Lechem Panim #228 “Paul Delivered to Caesarea” (Acts 23:17-35) Pastor Cameron Ury

Greetings! It’s good to have you with us as we continue our journey through the book of Acts together, this week continuing to look at Acts 23. Now you’ll remember that Paul has been arrested in Jerusalem and has just stood trial before the Sanhedrin. And in that court great dissension arrises over Paul’s message (and the doctrine of the Resurrection in particular) that the Roman commander actually has to take Paul back into the Roman barracks because things had gotten so intense, he feared that Paul would literally be torn apart. And it is heartbreaking to see the center of Jewish religion and justice be a place where God’s message is ultimately rejected and where justice fails in such a profound way; just as it had when Jesus stood before this very same group of religious leaders. Now things go from bad to worse, as it says in…

Acts 23:12-16 (ESV)— 12 When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. 14 They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul. 15 Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”
16 Now the son of Paul's sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul.

Paul’s Nephew— Now, as we observed last week, it seems very likely that Paul was rejected by some or much of his family after he came to faith in Jesus Christ. He likely was seen as a disgrace by them. Paul says in Philippians 3:8 that he had suffered the loss of everything for the sake of Jesus Christ. But whatever Paul’s family situation looked like at this point, we see here that he had a sister who may have been at least somewhat affectionate towards him; as her son (who is there in Jerusalem) seems to be looking out for Paul. And this nephew somehow overhears this plot to murder Paul. And he immediately comes to the barracks to warn Paul. Now this really demonstrates just how much (in every trial we face) God is working behind the scenes, watching out for us; and how He often sends us help from unforeseen places.

An Unsung Hero— Now this boy is one of the unsung heroes of the Bible. God had placed him in the right place at the right time; like Esther, like Daniel. He was a kid who was placed in a difficult and highly unusual circumstance. He was probably terrified. But God used his courage to do the right thing to bring about His plans and purposes; to preserve Paul’s life. Now because Paul was an unconvicted Roman citizen (and not actually under arrest at this point, but merely in protective custody), he was able to receive visits from [relatives and friends, who could bring…{him}…food and other amenities.] And so this boy was able to get to Paul. And after the boy tells Paul of the plot, it says in…

Acts 23:17-23 (ESV)— 17 Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him.” 18 So he took him and brought him to the tribune and said, “Paul the prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you.” 19 The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” 20 And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more closely about him. 21 But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him, who have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him. And now they are ready, waiting for your consent.” 22 So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of these things.”
23 Then he called two of the centurions and said, “Get ready two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night.

To Caesarea— Now when the tribune hears of this plot, he decides that the best thing to do to both to save Paul’s life and to avoid a potentially explosive confrontation with the Jews is to send Paul away. And so we see that the Roman tribune orders that Paul be sent to Caesarea. [Jerusalem was the seat of Jewish government, but Caesarea was the Roman headquarters of the area] and would be a safe place for Paul. Now this whole situation is so ironic because it should be the Jewish leaders who are supporting Paul the most. I mean, he was one of them. And yet we find them being the enemies and Romans (of all people) being the means of saving Paul. I mean, everything’s backwards. But you know, God often can use backwards situations to bring about His glory and plans and purposes. These events may have seemed bad to Paul at the time, but it’s interesting that those events set into motion a chain of events that would eventually lead to Paul’s being taken to Rome, the very place God promised to take him. And God can do that for us as well. He can use our trials, our difficulties, and even our enemies to bring about His purposes in our lives. Unless we give up, they are not able to thwart the plans of God. And we need to remember that.

Soldiers, Horsemen, & Spearmen— Now Lysias sends with Paul 200 soldiers, 70 horsemen, and 200 spearmen. [The “soldiers” were legionnaires, the elite soldiers of the roman army; the “horsemen” were from the garrison’s cavalry detachment; and the “spearmen,” or javelin throwers, were soldiers less heavily armed than the legionnaires.] And what this all amounted to was [almost half of his 1,000 man garrison]. And that just shows how seriously he took this plot and how determined he was that Paul should be kept alive and receive justice. Now Paul is escorted by this quite sizable military force at the third hour of the night. That’s 9:00pm Gentile Time 😊; “savings time”, literally. And the tribune also says in…

Acts 23:24 (ESV)— 24 Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to Felix the governor.”

Felix— Now [Felix was the Roman governor or procurator of Judea from A.D. 52 to 59). This was the same position Pontius Pilate had held.] The Jews were allowed a lot of freedom to govern themselves, but it was the governor who was responsible for running the army, keeping the peace, and gathering the taxes. And so Lysias sends a letter with Paul for Governor Felix. And I love this letter because you can see just how much of a politician Lysias is; because all that happened that could have shed a negative light on him does not make it into the report. But everything that makes him look good and like he is the shining example of truth and justice is highly emphasized.

Spin— You see, it’s all about spin control. Just recently I re-read an illustration talking about letters of recommendation. I don’t know if you’ve ever had to write a letter of recommendation before, but what I was reading was talking about how [Writing letters of recommendation can be hazardous--tell the truth and you might get sued if the contents are negative. {And so} Robert Thornton, a professor at Lehigh University, has a collection of "virtually litigation-proof" phrases called the Lexicon of Intentionally Ambiguous Recommendations, or LIAR. Here are some examples:
(1)To describe an inept person— "I enthusiastically recommend this candidate with no qualifications whatsoever."
(2) To describe an ex-employee who had problems getting along with fellow workers— "I am pleased to say that this candidate is a former colleague of mine."
(3) To describe an unproductive candidate— "I can assure you that no person would be better for the job."
(4) To describe an applicant not worth consideration— “I would urge you to waste no time in making this candidate an offer of employment.”] Now this is the kind of stuff we find in Lysias’ letter to Governor Felix. Just listen. It says in…

Acts 23:25-27 (ESV)— 25 And he wrote a letter to this effect:
26 “Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency the governor Felix, greetings. 27 This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen.

Several Pinocchios— Now keep in mind that Lysias did not actually discover this until after he had arrested Paul (22:25,26). But here he makes it sound like he rescued Paul after discovering he was a Roman citizen. Quite different from what actually happened; that he had (albeit unknowingly) illegally bound Paul and had almost illegally scourged him (22:24), not knowing (or even thinking to ask whether or not) he was a Roman citizen. So alters the story to make himself shine at the very point where he had really fallen short. This alone would get his letter at least three or four Pinocchios. But note how he also neglects to mention that he had mistaken Paul for being the notorious Egyptian assassin (21:38). But hey, he doesn’t want to bore Felix with the details, right? I mean “details, shmee-details.” Who needs those? Now Lysias continues, saying…

Acts 23:28-31 (ESV)— 28 And desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council. 29 I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. {Now this was a very important detail for Luke to include, because [Luke’s stress on Paul’s blamelessness before the Roman law is a major theme of this entire passage.]} 30 And when it was disclosed to me that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him.”
31 So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris.

Antipatris— Antipatris was a [Roman military post about 40 mi. from Jerusalem.] Very often travelers from Jerusalem to Caesarea would stop to rest there. And here we see that they made the journey in a single night (v.32), which [would have been an exhausting forced march for the foot soldiers.]

Acts 23:32 (ESV)— 32 And on the next day they returned to the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him.

Foot Soldiers Leave— So we see that the foot soldiers leave after they reach Samaria because, being in Gentile territory, there was much less chance of being ambushed by a group of Jews. So the foot soldiers go back, but Paul and the horsemen go on to Caesarea. It says…

Acts 23:33-35 (ESV)— 33 When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. 34 On reading the letter, he asked what province he was from. {[Felix needed to determine whether he had jurisdiction to hear Paul’s case.]} And when he learned that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive.” {[Judea and Cilicia were at that time both under the legate of Syria, so Felix had the authority to hear his case.] But he wants to wait until Paul’s accusers arrive. And so it says…} And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod's praetorium {[Felix’s official residence in Caesarea.]}.

“Greater is He”— Now the thought I want to leave you with is a truth I know I have shared with you before, but one which I think God really wants us to keep at the forefront of our minds, especially in these latter days. It applied to Paul in this passage and it applies to us today. And it is that truth John gives us in 1 John 4:4. It reads…

1 John 4:4 (ESV)— 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Take Courage— No matter what you face this week because of your commitment to Christ, take courage in the fact that you are sharing in the sufferings of Christ. And the very forces that set themselves against you will only succeed in helping to bring about God’s will and plan for your life; and your victory will be all the sweeter on the other side.
    And so this week, may you experience Christ’s steadfast love for you. May you know that He hears you. And though there are many workers of evil who set themselves against you, may you experience the joy of seeing Him bring about His work of deliverance in your life. Amen.