Whenever I read the story in the book of Acts concerning the apostle Paul’s arrest, imprisonment and legal hearings, I am struck by his appeal to Caesar and the mention, at the conclusion of chapter 26, that he could have been set free if he hadn’t claimed this right. As a Roman citizen, Paul had the privilege of being able to make this appeal to the emperor, although one might think of this act as the ‘nuclear’ option. That said, it seems clear that he had no other way to go, as he knew that the Jews were bent on killing him.
Jurisdiction
Having initially been delivered to Caesarea by a substantial military guard for his protection, it would make no sense to allow himself to be returned with less security and thereby liable to be ambushed and murdered, or to face a prejudicial hearing and receive the punishment that the Jews wanted. Perhaps Paul was mindful of what had happened to another innocent man whom the Jewish authorities took against. However, his decision to appeal to the emperor was very much a one-way street, meaning that the lower court lost all legal jurisdiction and was no longer able to acquit, condemn or release him. From that point on, their clear duty was to see him safely delivered to Rome for the emperor’s decision about his case.
Unknown
From the point of his initial arrest in Jerusalem (Acts 22:33), Paul was never again to be a free man, although he did enjoy a degree of autonomy whilst in Rome, being allowed to live in his own house but with a soldier to guard him. All of these circumstances appear to us as negative, totally undesirable. The appeal to Caesar in itself was a commitment to the unknown – how would he be treated in the meantime, what awaited him in Rome, how long would this all take before there was an outcome, would the emperor be lenient, or even be capable of understanding Paul’s case? Were we to find ourselves in circumstances that in any way reflected Paul’s, we would be horrified. And yet these were not beyond God’s plan for Paul, or for the church.
Bequest
We have available to us what are known as the Prison Epistles; those written by Paul during the time of his incarceration. I suggest that our Bibles might include none of these had Paul been free to visit the churches and speak to them directly. These books are ones that we value highly: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon. Paul bequeathed us some very important theological documents, precisely due to his finding himself in the circumstances that he endured. This, of course, is apart from his being able to spend a significant time ministering in Rome, as he had long wanted to do. And, as an aside, we might also recall that he had the opportunity to demonstrate his Kingdom authority while en route to Rome.
Responses
As humans, we are inclined to be driven by our circumstances, much like the ship that Paul embarked upon on his journey to Italy. Everything appeared to be favourable as they left port, but they soon found themselves in trouble, with the wind and waves against them (Acts 27). The soldiers and sailors were terrified, fearing for their lives, but we see no sign of this from Paul; he continued to look to God and, as a result, was able to reassure his shipmates that their lives were going to be spared. I wonder if we even dare to ask ourselves how we might react in similar circumstances. So often we face minor difficulties in comparison, and easily succumb to doubt and fear, responding emotionally.
Solidity
The events that we encounter can be very minor, and yet cause us to let go of our assurance of faith. Maybe the car breaks down, or simply refuses to start. Perhaps we find our income put at risk, or the new home that we aspire to become no longer within reach. Maybe someone lets us down, and we resort to being deeply hurt. There are so many obstacles that come our way over time, maybe normal everyday ones, but perhaps these have arisen as part of God’s purpose for us. Not necessarily to bring about a change of trajectory as with Paul’s appeal to the emperor, but perhaps for our immediate personal benefit that we might learn to trust him, or at least to teach us to rein in our emotions and be more ready to seek and hear God in the midst of adversity. Paul could well have given way to the fear that would be the usual, and totally understandable, human reaction to a fierce storm at sea, but that wasn’t his response; he looked away from the instability of his circumstances to that which is eternally stable. Physically, he was on the high seas, but he looked to the solid rock (Psalm 18:2; 62:5,6).
Exceptions
As Christians, we are no less human than anyone else; we are emotional beings. Many will consider that Paul’s response to his circumstance was unnatural, maybe even saintly. Yes, Paul had a special calling from God, but anything exceptional about his response to circumstances was down to his belief in God and his willingness to trust him – and these are things that we are called to in just the same way as Paul. He was exceptional in his circumstances, but in other respects no different to you and me. We are each confronted with choices, probably daily, where we get to choose how we will react; whether or not we will believe and trust God, and respond accordingly. Our humanity is no excuse for a lack of faithfulness.
Decision
I encourage you to decide now how you will respond when the tide turns against you, and then to act upon that decision.
Do you know in your heart that you can trust God in ALL circumstances? It is one thing to be able to quote verses, such as 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”, or Romans 8:28: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”, but trust isn’t about Bible verses, it is firmly rooted in relationship – the intimacy of our relationship with God. Of course, it is good to know those Biblical declarations and to believe them, but they only tell us about God; they will not stand apart from our personal walk with him.
Laxity
The bottom line is that we cannot walk a Christian life on the cheap. Obviously, we may decide to neglect the things that we should be doing, such as reading the Bible, spending time in prayer and meeting together in fellowship with other Christians (Hebrews 10:24,25), but if we persist in such laxity, then we cannot expect to be equipped to stand firm in whatever storms assail us. Such equipping is spiritual; it is the fruit that grows upon a spiritual plant that has spiritual roots, feeding upon the intimacy of our relationship with God.
.
Please use the Leave a Reply form below to subscribe to receive weekly email notifications and links to the latest BLOG topic. Include “SUBSCRIBE” in the Comment field.
.