Acts 21:35-40: a reflection

35When he came to the stairs, he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd; 36for the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, “Away with him!” 37As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he asked the commanding officer, “May I speak to you?” He said, “Do you know Greek? 38Aren’t you then the Egyptian who before these days stirred up to sedition and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the Assassins?” 39But Paul said, “I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city. I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.” 40When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the stairs, beckoned with his hand to the people. When there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, saying,

When Paul is seized by a violent mob and carried up the stairs by soldiers to escape being torn apart, he does not panic or lash out; with remarkable composure, he asks the commander for permission to speak, and then turns to address the very crowd that had been calling for his death. Standing on the stairs, he beckons for silence, and speaks to them. In the midst of chaos and danger, Paul keeps his composure and seizes the moment to bear witness, to speak to the crowd about Christ. He is not overwhelmed by the crisis; he uses it, calmly, as an opportunity to testify. His self-possession in a hostile, chaotic moment, and his readiness to turn even that moment into a chance to witness, are striking. Composure and readiness to bear witness, even in the midst of hostility and danger, marked Paul.

Notice Paul's composure and readiness in the midst of the crisis. He has just been seized by a mob crying for his death, carried off by soldiers to keep him alive; it is a scene of chaos and danger. Yet Paul is not overwhelmed. Calmly, he asks to speak, and turns to address the hostile crowd, seizing the moment to bear witness. He does not waste the crisis in panic; he uses it as an opportunity to testify. His composure holds in the danger, and his readiness to witness turns even a hostile moment into a chance to speak of Christ. This is a self-possession born of trust, not overwhelmed by the chaos, and a readiness to witness that seizes even unlikely moments. To keep our composure in a hostile, chaotic moment, and to be ready to bear witness even then, is what Paul shows. He met the crisis not with panic but with calm purpose.

That is worth taking to heart, for we can keep our composure and be ready to bear witness even in hostile, chaotic moments. When crisis and hostility surround us, we can be overwhelmed, panicking or lashing out, losing the chance to bear witness; but Paul, seized by a mob, kept his composure and calmly seized the moment to speak to the crowd about Christ. A composure born of trust, and a readiness to witness even in the midst of hostility, can turn even a crisis into an opportunity. Do not be overwhelmed by hostile, chaotic moments; keep your composure, and be ready to bear witness even then, as Paul did on the stairs. Keep your composure and be ready to bear witness even in hostile, chaotic moments, as Paul, seized by a violent mob, calmly asked to speak and turned to address the very crowd that had called for his death; for a composure born of trust need not be overwhelmed by the chaos, and a readiness to witness can seize even unlikely and hostile moments as opportunities to speak of Christ, meeting the crisis not with panic but with calm purpose.

Lord, when Paul is seized by a violent mob and carried up the stairs by soldiers to escape being torn apart, he does not panic or lash out; with remarkable composure, he asks the commander for permission to speak, and then turns to address the very crowd that had been calling for his death. Standing on the stairs, he beckons for silence, and speaks to them. In the midst of chaos and danger, Paul keeps his composure and seizes the moment to bear witness. He is not overwhelmed by the crisis; he uses it, calmly, as an opportunity to testify. Show me Paul's composure and readiness in the midst of the crisis. He has just been seized by a mob crying for his death; it is a scene of chaos and danger. Yet Paul is not overwhelmed. Calmly, he asks to speak, and turns to address the hostile crowd, seizing the moment to bear witness. He does not waste the crisis in panic; he uses it as an opportunity to testify. His composure holds in the danger, and his readiness to witness turns even a hostile moment into a chance to speak of you. This is a self-possession born of trust. Take that to my heart, for I can keep my composure and be ready to bear witness even in hostile, chaotic moments. When crisis and hostility surround me, I can be overwhelmed, panicking or lashing out, losing the chance to bear witness; but Paul, seized by a mob, kept his composure and calmly seized the moment to speak about you. A composure born of trust can turn even a crisis into an opportunity. Keep me from being overwhelmed by hostile, chaotic moments; help me keep my composure, Lord, and be ready to bear witness even then, as Paul did on the stairs, meeting the crisis with calm purpose.