Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents.
Philippians 1:27-28
It’s hard to learn contentment in the midst of difficult, unjust situations but how much more of a challenge is it when we’ve been the author of our own misfortune?
I think St Paul may have made three mistakes that led to his deportation to Rome. But decide for yourself. First, when he decided to visit Jerusalem, he wanted to complete the journey in time for Pentecost. For Jews, Pentecost celebrated when God gave Moses the Torah, the teaching on how to live; for Christians, it was the anniversary of when God poured out his Holy Spirit on the Church. It was therefore an especially important occasion for the Jewish Christians at Jerusalem who were Paul's fiercest critics because they continued to live by the Torah. Was Paul just asking for trouble by going at that time?
When Paul shared news of his plan with the elders of the church at Ephesus, he explained, ‘I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me’. (See Acts 20:22-23). That sounds daunting, even if Paul really was correct to think that he was ‘constrained by the Spirit’ to go!
When Paul arrived at Tyre, Christians speaking ‘through the Spirit’ warned him against continuing to Jerusalem. Later, when he stayed at Caesarea, a prophet called Agabus arrived with God’s warning not to continue on to Jerusalem. To illustrate the warning, Agabus took Paul’s belt and tied his own hands and feet. ‘Thus says the Holy Spirit’, he said, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ (See Acts 21:8-14).
Was Paul wrong to go to Jerusalem? I don’t know but he seems to have gone contrary to many warnings and in a similar situation today I think that many Christians would probably conclude that he was wrong.
When Paul arrived at Jerusalem, he took the church leader's advice and tried to placate the Jewish Christians by undergoing a week-long ritual purification ceremony. I can see why St Paul thought this was the right thing to do but the strategy failed tragically. While Paul was in the Temple, some Jews visiting from Asia misunderstood what he was doing and triggered a riot. A troop of Roman soldiers had to rescue Paul from being lynched.
Some people think that what Agabus had prophesied did not come true, not exactly. Rather than the Jews bind Paul and hand him over to the Romans, it was Roman soldiers who rescued him from the Jewish mob. I think, however, that the Jews who tied Paul’s hands and feet – who bound him – were the Jewish Christians he was trying to please, not the Jewish mob.
While Paul was in prison at Caesarea, the new Governor, Festus, wanting to ‘do the Jews a favour’ proposed sending Paul back to Jerusalem for trial there. Certain that he would not get justice but only death, Paul exercised his right as a Roman citizen to be tried before Caesar. Was this another mistake?
Before Paul could be sent to Rome, he had another opportunity to put his case when King Agrippa and Queen Bernice arrived to pay their respects to the new Governor. At the end of that hearing, Agrippa said to Festus, ‘This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar’. I’m sure that must have given Paul pause for thought.
Before Paul could be sent to Rome, he had another opportunity to put his case when King Agrippa and Queen Bernice arrived to pay their respects to the new Governor. At the end of that hearing, Agrippa said to Festus, ‘This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar’. I’m sure that must have given Paul pause for thought.
Was Paul wrong in these situations? I don't know but we all suffer from these sorts of doubts from time to time. Having made the best decisions we knew how in the circumstances, we later wonder if God had something better planned if we’d acted differently or done nothing at all. But the assurance we get from Scripture is that God can redeem whatever mess we get ourselves into.
This is not a licence to be careless or to sin! There may be consequences to our words and actions that we have to live with but, as Paul wrote in Romans 8, 'We know that for those who love God all things work together for good...' All things must necessarily include our own mistakes. Paul added, that, 'nothing in all creations will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord'. Nothing! Nothing at all. Not even our own mistakes can come between God and us. Therefore, like Paul, we can be content that what happens, even when we've got it wrong, will work out for our ultimate good!
This is not a licence to be careless or to sin! There may be consequences to our words and actions that we have to live with but, as Paul wrote in Romans 8, 'We know that for those who love God all things work together for good...' All things must necessarily include our own mistakes. Paul added, that, 'nothing in all creations will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord'. Nothing! Nothing at all. Not even our own mistakes can come between God and us. Therefore, like Paul, we can be content that what happens, even when we've got it wrong, will work out for our ultimate good!
© Copyright Philip Evans 2014.
What is freely received should be freely shared and not sold for profit, so please feel free to copy these Reflections freely and without cost to others. Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations in these Reflections are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
