Reading for March 21-25
Acts 21:23-40
Tuesday
Mob Scene
"26 So Paul completed the purification ceremony. 27 but some Jews . . . roused a mob against him. They grabbed him, 28 yelling, '. . This is the man who preaches against our people everywhere and tells everybody to disobey the Jewish laws. He speaks against the Temple—'. . .. 30 The whole city was rocked. . Paul was grabbed and dragged out of the Temple, and immediately the gates were closed behind him." Acts 21:26-30
Maturity Defers. But Don’t Expect it to Appease
Pastor’s Reflection
Paul did what the Christian Leaders in Jerusalem under the leadership of Jesus’ brother James had told him to do. He participated in the required temple ritual.
This was the right thing to do. Mature believers do not antagonistically “stick to their guns” in the non essentials. Mature believers remove as many “stumbling blocks” as they can without eviscerating the faith.
But don’t expect your accommodations to “work”. What you do and believe will always find a critic. If he is vocal enough, you’ll be attacked unfairly and with many false accusations. Paul honored his heritage. He loved the temple and his people. He made the point over and over again that gentiles “get in” only by being “grafted into” Judaism.
But to no avail. Paul had switched teams. The coach had quit the home team, left for another team and was now back home in the biggest game of his life. And the home team was not going to go down in defeat, no matter how much “coach” told them he loved them.
Don’t expect obedience to “work” as if obeying is a utility to getting what you want. Obeying will quite often result in what you don’t want.
Notice the last words of the passage, “the gates were closed behind him”. Yes it would be his last time in God’s Temple. The die is cast.
Switching teams often costs.
Sometimes what makes our obedience bearable is knowing we have obeyed. And sometimes knowing that doesn't come confirmed until much later. Peer pressure can make us doubt our obedience and is just as prevalent in church as it is outside of church.
ReplyDeleteI have experienced obeying and 'have felt the "gates slammed behind me' so to speak and it was hard. It, more than anything, made me want to be nothing but obedient in all that I do. It scared me but increased my 'resolve'.
As God had it time proved out my obedience. That may or may not happen and we may doubt if our obedience was actual or misconstrued. We can only move in faith, for if we don't, how will we ever be grow and bear fruit?
It is very true, odedience can often cause hardship or trouble for the obeyer, but what peace in the soul afterwards.
Never a greater privilege than to be used by God, and we all will be as we travel on our journey with Him.