March 22, 2012 - Acts 23:3

“Then Paul said to him, ‘God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!’” Acts 23:3.
It finally comes out! Paul has an angry reaction! As Paul began to address the Jewish Chief Priest and his ruling body, the Sanhedrin, Ananias, the Chief Priest, ordered that Paul should be struck. A group of men close by to Paul rushed him and struck him. Paul looked straight at Ananias, calling him a “whitewashed wall” and accusing him of breaking the Jewish law. A whitewashed wall may look good on the outside, but it is only covering over the rottenness beneath it. Jesus called these same men whitewashed tombs – they look good on the outside but dead on the inside. Paul, if effect, was saying the same thing.
Paul’s reaction to this blatant abuse is quite understandable. Even in his angry response, Paul showed restraint. It would have been easy for him to lose track of where he was in his message, but he held himself in check, and, after this brief interruption, he continued on course. I thought of times when I have let interruptions distract me from the direction I felt God wanted me to go, and in the process, I lost that direction. I felt ashamed and irritated for my over-reaction, even though I may have felt justified. I am hopeful that I can learn from Paul’s example, remaining focused and on point, after his angry response to abuse administered to him.
Questions to consider: Have you had disruptions in your life that caused you to lose your place in a presentation? Have you had disruptions that have effected your life direction? If so, has this caused any regret or any other emotional responses? How do you hold it all together and not let yourself overreact in situations?
Prayer: Father, I confess my overreaction, irritation, and anger over situations that distract me from what I am focused on, at any particular moment. Help me to hold it all together even if I am abused for my faith in You. Amen.