And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. Acts 14:19
Of all the cats we had on the old farm, there was one that was nothing but trouble. All cats will be playful, but this one took play to extreme and destructive levels. Every day it seemed that this cat got into a new mess or destroyed something different. It was not even a friendly cat, so everybody was learning to despise the thing. The last straw was when the cat jumped onto the laundry on the clothes line and tore holes in several items, including one of our mother’s best sheets. A visiting cousin offered to dispose of the cat. He packed it into a cardboard box, took his gun, and drove several miles into the woods. When he opened the box, the cat jumped out and began to run. The man fired his gun at the cat, and saw it flip into the air and lie still. Assuming it was dead, he drove home. The next morning, the cat was back on the doorstep, looking for breakfast. Like Paul in our text, it survived an attack on its life. Unlike Paul, the cat changed its ways and became friendly, gentle, and well behaved.
The Jews from Antioch and Iconium assumed that Paul was dead, and they would no more be troubled by him. But they were wrong. At the time of his conversion, Paul, then Saul of Tarsus, had been told he would suffer many things for his Lord. Attempted murder might not have been one of the things he would anticipate. But it happened, and more than on this occasion. But it did not deter Paul from his mission, nor slow down his work for God. He sets a good example for us, when we run into problems along the Christian pathway. No matter how drastic the trouble we encounter, as long as we are confident that we are following God’s will, there is no need to change course.
We have not been promised an easy road in our Christian experience, although we can be fairly confident in our part of the world that we will not face the dangers that Paul did. We know where the Christian road leads, regardless of the obstacles. And we know that our Lord is right there with us along the road, and has a wonderful welcome when we reach the end. -Jim MacIntosh