Several years ago while on a trip to Ireland I learned about the phrase beyond the pale. The expression was first used way back in the 13th century to describe people who lived outside the parts of Ireland controlled by the British. Sections of the perimeter were fenced, which became known as the Pale, deriving from the Latin word palus, or stake. Wild Irish people lived beyond the Pale (some of them my ancestors).

Today the phrase points to behavior outside the bounds of good conduct or judgment. Actions that are simply unacceptable. The phrase popped to mind while hearing Paul share about his life before Christ. He hated those who followed Jesus:

I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the Lord’s people in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities.

Crushing disciples of Jesus consumed Paul. He threw people in prison, signed death warrants, and hunted relentlessly. Paul forced believers to renounce their faith through threats and intimidation. Men, women and children felt his wrath. Paul roamed beyond the pale, hate-filled and merciless.

Yet God, in his mercy, flipped the man. With the same astounding drive, Paul began advocating for and spreading faith in Jesus Christ. Paul never forgot his past, remorsefully writing I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God (1 Corinthians 15:9).

No one exists beyond hope. No man or woman who opposes the Lord is too far gone to be reached by the mercy and grace of God. We should pray: Lord, flip those who oppose you and create fresh, humble champions of faith. Future followers of Jesus even now wander beyond the pale, waiting for a call from our Lord.

Acts 26 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Jan Canty