I used to say insulting things about Jesus. I tried to hurt his followers, and I even used violence against them. But God had mercy on me because I did those things without knowing any better. I wasn’t a believer.
If we’re going to think like that, we might as well say, “Let’s do evil things so that good things will happen!” Some people lie about us and claim that this is what we teach. They’re the ones who will be found guilty, and they’ll deserve it.
When Paul came in, the Jews who’d come from Jerusalem crowded around him, making many serious charges against him. But they couldn’t prove that any of them were true.
They tried very hard to get Festus to bring Paul to Jerusalem as a favor to them. They asked for this because they were planning to hide and try to kill Paul along the way.
shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who goes to everyone everywhere and teaches against our people, our law, and this holy place. He has even brought Greeks into this temple and made our holy place unclean.”
But when they opposed Paul and treated him badly, he shook out his clothes in protest. He told them, “God’s judgment against you will be your own fault! Don’t blame me for it! From now on, I will go to the Gentiles.”
This will show respect for the law of Moses, since it has been preached in every city from the earliest times, and it’s read out loud in the synagogues every Sabbath day.”
They found witnesses who were willing to lie about him. The witnesses said, “This man never stops speaking against this holy temple and against the Law of Moses.
I often went from one synagogue to another to find them and punish them. I even tried to force them to speak against Jesus. I wanted so badly to hurt them that I even made trips to foreign cities to look for them.