But Not Through Me

Acts 21:17–24

“When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters received us warmly. The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law.”

A clear conscience gives us peace. There are those who may have grown a thicker hide and accumulated layers upon layers of encrustation in their hearts, desensitised and able to sleep well under normalised sinful behaviour to which the world has been daily promoting. But not us. Christ had broken our hardened hearts before and gave us a new heart of flesh (Eze 36:26) and so we have become once more sensitive to and seeking of His righteousness in our lives and His Kingdom (Matt 6:33). Russian author Solzhenitsyn wrote in The Gulag Archipelago: “Let the lie come into the world, let it even triumph. But not through me.” Our Lord reminded us that offences and “things that cause people to stumble”, are inevitable but woe to them through whom they come (Luke 17:1). The Apostle Paul, obedient to the Church leadership, kept his conscience clear, held his head high despite the lies spread about him concerning Jewish traditions. St. Peter exhorts us to live well, “having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ (I Pet 3:16).” Let us pray for each other to have invaluable peace of mind always and please God everyday.