Paul of New Testament fame was a family man.
Oh, be assured, he wasn’t married. Nor did he have children, but there was a family. Thank God there was a family.
The Jews of Paul’s day vilified him. Just as with Jesus, they felt threatened by the message of the Christ. Rather than glory in the coming of their promised king, the Jews were up in arms, worried that their power structure would be toppled; and they were determined to root out any threat to their social standing and their perceived positions of authority.
They wanted Paul destroyed.
Yet, Paul was a family man, and he had people who cared about him. Acts 23:16 reveals the moment of supreme familial love:
“And when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle and told Paul.”
There was an element of risk in what Paul’s nephew did. He could have been accused of involvement in the Jew’s plot to kill his uncle. He could have been arrested, even retained in custody along with Paul. After all, he was a Jew, also.
Paul trusted God, and Verse 17 reveals Paul’s response:
“Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he has a certain thing to say.”
The chief captain’s response was to give Paul an escort of two hundred soldiers along with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen.
An escort of nearly 500 men, all because of Paul’s nephew.
Are we family men and women in today’s church? Are we willing to take a risk for those we call father, mother, uncle, aunt, and nephew? Do we consider our brothers and sisters in Christ to be worth our time and effort?
If they are about to be ambushed, are we willing to step in and accept a measure of risk to keep them safe?
Are we a helpful nephew?
We will be, if we follow in the way of Christ.
When we step in to help our fellow believers, God reaches down and does the rest.
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Originally Published 1-28-16 in Relationships