A lion, a fox, an a hyena were moving through the jungle collecting their
dinner. When they were done they had gotten a large pile of animals. The
lion said to the hyena, "Why don't you go over and divide the pile into three
equal parts." The hungry hyena said, "Sure." He quickly separated the dead
animals in three equal piles. Immediately the lion sprung to his feet, and
pounced on the hyena, and killed him. He then put the three piles back
together, and threw the hyena on top. Then he said to the fox, "Why don't you
go over and divide the pile into two equal parts." The fox shuffled over and
pulled out a crow and made that his pile, and he left all the rest for the
lion. The lion smiled and said, "Mr. fox, how did you learn to divide so
equally?" The fox answered, "The hyena taught me.
Learning can take place fast with the proper motivation. The Bible says
that Satan goes about like a roaring lion seeking who he may devour. The wise
man learns fast that you don't eat this lion, or you will soon be a part of
the menu. But Satan is not the only lion in the Bible. In Rev. 5:5 Jesus is
called Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Paul learned fast that here is another
lion you don't mess with. Jesus sprung on Paul on the road to Damascus,
and He knocked him to the ground, blinded. Paul was persecuting his people,
and Jesus took it personal, just like a mother lion if someone is hurting her
cubs.
The paradoxical difference in these two lions is that the goal of one is
to devour, and the goal of the other is to deliver. The Lion of the Tribe of
Judah attacked Saul of Tarsus and delivered him from a life of bondage to law,
and made him Paul the Apostle of liberty, with a Gospel of freedom and life
for all men. It was not the lion's bite, but the lion's light that penetrated
Paul, and made him a reflector of that light. This lion, and his prey, became
the awesome twosome who together made Christianity a world wide movement that
broke down the walls between Jews and Gentiles.
Paul was no lion tamer, but he had the paradoxical experience of being
tamed by this Lion of heaven, who was king, not of the jungle only, but of the
universe. Jesus became Paul's Lord and King, and from his conversion on, Paul
was a man with one priority-to do his Master's will. But what we want to see
is that being lion-tamed, that is under the Lordship of Christ, does not mean
one is robbed of their individuality and uniqueness. Paul, as a Christian,
was still a very complex man with a great deal of variety about him.
He is different from any of the other Apostles. The more we study him, the
more we will see he is the product of two worlds. He has both a strong Jewish
background, and a strong Gentile background. He is a hybrid, and brings
together in one personality some radical differences.
Paul took seriously the obviously impossible goal of being all things to
all men. The result is, he had the potential for pleasing everybody, but also
for aggravating everybody ,and Paul was quite good at both. As far as I can
weigh the evidence, he was the most wanted man in the New Testament-dead or
alive. There were more plots to kill Paul than there was against Jesus, and
all of the other Apostles put together. Paul made more people angry then any
other New Testament personality. He was the most criticized by non-Christians
and by Christians alike. He has been the most controversial man of the New
Testament throughout history, and still is today. People love him or hate
him, and sometimes it is the same people, for Paul can be so loving and yet so
demanding.
James S. Stewart, the great preacher, said, "Paul can contradict himself,
can land himself at times in hopeless antinomy, can leap without warning from
one point of view to another totally different, can say in the same breath,
work out your own salvation, and it is God working in you, but through it all
and beneath it all there is a living unity and a supreme consistency...." His
consistency is that he was following his Lord, for Jesus was also a
paradoxical personality. Jesus said such things as, to save our life we must
lose it, to live we must die. Paul says, to conquer we must surrender. Jesus
says, to be exalted we must be humble. Paul says, to be wise we must become
fools. Jesus said, to be first we must be last. Paul said, to be strong we
must be weak. Paul said we are to have the mind of Christ in us, and he
certainly did. He was Lion-tamed, and trained to think like his Lord.
William Wilkinson writes, "Paul, like his Lord, was found of paradoxes,
and like his Lord he presented in himself a miracle of paradoxes reconciled."
In our text, and in the context, we see in Paul a man of unbelievable
stubbornness and unbeatable flexibility. He could be as hard as nails, and as
soft as putty. When it came to his goal there was no compromise, but when it
came to means toward a goal Paul was open to compromise. If we could be like
Paul, we could stand fast, and yet bend at the right time, so as to be more
effective in being a tool for the kingdom of God. Let's examine the two sides
of this particular paradox in Paul, and see if we can learn something about
being both stubborn and flexible. First let's look at-
I. PAUL'S DEMONSTRATION OF INFLEXIBILITY.
Verse 17 simply states that Paul arrived in Jerusalem. That sounds
innocent enough until you go back and see that Paul, in his determination to
reach Jerusalem, defied most all of the steps for knowing the will of God. He
rejected the counsel, advice, and warnings of just about everybody who cared
about him. Paul smashed through more road blocks to get to Jerusalem that he
did to get anywhere else in his world wide travels. He was like a man
obsessed. He would let no one hinder him in reaching this destination. It
was Jerusalem or bust for Paul, and he meant it.
Everybody else saw Paul on a collision course with his deadly opponents
among the Jews. It was like watching him play chicken, and as the two
vehicles raced toward each other, they warn Paul to pull off and save
yourself! But Paul never flinched, but like his Lord before him, he set his
face steadfastly for Jerusalem. Look at the obstacles he plowed through to
get there. In verse 4 of chapter 21 it says, "Finding the disciples there,
we stayed with them 7 days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go onto Jerusalem."
But Paul said good-bye and headed on to Jerusalem. Then in
verses 10 to 11,it says a prophet named Agabus bound his hands and feet with
Paul's belt and said, "This is what the Jews will do to Paul if he goes to
Jerusalem." It was a prophecy right from the Spirit of God, and everyone else
was persuaded that Paul needed to change his course. Then in verse 12 we
read, "When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go
up to Jerusalem."
Paul just said that he was ready to die if need be, but he was not going
to turn back. They argued with Paul, but he was so absolutely determined that
they just gave up. Everybody gave up on Paul, for nothing could change his
mind. He would not listen to anybody. When Dr. Luke says we pleaded with
him, he was including himself, and so all of Paul's best friends were all
convinced he was making a mistake. Red lights were flashing everywhere, but
all Paul could see was green, and he was ready to go. He was marching to a
different drummer, and was as stubborn as any saint has ever been. All his
friends were like gnats trying to stop a run away locomotive. Their efforts
were all in vain, and Paul went on to Jerusalem.
Paul was as mule-headed as anybody in history. There are some who match
him, however. Colonel Thomas Butler Jr., the Revolutionary War hero is an
example. He fought in many major battles, and Washington used him for special
assignments. When Thomas Jefferson became president, he made a new rule that
American soldiers could no longer wear pigtails. For over a century it had
been a custom for military men to wear a braid of long hair down their back,
usually tied with a ribbon. Now they were to be cut off. It had nothing to do
with our feelings about being feminine. Jefferson wanted no badges of
aristocracy, and the monarchy of the past.
Men of all ranks complained bitterly as their locks were shorn. It made
them feel like convicts, but they had no choice. With one exception, Colonel
Butler, they all obeyed. Because of his great service to his country, the
touchy issue was avoided for two years by his commanding officer. But then
they got into an argument, and the General ordered him to cut it off. He
refused and was arrested, and was taken to trial in 1803. After 6 months in
prison the General offered to release him if he would obey the order. He said
he would not do so, and appealed to Andrew Jackson, and got a petition going
which was signed by prominent citizens. The General countered with a court
martial. But before the papers reached him, Colonel Butler died of yellow
fever. He knew his end was near, and so had his friends prepare his coffin
with a hole board through the coffin right under his head, so that at his
military funeral his pigtail could hang out for all to see that even while
dead he was defying that order.
Now, that was stubborn, but history is filled with stubborn people.
Sometimes they are a pain, but sometimes they are also a key to progress, just
as Paul was the key to his being a witness for Christ to all the world. Look
at key people in the history of any field, and you will see a stubborn
determination to reach some goal.
Irving Berlin has been called the father of American music. His,
Alexander's Ragtime Band circled the world. Back in 1895 this 7 year old
refugee, son of a Jewish Rabbi, was on his first job selling papers on the
East side of New York. He made 5 pennies, and when he stopped to watch a
merchant ship being loaded, a crane caught him and knocked him into the East
River. Some nameless Irish warf rat dove in to save him. They got him to a
nearby hospital and pumped a considerable portion of the East River out of
him. The intern who did it noted this interesting detail: Even though he was
rescued just as he was going down for the third time, his right hand still
clutched all five of those pennies-the first he had ever earned. It was
prophetic, for this poor little kid was determined to make it in America, and
he did. The day would come when he would give a check for half a million to
the Emergency Relief Fund. He held on to his dream, and would not let go, but
persevered toward his goal.
Time does not permit, but I assure you that there are numerous true
stories of how determined people have changed the world. It is a principle
that works for the kingdom of darkness as well as the kingdom of light. You
can't even be effective in evil without determination. Al Capone was
successful as a criminal. He said there are three rules of success. The
first is, you always smile; the second is, you always carry a gun; and the
third is, you always stick with the plan. If you have to give one up, give up
the smile. If you have to give up two, give up the gun, but you never give up
the plan. He was right. He applied it wrong, but it is still true, and that
is what we see in Paul-he never gave up the plan. Nothing, or nobody, could
dissuaded him, for he knew he was fulfilling God's plan.
In chapter 20 verses 22-24 Paul spells it out clearly as to why he was so
stubbornly persistent in going to Jerusalem. He says, "And now, compelled by
the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.
I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and
hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if
only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me
the task of testifying to the Gospel of God's grace." Paul kept pressing on
because he was bitten and smitten by the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, and
nothing but death could stop him from doing what he was captured to do. Paul
was a man of stubborn determination, and his arrival in Jerusalem was a
demonstration of his inflexibility. Now, in this very context we see an example
of just the opposite-we see,
II. PAUL'S DEMONSTRATION OF FLEXIBILITY.
When Paul got to Jerusalem, he found a problem waiting for him. False
rumor that he was anti-Moses, and thus, anti-Jewish, had preceded him. This
was not a healthy reputation to have in Jerusalem. The leaders of the church
were concerned, and they had worked out a plan whereby Paul could make clear
that the rumors were lies. All Paul had to do was to get directly involved in
a strong Jewish custom relating to vows and purification. This would take him
to the Temple, and give the Jews a live demonstration that he was pro-Jewish,
and not against the customs of Israel.
Paul did not raise one word of objection to this plan, but went along
with it in full cooperation to try and bring peace, and prevent a division
between the Jewish and Gentile church. Now Paul would never impose this
Jewish custom on the Gentiles. It had nothing to do with salvation, and there
were other far more simple ways for Gentiles to be forgiven and purified
without all of this legalistic ceremonialism. But for the Jewish Christians
who still loved their heritage, this was the way they did things. Paul was
not interested in trying to change their customs, and make them forsake their
cultural heritage. As long as Jewish Christians did not consider their
customs essential to their salvation, Paul could go along with them. It is no
part of the Gospel to tamper with cultural issues and customs that people
practice, that are not immoral.
Compromise and flexibility on non-essentials is the essence of all
positive human relationships. If you are not flexible with friends, mates,
and associates in all walks of life you will lose those relationships. No two
people agree on everything. There has to be a point where you give in and
compromise, and let them have their way and say. To be stubborn and
inflexible, demanding your own way as the only way at all times, spells the
doom of any relationship. C. G. Jung said, "You can exert no influence if you
are not susceptible to influence." In other words, if you are never open to
any values in the lives of others, you cannot expect others to be open to your
values. Flexibility is the key to making any relationship work. Paul not
only knew this, he was the expert in its application. He knew how to be all
things to all men. He could bend and compromise on all sorts of personal and
cultural issues that had nothing to do with God's revealed will.
In dealing with some of the controversial issues that divided Christians
in his day, such as food offered to idols, vegetarianism, and the observance
of special days, Paul wrote to the Romans in chapter 14:5, and was so flexible
he could be on both sides, and he concludes, "Each one should be fully
convinced in his own mind." Paul did not take a stubborn stand on every issue
and say, this is the way and there is no other. Paul was stubborn, however,
in opposing those who had that sort of spirit. The Judaisers said the Gentile
Christians must be circumcised to be truly Christian. There was no compromise
for Paul on this issue. He fought this legalistic requirement as a rejection
of salvation by grace. Paul said to forget circumcision, for it is no longer
an issue. I Cor. 7:19 he wrote,
"Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's
commands is what counts." In Gal. 5:6 he wrote, "For in Christ Jesus neither
circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is
faith expressing itself through love." Paul was stubborn on this issue, and
refused to give an inch.
Paul said that circumcision is nothing, but also that uncircumcision is
nothing. There was no superiority in not being circumcised either, and so
Paul could be flexible in this very area where he was so stubborn. Paul did
not fight Jewish Christians in getting circumcised. That was their business,
and he accepted it. In Acts 16 he found the godly young man named Timothy,
and he desired to take him along on his journey. Verse 3 says, "So he
circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew
his father was a Greek." Did Paul compromise here? Of course he did, and it
was a brilliant strategy, for it prevented unnecessary controversy and
friction, and it led to strengthening the churches.
Paul did not circumcise Timothy out of any conviction that it was
necessary, but rather, as a flexible bending to the cultural circumstances.
It gave Timothy the freedom to minister with full acceptance where he
otherwise might be rejected. It was a cultural issue, and not a theological
issue, and Paul was flexible on such issues. That is why we see Paul involved
in what, to our Gentile mind, seems like much ado about nothing. It is
ritualistic and ceremonial, and smacks too much of the Old Testament law to
have any appeal to us. But Paul is not trying to teach us, or anybody else,
that ceremonial purification is of any value. What he is teaching us, by these
actions, is that the most stubborn saint alive, when it comes to determination
to do the revealed will of God, must be flexible in areas of life that are
merely cultural. The Christian who cares his stubborn theological convictions
over into cultural convictions is guilty of the idolatry of his own opinions.
The reason Paul could survive the storms that hit the early church was
because he was a paradoxical combination of stability and flexibility.
Tornadoes will sweep away that which is not deeply rooted, and also that which
is rigid. That is why the tree is the best survivor. It is deeply rooted, yet
also flexible, and able to bend a great deal without breaking. This
combination is what made Paul the key tool God needed to establish the Gentile
church, and yet, keep peace with the Jewish church. He was both rooted in
God's principles, and yet flexible to bend with the cultural winds that sweep
over the church. He was both a man of conviction, and a man of compromise.
To think it is a virtue to be stubborn on everything is to be like the
man who lay in the ditch paralyzed, who kept saying, "But I had the right of
way. I had the right of way." So what! There are situations in life where
you forget your rights, and bend to avoid an accident, or, you bend to avoid a
war, or some unnecessary suffering that can be prevented by a little self-
denial. The stupidity of stubbornness on the wrong issues is illustrated in
an old Marx Brothers film. They are searching for a lost work of art. Grocho
is convinced the picture is hidden in the house next door. But Chico points
out that there is no house next door. Not to be deterred, Grocho responds,
"Then we will build one." Determination to support one's own theory in spite
of the facts, is no virtue. Such determination is not only dumb, it can be
deadly. General Custer was determined to solve a problem even when all the
evidence indicated it was a hopeless case. He rode into Little Big Horn with
the seventh cavalry so outnumbered they were wiped out in 18 minutes. This
was dangerous and detrimental determination.
Paul was willing to die to do the will of God, but he was equally
determined to live at peace with all men, so far as it was in his power. He
also knew when to run, and we find him sometimes fleeing from his foes in the
middle of the night, and not stubbornly confronting his foes. Paul was not
stupidly stubborn, but fantastically flexible in his response to life's
obstacles.
The point of all this is that Paul's paradoxical personality is the key
to his being able to be Christlike, and it is like wise a key for us to be
like our Lord. Without the balance of forceful conviction and flexible
compromise, no Christian can be the tool God needs in every situation.
There is a time to be stubborn, and not let even those who love you most
stop you from going the direction God is calling.
There are destinations we must be determined to reach whatever the cost. But
there is also a time to be flexible, and to eat with the publicans and
sinners, or even the self- righteous Pharisees. Being paradoxical can get you
into a lot of trouble, just as it did Jesus and Paul, but it also makes you
the tool God can use most effectively, for being Christlike means to have a
paradoxical personality.
