Acts 22:22-23 And they gave him audience to this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth… These verses are a sad revelation of prejudice. I. ONE "WORD" DESTROYED THE EFFECT OF A WHOLE DISCOURSE. "They gave him audience unto this word" — "Gentiles." Their prejudice was that Jews alone were the objects of Divine favour; that the Gentiles were reprobate. Hence they were roused to the greatest excitement. How often is this the case! Let the preacher in the course of a sermon filled with lofty truths utter a word that strikes against the prepossessions of some hearer, and the whole sermon goes for nothing. Let not the preacher who avoids striking at prejudices conclude, from the attention of his audience, that his sermon has been accepted. Had Paul concluded before he uttered that "word," he might have inferred that his audience was brought into sympathy with his views. II. ONE "WORD" ROUSED THE MALIGNANT PASSIONS INTO FURY. This one word had hurled reason from the throne, opened the floodgates of passion, and made them the sport of a lawless rage. They roared like lions, they howled like wolves. In such a state of mind all argument fell powerless upon them. III. ONE "WORD" TRANSFORMED THE BEST TEACHER INTO A WRETCH. "Away with such a fellow." Thus offended prejudice has always acted. Thus towards Christ, thus towards the martyrs, thus towards the true teachers of all times. (D. Thomas, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live. |
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