“Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers?” (Acts 21:38)

If it hadn’t been a life-or-death matter, it would have been laughable. Readers of the Book of the Acts often see Paul the Apostle surviving close calls. In Acts 21, he’s at it again. Just as Paul is about to be nabbed and killed over doctrinal clashes in Jerusalem (21:31), the commander of a Roman cohort swoops in to save Paul from certain doom. The commander truly helps Paul escape with his life but is clueless about Paul, the gospel, and disputes between Judaism and Christianity. He appears to be a fine officer, but he is tone-deaf.

There are more and more people around us who are tone-deaf concerning Christ and the gospel. Sometimes it’s driven by spite or willfulness, but sometimes it’s simple ignorance. The “chief captain” (as the King James calls the commander) mistook Paul for an Egyptian troublemaker who had duped four thousand murderers to follow him (21:38). Outlandish. Ridiculous. But tone-deaf people often respond outlandishly and ridiculously. Paul’s ministry to the tone-deaf officer (and to the angry mob of Jews who were eager to kill Paul that day) gives modern Christians clear examples to follow today.

First, Paul personally respected the Roman commander. “May I speak unto thee?”Paul asked, while the commander did his job and protected Paul from the violent mob (21:37). Unbelievers must be viewed as those who bear the image of God, even if they are grossly misguided about Christ, faith, and Paul’s–or your–very identity.  Second, Paul addressed a hostile audience with truth and conviction. (See his address in Acts 22.) It must have been tempting to lash out at the crowd in sheer frustration at their tone-deafness and rejection of God’s Word. Paul resisted that temptation, and so should we.

Tone-deaf people can be unkind, selfish, rude, and even vicious. Christ died for them as he did for us. Paul had been converted from the tone-deaf life of a Pharisee years before. Christ saved us from sin, so we have an obligation and privilege to reach people with gospel truth. We are redeemed tone-deaf people, and we must reach unredeemed tone-deaf people.