28 shouting, “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple area and defiled this holy place.”
Guilt by association. It can happen with things and with people. Someone can think they see you some place you shouldn’t be and assume you are doing something wrong. Sometimes they see you and jump to a conclusion about your motives. That is what happened to Paul. He was back in Jerusalem after a long journey away. He was participating in a religious cleansing ritual with some other Jews as a way of saying that he did not reject Jewish cultural practices. Other people saw him around town with some non-Jewish people and they assumed that Paul took them into the Temple area, a very offensive act to a devout Jew. They were not concerned about the ritual purity, but about finding a way to accuse Paul of some capital crime. They now hate Paul as much as Paul hated the Christians before he became a Christian himself. Hatred can lead you down some very strange paths in life. These men wanted to catch Paul in some act to give them a reason for their hatred. But Paul did nothing wrong. He did not do what they accused him of doing. There was guilt by association. You might not go out to a club, but you might be friends with someone who does. When others see you acting goofy around that other friend, they might assume you had been clubbing. Of if they see you at two in the morning with that friend they might think you were out with them, rather than driving them home because they were too drunk to drive themselves. We must be careful what connections we do make because others will use those connections against us and against the faith. I am not saying that we shouldn’t be friends with non-believers, but we should be careful about perceptions. We can’t control what our enemies will make out of our innocent lives, but we can be sure that our lives are innocent. The politicians who have recently been caught in adultery are a great modern example. Once they crossed the line they opened themselves up to a flood of scrutiny. If they had not crossed the line, nothing would have been said about the work relationships. Those who have been taking money or gifts as part of their political activities and have gotten caught face a similar fate. Be careful how you walk. Walk in the Light as Jesus is in the Light.
The Arnold Journey 