MERRY MONDAY BY PARRIS
“As Paul thus made his defense, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, “You are raving mad, Paul; and great learning is driving you mad.” Acts 26:24
I’m sure it has happened to you at some point, you were sharing your faith and you were rudely interrupted with a bunch of name calling. Congratulations my friend, You have just been inducted into the “raving mad” club. Keep speaking up my friend and don’t be disobedient to your heavenly vision, for someone needs to hear it. The prophets of the Old Testament were stigmatized; people were against them: “Wherefore came this mad fellow unto thee”. 2 Ki. 9:11. When Christ was on earth, everything he did drove the religious mad. Acts 4:13 says, “they were ordinary men with no special training in the scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.” The apostles, who were fishermen, were despised because they had no learning; Paul; a university-man and a Pharisee, is despised as having too much learning, more learning than did him good. The New Translation says in Hebrews 11: 38, “They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.” Paul was compelled to share his heavenly vision to the “powers that be”. His life was revolutionized, he saw into the unseen while those of the earth only saw the seen. Matthew Henry said of Festus, “Much learning hath made thee mad, thou hast cracked thy brains with studying. This he speaks, not so much in anger, as in scorn and contempt. He did not understand what Paul said; it was above his capacity, it was all a riddle to him, and therefore he imputes it all to a heated imagination.”
There is so much mystery involved in redemption! Paul was once one who used to swear and curse, killing Christians, and is now talking of the heavenly vision! All it takes is one moment for the dear ear to open. Who will hear the voice of wisdom calling in the streets?! Can we undo the riddle to mankind? Would to God we could open the portal to let others see what we see, feel what we feel! We cannot reason men into eternity but we can certainly share “the heavenly vision” but you will be treated like you are “raving mad”.