BibleProject | Upside-Down Kingdom / Part 2 - ActsSample

As Paul continues to make his way to Jerusalem, he stops along the way to visit the growing community of Jesus followers. They all learn about his intent to enter the capital city and are quick to argue against it. They beg him not to go, convinced that if he does, he’ll be imprisoned or killed. But Paul is ready to die for what he believes, and so he continues forward. When he arrives in Jerusalem, he practices Jewish traditions that help others see that he is not anti-Jewish. He is, in fact, a devout Jew who loves the God of his fathers and would lay down his life for his fellow Jew. But the Jews only see Paul’s scandalous association with non-Jews. They reject Paul’s message, kick him out of the temple, and begin to beat him to death. 

The Romans receive word that things are getting out of hand in Jerusalem and arrive just in time to stop Paul’s beating from becoming fatal. Paul is led away from the violent mob, and he convinces the commander to give him a chance to address his persecutors. Still bruised and bloody from the beating, Paul manages to stand and boldly share his story. He speaks up in a Hebrew dialect to persuade and identify with the very people who are seeking to end his life. They listen to every detail until he begins to speak about God’s desire to include the Gentiles (non-Jews) in his redemption plan. At this, the crowd immediately begins screaming death threats against Paul. It’s mayhem, and the Roman commander can’t understand why the Jews would be so enraged at Paul for talking about Gentiles. So the commander figures there must be more to the story and that further torture could force it out of him. But Paul stops the unlawful treatment against him by revealing that he is a Roman citizen. The commander realizes he could get in trouble for harming a Roman, so Paul is quickly released from custody and escorted to a hearing where he can make his case before the religious leaders who accused him. 

Read, Reflect, and Respond:

• Review Paul’s defense before the angry Jewish crowd (see Acts 22:1-21). What do you notice? How does Paul identify with his persecutors? How can you identify with your enemies? 
• Paul went from persecuting people for following Jesus to persuading people to follow Jesus. Have you ever met such a radically transformed person? If so, who can you share that redemptive story with today?
• Turn your reading and reflections into a prayer. Express your gratitude to Jesus for his commitment to spread the good news to all people. Humble yourself to identify with the people who mistreat you, and ask God to radically change the hearts and minds of your enemies.