Paul's Return To Jerusalem

“After I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the Temple and fell into a trance. I saw a vision of Jesus saying to me, ‘Hurry! Leave Jerusalem, for the people here won’t accept your testimony about me.’ [Acts 22.17-18]

Wait, what?

Jesus specifically told Paul to get out of Jerusalem early on because the people there would not receive his testimony about Him.

It seems that Rome is where Paul instead needed to be.

That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.” [Acts 23.11]

Paul was told he'd be going to Rome by Jesus after he had demanded on coming to Jerusalem against all revelation by the Spirit in others warning him not to and almost immediately wound up beaten and incarcerated. Duh!

I am going to reveal my ignorance here by pretending to understand something about Psychology. Bear with me, I won't (can't) get too deep... Does it not seem like Paul was dealing with a guilty conscience about how he had treated people of the Way (believers in Christ) and somehow felt like he should still suffer in return?

Was Paul's return to Jerusalem completely avoidable? I believe the Word gives us a clear answer. Paul was a human just like we are human. Even in his letter to the Romans (ironically, for the sake of this post), Paul was very transparent in his understanding of personal struggle with grace and forgiveness.

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. [Romans 7.21-25]

For all that I have tried to process from this year's OYCB reading about Paul's situation, I am seeing that following Jesus' instructions and the leading of the Holy Spirit are critical. Boy, have I made some blunders in this regard! But still, it is refreshing to see humanity in Paul and know that my difficulties are not unique to me. What great encouragement to keep pressing on...

Father, help us to follow You. I know we will get it wrong at times, but help us change that. Help us to increasingly submit to You against our own reasoning or psychology. So be it.