Fiddler on the Roof

Acts 15:6-12

　
　
One of my favorite movies of all time is "Fiddler on the Roof". It’s about a Jewish family that lives in the Russian Empire in 1905. It was a time of radical change. Revolution was in the air and Tevye, the father of five daughters, was desperately trying to live according to his faith traditions to keep stability in their lives. However, one by one his three oldest daughters make decisions that change not only Tevye’s life, but also brings his traditions shattering down around him.

That seems to be happening in this passage to the believers who belonged to the Pharisees. Now that the Gentiles believed and were receiving the Holy Spirit, the Pharisees wanted to hang on to their faith traditions. Like Tevye, their world seemed to be crumbling around them as their traditions were attacked. Certainly these new "Gentile believers must be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses".

Sometimes you can observe this same type of attitude in the church today. Haven’t you heard someone say before, "We’ve always done it that way"? Although church traditions can be a good thing, they can also be a roadblock to many creative ideas, and dare I say it, even to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Another example is every church seems to have certain standards that are "expected". It might be how people dress, or talk, or sing. It might be an expectation of a quiet time or a certain small group experience. All these things can be good, but sometimes you get the feeling that if you don’t do things a certain way then maybe you’re not a Christian.

The apostles and elders in Acts were dealing with a very specific situation but what was behind it was basic human nature. It is the same human nature that wants to control the world around it. The same human nature, that doesn’t like change. The same human nature that feels like life isn’t fair. The same human nature, that is petty and jealous.

Really this passage isn’t just about the Pharisees, but it’s about you and me and how we struggle with our own human nature. The world is rapidly changing around us so don’t hang on to your "Fiddler on the Roof" traditions, but instead stay "Geared to the times, and anchored to the Rock".

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts%2015%3A5-12&version=NIV;MSG
http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/Acts.15.5-Acts.15.12