Author: Allan Babcock (Page 7 of 76)

(This is long.  Paul’s fault, not mine!)

Life has certain “defining moments”.  The birth of a child or the death of a beloved are just two. In human history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the defining moment.  Paul declares this moment in his apologia to King Agrippa.

“A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus.  Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. He said: ‘There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner.  When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned. I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over any man before he has faced his accusers and has had an opportunity to defend himself against their charges.  When they came here with me, I did not delay the case, but convened the court the next day and ordered the man to be brought in.  When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected.  Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive.  I was at a loss how to investigate such matters; so I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these charges.  When Paul made his appeal to be held over for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar’” (Acts 25:13-21).

Agrippa rules for Rome over southern Lebanon and southern Syria.  He is the great-grandson of Herod the Great, Judea’s king during Jesus’ birth. Bernice is his year-younger sister with whom he has an incestuous relationship (Josephus Jewish Antiquities 20.145-46; Juvenal Satires 6.156-60).  The two arrive in Caesarea to pay respects to new Governor Festus.  Over several days, the governor discusses Paul.  Agrippa, probably curious, asks to speak with him.  Felix agrees, hoping this “investigation” will provide an appropriate charge to send with Paul to Rome.

“Then Agrippa said to Festus, ‘I would like to hear this man myself.’ He replied, ‘Tomorrow you will hear him.’  The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high ranking officers and the leading men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in.  Festus said: ‘King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea, shouting that he ought not to live any longer.  I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome.  But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write.  For I think it is unreasonable to send on a prisoner without specifying the charges against him’” (Acts 25:22-25).

Lavish ceremony marks the “investigation”.  The contrast between prisoner Paul and  the “important” leaders is stark.  Festus admits Paul’s done nothing to deserve death; but he’ll send him to Rome because Paul has appealed.  Hopefully he can be sent with a specific charge. King Agrippa invites Paul to speak.

“Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You have permission to speak for yourself.’ So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense:  ‘King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews, and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently. The Jews all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee.  And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today. This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. O king, it is because of this hope that the Jews are accusing me’” (Acts 26:1-7).

The Jews know how I’ve lived, the kind of strict Pharisee I was, begins Paul—then quickly jumps to the heart of his defense.  “ . . . it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today”.  That hope?  Resurrection.

“’Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead? 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 saints 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. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them’” (Acts 26:8-11).

Paul admits it:  he once opposed the name of Jesus—violently, obsessively.  But something happened one day that changed everything.

“’On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”  “Then I asked, “Who are you, Lord?” “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” the Lord replied.  “Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you.  I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may be sanctified by faith in me”’” (Acts 26:12-18).

“I am Jesus,” the Voice declared.  He was appointing Paul to a mission “as a servant and . . . witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you”.  Jesus.  Jesus is alive!  Risen from the dead! And he is sending Paul “to open [Gentile] eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me”. 

“’So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. That is why the Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me’” (Acts 26:19-21).

Paul explains he has been obeying the heavenly vision.  And it was this that agitated the Jews against him.

“’But I have had God’s help to this very day, and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen–that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles’” (Acts 26:22,23).

Paul claims his preaching is in perfect continuity with Moses and the prophets (see Isaiah 25:6-12).  They said Messiah would rise from the dead.

 “At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. ‘You are out of your mind, Paul!’ he shouted. ‘Your great learning is driving you insane.’  ‘I am not insane, most excellent Festus,’ Paul replied. ‘What I am saying is true and reasonable. The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.’ Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?’  Paul replied, ‘Short time or long– I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains’” (Acts 26:24-29)

Resurrection is too much for Festus.  Paul must be out of his mind.  Too much learning has led to insanity.  Paul appeals to Agrippa.  Jewish-born, he’s familiar with “these things”.  But, when Paul asks him directly if he believes, he retorts, “Do you think in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”

Agrippa has lost his opportunity and the “investigation” is over.

“The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them.  They left the room, and while talking with one another, they said, ‘This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.’ Agrippa said to Festus, ‘This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar’” (Acts 26:30-32).

Had Paul been mistaken to appeal to Caesar?  Governor and king both decide Paul is not guilty of any crime against Rome.  Had he not appealed, he could have been set free.  I’ve always read that statement as an “if only”.  Instead, it’s a God-sovereignty statement. The Lord’s night-message to Paul in Jerusalem makes Paul’s appeal as God-ordained . . .

“Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem,
so you must also testify in Rome”
(Acts 23:11b).

* * *

Resurrection. The “defining moment”. Jesus was resurrected, and I will be.  When I started preaching, resurrection was a nice, way-far-off hope.  Now, at age 74, resurrection is a way-nearer hope.  Soon I’ll leave to be with Jesus—or even better, Jesus will come.  Either way–ultimately bodily resurrection.

Death is God’s curse for humanity’s sin (“ . . .for dust you are and to dust you will return.”–Genesis 3:19b).  But death is also our enemy (“The last enemy to be destroyed is death”–1 Corinthians 15:26).  Therefore, aging and suffering are too.  God didn’t create us for any of that.  Sin robbed us of life; but God will restore it.  That’s his promise to Old Covenant Israel and to us who believe in the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ.

“ And [the Lord] will destroy the shroud that is cast over all peoples . . . he will swallow up death forever.  Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces . . . “ (Isaiah 25:7,8a).  Together with ancient Israel, this is our hope.

Jesus’ resurrection marks the beginning of ours . . .

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him” (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).

Marriage.  Birth of children.  Career job.  A far-bigger “defining moment” is the moment we trusted our lives to Jesus Christ.

Because that’s the moment we became one “who belongs to him” for resurrection.

Felix and  Festus.  Sounds like two characters from Sheriff Andy in Mayberry.  But they were Roman governors of Judea.  The first from 52-58 A.D.  His successor from 59-62 A.D.  They’re important to us, because Paul was tried by both.

“When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison” (Acts 24:27).

No verdict from Felix after two years.  He was recalled to Rome and was succeeded by Festus.  Paul languished in prison.

 “Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, where the chief priests and Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul.  They urgently requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.  Festus answered, ‘Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. Let some of your leaders come with me and press charges against the man there, if he has done anything wrong’” (Acts 25:1-5).

First on the agenda, Festus visits Jerusalem, calling the Sanhedrin and other leaders to present the charges against Paul.  They urgently ask the governor for a favor:  “Might you transfer Paul from Caesarea to Jerusalem?” A change-of-venue request was common.  But author Luke reveals the Jews’ motive:  they want again to ambush Paul.

Festus is unmoved.  The prisoner is in Caesarea.  The governor/judge is going there.  Some of the Jewish leaders should come along to press charges, so a judgment might be made.  Another attempt fails.  Again Providence is protecting the apostle from death.  God wants Paul in Rome.

“After spending eight or ten days with them, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him.  When Paul appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove.  Then Paul made his defense: ‘I have done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar’” (Acts 25:6-8).

The next day after returning to Caesarea, Festus “convened the court” (literally, “sat on the judgment seat”).  Paul is brought in and the Jerusalem Jews bring “many serious charges against him”.  They prove unprovable.  According to Luke, Paul’s defense is a simple denial.  He hasn’t transgressed Jewish law or the temple or Caesar.

At this point, then, acquittal should follow.  But . . .

“Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, ‘Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?’  Paul answered: ‘I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well.  If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!’  After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: ‘You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!’” (Acts 25:9-12).

Suddenly (to get on the good side of his unruly subjects?), Festus asks Paul.  “Will you stand trial in Jerusalem?” Justice is about to miscarry.  Paul stands firm.  He’s now in Caesar’s court, where his trial should be held.  He’ll die if he deserves it.  But since theJewish charges are untrue, “no one has the right to hand me over to them.”

Paul’s next words are pivotal:  “I appeal to Caesar!”    He’d die in Jerusalem, so he exercised his Roman-citizen-right.  Paul will stand trial in Rome, possibly before Caesar himself.

* * *

I’ve argued that . . .

• God providentially orchestrated Paul’s rescue by the Romans from the Jews in the temple.
• God providentially birthed Paul to a Roman citizen father making Paul a Roman citizen and so saving Paul from flogging.
• God providentially uncovered the Jews’ plot to kill Paul, so a huge contingent of soldiers safely delivered him to Caesarea.
• God protected Paul from injustice before Governor Felix.
• Now, God orchestrated events so Paul could appeal to Caesar.

Remember the Lord’s night-appearance to Paul in Jerusalem?  “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome” (Acts 23:11).  Merely foreknowledge?  I say NO:  sovereign providence!  God was using men to his own ends.

But can I apply God’s providence to myself?  Can I say with assurance God is providentially orchestrating events in my life?  Can I be confident he called me to a life of pastoring?  That he now has allowed two diseases to afflict me?  Can you say assuredly that God is providentially orchestrating events in your life?

Consider just these four texts . . .

“The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD” (Pro. 16:33).

” . . .your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16).

“No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt a man. But it is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another” (Psalm 75:6,7).

“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:11).

J.I. Packer (British theologian and Professor of Theology at Regent College) quotes the Westminister Short Catechism, then summarizes divine providence. . .

“God’s works of providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions” (Q.11).

“If Creation was a unique exercise of divine energy causing the world to be, providence is a continued exercise of that same energy whereby the Creator, according to his own will, (a) keeps all creatures in being, (b) involves himself in all events, and (c) directs all things to their appointed end. The model is of purposive personal management with total ‘hands-on’ control: God is completely in charge of his world. His hand may be hidden, but his rule is absolute.”

Is that good for us?  Paul assures us  . . .

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him– with those who have been called according to his purpose.  For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Romans 8:28,29).

Felix may leave us in prison.  Festus may capitulate to the Jews.  But only if God orchestrates it.  And only for our good and his glory.

Hear “Nixon”, and you think “Watergate” (unless you were born after 1975).  Hear “Felix”, and you should think of Paul’s first Roman trial complete with a corrupt, ruthless governor and two years in prison.

“Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor. When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: ‘We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation. Everywhere and in every way, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly. We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. But the commander, Lysias, came and with the use of much force snatched him from our hands and ordered his accusers to come before you. By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him.’  The Jews joined in the accusation, asserting that these things were true” (Acts 24:1-9).

The Roman tribune has chosen to transfer Paul to a high authority.  With a huge contingent of Roman military, he takes him sixty miles north to Caesarea and Governor Felix.  Five days after arriving, Paul is brought before the governor.  Ananias, the high priest from Jerusalem, some elders and a lawyer, Tertullus, are present for the prosecution.

Tertullus (prosecutor):  “You’re the empire’s greatest governor! (Oh, puh-lease!)  You’ve wisely created much-needed reforms and ushered in perpetual peace (what about all those uprisings and Felix’s ruthless reactions who only sparked more Jewish violence?).

“But, let me be brief.  This man (finger pointing) has stirred up riots among the Jews all over the world (shattering Roman peace) and is a ringleader of the (notorious) Nazarene sect.  He even tried to desecrate the temple!  We wouldn’t have bothered you with this but Lysias, the Roman commander, forcibly grabbed him from us and ordered we come to you.  Your examination will show all these charges to be true.”

“When the governor motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: ‘I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship.  My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city.  And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me.  However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.  So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man. After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings.  I was ceremonially clean when they found me in the temple courts doing this. There was no crowd with me, nor was I involved in any disturbance.  But there are some Jews from the province of Asia, who ought to be here before you and bring charges if they have anything against me. Or these who are here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin–unless it was this one thing I shouted as I stood in their presence: ‘It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today'” (Acts 24:10-21),

Paul (defendant):  “I didn’t argue in the temple.  I didn’t stir up a riot in the city.  My accusers have no proof of their charges.  It is true that I worship the God of our fathers ‘as a follower of the Way.’  But I believe everything in the Law and Prophets, and, like them, hope in the resurrection of the dead.  For that reason I seek to keep a clear conscience before God.

“I came to Jerusalem to bring gifts for the poor.  I created no trouble.  Asian Jews started it all.  They should stand before you with their charges.  Or Tertullus and these Sadduccees should name the crime they say I committed—unless it was my shout that set them off: “It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today (this is irrelevant theology to the Romans).

 “Then Felix, who was well acquainted with the Way, adjourned the proceedings. ‘When Lysias the commander comes,’ he said, ‘I will decide your case.’ He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard but to give him some freedom and permit his friends to take care of his needs” (Acts 24:22,23).

The wheels of government grind slowly.  Felix declares, “We’re adjourned.”  He needed no more information about Christianity, being “well acquainted with the way.”  But he did want to hear from the Roman commander on scene.  Until then, Paul was to be guarded but granted some freedoms.

Lysias was never summoned.

“Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus.  As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him. When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison” (Acts 24:24-27).

Soap Opera:  When Drusilla was six, her father promised her to an Armenian king, if he would be circumcised.  Years later, he refused.  So her brother gave her in marriage to a Syrian king.  At a dinner party (I made that up) Felix saw Drusilla across the room and her beauty sparkled stars in his eyes.  He wooed and won her away from her husband.  Drusilla, divorced and remarried.  So when Luke writes “Jewess”, don’t think “godly.”

Curiosity:  I’m assuming this is why Felix sent for Paul.  But his curiosity turned to terror when Paul told of God’s coming judgment. “No more.  I’ll call you when I’m ready.”

Corruption:  Government’s not only slow: it’s corrupt. Felix talked frequently with Paul hoping he’d bribe him to get out.  Two years later—no bribe from Paul.  But Felix is gone, leaving Paul under guard.

 * * *

What was God doing?  Okay, the Romans did rescue Paul from death by Jews.  And as long as they held him, the Jews couldn’t get him.  And Paul got to deliver the gospel to Governor Felix (who wanted a bribe more than righteousness).  But, two years in prison with Lord knows how many “conversations” with the greedy governor.  Two years!  Couldn’t God just have gotten Paul passage on a ship headed west?

When troubles come, our first response is, “Why?”  Our second is to explain to God why this trouble makes no sense, and he’d be a lot better off getting us out of it.  There’s no changing God’s mind, though.  And let’s face it:  we don’t understand some things God does.  Think there’ll be a long line in heaven?  Folks lining up with all our “why?”  questions.

‘Til then, we’ll just have to accept our ignorance and trust God’s wisdom.

“I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or less than God wishes.”  If Charles Spurgeon is right, then the Lord’s “fingerprints” are all over Paul’s escape from the Jews’ plot to kill him.

“The next morning the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. More than forty men were involved in this plot.  They went to the chief priests and elders and said, ‘We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul.  Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here’” (Acts 23:13-15).

Paul, a Roman citizen, remains in Roman “protective custody”, because twice Jews in the temple tried to kill him.  They’re not done yet.  “More than forty men” take a “curse oath” (Greek, anathematize—“bring under a curse”) “not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.”  They arrange for the Sanhedrin to request the Roman commander bring Paul before them for more information.  They will kill him on the way.

These men may appear as fanatics.  But they honestly believed the rumors that Paul had forbidden Jews to follow Moses.  Furthermore, they were sure he had defiled the temples by bringing a Gentile into the holy Court of Israel.  God’s holiness must be upheld by the death of the transgressor!

Paul would have met a violent death had it not been for what happened next . . .

“But when the son of Paul’s sister heard of this plot, he went into the barracks and told Paul. Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, ‘Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him.’  So he took him to the commander. The centurion said, ‘Paul, the prisoner, sent for me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.’ The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside and asked, ‘What is it you want to tell me?’  He said: ‘The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about him. Don’t give in to them, because more than forty of them are waiting in ambush for him. They have taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready now, waiting for your consent to their request.’ The commander dismissed the young man and cautioned him, ‘Don’t tell anyone that you have reported this to me’” (Acts 23:16-22).

With all our information about Paul, we know nothing of his family life.  Well, almost nothing.  He had a sister, who had a son.  Where did she live?  If not Jerusalem, why was her son there?  Author Luke doesn’t say.  Just that the young man hears somehow of the Jews’ plot and tells Uncle Paul—an act of God’s providence.  Paul is accessible to the young man, because he’s in “protective custody”, not imprisoned.  And since the soldiers almost flogged a Roman citizen, they’re apparently eager to keep Paul reasonably happy. The commander believes Paul’s nephew and warns him to say nothing about their meeting.

“Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, ‘Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight. Provide mounts for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix’” (Acts 23:23,24).

A military force that large shows the Romans took the Jewish threat seriously and considered Paul an important prisoner.  One man in “protective custody” riding in the middle of 200 soldiers, 70 horsemen, and 200 spearmen!

“He wrote a letter as follows: Claudius Lysias, To His Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings. This man was seized by the Jews and they were about to kill him, but I came with my troops and rescued him, for I had learned that he is a Roman citizen.  I wanted to know why they were accusing him, so I brought him to their Sanhedrin.  I found that the accusation had to do with questions about their law, but there was no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment.  When I was informed of a plot to be carried out against the man, I sent him to you at once. I also ordered his accusers to present to you their case against him” (Acts 23:25-30).

The commander is not only getting Paul out of Jerusalem; he’s transferring Paul to a higher authority than himself—Governor Felix.  The governor was once a slave, but was set free either by Mark Antony’s daughter or Emperor Claudius (Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, 20.137).  His administration was marked by violent disturbances, his brutal reactions only turning the Jews more passionately against him.  Tacitus (1^st century Roman historian) said that Ananias “practiced every kind of cruelty and lust, wielding the power of [a] king with all the instincts of a slave” (Histories 5.9).  To that governor Paul is now taken . . .

“So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night and brought him as far as Antipatris.  The next day they let the cavalry go on with him, while they returned to the barracks.  When the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him.  The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia, he said, ‘I will hear your case when your accusers get here.’ Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod’s palace” (Acts 23:31-35).

The military force leaves about 9 p.m. on what seems a forced march, and travels 35 miles through the Judean hill country at night without incident.  They reach a trade-route crossroads on the border of Judea and Samaria—Antipatris.  The threat of Jewish ambush lies behind; ahead lies a flat coastal plain inhabited by Gentiles.  The infantry and spearman return home, while the calvary takes Paul the last 25 miles to Caesara.  There the officers “delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him.”

* * *

If Spurgeon is right (and the Scriptues teach God is sovereign over all things:  he “works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will”–Ephesians 1:11), then  over Paul  and the might of Rome’s legions was the hand of Providence.  As he rode in that military contingent, I imagine his mind drifted back to the Jerusalem night when the Lord appeared and said . . .

“ . . . just as you have testified for me in Jerusalem,
you must bear witness also in Rome” (Acts 23:11).

That memory must have encouraged Paul, surrounded by Rome’s military power.

I’m not a prized Roman prisoner.  The Lord hasn’t appeared and told me the purpose for my suffering.  But, because God “works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will”, I believe the same hand of Divine Providence hovers over me.  To that hand I cling.

One of my favorite psalms is the second:  Why do the nations rage? Why do the people waste their time with futile plans?  The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the LORD and against his anointed one. “Let us break their chains,” they cry, “and free ourselves from this slavery.” But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them (Psalm 2:1-4, NLT).  Can you picture God laughing?  I bet he did during Paul’s interrogation before the Jewish high court.

Having found Paul to be a Roman citizen, the tribune can’t interrogate Paul with flogging.  Still, he wants to know why the Jews had rioted against him . . .

Since he wanted to find out what Paul was being accused of by the Jews, the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and the entire council to meet. He brought Paul down and had him stand before them (Acts 22:30).

The “chief priests and the entire council” are the Sanhedrin, Israel’s supreme court.  It’s composed of 71 “sages” (including the high priest), who meet in the temple daily, ruling on legislative and judicial issues and serving as the final authority in matters of Jewish law.  Before this august body the apostle now stands. The Roman tribune is present.

While Paul was looking intently at the council he said, “Brothers, up to this day I have lived my life with a clear conscience before God.” Then the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near him to strike him on the mouth (Acts 23:1,2).

Paul takes the initiative.  He declares he’s lived “with a clear conscience before God”.  That got him a strike on the mouth courtesy of the high priest’s impetuous order.  What so incensed the high priest?  Paul speaking before being asked?  The idea that he could be a good Jew though a Christian?  Paul’s “holy boldness”?

Whatever the specific reason (and author Luke doesn’t tell us), Ananias was acting in character.  Jewish historian Josephus writes that Ananias disgracefully profaned his sacred position by, among other things, taking the tithes that should have gone to the common priests (Jewish Aniquities). Five years earlier the Syrian governor sent him to Rome on suspicion he was involved in a bloody outbreak between Jews and Samaritans.  He was cleared; nevertheless, the high priest was well-known as a ruthlessly violent and greedy man.  He administered pro-Roman policies, making him an enemy to many Jews.

At this Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting there to judge me according to the law, and yet in violation of the law you order me to be struck?” Those standing nearby said, “Do you dare to insult God’s high priest?” And Paul said, “I did not realize, brothers, that he was high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a leader of your people” (Acts 23:3-5). 

His mouth still stinging from the slap, Paul angrily prophesies against Ananias.  “ . . . you whitewashed wall”—a tottering wall with deficiencies hidden.  “God will strike you”—a prophecy fulfilled less than ten years later when war broke out with Rome.  Jews dragged him from an aqueduct where he was hiding and put him to death along with his brother.

Was Paul’s prophecy a burst of uncontrolled temper?  More likely justified anger, because the slap was punishment even before the trial. Nevertheless, it brought a reprimand from “[t]hose standing nearby.  ‘Dare you insult the high priest?’”  Paul immediately apologizes, quoting from Jewish law in Exodus 22:28b.

But how could he not know that the man who commanded the slap was the high priest?  Presiding over the meeting in his high priestly robes certainly gave him away!  Some have suggested Paul spoke ironically: “I never thought a high priest would do that!”  Others think Paul may have been looking away and so didn’t know who spoke.  This all amounts to speculation, since we’re not told and no suggestion seems to satisfy.

When Paul noticed that some were Sadducees and others were Pharisees, he called out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” When he said this, a dissension began between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, or angel, or spirit; but the Pharisees acknowledge all three.) Then a great clamor arose, and certain scribes of the Pharisees’ group stood up and contended, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” When the dissension became violent, the tribune, fearing that they would tear Paul to pieces, ordered the soldiers to go down, take him by force, and bring him into the barracks (Acts 23:6-10).

Author Luke points out that Paul sees the council is split between Sadducees and Pharisees.  So when he identifies himself as a second-generation Pharisee who held to “the resurrection of the dead”, council Pharisees concede that a man who holds to so central a tenet of faith can’t be all bad.  Council Sadducees, meanwhile, explode.  For, as author Luke explains, Sadducees deny end-time resurrection and the spirit world, as well.  Pharisees, believe in both.

Paul’s words ignite a sharp conflict between the two groups.  When the uproar makes it clear no serious examination of Paul can be made, some of the law experts (who are Pharisees) declare, “We find nothing wrong with this man.  Maybe a spirit or angel spoke to him”.  Now the conflict becomes violent.  The tribune, afraid they’ll “tear Paul to pieces”, orders soldiers to grab Paul and bring him into their fortress.

That night the Lord stood near him and said, “Keep up your courage! For just as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, so you must bear witness also in Rome.” (23:11).

Paul is disheartened.  His worst anxieties about his fate in Jerusalem are being realized.  Twice, crowds of Jews physically threatened his life.  How will he get out of the city to fulfill his dream of preaching in Rome and further west?

That night, inside the Roman fortress, the Lord appears to the prisoner.  “Be encouraged!” he urged.  And then the Lord promised, “ . . . just as you have testified for me in Jerusalem (as Paul had spoken to the crowd in the temple), so you must bear witness also in Rome.”  During the next two years of imprisonment and trials, the apostle must have clung to that promise.

* * *

The Lord wanted to get Paul to Rome his way (https://theoldpreacher.com/providential-protection/).  Neither Roman flogging nor the Jewish Supreme Court could hinder.  And the way he freed Paul from the court is quite funny.  Picture Paul before that august body open-mouthed watching them fight over theology, so violently that the Roman tribune has to rescue Paul from possible harm.

Government—even “godly governments ordained by God”—prove inept and ineffective.  They’re only (fallen) human.  And while we’re charged to obey the authorities–and we should be thankful for good government–our lives don’t depend on them.

We are in the hands of the eternal God, our Father in heaven through Jesus Christ.  And he will fulfill his good purpose for us—even if he has to make our enemies act like zany, inept Keystone Kops.

I’ve found plenty to read recently about suffering as a Christian—not so much about miraculous deliverance.  Got to admit, though, the Bible is full of God’s people in pain.  But, God protects his people too.  Take this incident in Paul’s life . . .

Remember: hostile Jews had grabbed Paul in the temple and would have killed him had the Roman military not intervened.  Before soldiers dragged him into the fortress, Paul was given opportunity to address the crowd.  When he mentioned being sent to the Gentiles, the mob exploded again . . .

“As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, the commander ordered Paul to be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and questioned in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this” (Acts 22:23,24).

Why had the Jews rioted against Paul?  This the tribune must determine.  He’ll use torture to interrogate him.  (Both NIV and NRSV imply flogging and questioning were separate events.  Rather, the Greek says “examine with lashes”.  In other words, the tribune intended to beat the truth out of the prisoner).

Beating was not new to Paul:  five times by Jews and three by Romans. But flogging would be far worse.  A soldier would lash his stripped back with a whip of thongs studded with pieces of bone or metal secured to a wooden handle. Tied to a pillar, his back stretched and arms secured, Paul couldn’t protect himself at all.  Flogging like this usually caused permanent physical damage, even death.

But God wanted Paul in Rome.  Not just in the city, but inside Caesar’s elite imperial guard (Philippians 1:12,13).  He couldn’t have Paul maimed or killed in Jerusalem.  So, even though author Luke doesn’t mention it, God had preordained Paul be born a Roman citizen.

“As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, ‘Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?’ When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. ‘What are you going to do?’ he asked. ‘This man is a Roman citizen.’ The commander went to Paul and asked, ‘Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?’ ‘Yes, I am,’ he answered. Then the commander said, ‘I had to pay a big price for my citizenship.’ ‘But I was born a citizen,’ Paul replied. Those who were about to question him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains” (Acts 22:25-29).

As soldiers stretched Paul’s arms and tied them with thongs, he asked the centurion overseeing the torture.  “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?”  Under Roman law, citizens could be flogged who were convicted of a crime, but not before conviction.

The centurion takes Paul’s question to the commander, who nervously asks Paul, “ . . . are you a Roman citizen?”  Paul answers, “ . . . I am”.  The commander admits he had to pay a large sum for his citizenship, maybe a bribe to administrators or a flat-out cash purchase from the government.  In any case, Paul has accomplished what he wanted.  Both men now know that Paul is at least a social-legal equal to the tribune.  And he can’t be flogged.  The soldiers back off.

“The next day, since the commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them” (Acts 22:30).

The Roman commander still wants to learn why Paul was accused by the Jews.  Next day he orders the Jewish court to interrogate him.  Paul will now stand before the Sanhedrin, Israel’s Supreme Council.

* * *

Five decades earlier, Paul had been born in Tarsus (today’s Turkey), a large trading center on the Mediterranean coast.  How his Jewish father gained Roman citizenship isn’t known.  Perhaps success in business earned him that standing.  It was a stature to be prized:  it entitled him to Roman rights and privileges throughout the empire, especially the right to a fair trial and humane treatment. As children of immigrants gain citizenship by birth in the U.S., so Paul gained Roman citizenship by birth to a Roman citizen father.  To Paul, a zealous Jew sent to Jerusalem to study the Mosaic law with Pharisees, it probably meant little.  Until now.

Was it a “lucky break” that Paul could escape flogging?  To the contrary, the psalmist writes, “The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all”.  Put that together with David’s words in Psalm 139:13, “For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb”, and you’ve got a God who is intimately involved in our births.  Not only when but where and to whom.  There are no “lucky breaks”, only a Sovereign God who rules all.

Paul’s rescue from flogging is hardly the kind of miracle that draws curious crowds to revivals.  But Paul’s birthright, which saved him  50 years later, is no less an act of God than if an angel snatched the whip from the soldier’s hand.

God intervenes in our lives (even before our lives) to protect us.  No, it doesn’t mean we’re spared suffering.  But there are times when God says to our pain, “That’s enough.  Go no farther.”

My conversion to Christ was pretty tame.  Hand raised.  Walk to the front with a dozen others.  Prayed over.  Pretty tame, even for a ten-year-old.

Paul’s conversion was anything but–as he soon will tell us.

But, first,  remember he’d been in the temple completing a purification rite with four other Jews.  Rumors were flying:  he rejected Moses, banned circumcision, forsook customs.  Asian Jews spotted him.  Immediately, they grabbed him, shouting for others to help.  The crowd became a mob madly trying to kill him.  Roman soldiers showed up, pulling him from the mob, dragging him up to their fortress.  At the top of the stairway, Paul asks to address the crowd at the bottom.  The tribune assents.   Paul makes his defense:  it’s his conversion story.

I THOUGHT I WAS RIGHT

“’Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.’ When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Then Paul said: ‘I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. I persecuted the followers of the Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, as also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished’” (Acts 22:1-5).

Paul asks the Jews to hear his defense.  They fall silent when Paul speaks their native language.  He tells how he was raised in Jerusalem, thoroughly trained under Rabbi Gamaliel (a Pharisee doctor of the law and recognized leader of the Sanhedrin), and so fervent for God he had “followers of the Way” imprisoned.  He had even been authorized by the Council to arrest “these people” in Syria and bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment.  He thought he was right.

So did I:  raised in a Christian home, regularly attended church, basically obeyed my parents, believed in God, even believed in Jesus.  But I never “received” him, never said “yes” to his “Follow me.”  I thought I was okay.

THE LORD JESUS APPEARED TO ME

 “’About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. My companions saw the light, but they did not hear the voice of him who was speaking to me. ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’ My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.  “A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.  He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him. Then he said: ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth.  You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.  And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name’ “ (Acts 22:6-16).

It was near Damascus, Syria, about noon, on the way to arrest “followers of the Way”, when “suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed (periasypapto—lightning-like)”. It knocked him to the ground.  A voice called his name and asked, “Why do you persecute me?”  Paul, trembling, asked who was asking.  The answer was astounding: “I am Jesus of Nazareth”.  Crucified Jesus of Nazareth.  Alive. 

Humbled, fearful Paul asked what he should do.  Jesus told him to get up and go into Damascus.  “There you will be told all you have been assigned to do.”

Paul was blinded. The proud persecutor had to be led by the hand like a child into the city.  His fellow persecutors were left in the dark:  they saw the light but heard no voice.

Paul tells how, in the city, a devout and respected man named Ananias visited him.  He commanded Paul (still called Saul) to receive his sight.  “At that very moment I was able to see him.”  Ananias then explained Paul had been chosen to see and hear “the Righteous One” and to be his witness to all.  So: “Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.”

The preacher invited whoever wanted to receive Jesus to raise their hand,  An urging rose in me.  Not because of the speaker; nothing special about him.  The invitation was the same one I’d heard dozens of times before.   And I knew what would come next:  “Stand up and come to the front for prayer”.  I was a shy kid.  Standing up among a few hundred Sunday school students and adults was, well, terrifying.  But now that didn’t matter.   My heart was compelling me.  Looking back, I believe Jesus was calling.  No blinding light.  No knock to the ground.  Just a pull–by Jesus.

THE LORD SENT ME TO THE GENTILES

“When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance and saw the Lord speaking. ‘Quick!’ he said to me. ‘Leave Jerusalem immediately, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’  ‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these men know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you.  And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’  Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles’.  The crowd listened to Paul until he said this.  Then they raised their voices and shouted, ‘Rid the earth of him!  He’s not fit to live!'” (Acts 22:17-22).

Paul returns to Jerusalem.  He goes to the temple to pray. There he falls into a trance–(Greek, ekstasia) in which he sees the Lord speaking:  “Quick!  Leave Jerusalem immediately because they will not accept your testimony about me.”  He argues that the Jews’ knowledge of his zealous past persecution will only make his testimony now more credible.  But the Lord said again:  “Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.”  “Gentiles”.  The spark re-ignites the riot.  The mob shouts, “Get rid of him!” the mob shouts.  He doesn’t deserve to live!”

Paul’s defense is over.  The Roman tribune orders him brought inside.  What now would happen to his mission to the Gentiles?

I paced our apartment’s kitchen.  I hated my sales job, wasn’t any good at it, didn’t want to go.  For three years I’d bounced from job to job.  I felt trapped.  Suddenly, I felt an urging to study to become a pastor.  It was the same compulsion I felt to raise my hand ten years earlier.  I came to believe the Lord had trapped me, until my only escape was “yes” to a mission.

* * *

Paul’s defense/conversion story raises a probing question:  If I was arrested for spreading the gospel to Muslims, say, what would my defense be?  Hire a lawyer?  Plead ignorance?  Blame my church?  Or, would I tell how Jesus came into my life and changed me and wants me to spread his good news to everyone?

In other words, would Jesus be so real in my life that I “blamed” him?