By this time in the story, Paul has been in prison for two solid years. What began quite suddenly when he was accused of bringing a Greek into the temple, and within a couple of weeks had become a major court-case, has led to two years of frustration, as Paul remains under guard in Caesarea. Then there was the disturbance in Caesarea, and Felix was removed, and replaced by a man called Porcius Festus.
Festus is a wiser and more even handed governor than Felix had been. He was also very much aware of the trouble the Jews had caused for Felix and determined to avoid the same mistakes. As soon as he arrived, therefore, he went to Jerusalem, and as soon as he got there, the Jews were keen to get Paul finally dealt with. So they asked, again, for Paul to be brought for trial to Jerusalem. Festus probably thinks they want to try him themselves (And maybe he suspected that they would not give him a fair trial)... but actually Luke tells us they planned to assassinate Paul on his journey back to Jerusalem.
Festus wisely insists that he should hold court in his headquarters in Caesarea, and suggests that when he returns there a few of the the Sanhedrin go with him to place their charges against Paul. So that is what happens after a week or so.
As soon as the Governor gets back to Caesarea, Paul's trial starts: the Jews have a list of vague accusations, none of which they can prove. All Paul needs to do, really, is to deny these charges.
It's at this point that Festus realises Paul isn't really a dangerous revolutionary or crowd-stirrer: in fact his only crimes seem to be against the Jewish religion not the Roman state. So he suggests that the case should, after all, be heard in Jerusalem. Maybe witnesses will come forward on one side or the other; maybe it will all become clearer. But he says he will try the case himself, so there will be fair play. It is a compromise. Festus knows Paul is innocent but he is torn between his desire to uphold the principles of Roman law, and his need to get on with the Sanhedrin – they are the highest non-Roman authority in the province and they had caused Felix to lose his job!
But Paul is worried. Once Festus begins to compromise with the Sanhedrin, there might be more compromises. Festus is still feeling his way and might yet be outwitted by the Sanhedrin. So it is at this point that Paul makes his move: “No, I am a Roman citizen, being tried under Roman law; I appeal to Caesar!” He doesn't trust the way things are going. He is within his rights. A Roman Citizen had the right to be tried in Rome, before a verdict was given in a lower court. This wasn't the same as appealing against a judgement already given. Paul's concern was not saving his own skin. It was justice, and the honour of the Gospel. He had God-given ambition. He may even have hoped to achieve for the Christian Way the same “tolerated religion” status that the Jews enjoyed. And he had God's promise: “You will testify in Rome as you have done in Jerusalem. It's time that the forces that were stacked against that promise – in Paul’s case, prejudice power and pomp, traditionalism, jealousy, dishonesty, corruption, and self-interest – were stopped in their tracks. “I appeal to Caesar”
The point is this: as it looked increasingly likely that the forces stacked against him would not set him free, as though the whole idea of testifying in Rome could be in jeopardy, Paul determined to pursue what was on his heart and what god had promised to him. “I appeal to Rome.” Checkmate. And just as Paul took decisive action to pursue the call of God on his life, he calls us to do the same. We can be passive, sitting back and waiting for God to do something. It's time that whatever is stacked against that promise and call and purpose, was made to bow the knee to the will of God.
What has God said to us, today? What has God called us to? What has God placed on our hearts? And what are we going to do about it?
I believe that for some of us, it is time for action. Not time for rhetoric. Not time for study or thinking about it. It is time for action.
But we have a number of problems with this idea:-
1. Definition: what is our call? What if we don't really know what God has called us to? We have God's Word. It defines in general terms what God calls us to. We have God's Spirit in our lives, to lead us directly. We have God's people around us to encourage and challenge us. So, really, we have very little excuse for not knowing what God is calling us to.
2. Recognition: where is the opposition? Prejudice power and pride present themselves to us in different ways. Sometimes they are in our surroundings. Sometimes they are inside us! A few days ago I got the news that one of our folks was in high dependency at the Victoria. My instinct – hard wired after thirty-three years in ministry – was to jump in my car, and visit. Knight in shining armour, coming to bring God's comfort to a soul in need. But Pam said to me “I think Norma and I should do this visit...” You know I was put out. “That's my job!” And that is part of the problem of drifting – not being proactive but always responding to emergency situations, always doing what comes to hand. We can be working very hard – but on the wrong stuff. We can be feeling very frustrated because we need to rest more, pray more, and so on – but never find the time. “Maybe one day!”
3. Permission: Sometimes we think it's more spiritual to "just let God do it." We think of scriptures like 2 Chron 20. 17 ("You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you") or Genesis 16, where Abram fathered a child by the servant girl Hagar to try to fulfil God's promise of a son. We dont' want to make our own Ishmael when God wants to give us an Isaac. But Abraham had to play his part as Sarah's husband when God did fulfil the promise! Sometimes we do have to fight the battles. Sometimes there is something obvious we need to do: you want to know more about God? Read your Bible! you want to see more answers to prayer? Pray more! Sometimes the action will eb obvious in teh moment. Sometimes it will need to eb thought through.
Now, I'm not
suggesting for one moment, that “doing”, or being busy is the answer to
everything. Decisive steps are not an alternative to trusting God;
prayer is not a substitute for decisive action. They belong together.
We need to pray; we need to trust in god. We need to let go and let
God.
Now what? Is anything going to be different from today? If we feel that our calling has been put on hold, God's promises called into question, his purposes in our lives frustrated, what are we going to do? If we're stuck, how do we get “unstuck”? What do we need to do?
But there are “kairos” moments, moments of decision, when we need to pro-actively, intentionally, step out in faith and pursue our calling and Gods' promise. But it may involve listening, learning, training others, leading, re-arranging your life so you have space for what God is calling you to, taking a risk; trying something you have never done before ... so step into rest, step into God's call and purpose.
© Gilmour Lilly November 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment