Spin, Spin, Spin
Acts 23:25-30 nkj
He wrote a letter in the following manner:
Claudius Lysias,
To the most excellent governor Felix:
Greetings.
This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them. Coming with the troops I rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman. And when I wanted to know the reason they accused him, I brought him before their council. I found out that he was accused concerning questions of their law, but had nothing charged against him deserving of death or chains. And when it was told me that the Jews lay in wait for the man, I sent him immediately to you, and also commanded his accusers to state before you the charges against him.
Farewell.
Spinning the truth has existed as long as people have existed. In our verses for today, we see the letter that the commander of the Roman forces in Jerusalem, Claudius Lysias, wrote to Felix, the governor living in Caesarea. The thing about this letter is that it was a spin on the truth. What the commander wrote did not happen.
The first thing that stands out is that the commander did not rescue Paul because he heard Paul was a Roman. He rescued Paul because the city was in an uproar and the commander was tasked with keeping order. And the commander completely left out the part about binding Paul and had almost scourged him. Roman scourging was a brutal whipping that often killed the men who were punished this way. Paul was a Roman citizen and was never supposed to have been bound at all without a proper trial. But the commander left that out.
The commander did tell the truth in regards to Paul being accused of offenses not worthy of death. But the entire tone of this letter is making the commander look like a hero. But that is what spin does. Spin takes an element of truth, mixes it with exaggeration, and tops it off with outright lies. Spinning does not lead to winning. It leads to the erosion of trust.
The best thing this commander did was protect Paul by sending a small army to keep him from being killed by the Jews.
Application
As believers, we are called to speak the truth in love. Not to spin the truth in order to make ourselves look better. Long answers that do not answer the question or address the topic under discussion make me suspect spin. When people speak of their intentions as opposed to taking responsibility for their actions, spin is involved.
What do we look for in quality friends and relationships? Faithfulness. The Hebrew word for faithfulness is used to signify the rare and beneficial quality of trustworthiness in an individual. "Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, But who can find a faithful man?" Proverbs 20:6 NKJV. The faithful person is dependable and trustworthy and absent of spin.
Prayer
Lord, You are faithful, and I am following You. Let me be that person who is worthy of Your trust.