Nobility

When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ, " he said. Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.

But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus." When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.

As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men (Acts 17:1-12).

As Americans, we don’t think much about nobility. Nobles are the kind of people you find in Great Britain, people who have been granted the title of "sir" or "lady" by the royal family. They are respected as being a cut above everyone else; people look to them for an example of how the best and brightest conduct themselves.

America doesn’t have royalty; we don’t have kings or queens, barons or duchesses. And yet, in a very real sense, we do have nobility in this country. They just aren’t identified as such. We have people who are given a lot of respect. We have people who get special privileges, even if it’s under the table and out of sight. We have people that we look to as an example of how the best Americans should live. We have many people that are treated like nobility.

Who are these people? They include political families like the Obamas and the Bushes. They include movie stars like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. They include sports figures like Eli Manning and Michael Jordan. They even include singers like Madonna and celebrities like Paris Hilton. These types of people get preferential treatment; their words and actions have influenced many lives.

Why are these people as influential as they are? It’s wonderful that Angelina has adopted several kids and given them a privileged upbringing, but what about all the other children who are still dying from malnourishment and neglect? What kind of role model is Paris being to teenage girls? How many public figures support a cause purely out of concern for others, and keep on supporting it even after the cameras have gone someplace else? Have any of America’s ‘nobility’ touched your life personally and changed you for the better?

Noble people are supposed to act a certain way. What kinds of behavior do you think of as noble? Should these kind of people be proud of their achievements, or should they be humble? Should they be on the cutting edge of fashion, or should they be secure enough that they don’t need to worry about what’s trendy? Do you expect nobility to show off their wealth, or do you expect them to be generous with what they have? Do you prefer them to be sophisticated and reserved, or do you prefer that they be down to earth and accessible? Should the nobility have refined tastes, or is better that they are able to appreciate beauty and happiness wherever it may be found?

Humans may have contrasting ideas about what nobility should be like, but God has His own views on the matter. In Isaiah chapter 32, the prophet describes noble character by contrasting it with the behavior of foolish and evil men. The fool speaks folly, his mind is busy with evil. He practices ungodliness and spreads error concerning the LORD; the hungry he leaves empty and from the thirsty he withholds water. The scoundrel's methods are wicked, he makes up evil schemes to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just. But the noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands. According to Isaiah, God views as noble those people who speak wisely and keep their minds occupied with good thoughts. They follow God’s laws and share His truth with others. They give food and drink to the hungry and thirsty. They are concerned with doing things the right way, and they devote time to projects that help the needy.

Jesus talks about noble behavior as well. In the Parable of the Sower, He compares His word to seed, and human beings to different types of soil. Some are just not interested in what Christ has to say, and the devil snatches God’s word from their lives—just like crows make off with seeds that are left on the ground unwanted. Others are curious about Christianity, but they give up on faith when life gets hard—just like a seedling is easily killed when it is planted in soil that is too shallow for roots to take hold. Then there are those who love Jesus, but get so distracted by life’s worries and pleasures that they never attain spiritual maturity—just like a plant that is choked out by growing among a bunch of weeds. But there is a fourth type of soil—Jesus says, the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop (Luke 8:15). By Jesus’ definition, people of noble character are those who listen to God’s Word, build their lives around it, and work hard at honoring the Lord with everything they have.

In the fourth chapter of his letter to the Philippians, Paul talks about how we should occupy our minds. Listen to what he says: whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things…And the God of peace will be with you. According to Paul, nobility includes an interest in what is true, pure, lovely, and excellent.

And in the book of Acts, Luke also describes noble character. He says, the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. When Paul and Silas came with the message of God’s salvation offered through Jesus Christ, the Thessalonians listened politely. But when enemies of Christ came to town with words of hate, many were quick to believe their lies and get enraged. As a result, Paul and Silas had to quietly slip away so that things would cool down. But the situation in Berea was different. There, the message about Jesus was received with great interest, and they spent time every day studying God’s word so they could evaluate the truth of Paul’s words. By Luke’s estimation, people of noble character get excited about God’s word and want to understand it better.

Many people that we treat as nobility don’t act noble at all. They boast about their achievements. They are slaves to every change in fashion. They spend their money to make themselves look good. They sneer at ordinary pleasures; they are never satisfied with anything less than the absolute best. They act as if they are better than most other people; they expect to be catered to, and when they speak, they assume that right-thinking people will agree with them.

Christ is different. Jesus is true nobility—Son of God and descendent of King David. Jesus is the rightful heir to both the throne of earth and the throne of heaven. And Jesus embodies nobility of spirit. He is humble, not arrogant. He is dependable, not pushed around by trends or pressure from lobbyists. He is generous, not selfish. Although He had the finest of everything in heaven, He was willing to leave it all behind and live with us in our poverty. Jesus came to serve us in our need, washing His disciples’ feet as an example for us to follow. He did not insist on being treated as royalty; instead, He submitted to the judgment of church and state, both of which condemned Him to death on a cross. Jesus is nobility personified, and that nobility led to giving up His life so that our sins could be forgiven.

Jesus calls on us to act like nobility. He wants us to be humble, steadfast, generous and open. He wants us to love His Father, love His Word, and love our neighbors as ourselves. He wants us to hunger for a deeper, more committed relationship with God. But we are sinners through and through—how can we possibly be of noble character?

For such a thing to happen, we need Jesus. In Jesus, God loans His nobility to us. Jesus is not the kind of celebrity that comes to the ballpark to throw out the first pitch or sing the national anthem. He did not come to be the Grand Marshall in a parade, waving to the cheering crowds. Jesus came to save us. He teaches about God’s law, so we can know what makes God happy. He teaches about sin, so we can understand how much we’ve angered God by our misbehavior. He lived a life of perfect obedience for us, so that the Law might be fulfilled in spite of our sin. He died in our place to spare us from God’s awful judgment. He rose from the dead to open heaven for all who believe in His power, love and mercy. He’s not like Angelina Jolie, who can only adopt a few children and give them a better life; through Christ, billions of humans are adopted by God as His beloved children, and are rescued from sin and the threat of hell.

We can show nobility—with God’s help. Relationships that are shallow and superficial can benefit from an investment of time—time to listen, time to get involved, time to care. So imitate the Bereans—get to know God more personally through frequent worship and a commitment to Bible study. As you grow closer to Him, the Spirit of God will equip you with other noble qualities—the ability to stay positive, honor God’s law, share the Gospel with others, offer good advice, serve others with willing hands and wallet, and appreciate beauty wherever you find it.

Although America may not have royalty, we are still influenced by people who act like nobility. But you don’t have to be famous or good looking or wealthy to act nobly; just follow the example of the Bereans. Their noble character came from their devotion to Christ. Because of it, we are still talking about those devout people two thousand years later. If you want to be remembered, be of noble character—dedicate yourself to a deeper relationship with Christ, and follow where He leads you.