November 24

Acts 22:25-23:11

25 But when they had tied him up with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, "Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who is uncondemned?" 26 When the centurion heard that, he went to the tribune and said to him, "What are you about to do? This man is a Roman citizen." 27 The tribune came and asked Paul, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" And he said, "Yes." 28 The tribune answered, "It cost me a large sum of money to get my citizenship." Paul said, "But I was born a citizen." 29 Immediately those who were about to examine him drew back from him; and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him. 30 Since he wanted to find out what Paul was being accused of by the Jews, the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and the entire council to meet. He brought Paul down and had him stand before them.
23 While Paul was looking intently at the council he said, "Brothers, up to this day I have lived my life with a clear conscience before God." 2 Then the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near him to strike him on the mouth. 3 At this Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting there to judge me according to the law, and yet in violation of the law you order me to be struck?" 4 Those standing nearby said, "Do you dare to insult God's high priest?" 5 And Paul said, "I did not realize, brothers, that he was high priest; for it is written, 'You shall not speak evil of a leader of your people.'" 6 When Paul noticed that some were Sadducees and others were Pharisees, he called out in the council, "Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead." 7 When he said this, a dissension began between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, or angel, or spirit; but the Pharisees acknowledge all three.) 9 Then a great clamor arose, and certain scribes of the Pharisees' group stood up and contended, "We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?" 10 When the dissension became violent, the tribune, fearing that they would tear Paul to pieces, ordered the soldiers to go down, take him by force, and bring him into the barracks. 11 That night the Lord stood near him and said, "Keep up your courage! For just as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, so you must bear witness also in Rome."

The similarities between Paul and Jesus now deviate. Paul is a Roman citizen. The tribune cannot flog him before he is convicted of some crime. The tribune is now in a bind. Paul has status in the empire and cannot be touched outside of Roman law. The mob is demanding punishment. So the tribune tries to shift the decision to the Jewish council.

The council begins by disregarding its law. Instead of bringing charges, Paul is hit when he makes his statement of innocence. From here the council becomes divided between Pharisees and Sadducees over the issue of resurrection. The result is violence that causes the tribune to intervene.

Paul is still in jail, but he now anticipates bringing his witness to Rome. His vision is that he will testify in Rome just as he has testified in Jerusalem. The rest of the book of Acts is telling the story of how this testimony is going to take place.

Reflection questions
1. How did the politics of the day affect Paul’s treatment?
2. How do the politics of our day affect our witness?
3. Is Paul’s political maneuvering helpful or hurtful to the gospel?