Keeping a Cool Head – August 25, 2024

Old Testament, Acts 26:9-32
August 25, 2024

I wasn’t sure if I was going to have us continue in Acts today – until I started reading further.  And I couldn’t put it down!  This reads like a TV drama!  In fact, it was hard to decide what part we would read for our scripture lesson!  Because this is a long account!  If you take it as one story, it’s the longest story in Acts.  It goes from chapter 21 all the way through chapter 26.  So, instead of reading all that, I’m going to have to do some quick “highlights” here at the start.

In acts 21, Paul has now returned to Jerusalem.  He has just finished his third “missionary journey.”  He had come from Ephesus, where he had run into trouble with some silversmiths.  They were angry with him because they were losing business.  Because Paul was convincing people that god did not dwell in the idols they were making!  (That would be a good scripture to explore some day!)

Anyway, he’s now back in Jerusalem, and he’s making his defense to the people.  And we’re talking about the people of Jerusalem – the Jewish people, not the Christians.  And it didn’t go well.  Paul was assaulted in the Temple.  He was badly beaten, and he was only saved by being taken to the soldiers’ barracks.

And I want to say here, that I am a bit uncomfortable talking about the Jews in these stories.  I want to be sure that in doing so, we’re not casting aspersions on the whole Jewish race or religion.  It’s just that those Jews in that day were the antagonists in the story.  So we have to talk about them.  But let’s be careful to think of them only, and not the Jews in general and down through history!

So, as we think of these stories, they were the antagonists.  And the interesting thing is, it was the Romans who were the good guys.  At least their system of law seemed to be a good thing, and it’s woven in and around this story.  As the Jews were becoming more and more adversarial, the Romans and their laws were protecting Paul.  Because remember, Paul was a Roman citizen!  And that citizenship carried with it certain legal protections.

Well, it got pretty bad in Jerusalem.  At one point in chapter 23, Luke tells us that the Jews “made a plot and bound themselves by an oath.”  “They pledged to neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul!” (Acts 23:12)  Yeah, that’s pretty unbelievable!  And this was a 40 man conspiracy!  And the plot was for the chief priests to ask the Roman tribune to bring Paul to their council so they could “determine his case more exactly,” as Luke said it.  And then they would lay in ambush and kill him when he approached.  Yeah, that’s crazy!

Well, the son of Paul’s sister heard of this.  (I didn’t know Paul had a sister!)  Anyway, he brought word of this plot to the tribune Claudius – secretly.  And Claudius intervened.  So at night, (get this!) he gathered two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen, to take Paul to Caesarea!  And he sent an official letter to the governor, who was named Felix, telling him of the threats against Paul, and informing him that he was indeed a Roman citizen.  Do you see how important that was?

When he got to Caesarea, there was, of course, another trial.  (The Romans liked those things!)  And governor Felix listened.  And then he kept Paul in prison – for two years!  Then, after that time, a new governor was appointed.  His name was Festus.  And he took over this business with Paul.  And both he and Felix before him found no reason that Paul should be put to death.  And I was thinking that’s just what Pontius Pilate said about Jesus.

So, Festus gave him a choice.  He asked him if he wanted to be tried there in Caesarea, or return to Jerusalem to be tried.  And that’s the place where Paul appealed to Caesar.  Maybe you remember that.  As a Roman citizen he had that right, and Festus granted it.

Then king Agrippa came to Caesarea to welcome Festus as the new governor.  And I hope you’re keeping all these people straight!  And he was told about Paul’s case.  But Festus also told him he had appealed to Caesar, but he would have to send him there with an explanation, but he had nothing to write the Emperor about him.  He’s appealing, but what’s he appealing about?  So Paul was invited to speak to king Agrippa.  And that was good for Paul, because as he says at the beginning of chapter 26, Agrippa was familiar with the Jewish religion and its teachings.

I know, this is all so convoluted!  But that brings us to where our scripture lesson begins.  Paul is making his appeal to the king.  And he begins by telling him his history of persecuting the church.  But then he told about his Damascus road experience – and this is the third time he told that story in Acts.  And hearing all this, Agrippa agreed with Festus (and Felix) that there was no cause for Paul to be put to death.  And at the end, he said, “This man could have been set free, if he had not appealed to Caesar!” (Acts 26:32)

Well, what amazes me here, what jumps off of the pages of this story (as often happens with the Holy Spirit) is that, in all of this, in all that happened to him, in all the violence and anger and beatings and imprisonment, and now this pledge to kill him, Paul managed to keep a cool head!

Think about that.  he had every right to be angry.  We wouldn’t blame him if he got reactionary.  And he had it in him!  When the slave girl kept following them around in Philippi, saying, “These men are servants of the Most High God,” he got annoyed.  When he saw the idols in Athens, “his spirit was provoked within him.”

It can happen to any of us.  We live in a world that is run by video clips, sound bites, and emotion!  And heavy on the emotion part!  In fact, those who run social media have learned that things that make people angry keep them swiping on their screens the longest.  They feed people with things that make them angry, because they want people to see more of their advertisements!  And that is their objective, of course.  But they’re having a profound impact on our world!  They’re fueling the anger and division that’s growing every day!

Now don’t get me wrong!  Emotions are wonderful, but our negative emotions are very strong, and they can easily betray us!  I know.  I have a lot of German blood in me!  I recognize in me the tendency to get hot under the collar.  It’s something I have learned to be vigilant about.  And I’m sure I’m not alone in this room in that regard.  Sometimes I think that’s Satan’s greatest weapon against believers.  I’m sure he tells his demons, “Just get them angry about something.  They’ll do the rest!”

It’s always better – it’s not easy – but it’s always better to keep a cool head.  And I don’t know about you, but if I can see something coming towards me that’s upsetting, it’s easier.  I have time to think clearly, and plan my reaction to whatever it is.  It’s when I don’t see it coming!  That’s the hardest.  I’m sure Satan tells his demons, “Try to catch them off guard!”  And that’s what that term means.  It’s something that happens before we can guard against it.  We don’t have time to think.  We’re “off of our guard.”

What I’m saying is not easy.  And I’m sure it wasn’t easy for Paul, either!  Remember, “his spirit was provoked within him.”  But when it came time to speak, he began with affirming words instead.  “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.”  That was much better!

I see that here in our scripture for today.  I know, you were wondering when I was going to get to that!  But this is all part of the picture!  Paul is defending himself – again!  And I’m sure that had to get to him!  This time he’s addressing the king!  And he’s been beaten, and jailed – again! – for years now!

That’s why his defense is so amazing.  Because, despite all that, he’s clear.  He’s concise.  And he’s the quintessential debater we talked about last week.  He explains to king Agrippa how he was the strictest of Pharisees.  He recounts his persecution of the believers.  He tells what happens to him on the Damascus road, and how God was now calling him to be the one to deliver the good news to the Gentiles – and he emphasizes the Gentiles part, which is interesting, considering who he’s speaking to!

I believe that’s the kind of cool headed people God calls us to be.  And that’s so important!  Because too many people in our world resign themselves to be less.  “I just say whatever is on my mind.”  “I’m just an emotional person.”  “I can’t help what I’m thinking.”  Paul’s words throughout the New Testament say otherwise!   And he was speaking from experience!  Despite all that he went through, he still gave us wonderful words like “love,” “joy,” “peace,” “patience,” “kindness,” “goodness,” “gentleness,” and “self-control.”  Yes, that’s Galatians 5.  And those things are the fruit of the – what?  The Spirit.  They aren’t the fruit of “our human ability to be God’s people.”  It is the Holy Spirit that calls us to be Godly people, and then gives us the strength, and “teaches us all things,” as Jesus said, so we can be Godly people.

So “keeping a cool head” is more than just learning God’s ways, it’s seeking the strength of God to do so.  I have no doubt that’s what did if for Paul!  And remember, it’s often our ways, our attitudes, that are the most compelling form of evangelism – even more than what we might say.  People see God in us in the way we have peace even in times of trouble, and hope no matter the circumstances of life!  And they want that, just like the Philippian jailor saw it in Paul and Silas and wanted it!

So, “keeping a cool head” is important – especially in our world where so many people are not!  It helps us to be the light of the world, as Jesus called us to be.  And it helps us to have the peace and joy that God wants for us as his people.

Prayer

Eternal God, help us to know you are with us every day.  Help us to feel the leading of your Spirit.  Help us to have the strength and peace we need to be the people you want us to be – the light of the world and the salt of the earth.  We pray these things in the name of our example, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.