Paul, Sly as a Fox

PASSAGE OF THE DAY:
Acts 26 (click the link)


KEY VERSE:
Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.” (Acts 26:32, NIV)


REFLECTIONS:
When is Paul going to learn? Acts 26 is the 5th chapter detailing Paul’s seeming determination to tie his own noose! I mean, when will this guy learn his lesson, right?

I tend to read the Bible as if it were a movie, so here’s the scene if you need a quick re-cap: Paul, our ultimate example of sinner-turned-saint, was arrested for preaching that Jesus is the “coming king” that he and all the other good Jews had been longing for. Unfortunately, generations of persecution and oppression had left them longing for a heroic, mythical-type character as king, and they were not interested in following this humble teacher who had met such a gruesome end. The two main religious/political groups, the Pharisees and Sadducees, disagreed on what was wrong with what Paul was saying but they both agreed they’d be better off if he were silenced. So they took him to court, and rather than defending himself, Paul preached to the judges!

There’s a Proverb (17:28) that says “Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.” I don’t know about you, but that’s the tack I’d take if I were in that kind of trouble—keep quiet and don’t incriminate yourself!

But Paul was a man who knew his audience, and more importantly, he had confidence based on the mission given in his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus: 

“I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” (verses 17-18)

He addressed judge and jury personally, appealing for them to “open their eyes,” based on what he knew of their religious background, and each judge passed him on to a higher authority because they could find no legal fault with him.

The story could’ve ended there since Paul had been tried and acquitted multiple times, but what’s a good story without a twist? The final verses in chapter 26 show two judges commiserating over the fact that Paul could have been set free if he hadn’t appealed to Caesar. Essentially, early on in his hearings, Paul asked to be taken to the highest judge in the land and they were obligated to give him that hearing. They tried their best to not let it get that far, even tried to claim he was insane, but now they were going to have to go before the big boss with a flimsy case.

Did you catch the twist? Paul used his imprisonment to win himself an audience with as many influential people as possible! They thought they were in control of Paul’s future and reputation, and he turned the tables on them drastically! He even had the nerve to tell King Agrippa in verse 29: “I’m locked up in chains and I’ve got all the time in the world… you’ll come around! Jesus is the answer to your prayers!” (my paraphrase).

(Paul turns to the camera with sly smile, and the scene closes, leaving room for a sequel, maybe involving a shipwreck and an island adventure.)

POINT OF ACTION:

How many times have I complained to God that I’m being treated unfairly or misunderstood? It’s not that He doesn’t want to hear it from me; in fact it’s a great spiritual discipline to be honest with God about how you’re feeling and ask Him to make something good of it. But often I think He wants me to see that my circumstances are but a small scene in a bigger story, like Paul did. There is adventure to be had that I will never know about if I play it safe and get by on what I can see. When Paul received his sight back after being blinded, he not only got physical vision, but spiritual vision, and I need that. There are times when I think I have it, but they’re rare.

PRAYER:

God give me Your eyes. I have no idea what’s going to happen when You do, but I’ll risk it.

WHO AM I?

I’m Leigh Anne Bland and my favorite pictures of our family are the ones like this that show we don’t have it all together. Once, when Hailey was a baby, I walked around all day with my slip showing and no-one told me. I look back on that day and remember that being genuine means your slip will always be showing… physically and figuratively. Your heart will get hurt, your weaknesses exposed, and if you’re lucky you’ll have a few friends who will stick with you and follow you to the bathroom to help you pull yourself together. That’s why I like our church—because it’s okay to not have it all together.