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Acts: 22.30 – 23.6:-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 been preaching inside the Temple in Jerusalem, angering mobs of Jews who believe he’s trying to nullify their religion. But he insists that Christ does not invalidate, rather he fulfills the Law and the prophets.
In their rage, the mobs shout, wave their garments, and throw dust in the air in protest, calling for Paul’s execution. While standing trial, he realizes that his death is likely. So, he makes one claim in self-defense:
I am a Roman citizen.
It was considered reprehensible – if not punishable by law – to strike a Roman citizen, and Paul knew this was his way out. What matters is not the fact that he saved his life that day; it’s why he did it.
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Paul was not afraid to die… nor was he afraid to live.
As he says in his Letter to the Philippians, “For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me… [Yet] I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better. I remain in the flesh for your benefit” (Phil. 1:21-24).
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His words leave us several points to contemplate.
Although Paul knew that his time would come – and almost certainly as a result of preaching the Gospel – he refused to facilitate an early death or to take his life for granted.
Every second he had on this earth was a gift – and he intended to use his time well.
However, he also understood that his time was best spent, not working for personal gain, but in spending himself for the sake of others. Even those who despised and rejected him were worthy of his time as he sought to convert them through love.
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How do we spend our own time here on earth?
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Like Paul, may we use the time we have well – not for personal gain, but for the glory of God – who alone removes the yoke of time and grants eternal life.
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Image credits: (1) ArtPal (2) Saint Paul Delivering the Aeropagus Sermon, Raphael (3) Time and Date