In the previous chapter, we read how Paul pulled out his ‘get out of jail free card’ and told the Roman authorities about his citizenship, and they panicked. The chief priests and all the council were commanded to come together, while Paul was standing before them.
As Paul stood looking straight at the Sanhedrin, Paul told them he had lived his life for God until that very time, Acts 23:1 / Acts 20:18-21 / Acts 20:26-27 / Acts 24:16 / 1 Corinthians 4:4 / Philippians 3:6 / Hebrews 9:14 / 2 Timothy 1:3.
Bruce, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Paul might well appeal to the testimony of conscience as he stood before the supreme court of Israel; it was on no righteousness of his own, however, that he relied for justification in the heavenly court. The purest conscience was an insecure basis of confidence under the scrutiny of God.’
But Paul’s announcement about his clear conscience didn’t go down very well with Ananias, the high priest. He commanded the man next to Paul to strike him, Acts 23:2, which was a violation of their law, Deuteronomy 25:1-2 / John 18:20-23. They broke God’s law by striking Paul on the mouth.
Hughes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘This order was illegal, for the Jewish law said, ‘He who strikes the cheek of one Israelite, strikes as it were the glory of God,’ and ‘He that strikes a man strikes the Holy One.’
And so Paul, with the voice of prophecy, told Ananias that God would strike him who was a whitewashed wall, Ezekiel 13:10-16 / Matthew 23:27, because he sat to judge the apostle by the law but violated it by having a man struck before he had been tried and found guilty, Acts 23:3.
This is very interesting because, according to Jewish history, Ananias was murdered by his own people just a few years later at the beginning of the Jewish war.
Josephus, in his writings, says the following.
‘Ananias became high priest in A.D. 47. The Jewish high priesthood was a political appointment during Rome’s occupation of Palestine. Josephus painted Ananias as a despicable person. He seized for his own use tithes that should have gone to the ordinary priests and gave large bribes to Romans and Jews. The emperor summoned him to Rome on charges of being involved in a bloody battle between Jews and Samaritans, but he escaped punishment. He was very wealthy and resorted to violence and even assassination to accomplish his ends. He was also very pro-Roman, and the Jews finally assassinated him in their uprising against Rome in A.D. 66, nine years after Paul stood before him.’
Those standing by asked Paul if he was insulting the high priest, Acts 23:4, who, of course, was one with certain authority, Exodus 22:28. Why did Paul insult the high priest? It is possible that Paul didn’t know who he was.
How did Paul not know that Ananias was the high priest? It’s possible that since the Sanhedrin was not an informal assembly, Ananias may not have had on an official dress.
It’s also possible, as some suggest, that Paul’s thorn in the flesh, 2 Corinthians 12:8-10, his eyesight wasn’t good at this point, Galatians 4:14-15 / Galatians 6:11.
Ananias may not have been the actual high priest at that time, because the title was also used for former high priests and those who were merely from the family out of which he was chosen.
Notice what Paul did as soon as he discovered Ananias was the high priest. Once Paul knew who he spoke against, he immediately apologized noting that it was against the law to speak against a ruler of God’s people, Acts 23:5. And what happens next is one of the finest examples we have of divide and conquer.
Luke tells us that when Paul looked around at his audience, he saw the council was comprised of both Pharisees and Sadducees, Acts 23:6 / Matthew 16:1 / John 11:47-53.
And so he begins his defence by saying he was a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee and brought up on charges because of his belief in the resurrection of the dead, Acts 23:6 / Acts 24:15 / Acts 24:21 / Acts 26:6-8 / Acts 26:23 / Acts 28:20.
Why would Paul say he was brought before them because of his belief in the resurrection? If we think about the Gospel, as we have already seen time and time again, when we preach the Gospel, we have to include the preaching of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. And so, Paul uses his belief in Jesus’ resurrection to divide and conquer.
Luke tells us that Paul’s statement immediately created a division between the Pharisees, who believed in the resurrection and the Sadducees, who didn’t, Acts 23:7-8.
It got to the stage where some of the scribes who were Pharisees actually stood up and said they could not find any fault in Paul, Acts 23:9. In fact, they almost defend Paul by wondering if the apostle had been spoken to by a spirit or an angel, Acts 23:9 / Acts 5:38-39.
Remember, the Pharisees believed in spirits and angels, but the Sadducees didn’t, and so, because of these two different beliefs, the dissension between the two groups was so great that the chief captain had Paul withdrawn to the castle, afraid he would be torn apart by them, Acts 23:10 / Acts 24:20-21.
If we believe that Paul’s situation was terrifying, we would be right to think that, but Paul, being the faithful Christian that he was, kept his focus on the mission ahead of him that God gave him. God didn’t want to let Paul get too comfortable on this earth, and He doesn’t want us to get too comfortable.
Why does God allow trials and sufferings in our lives? Because he doesn’t want us to get too comfortable in this world. He wants us out of our comfort zones, and He wants us to grow, and He wanted Paul to take the Gospel to Rome, and He wants us to take the Gospel somewhere too, Matthew 28:19-20 / Mark 16:15-16.
The Roman Empire believed that it was the light of the world, but Paul knew all too well that Rome was still in the dark and the Gospel was the real light, John 8:12.
If we, like torches of God’s light, Matthew 5:14-16, continue to shine every day of our lives, Satan will never have an opportunity to come in and tempt us to corrupt our lives with sin, Psalm 139:7-12. And so because Paul was afraid, God was about to intervene and give him courage.
God was saying to Paul, ‘Take courage’ Acts 23:11, because I am with you always, to the very end of the age, Matthew 28:20. ‘Take courage’ because never will I leave you, never will I forsake you, Hebrews 13:5.
‘Take courage, what can mortal man do to you?’ Psalm 56:4. ‘Take courage’ because I’m in control of your destiny as long as you follow my will, Romans 8:35.
The Lord has been protecting Paul up to this point, and He is going to continue to protect him until God gets him where he wants him to be, which is Rome, Acts 19:21 / Psalm 37:4 / Romans 9:1-4 / Romans 15:24.
These people are determined to kill Paul come hell or high water, and they will go to any lengths to achieve that goal, Romans 10:2. Luke tells us that the next morning, more than forty Jews took an oath to neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul, Acts 23:12-13 / Acts 21:27-29.
And so, the forty-plus men reported their plan to the chief priests and elders and enlisted their help in a conspiracy by asking for time to get the captain to bring Paul before the council again to judge his case more thoroughly, Acts 22:14-15.
Make no mistake about it, they were hoping to kill Paul as he was being brought from the barracks to the council meeting place, Acts 9:23-25 / Acts 9:29-30 / Acts 20:3.
Even with the Lord’s assurance, Acts 23:11, I’m sure that with all the hostility the Jews had shown Paul since his arrival in Jerusalem, Paul may have doubted if he would ever escape that city and fulfil his desire to preach in Rome.
Paul may have had his doubts about God’s promise to him whilst he was in Jerusalem, but he never gave up on the truth that all things would work according to God’s purpose, Romans 8:28. We might have our moments of doubt, but we need to hang on to the words of Paul himself when he writes to the church in Corinth, 2 Corinthians 1:3-7.
When we handed our life over to Jesus Christ, we signed up to suffer for Jesus Christ, 2 Timothy 3:12. When we told Satan we don’t want anything more to do with him, he made us public enemy number one, and he is not going to let us leave him without a fight, Ephesians 6:10-20.
Notice what Paul told the church in Corinth: it’s not all about suffering, it’s also about comfort, 2 Corinthians 1:3-7. One of the ways that God sends that comfort to us is by sending His people to minister to us on His behalf, and sometimes that can happen without us even being aware of it. My point is that God is always one step ahead of us, and I think that’s one of the points that Luke is going to tell us about next.
Luke clearly tells us that God is one step ahead of the game. God knows what was going to happen next in Paul’s life. That’s why God, in His providence, had Paul’s sister’s son in a position to hear the plot in the first place, Acts 23:16 / Acts 23:11.
That’s why he entered the barracks where the apostle was being kept and informed him of the intention of the conspirators. That’s why Paul immediately called for a centurion and asked him to take his nephew to the chief captain, Acts 23:17.
That’s why the centurion brought this young man to the commander, Acts 23:18. That’s why the commander asked Paul’s nephew what he had to tell him, Acts 23:19.
That’s why he revealed the entire plot against his uncle, Acts 23:20-21. And that’s why the chief captain then asked him to tell no one what he had reported to him in private and let the young man go, Acts 23:22.
Yes, there are times when we think our lives are out of control, but God is one step ahead of us, just like He was one step ahead of Paul and the Jews who were plotting to kill him. Paul is in God’s hands, and so, because of God’s providence, Luke goes on to tell us about how God’s providence is going to save Paul’s life.
Notice that God doesn’t do things by half; when He protects His people, He protects them. And so, acting on God’s providence, the chief captain, whose name was Claudius Lysias, immediately called two centurions to him, Acts 23:23.
He commanded them to get two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen ready to escort Paul to Caesarea at the third hour of the night, as some translations have it, which would be around 9:00 pm, Acts 23:23 / Acts 9:25 / Acts 17:10.
They were also instructed to provide mounts for Paul and take him to the governor, Felix, who occupied much the same position as Pilate had in Christ’s day, Acts 23:24. And so, Luke reports to Theophilus what Claudius Lysias wrote in a letter to Governor Felix.
Since we know that Festus took Felix’s place in 59 A.D. and Paul was with him for two years, we can conclude that Paul was sent to him in 57 A.D. Lysias, according to Luke, sent a letter to Felix which contained the gist of what was happening, Acts 23:25-26. Remember that He had Paul taken prisoner and put him in chains, which was breaking the Roman Law about Roman citizenship, Acts 22:25-29.
Constable, in his commentary, says the following.
‘This is the first mention of the commander’s name in Acts. His Greek name was Lysias, and when he purchased his Roman citizenship, Acts 22:28, he must have also taken the Roman name of the emperor. Felix was the governor of the Roman province of Syria, which included Judea. Claudius Lysias addressed Felix politely, Acts 1:1 / Acts 24:2 / Acts 26:25.’
Notice that Lysias slightly glorifies the story by telling Felix that he learned Paul was a Roman and so saved him from the mob, Acts 23:27, but he didn’t mention the fact that he had Paul placed in chains.
Lysias says in his opinion, Paul had done nothing worthy of either prison or death, Acts 23:28-29 / John 18:38. And since he had learned of the conspiracy to murder Paul, he informed Felix that he sent the apostle to him and commanded the Jews to appear before the governor to present their case, Acts 23:30.
With the letter in their hands, Luke tells us the soldiers took Paul and the letter and marched between twelve and sixteen miles to Antipatris, Acts 23:31.
Barclay, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Up to Antipatris (about 25 miles) the country was dangerous and inhabited by Jews; after that the country was open and flat, quite unsuited for any ambush and largely inhabited by Gentiles.’
The next day, the soldiers and spearmen returned to their barracks, and the horsemen went with Paul to Caesarea, some twenty-six miles further north, Acts 23:32.
And when they arrived there, they presented Paul to the governor, along with the letter, Acts 23:33. When Felix read the letter, he asked what province Paul was from, and after the apostle told him he was from Cilicia, he told him he would hear from him after his accusers came, Luke 23:6-12, but until they came, Paul was kept in Herod’s Palace, Acts 23:34-35.
Longenecker, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Some wonder if the men who made the vow of fasting died because they failed in their mission to kill Paul. This was probably not the case. Ancient rabbis allowed for four types of vows to be broken: ‘Vows of incitement, vows of exaggeration, vows made in error, and vows that cannot be fulfilled by reason of constraint’, exclusions allowing for almost any contingency.’
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Vicious criminals would not have been kept in such a palace, and therefore it may be inferred that Paul was honourably treated and given the best accommodations available for a man under detention.’
When we think of God’s providence, we automatically think of Joseph. Remember that Joseph’s brothers thought that they had seen the last of him until there was a severe famine, and they had to go to Egypt for food.
And so after a while, Joseph let himself be known to them, and Joseph says that everything that happened was all a part of God’s plan to get God’s people where God wanted them to be, Genesis 45:4-7.
In the Book of Philemon, the story is told of a slave named Onesimus. He belonged to Philemon of Colossae. Onesimus ran away from his master and made his way to Rome, where he encountered the apostle Paul.
Paul led Onesimus to the truth, and when he writes to Philemon about it, Paul says that everything which happened to Onesimus was all a part of God’s plan, Philemon 15-16.
Let me give you a quick summary of how Paul saw His life. We have seen that after his third missionary campaign, Paul returned to Jerusalem, where he was arrested for allegedly defiling the temple, Acts 21:28.
During the night, the Lord told him to be courageous. He would not die in Jerusalem; rather, he would bear witness in Rome, Acts 23:11. And so to save Paul’s life from a Jewish mob that had vowed to murder him, Roman officials sent Paul to Caesarea by night according to Acts 23:31-35.
And what we are going to see over the next few chapters, Paul was then imprisoned for two years, Acts 24:27. Finally, when Paul concluded that he would get no justice from the authorities, exercising his right as a Roman citizen, he appealed his case to Caesar, Acts 25:11.
In early autumn of A.D. 60, he was put on a ship bound for Rome, Acts 27:1. And whilst he was on that ship, the ship was wrecked, and all hope of being saved was abandoned, Acts 27:30. But an angel appeared to Paul and promised him that ‘he must stand before Caesar,’ Acts 27:24
The following spring, safe and sound, Paul arrived in Rome, and his prayers and those of the Roman saints had been answered, but through the mysterious workings of divine providence! Acts 28:16.
Later, writing from Rome to the brethren in Philippi, the apostle could say that the things which had happened to him ‘have really served to advance the gospel,’ Philippians 1:12.
The point is this, that there is absolutely no doubt that Paul saw the helpful hand of God’s providence in this series of events in his life. And so for us, as His people, we should be rejoicing and living each day with a calm confidence that we are in God’s hands.
And we, too, just like Joseph, Onesimus, and Paul, should know that the Lord is always near; we should always know that Heaven’s operations through providence are a long-lasting presence in our daily existence.