Our Allegiance to King and Country

Acts 21:30-22:30

A phrase used in the UK during World War I to drum up patriotism was “fight for king and country!” Soldiers were prepared to die for their king and country. And so this phrase was used to condemn them the draft dodgers and conscionable objectors. It was a question of allegiance. Similarly, when Eric Liddell determined not to run on the Lord’s Day at the Olympics, his fellow Scots accused him of being “a traitor to king and country.” Liddell was said to respond in such a manner to his accusers - “God made countries, God makes kings, and the rules by which they govern. And those rules say that the Sabbath is His. And I for one intend to keep it that way.” (from Chariots of Fire). It was a question of allegiance for him.

Similarly, in Roman times, there was a motto - Pro Deo Patria - meaning, for god and country. Soldiers would serve on that basis. They’d serve proudly, fighting for Rome, and sometimes would be called to fight against their own country. These soldiers came from different backgrounds - and like tax collectors - were required to oppress their own people. The pay was good, but they hoped that through serving, they’d gain Roman citizenship. They hoped their vow to the emperor-god - meaning Caesar - and country - meaning Rome - would be rewarded. This was their allegiance.

As Christians, our allegiance is also to God and country - meaning to Christ and that better country, a city not made with hands. But at the same time, we give allegiance to our earthly country. We serve in the military, take national pledges, pay taxes. So how do we navigate the complexities of serving 2 countries? We see clearly in Paul this principle. While he had his earthly allegiance, his allegiance to Christ was supreme. That’s what we want to explore today in 3 observations. Firstly, the value of king and country. Secondly, the weakness of allegiance to Christ’s crown. Thirdly, the disappointment of king and country.

Firstly, the value of king and country. The Roman empire was known for rules and good order. But it didn’t mean that they didn’t have civil problems. But when they did, they had ways to deal with it. Now, when Paul came down to Jerusalem, he was falsely accused by the unbelieving jews. They said he was against the Jewish people, the ceremonial laws, and the temple. But it wasn’t true. He loved his people, respected the laws - in fact, he was at the temple to carry out purification rites. But blatant lies were told of him. They accused him of bringing Gentiles into the temple. Now, Paul would never have jeopardize the message of the gospel by doing that. If he actually did that, it would’ve been the end of his ministry. In 1871, a pillar with an inscription was discovered on the temple mount. It read - “No man of another nation is to enter within the fence and enclosure around the temple, and whoever is caught will have himself to blame that his death ensues.” This middle wall of partition separated the Gentiles from the temple. So it was illegal for a Gentile to enter. Yes these accusations against Paul were untrue. But it doesn’t take truth to create outrage - lies sometimes work better. And it led to mob violence. The Jews dragged him from the temple and shut the gates. And they were about to kill him when by providence, verse 31 says, the chief captain or the commander of the Roman troops came to take him away. In times of riot, good order helps. And this commander was a powerful man. Verse 32 says he came with soldiers and centurions. One centurion commanded 100 soldiers. So this one man was in charge of hundreds of soldiers. Acts 23 gives us his name - Claudius Lysias. History records that he was a chilliarch - a commander of 1000 men. And the reason the soldiers came so quickly was because their barracks - the Antonia Fortress - was at the northwest corner of the temple mount. There were 500 Roman soldiers stationed only two flights of stairs from the temple. So when the soldiers came, the Jews stopped beating Paul, verse 32. Very orderly. Very valuable.

Now in taking Paul, Claudius asked him and the people what was going on. The answers were confusing. Verse 34 says “And some cried one thing, some another, among the multitude: and when he could not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the castle.” Because he couldn’t make sense of it, Claudius commanded Paul to be brought - literally carried - to prison, because the mob was so violent. The people shouted in verse 36 - “Away with him!” - meaning, take him away from this life - kill him! So good government seeks to keep order.

But here we also see the value of citizenship. In verse 37, as Paul was led to the prison, he asked Claudius - “May I speak unto thee?” And Claudius was surprised - you mean you can speak Greek? You see, in the confusion, Claudius thought Paul was some Egyptian who previously incited 4000 rioters. But the moment Paul opened his mouth, that assumption dissolved. Paul didn’t have the profile of a rioter. He was educated and spoke perfect Greek. Now, how did Paul manage this? In verse 39, he clarified he was a citizen of Tarsus - the capital city of the Roman empire in Cilicia. And because of this information, Paul was given a chance to address the crowd! In a riot, the strongest voice wins. But when Claudius heard Paul speak about his citizenship, he was instantly disarmed. Paul asked to speak, and Claudius granted permission. Many of us enjoy that kind of privilege as citizens. There’s value to our citizenship. People recognize our passport. Even our accent. Our efficiency. Our reliability. It’s true that there’s value to our earthly allegiance. Certain citizenships around the world have more value than others. They lend you credibility. And then there are citizenships that don’t lend you credibility.

But being given the opportunity to speak, what did Paul say?As a citizen of heaven, he had pledged his allegiance to Christ. He’d speak for Christ. But on earth, this citizenship isn’t very valuable in the eyes of others. We see secondly, the weakness of allegiance to Christ’s crown. Now, to be sure, I’m not putting down the awesome strength of Christ. When Peter cut off the ear of Malchus the servant of the High Priest - Christ told him to put down the sword. Christ had the power to call down a legion of angels to protect him. But he didn’t. Christ went to the cross. Our allegiance to Christ’s crown, brings no advantage here. We see this in Paul. After appealing to Claudius, he was placed on the temple steps. There, he called the Jews to listen to him, and they fell silent. Here, he spoke in Hebrew. He knew his people - they wouldn’t be impressed with Greek or his citizenship at Tarsus - what mattered was how Jewish he was. And so here, he identified with them. He described how he once rejected Christianity. He said in verse 3 he was a Jew like them - though born in Tarsus, he was raised in Jerusalem and taught by Gamaliel, a respected teacher of the law. He even said he was zealous for the law like them. He said he was a persecutor of the Christians, imprisoning many. If you want proof, just ask the High Priest! That was Paul’s zeal - and he was better at it than they - they needed to riot - no order, no authorization, no control. But he! He had official documents authorized by the highest religious authority. That’s Paul before conversion - a hater of Christians. He identified with the Jews. It’s scary how much he was like them in their rejection.

But now, he described his conversion - God spoke from heaven and called himself Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus asked why he was persecuting him. So Paul was saying he persecuted God. But now, whatever good connection he had with Claudius and the Jews would end. The implication of his words was this - if I was like you in rejecting Christ, and rejecting Christ is rejecting God; then you are rejecting God if you reject Christ. Now, Paul could’ve gotten himself off the hook. But he didn’t.

He didn’t use his Jewishness to gain favor with the Jews. He used it to plead with them to be converted. In verse 14, he described that it was God’s will - the God of their fathers - that they know his will. He used very Jewish terms - terms they’d understand. So Paul used his background. And God commanded them to see the Just One and hear him speak. Again, very Jewish terms. The Just One was the Jewish way of calling the Messiah. And so Paul’s point was simple. It was God’s will for them to believe in Jesus just as it was God’s will for him - a very Jewish man who once rejected Christ. This preaching was risky. While his citizenship in Tarsus was a passport to respect, his citizenship in Christ was a passport to ridicule - it was weak. But Paul overtly proclaimed his allegiance to Christ’s crown.

But Paul revealed that he knew his preaching wouldn’t convince the Jews. In verse 18, he said that Christ himself told Paul in a vision - “quickly leave Jerusalem - they will not listen to your testimony of me.” But Paul tried to convince Jesus otherwise. He said to Jesus - maybe they’ll listen to me. After all, I was like them - I imprisoned Christians, beat them up, and even got Stephen stoned. If anything, because of my background, they’d listen. Maybe they’d even convert. Paul once thought that his past identity could help. And maybe that’s what some of us think. Our old friends will hear us, relatives will certainly believe, gang members will get it if I only speak to them. The answer is no. Yes, by God’s grace they might the Spirit and be converted - but mostly, because of your allegiance to Christ - they won’t. Remember Christ’s words in Matthew 10:34-36 - “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.” The gospel will divide friends, family, and citizens. If you stand firm on Christ and are loyal to him - your classmates, colleagues, friends, family - they will be angry with you. And this happened. The Jews were so angry. They rejected him in verse 22 - “Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live.” They tore their clothes in anger, and covered themselves with dust and ashes. Despite the commonality, despite his advantage as a citizen of Tarsus and speaking Greek, his allegiance to Christ put him at a disadvantage. But what’s weakness in the eyes of the world is good in the eyes of Christ. God would use this and make Paul a witness for his kingdom - all the way in Rome. He assured Paul in Acts 23:11 - “Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.” Dearly beloved, we don’t want the way of weakness. We want the advantage of strength. We want to ride with the benefits that king and country give us - and play down Christ’s crown. You sure?

Thirdly, we see the disappointment of king and country. The crowd got angry, and Claudius responded by torturing Paul to get to the truth. They tied him down and were about to whip him, meaning his shirt was off. And the kind of whip they’d use was the cat of nine tails - a leather cord encrusted with stone, bone, glass, and metal scraps - designed to cause damage. But at that moment, Paul whipped out his trump card. Verse 25 - “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?” Why did he do this? Why not? He was about to be whipped. Why shouldn’t he prevent it if he could? And that temporarily saved him from a severe beating. And from his statement, we see some important truths. Paul hadn’t been legally judged - he was uncondemned. Paul didn't have a trial. All he had was outrage and lies. What happened to the famous law and order of Rome? We also see Paul’s right to protection. As a Roman citizen, he had rights. He couldn’t be treated like that. There had to be due process. And this was the high privilege of Roman citizenship. Everyone wanted this privilege in those days. So valuable was the citizenship, we learn in verse 28, that Claudius had purchased it - likely through bribes. Like countries selling visas today. But Paul got his citizenship by birth. His citizenship was better than Claudius’. So even though he was about to be whipped, he was released. This was the strength of his king and country. But in the end, it disappointed. He only had a temporary reprieve.

But for all of the benefits that he had - being a Hebrew speaking Jew, a Roman citizen from Tarsus - in the end, Paul was beheaded. He was finally delivered from this world. Away with him from this earth - they cried. But not according to their time, but God’s timing. Yes, the most coveted citizenship of those times - people paid good money for it - didn’t save him. It disappointed. He eventually stood trial, was imprisoned, was sent to Rome, where he finally was beheaded. His allegiance to king and country couldn’t save him. And the reason for this disappointment was his allegiance to Christ’s crown. But it was his allegiance to Christ’s crown that he was eventually rescued and brought to heaven.

But dearly beloved, as we look at this account, we’re encouraged to see several things. In last week’s ACI, the topic of how the church should relate to the state was very well covered. I don’t intend to repeat those applications. But there are several thoughts we can take from today’s message. Firstly, a state with good order is not a perfect state. Roman citizenship was coveted. It’s no different today. People desire to become citizens of certain countries - to emigrate there. But no government is perfect. Paul was a Roman, but it didn’t help in the end. He even appealed to Caesar, but still lost his life. So for those who want to get out of Singapore or get into Singapore - there’s no perfect king and country. If you pledge allegiance to Christ - you will see how perfectly imperfect every nation is. Paul gave priority to a different king and country. Yes, he was not afraid to use his rights, neither should we. But we must know that they will not always work to our advantage. Knowing the imperfection of the state saves us from bitterness. The problem with us is that we can’t take injustice. Maybe it’s because we expect too much.

Secondly, as Christians, we should make full use of the advantages of our earthly citizenship. This is what Paul did. He used it to proclaim the gospel. He could travel as a Roman, had protection as a Roman, used his Roman education. As a Jew, he could speak Hebrew, and used it to preach Christ. He had avenues open to him. You see, many of us take full advantage of our citizenship - with our education, our passport, our wealth - to travel and make business. All good and permitted. But why don’t we use it for Christ’s crown? And I’m not only talking about missionary tourism - you know, like short term missions to soothe our conscience - where it’s actually a holiday. But in what ways do we individually and corporately use what we have as earthly citizens to build Christ’s heavenly kingdom?

Thirdly, as believers, we must value our allegiance to Christ’s crown. Many people covet earthly citizenship - but it often works against us. I recently read that after living in America for a matter of months, a Christian Iranian couple decided to move back to Iran. The wife told her husband: “There is a satanic lullaby here. All the Christians are sleepy and I’m feeling sleepy.” Yes, we become so comfortable in our earthly citizenship. We look to it for tax relief, for better prospects for our children’s future, we demand it to suppress inflation, and keep things affordable. But are a bit too comfortable in the security that we have. Remember, no earthly crown can deliver us from hell. No diploma or degree, no certificate, no passport can deliver us and our children from hell. Therefore, dearly beloved, what should consume our time and effort? We are reminded in Ephesians 2:19 that - “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” Are you sleepy?

Let me close with the words from Hebrews 11:13-16 about the Patriarchs who never had an earthly citizenship - “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.”

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