LA Riots, Agitators and the Timeless Tensions of Culture

An unpopular opinion carried by controversial men meets with rioters in a large city throwing a mob and bystanders into “turmoil” and then the mob “agitating” the crowds and “stirring” them up.

Am I referencing violent protests and rioters in Los Angeles taking issue over the weekend with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforcing existing laws?

Yes – but also a scene straight from Luke’s pen in Acts:

But other 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 believers 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 believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.

But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up (Acts 17:5-13).

To once again quote from the Scriptures:

“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecc. 1:9).

If the mayhem in Los Angeles looks familiar, it’s because what’s unfolding appears to be straight from a tired script going back years and even multiple millennia.

At issue this time is whether California officials will be able to ignore the law and not cooperate with the federal government with illegal immigration enforcement. Early on Monday, the Department of Homeland Security tweeted out:

“California politicians must call off their rioting mob. Federal law enforcement are working to protect and safeguard American citizen from criminal illegal aliens. Why is California’s governor siding with foreign criminals?”

Luke’s narrative in Acts revolved around opposition to the apostle Paul’s and Silas’ preaching. We read that the house of Jason, a believer, was attacked. It seems emotional and physical volatility have long been the way many look to settle their differences.

The men and women entrusted and authorized to protect our homeland need our prayers. At times, it seems to be a thankless and even impossible assignment. We ask the Lord to sustain, embolden, and guide them through this difficult assignment.

We can expect agitators and violent actors to be regularly confronting law enforcement in the coming days, weeks, months and years. After all, the names change, but “there is nothing new under the sun.”

Image from Getty.