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Murder mysteries fascinate us. There is something compelling when it comes to a “whodunit.” We want to discover the culprit and look for the clues that will disclose the killer. We’re satisfied at the ending if we’ve guessed correctly, or we’re amazed if proven wrong. Either way, a good mystery engages us to the very end. The New Testament could be described as a mystery whose central question is; Who is Jesus Christ? Other questions follow, getting more personal: Why does Jesus matter? Who am I in the light of his teaching? Why must I follow Him? In his early life, these questions confronted a man named Saul. This Jewish religious leader, who relentlessly persecuted the initial Christians, in the end faced the question, who is Jesus Christ? The answer he found compelled him to travel the length and breadth of the Roman Empire three times, as the biggest evangelist of his time. Saul, who would adopt his Roman name, Paul, went on to write closely half of the New Testament. As the “Great Apostle,” he stood at the crossroads of his world and his influence would transform both it is faith system and innumerable hearts allround the centuries. Putting Christ in His Place St. Paul gave the world it is initial comprehensive look at the person and bequest of Jesus Christ. Though the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John stay indispensable source materials for the life of Christ, it was Paul’s severely necessary task to offer the full theological perspective of the meaning of his life, death, and resurrection. From the moment of his conversion, Paul’s overriding concern and the main thrust of his mission, was to preach Christ Jesus and the power that flowed from his resurrection. This itinerant preacher from Galilee was not only the feeling of satisfaction of centuries of Jewish prophecy, Paul asserted, but also the co-eternal Son of the living God, made flesh for the salvation of each person. As the Church’s most zealous evangelist, Paul’s original priority was to proclaim this Good News, which is the translation for the word, “Gospel.” Nothing was of dandier importance to him than to shed light on who Jesus Christ is and always was. His joy was to disseminate the Gospel, which Jesus himself had demonstrated by word and work is the only boulevard to union with God the Father. This is what Paul wrote to his beloved community at Philippi, referring to Jesus… “…who was found humane in appearance, humbled himself, getting obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God principally exalted him… that at the name of Jesus each knee will have to bend… and each tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” -Philippians 2:3-11 No one could accuse Paul of underselling his Lord! Some Bible scholars maintain that this passage was genuinely an early Christian hymn. Whether they are Paul’s primary words or not, he put the stamp of his apostolic authority behind them. A Mystery Revealed The system of belief of the Incarnation, of God made flesh, remains basically a mystery. Not a ‘whodunit,’ a mystery in this sense refers to a truth that we may recognise and experience partially, but which in itself is in the end unknowable by reason. Paradoxically, a mystery doesn’t hide the truth, but actually leads the seeker to Truth. Paul goes further in shedding light on the mystery of Christ. To those who describe Jesus as merely a good man or even a great moral teacher, Paul countered that He was the very effigy of the unseen God and the introductory of all creation. Paul spoke of Jesus as the one in whom all fullness dwelled. In majestic terms and without equivocation, Paul ascribes to the man, Jesus, the very same traits that belong to the Creator. For Paul, this profession of faith represents the point of departure for his own spiritual journey. Yet, Paul’s faith in Jesus Christ was not plainly taken on faith. As the Pharisee, Saul, he had had an actual encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, as recounted in the Acts of the Apostles, Ch. 9. His conversion story stands at the heart of his theology of the Incarnation. The dramatic story of this meeting sheds light on why Paul believed that Jesus was genuinely the Son of God. In a subsequent article, I will relate precisely how St. Paul met Jesus, and how his experience may serve as a template for the universal need for conversion. |
