Several days ago, my wife & I were watching an old made for TV move, “Peter and Paul” (featuring Anthony Hopkins as Paul). Although we’ve watched it many times before, we still enjoy it as we’ve come to agree that it is probably the most Biblically accurate depiction of the story of Apostles Peter and Paul to date.
During the scene where Paul is confronting the Jews in the temple, I had the feeling of something contemporary being played out before us. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, it wasn’t long in coming to me.
Below is a brief descriptive essay that is the result of this epiphany. Please read it through once before referring to the reference notations.
The times were already tumultuous, and his words did nothing to calm things. The leaders of his own party, apparently jealous of him (1) and fearful of losing their power over the people, publicly ridiculed him; and did all they could to distance themselves, and worked to destroy him. (2)
He spoke constantly in public, at venues large and small, drawing huge crowds wherever he went (3). While his message was generally well received (4), there were those who disagreed; and took advantage of every opportunity to do him harm (5 & 6). His meetings were regularly infiltrated and disrupted, sometimes to the point of being disbanded to a later date. (7) There were even occasions of violent outbreaks; but this was always initiated by his opponents (8 & 9).
Leaders of the day publicly accused him of causing these disturbances by the things he said, and even accused him of hateful crimes and misdemeanors (10 & 11). However, no proof could ever be properly presented (12) and these charges were eventually forgotten.
(1) Acts 13:45: When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him.
(2) Acts 13:50: But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.
(3) Acts 14:1-2: At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.
(4) Acts 14:21-27: They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. Paul and Barnabas appointed elders[a] for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia, 25 and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.
(5) Acts 14:5: There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them.
(6) Acts 21:27-29: 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.)
(7) Acts 19:23; 29-31: [23] About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. ... [29-31]Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together. Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.
(8) Acts 14:19: Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.
(9) Acts 21:30-31: 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.
(10) Acts 16:20-21: They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”
(11) Acts 24:1, 5-6, 9: [1] Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor. [5-6] “We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. [9] The other Jews joined in the accusation, asserting that these things were true.
(12) Acts 26:31-32: After they left the room, they began saying to one another, “This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.” Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
Please don’t misinterpret or read anything into this. I am NOT saying Donald Trump is the new Apostle Paul; nor am I saying he’s GOD’s ‘Chosen One’. For goodness sake!...I’m not even sure I’m going to vote for him (although with Dr. Carson’s leaving the race, any real choice has become rather limited...) All I’m saying is that there appears to exist a notable bit of a parallel in the action/reaction that history has recorded...aye? I do not know of another time where a man was so popular in general, but yet so reviled by those in authority...other than Jesus Himself...
