And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.” 2 And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?” 4 Those who stood by said, “Would you revile God’s high priest?” 5 And Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”
6 Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.” 7 And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. 9 Then a great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ party stood up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?” 10 And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into the barracks.
11 The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”
Hibiscus Pirouette-2 | Arbor Gate Nursery, Tomball, Texas | May 2024Dan Rather was on the cover of Time Magazine with the headline: The 8 Million Dollar Man.” He had just inked a contract with CBS News for the outrageous (at that time) $8M contract. Years later he was somewhat embarrassingly outed for some quite dubious news reporting. He ended his last broadcast with one word, “COURAGE.” I think it was his attempt to encourage people to continue to question the powerful.
When Luke reports on these events he tells of Jesus’ appearance to Paul, the following night, the Lord standing by him and saying, “Take courage…” But it wasn’t so much to encourage Paul to question the powerful. It was very much a word of encouragement to trust the most powerful.
Courage can come in a number of ways. “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread” is one source – albeit not a very good one. Denial is another source. Just ignore the danger. Pretend there’s no need for courage. Works well until there is legitimate danger. And of course there’s always bravado. Bluster. Swagger.
There is, of course, a better source of courage: the word of God. First there is the command of Jesus here, “Take courage…” I remember God’s message to Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9). I love this on two counts. First is the command. Just like Jesus’ words to Paul. This is not just encouragement. This is an imperative. In the case of Joshua, there is a very clear promise as well: “The LORD is with you wherever you go.” The the case of Paul, there is an implied promise: “you must also testify of me in Rome.”
There are times we must simply take courage. We must engage our faith and move forward under the authority of God’s command and promise.
Sometimes, moreover, courage grows with the noble character of the cause. In the case of Joshua, he was to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land. There were rivers to cross, city walls to tear down, battles to fight, and lands to occupy. It would all take courage and the blessing and presence of God. In the case of Paul, the cause was the spread of the Gospel to Rome – a fulfillment of Jesus’ promise/statement, “You shall be my witnesses…to the ends of the earth.”
Our mission may not be as momentous as Joshua’s or as critical as Paul’s. But our calling is every bit as important. We must sometimes take courage in big or small mission efforts. We can do so – assured of Jesus’ presence, strength, and promise – whether we appropriate God’s promise to Joshua or Jesus’ promise to us all: I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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