Today we see Paul’s ‘case’, which had done nothing for 2 years as Felix was succeeded by Festus, taken to King Agrippa of Rome.  Paul has obviously done nothing deserving of death, or any kind of punishment, and the case for that is so clear when this new ‘trial’ is put on display for us here in this chapter.   Now, tomorrow we will hear from Paul and we’ll see where this trial goes, but for today, just a thought that comes to mind as I am reading this.

Have you ever had that moment where you thought, right in the middle of what you were doing, “This is kind of stupid.”  Or, “This doesn’t really make any sense.”...ever had that thought?  I surely have.  And, when we have that thought, there are typically 2 ways in which we can respond.  One is with humility and  with the realization that I had gotten swept up in what was going on, I had lost control to some extent, and now I need to step back and clear this thing up.  The other is to dig my heels in.  Usually, when I get the urge to dig my heels in,  the motivation for that is to ‘be right’ or to ‘win’ ...which is an emotion that is intoxicating, exciting, and also very dangerous.

Luke isn’t presenting this case to us to make this point, but this illustrates this idea, nonetheless.  When we find ourselves working against God in a matter, as did these Jews, and when we sense that the course of action we are taking is against God’s will, or simply against the ‘right’ course of action, I just pray that I would have the maturity, the clarity, and the courage to pause and consider the alternatives.  These Jews were smart people.  They were some of the most well-spoken and well-educated folks.  They knew where this was going...no where.  They were taking a Hail Mary shot at trying to get rid of Paul.  I am guessing many realized that there was some to what Paul was teaching and preaching.  I am guessing that many were just fearful of being pushed out of the social circle, the ring of influence, and the wealth that was a part of their lives.  I pray that I don’t illustrate that same fault in my own life.  That’s my prayer for today.