A Day and a Night in Court
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Intro
Intro
A Day in the Court. This program retraced some of the main Italian judicial events.
The videos and films portrayed the protagonists of the most famous trials in real life.
It was a program that brought to light all the fragilities and motivations of those involved in the trials.
Today we have a process before us, difficult, hard, ruthless.
A process in which our brother Paul is involved because of the Gospel.
“You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.
(See also: Persecution)
The martyrs were bound, imprisoned, (scherged) scourged, racked (rachd), burnt (bernt), rent, butchered (bcherd)—and they multiplied.
Saint Augustine of Hippo
Sermon Outline. Through this biblical passage I would like to consider the main protagonists that emerge from the narrative:
Paul and his humanity (Acts 23:1-5)
The members of the Sanhedrin and their manipulation (Acts 23:7);
Jesus and His encouragement (Acts 23:11).
N.1 - Paul and his humanity
N.1 - Paul and his humanity
Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.” At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!”
Those who were standing near Paul said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!”
Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’”
Hero or Superhero? In the book of Acts we find no trace of false narrative!
In fact, Paul, although is recognized as a man powerfully used by God, is never described by Luke as a superhero.
The "dear doctor" in fact reports all his frailties and shortcomings which, as we will see in this passage, we find in his deposition and in his frustration.
In other words, Paul too is made of flesh and blood!
The Deposition of Paul (Acts 23:1). Paul is not claiming that he is a perfect man, but rather that his motives have always been sincere and pure before God.
Yet, despite good motives, no one, including Paul, can consider himself infallible or perfect.
We have all made mistakes despite good faith and pure intentions.
Paul's Frustration (Acts 23:3). After being unjustly beaten (Acts 23:2), Paul reacts with frustration and anger (Acts 23:3), later being rebuked for it (Acts 23:4).
What does Paul do? What behavior does the apostle of the Gentiles adopt? He immediately apologizes (Acts 23:5).
I would like to remind you that this is certainly not the moment of greatest splendor for the apostle Paul.
Yet, in this passage it is not his strong and vigorous spirit that encourages us, but rather Paul’s humanity and fragility.
Paul’s frustration invites me to reflect that it is not only me who has to fight with moments of anger and frustration but also men like the apostle.
Furthermore, it encourages me above all to know that, if I make a mistake, just like Paul I can confess it to God and He is good and merciful in welcoming me:
All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.
N.2 - The members of the Sanhedrin and their manipulation
N.2 - The members of the Sanhedrin and their manipulation
When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.
The Anatomy of the Sanhedrin. Paul knew the Sanhedrin well, its history, the tensions and divisions that existed within it.
Here is some information about it:
The Sanhedrin was made up of 70 men including Sadducees and Pharisees plus the High Priest;
The Sadducees constituted the elite of the Sanhedrin, they were connected to Rome and the Hellenistic culture, therefore materialistic in their approach to life;
The Pharisees made up the majority of the Sanhedrin, they believed in angels, life after death and the resurrection.
Manipulation. Both of these groups, however, try to exploit and manipulate Paul’s case to impose their views on the opposing party:
The Sadducees disagreed with Paul for personal reasons;
The Pharisees agreed with Paul for personal reasons.
A world full of manipulators. We live in a world that wants to manipulate us for personal interests.
10514 Our society is not a community radiant with the love of Christ, but a dangerous network of domination and manipulation in which we can easily get entangled and lose our soul.
Henri Nouwen (Dutch priest)
Even in the Church of Christ, factions can be created with the aim of dragging us into political disputes for someone's gain.
Nothing does so much harm to the cause of religion as the quarrels of Christians.
J. C. Ryle (English bishop)
National Geographic included a photograph of the fossil remains of two saber-toothed cats locked in combat. To quote the article: “One had bitten deep into the leg bone of the other, a thrust that trapped both in a common fate. The cause of the death of the two cats is as clear as the causes of extinction of their species are obvious.”
When Christians fight each other, everybody loses. As Paul put it, “If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other” (
We want to respond to all this by being vigilant, attentive to any attempts at exploitation!
We no longer want to allow anyone to exploit our life: whether they disagree with us or agree with us.
N.3 - Jesus and His encouragement
N.3 - Jesus and His encouragement
The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”
It's night! Darkness fell and Paul was left alone.
Let us not forget, however, that Paul had undergone a trial because of Jesus and the Lord, in Paul's darkest moment, came to his defense.
Jesus' appearance has a very specific purpose: to encourage Paul.
In this regard, I would like to consider:
Jesus' Words of Encouragement. Jesus gives an order to Paul: "be courageous!".
He uses a typical expression that we often find in the Gospels.
These are the same words that Jesus said to the woman healed by the issue of blood:
Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.
Jesus used the same expression for the paralytic of Capernaum:
Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
Jesus used it also with His disciples in the storm:
But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
In these words we see the signature of Jesus, a signature that has authority over our fears and anxieties.
The Horizon of Jesus' Encouragement. Jesus’ encouragement has no expiration date (Example of the Shield-Life of the products).
It doesn't last 1, 2 hours and then you return to fear.
The Encouragement that comes from Jesus has a vast horizon because it has the power to give us strength to complete the task assigned to us by Him.
For Paul the horizon was Rome, for us it can be having patience with a relative of ours, defending our marriage , collaborate and see our local Church flourish.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Difficult times? Even if you are going through a difficult experience, where you are constantly targeted by accusations, remember that the Lord is close to us, ready to lift our souls.
