Walking Through Acts
June 22nd 2025 Sermon Manuscript
Walking Through Acts
Acts 23:12-35
Last week we ended with Paul getting affirmation from Jesus that he would indeed
have the opportunity to go and testify about Christ in Rome. We have to
remember that Paul was probably feeling pretty low at this moment in his life.
And yes, this message from Jesus probably gave him great hope. There would be
some level of comfort knowing that his life would be preserved until what he had
been told came true. However, because Paul is human just like any one of us, he
probably still had questions regarding his present circumstances. You see, what he
knew didn’t change the fact that he still was under arrest in the barracks. He was
still a prisoner of the Tribune. So, he probably was thinking, now I know this is
supposed to happen (testifying about Jesus in Rome), but how am I going to get
there from here? What circumstances must occur in order for this to come true?
We’ve all lived with this sense of uncertainty in our lives, and we all know that the
degree of uncertainty as well as the anxiety that accompanies it varies depending
on our circumstances and stages of life that we find ourselves in. However, we
must always be aware of this truth. Even when you are faced with great difficulty
or disappointment or even tragedy, there is always the chance that it could be far
worse. And it may very well be that, although you don’t realize it, God is working
behind the scenes to protect you from even greater threats that you don’t even
know about. So, may we think twice whenever we experience a setback, and we
think, why God? Perhaps, instead of putting God on trial, we ought to be thankful
that our circumstances aren’t any worse than they are.
In our Scripture for today, we will see a very clear example of this very thing. Yes,
Paul experienced setback after setback. He endured beatings. He was ridiculed by
the chief priests and the council and by the mob of Jews who sought to kill him.
And he is now under arrest as a prisoner. How could it get any worse one may
ask?Acts 23:12-13
12 When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath
neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than forty
who made this conspiracy.
The Jews mentioned in verse 12 are likely those who were members of the
fanatical party of the assassins (dagger men) whom we learned about a few weeks
ago. These were the Jewish zealots who hated the Romans. They were tired of
being under Roman subjugation and sought to take matters into their own hands.
And quite literally, they would use daggers to attack their political targets.
Likewise, because of their zeal for the law, they wanted Paul dead for he was a
heretic in their eyes. Remember that Paul taught that there was a better way; that
the Law, in fact, cannot save. The only one can be saved is through Jesus. “But
we’re God’s chosen people! We’re special!”, would’ve been the thought. However,
they never considered that God’s plan of salvation would be made through the
death and resurrection of his only begotten Son Jesus. And so, these Jewish
zealots and those like them remain trapped in the same state that Paul was prior
to his conversion. So passionate and zealous for the Law, when they should have
been passionate and zealous for God.
The text tells us that these assassins bound themselves by an oath neither to eat
nor drink till they had killed Paul. Now, I believe the English doesn’t quite give the
full flavor of what is being implicated here. Binding oneself by an oath places on
themselves an anathema if they do not succeed in carrying out what they had
promised to do (killing Paul).
Reece,
“They were praying that they themselves would suffer direct punishments from
God unless they carried out their plot. The person or thing on which an anathema
was pronounced was regarded as subject to the wrath of God, either in this life or
the next.”
Our main takeaway from this is that these men were engaged in some serious
business. They knew what they were getting themselves into and theconsequences that would befall them if they did not succeed in killing Paul. The
text also tells us that this oath included not eating or drinking until the job was
accomplished. When we think about the daily necessities of life and consider what
our needs are, one of those things is food and water. These men didn’t just want
or desire Paul dead. They needed Paul to die. That’s the degree of commitment
here that we are seeing. And it’s not a commitment taken up by just three or five
or ten men. This oath was taken by 40 men. And again, Paul is not yet aware that
this is all going on. And when we think about Jesus’ words to Paul during last
week’s message, that he would testify about him in Rome, we look at what we are
reading today and we think, how in the world is Paul going to make it there?
And this is the very moment that we begin to recall what we’ve read about in our
Bibles and what we’ve learned about as children. During the Exodus, the parting
of the Red sea so that the Israelites could pass safely through and escape the
pursuing Egyptian chariots. Joshua and his army marching around the city of
Jericho. David and Goliath. Daniel in the lion’s den. When the Midianite army of
over 135,000 men threatened the Israelites, Gideon stood against them with his
army of 300 men and prevailed. And when all hope seemed lost at the death of
our Savior on the cross, for two days, the world was left in darkness. But then the
third day came and Jesus was raised from the dead claiming victory over sin and
death. In all of these that I just shared, there is one constant theme behind all of
them. God has a way of showing up in seemingly impossible situations and making
a way.
And so, even amidst the circumstances we find ourselves in here in chapter 23, we
know, that if Jesus tells Paul that he’s getting to Rome, you can bet that Paul is
going to get there. 40 fanatical men are no match for an almighty God.
Acts 23:14-15
14 They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound
ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul. 15 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.”This is their plan. These guys are pretty clever. They know that the tribune is
desperately seeking answers as to why Paul is guilty in the eyes of the Jews. And
so they go to the chief priests and elders and tell them to let the tribune know,
“hey, we’d like to hold another hearing.” And they crazy thing is, they chief priests
and elders go along with it! So now you not only have the 40 assassins, but also
the chief priests and elders in on the whole thing as well. How in the world is God
going to make a way through all of this? We’re going to find out right here in the
next verse.
Acts 23:16
16 Now the son of Paul's sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the
barracks and told Paul.
Here we see a relative of Paul, his nephew. And this is quite striking. If you can
recall, during the time I preached about Paul’s conversion in chapter nine, I talked
about how Paul had to give up a lot when he became a Christian. I referenced
Philippians 3:8, “8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing
worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all
things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” The
implications being that Paul was probably disinherited by his family once he
became a Christian. As was the Jewish custom, his family would’ve likely had a
Jewish funeral service for him because, to them, he was as good as dead.
And yet, here we find his nephew overhearing the plans of the chief priests and
the elders and the assassins of their plot to ambush Paul. Now, one may think that
this occurrence was merely a coincidence, one that ends up being quite
convenient for Paul. But we Christians know that this is none other than a stark
example of God’s providence. What was Paul’s nephew doing when overheard
this conversation? Who knows? Maybe he was on his way back home from school
or on his way to the market or running errands of any sort. The point I’m getting
to here, is that, no matter what activity one is engaged in, God may use you in an
unexpected and yet profound way. It was no coincidence that Paul’s nephew
found himself in the right place at the right time. It was a divine appointment and
an opportunity to be used by God for his purposes. Upon hearing of this plot to
kill his uncle, the boy goes to the barracks where Paul is held and tells him what
he heard.Acts 23:17
17 Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the
tribune, for he has something to tell him.”
During my study this past week, commentator Gareth Reece makes a very
interesting point here regarding this verse.
Reece,
“Paul had the most positive assurance from Jesus that his life would be spared,
and that he would witness in Rome. Such a promise, however, did not rule out
care and effort on Paul’s own part toward securing his own safety…Instead of
thinking the Lord would do it all, Paul looked on the promise made to him as an
encouragement to put forth his own efforts for security and salvation.”
When Paul is told by his nephew that there is a plot to kill him, Paul could have
just leaned back and said, “nothing to worry about. God’s got it taken care of.” But
he didn’t. He recognized that some effort was in order on his part to see the
promise of him going to Rome come true.
Acts 23:18-22
18 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.” 19 The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him
privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” 20 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. 21 But do not be
persuaded by them, for more than forty 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. And now they are ready, waiting for your consent.” 22 So the tribune
dismissed the young man, charging him, “Tell no one that you have informed me
of these things.”Now the question is, what will the Tribune whose name is Lysias do with the
information given to him? We must remember that wisdom is not merely the
accumulation of knowledge, but in its correct application of it. God’s plan is now
taking shape.
Acts 23:23
23 Then he called two 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. 24 Also provide mounts for Paul to ride
and bring him safely to Felix the governor.”
At this, it is highly unlikely that the band of 40 assassins would attack Paul who
was in the company of such a large military escort.
Acts 23:25-27
25 And he wrote a letter to this effect:
26 “Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency the governor Felix, greetings. 27 This man
was seized by the 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 Roman
citizen.
Did any of you catch the slant that Claudius Lysias is presenting in his letter? He’s
positioning himself as the hero! He deliberately does this to take credit for
rescuing a Roman citizen when, in all actually, he didn’t even know Paul was a
Roman citizen until he was about to scourge him without a trial.
Reece,
“The letter does state the facts, but not in the order of their occurrence. Men in
all walks of life have an uncanny knack for stating a case so they look good, while
covering their blunders or leaving out the parts where they are culpable.”
Yes, you find invaluable wisdom from reading through the book of Proverbs. But
wisdom is found all throughout the pages of our Bibles, and in this case, right herein chapter 23 of Acts, we get a glimpse of the human psyche that only further
illustrates the notion that we as a human race need a Savior. That of course being
none other than Jesus.
Acts 23:28-35
28 And desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought
him down to their council. 29 I found that he was being accused about questions
of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. 30 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.”
31 So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by
night to Antipatris. 32 And on the next day they returned to the barracks, letting
the horsemen go on with him. 33 When they had come to Caesarea and delivered
the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. 34 On reading the
letter, he asked what province he was from. And when he learned that he was
from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive.” And
he commanded him to be guarded in Herod's praetorium.
Paul finds himself safely brought before Governor Felix in Caesarea. Remember,
Caesarea was where Paul had just been not too long before on his way to
Jerusalem. And he stayed there in the house of Philip the Evangelist. This was
where a man named Agabus prophesied about Paul being bound. And just
imagine Philip and the other Christians there in Caesarea hearing of Paul’s arrival
in the custody of Lysias and thinking to themselves, “well that happened quickly.”
And before proceeding with Paul’s hearing, governor Felix asks what province Paul
is from. This was merely to inquire whether or not he had any jurisdiction over
Paul’s case. Since Paul was from Cilicia, Felix could indeed carry on with the
hearing. And so Paul is kept in what can be compared to a jail cell until his
accusers arrive in Caesarea.
And it is here, where we can place ourselves in the jail cell with Paul. What could
he be thinking? Because of how many times Paul has seen God show up and do
incredible things in the midst of seemingly impossible situations, I would like tothink that Paul may have had a little bit of excitement welling up inside of him. For
here, he’s not being prepared to be scourged, he’s not being pelted by fists or
stones, he’s not under any threat from the assassins. Although, a still very
inconvenient place to find himself in there in the jail cell, I bet Paul was thinking,
“okay God, what do you have up your sleeve now?”
Piano to play here.
And it’s not that God is concealing things for the sake of secrecy itself, but I
believe God does conceal things from his people, in order that they may continue
to lean on him in faith even during times of great uncertainty. That helps His
people grow and it shapes them and molds them into who God wants them to be.
And that is exactly what we’ve seen happen over the course of Paul’s life after his
conversion. Through all the triumphs and trials, Paul has been set out on a course
that has continued to mold him and shape him into who God wants him to be.
Let that be a lesson for us today. No matter what circumstances we find ourselves
in, whether good or bad, let’s ask ourselves, how is God molding us and shaping
us through this? And let’s not stop there, because it’s not all about us. It’s about
God. And so, let’s also ask this question, how can we glorify God most in any and
all situations? And if we begin to look at life through this lens, if we begin to
approach difficult situations and setbacks with this question in mind, we set
ourselves on a fast track to becoming the people God wants us to be.