The Words We Say, Part Two

"A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger"
(Proverbs 15:1)

The Holy Spirit was not wrong when he revealed to Paul "that imprisonment and afflictions" awaited him in every city (Acts 20:23). Shortly after Paul arrived in Jerusalem, "the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him (21:27)." Paul had returned from Gentile lands to his own countrymen to Jerusalem, the city he had been raised in. And they arrested him at church! What a homecoming!

Paul's fellow Jews falsely accused him of anti-Jewish teachings, of being un-patriotic. Furthermore, they wrongly accused him of defiling the temple by bringing a Gentile into it, all based on an unfounded supposition (21:28-29). They were irate! How do you respond to people who do not want truth?

As bad as the false accusations were, the situation deteriorated drastically from there. "Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut. And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune (a military leader over a thousand soldiers) that all Jerusalem was in confusion (21:30-31). Their malice had turned to murder. The world knows how to stir up anger, but what about the church?

Roman guards stationed near the temple, quickly intervened, but not before Paul had been beaten by the angry mob (21:32). Soon, the innocent man was in chains while his assailants went free (21:33). There was no habeas corpus to protect Paul. Similar Roman law protecting the innocent until proven guilty was ignored.

Even the presence of a cadre of Roman soldiers did not quell the shouts of murder from the violent mob (21:34-36). At this point, Paul gently asked, "May I say something to you (21:37)?" He wanted a chance to address his accusers, those who beat him, those who wanted him dead. His humble request was granted. What would you say to those people if you were Paul? How would you talk to people actually trying to kill you?

Paul silenced them by addressing them in their own language, not with anger, not with volume. In no way does Paul match their aggression. The first words out of his mouth are, "Brothers and fathers." He addresses them as family. He further describes the motley crew as being like Paul had been, "zealous for God" (22:3). Both had misdirected their zeal thinking they were doing the Lord's work. Can we likewise go astray, misdirecting our zeal by falling into the ways of the world?

Paul went on to give his testimony of coming to Christ (21:1-21). Wasn't this a poor time for evangelism? In the same situation, we might want to simply fade back into the safety of the barracks. The fear of man is a strong temptation for all of us. But, perhaps increasingly so, we would want to respond in the same way as the crowd. Fight fire with fire. Or, maybe we would just want to watch Paul from afar and see this lion of the faith really whip the crowd and lash out at them with the word of God. He could say the things we really wanted to say but were afraid to. And he could be the whipping boy for us, too. Maybe we think Paul should be a little more amped up, full of outrage, escalate rather than conciliate. We are also tempted to strive with men. But do we battle against flesh and blood?

Paul hushed them as he told how Jesus appeared to him and changed him. Paul was not trying to defend himself, he was pointing them to Christ. Above all, Paul wanted to share Jesus with his enemies. Should we not do the same?

The crowd listened quietly until Paul relayed the words Christ spoke to him. "And he said to me, 'Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles' (21:21)." His soft answer had turned away wrath, but only for so long. "Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, 'Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live'" (21:22). They proved their sincerity by "shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air" (21:23). Murder for taking the message of God to Gentiles? Who are the hated in our country? Would we go to them? Would we dare to take Christ to those whom everyone hates? Or have we been suckered into hating them as well?

The Romans stepped in once again, but this time, "the tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, saying that he should be examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this" (v. 24). Why tear the flesh off his back? Why not just ask him? Paul definitely was not in America (though you may fear this is coming soon). It was finally time to appeal to his rights. "Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned (21:26)?" You know there was a horrified look on every face in the room; you could hear a pin drop. The hardened soldiers who had pushed Paul around and laid hands on him were quickly shaking with fear.

Yet Paul, now having the upper hand, did not excoriate them. Instead of stating, "How dare you violate my rights as a Roman citizen!" Paul asked a question again. Why did he seem to let his rights get trampled up to that point? What could be more important to Paul than defending himself, demanding his rights, or dodging danger? Testifying to the gospel was more important. Paul was so full of the Spirit that the gospel oozed out every time he was squeezed. What comes out when you are squeezed?

How should we engage an irate culture, an at times an irrational culture, a murderous culture, a lying culture? How should we speak when our rights are violated, when our way of life or comfort is threatened? Why would we give a soft answer when it does not always turn away wrath?

Don't take up the same weapons as the world. Don't take up their ways. Don't listen to rallying cries from pundits and pulpits which wants to convince you that "If we don't do something fast, Christianity will be outlawed in this country. If we don't act now, the tide of immorality will snuff out the influence of Christianity. We must act now to stop the tide by whatever means!"

There is only one means. There is only one message. The gospel alone transforms corrupt and lecherous cultures. When we engage our culture, we must share the gospel with her in the most winsome way that we can, with a soft answer, despite the world of wrath.

Will you let the gospel soften your heart and your lips?