Daily Devotional for Wednesday, April 19

The Anarchy of the Crowd

“And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live. And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air,” Acts 22:22, 23.

In Jerusalem, Paul was taken into custody but was given an opportunity to defend himself and speak (Acts 22:1-21). Paul told his whole testimony, that he was a zealous Jew, just like his accusers, and even violently persecuted Christians. At the height of his violence, however, Jesus stopped him and called him to follow Him and tell the nations about Him. When Paul uttered the word “Gentiles” (verse 21), the crowd erupted again. Even the mention of Gentiles was a cause for death in their minds.
The Jews, especially in Jerusalem, were so threatened by Jesus and His followers that Paul’s turnaround was a betrayal to them. They vehemently and bitterly persecuted the former persecutor, just as Paul had done to the followers of the Way years before. Acts 8:3, 4 says, “As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.” In chapter 9, Luke recorded he threatened and slaughtered Jesus’ disciples (Acts 9:1). Paul understood the mind of his persecutors. They were carrying on what he had started or what had consumed him before his new life with Jesus. He tried to reason with them, and he wanted them to know the Lord as he did; to know Christ as God’s Son. Yet, the crowd would not hear of it and demanded his death. This was exactly what the Spirit foretold would happen in Jerusalem. However, Paul’s persecution, whether he was persecuting or being persecuted, spread the gospel! The disciples left Jerusalem for fear of Saul and preached the Word as they went (Acts 8:4), and the Jews accusing Paul heard the gospel that day.

THOUGHT: The gospel spreads because of persecution.

Kelli Reynolds