Eager to Crucify

Read Acts 21:27-40.

Why are we so eager to crucify others? Why are we so eager to believe the bad without investigating it? Paul is in Jerusalem, having ended up there after his third missionary journey, and suddenly he's being accused of "crimes" he did not commit. In short order, those making the accusations have others piling on and the seeds of a riot are sown. Before too long, the officials have noticed and Paul has been taken into custody until things are sorted out. Even when the commander tries to figure out what's going on, most people don't know. Luke tells us some shouted one thing and some another. No one knew why they were trying to kill Paul, just that they were.

Why are we do eager to crucify others?

Before we get puffed up and think we're so much more sophisticated than those ancients, let me ask you if you've watched the news. Any news. In the last 24 hours, let's say. Or any day, really. The 24-hours news cycle we've accustomed ourselves to these days thrives on accusations, innuendo and tearing down the reputation of persons. Rarely do we hear a "good news story." Lawsuits, political mudslinging and scandal pervade our news.

And we eat it up. I knew a lady once who did nothing but listen to one particular news channel. She listened to constant negativity, and believed most of it. She was angry, depressed and frustrated—and she didn't even know why. It weighed her down so much that it affected her relationships with her family and friends. She rarely left her house and she said she "certainly couldn't come to church." (By the way, it really doesn't matter which channel it is these days, but if you jumped to the conclusion that it was your least favorite channel, you're making my point for me.)

Which brings me back to the question: why are we so eager to crucify? Why do we eagerly believe the bad and ignore the good? Why do we join in on the riot and grab Paul for some reason—we don't even know what—and threaten to kill him? Maybe it's because we want to believe we're better than that other person. It's easier, somehow, to feel better about ourselves if we feel worse about others. If the crowd can turn its anger on Paul, it doesn't have to deal with the source or reason for that anger.

Perhaps it is incidents like that which led Paul to write these words: "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things" (Philippians 4:8). In other words: turn off the news. Turn on God's word. Let's become people who are less eager to crucify and more eager to love like Jesus taught us.

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