Acts 24:1-9, Paul Is Accused in the Court of Felix

1Five days later Ananias the high priest, together with some of their leaders and a lawyer named Tertullus, went to the governor to present their case against Paul. 2So Paul was called in, and Tertullus stated the case against him: Honorable Felix, you have brought our people a long period of peace, and because of your concern our nation is much better off. 3All of us are always grateful for what you have done. 4I don't want to bother you, but please be patient with us and listen to me for just a few minutes.


5This man has been found to be a real pest and troublemaker for Jews all over the world. He is also a leader of a group called Nazarenes. 6-8When he tried to disgrace the temple, we arrested him. If you question him, you will find out for yourself that our charges are true. 9The Jewish crowd spoke up and agreed with what Tertullus had said.

A "pest and a troublemaker". So now, that's the standard for getting rid of people? By that standard we would all be wandering in the wilderness...or be in jail.

I understand the revolutionary nature of Paul's message. It still doesn't justify the reactionary response from the religious leaders. Actually, I take that back. Paul's message wasn't at all revolutionary. The entire Jewish nation was waiting for Messiah. That wasn't revolutionary. The only dispute concerned the individual that Paul was proclaiming. This could be a major point of contention but...it certainly wasn't a revolutionary claim.

Unless...all these religious leaders didn't really believe a Messiah was coming and only used this hope to maintain political power.

Think about this. The only thing these religious leaders had to lose, if Paul was right, was their power over the people. They were highly motivated to reject anybody's claim. They had much to gain by loudly proclaiming a future Messiah but keeping the message futuristic. This way they could influence the people in a powerful way.

It's been said..."follow the money, follow the power".

When we find ourselves overreacting to things we might want to take a look in the mirror. What vulnerability are we feeling? What are we trying to preserve? The Body of Christ is built on tradition, but it is not stuck in the past.

God is always moving and movement creates change. If I react harshly against change I could very well be reacting against the movement of the Holy Spirit in my midst.

I'm just saying...

Live boldly out there today...