“And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.”
~ Acts 26:10
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you plan to spend time someday in a jail? Your grandpaa is very sure that no guy, gal or kid will ever plan to spend time in a jail but . . . guys, gals and kids are ending up in jails. Why do you think that some guys, gals and kids end up in jails? When your grandmaa and grandpaa were living in Bolivia, your grandpaa twice helped young guys get out of a jail. Two young guys acted stupidly and ended up in the Santa Cruz, Bolivia jail. Brent and Brett went to Bolivia to help out for a year at an orphanage that was located very close to a house where your grandmaa and grandpaa lived for a time. Your grandmaa and grandpaa when they were living in Bolivia were expected to carry Interpol cards with them wherever they went. Brent and Brett were expected to carry their Interpol cards with them, too, wherever they went. Brent and Brett one day went to an open air market. While they were at the open air market, Brent and Brett were stopped by a couple of Interpol agents who asked Brent and Brett to show them their Interpol cards. Instead of showing their Interpol cards to the two Interpol agents, Brent and Brett took off running. Do you think that Brent and Brett were being smart to try to run from the two Interpol agents instead of showing the two agents their Interpol cards? Brent and Brett were not being wise when they ran from the Interpol agents. They were caught by the agents and jailed. Your grandpaa was asked if he would go to the jail in Santa Cruz where Brent and Brett were being held to help get them out of the jail. Since Brent and Brett had that experience, neither has been jailed again. Brent became a Wycliffe missionary. Brent is now living with his family in Papua New Guinea doing Bible translation. Brett paints covers for Christian novels. Your Aunt Lynn went to school with John and Jake. John and Jake went one day to a Santa Cruz open air market. While John and Jake were in the open air market, they stopped to look at some watches. Jake decided to take one of the watches. As Jake took off running with the watch, Jake told John to run. John did not run. John was taken to the Santa Cruz jail where he was locked up in a cell. When your grandpaa heard what happened , your grandpaa went to the jail where John was being held to help get John out of the jail. While your grandpaa was at the jail, Jake showed up. To keep Jake from being jailed, your grandpaa had to promise that he would see to it that Jake left Bolivia as soon as a flight could be gotten for he and his ma to fly to the United States. Since leaving Bolivia with his ma, Jake has been jailed a couple of times in the United States while John is married, has a family and is doing very well.
Paul in Acts 26 has been in a jail for two years. What do you think that Paul did that resulted in him being jailed for two years? Paul years before had gone around doing really horrible, vicious things. Verse 10 says, “And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.” Paul helped to kill guys, gals and kids who had made decisions of faith to believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. While Paul one day was on his way to Damascus to look for more guys, gals and kids who were Jews who had decided to follow Jesus’ teachings to take these guys, gals and kids to Jerusalem to persecute and kill them, a bright light from heaven knocked Paul to the ground. A voice from heaven spoke to Paul – telling Paul to quit hurting and killing the guys, gals and kids who had made a decision of faith to believe in Jesus as Paul would never be able to find all the guys, gals and kids who accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The sudden bright light from heaven literally blinded Paul. The bright light and the voice from heaven had Paul suddenly realizing that he had been very wrong in what he had been doing in hurting and killing the guys, gals and kids who were Jews who wanted to follow Jesus’ teachings. Paul never ended up in prison for hurting and killing followers of Jesus; Paul did end up prison for wanting to preach and to teach about Jesus. Guys in Jerusalem who did not want to believe in what the death of Jesus could do for them when they killed Him on a cross got very angry at Paul for preaching and teaching in Jerusalem. Paul was jailed just so that these guys in Jerusalem would not be able to kill him. Do you think that it is okay to be put in a jail for preaching and teaching the Good News about Jesus? Lots of guys are in jail today for preaching and teaching the Good News about Jesus.
Your grandpaa thinks that God had Paul locked up in jail for two years because Paul had refused to listen to His voice. Right before Paul went to Jerusalem two years earlier, God had Ephesus church leaders tell Paul not to go to Jerusalem. Paul going to Jerusalem at this time ended up causing a lot of problems for the guys, gals and kids who followed Jesus there which ultimately had Paul ending up sitting in a jail cell for two years. Paul did not write any books or letters during the two years that he was stuck in jail. Paul wrote all his books and letters before and after his two year stint in jail. Paul after two years is given the chance to explain everything to the king over the area where Paul was being kept. Paul was being kept in Caesarea’s jail. The Caesarean governor – Festus, thought that Paul had gone crazy in the things that he said to King Agrippa – who was the Roman king over the area of Caesarea. Paul explained to King Agrippa what he had experienced on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus years earlier when a bright light made him blind and a voice from heaven told him to stop doing what he was doing. When Paul finished talking, King Agrippa, Festus and Festus’ wife – Bernice, did not think that Paul should be in jail. Paul did not want to be in jail but . . . he was just fine with being a prisoner of Christ. All who believe in Jesus are Christ’s prisoners.
Acts 26 (186)