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Acts 22:30 – 23:11
Wishing to determine the truth
about why Paul was being accused by the Jews,
the commander freed him
and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to convene.
Then he brought Paul down and made him stand before them.
Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some Pharisees,
so he called out before the Sanhedrin,
“My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees;
I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead.”
When he said this,
a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees,
and the group became divided.
For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection
or angels or spirits,
while the Pharisees acknowledge all three.
A great uproar occurred,
and some scribes belonging to the Pharisee party
stood up and sharply argued,
“We find nothing wrong with this man.
Suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
The dispute was so serious that the commander,
afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them,
ordered his troops to go down and rescue Paul from their midst
and take him into the compound.
The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage.
For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem,
so you must also bear witness in Rome.”
The Word of the Lord.
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Saint Paul has caused quite the stir!
Imagine being caught up in the middle of a mob; people are furious and you’re the reason why.
Paul has caused division among the Jews. Some believed in the resurrection of the dead – a belief that started surfacing before Christ lived among us – while others believed in nothing after death.
The answer to this question: “Is there life after death?” determined how people lived out their faith.
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Paul stands trial for preaching about the resurrection and is being scourged with a leather whip, a method of torture so painful that many died from shock.
But as he’s being beaten, he defends himself, saying, “I am Roman citizen.”
It was considered terribly immoral – if not illegal – to strike a Roman citizen, so the commander drops his whip.
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While Paul was clearly willing to die for the Lord, and indeed he will shortly in Rome, he is unwilling to die early.
He will not just throw his life away or take it for granted.
Life is a precious gift from God that should never be wasted, even when we’re suffering. As Paul writes earlier, “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
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Sometimes that means professing our faith publicly like Paul did. But most often, we glorify God in little ways: being grateful; kind; or generous to a neighbor.
In what ways can I bring glory to God today?
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Image credits: (1) Teaching Humble Hearts (2) Christianity.com (3) Prince of Peace Lutheran Church