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Was He Really a Pest? |
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| Was Paul really a
pest? That is what the Jews accused Paul of being when he was before Felix
(Acts 24: 5). They accused him of being a ringleader of a sect called the
Nazarenes. (There is no indication that the term "Nazarenes" was
ever authorized of God for the church but a name given to Christians by
their enemies because Christ came from Nazareth. Jesus was called a
Nazarene for the same reason.)
Doubtless the Jews considered Paul a pest because the doctrine of Christ that he preached contradicted so much to which they held. He preached the end of the law, morality, condemned sins, and salvation only through Christ. They did not want to hear that, therefore, to them he was a pest. Many today consider anything "Christian" to be pestilent because it contradicts their life-style and religious "sacred cows." False accusations against disciples of Christ are as common as air. When one does not want to live the glorious life of a Christian he seeks some way to deride it. One way is to brand Christians as "pests." |
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