Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

It seems that every so often Christians hear the old refrain, "Why does God let bad things happen to good people?". It is one of those questions that seems to never have a good enough response. I'm not going to offer one, either.

I think that this is a question we will always have and one that has always been around. Jesus had three main compatriots when he was on earth. Peter, James and John were the three who were always by his side, the three he took with him to pray, the three he seemed to be grooming in a more intentional way than the rest of the twelve. John went on to write a few books, including a gospel and Revelation. Peter preached the sermon at Pentecost and became the de facto head of the early church. What happened to James?

According to Acts 12:2, Herod had him put to death with a sword. The account is very matter-of-fact and not filled with daring or supernatural intervention.

Seeing the gleeful reaction of the Jews, Herod decides to do the same to Peter and has him imprisoned and guarded by 16 soldiers. This was obviously not nearly enough, because when the angel showed up, they just walked right out to freedom.

My question is: Where was James' angel? Where was his supernatural rescue? Where was God's loving protection for John's brother? Why did Jesus spend the time with him, only to have him die? Why were Peter and John spared, but James was not?

Lydda, Sharon, Joppa, Cincinnati?

At the end of Acts 9 we read about the healing of 2 different people - Aeneas and Dorcas. But the impact goes way past these two individuals.

Aeneas, a paralytic, is healed and the result is huge - "All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord." Even if we count for a little exaggeration (in the Bible !?!), and assume that every single person in those towns did not turn to the Lord, it was still a number far greater than just those healed or just those present.

Dorcas lived and died in the next town over, Joppa. As timing would have it, the dying came right after Aeneas was healed and people knew who to call. After Dorcas is raised from the dead, Luke becomes more subdued and simply states, "this became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord." Not the whole town, but not too bad either.

Peter is doing big things. Such big things that entire towns and cities stand up and take notice. Was he acting simply to serve and save Aeneas and Dorcas or did he and God have bigger plans? Their actions were for the individuals, but also for the whole community.

What are we doing to get the whole town to stand up and take notice? How are we changing lives in such a way as to impact the whole city? What would it take to make a whole town turn to the Lord? What's stopping us from making these moves?

Peter swam across the water and found it on the beach

Everything that had gone on the last few days had taken me to the lowest place I'd ever been. My heart was shattered and my spirit was crushed. Sure I'd had disappointments before in my life, but this was something else entirely. This was a continuous state of torture, a constant gnawing at the pit of my soul. I needed something that I could relate to something familiar, so I rounded up my brother Andrew and our friends James and John to head back out on the Sea of Galilee, back to the life that was all I knew for so many years. But in those few short years that I spent away from fishing, so much had happened. My life had changed and now that was all gone, nailed to a tree and buried forever. And here I was, left on the outside. The last time I'd spoken to him he had corrected me (yet again) and the last time I'd looked him in the eye... he looked at me with love and sadness - not because of what he was experiencing or because he was disappointed in me - but because he understood the anguish I was experiencing. He had every right to be angry or to be ashamed, I had just denied that I even knew this man who had done so very much for me, but there was none of that - just love. But from there they took him and as I ran away, he stood firm as they beat him, mocked him, humiliated him and killed him. He was gone and all the words I wanted to say, needed to say, were locked inside my heart. I would never get the chance to see him again, to tell him I was sorry to feebly try to make things right. So, here I am, back in my old life, out on the water early this morning trying once again to eke out a living . Well, it seems I'm not the only one who's head is in a different place. John isn't even paying attention to what we're doing - he's just staring at the shoreline, wishing for some hope. These nets seem way too heavy today. Why won't John pay attention, we could use the help over here. What's he looking at anyway, its just the shore, you can't see anything from way out here. "Try the other side," the distant voice echoes from the shore. As though in a trance we all drug up the empty net and dropped it joylessly on the other side of the boat. How could we hear that voice from the shore anyway? That's way too far. Wait, this net is heavy - too heavy!
Did John see something on the shore?
Why can't we pull in this net?
James, pull your share!
Can John really see something on the shore?
Oh...
I think its a person.
The hairs at the base of the back of my neck stand up and then those above follow, sending a shiver up and down my spine like dominoes falling in reverse. Before I know it, I'm standing along with the hairs on my arms.
Is it?
Oh my...
It can't be!
It is!
Oh, My God!
Suddenly the shore doesn't seem so far. I can only see one thing, it consumes my vision and nothing will keep me away. I'm coming, Lord. I'm coming, friend. I'm coming...