Acts 23-24: When you're granted an opportunity

Paul walks into Jerusalem knowing suffering is coming, then watches God turn a violent arrest into a string of chances to speak about Jesus. We track Paul’s defenses before the Sanhedrin and Felix and wrestle with what it looks like to treat hard situations as a captive audience for the gospel. 
• Paul’s decision to go to Jerusalem despite clear warnings of persecution 
• The Sanhedrin confrontation and Paul’s pivot to the hope of resurrection 
• The murder conspiracy and how Paul’s nephew helps stop the ambush 
• The Roman escort to Caesarea and Lysias’ letter to Governor Felix 
• The courtroom clash with Tertullus and Paul’s fact-based defense 
• Paul’s message to Felix about faith, righteousness, self-control, and judgment 
• The tension of delayed justice and Paul’s long imprisonment 
• The closing challenge to share Jesus where you are, even when it’s uncomfortable 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:11

Hey, this is the Out Loud Bible Podcast, and I am Mike, and uh we're reading through the book of Acts, and things are heating up here for Paul. Paul has felt compelled to

Paul Heads To Jerusalem Anyway

SPEAKER_00 0:22

go to Jerusalem. He says, He's like, I know, I understand there's gonna be persecution there. The Holy Spirit has told me, and there had been prophets telling him, Oh, you're gonna be bound, you're gonna be beaten. Other believers were like, I don't think you should go. But he's like, you know what? I gotta go. I gotta go do what I feel like I gotta do. Well, sure enough, preaching the gospel in Jerusalem was not received very well by the local Jews because, you know, that's just how it is. The message of Jesus and being saved by faith in his grace that flies in the face of everything the Jews had been practicing and understanding about their religious observances and the law for millennia. So I get it, but they're particularly opposed to it here in Jerusalem. And they caused such a scene. The Romans got involved, and the Romans were just honestly trying to spare Paul's life there because he was getting beat by the Jews so bad. And uh Paul said, Hey, can I say something to the Jews? And so he presented this case of like, hey, I was I'm a Jew just like you, and I was a religious zealot just like you. I was trying to fight against this Jesus thing and this Christian thing just like you. I approved of the killing of their first martyr of their church, Stephen, and everyone was with him until he said, Then the Lord told me that I'm gonna send you away to the Gentiles, and then that just caused this uproar. The Roman commander had to get involved. What is going on with this guy? Got to rescue him just so he doesn't get beat to death. And then he was about to beat Paul for causing such a ruckus here until he realized that Paul is also a Roman citizen. And so then he wasn't allowed to beat him without cause. And he's like, okay, this is too much. I'm not even sure why any of this is happening. So he sends him to the Sanhedrin, the Jewish religious leaders, to get some answers. And this is where we find ourselves entering the story again here today. We're going to read Acts 23 and 24 in the New English Translation, starting here with chapter 23, and Paul makes his defense in front of the Sanhedrin.

Paul Faces The Sanhedrin

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Paul looked directly at the council and said, Brothers, I have lived my life with a clear conscience before God to this day. At that, the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth, and then Paul said, God is gonna strike you, you whitewashed wall. Do you sit there judging me according to the law and in violation of the law you order me to be struck? Those standing him said, Do you dare insult God's high priest? Paul replied, Ah, I did not realize, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it's written you must not speak evil about a ruler of your people. Then when Paul noticed that part of them were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he shouted out in the council, Brothers, I'm a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I'm on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead. When he had said this, an argument began between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided, for the Sadducees say there's no resurrection or angel or spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. And there was a great commotion, and some experts in the law from the party of the Pharisees stood up and protested strongly, Oh, well, we find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or angel has spoken to him? When the argument became so great the commanding officer feared that they would tear Paul to pieces, he ordered the detachment to go down, take him away from them by force, and bring him into the barracks. And the following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, Have courage, for just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, you must also testify in Rome. When morning

Resurrection Sparks A Council Fight

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came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink anything until they had killed Paul. There were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy, and they went to the chief priests and elders and said, We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath not to partake of anything until we have killed Paul. So now you and the council request the commanding officer to bring him down to you as if you are going to determine his case by conducting a more thorough inquiry. We are ready to kill him before he comes near this place. But

A Murder Plot And A Midnight Escort

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when the son of Paul's sister heard about the ambush, he came and entered the barracks and told Paul. Paul called one of the centurions and said, Take this young man to the commanding officer, for he has something to report to him. So the centurion took him and brought him to the commanding officer and said, The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you. The commanding officer took him by the hand, withdrew privately, and asked, What is it that you want to report to me? He replied, The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as if they were going to inquire more thoroughly about him. So don't let them persuade you to do this because more than forty of them are lying in ambush for him, and they've bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink anything until they've killed him, and now they're ready, waiting for you to agree to their request. Then the commanding officer sent the young man away, directing him, Tell no one that you've reported these things to me. He then summoned two of the centurions and said, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, along with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen by nine o'clock tonight, and provide mounts for Paul to ride so that he may be brought safely to Felix the governor. He wrote a letter that went like this. Claudius Lysius, to his Excellency Governor Felix, greetings. This man was seized by the Jews, and they were about to kill him when I came up with the detachment and rescued him because I learned that he was a Roman citizen. Since I wanted to know what charge they were accusing him of, I brought him down to their council. I found he was accused with reference to controversial questions about their law, but no charge against him deserved death or imprisonment. When I was informed there would be a plot against this man, I sent him to you at once, also ordering his accusers to state their charges against him before you. So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders, took Paul and brought him to Antipatris during the night. The next day they let the horsemen go on with him, and they returned to the barracks. When the horsemen came to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him, and when the governor had read the letter he asked what province he was from. When he learned that he was from Cilicia, he said I'll give you a hearing when your accusers arrive too, and he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod's palace. After five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and an attorney named Tertullus, and they brought formal charges against Paul to the governor. When Paul

Felix Hears The Charges And Defense

SPEAKER_00 7:55

had been summoned, Tertulus began to accuse him, saying, We have experienced a lengthy time of peace through your rule, and reforms are being made in this nation through your foresight. Most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this everywhere and in every way with all gratitude. But so that I may not delay you any further, I beg you to hear us briefly with your customary graciousness, for we have found this man to be a troublemaker, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. He even tried to desecrate the temple, so we arrested him. When you examine him yourself, you will be able to learn from him about all these things we're accusing him of doing. The Jews also joined in the verbal attack, claiming these things were true. When the governor gestured for him to speak, Paul replied, Because I know that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I confidently make my defense. As you can verify for yourself, not more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. They didn't find me arguing with anyone or stirring up a crowd in the temple courts or in the synagogues or throughout the city, nor can they prove to you the things they're accusing me of doing. But I confess this to you, that I worship the God of our ancestors, according to the way, which they call a sect, believing everything that's according to the law and that's written in the prophets. I have a hope in God, a hope that these men themselves accept too, that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. This is the reason I do my best to always have a clear conscience toward God and toward people. After several years I came to bring my people gifts for the poor, and to present offerings, which I was doing when they found me in the temple ritually purified, without a crowd or a disturbance. But there are some Jews from the province of Asia who should be here before you and bring charges if they have anything against me. Or these men here should tell what crime they found me guilty of when I stood before the council, other than this one thing I shouted out while I stood before them, I am on trial before you today concerning the resurrection of the dead. Then Felix, who understood the facts concerning the way more accurately, adjourned their hearing, saying When Lysius the commanding officer comes down, I'll decide your case. He ordered the centurion to guard Paul, but to let him have some freedom, and not to prevent any of his friends from meeting his needs. Some days later, when Felix arrived with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. While Paul was

Felix Trembles At Paul’s Message

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discussing righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became frightened and said, Go away for now, and when I have an opportunity, I'll I'll send for you. At the same time he was also hoping that Paul would give him money, and for this reason he sent for Paul as often as possible and talked with him. After two years had passed, Portius Festus succeeded Felix, and because he wanted to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison. Fascinating story of God just placing Paul right where he wants him to have the impact that he wants him to have. You have no idea where your experience

Your Captive Audience Today

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and your story is going to take you, where God is going to position you to share the story of what he's done in your life. The situation may not always be comfortable. Paul was technically a prisoner here, but he didn't see himself as a captive. He saw himself attached to a captive audience. Who do you have around you? They might be more receptive to what you have to say about Jesus than you think. They might not accept what you have to say and turn their life around right away, but that's not up to you. Your responsibility is to tell them anyway. That's the thinking out loud thought for the day. We'll see you next time.