Beloved, I am pleased to share with you today the above theme from Acts 23:16-17. Indeed, the commander still does not explain the fury of the Jews against a man to whom he sees no reproach to be made. And to inquire, he summons his prisoner before the Sanhedrin. A clever word of Paul puts the party of the Pharisees on his side. Indeed, the resurrection of Jesus Christ was indeed the foundation of his doctrine and indirectly the motive of the opposition of the Jews. But Paul does not even have the opportunity to pronounce the name of his Savior; for he threw this bone of contention between the traditional adversaries: Pharisees and Sadducees, and the greatest tumult ensues in the Sanhedrin. So, once again, the commander must bring Paul to safety.
But after all these events, the apostle, alone and discouraged, needs comfort. The Lord Himself visits him and stands near his dear disciple: The next night the Lord appeared to Paul, and said, “Take courage; for just as you bore witness of me in Jerusalem, you must also give witness in Rome.” (Acts 23:11). And without reproach, on the contrary, He recognizes the testimony that Paul has just given in Jerusalem, consoles him and reminds him of his true mission: to proclaim salvation not to the Jews, but to the nations. So, he will go to Rome for this purpose.
Here we see the Lord directing the events, using Paul’s young nephew, paul’s status as a Roman citizen, and the Roman commander’s proud contempt for the Jews. to which, no doubt, he was happy to play a trick. Indeed, the Lord had promised His servant that He would give testimony in Rome. That is why all the machinations of his enemies could not prevent him from doing so. Rather, they will contribute to it; for it was indeed these threats that decided Lysias to send Paul under good escort to Caesarea, the port where he landed shortly before, to save him from the plots of the fanatical Jews.
At the same time as his prisoner, Lysias sent a letter about him to Governor Felix. Notice how much he arranges the facts to his advantage by hiding the mistake he almost committed: “This man, whom the Jews had seized, was going to be killed by them, when I came with soldiers and took him away from them, having learned that he was Roman.” Despite this, the faults of the Gentiles almost fade here next to the terrible guilt of the Jews. Because the 40 conjured assassins could not keep their oath, thus calling for a curse on their own heads.
Thus, Paul addresses the Sanhedrin with the seriousness and high spirit of a man of good faith, accustomed to walking with God. His speech is not a testimony given to them for their good, but the call of a good conscience to their consciences if they still had one. The immediate response that the apostle receives is an insult on the part of the judge or the head of the Sanhedrin: Paul, indignant at this process, declares to Ananias that God will strike him; but warned that Ananias was the high priest, he apologizes for his ignorance of this fact, the high priest probably not being dressed in such a way as to be recognized, and he recalls that the law formally forbids to speak evil of the head of the people (Acts 23:5). All this was right and in its place vis-à-vis men; but the Holy Spirit could not say, “I did not know.”
For the apostle’s discourse is not the result of the activity of the Holy Spirit doing the work of grace and witness, but it is the means of God’s final judgment on the people. Indeed, it is under this character, as far as the Jews are concerned, that Paul appears here. And his conduct shines vis-à-vis that of his judges, who completely dishonored themselves and showed their awful condition; but the apostle does not appear to God before them: he then takes advantage of the composition of the Sanhedrin to throw a complete disorder into it, announcing himself as a Pharisee, son of a Pharisee and drawn into question for a dogma of this sect. This fact was true, but such a step did not live up to the word of the apostle: “The things that for me were a gain, I looked at them, because of Christ, as a loss”. However, the Jews show their condition naked: for what Paul tells them arouses an uproar; and the commander, fearing that the apostle would be to pieces, removed him from the midst of them. For the Lord God has everything at His disposal. In fact, a nephew of Paul, whom we do not hear about elsewhere, is informed of a pitfall that is being prepared for the apostle; he warned Paul; the latter sends the young man to the commander who sends the apostle under escort to Caesarea. For God has watched over his servant, but everything is at the level of human and providential ways. There is not here the angel of Peter, nor the earthquake of Philippi; we feel that we are on another terrain.
For Lysias makes sure of the defendant as much to protect him as to seize him, and always he treats him with convenience, removes him from the fury of the people, from that of the council, from that of the conspirators. In addition, he treats the prisoner’s nephew amicably, listens to him, takes energetic measures so that justice can have its free course, and recommends in his opinion to Felix, the defendant whom he regards as innocent. What a difference between this conduct and that of a Herod, a Pilate, or a member of the Sanhedrin! For it was among the pagans that the apostle of truth, persecuted by his own, found the firmest and most honorable protectors, Lysias and Julius the Centerius. But it does not seem that these men, so honorable according to the world, have sought or tasted the truth, because unfortunately in this world, honor and natural virtues only too often take the place of religion. May we, too, continually experience that “the Lord is near” and that we do not need to worry about anything (Phil 4:4-7; 2 Tim 4:16-18).
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
- Examples of Conspiracy
Gen 37:18 They saw him from afar; and before he was near them, they plotted to make him die. Nb 16:3 They assembled against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, ‘Enough is enough! for the whole assembly, all are holy, and jehovah is in their midst. Why do you rise above the assembly of Jehovah? Jg 9:1 Abimelech, son of Jerubbaal, went to Shechem to his mother’s brothers, and this is how he spoke to them and the whole family of the house of his mother’s father; 2 King 12:20 His servants rose up and formed a conspiracy; they struck Joas in the house of Millo, which is on the descent from Silla. 2 Kings 14:19 A conspiracy was formed against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lakis; but he was pursued to Lakis, where he was made to die. Dn 6:4 Then the chiefs and satraps sought an opportunity to accuse Daniel of the affairs of the kingdom. But they could not find any opportunity, nor anything to take back, because he was faithful, and we saw in him neither fault nor anything bad. Mt 12:14 The Pharisees went out, and they consulted each other on ways to make him perish. Acts 23:12 When the day came, the Jews formed a plot, and made imprecations against themselves, saying that they would abstain from eating and drinking until they had killed Paul.
- Concealment, examples
1 S 21:14 Akisch said to his servants: You see that this man has lost his mind; why are you bringing him to me? 2 S 14:2 He sent a skilful woman to Look for Tekoa, and he said to her: Show yourselves desolate, and put on clothes of mourning; do not be bee of oil, and be like a woman who has long mourned a dead man. 2 Kings 10:19 Now summon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants and all his priests, without a single one missing, for I want to offer a great sacrifice to Baal: whoever is missed will not live. Jehu acted with cunning, to kill Baal’s servants. Lk 20:20 They began to observe Jesus; and they sent people who pretended to be righteous, to set traps for him and to seize from him some word, in order to deliver him to the magistrate and to the authority of the governor. Acts 23:15 So you now turn with the Sanhedrin to the tribune, that he may bring him before you, as if you wanted to examine his cause more precisely; and we, before he approaches, are ready to kill him.
- Centenier
Mt 8:5 As Jesus entered Capernaum, a center approached him; Mt 27:54 When evening came, a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus, arrived. Mk 15:39 But Jesus, having cried out loudly, exhaled. Acts 10:1 There was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurer in the so-called Italian cohort. Acts 22:25 When he had been exposed to the whip, Paul said to the centurer who was present: Are you allowed to beat a Roman citizen with yards, who is not even condemned? Acts 23:17 Paul called one of the centeniers, and said, Lead this young man to the tribune, for he has something to bring him. Acts 27:11 The centurn listened to the pilot and the ship’s boss rather than Paul’s words.
- Kindness, examples
Joseph: Gen 50:21 So be without fear; I will talk to you and your children. And he consolate them, speaking to their hearts.
Moses: Ex 2:17 The shepherds arrived, and drove them out. Then Moses stood up, defended them, and made their flock drink.
-Booz: Rt 2.16 and even you will remove for her from the sheaves some ears, which you will let her glean, without reproaching her.
David: 2 S 9:1 David said, “Is there still anyone left of saul’s house, that I may do him good because of Jonathan?
The Good Samaritan: Lk 10:34 He approached, and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine into them; then he put it on his own mount, took him to a hotel, and took care of him.
-The jailer of Philippi: Acts 16:33 He took them with him, at this very hour of the night, he washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his own.
-The inhabitants of the island: Acts 28:2 The barbarians showed us an unusual benevolence; they all took us in a great fire, which they had lit because the rain was falling and it was very cold.
From all the above, we note that the Lord directs the events, using Paul’s young nephew, the latter’s status as a Roman citizen, as well as the Roman commander’s proud contempt for the Jews. For it was among the pagans that the apostle of truth, persecuted by his own, found the firmest and most honorable protectors, Lysias and Julius the Centerius. But it does not seem that these men, so honorable according to the world, have sought or tasted the truth, because unfortunately in this world, honor and natural virtues only too often take the place of religion. May we too continually experience that “the Lord is near” and that we do not need to worry about anything. Our prayers support you all in this direction.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may be shining in my life right now.
Thank you Lord Jesus for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby watering point to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow on “Paul’s accusation and defense before Governor Felix.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.