THE BEAUTY OF APOLOGIZING

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Those who were standing near Paul said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!”

Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’”

Acts 23:4-5

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

When emotions run high, people have a tendency to do and say things they regret. It’s part of the human condition.

Indeed, we can get so caught up in the circumstances of the moment that we lose sight of the Lord who will always provide the wisdom and guidance as to how to respond properly.

I think we see the Apostle Paul show the dangers of what can happen as he came before the Sanhedrin, fresh off of avoiding a flogging at the hands of his Roman protectors after revealing he was a citizen of Rome from birth.

You’ll remember that the Roman commander wanted to know why the Jews gathered in Jerusalem were so hostile towards Paul, so hostile that they wanted him dead. And so the Sanhedrin was summoned to assemble and Paul was released by the Romans to stand before them.

The atmosphere was super charged. It would have been anyways but you had what the Jewish religious authorities had done to Jesus in the equation which just elevated things even more as Paul got started making the following statement:

“My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.”

In other words, Paul had no regrets and wouldn’t apologize for anything he had done in his ministry for the cause of Jesus Christ. This allowed him to stand in the presence of the Sanhedrin with a “good conscience”.

Paul spoke words that were true but the high priest Ananias didn’t see it that way. Never once consulting God as to how he should respond to Paul’s statement, Ananias immediately gave the command for someone near Paul to strike him in the mouth over what the high priest viewed as words laced with blasphemy and disrespect toward God. This only amplified an already volatile scene which found Paul lashing out at Ananias, saying:

“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!”

Paul was angry and rightfully so but he didn’t have the green light to violate the very law he swore to uphold. If he did, he would be just as hypocritical as the Sanhedrin was. His statement drew a quick rebuke from those standing near him as they proclaimed:

“How dare you insult God’s high priest!”

The reprimand got Paul’s attention and he was immediately convicted of his error in judgment. We know because he immediately offered an apology saying:

“Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’”

Paul was a student of the law and was fully aware of this commandment found in the Book of Exodus:

“Do not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people.” Exodus 22:28

Paul conveys that he would have used his words more carefully had he realized Ananias was the high priest and leader of the Sanhedrin. He had no intention of violating the law but he did, all because he didn’t allow the Lord to lead his words in the heat of the moment.

But this is the beauty of apology. It serves to reconcile wrongs, both before the Lord and those we have violated with our words and/or actions. It also shows a willingness to repent of mistakes made and commit to amend behavior so to reconcile with others and the Lord.

Apology also can cleanse the stains that guilt leaves behind on our consciences. It liberates us from the bondage of self blame and leads us to humility as we confess our imperfections and see the forgiveness and pardon of others.

Yes, even the Apostle Paul, the Christian Gospel-sharing hero, was as flawed at his core as we are today. He was imperfect as was every other biblical superstar we admire who wasn’t named Jesus who we know was flawless.  They all made mistakes and sinned before God and others but the best servants of our Lord, confessed their transgressions and apologized to God and others. They were willing to ultimately make a positive out of a negative.

Friends, through two verses today, we are reminded of the beauty of an apology, a beauty that is evident before God and the people we apologize to. God will always accept our regret, people may or they may not but what is important is setting things straight with the Lord and then trust Him when it comes to future outcomes.

Do you have someone you need to apologize to today?

If so, I encourage you to follow Paul’s lead and take the time to make things right with Him and whoever you wronged today. It would be a beautiful thing for you to do.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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