Acts 21:27-36
English Standard
Version (ESV)
27 When the seven days were almost completed, the
Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and
laid hands on him, 28 crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the
man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the
law and this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has
defiled this holy place.” 29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the
Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into
the temple. 30 Then all the city was stirred up, and the people
ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at
once the gates were shut. 31 And as they were seeking to kill him, word came
to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. 32 He
at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw
the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33 Then
the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with
two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done. 34 Some
in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn
the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the
barracks. 35 And when he came to the steps, he was actually
carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, 36 for
the mob of the people followed, crying out, “Away with him!”
Maybe I am the only one
that feels this way but when I do what is right I think that I should be
rewarded. If I do my best in my job, I believe that I deserve the promotion,
the pat on the back, something more than just a paycheck. I certainly feel that if I do all that I am asked
and go above and beyond I should keep my job!
I get very frustrated at times when I think about how poorly others have
treated me. I think about how I don’t
deserve the situation that I find myself in.
I try to figure out what I did wrong and why I am not accepted. I pray and cry out to the Lord and ask Him to
reveal to me why people treat me the way they do. Then, I read this passage and see how Paul
changed his life, completely gave his life to the Lord, turned from a
persecutor to the one being persecuted.
He had such a heart for those he once plotted with and he saw how he
been the deceiver and now saw the truth and he wanted them to know the truth
too.
God took Paul on a
journey away from the place that he longed to be. He took him to places where people would
accept his testimony and to a people, not his own, to spread the Gospel of
Jesus Christ. Even in those times he
encountered troubles yet God always pulled him out of the situation. He gave him strength to keep going even
though sometimes Paul was ready to throw in the towel and die, he knew that to
live was Christ and he was willing to do so.
It was through Paul that the Gospel of Christ was spread westward, it
was because of Paul that my ancestors came to know the Lord.
Now in this passage God
has brought him home. He has placed him
back in the city that he so longed to go to.
Yet, the people’s hearts have not changed. The people treat Paul just like they treated
Christ. You may think that Paul got
what he deserved since he had once been on their side. Yet think about it, Paul had changed and had
lived a life worthy of the calling of Christ Jesus. He had encountered many persecutions during
his life time. If he deserved to be
treated like he had been treated then we deserve every treatment that people do
to us. Whatever sin we have committed against
another human being or against God we deserve that same treatment yet Christ
died for us and He died for Paul. Paul
didn’t deserve to be treated the way he did any more than we do. Christ is the only one who did not deserve to
be treated the way He was. The One
without sin went to the cross for us. He
made us blameless if only we believe upon His name and call upon Him.
I sometimes think that
Paul lived his entire Christian life trying to make right what he had done
wrong. He wanted to go to Jerusalem to
make right what he had done wrong but he didn’t really realize that it was the
hearts of the people that needed to change and Paul could not change their
hearts. Each of those still living in
the rebellion against Christ did so because they chose to and that rebellion
came down on Paul.
Now you may be asking
how that relates to me or to you. Maybe
we have not led a rebellion against Christ but if we have and we have repented
then it is not up to us to change others it is up to us to share the Gospel. Maybe we didn’t do anything even close to
what Paul did and we think we deserve to be treated better. I must confess that is where I am at. I have tried to live a life pleasing to God
(key word is tried). I have not strayed
far from Him (but I have strayed) and have always tried (there is that word
again) to please Him in all that I say and do.
That key word “tried” is important because no matter how hard we try, we
will fail at some point because we are human.
Without our failure there would be no need for the grace of our Father
to forgive us. Yet, we must try or
strive to always live a life pleasing to Him.
When we do that we need to remember that our reward is NOT the praise of
those around us. It is NOT the promotion
or the pat on the back of others. In
fact, when we are kind to those who seem unlovable it is quite the
opposite. People oppose those who do
good, who do what is right in the sight of God.
That seems crazy to those who believe.
Yet, we live in a world of fallen people to whom it seems only right to
oppose those who do good to people who don’t deserve it. In this world people feel that some deserve
to be treated well while others deserve what they get. The drug addict or the sex offender can be
treated poorly, they don’t deserve good things to happen to them. When we as Christians help “those people” we
are frowned upon. Why? Because people don’t realize that they are
sinners just like the drug addict, they seem to think they are better than
that. I need to focus my eyes on Him
who has commanded me to do good to those who oppose me and those who oppose Him. The world may reject me but the Lord has
accepted me. There is nothing more
important to cling to than that. I believe
Paul knew that and that is why he was content in whatever situation he found
himself. Lord, please help me to
remember that and to be content to serve you wherever you may place me.
Seek Him and know that
He is the only one who has the right to be treated with the utmost respect,
with fear and trembling.
Seeking Him with all my
heart,
Sheila
No comments:
Post a Comment