Verse 21:13 has Paul seeming almost prideful, but is more
living by example and not by words:
Paul: 13 Please,
you’re breaking my heart with your tears! I know exactly what I’m doing.
I’m fully prepared to be bound, and more—to die for the name of Jesus, the
King.
Paul is nearing the end of his ministry which he gets to
enjoy the blessings of God and retire to play golf in Boca. No he is preparing
to suffer and die as Jesus did. The Bible says more about Christians suffering
in the name of Jesus and being blessed in heaven than praying in His name to
get stuff here on earth. I think we need to be prepared for a rough road
especially as the “end times” are approaching. As we study Revelations we will
see the “rapture” is a false doctrine and we will suffer here on earth. Paul is
preparing us for the tough times ahead.
Verse 22:4 has Paul appealing to the angry mob:
I
encountered a movement known as the Way, and I considered it a threat
to our religion, so I persecuted it violently. I put both men and women in
chains, had them imprisoned, and would have killed them—
During this appeal he is giving “his story” on how he
actually pursued people like him and tried to show the people that they were
wrong. Unfortunately, they did not have the same experience he had on the road
to Damascus. Because in verse 22:21 he mentioned “outsiders” and this had a
response in Verse 22:22 of anger:
22 They were
listening quietly up until he mentioned the outsiders.
Crowd (shouting): Away
with him! Such a man can’t be allowed to remain here. Kill him! He must die!
Suddenly this group of “chosen people” found out Jesus was
for everyone and not just them and it ticked them off. I thank God for opening
the door for everyone and not just the Jews. It still required faith and
belief, but it’s not a works system or other method to reach God. That is the
beauty of our faith, it’s free and has nothing to do with us.
Through this battle Paul is trying to save his skin by
making sure they realize he is a citizen of Rome and therefore could not be
flogged or killed without legal justification. The chapter ends with 22:30
where he is brought before the priests:
He still needed to conduct an
investigation to uncover the Jews’ accusations against Paul. So the next day,
he removed the ties on Paul and called a meeting with the chief priests and
council of elders. He brought Paul in and had him stand before the group.
As they use to say on TV, “stay tuned” and find out
Paul’s fate. “Same bat time, same bat channel” … at least I hope to regain
consistency as we settle in after our move.