Wounds from a Friend

Agabus' message of Paul's impending trouble was not intended to confront him, or call him to repentance. But it was a message that others needed to hear, along with Paul. This is an echo of what God told Ananias when he was sent to pray for Saul and restore his sight. “I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name,” God said of Saul. Paul didn’t just lose his Hebrew name when he started his missionary work. He lost privilege, power, and prestige among his Jewish friends. But he has already said that he is willing even to die for the sake of Jesus. I suspect that Agabus’ message may have been more for the sake of Paul’s friends, and his brothers and sisters in Christ. These wounds may be painful for those people to endure. But they may be trusted – driving them to God for comfort, hope, and peace.