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‘Kill him! He’s not fit to live!’: Acts 22.6–23 (Day 216)

Our daily reflections follow the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan, designed for those who want to read the whole Bible in one year. Each reflection focuses on one of the chapters from that day's readings. Darllenwch rhain yn Gymraeg.

Pray

Pray

Lord, open my ears to hear what you have to say to me; open my heart to love your word, and open my mind to understand your truth.

Reflect

Daily reflection: Acts 22

Paul has just been rescued from great danger: a mob has nearly lynched him and he's been saved by a Roman commander, who – at the risk of starting up the riot again – gives him permission to address the hostile crowd.

In the ancient world, the papyrus scrolls on which books were written were valuable and copying was time-consuming, so we'd expect writers to be disciplined in what they included. It's very interesting then that Luke includes the story of Paul's conversion no less than three times (Acts 9.1–19, here, and Acts 26.12–18) – a sign of its importance. Each telling is slightly different, too – worth remembering when we think of how the Bible tells stories, selecting and highlighting different elements for different audiences.

The crowd listened to Paul until, for them, he crossed a line. They had rioted because they wrongly thought he had defiled the Temple by bringing Gentiles into it. When he claimed God had told him he would send him to the Gentiles (verse 21) they were enraged again.

The crowd believed, at some fundamental level, that God was 'theirs'. They could not bear the thought of sharing him. The revolutionary idea Paul introduced was that in Jesus, God had made himself known to the whole world. Perhaps believers who are deeply invested in their faith and the way they've always done things are always tempted to think they 'own' it. The Bible tells us that we don't: the Gospel is good news for everyone.

Pray

Pray

God, help me to remember that my faith is not just mine, but is to share with others. Keep me from being defensive when my assumptions are challenged, and keep me from being an obstacle to the faith of others.


This reflection was written by Mark Woods, Bible Society's Editor

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