Repeatedly in scripture, we see Paul’s consistent
persecution by the Jews who opposed him (actually they were opposing God’s work).
Everywhere he went it seemed that some group of opponents would whoop up a
crowd to oppose the disciples, seize them, accuse them of false things before
leaders, or just try to kill them without any type of legal process!
It hit me today as I was reading Acts 22, that Paul would
have understood very well the enthusiasm some of these haters had. Some of them
hated what the disciples were teaching because they truly believed it was
blasphemous.
At the beginning of this chapter, we see Paul’s ability to
relate to the enthusiasm of his haters. He is addressing them from jail, having
just been seized by yet another angry mob who tried to kill him but were
interrupted in their efforts and then made false accusations before law
keepers. When Paul was jailed, he asked that he may address the angry crowd
outside, was granted permission to do so – and this is how that address began:
“Brothers and fathers, listen to me as I offer my defense.” (When
they heard him speaking in Hebrew, the silence was even greater.) “I am a Jew,” he said, “born in Tarsus, a
city in Cilicia, but educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel, at whose feet I
learned to follow our Jewish laws and customs very carefully. I became very
anxious to honor God in everything I did, just as you have tried to do today. And
I persecuted the Christians, hounding them to death, binding and delivering
both men and women to prison. The High
Priest or any member of the Council can testify that this is so. For I asked
them for letters to the Jewish leaders in Damascus, with instructions to let me
bring any Christians I found to Jerusalem in chains to be punished.” (Acts
22:1-5)
Paul goes on to tell them about his Damascus Road experience
with Christ. But when Paul says that God instructed him to go to the Gentiles
to teach them the truth, the crowd went crazy! They were unhappy about this and
demanded that he be killed. The commander in charge brought Paul back inside
and intended to whip him in order to get him to confess his crime, but he learned
that Paul was a Roman citizen and relented. Craziness!
But the beauty in the beginning of Paul’s address is that he
says, “I became very anxious to honor God in everything I did, just as you have
tried to do today.” Wow! Once again he had an angry mob trying to kill him and
he is able to say he was just like them…he understands. Beautiful words of
empathy towards those who hated him and wanted to see him dead. A great example
to us of loving our enemies. And Paul even went as far to as to identify
himself with them! Beautiful.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR
and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those
who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for
He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the
righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:43-45)
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