““And He said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’” They listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live!”” (Acts 22:21-22).
Perhaps you have witnessed a young child who has reached his or her listening threshold. They may have stuck a finger in each ear and began loudly chanting, “na, na, na, na, na…” Depending on the right circumstances, you may have even chuckled at such behavior. But this kind of conduct is not nearly so funny when practiced by an adult.
In Acts 21, the apostle Paul has traveled to Jerusalem and ends up being falsely accused of preaching against his fellow Jews and the Law as well as desecrating the Temple. All in a day’s work for the Pharisee-turned-missionary, huh? Anyway, the angry Jerusalem crowd grabbed Paul with the intent to put him to death. Their plans were thwarted when Roman soldiers rescued him. As they take him away to the barracks, Paul is granted an opportunity to address the mob. He begins his defense by recounting his earlier history as a Christian persecutor. He then shares his conversion story which occurred as he traveled to Damascus. I’m convinced that he eventually hoped to share the gospel with the crowd, but he didn't get the chance. As he spoke of God’s intent to send him “...far away to the Gentiles,” the mob erupted again. They were through listening. If they had just listened a bit more, they would have heard the truth that could have saved them.
Don’t be too quick to turn your ears off. Yes, someone may be telling us something we’ve never heard before or something difficult. But it may be exactly what we need to hear. And we would never know if we plug our ears in anger or frustration. Quick judgments without hearing all the facts could be cutting us off from what God may be trying to say to us through others.
God loves you!
Mike
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