Acts of hatred are always the work of evil. The psalmist reminds us, “The fear of the Lord [respect and awe] is actually hatred of evil” (Proverbs 8:13). These acts of hatred began in the Garden of Eden and continue to rise up in our present world. Evil wants dominion of the world, but everything in heaven and on earth belongs to the Lord (Ps 24:1). Even though it is a fruitless effort against God’s power, haters still seeks to persecute Christ’s followers. Scripture teaches us Jesus was hated without a cause, but clearly the reason was because he was the perfect representation of the Truth (John 15:25). Evil hates that which is pure [like God’s love] and works to kill the Truth!
In our passage today, as a follower of Christ the Living Truth, the Apostle Paul is now hated by his fellow Jews. He was once a part of their hatred, but Christ delivered him to see the persecution he was inflicting on the work of God’s true Kingdom. Paul faces a mob of very misinformed people who now decide to make it their mission to destroy and kill him. He is innocent of their accusations and charges. Yet, they hate him, because the Light of Truth in him shines a light on the evil motives within their hearts. Truth, can be a bitter pill to swallow if we fight the transforming work of God’s gracious love within.
Yet, God brings wisdom and makes holy connections to spare Paul’s life. The Jews are so steep in their hatred, they are blind to the Truth. The Romans are motivated by an unquenchable grab for power and they just want peace at all costs. Paul is in the middle of a political nightmare, but God uses it to reveal all hearts involved including his own.
Acts 21:27-36 NLT
27 The seven days were almost ended when some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul in the Temple and roused a mob against him. They grabbed him, 28 yelling, “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who preaches against our people everywhere and tells everybody to disobey the Jewish laws. He speaks against the Temple—and even defiles this holy place by bringing in Gentiles.” 29 (For earlier that day they had seen him in the city with Trophimus, a Gentile from Ephesus, and they assumed Paul had taken him into the Temple.)
30 The whole city was rocked by these accusations, and a great riot followed. Paul was grabbed and dragged out of the Temple, and immediately the gates were closed behind him. 31 As they were trying to kill him, word reached the commander of the Roman regiment that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32 He immediately called out his soldiers and officers and ran down among the crowd. When the mob saw the commander and the troops coming, they stopped beating Paul.
33 Then the commander arrested him and ordered him bound with two chains. He asked the crowd who he was and what he had done. 34 Some shouted one thing and some another. Since he couldn’t find out the truth in all the uproar and confusion, he ordered that Paul be taken to the fortress. 35 As Paul reached the stairs, the mob grew so violent the soldiers had to lift him to their shoulders to protect him. 36 And the crowd followed behind, shouting, “Kill him, kill him!”
Prayer: Lord, please forgive us for allowing the enemy to stir any discord or hatred in our hearts. We may even say we love you, God, but if we cannot love other human beings, your Word tells us our love is a farce. We pray for our souls to have a life-changing encounter with you, Jesus. Help us to stop thinking the enemy is flesh and blood and start realizing hatred flows from being lied to by the enemy. Make us strong and resilient in the face of a fallen world. Keep us focused on the Truth of your character as we seek to prevail until you return. In Jesus’ name. Amen.