We measure our speed on the highway in miles per hour. Jesus and his followers measured their speed in miles per day.

When we say, life moved more slowly, we mean that people and their stuff literally moved more slowly.

So how much more slowly? Best guess is about 12-15 miles walking per day. (A Roman courier on a horse was faster, of course.)

We get an idea of travel speed in Acts 10. The distance between Joppa and Caesarea was about thirty miles. Couriers left Caesarea and returned in a period of four days (Acts 10:30).

Time references are found in 10:33 (“immediately”) for the speed of the journey, and 10:23 for the halfway point. The couriers stayed overnight and then returned.

Two days there and two days back to cover a round trip of 60 miles. That’s 15 miles a day moving at a good pace.

30 days after the election of Pope Francis, a CNN blogger made this observation, “Whenever given the choice between clerical privilege and everyday human experience, he opts for the human.”**

It is a curious implication for one of Jesus’ followers, the gap between “clerical privilege” and “everyday human experience.”

“Clerical privilege” isn’t new. The culture of the ancient temple cultivated it, even the one in Jesus’ experience.

Jesus even told a story about loving one’s neighbor that contrasted the temple hierarchy with a looked-down-on foreigner (Luke 10).

Jesus himself: he rejected the choice and embraced everyday human experience. Yet clerical privilege persists.

Become better acquainted with Jesus’ everyday human experience. We invite you to follow this year to Easter withJesus.

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** Michael D’Antonio, “One month in, Pope Francis is on the right track” <http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/13/opinion/dantonio-pope-francis-first-month/index.html?hpt=op_t1>, Date Accessed: April 13, 2013.