The reactions of those who hear the testimony

[Acts 22:22-29]

Have you ever heard a testimony?  I cannot forget the movie 'Atom of Love' that I watched in elementary school in Korea.  Directed by Dae-jin Kang in 1977, the movie portrayed the life and faith of Pastor Yang-won Son.  After watching the movie, not only I but also many people in the theater were deeply moved, and I still remember the collective sobbing.  Reflecting on why we cried so much, it was because I was impressed by Pastor Son's life as he opposed ancestral worship, endured imprisonment, and faced hardships.  Particularly, I was moved by the life of Pastor Son, who, amid the ideological confrontation in the prison, considered the young man who lost his sons and even killed his children.  I was deeply touched by Pastor Son's life, where he loved and forgave the communist adversary, who was the 'enemy' responsible for the death of his own children, with Christ's love.  I aspire to live such a life and face such a death.  A life and death that reveal the love and forgiveness of Jesus ...  a life and death that truly testify to Jesus.

We have already heard “The testimony of Paul” (Acts 21:37-22:21).  We have meditated on his life before meeting Jesus, the moment he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, and what happened afterward, focusing on Acts 21:37 to 22:21.  Today, we want to consider the reactions of the people who heard Paul's testimony in Acts 22:22-29 and receive the lessons that God provides.  I hope and pray that we all may receive the lessons and live lives worthy of being witnesses to Jesus.

First, the reaction of the Jews who heard Paul's testimony.

Look at today's passage in Acts 22:22-23: 'Up to this word they listened to him.  Then they raised their voices and said, 'Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.'  And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air.'  Even before Paul could finish his testimony, the Jews who were listening tried to interrupt him.  They shouted, 'Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.'  In other words, the Jews threw off their cloaks and threw dust into the air, indicating their intention to stone Paul to death.  Why did the Jews want to kill Paul?  The reason is that Paul equated Gentiles with Jews.  In other words, the Jews wanted to kill Paul because he declared that Gentiles could also partake in the blessings of Messiah's salvation (Park).  The Jews, who boasted in the law and despised Gentiles without the law, could not tolerate Paul's statement that even Gentiles could participate in the blessings of salvation.  In their eyes, only they, the chosen people, could partake in the blessings of God and the salvation of the Messiah. Paul's words, asserting that even Gentiles could partake in these blessings, angered the Jews, leading them to attempt to stone him to death.

When thinking about the reckless actions of these Jews, one wonders why they committed such reckless acts.  I believe the answer lies in ignorance.  The Jews who wanted to kill Paul were ignorant of God's plan of salvation.  Although God had sent His Son Jesus to this earth to save the people He loved and chose from all nations (whether Jews or Gentiles), the Jews not only rejected Jesus but also persecuted and even killed those who followed Him.  Ignorance led them to such reckless actions.  We need to pay attention to the words in Hosea 4:6 – “'My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me.  And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”  Ignorance results in reckless actions.  The Jews who wanted to kill Paul did not know God's plan of salvation.  Therefore, in their ignorance, they committed reckless actions, ultimately committing a sin that covered the glory of God.  Today, we are facing a time when people are like 'a famine of hearing the words of the Lord (Amos 8:11).  People hear God's words, but they do not listen.  No, people reject sound teaching and, with itching ears, accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions (2 Tim. 4:3-4).  Our world is filled with people who, despite hearing God's words, do not truly listen.  People are turning their ears away from the truth to follow empty talk.  We must not turn away from the truth; instead, we must quickly listen to God's voice.  We should not be like those Jews who, though having ears, cannot hear the voice of God, becoming spiritually deaf.  We must hear the voice of God.  We should listen with an attitude (heart) that desires to obey.  We must listen to God's voice conveyed through the Holy Spirit.  Never should we become spiritually deaf like those who, even with ears, cannot hear God's voice.  We must hear the voice of God. We should listen with an attitude (heart) that desires to obey.  We should not approach hearing the word thinking we will decide whether to obey or not.

Second and last, the reaction of the Roman soldiers to Paul's testimony.

When the Jews, upon hearing Paul's testimony, began shouting and throwing off their cloaks, attempting to kill Paul, the commander of the Roman cohort ordered the soldiers to take Paul into the barracks first (v. 24).  Subsequently, the commander instructed the soldiers to flog and interrogate Paul, seeking to understand why the Jews were vehemently opposing and shouting against him (v. 24).  Therefore, the commander, along with the soldiers below him, attempted to interrogate Paul by binding him with leather straps and preparing to flog him (v. 25).  At that moment, Paul addressed the commander standing nearby, asking, 'Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?' (v. 25).  At that time, it was permissible to use harsh interrogation methods on slaves or non-Roman citizens (Yoo).  However, subjecting a Roman citizen to cruel torture before trial violated Roman law.  Upon hearing Paul's words, the commander went to the centurion and learned that Paul was indeed a Roman citizen (v. 26).  The commander then approached Paul and asked, 'Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?' (v. 27).  When Paul affirmed, 'Yes,' the commander revealed that he had acquired Roman citizenship at a great price (v. 28).  Paul then declared, 'But I am a citizen by birth' (v. 28).  Upon learning that Paul was a Roman citizen, the soldiers who were about to interrogate him immediately withdrew (v. 29).  The commander, realizing that he had bound a Roman citizen, became fearful due to the potential severe consequences of detaining and interrogating Paul without a formal trial (Yoo).  Reflecting on the reaction of these Roman soldiers, they, too, acted out of ignorance.  While they may have sought to understand why the Jews were shouting and attempting to kill Paul, they prematurely bound him and prepared to interrogate him without a clear understanding of whether he was a Roman or a Jew.  Their reckless actions stemmed from their ignorance, not having a proper grasp of who Paul was.

When we hear the testimonies of fellow believers in the church, we must listen to the message that God intends to communicate to us through their testimonies.  However, this message needs verification.  In other words, the testimony of a fellow believer should be validated through observing their life.  If, after graciously giving testimony, a brother conveys a different message to others in the church through their life, the credibility of their testimony is inevitably compromised.  Like Paul, we should share our testimony with those who do not know Jesus, and the truth of our testimony should be evident in our lives.  In essence, we are called to live a life that testifies and bears witness.

Both you and I are witnesses to Jesus.  Through our testimonies, we are called to testify to Jesus and live a life as witnesses.  Look at Acts 1:8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”  It is my hope and pray that we, holding onto the promise in Acts 1:8, come together in unity, fervently pray, and, filled with the Holy Spirit, live out a life of witness.

Praying that, while holding onto God's promises and coming together in unity for prayer,

James Kim

(Wishing to hear and obey God's voice through the testimonies of beloved fellow believers)