Opening: Have you ever known someone who absolutely hated another person or
group of persons? What are they like to be around? Can they see the other’s
point of view, or does the simple mention of the name turn their face red and
the make their veins bulge?
Scripture: Read Acts 23:12-35.
Insights:
- It’s uncertain who these 40 would be assassins were. The Greek uses the term “the Jews.” Are these individuals from the Council who have put away their differences and refocused their attention on Paul, or are they a group of zealots. Whoever they are, they have access to the halls of Jewish power. Verse 14 tells us that they went to the chief priests and elders with their plan. The chief priests and elders were the dominant force on the Sanhedrin, and the majority of these were Sadducees, who were the ones most opposed to Paul. The conspirators seem to have failed to approach the Pharisees on the high council.
- Look at the difference between the two groups in today’s passage:
1.
We see the lengths to which the Jews would go to
eliminate Paul. Under certain circumstances the Jews regarded murder as
justifiable. If a man was a public danger to morals and to life, they regarded
it as legitimate to eliminate him. So forty men put themselves under a vow. The
vow was called a cherem. When a man
took such a vow he said, "May God curse me if I fail to do this."
These men vowed neither to eat nor drink, and put themselves under the ban of
God, until they had assassinated Paul. (Wonder whatever happened to these men!)
2.
We also see the lengths to which the Roman
government would go in order to administer impartial justice. Paul was a
prisoner, but he was a Roman citizen and therefore the commander mobilized a
small army (470 soldiers vs. 40 zealots) to see him taken in safety to Caesarea
to be tried before Felix.
- Nothing is known of Paul’s family. This is the only biblical reference to them. His nephew was able to see him, even though Paul was in protective custody, because Roman prisoners were accessible to their relatives and friends, who could bring them food and other amenities.
- The soldiers take a letter (fair and impartial) along with their prisoner to Caesarea, the seat of the area’s Roman government. It was 60 miles from Jerusalem to Caesarea and Antipatris was 25 miles from Caesarea. Up to Antipatris, the country was dangerous and inhabited by Jews; after that the country was open and flat, quite unsuited for any ambush and largely inhabited by Gentiles. So at Antipatris, the main body of the troops went back and left the cavalry alone as a sufficient escort. Paul was eventually held in the Praetorium, a palace which had been built by Herod the Great (from Jesus’s birth).[1]
Life
Questions:
- Some scholars believe that Paul's family had disowned him when he became a Christian.[2] In the Letter to the Philippians, he talks about his life before Christ, and then says, “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.”[3] You may not have lost or been disowned by your family for your faith, but what do you consider worthless from your past values and experiences now that you know Jesus?
- It is strange how the fanatical hatred of the Jews – God's chosen people – contrasts with the impartial justice of the commander – a heathen in Jewish eyes. We must be absolutely committed to loving people – even our enemies – for the cause of Christ.
Prayer
Focus: That we would consider everything rubbish compared
to knowing Jesus.
