Acts 22:22-23:35; Psalm 60 & 61; Proverbs 11:15-17
Paul has just given his testimony to the crowd, but they rejected it. So, the commander in charge has him arrested in order to discover why the crowds are so against him. Once inside, Paul reveals he is a Roman citizen. Why is this important? Well, Paul is in a Roman-occupied city. At this time, Rome is the biggest empire out there & it's citizens are treated differently than the citizens of the conquered countries Rome occupies. A citizen of Rome by birth has more rights than a person who has bought his citizenship. (Think of an immigrant coming to the United States & becoming a citizen. In those days, the immigrant would have paid money to become a citizen.)
Since Paul has rights, the commander of the guard wastes no time in figuring out what is going on. He assembles the chief priests & the Sanhedrin (the Jewish court) along with Paul. In typical fashion Paul speaks the words of the Lord, which cause the Jews to become enraged. But this time, Paul has some pretty harsh words for the High Priest, Ananias. Our historical books describe Ananias as greedy, profane, & hot-tempered. He held the highest position in the Jewish faith, yet he lacked any of his own. Judaism to Ananias was a job & a lifestyle, not a relationship and Paul calls him on it. Paul then appeals to the believes of the two groups of religious leaders. We'll compare them to republicans & democrats. Both worked for Judaism - which was a religion & government all rolled into one, but they had very different beliefs. As a trained Pharisee, Paul is very knowledgeable concerning the beliefs of these two groups. A violent disagreement breaks out & Paul is removed to the barracks for his own safety. Once there, God encourages Paul & tells him that his work is not done yet, he will also preach in Rome.
A plot to kill Paul is hatched, but his brave nephew informs the Roman commander & Paul is taken to the Roman governor in Caesarea for a trial.
So, what do I take out of today's reading?
- Be knowledgeable -know your stuff - so you can witness to others. You need to read your Bible & know the Scriptures.
- Do not rely on your Bible knowledge. This might sound contradictory, but it's not enough just to memorize the Bible. You need a personal relationship with Jesus Christ in order to understand what the Bible is talking about. The Sanhedrin were very knowledgeable, but they had no relationship & therefore no true understanding of what religion truly is.
No comments:
Post a Comment