WWUTT 1137 Another Plot to Kill Paul?

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The Jews hated Paul and the gospel he preached, that they were going way beyond the law to put him to death.

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Who was it that came to his rescue? Gentiles, by the providence of God when we understand the text.

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You're listening to When We Understand The Text, committed to sound teaching of the Word of God. For questions and comments, email whenweunderstandthetext at gmail .com.

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And don't forget our website, wwutt .com. Here's our host, Pastor Gabe.

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Thank you, Becky. We continue our study of the book of Acts, getting into chapter 23 today, but we've got a small little portion of 22 to finish up.

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This is the very conclusion of Paul's encounter with the Roman Tribune, who's going to bring Paul before the

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Jewish council, all of this still taking place there in Jerusalem. So, Acts chapter 22, starting in verse 30,

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But on the next day, desiring to know the real reason why Paul was being accused by the

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Jews, the tribune unbound him and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and he brought

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Paul down and set him before them. Now here's chapter 23,

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And looking intently at the council, Paul said, Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.

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And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him,

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God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall. Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet, contrary to the law, you order me to be struck?

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Those who stood by said, Would you revile God's high priest? And Paul said,

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I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.

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Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council,

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Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.

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And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided, for the

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Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.

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Then a great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees' party stood up and contended sharply,

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We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?

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And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into the barracks.

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The following night the Lord stood by him and said, Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.

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When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed

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Paul. There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. They went to the chief priests and elders and said,

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We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed

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Paul. Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly.

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And we are ready to kill him before he comes near. Now the son of Paul's sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told

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Paul. Paul called one of the centurions and said, Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him.

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So he took him and brought him to the tribune and said, Paul the prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you.

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The tribune took him by the hand and, going aside, asked him privately, What is it that you have to tell me?

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And he said, The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as they were going to inquire somewhat more closely about him.

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But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him, and who have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink, till they have killed him, and now they are ready, waiting for your consent.

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So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, Tell no one that you have informed me of these things.

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Then he called two hundred of the centurions and said, Get ready, two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen, to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night.

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Also provide mounts for Paul to ride, and bring him safely to Felix the governor.

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And he wrote a letter to this effect. It read, Claudius Lysias, to his excellency the governor

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Felix. Greetings. This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them, when

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I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen, and desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him,

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I brought him down to their counsel. I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment.

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And when it was disclosed to me that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him.

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So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatrys.

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And on the next day they returned to the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him. When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented

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Paul also before him. On reading the letter he asked what province he was from, and when he learned that he was from Cilicia, he said,

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I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive. And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod's praetorium.

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So yeah, pretty big chunks of scripture we've been covering this week, covering more ground in Acts than I think we have so far in our study, chapters at a time now.

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That's because mostly what we're going through here is narration. There is less teaching and certainly not so much as new teaching.

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Because remember, as we were going through chapter 22, the apostle Paul was sharing his testimony with the people of Jerusalem.

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But this was a testimony we already knew. We read it in Acts 9. It was almost exactly as we had read it in Acts 9.

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So then the Jews, not wanting to hear about Paul, believing him to be a traitor of sorts, they decided to riot against him and even contrive this plot to have him murdered.

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The Tribune didn't really understand what was going on here. He didn't understand the Mosaic law.

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He didn't understand the whole concept of the Sanhedrin, who the

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Sadducees were, who the Pharisees were, what they believed were different. They didn't understand what it was about their law that they were bringing some sort of charge against Paul that was worthy of death.

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The Tribune thought this was all madness. But since the crowd was stirred up to such hostility, surely there had to be a reason that was legitimate.

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That was a significant moral reason to want to put Paul to death. Maybe he was a murderer, an upriser, a rioter, trying to stir up trouble, some sort of rebel.

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But then as we can see here by the letter that he wrote to Felix, he says,

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I found nothing here that was worthy of death. So I'm sending him to you to be tried.

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His accusers can bring something against him. You can listen to Paul's case. And all of this is ultimately building up to Paul being able to go to Rome and share the gospel there.

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This is all the providential hand of God that is guiding this. But we go back to chapter 22, verse 30, where it says that the

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Tribune wanted to know the real reason why Paul was being accused by the Jews. So we unbound him and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet.

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And he brought Paul down and set him before them. So once again, the Tribune doesn't think that this really has anything to do with the

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Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes calling Paul a blasphemer. There's got to be something more serious than that.

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He just doesn't get it. He doesn't get what's going on. You know, this has happened with me before.

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Certainly not to this scale. I've not had my life threatened. But there have been instances where someone in the church has been upset at me because of something

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I said. And it's like the charge that they make of me is so absurd.

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It's so ridiculous that other people in the church seeing this commotion that has arisen, they're thinking to themselves, there's got to be more to this than this silly thing that's going on, because surely somebody wouldn't raise such contention over something so petty.

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So because they see the controversy, they think maybe Gabe has done something legitimately wrong.

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This is this is something I've been involved with before. And it's just because some sort of conflict has arisen and it couldn't possibly be over something that silly.

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So Gabe must have done something really wrong. It's why it's very, very important that we understand the facts and we go about addressing gossip and slander that may arise in the church the way that Jesus tells us we need to confront these things.

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In Matthew, chapter 18, starting in verse 15, the disciplinary procedure that happens in a church, especially when it comes to brothers that have something against one another.

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We need to not listen to gossip and slander, but we need to go directly to the source.

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When gossip starts to to rear its ugly head and it captures people's attention and imaginations, it turns into false accusations.

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It can even turn into wicked plots to try to accuse the person of other things that they aren't guilty of, like trying to set certain pieces in place.

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It's like maybe we can catch him in something for which to blame him. And that's what happens to Paul here as we go into Chapter 23.

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It says, Looking intently at the council, Paul said, Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.

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This is Paul saying, I, I don't even feel guilty of anything here. I'm not accused of anything. You can't, you can't accuse me of anything.

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I've not done anything, anything wrong. I have no guilty conscience. And so the high priest

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Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. And then Paul said to him,

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God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall. Are you sitting to judge me according to the law?

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And yet, contrary to the law, you order me to be struck. Those who stood by said, would you revile

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God's high priest? And Paul said, I did not know brothers that he was the high priest for it is written, you shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.

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Now there are several possible explanations for this. And I've heard some say Paul had poor eyesight, so we couldn't even see him.

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But there, it was that the high priest really wasn't dressed any different than the rest of the Sadducees.

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So there wasn't any reason for Paul to think that he was the high priest. He also had not been in Jerusalem for a long time.

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So he didn't know Ananias. He didn't recognize him as the high priest. So, so that was why he said what he said and would not have otherwise said that if he knew that that man was the high priest.

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But this is just kind of going to show they're trying to get other things to blame Paul for, including that he is bad mouth, the high priest.

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So they're just kind of like trying to build up the accusations against Paul. And all of this is a malicious plot.

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We know Paul has not done anything wrong here. So verse six. Now, when Paul perceived that one part were

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Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, brothers, I am a Pharisee son of Pharisees.

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It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.

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Now, this was probably a pretty shrewd on Paul's part to have said this because he knew that the

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Sadducees and the Pharisees were divided on this. The Sadducees did not believe in a resurrection of the dead.

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They didn't even believe in angels, but the Pharisees did believe in such things, which was another reason why the

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Pharisees were more popular with the people. According to the Sadducees, there was no afterlife. So what difference did it make that we live the way that they tell us to live?

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But the Pharisees did believe in an afterlife, which was a hope of the resurrection to come. So the people liked what it was that the

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Pharisees taught more than they listened to the Sadducees. But since there was a difference of opinion about this among these members of the

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Sanhedrin, this caused no simple division among them. And so Paul is likely stirring that up among them.

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It's like, hey, you're going to try to catch me in something. You're going to try to like build this plot in this case against me.

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Well, let me put you at each other for a little while. And so he brings up this thing about the reason why

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I'm in trial for all of the reason why I'm on trial for all of this is because I have been speaking about the resurrection of the dead, which can only be accomplished through Christ.

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But since he's talking about the resurrection of the dead here, that sets the Sadducees and the Pharisees against one another.

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So after Paul was taken away, the tribune sees, boy, these people are just crazy.

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So he rescues Paul out of that situation to keep him from being killed. And the following night, the

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Lord stood by Paul and said, take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.

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That's verse 11. So the Lord telling him here, this is what I have intended for you.

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All of this is being set up so that you could go to Rome and share the gospel about me there.

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Even this skirmish that has raised up against the Pharisees and the Sadducees. It's like the

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Jews are going to fight each other to death. I am going to send you to even more

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Gentiles that you may declare my name to them. So verse 12, when it was day, the

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Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed

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Paul. There were more than 40 who made this conspiracy. They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, we have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food until we have killed

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Paul. Now, therefore, you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you as though you were going to determine his case more exactly, and we are ready to kill him before he comes near.

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So they're protecting the high priest here. Make it look like you're going to do this all in the civil manner in which the tribune expects you to act.

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But then while Paul is on his way here, we're going to jump out and kill him. So that's kind of the plot that they have set up here.

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So then verse 16, now the son of Paul's sister heard of their ambush.

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So we went and entered the barracks and told Paul. This is kind of interesting here because it's really the only place in Acts we meet any of Paul's family.

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We have Paul's nephew who has heard of this plot to kill Paul, and he heard that more than 40 made this conspiracy.

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So this is a pretty large rabble of rebel soldiers that are going to kill

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Paul. He needs the Roman guard to protect him. So Paul called one of the centurions and said, take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him.

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So we took him and brought him to the tribune and said, Paul, the prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you as he has something to say to you.

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The tribune took him by the hand and going aside, asked him privately, what is it that you have to tell me?

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And he said, the Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow as though they were going to inquire somewhat more closely about him.

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But do not be persuaded by them. This is not going to be some sort of civil court thing that is going to go on.

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This is not going to be a legitimate trial. They're going to attempt to kill Paul.

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Do not be persuaded for more than 40 of their men are lying in ambush for him, who have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him.

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And now they are ready, waiting for your consent. So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, tell no one that you have informed me of these things.

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And then look how the Lord uses even the Roman guard to protect

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Paul. You know, these these Jews, the Sadducees and the

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Pharisees, teachers of the law that most especially should have known what Paul was preaching about concerning Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment of all of the law and the prophets they should have known.

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But they hated what Paul was saying and wanted to put him to death for it. So who comes to Paul's rescue?

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The Gentiles, the pagans are now protecting the apostle Paul as he has the message of the gospel that he is going to take to the capital city of the world.

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So the tribune called two of the centurions and said, get ready 200 soldiers with 70 horsemen and 200 spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night.

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So also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to Felix, the governor.

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And he wrote a letter to this effect. So what we're going to read about tomorrow when we come back to this in Acts, we're going to get to chapter 24 with Paul before Felix at Caesarea.

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So the tribune wrote a letter to Felix and said, Greetings, this man was seized by the

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Jews and was about to be killed by them. When I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a

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Roman citizen and desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council.

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I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment.

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And when it was disclosed to me that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him.

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So here, the tribune is even saying, and we know the tribune's name now is Claudius Lysias.

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The tribune is even saying Paul hasn't even done anything worthy of being thrown in prison. And yet these

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Jews want to kill him. You know what the Jews are storing up for themselves here is wrath for the day of judgment.

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And that judgment is going to come upon them in 70 AD, when the city of Jerusalem is destroyed and the temple broken down by the

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Romans who will take it. So verse 31, the soldiers, according to their instructions, took

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Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. Let me try that again, Antipatris.

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And on the next day, they returned to the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him. When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented

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Paul also before him. On reading the letter, he asked what province he was from. And when he learned that he was from Cilicia, he said,

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I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive. And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod's praetorium.

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So that's where we end for now. And tomorrow we pick up with Paul before Felix at Caesarea.

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But once again, recognizing that this is all by the providence of God, that this has been orchestrated, even that Paul would be kept safe from the anger, the hatred of the

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Jews, the hatred against the gospel and the message of God. And I remind you once again, as I did yesterday, that the world is going to hate us for the message of the gospel that we have, for even the godliness that we pursue and walk in.

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But we must not lose heart for the Lord has told us of such things. He has said that this world will hate you, but it has hated me first.

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And in this world, you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.

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So we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Amen. Thank you for listening to When We Understand the

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Text with Pastor Gabe Hughes. If you'd like to support this ministry, visit our website, www .wutt

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.com and click on the give tab in the top right corner of the page. Join us again tomorrow as we continue our