Acts 14:19 Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, presuming he was dead. 20 But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. And the next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.
I have a confession. I have become addicted to short stories on Facebook, particularly those involving the military. There’s something completely satisfying about the neglected sniper/operator/pilot being the one who saves the day. Many of these stories have the ring of truth and it’s gratifying when heroes or heroines are recognized.
But there are other stories as well. Many of these stories depict grossly dysfunctional families where the eldest child, generally a daughter, is forced to finance her own education and develop her own career while other siblings are indulged. In some stories, the parents rapaciously pillage the virtuous child’s resources, selling her vehicle or her house, and forcing her to take legal action and to cut herself off from her family. At the end, the child who has been abused must build her own family while her blood relatives suffer the consequences of their criminal behavior. Sadly, there are situations similar to this. But the question I have is this: What is the virtuous child supposed to do with his/her anger? How can such people forgive those who have used and abused them?
Jesus isn’t much comfort in this situation, for in Matthew 5:11-12 he tells us, “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.”
Later on in Matthew 5, continuing the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus advises us, “43 You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
And then there’s the apostle Paul. All Paul wants to do is to tell people about Jesus and help them gain eternal life as believers. But a motley group of business people and Jewish religious leaders stir up so many problems for Paul that the “crowds,” those people who are always hanging around, waiting for some trouble to get into, gleefully stone Paul, dragging him out of the city and leaving him for dead. Pretty bad, huh? If ever this was a group of people who deserved to have the dust of their city shaken off as a curse against them, the citizens of Lystra would certainly qualify….and yet…and yet, Paul picks himself up, shakes himself off, AND GOES BACK INTO THE CITY! Most of us would feel that Paul is a special kind of stupid, but no, he returns to the very city whose rabble have just tried to kill him. True, the next day, he leaves for another place but that’s only after he has made that trip back into Lystra.
What motivates Paul to return to those who have tried to murder him? We must conclude that some people in Lystra did become believers, and Paul wanted to encourage these people before leaving for Derbe. There is no record of Paul appealing to local authorities or invoking the privileges of his Roman citizenship. Paul simply forgives these people and goes on. What’s going on here?
Later, John, the disciple closest to Jesus, will write to believers advising them, “1 John 1:8-9 If we should say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we should confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, that He may forgive us our sins and may cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
No matter how virtuous we are, we all sin. Even reading the Facebook stories, it’s clear that the protagonists would have fared better had they refused to allow themselves to be taken for granted. But many of us have been conditioned to believe that love is something that must be earned and that we must continue to perform. Only when abuses become enormous do we stop to realize the pit into which we have fallen. Refusing to acknowledge truth in the hopes of maintaining peace is itself a sin against ourselves, if against nobody else.
What does Jesus want us to do with abusers? We are to forgive them. But that does not mean we must remain in abusive situations unless Jesus specifically orders us to do so. Remember that Jesus advised his disciples to leave places where they were not received. In this story, Paul returns briefly to Lystra, but then moves on to Derbe the next day. Remember the famous quote from Jeremy Taylor: “If thou has a bundle of thorns in thy lot, there is no need to sit down on it.”
So, once more, Paul teaches us by example. Paul forgives the people who have tried to kill him, even returning briefly to their city. But Paul also moves on to places more receptive to the Gospel. May we forgive those who despitefully use us, remembering that forgiveness does not always demand that we must remain within their range to continue to hurt us. Those who run shelters for battered women are well aware that the biggest mistake many women make is waiting too late to run for shelter.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to forgive, knowing that we too need forgiveness. But give us holy wisdom so that we will be able to move out of reach of abusers when necessary. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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