Acts 23 - Trial of
The Century
Paul
- Goes before the Sanhedrin and is cross examined.
- Acts as his own defense attorney.
- Talks about the fact that he lived his life with a clear conscience before God.
The high priest
Ananias has Paul hit in the mouth and Paul responds with God
will strike you, you white-washed wall! How dare you sit there judging me by
the Law and give orders for me to be struck, which is clearly contrary to the
Law?
Paul
- Realizes what he had just said.
- 4 Those who stood by said, do you mean to insult God’s High Priest? 5 But Paul said, my brothers, I did not know that he was the High Priest, for it is written: you shall not speak evil of the ruler of your people.
Paul Knew
- The Law because some believe that he was once a member of the supreme court of Israel.
- Legal tactics, so he knew how to work within the legal system at the time.
- Understood that by defending himself legally he had a better chance of making it to Rome.
Paul
- Also knew the differences between the Sadducees and the Pharisees. The Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection nor in angels or spirits. The Pharisees did.
- Speaks out. I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees. It is for my hope in the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial!
This Caused
tension between the Pharisees & Sadducees. The Pharisees spoke out.
9b We find nothing wrong with this man! Suppose some angel or spirit has
really spoken to him? 10 As
the tension mounted the colonel began to fear that Paul would be torn to pieces
between them. He therefore ordered his soldiers to come down and rescue him
from them and bring him back to the barracks.
Jesus
- Appeared to Paul and encouraged him. Take heart--for just as you have witnessed boldly for me in Jerusalem so you must give your witness to me in Rome. V. 11
- There was a group (Over 40 men) of radical Jews who made a vow & went on a hunger strike until they killed Paul.
- These men went before the chief priests & elders and told them tell the Colonel to bring Paul, that they want to examine his case more closely. They will ambush him on the way.
Paul had a nephew who found out about the plot and told Paul
about it. Paul told one of the centurions to take his nephew to the commander
(Colonel). He did and the Colonel told one of the centurions to get 200
soldiers, 70 horsemen and two hundred spearmen and take Paul to Felix the
governor. The colonel wrote a letter to
Felix.
The Contents of
The Letter
Claudius Lysias sends greeting to his excellency the
governor Felix. This man had been seized by the Jews and was on the point of
being murdered by them when I arrived with my troops and rescued him, since I
had discovered that he was a Roman citizen. Wishing to find out what the
accusation was that they were making against him, I had him brought down to
their Sanhedrin. There I discovered he was being accused over questions of
their laws, and that there was no charge against him which deserved either
death or imprisonment. Now, however, that I have received private information
of a plot against his life, I have sent him to you without delay. At the same
time I have notified his accusers that they must make their charges against him
in your presence.
The Soldiers took Paul, riding through the night and brought him to
Antipatis. The next day they returned to the barracks, leaving the horsemen to
guard Paul. Then they went to Caesarea after delivering the letter to the
governor, they handed Paul over to Felix. After the governor reads the letter
he questioned Paul and asked what province he was from. Paul told him that he
was from Cilicia. The governor told Paul that he would hear the case as soon as
the accusers got there. Then he had Paul kept in Herod’s palace.
What We Can Learn
From These Events In Paul’s Life:
- Paul knew God was in control.
- Paul knew his rights.
- Paul used his brain.
- Paul knew he had a destiny.
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