Acts 21:39 Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.”
I remember when I was a kid my parents wanted me to stand up for myself. I was a very thin kid, hardly able to not go down the drain when the bathtub plug was pulled. But I had a big mouth, which often got me into trouble.
What I lacked in one area, my size, I made up for (or so I thought) with my mouth. And my mouth got me out of many a scrap for which my thin body had sent the invitation. The big kids had found an easy target, me.
I was also the fourth boy in my family which didn’t help. I got hand-me-downs that had survived three older brothers. My big presents at Christmas were underwear and socks. They weren’t hand-me-downs! I got used to being at the bottom.
I remember trying to assert my rights as a kid on many occasions, only to be shut down because I was “Number four son.” Or at least that was my perception. It could be that my ideas were just foolish and naive. But from a kid’s perspective, I was just ignored.
Our text tells us of the continuing story of Saul turned Paul as he moved from devout Jew to all-in follower of Jesus the Messiah. He is on a journey to Jerusalem, to a place he knows, where he will be arrested and possibly killed. And yet he goes willingly because of the Gospel.
As we have learned, Paul seems to rub some people the wrong way, especially those Jews who refuse to recognize Jesus as Messiah. He has been hauled before the authorities on numerous occasions. Sometimes he has not asserted his rights when arrested, sometimes he has.
Paul is arrested as the crowd is about to kill him. The Roman officials rescue Paul from the hands of the angry mob. And as they carry Paul to safety, Paul wants to speak.
You see, Paul had rights as a Roman citizen. He had the right to a particular kind of treatment prior to trial. The authorities can’t imprison a citizen without a trial. Citizens have the right to speak to their accusers.
How do we know when to stand up and assert our rights? This can be hard to know. As we read how Paul handled it, I can’t understand Paul’s choices. I can’t figure out what criteria he used to figure out when to speak up and when to keep quiet, when to avoid beating and jail, and when to take the beating.
Good luck figuring it out for yourself. It can be tough. But we are promised His guidance in those moments. Are you willing to listen in those moments and obey? There is a risk in listening. You might be beaten and jailed. Are you willing?
The Arnold Journey 