Paul gets punched in the face

Throughout Acts 21-24 the apostle Paul is either in jail or on trial.  My favorite moment happens as Paul stands before the Jewish religious leaders and the High Priest orders him to be punched in the face.  So how does Paul respond?  Does he check his WWJD bracelet and stand there calmly?  Does he look his striker in the face and humbly say, "I forgive you"? . . . No.  He lifts his head up (in the style of Clint Eastwood) and says, "God is going to strike you, you hypocrite! By hitting me you break the very law that you claim to be enforcing!" (my paraphrase)

So often Christians are expected to be meek and mild pacifists who constantly turn the other cheek and get pushed around and taken advantage of.  But thank God for Paul.  He models for us a different version of Christianity.  A Christianity that stands for something and won't be taken advantage of.  A Christianity that stands up for truth and calls out hypocrisy.  A Christianity that is fearless, brave, and most importantly tough.  

God bless the pacifists, and obviously there are situations in which the Christian thing to do is to turn the other cheek.  However, as Paul demonstrates for us here there are times in which the Christian thing to do is look your attacker in the eye and fearlessly call them out for the corrupt coward that they are.  Sign me up for Paul's version of Christianity.