Acts 22:17-29

                                                                 Acts 22:17-29

“When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance and saw him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’ And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’” Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.” And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, the tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, saying that he should be examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this. But when they had stretched him out for the whips, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?” When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.” So the tribune came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” And he said, “Yes.” The tribune answered, “I bought this citizenship for a large sum.” Paul said, “But I am a citizen by birth.” So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him.

As Paul continues his defense, things once again get out of hand and Paul is on the brink of another beating.  There are several things that we can notice about ministry and the context in which ministry occurs that are interesting to observe.  There are certain things that may seem like foregone conclusions that are not necessarily so.  These are realities for which we should be prepared as we seek to take the Gospel into the nations.

 

MINISTRY IS NOT ALWAYS LOGICAL: When Paul came to Christ, it seems that his logical assumption was that he would be heavily involved with the church in Jerusalem.  He, quite possibly, goes to Jerusalem with aspirations of becoming a leader in the church.  In his mind, it seemed logical that since he had been a part of the inner circle of the Jews, he would be the ideal person to reach them with the Gospel.  When God tells him to leave Jerusalem, he argues with God that his past reputation would help open doors amongst the Jewish elite.  Instead, God tells him that he is to go to the Gentiles.  When our logic and God’s command do not align, we must follow God’s command.    

 

PEOPLE ARE NOT ALWAYS MISSIONAL: As Paul tells the mob about God’s calling to the Gentiles, a riot breaks out again with people calling for Paul’s death.  This gives us an idea of the depth to which the nation had fallen from the mission of God for them.  When God called Abraham, it was to bless all the nations through Him.  The Psalms are full of calls to spread the worship of God amongst the Gentiles.  Nationalism and prejudice had blinded their eyes to the commands of their own Scripture.  This is not only a Jewish condition. We all tend to favor people who are like us.  By definition, the mission is to take the Gospel to people who are not like us.  While all of us agree to this in theory, reality is often a little more difficult.  People who are not like us, well, they are not like us.  They have strange, languages, foods, cultures, customs, smells, music, dances, rituals, celebrations, and ways of life that seem so foreign to us that it is easy for us to judge them as being anti-Christian.  In other words, it is far easier than we think to confuse our culture with Christianity.  When this happens, it is only a small step to favor our manner of life over the mission of Christ in the world.

 

RULERS ARE NOT ALWAYS LAWFUL: Paul’s Roman body/prison guards, likely did not understand what Paul said that had made the riot start all over again.  But, whatever he said, it caused a riot and so he was to be blamed.  Nothing like a good flogging to get to the bottom of what caused all the fracas.  Paul was not particularly fond of floggings and decided to inform them that they were about to flog a Roman citizen without a trial.  Suddenly, his treatment improved radically.  We see once again that nationalism and prejudice is simply a part of the human condition.  It would have been fine to flog a Jew without a trial, but not a Roman.  The point is that as we go into the nations, we will find ourselves in situations where the rulers of those places will act in a way that is not lawful.  When this happens, it is not wrong for us to use the law to our advantage.  However, it is also important for us to realize that our rights as citizens or even humans will often be violated.  This should not surprise or discourage us.

 

APPLICATION: Be sensitive to God’s leading and don’t be ruled by what seems logical to you.  Trust that the Lord really does know best.  Guard your heart from the prejudice that naturally flows from our fallen selves.  Be careful to discern the differences between what in cultural and what is Christian.  Prepare for wrongful suffering, avoid it if possible, but don’t become discouraged by it.