“Do not be afraid.”  “Go on speaking, and do not be silent.”  “I am with you.” 

Similar messages regularly appear throughout scripture.  Human beings are regularly affected by the disruptive and debilitating effects of fear, which can come from many different sources.

In our region, terrible storms including tornados destroyed homes, barns, grain bins, and other infrastructure.  We witnessed a tornado strike less than a quarter mile away decimating our neighbor’s home, shop, and barn.  Even animals were affected. Our veterinarian stopped to treat a calf at our farm the day after the storm and she related stories of residual fear and trauma in livestock she had been treating (particularly horses), which came from the fury of these storms.

Hostile weather is not the only source of fear, as hostile humans can also afflict us with fear. The hostile mob that threatened Paul showed that his fear was not merely imaginary.  They demanded action from the Roman official Gallio, but they took matters into their own hands when he would not accede to their demands. They expressed their anger by beating Sosthenes, one of their own leaders.  What did Sosthenes do to become a target of their wrath?  Did he agree with Paul?  Was he insufficiently aggressive for their taste?  Or was he just caught up in the disordered environment of a mob mentality?

We have not outgrown this scenario of mobs behaving badly in our modern day.  Mobs rely on disorder and violence, channeling their anger into fear and intimidation.  They demand change through coercive measures that break down the existing order.  In Paul’s case, the mob sought to coerce him into silence, and failing that, to get the government to do this for them.    

The way of the Gospel works differently, relying instead upon words and deeds of kindness and love.  By teaching the truth in love, the Gospel induces change from within, working change from the inside that generates love toward others.  Coercion might induce compliance motivated by fear of violence, but coercion cannot induce love and the change that it brings.   

Paul did not seek to gather an even bigger mob of Christians to resist the mob who opposed him. In fact, he did not even get to speak in his own defense, as Gallio sent the mob away unsatisfied. Gallio also left Paul vulnerable to their threats – not exactly the kind of peacekeeping we expect from government.  Ironically, the mob seems to have turned on itself instead of on Paul.  Sometimes God works in that way to protect his people.

Today’s gospel provides a comforting message from our Lord that resembles God’s message to Paul. He reminds us to persevere, promising us that grief and anguish from current trials will surely become joy.  He does not deny that grief and anguish are part of life.  We must endure hardships, some of which emanate from the threats, intimidation, and violence in a world that is often dominated by those seeking to wield coercive power.  But our Lord will be with us, and he will not abandon us.  “I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.”