "The people were trying to trap him into saying something blasphemous against Moses' law or seditious against the Romans. You answer me: Is saying you should worship the Lord God rather than worshipping the temple, blasphemy? Is saying give your heart to the lord God and love your neighbour as yourself, as you obey Caesar's laws and pay his taxes sedition?"

"You're just too smart for your own good Stephen," countered the Cyrenian Freedman. "You can't avoid it. Jesus was always talking against our temple, the temple that guarantees our freedom. And the law of Moses." Here are some witnesses.

Nicholas heard this wild-eyed fanatic and watched him point to the middle of the crowd and saw some elders being shown the way to the front. Nic shuddered as he saw the poker-faced teachers of the law being given good possies to view the proceedings. The accusing Freedman addressed two fellows who, seemingly, had come from nowhere.

"Jesus said crash this temple. He said throw out all of the law except for one or two verses - through it all out he said. I heard him."

"Are you saying he told people to ignore Moses law?"

"Yes" said the other. "I will answer that. My friend here is right. Jesus explicitly told the crowds that …."shown the way to the front. Nic shuddered as he saw the poker-faced teachers of the law being given good possies to view the proceedings. The accusing Freedman addressed two fellows who, seemingly, had come from nowhere.

"Jesus said crash this temple. He said throw out all of the law except for one or two verses - through it all out he said. I heard him."

"Are you saying he told people to ignore Moses law?"

"Yes" said the other. "I will answer that. My friend here is right. Jesus explicitly told the crowds that …."

"Can you put it in exact words? And would you be willing to go before the Sanhedrin and say this, say," the Freedman looked up at the Scribes in their prime possies who nodded as he said "the day after tomorrow? Would you tell the Council that this Stephen, this jumped-up story teller has authorised the followers of Jesus in gentile synagogues to follow this teaching?"

"Sure I would do it if you would allow me to."

"And you?"

"With all my heart, I do! I'll be there, don't you worry!"

So that was how the trial before the Council was set up. Nic saw it happen. He had followed. He knew that it was going to be a very difficult time but he was ready.

Sleepless Night

The next day was Stephen's trial. Nicholas felt sick. He went to bed early. If he was to go along he would need all his strength and all his wits. But he couldn't sleep. He felt awful. He was worried sick. He was in terror and confusion. What should he do? He pulled the covers over his head. He didn't know how it happened but he started thinking about Stephen's story as if he were Stephen. This was the story the 6 of them had been hearing for months as it developed. And so feeling a little surprised, and a little comforted by that surprise, Nicholas decided to prepare himself by telling Stephen's story to himself, as if he were the one who had to stand up in the Council and tell it. He told it in ways he had seen and heard Stephen tell it as they shared soup and bread in their mid-week mid-day get-togethers.

There was Abraham the Gentile in a place called Haran.

There was Abraham the one to whom God gave His promise.

Then there was Abraham the circumcised. So the promise came first!

And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

Then Jacob and Joseph and Egypt and Potipher's wife and gaol and the two visits to Egypt by Jacob and his death in Egypt and burial in Shechem.

And then came the new pharaoh and God, who was not tied to any human institution, let alone the throne of the Pharaoh, was moving on.

God has been at work blessing and judging Abraham and his descendents, even up to the present day. Stephen loves these Jews - of course he does - but God loved me first before I became a Jewish convert - and now I follow the messiah and God moves on and also uses what I have from my gentile past.

Nic's mind was racing all over the place. He still couldn't sleep. But he had something to think about and as he did he found he wasn't so worried about Stephen - or was he? - they'd still want to kill him wouldn't they? Just because he, Nic, had understood a bit more about how God works didn't mean that these evil guys weren't going to do their worst.

Nic's mind went back to Stephen's story. He had almost memorised it without realising it. Was Jesus a hater of the temple? Did He need to be? Did God settle in any one place forever? Did He settle Abraham in Canaan or Joseph in Egypt? No but he promised that the land would come to Abraham's descendents and it happened. But as it turned out it was His promise that kept Abraham on the right path - it was not the fulfilment of the promise because that came after Abraham died. It was the path of the promise.

Nic woke up. Sat bolt upright.

Things were clear or almost. God's promise to be with us. That is His Covenant. He promises to keep it.

So did God take up residence with Moses - Heh! Moses was raised in Egypt the land of Cyrene and Alexandria - Heh! Heh! - where those Freedmen are from - and Moses didn't even make it to the promised land. Yet there was that moveable tabernacle which God allowed to remind people of His presence. God walks beside us and invites us to walk with Him. God came to dwell in the midst of His people and they rejected Him because he was on the move and they wanted to box Him in a temple paid for as part of a massive political bribe by Herod himself.

"And if you said that …?" Nic shuddered and woke up. He was wide awake now and the sun had risen and it was time to get up. He knew that Stephen would put his story in the right words. And when that part of the story of the trial in the Council had to be written down he'd be able to help with the story Stephen would tell before the Council to explain just what he was on about. He'd help the writer. He'd help get Stephen's account recorded as it needed to be written.

48   Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made with hands; as the prophet says,

49   'Heaven is my throne, and earth my footstool. What house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest?

50   Did not my hand make all these things?'

"But this is so good!" Nic said to himself and immediately felt sick. He had to lie down again. He felt really ill.

"They won't believe it. They are not like my Gentile grandparents. These guys are deaf. They couldn't hear Jesus who was a Jew, so why would they listen to Stephen whose special work is with the wives of Gentiles. The story tells us …. The story prepares us for rejection."

Nicola'us was almost praying "and You sent your prophets and what a brick wall they found."

The servant Isaiah had promised was slaughtered just like Isaiah had foretold. Slaughtered. Blood.

Nic sensed the game was up.

These gentile converts to perverted Judaism could not see their own Messiah when He is in front of their eyes. If they have their way Stephen the story-teller will go the way of Jesus … they both told the story of God's love …

He was very sick. Wretching. And then calm. Confused. Sick one minute. Calm the next. It just did not add up. But now the day's work still had to be done. Widows to visit before breakfast and then on to the Council.

Nicola'us was not so good at writing or telling stories but he had his points; he had committed ten of them to memory. This, he said was the bare bones of Stephen's story.

· Abraham in Haran - a promise of land (2-5)

· But no inheritance, only a son and a sign, circumcision.(6-8)

· Joseph sold into slavery by the sons of Israel (9-11)

· Jacob saved from the famine (11-16)

· Moses was born under a new pharaoh (17-22)

· Moses comes to the aid of Israel but they reject and he flees (23-29)

· Moses prepared in the wilderness (30-35)

· Dragged kicking and shouting to their liberty (36-44)

· The tabernacle (45-46)

· Solomon's temple (47)

Stephen's story would have to be told sometime and just in case, although his task was not to be a rabbi or a preacher, or even a story-teller, he'd be ready all the same.

Further reading: Acts: 6:8-8:5