So Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense:
2 “I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am going to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews, 3 especially because you are familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.
4 “My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews. 5 They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee. 6 And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, 7 to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king! 8 Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?
9 “I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. 11 And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
12 “In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. 14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, 17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
I remember the deodorant commercial from decades ago: Stay cool, calm, and collected. Sometime later I borrowed that phrase with a twist: We need to be cool, calm, and correctable. In other words, we must always hold our convictions carefully – with a balance of certainty and curiosity constantly correcting each other. We must not be so curious and cautious that we stand for nothing and fall for anything. Nor must we be so convinced and certain that we are not willing to reexamine our ideas and beliefs in light of further evidence.
The most profound example of one who will not reexamine his beliefs is the conspiracy theorist. You can tell if someone is such a one if you ask, “What would it take to convince you that you’re wrong?” And he answers, “Nothing can convince me I’m wrong.” That’s a dangerous place to live. Ask Paul about that. He had to learn a thing or two. Jesus asked him, “How long will you kick against the goads?” There comes a time when our convictions fail to serve us well.
On the other hand there is great danger if we are constantly swayed by the latest wind of doctrine. One day we believe in Jesus. The next day it’s Joseph Smith, or Jim Jones. One day we’re committed to God, the next day it’s the latest worldview fad.
There is danger on both sides of that road. We can lose Christ, or fail to recognize him for who he is – depending on which way we are leaning on any particular day. If we’re far from God and refuse to consider the claims of witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection we will be forever sorry.
Paul was struck to the ground and had to hear from Jesus directly. He had to be asked, “How long will you kick against the goads?” The reference there is to a sharp stick (goad) used to urge beasts of burden forward. Kicking against them will only hurt, not get rid of them. If Paul had continued in his rigid and strong opposition to the message of Jesus, it would have served only to cause himself great harm. Jesus wasn’t going away.
Perhaps you are kicking against goads. Maybe you wish to get rid of a pesky intrusion into your life. Even Christians struggle against God’s ways and calling. There comes a time when we must stop pushing him away. It will only hurt us. Or maybe you’re casting about wondering which truth is true. Jesus is the embodiment of truth…and grace. That is a good place to take your stand.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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