Acts 23:24-35
English Standard Version (ESV)
24 Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and
bring him safely to Felix the governor.” 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. 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. 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. 32 And
on the next day they returned to the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with
him. 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. And when he learned
that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will give you a
hearing when your accusers arrive.” And he commanded him to be guarded in
Herod's praetorium.
I have not ever fully
understood the politics of the days of the Roman rule and its power or lack of
power over the Jewish people. Seems to
me if someone is getting beat up today it would be the ones doing the beating
that should be in trouble not the one being beaten. Yet, the Jewish people had a pull in the
governmental affairs as they related to their religious beliefs. This sounds so much like Jesus being killed
because of the Jewish leaders and the wishes of the people even though the
government found no fault in him to warrant His execution. Now we find Paul in the same situation. The Roman leaders found no fault in him, yet
the people were going to get their day in court with him.
On top of all that, the
letter was written, not so much for Paul, but to cover the rear of the one who
messed up and had him bound and ready to be beaten before realizing he was a
Roman citizen. By the sounds of the
letter he was being treated very well.
He was recused because he was a Roman citizen? That’s crazy, he did not even know he was a
Roman citizen until he was bound and ready to be beaten. As I read the account of his letter, I had to
wonder if he was simply trying to work his way up the ladder a little bit. Trying to shine as the hero by rescuing Paul
from the savages. How typical to see a
leader who are quick to judge and come crawling to their superior. Yet, I do have to give him credit for getting
Paul out of harms way of these Jewish leaders who were plotting to kill him. But the One that deserved the credit is our
God, 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work
together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. who works all things together for the good. Romans
8:28 (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A28&version=ESV). We see this in Paul’s case. We can see this in our own lives as
well. God works things out for us, not
necessarily the way we have it planned but how He has it planned for us. His plans are always greater than our
own. So this brings me back to my
beginning statements. I mentioned that I
have never understood the Roman politics of the day but it goes much deeper
than that. Even though it appears that
the Romans, Jewish leaders, and the people were controlling things, it was really God who was and is in
control. We must hold on to the fact
that God is in control, no matter what our situation. His ways are greater than
ours and He knows what is best for us.
Seek Him and know that He is
God and He has your back, even when His plans lead you in a different direction
than what you had planned!
Seeking Him with all my
heart,
Sheila
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