Chaos

Acts 21:27–34

“When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.” (They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple.) The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done. Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks.”

Falsehoods spread result in chaos as we see in today’s verses. Perhaps this discord is the reason why God commanded against bearing false witness (Exod 20:16), for God is of truth (John 14:6) and order and of peace (I Cor 14:33) and the enemy is of lies, the father of deceit and confusion (John 8:44). It has been said that falsehoods spread faster than truth, attributed to both British preacher Charles Spurgeon and American author Mark Twain that “a lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes”. I read there is an older Arabic saying in which this was based: “A good lie can walk from Baghdad to Constantinople

while the truth is still looking for its sandals." It seems the world is steeped in lies and with its chains we are bound, but fear not for the truth shall set us free. Brothers and sisters, we do not confuse people when we cannot convince them, that would be dealing as the world does at best, and as the Enemy, at worst. We seek the truth in God’s face in Christ, I believe discernment is gained in discipleship, and we can access a piece of God’s omniscience through His Holy Spirit giving us wisdom and us living, continuing in God’s Word: “So He said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:31-32).” God Holy Spirit we seek Your guidance daily. In Jesus’ glorious name. Amen.