I want to briefly speak of Paul’s encounter with Sergius Paulus, a Roman official, at Paphos, on the Island of Cyprus. Beyond that encounter, I’ll briefly talk about Paul’s other encounters with Roman officials and how Luke frames these encounters to look at the role of the Christian mission with government.
In Acts 13, Saul, Barnabas, and Mark travel across Cyprus until they reach Paphos. There they come across a “Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus.” He is also known as Elymas (“Sorcerer”) who was an attendant to the proconsul, Sergius Paulus (Grima Wormtongue, anyone?). Luke’s description of Sergius Paulus is as positive as Elymas is negative. Importantly, after Paul caused the blindness of Elymas, this narrative ends with “…the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord. (Acts 13:12 NIV).”
This is the first of several encounters Paul had with Roman officials, and some have parallels with this story. In Corinth, Gallio rules against certain Jews who wanted to bring charges against Paul and his team (Acts 18:12-17). However, the longest continuing narrative in Acts is Paul’s arrest in Jerusalem, and trial in Caesarea (Acts 21:27-26:32). There Paul encounters Roman officials including Claudius Lysias (Roman Commander), and Roman Governors Felix and Festus, and finally, Herods, Agrippa II and his sisters Drucilla and Bernice.
One common feature of these stories is that they happen in the context of Jewish hostility. I will tackle this difficult issue next week. For now, I note that these Roman officials protect Paul from potential and actual mob violence. So, here are some bullet points:
Luke reflects Paul’s general views about civil governments expressed in Romans 13:1-7. Those views will be modified somewhat in 1 Peter, and then more completely in Revelation. Almost certainly, Luke/Acts was written after Paul’s martyrdom at the hands of Nero. Nevertheless, Luke knew the principles remained and that his readers would interact with government officials as Christians who might face persecution, as Paul had.
One might have thought that the trial and crucifixion of Jesus, presented later Christians with an example to be followed of simple silent acceptance of unjust state punishment. If so, Paul never got the memo. He often vigorously defended himself (and the faith), including asserting his rights as a Roman citizen. In the end, he and thousands of early believers would, like Jesus, lose their earthly lives to Roman injustice. That did not mean, nor should not now mean, that Christians should quietly acquiesce to injustice. Justice is never just about us. I think of Fred Gray, a Christian lawyer who defended Rosa Parks. Although Gray lost that case, it set in motion a movement for justice for millions of others.
By no means were all the Roman officials that Paul faced, described in Acts, honorable folks. Felix hoped for a bribe, and the Herods were, well, Herods. And yet, Paul addressed each with courteous respect. The corruption or bad behavior of officials does not excuse us to show contempt or disrespect to them. We are to be those who act with virtue, not simply react to vice. In all such situations, we are ambassadors of Jesus!
We live in a fallen world as dual citizens. While we are now citizens of God’s Kingdom and followers of King Jesus, we are now also in this world, and that has consequences. We pray for its rulers, good and bad (no Christian living after 64 A.D., the fire of Rome, would have mistaken Nero for a good guy). We pay our taxes, though sometimes unjust. Service in the military is more complicated, but we are blessed by an all-volunteer military. Laws that don’t contradict obeying God are laws we obey. We have a calling to bring Christ’s mercy and justice to our world, and we do that best, as Paul did, by bringing Christ into the lives of our neighbors. May we engage in that calling.
Tim Kelley
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1 I briefly wrote about this sorcerer in an earlier blog: https://www.littletonchurch.org/blog/2023/7/5/a-self-absorbed-sorcerer.
2 Interestingly, it is at this point in Luke’s story that Saul is first called Paul. This has led some to suggest that Saul changes his name to honor the proconsul. While I think the name, Paul, has more to do with Paul’s calling to reach the Gentile world, the name change here might not be pure coincidence. Sergius Paulus’ conversion (like that of Cornelius) signals the successful mission to Gentiles by Saul, now Paul.
3 I’m not including here unnamed officials in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Ephesus, or the Roman officer, Julius, and the events of the voyage to Rome and shipwreck, or arrival in Rome.