Fr Mark Schultz

Dear Friend,

You might think (looking at our Office Reading from Acts) that I’m going to talk with you today about Elymas the sorcerer. And Beloved Friend, I’ll readily admit that I’m reluctant to miss the chance to talk about magic when there’s a reference to it in scripture, in part because it’s an opportunity to talk about grace and sacrament—indeed, while magic/sorcery in scripture so often represents a mechanistic spiritual technology by which a human will (often allied to- or twisted by wicked powers) imposes itself on the world, a sacrament is an intimate relational means by which the divine will (and presence!) is made available to the world by grace.

But no, my Friend! I’ll not be talking about magic today…at least not any more than I already have (see? Reluctant to miss the chance!). Instead, I want to point out a wonderful blink-and-you’ll-miss-it aspect to our reading from Acts: this is the first time Saul is referred to as Paul (Acts 13:9).

Previously in Acts, we were introduced to Saul at the stoning of Stephen at the end of chapter 7, though it’s not until the top of chapter 9 that we read of Saul’s conversion, his preaching, and his ministry partnership with Barnabas. At the end of chapter 11, Saul and Barnabas go on a relief mission to folks in Judea suffering famine, they return to Jerusalem at the end of chapter 12, and here at the start of chapter 13, Saul becomes Paul.

Why? Well, unlike Peter, Paul doesn’t receive his new name from Jesus (if he had, we probably would have heard about it back in chapter 9)—he assumes it himself in the gentile Cyprian court during his encounter with Elymas (which nicely mirrors Peter’s encounter with another sorcerer, Simon Magus—it’s likely that the Elymas encounter is here in order to demonstrate a kind of spiritual kinship between Paul and Peter). And the best account of ‘why’ that I’ve read suggests that Saul changed his name to Paul as he embarks on his mission to the gentiles, Paul being a Greek/Roman name. All this is probably what Paul’s referring to in I Corinthians 9:21-23 when he writes, “To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.” It’s likely, too, that when Paul refers to himself as “least of the apostles” (I Corinthians 15:9), he’s not only expressing humility, not only performing a public act of contrition given his history of persecuting the church, he’s playing off the meaning of his chosen name, which means either “little” or “humble.” He’s claiming to be the least, so that he can more fully inhabit, preach, and exemplify the glory of God’s grace shown to him in God’s mercy, forgiveness and commissioning. He’s claiming to be “the little guy” to remind himself that it’s the “little” ones of this world that God cherishes, the "weak" to whom God has sent him. “Paul” is a name that speaks Saul’s past, Saul’s present, and Saul’s future glory in Christ. No wonder he chose it for his name as he embarked on a new ministry!

It used to be a common custom that folks would choose the name of a saint at their Confirmation, not only as a way of identifying with a patron or placing oneself under a saint’s patronage, but also as a way of articulating a Christian ideal, of naming a particular shape of grace that we long to inhabit: something that may, perhaps, speak to our past, our present, and our future in Christ. I don’t know, Beloved, if you made this choice at your confirmation, but it’s never too late! What saint’s name might you choose? How might it remind you of how grace has moved and continues to move in your life? How might it inspire you to new mission and ministry?

Under the Mercy,
Fr Mark (Thomas)+