PAUL WAS HUMAN
Acts 23:1-5 NKJV
23 Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, “Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.” 2 And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?” 4 And those who stood by said, “Do you revile God’s high priest?” 5 Then Paul said, “I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ ”
I have been so impressed with the apostle Paul as a man of great courage and conviction. He was not a self-promoter or a hype guy. He was a man committed to fulfilling what God had called him to do. He was a man with little regard for his own comfort or safety. He was a very spiritual man. And he was very human.
Paul is standing before a council of Jewish leaders called the Sanhedrin. These were not the Jews who had converted to Christianity but rather the old guard who still clung to the law of Moses and adamantly opposed the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul states that he has lived in good conscience before God. As a side note, Paul is living completely free from his past life before he came to Christ. Even though he had done damage to the early Church, Paul understood that in Christ, old things had passed away, and all things had become new.
However, the high priest Ananias was not impressed and gave the command to hit Paul in the mouth. And we see a great example of Paul’s humanity. He looked at the high priest and declared that God was going to strike him. He called the man a whitewashed wall. I am not sure how derogatory that term was. As trash talk goes, it seems minor. But it’s easy to see that Paul was ticked off. Paul knew Jewish law, and the high priest had violated Jewish law by commanding Paul to be hit in the mouth. But what happens next is telling.
People standing near Paul asked if he was reviling the high priest. And instead of Paul defiantly sticking to his position, he backed up. Paul did not know that the whitewashed wall was the high priest. And then, he adjusts his stance in what appears to be a semi-apology. Paul, in essence, retracted his comment on the basis of Scripture. “You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people” was a quote from Exodus 22:28. Even though this ruler had done wrong, Paul lived under the dictates of Scripture even though he suffered personal harm.
So, in my book, Paul still shines as a great example. Human, yes. But a great example of a man who was willing to adjust to Scripture.
APPLICATION
There are some great lessons we can learn from this brief example.
We all have feelings and emotions. The goal is to not allow the feelings and emotions to dictate our actions. The scriptures, it is written should be our guide and constraint.
Now, you are going to love this one, but we ought not to speak evil of a ruler of our people. This principle is seen in the Old Testament and the New Testament. We are to pray for our leaders, not speak evil of them. This does not mean we agree with what they do or like their decisions. Paul did not like what the high priest did. But Paul recognized his role was to obey the Lord and what was written. Our role is to pray for those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-3), not curse those in authority. The higher authority we answer to is the Lord, and we want to do what is pleasing in His sight.
PRAYER
Lord, I pray for those in natural authority in our nation, state, and local governments. I also pray for those You have placed in spiritual authority. May Your will be done in our land.