The Trial Of A Preacher Series

Introduction

Have you ever faced a hostile crowd?

I am not talking about your children who suddenly turned on you when you told them that it was time to go to bed.

No, I am talking about facing a hostile crowd that wants to hurt you.

I have faced such a hostile crowd.

It happened during my winter break from studies at the University of Cape Town.

My Dad said there was a rugby match the next day between the miners of the gold mine where my Dad worked and a nearby gold mine.

Dad was aware that the referee was unavailable to referee the rugby match, and so he asked if I would do it.

“Sure!” I said.

After all, I was fit and knew the rules of rugby.

The next day, I arrived at the local rugby field with my whistle in hand.

The two teams were there, along with about 1,000 spectators.

Since there were no seats, the spectators—who were primarily men—stood around the sidelines to watch the game and support their team.

The spectators were roughly evenly divided in their support for their team.

The game got underway, and the team from my Dad’s goldmine was thrashing the other team.

At halftime, the score was about 30-0.

During the second half of the game, my Dad’s team kept scoring.

Finally, towards the end of the game, the opposing team managed an excellent drive and, with a flagrant forward-pass infraction, thought that they had scored a try.

I blew the whistle to signal not the try but the forward-pass infraction.

The opposing team was furious.

They moved menacingly towards me and shouted that it was a try.

I insisted that it was a forward-pass infraction.

Of course, at this point in the game, they were not going to win. I am sure they were trying to salvage some pride.

Things got really tense as I stood my ground and they stood theirs.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I could see the spectators from the opposing team walk onto the field in my direction.

What was I to do?

Should I stand on principle?

The players and the spectators were getting more hostile by the moment.

I did think about running!

I was pretty fast, and I hoped I could outrun them.

Thankfully, just then, the captain of my Dad’s team—seeing the crowd become ever more hostile towards me—said, “Just give them the try!”

I happily awarded the try, and the game ended soon after that.

So, I faced a hostile crowd, and I was just refereeing a rugby game!

The Apostle Paul faced a hostile crowd, and they wanted to kill him.

How did Paul face hostile adversaries?

To set the stage for today’s lesson, you may recall that some Asian Jews accused Paul of taking a Gentile into the Jewish section of the temple.

Paul had not done so, of course.

The Asian Jews were so enraged by Paul’s violation that they actually wanted to kill him.

The tribune of the Roman cohort in Jerusalem rushed to Paul’s aid and arrested him—primarily for Paul’s own safety.

Paul asked the tribune if he could address the people, and the tribune allowed it.

Paul shared his testimony of how Jesus revealed himself to Paul on the Damascus road and called him to share the gospel with the Gentiles.

As soon as the Jews heard the word “Gentiles,” they flew into a rage and once again wanted to kill him.

The Roman tribune took Paul into the Antonia Fortress and intended to examine him by flogging.

The soldiers stretched Paul out to be flogged, and that is when Paul revealed that he was a Roman citizen.

It was illegal to flog a Roman citizen.

So, the tribune stopped the flogging and kept Paul overnight in custody.

That brings us to our lesson for today.

In today’s lesson, we learn how believers can face hostile adversaries.

Scripture

Let’s read Acts 22:30-23:11:

30 But on the next day, desiring to know the real reason why he was being accused by the Jews, he unbound him and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and he brought Paul down and set him before them.

1 And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to 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 is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?” 4 Those who stood by said, “Would you revile God’s high priest?” 5 And Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ ”