Acts 23:1–11

 Acts 23:1–11 

In verse five Paul says he does not know that the person who ordered him to be struck was in fact the high priest.  Why was Paul unaware of who this man was? One possibility was that Paul genuinely didn’t know who the high priest was at the time.  It has also been suggested that he had a vision problem and couldn’t see clearly. Another possibility is that Paul is being ironic and even a little snarky. It is as if Paul were saying, “Your bad behavior makes your claims of religious authority unrecognizable.”

History tells us that Ananias was a supremely wicked man. His behavior was more like that of a mob boss rather than a spiritual leader. He would send his thugs with truncheons to collect what he felt was due him. Some of the lower ranking priests were nearly reduced to starvation while he became fabulously rich. Paul may have been, as the saying goes, “poking the bear”. With his Roman citizenship to protect him at this moment Paul was ready to call a spade a spade. Ironically, the passage to Paul refers to and quotes is Exodus 22:28 and is in that context a warning against greed. Ananias would have recognized this indirect rebuke immediately.

A couple of points need to be made about the application of this passage to our lives as disciples. First both in this instance and throughout the life of Christ there is greater scrutiny and sharper response to those who claim to be God‘s people. Those who are lost are constantly treated with great care and gentleness while the religious are challenged vigorously. As disciples we need to hold ourselves and other believers to the highest standards of ethical conduct. Part of that may be to speak to them in irony, hyperbole, or even a sharp rebuke, while at the same time treating lost sheep with the gentlest of care. The second application is even more obvious. Our behavior has to be of such high quality in character that there is never any doubt that we are followers of Christ. It is sad and telling that the church today has a reputation for being harsh toward the world of sinners while it is often unwilling to confront its own evil. The opposite ought to be the case.  If that were true her internal evil would be expunged and she would be more winsome as she reaches out to the lost world.

“Lord, help me hold myself and other believers to the highest of standards while, in holiness, being grace filled toward sinners.  AMEN”