Acts 23:12-35 "The Plot Against Paul"

Good Morning Calvary Chapel Lake City! Please turn in your Bibles to Acts 23. Acts 23:12-35 today.

It’s been a couple weeks since we were last in Acts, so here’s a reminder of where we left off.

After Paul’s Third Missionary Journey concluded, he ascended up to Jerusalem to deliver relief funds… and to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost.

And he ascended knowing the Holy Spirit and the Prophet Agabus both had foretold of persecution against Paul in Jerusalem.

However, the warnings did not stop Paul… he was ready to give his life for the name of the Lord Jesus.

Upon arrival in Jerusalem, and a good beginning of spending time with the brethren there and sharing what God had done through his ministry…

Well… things went downhill. They revealed many Jews thought he was against Moses, the Law and Jewish customs…

So, they convinced him to partake in purification rituals and to be the benefactor for three Jews taking a public vow… hoping this would smooth things over with the Jews.

But it did not!

Within the week, Jews from Asia Minor played the part of a victim… crying out for help and telling lies against Paul.

A mob seized Paul… dragged him out of the temple… and would have beat him to death had it not been for Roman Soldiers coming to his aid… more accurately they come to restore order.

They bound Paul and would have scourged him had Paul not revealed he was a Roman citizen.

Over the next two days… Paul was had opportunity to address to the people of Israel… which didn’t go so well.

He shared his testimony with the Jerusalem mob… which ended in riot when he mentioned the “Gentiles.”

And, he began to address the Sanhedrin… which didn’t go very far… they smacked him… he called the High Priest a “white washed wall”… and then a great dissension arose between the Sadducees and the Pharisees… when Paul stirred up a theological debate between the two parties by stating “...concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!”

We left off where Paul was back in the Roman barracks… and that night seemed to be feeling down for we read in V11 “But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.”

Jesus made no mention of the riots… he didn’t point out that there were no converts from Paul’s messages…

Instead Jesus stood by Paul… and encouraged him for his faithfulness of testifying of Jesus in Jerusalem… and revealed his next calling… bearing witness of Jesus in Rome.

How good and gracious is the Lord Jesus Christ… always there with us… encouraging us… using us… guiding and directing us… just as He did Paul.

Today, we pick up in V12… the following day after the riot from the Sanhedrin and Paul’s night in the barracks.

And, things are still rocky in Jerusalem, as Jews plan to kill Paul…

Which is reflected in the title of our message today, “The Plot Against Paul.”

Let’s Pray!

Acts 23:12-15 “And when it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 13 Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy. 14 They came to the chief priests and elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul. 15 Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning him; but we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

The oath taken by more than forty men was self-proclaimed as “a great oath”… it’s more like a “stupid oath”... and the High Priest and Elders go along with it.

Perhaps in their misguided zeal… they forgot to turn their brains on before acting and speaking… because this is a rash oath to take.

Can anyone relate to this?… Saying or doing something before really thinking it through?

Getting upset and then saying… even posting something… that you wish you could take back?

It’s always good to initiate your brain before engaging your mouth. We avoid a lot of difficulties in life this way.

I bet on day three that’s how these Jews were feeling.

Why day three? Because their bodies are really starting to feel the effects of no water at this point… as they are becoming dehydrated.

Paul is under Roman military guard, and these Jews have vowed to go without food or water until they kill him which is a tall task.

People wonder… whatever happened to these Jews because… well spoiler alert… they don’t kill Paul.

Did they die, or did they break their oath?

Scripture doesn’t say, but the will to live is pretty strong… I imagine most of them broke their oath.

I want to camp out for a minute and talk about oaths and promises…

And go back to Judges Chapter 11 to look at one of the most heartbreaking and unnecessary oaths or vows made in the Bible by the Judge Jephthah.

Jephthah was described as a “mighty man of valor.”

He family life was hard… he was the son of a harlot and was driven out by his 1/2 brothers excluding him from his inheritance… so he linked up with a gang of scoundrels.

In time, the people of Ammon made war against Israel, so the Elders petitioned Jephthah to be the Commander of their armies.

Initially reluctant and resentful, Jephthah had words with them about past wrongs against him, but he agrees to command, as they agree under oath… to make him the leader over all the people.

Oaths and vows were a customary practice in the OT.

So, Jephthah becomes the commander of the armies and sends word to the king of Ammon to find out why he wages war against Israel.

Not surprising it was a land dispute. Ammon claims Israel took their land when they came up out of Egypt… to which

Jephthah refuted their claim… demonstrating historically that the land in dispute formerly belonged to the Amorites who ill-treated, and attacked Israel… and upon losing… Israel gained their land fair and square.

Of course the Ammonites did not heed this message and war is on the brink.

We read in Judges 11:30-31 “And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, 31 then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”

And, this is that heartbreaking and unnecessary oath that I was referring to.

Jephthah in his zeal for victory, obviously didn’t think this through. This was an impulsive and ill-devised oath.

This oath was not required by the Lord, and the oath should have been more specific… like “I will offer the best of my fatted calf’s to the Lord.”

But, to say “I will offer whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me...”

Scholars have a whole lot of questions about his actual intent in this vow.

Anyhow… war does erupt… and Jephthah victoriously drives the Ammonites out of twenty cities with a very great slaughter.

And then he returns home… and let’s not forget that oath… he’s going to sacrifice as a burnt offering whatever comes out of doors of his house to meet him.

What could it be? It wasn’t uncommon to keep livestock on the first floor of one’s home… I imagine he envisioned sacrificing one of these animals.

But, those of you who know this account… know of it’s tragic end… let’s just read it in Judges 11:34-40 “When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I have given my word to the LORD, and I cannot go back on it.” 36 So she said to him, “My father, if you have given your word to the LORD, do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, because the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the people of Ammon.” 37 Then she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: let me alone for two months, that I may go and wander on the mountains and bewail my virginity, my friends and I.” 38 So he said, “Go.” And he sent her away for two months; and she went with her friends, and bewailed her virginity on the mountains. 39 And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he carried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She knew no man. And it became a custom in Israel 40 that the daughters of Israel went four days each year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.”

Scholars debate whether his daughter became a human sacrifice (which was an abomination to the LORD according to Deut 18)… or was she offered up as a perpetual virgin?… never being given in marriage (but then why an annual commemoration to grieve her?).

In either case, she would die childless and Jephthah would have no descendants.

And, the application for us is we should not offer up promises hastily… not to God… not to other people.

Jesus taught in Matt 5:33-37 (the Sermon on the Mount): “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”

The Jews would swear or make oaths upon various things heavenly or earthly… and Jesus was telling them to stop it.

The need for hollow oaths or a public show… which often their oaths were… was unneeded.

What was need was for people to be a man or woman of their word.

“…let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’”

“Be true to your word.” “Follow through with what you say.” “Say what you mean, and mean what you say.”

Jesus says, if you need more than just giving your word…your “yes” or your “no,”… anything else is evil…it’s from the evil one. It is not in God’s nature to lie…and we should reflect His nature in our honest dealings with others.

It’s the nature of Satan, and his followers, to live by dishonesty and by lies.

So, take these things to heart… I encourage you, as James said, “… be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath…”

Really think through what you say and do… especially since we not only represent ourselves to the world… but we represent God. “… we are ambassadors for Christ...”

Well… back in Acts… this oath is taken. There is a plot against Paul to kill him, but look how God very naturally works a miracle in Paul’s favor…

Acts 23:16-17 “So when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their ambush, he went and entered the barracks and told Paul. 17 Then Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, “Take this young man to the commander, for he has something to tell him.”

Interesting verses… these are the only verses where we learn anything conclusively about Paul’s family. He has a sister and a nephew.

Some assume he had a wife because it’s assumed he was a voting member of the Sanhedrin prior to his Damascus road encounter with Jesus.

And, it’s thought (though debated) that in the first century a Sanhedrin member had to be married. But, that argument is based on writings in the Mishnah (which was written about 150 years after Paul lived).

Have fun with this rabbit trail if you intend to go down it.

Whether Paul was or was not married… by the time he wrote 1 Corinthians… he was unmarried according to 1 Cor 7:7…

So, did his wife die or divorce him? I don’t know! Would you let up?

Pastor Chuck taught you should always be concerned about a man interested in another man’s wife, so let’s just move on.

But, it is fascinating to get these glimpses into Paul’s life.

And, here we see that Paul has a nephew. And, we see how God works supernaturally in the natural.

He performs a miracle, that just seems like a coincidence.

We don’t know if Paul’s sister lived in Jerusalem, but probably not. Because Paul’s family was from Tarsus.

Yet, they just happen to be in Jerusalem.

One could argue they were there for the feast of Pentecost… which was one of the three Pilgrimage Feasts, so not too unusual they were in Jerusalem.

But, being that it was feast time, the population would swell to over 2 million people.

And, Paul’s nephew just coincidentally happens to be at the right place at the right time… despite the crowds being in the millions… and he overhears these Jews discuss their ambush.

Just coincidence.

And, then this Jewish boy is allowed into the barracks to tell Paul.

You might see this as chance, but I see this as God’s provision. God is providing protection for Paul by working through his nephew.

I mean… Paul’s at least ‘relatively safe’ now.

How many times have we missed how God has worked like this in our own lives?

Working miracles… working supernaturally through very natural events.

I suspect we all would be surprised if we knew the full extent of God’s protection in our lives.

He is so good, and worthy to be praised.

So, upon hearing this news about the ambush from his nephew… Paul calls one of the Centurions (a captain of 100 men)…

And Paul instructs the Centurion to take the young man to the commander (the chilliarch… a commander of a thousand)… to share the news about the ambush.

Continuing on…

Acts 23:18-22 “So he [the Centurion] took him [Paul’s nephew] and brought him to the commander and said, “Paul the prisoner called me to him and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to say to you.” 19 Then the commander took him by the hand, went aside, and asked privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?”

Paul’s nephew is referred to as a “Young man” in V17, which by def. in Gk. indicates ‘one in the prime of life.’

So, perhaps a young man in his twenties. Interesting that the Commander takes Paul’s nephew by the hand bringing him inside for a private conversation.

This may indicate the nephew was much younger… or this kind gesture may indicate a level of respect the commander had either for Paul… or simple for any information that would help him with his case and keeping order.

V20 “And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask that you bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire more fully about him. 21 But do not yield to them, for more than forty of them lie in wait for him, men who have bound themselves by an oath that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him; and now they are ready, waiting for the promise from you.” 22 “So the commander let the young man depart, and commanded him, “Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me.”

And, so Paul’s nephew reveals the plot the Commander.

These forty men plus the Sanhedrin (the council) are planning to send word the following day to the commander…

Petitioning him to bring Paul to the council… perhaps in the Chamber of Hewn Stone in the Temple proper area…

And, somewhere along the way… these 40+ men would ambush and kill Paul.

This is not the first time the High Council… the Sanhedrin has been involved in a plot.

Many times in Jesus’ ministry they plotted against Him, and he would see right through it… until His appointed time to fulfill prophecy and die on the cross for the sins of mankind.

And, there were several plots by the Sanhedrin during Jesus’ passion.

They used Judas to betray Him… an illegal arrest… illegal trials… they used the Romans- threatening riots if they did not crucify Him.

After Jesus’ death… Matthew records the chief priests and elders bribed Roman guards with a large sum of money to say ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’

A rumor that circulated for years.

It’s a sad thing that the very men who were supposed to be leading the people spiritually were in the middle of much corruption and many plots.

I wonder how many Gentiles interested in the one true God turned from Him because of these character failures of the Religious leaders?

This is certainly a challenge for us today… the Bible has recorded the failures of these leaders…

Our character… our moral ethics… living above reproach… these things are noted by God… and these things are noted by the world.

Don’t give the enemy a foothold in your life… and don’t give the world a cause to blaspheme the name of the Lord.

As we keep our eyes on Jesus… as we pursue Him… and bear fruits of the Spirit… love, joy, peace… an authenticate relationship with God…

We will be light bearers… unlike these religious leaders who’s flame had long been extinguished.

Well… after their plot is exposed… the Roman Commander (Claudius Lysias)… exercises the full might of Rome… and ensures the plot is foiled…

Acts 23:23-24 “And he called for two centurions, saying, “Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at the third hour of the night; 24 and provide mounts to set Paul on, and bring him safely to Felix the governor.”

Who’s name is mentioned 9x between Acts 23-25, we’ll talk more about Felix in a moment…

But first, I find it fascinating how God will sometimes use non-believers to see His plans come to fruition.

Kind of reminds me of when God used king Cyrus to fund the entire trip back to Jerusalem to re-build the Temple and walls in Ezra and Nehemiah.

God used many non-believers to accomplish His sovereign plans and purposes… I don’t doubt He is doing the same still today.

Here in Acts… God said to Paul in V11 “...you must also bear witness at Rome.”

But, there’s a plot to kill Paul… so, God uses the nephew of Paul to expose the plot (we have no ideal if the nephew is saved or not)…

And, God uses a pagan Roman commander to get Paul from Jerusalem to Caesarea Maritima (according to V33)… with NO chance that these 40+ would be assassins could be successful.

Look at how God shows up… Paul gets a royal escort… 200 foot soldiers… 200 spearmen… 70 horsemen… 470 total soldiers.

They situate Paul with mounts… seemingly a horse and a relief horse… so he always in on a fresh horse.

And, they depart at the third hour… 9pm… so they leave under the cover of night…

Avoiding further rioting in Jerusalem.

I bet at this point that vow not to eat or drink is feeling really foolish.

And, look… the Commander did not go through all of this effort and care to protect and honor Paul the Apostle of Jesus Christ.

The Commander only cared that a Roman Citizen didn’t die under his watch… and only cared that order be maintained… otherwise it was his own head on the chopping block.

And, yet Paul was honored and protected… and the Commander is a mere pawn in the hand of Sovereign God.

The plot of the enemy to stop Paul… is once again foiled…

Reminds of of Joseph’s words to his brothers in Gen 50:20 “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”

This is true for us today. If you are in the center of God’s will… people or principalities and powers may plot against you… but they will not prevail.

If God says you’re going to Rome… you’re going to Rome. Paul was unstoppable because God spoke.

You look at this church… Calvary Chapel Lake City… this was a church not devised by the plans of men…

We were birthed out of the leading of the Holy Spirit.

And, we submit to His leading… His pruning… His growth… all in His timing.

It’s all His. And, then we can just sit back, and who gets all the glory? He does.

Trust in the Lord. When He is working… let Him work.

Look at what He did for Paul.

Well… this Roman Commander not only sent Paul with an impressive escort… but He also wrote quite a self-promoting letter… look at…

Acts 23:25-30 “He wrote a letter in the following manner: 26 Claudius Lysias, [This is how we know the name of the Roman Commander. Note- authors of letters were identified at the beginning of letters in those days, unlike how we sign at the end] To the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings. 27 This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them. Coming with the troops I rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman. 28 And when I wanted to know the reason they accused him, I brought him before their council. 29 I found out that he was accused concerning questions of their law, but had nothing charged against him deserving of death or chains. 30 And when it was told me that the Jews lay in wait for the man, I sent him immediately to you, and also commanded his accusers to state before you the charges against him. Farewell.”

Wow! Well there is a very appropriate word in Gk. to describe this letter Bolo-gnia… Bologna.

This letter is ridiculous when compared to the facts of what happened in Acts 21-23. But, we’ll get to that in a moment.

Backing up to V26… notice Claudius wrote this letter “To the most excellent governor Felix...”

Which was a respectful way to address someone noteworthy in a letter.

In Luke 1:3, Luke addressed his Gospel to the “most excellent Theophilus.”

However, Felix according to history fell far short of “most excellent.”

Let’s take a moment to get to know Felix since we will be seeing him quite a bit… especially in Acts 24.

Antonius Felix was born a slave and later became a freedman.

He had three wives, one of them… Drusilla... was the youngest daughter of Herod Agrippa I.

She had been married for 15 years to the king of Emesa in Syria… but Felix fell in love with her… and sent a Cyprian Jewish sorcerer named Simon to convince her to leave her husband and she did.

Marrying into this political family no doubt helped Antonius Felix become the Roman Procurator (or Governor) of Judea from A.D. 52-60.

Additionally, the High Priest Jonathan initially advocated to Caesar for Felix to become the procurator,

Later Jonathan criticized Felix for poorly managing Jewish affairs, and threatened to report him to Caesar.

So, Felix treacherously hired robbers to assassinate Jonathan… which they did with daggers during a Jewish feast and slipped away.

Not surprising, Felix was known as a cruel, oppressive tyrant and has been cited as the cause for the Jewish War which began in A.D. 66.

The Roman Historian Tacitus said, “Antonius Felix practiced every kind of cruelty and lust, wielding the power of a king with the instincts of a slave” (Tacitus, Histories, 5.9).

Felix was ultimately unable to maintain order in Judea, and when Nero became Caesar… Felix was replaced by Festus.

You can learn a lot more in your personal studies of Felix, but that’s a quick snapshot of the character we will encounter in the chapters ahead… not a good dude.

Let’s now take a look at the letter from the Roman Commander written to Felix… the body of which is in VSS 27-30…

In V27 Claudius Lysias writes, “This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them.”

That’s true compared to Acts 21:31-32.

“Coming with the troops I rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman.

The Romans did rescue Paul… I suspect more to keep order than for Paul’s sake.

And, they didn’t do it because he was a Roman. This is a lie. This is manipulation to make the commander look good.

If you recall in Acts 21:38, the commander did not know Paul was Roman… in fact he asked, “Are you not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?”

The commander thought Paul was an Egyptian and a leader of a rebellion.

A detail he conveniently omits… no doubt to protect his image… and in this he is guilty of “lying by omission.”

V28 is true… the commander did bring them before their council, and V29 also true… did discover the issue was a religious debate, and not a violation of Roman law… certainly not worthy of Paul being bound in chains or deserving of death.

Which brings up some additional points Claudius conveniently omits.

He makes no mention of Acts 21:33 that he bound Paul with two chains.

And, he certainly left out Acts 22:24 where the commander ordered Paul to be examined under scourging (a practice illegal against any Roman citizen).

The rest of the letter is matter of fact… there was a plot against Paul… and Paul was sent to Felix… and his accusers we will see Paul’s accusers (the Sanhedrin) testify against Paul in Acts 24.

But, look… the words that come out of our mouth… this seems to be a theme for this chapter.

Earlier we looked at not taking oaths… not making false promises… being people of our word… being slow to speak… slow to wrath…

Now, add to this lesson… do not lie… not even by omission.

I’ve worked with some people who are so good about the care and the tact they use with words.

I look up to those people. God has been working on me to become better in this area.

James recognized this is an issue we struggle with.

He wrote in James 3:8-10 “But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.”

Oh the untamable tongue… out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

Lord help us all.

And yet… God is not surprised by us… how gracious is God to call us… and use us… despite us?

Jacob was a manipulator… stealing Esau’s birthright… he reaped what he sowed, but was still used mightily by God.

King David… an adulterer and murderer… and yet was called ‘a man after God’s own heart.’ (1 Sam 13:14, Acts 13:22).

Peter said, “I will not deny You”… he did… three times… and was restored by Jesus and used mightily as a leader in the early church…

The Bible is full of heroes who failed… and the Bible does not pull it’s punches… their mistakes have been recorded for all eternity.

AND, God’s love, grace, and forgiveness HAS ALSO been recorded as God continuously uses broken vessels… because WHO ELSE WOULD?

The world discards the broken… God sees the broken as beautiful… and uses it for His glory.

Be encouraged! We serve a gracious God…

Well, back in Acts… the Roman Commander sends Paul to Governor Felix… under the cover of night… with a massive escort of 470 elite Roman Soldiers…

Which we see the details of as we wrap up in…

Acts 23:31-35 “Then the soldiers, as they were commanded, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris.”

Let’s pull up that map of Paul being escorted from Jerusalem to Antipatris… ultimately to Caesarea…

Jerusalem to Antipatris is about a 13 hour walk… about 37 miles… so this was a forced march… a difficult day of travel.

Antipatris was named by King Herod the Great in honor of his father Antipater.

V32 “The next day they left the horsemen to go on with him, and returned to the barracks.”

So, the soldiers successfully get Paul out of the greatest danger of Jerusalem…

They successfully arrive in Antipatris… which was a concern because there were 7 or 8 miles of terrain prior to Antipatris that were ideal for an ambush.

But, an ambush never occurs, and so the Romans determine the 400 foot soldiers can depart back to the barracks of the Antonia Fortress in Jerusalem.

And, Paul can be escorted the rest of the way to Caesarea Maritima… by the 70 horsemen.

Which was a final 32 mile journey… about another 11 hours by foot… probably faster by horseback.

V33 “When they came to Caesarea and had delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him. 34 And when the governor had read it, he asked what province he was from. And when he understood that he was from Cilicia, [the region of Asia Minor where Paul hailed from. His hometown was Tarsus] 35 he said, “I will hear you when your accusers also have come.” And he commanded him to be kept in Herod’s Praetorium.”

Next week in Acts 24, Ananias the High Priest and the elders indeed come down from Caesarea with a smooth talking orator named Tertullus.

Who needs truth when you have a skilled speech-writer… more to come on that…

And, so, Felix agrees to hear Paul once his accusers arrive.

Until then, Paul would be kept in Herod’s Praetorium… the official residence of the Governor.

Not too shabby of a place to be held… the Governor’s mansion… Caesarea by the sea…

Paul will be held in this beautiful location for the next 1-2 years.

Look at God… God’s provisions and protection over Paul is evident.

Just as it is in our lives as well.

Let’s pray!

As you go into this week ahead, go in the grace of God… knowing He never leaves us, nor forsakes us…

He chooses the foolish and weak things of the world, so that… as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”

So, go… knowing God intentionally called you and I… imperfect vessels… to impact the world around us.

God bless you as you go.