Acts 13:49-52

We do not expect good people to do bad things. Yet, in spite of our expectations, history is full of examples where common ordinary people have been involved in horrendous actions. This sometimes takes the form of mob mentality. Mob mentality is a phenomenon in which people in a large group act in unison and they do things they would never do alone.

When the Jews became jealous of Paul and Barnabas, they drove them out of the synagogue. However, that did not stop Paul and Barnabas from preaching the gospel to the gentiles in the town. The word of the Lord spread and many gentiles came to be followers of Christ. The Jews were not content with expelling believers from the synagogue; they wanted to expel Paul and Barnabas from the whole region. However, the Jewish population was not large enough to have that much influence on their own. They had to find a way to influence people with power.

Luke tells us what they did; they incited god-fearing women of high standing and the city leadership. They stirred up persecution and had Paul and Barnabas expelled from the region. The way Luke tells the story indicates that the leadership expelled them not by force but by legal means. Luke did not tell us what the Jews said to incite the persecution. Many historians and scholars believe that this is one of the first examples where Jews used the fear that Christians would cause political unrest to incite Roman authorities to persecute them.

Inciting someone to unrighteous action requires skill as a manipulator. While appearing to appeal to reason, the manipulator is really stoking the fires of emotion. Emotions such as fear, hate, jealousy, and greed are all especially susceptible to incitement.

The fruits of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control help protect us from unrighteous manipulation. The Holy Spirit gave the disciples joy in the midst of persecution, and the Holy Spirit provides us with everything we need to live victorious.