My dinner with Paul

If you could have dinner with anybody from history, who would it be? My answer varies from day to day. Some days my answer is Abraham Lincoln. Other days it is Mahatma Gandhi. Today, however, my answer is definitely the Apostle Paul.

I wonder what it would be like to sit across the table from Paul. I don't think he would stay very still during our dinner. When I read the letters of Paul in the New Testament, it is clear that he had a very interesting and even cantankerous personality.

After taking our drink order (red wine for Paul, 1 Timothy 5:23), as we peruse our menus, I might try to have Paul tell me a little bit about his background. He might start listing off his accolades as a Hebrew of Hebrews like he does in Philippians 3:4-11. In that passage, Paul says that he was circumcised (not exactly a polite dinner table topic) and that he was born into the most important tribe of the Judeans. He might smile and brag that he was a true keeper of the law and always tried to follow the rules of Torah as closely as he could.

Then he would suddenly lean across the table and point a finger in my face as he says, "But, I consider all of that as skubala compared to what I have gained as a disciple of Christ" (Philippians 3:7-8). I would probably blush as he says this. Skubala is often translated in our Bibles politely as "rubbish" or "garbage," but skubala actually was an impolite term for dung or excrement. To put it plainly: My New Testament professor in seminary had a sign in his office that read "Skubala Happens."

After saying this, he may lean back in his chair and smile. He might start saying that he used to seek God's favor and a sense of belonging from trying to be the model religious person. But all of that is nothing compared to the purpose and identity that he finds in Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:9).

Our waiter might bring our food to the table. Paul would ask, "Uh, has this steak been sacrificed to an idol?" (1 Corinthians 8:1-13). After he is assured that it is not, we begin to eat our meal. Paul gets a faraway look in his eye as he starts to talk about the resurrection of Jesus. But by that, he doesn't just mean what happens after we die. It's clear that Paul is talking about being resurrection people in the here and now. Paul looks as me and says, "I just want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection" (Philippians 3:11).

As we finish our dinner, I imagine Paul scooting back from the table and, as we walk out of the restaurant, continuing to talk incessantly about how much freedom and grace he has found in his identity as an apostle of Jesus Christ. And he would want you and I to know that we are offered the same freedom and grace.