The Conspiracy Against Paul

Acts 23:11-35

Wherever you see persecution, there is more than a probability that truth is on the persecuted side.

Hugh Latimer (Bishop of Worcester)

If you were not strangers here the dogs of the world would not bark at you.

Samuel Rutherford (Scottish Presbyterian Divine)

In the annals of history, few men have been hounded and hunted for the cause of Christ like Paul was. The last 30 years of his life were not spent on the run quite like a criminal, but there were many times he had to run for his life. In nearly every city he ministered, he was persecuted. In a few cases, the Gentiles were the ones who were against him, but more often than not, it was his own countrymen and fellow Jews. Numerous times we have seen throughout this book that they chased him out of town, only to follow him to the next town to keep stirring up trouble. They simply would not let him rest. Perhaps this is because he was paying the price for his persecution of the Christians as a young man. Indeed, the Lord did tell him that as he caused others to suffer for Jesus, so would he endure the same. (Acts 9:15-16)

Who were the persecutors?

the Jews - who claimed to worship the same God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

they hated Paul for two distinct reasons

he taught that compliance to the Old Law was not necessary

he said the Gentiles could be part of Abraham’s promise

there is a large number of Christians who believe we owe our support and allegiance to Israel without qualification or hesitation

this is not only because of, but largely due to a misrepresentation of God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3 “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

Every Bible scholar agrees the latter part of this promise is prophetic, speaking of Jesus. But few people apply the promise to Jesus. “I will bless them that bless Jesus, and curse him that curseth Jesus.”

These people not only cursed Jesus in His life, but also in His death, and then they cursed His followers, and swore blood oaths to murder them.

while we certainly should not hate Israel or the physical descendants of Israel, there is no command by God to give them our unwavering support, or to keep their traditions, or to afford them any special privileges.

I know that is unpopular, but it is the truth

I cannot overstate this: the Jews in the 1st Century hated Jesus, and they hated Paul because he was giving the good news of the gospel to YOUR ancestors. In short, they are the villains in the story, all throughout the New Testament. Is there any wonder they reject it as Scripture?

Jesus said in John 15:23 “He that hateth me hateth my Father also.”

Jesus, when He said, “It is finished,” was declaring the fulfillment of the old covenant. This is why the temple and the entire Jewish way of life was destroyed within one generation, just as He said it would in Matthew 24:34 (also in Mark 13:30 and Luke 21:32).

The Jews must be reconciled with the Father in the same way as the Gentiles: through Jesus Christ. However, to even say there are Gentiles today is a bit of a misnomer, because in Christ, there are no Gentiles or Jews, just Believers. We all are part of the olive tree, that is, the covenant given to Abraham.

What was their goal?

to silence Paul

his message was an offense to them, and it provoked them to jealousy (Romans 11:11, 14). This was prophesied by Moses in Deuteronomy 32:21

Deuteronomy 32:21 LSB

‘They have made Me jealous with what is not God; They have provoked Me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a wickedly foolish nation,

What were their means?

if they couldn’t make him stop talking by beating, harassing, and chasing him, they would kill him

because there is nothing that says “we have the truth” quite like killing someone with a different belief

in our modern “civilized” ways, we do not kill those we disagree with, but we use other means to attempt to silence them

amongst those who claim to love Christ, I have seen people slander, blacklist, shun, and all sorts of other negative actions in an attempt to punish someone who holds a different view or interprets Scripture through a different lens. We’re not even talking about outright heresy or a false gospel, just disagreements on second-tier issues. WE SHOULD NOT BE LIKE THAT!

No surprise these hated Paul and the other Christians, because they hated Christ first. John 15:18

John 15:18 LSB

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you.

What we don’t like to hear, or want to, is that this is a blessed thing.

Matthew 5:10 KJV 1900

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Persecution is like the goldsmith’s hallmark on real silver and gold; it is one of the marks of a converted man.

J. C. Ryle

Jesus said that persecution gives us an opportunity to be a witness for Him. Luke 21:12-13

Luke 21:12–13 KJV 1900

But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake. And it shall turn to you for a testimony.

A Warning

Take care if the world does hate you that it hates you without cause.

Charles Spurgeon

Sometimes we think we are persecuted, but in truth, we just have no friends because we are unlikable and unloving. Some Christians have the personality of a potato and the temperament of a dull chainsaw. You are not persecuted for the truth, but you are passed by for your approach and attitude. My urging to you is to repent. To show the love of Christ rather than the harshness of your piety.

Conclusion

Christ should be the center of what we do. He is the one that we love and who first loved us. He divides us from the world, but unites us in Him. Jew or Gentile, Baptist or Methodist, Calvinist or Arminian, we are all one in Christ...IF we are in Christ! Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” If we are in Christ, and all things are become new, we should no longer have the characteristics of those that are outside of Christ.

Our position of being “in Christ” relates to our:

salvation

identity

election

unity

perseverance

persecution

We need to be prepared and willing to be persecuted by those who love darkness more than light.