Conscience. . . 'got one?

Today's passage - Acts 24.1-21 - Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor. When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: "We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation. Everywhere and in every way, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly. "We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him." The Jews joined in the accusation, asserting that these things were true.
When the governor motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: "I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me. However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man." After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings. I was ceremonially clean when they found me in the temple courts doing this. There was no crowd with me, nor was I involved in any disturbance. But there are some Jews from the province of Asia, who ought to be here before you and bring charges if they have anything against me. Or these who are here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin— unless it was this one thing I shouted as I stood in their presence: 'It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.' "

Good Day~

The Jews clearly placed a high priority on prosecuting Paul to the fullest extent, sending the high priest and their 'big gun' attorney Tertullus some 65 miles to Caesarea to nail him. You can almost picture opposing council, squaring off before Felix. . . Tertullus speaks for the Jews: he plays up to Felix, who was known through Roman historian Tacitus 'as a master of cruelty and lust who exercised the powers of a king with the spirit of a slave.' Indeed, he was the first slave in the history of the Roman Empire to become the governor of a Roman province; he did not wear his authority well. Tertullus accuses Paul of three things: causing riots among the Jews all over the world, (could he be talking about the lively discussion between the Sadducees and Pharisees at Ephesus?), being a ringleader of the Nazarene sect, and desecrating the temple.

And then, heads turn to look at Paul, no doubt rather ragged from his time in the prison barracks. . . picture him as he succinctly takes apart the accusations of Tertullus, showing one-by-one, that the charges are baseless. He does a masterful job, as Luke so ably reports his well-ordered defense. He shows that he has been a God-fearing, law-abiding Jew who is also a follower of 'the Way'. He clearly illuminates for Felix that the 'crime' they find in him had to do with the resurrection of the dead--obviously, a religious matter. Paul renders the arguments of Tertullus void, and it appears that the Jewish lawyer has nothing further to say. . .

Again, though I am struck by the underlined verse in the above passage--"I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man"-- It was just a short while before that Paul had made a similar declaration before Ananias, this same high priest, and he got a full blow to the mouth for it. Yet, this time he asserts he strives to keep his conscience clear before man as well as God. What is the difference, I ask you--to keep your conscience clear before God--is that a greater or lesser standard than keeping a clear conscience before man? (A thought to ponder) Hint: I think in order to keep our conscience clear before those who observe us means that we are to 'avoid the appearance of evil,' which is a higher standard than evil itself.

conscience - noun - sense of right and wrong, moral sense, inner voice; morals, standards, values,principles, ethics, beliefs; compunction, scruples, qualms.


We don't talk too much about conscience anymore, do we? It is almost like an organ of our body that has been plucked out because this generation has no need for it. My mother used to make regular appeals to my conscience when I was a naughty child, by promptings such as, "Now, aren't you ashamed of yourself?" Of course, I was always ashamed, because I did not want to displease her--I loved her. Hey, there's another concept for you--'shame'. It seems we have endeavored to move so far from feeling any guilt, we also skip over any sense of shame, or sense of our wrong-doing. Maybe because we don't have a sense of not wanting to displease God with our actions, huh? My mother was tangible--I could see the frown on her face, but it is easy to forget that if I violate my God-given conscience, I displease my Jesus. I know He doesn't love me any less, so maybe I take that for granted. . . hmmm. . .

I am a mother of four--Matthew and Amy grown, and out of the house--Amy will marry in just one month now. . . 'hard to believe. Then, I have Dylan and Danny, 11 and 14, still at home. I pray regularly that they will have tender consciences. I want them to have a conscience, which helps guide them before they do wrong, and prompts a need for 'making things right' when they violate their consciences. But I must cooperate with God in that prayer by teaching them 'right' from 'wrong'--that is my job.

How about you? Do you have a conscience--a plumb line that has been trained by the promptings of the Holy Spirit?
Or, have you pressed 'override' so many times, that your conscience has been silenced?
Maybe its something to talk to your Father about. . . Christine