'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.’ ” Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.) There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,” they said. “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks. 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.” The next morning some Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. More than forty men were involved in this plot. They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here.” But when the son of Paul’s sister heard of this plot, he went into the barracks and told Paul. Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him.” So he took him to the commander. The centurion said, “Paul, the prisoner, sent for me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.” The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside and asked, “What is it you want to tell me?” He said: “Some Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about him. Don’t give in to them, because more than forty of them are waiting in ambush for him. They have taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready now, waiting for your consent to their request.” The commander dismissed the young man with this warning: “Don’t tell anyone that you have reported this to me.” Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, “Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight. Provide horses for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix.” He wrote a letter as follows: Claudius Lysias, To His Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings. This man was seized by the Jews and they were about to kill him, but I came with my troops and rescued him, for I had learned that he is a Roman citizen. I wanted to know why they were accusing him, so I brought him to their Sanhedrin. I found that the accusation had to do with questions about their law, but there was no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment. When I was informed of a plot to be carried out against the man, I sent him to you at once. I also ordered his accusers to present to you their case against him. So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night and brought him as far as Antipatris. The next day they let the cavalry go on with him, while they returned to the barracks. When the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him. The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia, he said, “I will hear your case when your accusers get here.” Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod’s palace.'
Acts 23:1-35
Right at the end of Acts 22, the commander learned that Paul was a Roman citizen and was distressed that he had put a Roman citizen in chains. Because of this uproar, he wanted to understand what these people were accusing Paul of, so he brought him in front of the Sanhedrin to hear what they had to say. He found that their concerns had to do with their own law and that Paul had done nothing deserving of imprisonment or death. Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and testified that he stood there in good conscience. This angered the high priest who ordered him to be struck on the mouth. They wanted him to feel guilty of their false accusations because they did not believe in the Gospel that He was preaching. They thought that he was teaching people to turn away from the law, but he was not. If they listened to their prophets, then they would know that what Paul was teaching was the Truth. They were violent and ready to tear Paul to pieces, so the commander ordered that he be taken to the barracks. Through all of this, the Lord once again encouraged Paul that he would send him away from them and that he would preach this Gospel to the gentiles. They would not accept his testimony there because their hearts were hard and bound to the chains of legalism. They even conspired against Paul and vowed not to eat or drink until they had killed him (an evil fast). They sought to mislead the commander into thinking that the Sanhedrin wanted him brought before them to learn more about his case, but they were scheming to murder him before he got there. Paul’s nephew heard of this plot and warned the commander. This allowed the commander to prepare by ensuring that soldiers were ready to protect Paul. Paul was heavily protected by God! Hallelujah!!
Just as the Lord protected Paul as he preached the Gospel, He will protect us, too. His favor is a shield around us!! Hallelujah!!! We also should not be surprised when others hate and reject us for our biblical stance on everything for many persecuted and hated Jesus and His disciples as well. When we fellowship with the Lord in His sufferings, we will fellowship with Him in blessing as well!! There is room at His table He has prepared!
Acts 23:1-35
Acts 23:1-35 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 s | New International Version (NIV) |
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 s
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Right at the end of Acts 22, the commander learned that Paul was a Roman citizen and was distressed that he had put a Roman citizen in chains. Because of this uproar, he wanted to understand what these people were accusing Paul of, so he brought him in front of the Sanhedrin to hear what they had to say. He found that their concerns had to do with their own law and that Paul had done nothing deserving of imprisonment or death. Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and testified that he stood there in good conscience. This angered the high priest who ordered him to be struck on the mouth. They wanted him to feel guilty of their false accusations because they did not believe in the Gospel that He was preaching. They thought that he was teaching people to turn away from the law, but he was not. If they listened to their prophets, then they would know that what Paul was teaching was the Truth. They were violent and ready to tear Paul to pieces, so the commander ordered that he be taken to the barracks. Through all of this, the Lord once again encouraged Paul that he would send him away from them and that he would preach this Gospel to the gentiles. They would not accept his testimony there because their hearts were hard and bound to the chains of legalism. They even conspired against Paul and vowed not to eat or drink until they had killed him (an evil fast). They sought to mislead the commander into thinking that the Sanhedrin wanted him brought before them to learn more about his case, but they were scheming to murder him before he got there. Paul’s nephew heard of this plot and warned the commander. This allowed the commander to prepare by ensuring that soldiers were ready to protect Paul. Paul was heavily protected by God! Hallelujah!!
Just as the Lord protected Paul as he preached the Gospel, He will protect us, too. His favor is a shield around us!! Hallelujah!!! We also should not be surprised when others hate and reject us for our biblical stance on everything for many persecuted and hated Jesus and His disciples as well. When we fellowship with the Lord in His sufferings, we will fellowship with Him in blessing as well!! There is room at His table He has prepared!