John Chapter 7: Verse 24 (NLT)
“Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.”
Acts Chapter 21: Verses 27-34 (NLT)
The seven days were almost ended when some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul in the Temple and roused a mob against him. They grabbed him, 8 yelling, “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who preaches against our people everywhere and tells everybody to disobey the Jewish laws. He speaks against the Temple—and even defiles this holy place by bringing in Gentiles. (For earlier that day they had seen him in the city with Trophimus, a Gentile from Ephesus, and they assumed Paul had taken him into the Temple.)
The whole city was rocked by these accusations, and a great riot followed. Paul was grabbed and dragged out of the Temple, and immediately the gates were closed behind him. As they were trying to kill him, word reached the commander of the Roman regiment that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. He immediately called out his soldiers and officers and ran down among the crowd. When the mob saw the commander and the troops coming, they stopped beating Paul. Then the commander arrested him and ordered him bound with two chains. He asked the crowd who he was and what he had done. Some shouted one thing and some another. Since he couldn’t find out the truth in all the uproar and confusion, he ordered that Paul be taken to the fortress.
James Chapter 1: Verse 5 (NLT)
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
When people make assumptions and get the wrong end of the stick, it can result in all sorts of problems. That’s why Jesus taught that we should take the time to look beneath the surface and judge correctly.
As a result of wrong information being spread about Paul, there was a riot amongst the people. There were such conflicting stories that the roman commander couldn’t make a decision about Paul’s case.
We can be bombarded from all different sources via the internet and social media, as well as the more traditional media and worth of mouth. That’s why we need to be careful about what we listen to, read and watch, as well as what we say.
Jesus’ brother James taught that if we need wisdom, we can ask God. He won’t rebuke us for asking and that’s the best course of action we can take if we’re uncertain about whether any information we’ve been given is correct and true.
Dear Lord,
Thank You that nothing I ask You will seem stupid, and You won’t make me feel inadequate for asking. In fact, by coming to You we are choosing the wisest course of action. Help me to be careful with the information I receive, and how I handle it. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.