But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities.” vs. 19
Acts 16:16-24
Paul had been irritated by a slave girl with the spirit of divination who had kept shouting at them each day as they walked the streets of Philippi. So one day he just stopped in his tracks and ordered the unclean spirit to come out of her–and it did. Now this was a great blessing for the girl but a great disaster for her owners–she could no longer make them a lot of money! So they pressed charges against Paul and Silas and had them thrown into prison. This little incident is a perfect example of what happens when true Christian values conflict with the values of the marketplace. Generally business owners have no trouble with followers of Jesus. As long as they confine their activities to worship and prayer there are no issues, but the moment their convictions lead them to words and actions that are a threat to the various money machines that run our world there is a problem. e.g. As long as Pope Francis stuck to conducting masses and leading prayers things were fine, but when he began to be critical of the economic systems that were exploiting the poor, he was reminded by many to mind his own business. In general, when revenue flows are threatened, spiritual values are quickly discarded.
Thought for the Day: When has wealth been an obsession for me?
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