So I hit an incredibly busy spell and am now catching up. But these three chapters were all really connected, telling the story of Paul's journey to Jerusalem. On accident, I came up with a Blog title that has an interesting double meaning. The final chapters of Acts all recount Paul who is being put on trial before the Jews, the Romans, the governors, etc. He gets brought from one place to the next, and he is spared by one and then another. But throughout his life and missionary work, he faces trials that never end. It is almost always by the Jewish leaders, but must have gotten old after awhile. So here are my thoughts on these three chapters.
Acts 21, 22, and 23
1. What stuck out to you from this chapter?
In Acts 22, Paul starts speaking the language of the people: Aramaic. Verse 2 states, "When they heard him speak in Aramaic, they became very quiet." I think that all of a sudden this trial got very personal and hit close to home. It's not just about some religious zeal parade, but it became about a guy who is from them. It reminds me how powerful speaking in someone's language is and no matter how fluent you are, the attempt means a lot.
2. How does this relate to any other Scripture I know?
As Paul came back to Jerusalem, the apostles there urged him to go through a ritualistic cleansing ceremony, to help the Jewish believers not stumble over details of the law. Even though Paul knew this was not required for salvation or by salvation, he didn't want others to become alienated on his account. It reminded me of a verse from Romans 12:17-18 which says, "Do not repay evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." We shouldn't compromise God's commands for our life, but if we can live in a way that helps others see Jesus rather than turn them off from Jesus we should do it.
3. What does this mean for my life?
I'll share the first thing that I thought of for this question, and it came from the very first verse I read in Acts 21. I had to re-read the last part of chapter 20 to remember the context. Paul was saying goodbye to some of the church leaders who visited him and with whom he had spent significant time teaching and training. The first sentence of chapter 21 is a telltale sign that Paul didn't just do ministry. Everything was about investing in others, and it involved relationships. I need to remember that there is more to ministry than good songs, good skits, increasing numbers, decreasing expenses, good food, good social media, etc. It has always been about people, and as soon as it stops being about people, it stops meaning much.
4. What questions do I have from this chapter?
In verse 38, the commander asks Paul if he was an Egyptian who led a revolt. Who was that? I've heard of Maccabes. Is that it? Maybe someone from history we don't know about. But that's an interesting detail. Also, we see Paul speak in at least a couple different languages. I wonder how many different languages he knew and what languages were common for people to speak.
That's it. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
In Christ,
Dan
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