Passage of the Day - January 30, 2011

Acts 22:25-30

 ²⁵But when they stretched him out with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?"

 ²⁶When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and told him, saying, "What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman."

 ²⁷The commander came and said to him, "Tell me, are you a Roman?" And he said, "Yes."

 ²⁸The commander answered, "I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money." And Paul said, "But I was actually born a citizen."

 ²⁹Therefore those who were about to examine him immediately let go of him; and the commander also was afraid when he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had put him in chains.

 ³⁰But on the next day, wishing to know for certain why he had been accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Council to assemble, and brought Paul down and set him before them.

The centurion was fearful because he was being unjust to a person of stature within the society he chose to be a part of.  He had no fear when he was being unjust to a person who had no stature within the centurion's society.  How differently would we treat people we interacted with on a daily basis if we knew them or if we knew that they knew our friends or family?

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)