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Chapter 12
Return to Jerusalem---Trial
and Danager
Acts 21 through 26 can be divided
according to this outline:
1. The
journey to Caesarea (21:1-16)
2. Paul with the
Jerusalem brethren (21:17-26)
3. Paul's arrest
(21:27-40)
4. The defense before the people
(22:1-29)
5. Before the Sanhedrin
(22:30-23:11)
6. Threat and removal to
Caesarea (23:12-35)
7. Before Felix (24:1-27)
8. Before Festus (25:1-27)
9. Before
Agrippa (26:1-32)
"They
Told Paul Not to Go to Jerusalem"
Paul
left the sad farewell determined to go to
Jerusalem. The northwesterly winds propelled the
ship to Cos with its textile manufacturers and
medical school. It was the birthplace of
Hippocrates, a fact no doubt known by the
physician Luke. Carried by the current and the
northwesterlies, they covered the fifty miles
around Cape Ciro to the beautiful city of Rhodes,
the point from which the Greeks measured parallels
of latitude and meridians of longitude. This
sun-drenched city was a center of shipbuilding.
From there Paul could see the magnificent range of
the Taurus Mountains, above his boyhood home.
Evidently Paul's ship either
ended its journey at the port of Patara or went in
a direction different from his plan. Eager to
reach Jerusalem by Pentecost, he found a ship
crossing the open sea to Phoenicia, a trip of
about forty-eight hours. Passing Cyprus, where he
had begun his missionary travels, he soon arrived
in Tyre, where he spent seven days waiting for the
ship to unload its cargo of grain or wine and to
reload with Phoenician wares. The route that Paul
had taken was a common one for trade, used also by
the Roman army. History records that the Emperor
Pompey stopped in the same ports. What a different
purpose was Paul's!
The
stay in Tyre allowed Paul time to be with the
believers there. Fearing for Paul's safety, they
urged him not to go to Jerusalem. But he was not
to be deterred.
"The
Will of the Lord Be Done"
Another day brought Paul to
Ptolemais, where he spent one day with the
disciples. Although he was ahead of schedule, he
was eager to hurry on. He was willing to slow down
a little when he reached Caesarea. Here Paul
stayed with the evangelist Philip, no doubt
sharing stories of the churches and his travels,
and was able to rest for a few days.
It
appears that news of Paul's coming was received in
Jerusalem because a prophet named Agabus came from
Jerusalem to Caesarea to warn Paul of the danger
he was facing. He did it in the dramatic way
familiar to the Jews, as used by the prophets.
Using Paul's own girdle, Agabus bound Paul's hands
and feet, depicting a prisoner ready to be led
away. The disciples wept and begged Paul not to go
on, but his reply was definite. He was ready to be
imprisoned and even to die. The prayer of them all
was, "The will of the Lord be done."
"The
Brethren Received Us Gladly"
The
situation had changed since the early days of the
Jewish-Gentile controversy. James was still the
leader of the church. Paul was received warmly by
the disciples in Jerusalem, and when they heard of
the great Gentile successes, they praised God.
But, even though Paul had won their trust, they
warned him that the nonbelieving Jews still
misrepresented Paul and accused him of teaching
the Jews of the Diaspora to disregard the Mosaic
law.
The
disciples went on to advise Paul of certain steps
he should take so that there would be no doubt of
his loyalty to the Jewish people. Although we know
from such letters as Galatians and Colossians that
Paul himself placed no efficacy in the Law itself,
this humble man still refused to flaunt his
freedom to the detriment of these who would
persecute him. Paul willingly subjected himself to
the suggested rituals. The next day, which was
Pentecost, Paul went with four Nazarites to the
Temple, where he performed the vow customary to
all Jews who want publicly to testify to their
dedication to God (described in Numbers 6:2-21).
He was to abstain from wine and allow his hair to
grow uncut for thirty days, after which time he
would return to the Temple to present an offering
and to have his hair cut and burned on the altar.
The priests "gave notice," or announced this
openly.
But
Paul, the former avowed prosecutor of Christians,
was a marked man. Jews had come to Jerusalem from
many countries to celebrate Pentecost. He was
recognized by certain Jews who had seen him in
Asia and a cry went forth to stir up the people to
grab him. A near riot followed. Their intention
was to kill Paul, and they would have succeeded
except for a Roman tribune who, with his soldiers,
rescued Paul.
Not
understanding the situation, at one point the
tribune, Claudius Lysias, thought Paul was the
leader of a recent revolt. Paul persuaded the
tribune to allow him to speak to the people.
"I Am
A Jew"
Paul
had just spoken to the tribune in Greek, but he
addressed the mob in Hebrew. It was a tactical
move. Most of the Jews spoke Greek, but because
Hebrew was their beloved language, they grew very
quiet.
"I am
a Jew," Paul began, and proceeded to tell of his
Jewish family and education, his sincere
persecution of the Christians, his conversion, and
finally, God's call to preach to the Gentiles.
Remember, Paul was still a Jew and had been
delivering what he considered to be the message of
the true Israel, not some foreign faith. He
obviously hoped that this crowd would hear his
testimony positively.
They
listened, for a time. Many of them knew his early
life. They listened even when he spoke of his own
conversion and of Ananias as "a devout man
according to the law" (22:12). But when he spoke
of the Gentiles, prejudice and national pride
choked out any sense of fairness they might have
had.
They
tore their clothes, threw dust, and cried out for
Paul's death.
Lysias, the tribune, who did
not speak Hebrew, did not understand. He assumed
that Paul had committed some crime; thus, he had
him bound and was going to beat a confession out
of him. Paul stopped him short by revealing his
Roman citizenship to this Roman soldier. This
confession frightened the tribune because he had
already committed a violation of Roman law by his
treatment of Paul. Roman justice, as we see here,
applied primarily to Roman citizens. Others were
not so fortunate. Because Lysias also wanted to
appease the Jews, however, and because he simply
could not discern the problem, he ordered Paul to
appear before the Jewish council.
"You
Must Witness Also in Rome"
Now
Paul was standing before the Sanhedrin, that very
body of which he might once have been a member.
Luke says that Paul stared into their eyes, facing
them as an equal. He addressed the council as
"brethren." Accustomed to more respect, Ananias,
the high priest, ordered Paul to be struck. The
Apostle lashed back verbally, calling Ananias a
hypocrite and breaker of the Law. Someone close-by
informed Paul to whom he was speaking. Recovering
himself, Paul apologized. He still maintained
respect for the position of high priest, even
though Ananias's behavior seems not to have
warranted such respect.
Paul
must have realized at that point that he was not
going to be treated fairly. He called attention to
the fact that he was a Pharisee, hoping to elicit
support. This initiated great discussion between
the Sadducees and the Pharisees. Some of the
Pharisees defended Paul and a near free-for-all
ensued. Lysias, the Roman officer, decided to
remove Paul for his own safety.
That
night, in custody, Paul must have pondered his
future. In the dark night of Paul's soul, the Lord
spoke to him. "Take courage; for as you have
testified about me at Jerusalem, so you must bear
witness at Rome" (23:11).
"Forty
Men Lie in Ambush"
Have
you heard of the man who said, "Cheer up! It could
be worse?" Well, Paul cheered up, and, sure
enough, things got worse. The next day forty Jews
banded together in a vow to kill Paul. They vowed
neither to eat nor to drink until their purpose
was accomplished. They took the vow in order to
cover their wrong with a sanction of religion and,
besides, Jewish scriptures declared that a man who
took such a vow could be absolved of wrongdoing.
We
have not heard much of Paul's relatives, but his
nephew, his sister's son, discovered the evil plot
and reported to Paul. Paul sent his nephew to
Lysias. The tribune quickly arranged for a troop
of soldiers to leave at nine o'clock that night to
take Paul to Caesarea, the seat of the Roman
government and the home of Felix the governor.
Lysias sent Felix a letter of explanation, stating
that Paul did not deserve death or imprisonment
and suggesting a hearing with the Jewish leaders.
Felix accepted the proposal.
"I
Cheerfully Make My Defense"
Five
days later Ananias and some other leaders came
with their Roman lawyer Tertullus to present their
case against Paul. Paul then was summoned, and
Tertullus began with a prepared speech, probably
in Latin. He opened with ingratiating words of
praise for Felix. He included the phrase "by your
provision," which was inscribed in Latin on many
Roman coins, extolling the greatness of Rome.
The
lawyer brought three specific charges against
Paul: (1) that he was causing disturbance among
the Jews throughout the empire, (2) that he was a
ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes and (3)
that he had tried to profane the temple in (the
only mention in Scripture of the term Nazarene
being used in this way) Jerusalem. His purpose was
to have Paul turned over to the Jewish courts,
which would have the power to execute him.
Paul
then stepped forward to make his defense. He was
glad that Felix had had experience in dealing with
Jewish customs. He then carefully refuted the
charges against him. In the twelve days since he
had left Caesarea, he had disputed with and
stirred up no one. That which his accusers called
a sect he called the Way, whose followers believed
the message of the Law and the Prophets just as
did his accusers. The charge concerning the Temple
had no basis in fact. He noted that the Asian
accusers ought to have been present. Paul summed
up his defense by stating that it was the
Resurrection that was really on trial. Through the
centuries again and again, it is the Resurrection
about which people must decide for themselves.
Paul's
words had the ring of truth. Felix recognized that
the defendant's story coincided with Lysias'
letter, and he himself was familiar enough with
the Way to know that Paul was telling the truth.
Yet Felix, in contemplating his own self-interest,
was not inclined to acquit Paul. His highest
priority was to serve his own needs. His coming to
power had been through a planned murder in the
sanctuary of the Temple. He had enticed his wife,
a Jewish woman, away from her former husband with
the help of a magician. The Roman historian
Tacitus wrote of him, "In the practice of all
kinds of lust and cruelty, he exercised the power
of a king with the temper of a slave."
Felix
chose the middle way. He ordered Paul held in
custody but treated with kindness and given some
freedom. He and his wife later discussed the
gospel with Paul, but they apparently did so only
in hopes of winning a bribe from him. For two
years Paul stayed in the Caesarean jail until a
new governor was appointed.
What
did Paul do during those two years? We do not know
for sure. He surely was in constant communion with
the believers in the area. Some of his letters may
have been written here. For Paul, no time was
lost.
"I
Appeal to Caesar"
With
the outbreak of trouble between Jews and Gentiles
in Caesarea, Felix was called to Rome. In his
place came Festus, a more reasonable and moderate
man. The Jews, wanting to take advantage of a new
situation, renewed their charges against Paul.
Recognizing that the charges
were religious rather than civil, Festus asked
Paul whether or not he wanted to go to Jerusalem
to be tried there. But Paul surprised the governor
by calling on his own Roman citizenship and
appealing to Caesar, the privilege of every Roman
citizen. With the appeal, Festus had not further
authority in the case.
"You
Think to Make Me a Christian"
Festus
was obligated to send written documents about
Paul's case to Rome. Perplexed about the charges,
Festus took advantage of King Agrippa's visit to
seek his aid and have him listen to Paul. This was
Herod Agrippa II.
With
great display of ceremony, Agrippa and his wife
entered the hall with military officers and
important men of the city showing proper respect.
Paul
viewed this as a great opportunity to witness to
the gospel. Again he set forth his personal
testimony. His mission was to lead men and women
from the power of Satan to the power of God, which
comes through the resurrected Christ. For the
third time in Acts, Paul's conversion is recited.
At the
conclusion, the secular Festus broke out in
surprise and ridicule, exclaiming, "Your reading
is making you crazy!" (26:24). He found Paul's
story incredible. Paul pressed on, earnestly
appealing to Agrippa. The king' s answer, "In a
short time you think you're going to make a
Christian out of me!" (v. 28), certainly given in
derision, closed the door to the invitation. The
king did not realize that it had not been Paul on
trial, but rather himself.
They
agreed that Paul could have been set free, but
this appeal to Caesar had to be carried out.
Chapter 13
"Witness in Rome and to the
End of the Earth"
Acts 27:1-28:31
The
last two chapters of Luke's Acts deal largely with
the voyage from Caesarea to Rome and then briefly
with Paul's ministry in Rome, the city that he had
longed to visit and that represented the center of
the known world.
Again
we find the first-person we describing that long
and dangerous trip. This means that Luke was
probably aboard. They were joined by Aristarchus,
a Thessalonian. Paul was in the charge of a Roman
centurion named Julius. Julius proved to be kind
and considerate, as he allowed Paul to go ashore
at Sidon in Asia Minor in order to have his
illness cared for.
"The
Voyage Was...Dangerous"
At
Myra, in Lycia, they had to board a different
ship, on heading from Alexandria to Rome, probably
loaded with corn and wheat. It was probably a
large ship with 276 aboard. Their pace from Myra
was slow, occasioned either by a calm or a
headwind. With great difficulty they reached
offshore of Cnidus. They lost their favoring
current and their smooth seas and were facing a
strong headwind. They decided to head south and
pass on the lee side of the island of Crete. It
seemed at first to be a wise decision but proved
to be unwise. They were leaving the sheltered
harbors near Cnidus, where they might have spent
the winter, and had to pass by the poor harbors of
the southern shore of Crete.
They
finally arrived at a harbor called Fair Havens,
not far from the town of Lasea on the south of
Crete. Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of Atonement,
occurring that year in the month we call October,
had already passed. The winter and violent weather
were just ahead. This time of year the Greeks and
Romans considered quite dangerous for sea travel.
Not
hesitating to speak, Paul urged the ship's leaders
to stay for the winter in Fair Havens. Some of the
sailors, however, knew of another port farther on
called Phoenix. The captain and the ship's owner
preferred to winter there, and so Julius the
centurion ordered the ship to Phoenix. But they
never discovered how it might have been for the
winter.
Being
gently propelled by a south wind, they were of
high hopes when suddenly, without warning, the
wind changed. A northeasterly wind came blowing
down from the hills on the island with great
force. It was apparently a typhoon. They could not
control the boat and were driven southwest around
the little island called Cauda.
In
desperation, they tried everything they could
think of to save themselves. Given a little help
because they were on the lee side of the island,
they secured the boat; that is, they brought the
small boat on board. They probably had to head the
ship into the wind. They used the tackling to
"undergird" the ship or tie ropes around the frame
and secure them on the deck, literally tying up
the ship like a package. They lowered the gear,
which had to do with the sails, and, fearing that
they were nearing the treacherous Syrtis sands off
North Africa, they began to throw the cargo
overboard.
Driven
and storm-tossed, they lightened the ship by
throwing overboard whatever they could. It is
possible that the ship may have sprung a leak.
Finally, they lost all hope.
Then
Paul came forward and asserted his leadership.
What must these experienced seamen have thought
when Paul, the prisoner, told them that they would
all be saved, though the ship would be lost? He
said that God had told him this. Interestingly,
even irreligious men will grab hold of a word of
hope in a desperate situation.
Their
faith in Paul's words was tested. For fourteen
days they drifted eastward through the Sea of
Adria. On the fourteenth night the sailors
suspected they were nearing land. They could tell
the difference between the sound of the storm and
sound of breakers. They tested the seas depth and
verified their suspicions. When some of the
sailors tried to take the small boat ashore, Paul
again asserted himself and warned that they could
not stand to lose those men. This time Julius
listened and had the boat cut away before the men
could enter it.
They
had not eaten for fourteen days. At the dawn of
the fifteenth day, Paul urged them to eat, which
they did. Openly, before them all, he took bread,
broke it, and gave thanks to God.
That
day they headed the ship toward the shore.
Although the ship was broken up by the rocks and
surf, everyone on board reached land by swimming
or riding planks. The centurion saved Paul's life
by preventing the soldiers from carrying out their
plan to kill all of the prisoners lest they
escape.
"They
Came and Were Cured"
They
discovered that they were on an island called
Malta. The natives there, descendants of
Phoenicians, treated them kindly. Paul gathered
sticks to make a fire. As they gathered around the
fire to warm themselves, a poisonous snake
fastened its mouth on Paul's hand. Immediately,
the superstition of the people evidenced itself.
Because such a thing could happen to him, they
thought he must be very evil, perhaps a murderer.
Paul,
however, simply shook the snake off his hand and
into the fire. When he did not fall dead or even
swell up, they changed their minds as completely
as the Lystrans had and wanted to worship him as a
god. As with the Lystrans, Paul repudiated their
attempts to worship him and pointed to God.
During
the three months they waited on Malta, Paul
related to the people. He prayed for the island
chief's brother, and he was healed. Many others
who were sick came to him and were healed. The
people gratefully responded with gifts and
provisions for their travel.
"So We
Came to Rome"
They
finally set sail on the Castor and Pollux, a ship
named for favorite twin gods of seafarers. A few
days later, after passing Syracuse on what is now
Sicily and Rhegium on the big toe of Italy, they
reached Puteoli, the port of Rome. Luke says that
Paul gave thanks to God and took courage. After
trial, threat, illness, and shipwreck, Paul had
realized his dream. He met with some disciples
there for seven days. They must have sent word
ahead to the Roman believers because some came all
the way out to the Forum of Appius and others to
Three Taverns on the Appian Way to meet him,
distances of forty-three and thirty-three miles.
"Some
Were Convinced"
As
Paul entered Rome on the Appian Way, he was no
doubt struck by a sense of the city's history, its
size, its spiritual poverty, its squalor on one
hand and luxury on the other. Rome had about two
million inhabitants. It contained a great variety
of human beings with wide separation between the
rich, who were few, and the poor, who were many.
Their
major preoccupations were bread and the circus,
where the chief entertainment was the gladiatorial
shows. It was later to be the scene of many
Christian martyrdoms.
Rome's
population was cosmopolitan, consisting of every
nationality in the world. Every kind of religion
was represented there. It was a city filled with
suffering, evil, and folly. It was the center of
the world. "All roads lead to Rome." What a
necessary and strategic place for the preaching of
the good news of Christ!
Paul
was allowed to stay with his guard out of prison.
One of the first moves he made was to call
together the leaders of the Jews in Rome. He
explained to them the situation. They had had no
communication from Jerusalem that spoke against
him. But because many Jews were speaking against
Christianity, they desired to learn more about it
from Paul.
On the
day appointed, Paul preached to them about the
kingdom of God and how Jesus fulfilled the
teachings of Moses and the prophets. Some were
convinced, while others did not believe. The
Apostle called to mind Isaiah 6:9-10, concerning
some people's inability to hear and understand.
They have dull hearts, heavy ears, and closed
eyes. Thus for them there is no understanding,
hearing, or perceiving, and no healing. As he had
done so many times, Paul then turned to the
Gentiles in Rome, many of whom were eager to
listen.
"Preaching the Kingdom of
God"
Luke
says that Paul lived in Rome for two years,
probably under house arrest, in his own home. He
wrote several letters from Rome: Ephesians,
Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, and possibly
others.
Many
persons visited Paul during these years: Tychius,
who delivered three of his letters; Onesimus, the
runaway slave; Timothy, his son in the faith;
Epaphroditus, who brought a gift from the
Philippians; Epaphras with a report from Colossae;
Luke and Aristarchus, his traveling companions;
and others.
He was
able to minister openly, preaching and teaching.
Some have speculated that he was allowed to leave
Rome at one point and that he visited Spain with
the gospel. The church in Rome grew, even with
persecution, into one of the strongest Christian
communities. It is perhaps ironic that in the city
of the Caesars and philosophical teachers, the
centuries have honored the Christian disciples.
"To
the End of the World"
Luke
leaves Acts open-ended. He does not tell us about
Paul's death or the account as tradition has it of
Peter's ministry in Rome. He does not describe the
great fire Nero blamed on the Christians or tell
of the tremendous persecutions inflicted on the
believers. He does not picture the catacombs where
the disciples lived and worshiped. He does not
trace the growth of the church in Rome.
He
leaves the account on a bright, positive note. His
purpose has been to trace the early beginnings of
the spread of the gospel and the manner in which
that gospel spread-first in Jerusalem, then
throughout Judea, into Samaria, Africa, Europe,
the islands, and to Rome and beyond. It was, and
still is, a life-changing message for those who
believe it and accept its Savior and Lord as their
own.
The
twenty-ninth chapter of Acts has been in the
process of being written through all of the
centuries since that day, and is still being
written today. Christian believers still take
seriously Jesus' challenge to be his
witnesses-witnesses to the validity and power of
the gospel and to what God is doing in their lives
now. Unfortunately, people often look back to the
Book of Acts with a nostalgic feeling and with no
real thought that its events could be repeated.
God is
still at center stage and meets with persons
through his Holy Spirit. The message is still the
new life that comes through resurrection faith.
The challenge is the same: "You shall be my
witnesses." Whether or not we will step forth and
respond depends upon each of us.
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