Sreedhar's Journey

Are we there yet? I can just hear my children asking, when they were young. When you are on a long journey, or even a short one, children get restless about being confined to a car during a journey.  I do not blame them because they have limited or no historical experience to rely on. Thankfully the mode of transport available to us today is diverse and efficient to get us to a place faster than years ago in the days of animal drawn carriages and wind driven vessels. In Paul's days the best way for him to travel to Rome was on a sailing ship. Acts 27:2 So, entering a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, meaning to sail along the coasts of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us. This was no cruise ship. And after boarding this regional vessel, they transferred to a ship going to Italy. But the weather conditions were against them unexpectedly. Seasoned sailors made the wrong call. A teacher of the law and now tentmaker was "giving advise" not to sail...

It has been a long time since I studied for an exam. I still have vivid memories of my last set of exams when I was doing my MBA as a 23 year old. The exams for all subjects were conducted in one week. You could have 3 exams in a row on the same day. Morning, afternoon and night. And so, you would really need to go crazy studying the day before. Praise God, I managed. After I wrote my last paper I went back to my graduate student apartment and lay on my bed resting before I went to eat two dinners at a Chinese restaurant near the campus. The restaurant must have thought I was crazy to eat two meals. And maybe I was, after a crazy time in the exams. Paul the Apostle was also thought to be crazy from all his learnings. Acts 26:24 Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!” The Roman governor could not understand or accept what Paul had to say. King Agrippa on the other hand appeared to be convinced a...

When putting together a report in my days as a consultant we needed to compile sufficient documentation to provide the basis for our analysis and recommendations. Anything that was unsubstantiated would need to be addressed to ensure no stone was left unturned, and the work could be presented with total confidence. I am reminded of this when reading Acts chapter 25 and the statement made by Governor Festus, governor of Judea of at that time. Acts 25:24-27 And Festus said: “King Agrippa and all the men who are here present with us, you see this man about whom the whole assembly of the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying out that he was not fit to live any longer. But when I found that he had committed nothing deserving of death, and that he himself had appealed to Augustus, I decided to send him. I have nothing certain to write to my lord concerning him. Therefore I have brought him out before you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the examinatio...

Have you been stopped by a policeman unnecessarily or for reasons that don't make sense? There may be a "nice" reason for it. In many countries corruption is rife and it happens because you have both a giver and a taker. It started with a giver who made a decision to do wrong and felt that he could get away with it by paying a bribe to the policeman who caught him. This vice of man is present the world over, including in Jesus' days. Paul was being held in Caesarea by Governor Felix. He was waiting for the Jewish leaders to come and make their accusations. Even though Paul explained himself and showed that he was innocent, Felix would not release him. He saw him many times hoping for "something". Acts 24:26 Meanwhile he also hoped that money would be given him by Paul, that he might release him. Therefore he sent for him more often and conversed with him. There was no reason for Paul to be put in captivity and Felix knew this. He gave instructions that pe...

Going to court for anything is not an easy thing. I have had the difficult task of being in court for a crime I observed, witness on a personal matter and for a civil case. Thankfully, this was it. It is important that matters be settled before you entrust a matter to the courts. But in Paul's case the Jewish leaders were not going to let up. Some 40 people had made a vow to not eat or drink until they had killed Paul. They knew that Paul could not be found to have done any wrongdoing deserving death or incarceration. God had a plan in the midst of all this.  He was to be elevated and allowed an audience with the rulers of the land.  Starting with the Governor of Judea, Governor Marcus Antonius Felix (52-58).   Acts 23:11 But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.” Paul had yet to preach the gospel in Rome and now the opportunity has been giv...

In this day and age we live in a global world where exchange of news, information and ideas crosses country boundaries in a matter of milliseconds. It is not like days passed when you waited for a courier or had to travel great distances to experience a different people and their culture. You can do this with "a click of a button". This was not so in the days of Paul the Apostle. And therefore the general population of a community or country went about their daily lives with limited or no information except that which was exchanged in their local marketplace. Paul's standing as a Jew and his teachings were therefore misconstrued. In Acts chapter 21 we saw Paul being attacked by the Jews because information started to spread about him alleged speaking against the Jewish laws.  The commander of the Roman garrison had to mobilize hundreds of soldiers to keep the peace.  In chapter 22 Paul is brought for interrogation by the commander after the Jews started to riot again. Th...

I have been to many countries and cities in my lifetime, and one of them was Rome. I was there for an overnight trip. Arrived in the evening, had breakfast in the hotel, business meeting in the morning, and a sumptuous lunch before my flight out. During this time I saw the outsides of the coliseum. I am reminded of the suffering the early Christians went through under the Roman Empire. Paul the Apostle was about to experience some of that suffering in this chapter. Paul was repeatedly warned through many prophecies about his imminent arrest in Jerusalem. Acts 21:11 When he had come to us, he took Paul's belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” Paul was determined to be in Jerusalem. He must have sensed that God wanted him to go to Jerusalem despite the warnings. In fact there was a wonderful outcome of this besides the opportunity to...