Acts 22
1“Brothers and esteemed fathers,” Paul said, “listen to me as I offer my defense.” 2When they heard him speaking in their own language, [Greek in Aramaic.] the silence was even greater. 3“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. At his feet I learned to follow our Jewish laws and customs very carefully. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just as all of you are today. 4And I persecuted the followers of the Way, hounding some to death, binding and delivering both men and women to prison. 5The high priest and the whole council of leaders can testify that this is so. For I received letters from them to our Jewish brothers in Damascus, authorizing me to bring the Christians from there to Jerusalem, in chains, to be punished.
6“As I was on the road, nearing Damascus, about noon a very bright light from heaven suddenly shone around me. 7I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
8“‘Who are you, sir?’ I asked. And he replied, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, the one you are persecuting.’ 9The people with me saw the light but didn’t hear the voice.
10“I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that you are to do.’
11“I was blinded by the intense light and had to be led into Damascus by my companions. 12A man named Ananias lived there. He was a godly man in his devotion to the law, and he was well thought of by all the Jews of Damascus. 13He came to me and stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And that very hour I could see him!
14“Then he told me, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and hear him speak. 15You are to take his message everywhere, telling the whole world what you have seen and heard. 16And now, why delay? Get up and be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on the name of the Lord.’
17“One day after I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the Temple, and I fell into a trance. 18I saw a vision of Jesus saying to me, ‘Hurry! Leave Jerusalem, for the people here won’t believe you when you give them your testimony about me.’
19“‘But Lord,’ I argued, ‘they certainly know that I imprisoned and beat those in every synagogue who believed on you. 20And when your witness Stephen was killed, I was standing there agreeing. I kept the coats they laid aside as they stoned him.’
21“But the Lord said to me, ‘Leave Jerusalem, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!’”
22The crowd listened until Paul came to that word; then with one voice they shouted, “Away with such a fellow! Kill him! He isn’t fit to live!” 23They yelled, threw off their coats, and tossed handfuls of dust into the air.
(Acts 22:1-22, NLT)
The Daily DAVEotional
Have you heard about this “One Word for your New Year” idea that has gained popularity in recent years?
The idea is to pick one word that you want to be the theme for the upcoming year. For example, you might choose “healthy” if you want to lose weight, develop better eating habits, or get in shape. Or you might choose the word “simplify” if you want to declutter or downsize your current living situation.
Whatever the word, the thought is that this one word could help to give focus and discipline to your lifestyle choices for the year, which hopefully result in some positive outcomes.
Some people swear by it, but I’m not so sure its effect is any different than just making a traditional New Year’s resolution. Still, I think any tool or resource that motivates a person to make consistently positive life choices is a good thing. (Click here to see a blog post that explains the concept in more detail)
In this chapter of Acts though, we encounter a slightly different take on the ONE word effect.
Paul has just been falsely arrested by his Jewish compatriots for defiling the Temple. Before he’s hauled off to face the Jewish high council, Paul makes a public defense to the crowd, in which he shares about his personal encounter with Jesus, who has selected him to be His missionary agent to the GENTILES.
Everything seems to be going well, until Paul reaches that ONE WORD – GENTILE!
Paul is talking to a Jewish audience, which is mostly attentive, listening to him explain his previous life as a traveling henchman for the Jewish High Council before experiencing a divine encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus. When Paul reveals to the crowd that part of God’s master plan is to send Paul to GENTILES so that they too can be saved, his audience loses it, instantly turning into a violent mob.
Can you imagine a group of people becoming uncontrollably triggered over the utterance of just one word? It seems preposterous.
Except that this kind of response is so commonplace today that we hardly notice it anymore. People are triggered by all kinds of words, including racial and political descriptors. Politically, many people on the right are triggered by words and phrases that describe people on the left.
Likewise, many people on the left are triggered by words and ideas that represent people on the right.
In our current cultural environment, outrage and anger isn’t limited to different political beliefs but extends to racial divisions as well.
The truth is that many people in Paul’s day were racist, including many Jews. And people today are no better. Despite what you may have been told or led to believe, we still live in a country full of bigots and racists. That’s because we live in a country full of PEOPLE. And people are all still just as sinful today as they were in the New Testament times.
But haven’t we progressed as a society? I don’t think so. Yes, our laws have eliminated the most egregious and obvious racist and discriminatory acts, which is obviously a good thing. But racism and bigotry as a heart condition certainly persist and that is clearly evident from the events of the last few years. It turns out that the Bible once again is true – making laws to legislate behavior doesn’t actually change people’s hearts. Only Jesus can do that.
So the challenge I’m giving myself and invite you to as well is to pick ONE WORD for 2024. But rather than picking a word that might define a theme for your year, pick the one word that is most likely to send you over the top in anger or frustration. Ask yourself what is it about that word that sets you off so much? Then invite the Holy Spirit to empower you to love any person or group who might be characterized by that word. After all, Jesus died for them just as He died for you. And “those people” have infinite value in the eyes of God, just as you and I do.
Reflection
What do you think are some reasons why people get so upset when they encounter certain words, phrases or ideas?
What is your “Gentile” word – the one word that provokes the most frustration and anger?
What do you think are the reasons this word provokes you so much?
What steps can you take to allow the Holy Spirit to initiate a heart change in you regarding your attitude toward people who may be categorized by your “one word”?
Photo by Dave Lowe
The Lowedown 