To Rome, Maybe

The next few weeks we have a lot of narrative and not a ton of theology to cover. While this may be a bit disappointing, the Bible is predominantly narrative, and if all Scripture is profitable, than even reading and knowing the narrative is a good thing! While it will be fun to see if there are lessons we can learn, I would rather not try to thrust theological lessons upon the text if it does not warrant it.

‌With that said, let’s look at where we are in the story:

‌Paul went to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost, even though it was foretold that he would be bound in chains and treated badly there.

‌He purified himself and paid for 4 other men to be purified before going to the temple to worship.

‌He was attacked by a mob of Jews - which was incited by Jews who traveled from Asia Minor to celebrate the feast.

‌He was spared by Claudius Lysias, a Roman commander, but being shackled hand and foot and imprisoned.

‌He was ALMOST whipped, until he revealed that he was a Roman citizen.

‌He was taken to the Sanhedrin for trial, where he avoided prosecution by pitting the Sadducees and Pharisees against each other by making one statement (can anyone tell us what that statement was?)

‌He went back to prison, though unshackled, under the care of Lysias.

‌Paul’s nephew heard of a plot of 40+ men who vowed and took an oath to kill Paul by waiting in ambush for him. That nephew told Lysias.

‌LETS START with a question: If you were Lysias, what would you be thinking?

‌A young man just told you of a plot against Paul. Do you trust this young man? Maybe.

‌If he is telling the truth, you cannot send Paul to the Sanhedrin. If you DID, there would be a riot, a lynching or an encounter between the Jews and the Roman soldiers that could cause a major disturbance and get you in serious trouble.

‌The best thing to do would be to get Paul, a Roman citizen, out of harms way and someplace outside of the jurisdiction of the Sanhedrin. You could send him to “the governor”.

‌If he is not telling the truth, then the actions of sending Paul away could be a trap! What if this young man was paid by the Sanhedrin to make up the story of the ambush to force the commander to take Paul out of the city? This could be exactly what Paul’s enemies want so they can ambush him outside of the city!

‌I thin the commander thought of BOTH possibilities. If you cannot prove the integrity of the source of the message, or the motives behind it, you are best served by assuming both the best and the worst and being prepared for both.​

Acts 23:23–24 (CSB)
He summoned two of his centurions and said, “Get two hundred soldiers ready with seventy cavalry and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight. 24 Also provide mounts to ride so that Paul may be brought safely to Felix the governor.”

‌These 2 leaders are to collect quite a large group of soldiers:

• ‌200 soldiers
• ‌70 cavalry
• ‌200 spearmen (or bowmen, or slingers)

‌If you add in the 2 centurions, that is 472 soldiers to protect 1 Roman citizen.

‌If the commander thought the only possible ambush was on the way to the Sanhedrin, like the nephew said, then why would he send SO MANY soldiers to protect Paul as they took him AWAY from the city?

‌The commander acted prudently, and swiftly.

‌However, it would not be right to send a man to the governor without an explanation. A bunch of soldiers showing up on your doorstep with a Jewish prisoner would certainly demand some form of explanation. 

‌Acts 23:25–30 (CSB)
He wrote the following letter: 26 Claudius Lysias, To the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings. 27 When this man had been seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them, I arrived with my troops and rescued him because I learned that he is a Roman citizen. 28 Wanting to know the charge they were accusing him of, I brought him down before their Sanhedrin. 29 I found out that the accusations were concerning questions of their law, and that there was no charge that merited death or imprisonment. 30 When I was informed that there was a plot against the man, I sent him to you right away. I also ordered his accusers to state their case against him in your presence.

‌This is the first time Luke records the name of the commander: Claudius Lysias. He begins his letter to Felix in typical Roman fashion:

‌Identify the author. The author does not have to be the one who physically penned the words, but the one who is the authority behind the words. There could have been a scribe that wrote down what Lysias said, or he might have written it with his own hands. In either case, Lysias was the author.

‌Identity the recipient. For this letter, the recipient is “governor Felix”. Antonius Felix was the Roman procurator (governor) over Judea for eight years, from 52-60 AD. He was oppressive and a schemer. However, he also quelled a few uprisings in Jerusalem and managed to keep things peaceful - which was his primary mission as a Roman proconsul.

‌Send a greeting. In this case, it was just the word, “Greetings”. 

‌χαίρω (chairo) - peace, joy - though could also be used as “hail” or “greetings”.

‌I mentioned this is a typical introduction to a Greek style, or Roman, letter. This is witnessed in extra-biblical texts as well as the Bible. In the Bible we see Paul use this type of intro in his letters: 

‌Romans 1:1
“1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—”

Romans 1:7
“7 To all who are in Rome, loved by God, called as saints. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

‌And again:

‌1 Corinthians 1:1–3 (CSB)
1 Paul, called as an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Sosthenes our brother:
2 To the church of God at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord—both their Lord and ours.
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

‌Actually, you can find this intro in ALL of the Pauline letters in the New Testament!

• ‌Romans
• 1 & 2 Corinthians
• Galatians
• Ephesians
• Philippians
• Colossians
• 1 & 2 Thessalonians
• 1 & 2 Timothy
• Titus
• Philemon

These introductions start with Paul giving his name, and sometimes his title, and then identifying the individual or church that was the recipient, and then includes a greeting.

‌Ephesians 1:1–2 (CSB) 
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will: To the faithful saints in Christ Jesus at Ephesus. 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

‌In all of them, PAUL is the first word. Sometimes, other co-authors are named as well. And all of the greetings include grace (charis) and peace - while those to Timothy also include mercy.

‌So, this type of introduction that Lysias sends to Felix is quite common and proper. After the introduction, he gets to the meat of the letter:

‌Acts 23:27–30 (CSB)
When this man had been seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them, I arrived with my troops and rescued him because I learned that he is a Roman citizen. 28 Wanting to know the charge they were accusing him of, I brought him down before their Sanhedrin. 29 I found out that the accusations were concerning questions of their law, and that there was no charge that merited death or imprisonment. 30 When I was informed that there was a plot against the man, I sent him to you right away. I also ordered his accusers to state their case against him in your presence.

‌Fact Check

‌A common thing to do today when it comes to political statements is to “fact check” them. Let’s look at this letter and fact check it:

‌Paul was seized by the Jews - TRUE.

Acts 21:30
“30 The whole city was stirred up, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul, dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.”

‌The mob was going to kill Paul - TRUE.

Acts 21:31
“31 As they were trying to kill him, word went up to the commander of the regiment that all Jerusalem was in chaos.”

‌Lysias arrived with his troops to rescue Paul - TRUE, kinda.

Acts 21:32-36
The crowd stopped beating Paul when they saw Claudius. And he arrested Paul and took him to the barracks - eventually. He did not really arrive IN ORDER TO rescue Paul - he arrived to find out what was going on, and then decided to protect Paul.

‌“Because I learned he was a Roman citizen” - FALSE, kinda. He DID rescue Paul, but he did NOT know he was a Roman citizen until AFTER he was arrested and when he was just about to have him beaten. THOSE details will, of course, be left out. What is being stated is being done in such a way as to not implicate any wrong doing, and portraying that he was doing all that was in the best interest of Rome and her citizens. Now, his being sent to Felix to protect him because he is a Roman citizen is certainly truth. BUT that is not the way Lysias said it.

‌“Wanting to know… I brought him to the Sanhedrin” - TRUE. And Paul stirred them up!

‌“It was a question of the law” - FALSE, but not his fault! It really was NOT a question of the Law, it was a question about Jesus being Messiah. Paul threw out the statement of the “hope of the resurrection of the dead”, but that was about Jesus being Messiah and being raised from the dead. There was a MUCH bigger issue here, and it had to do with people’s acceptance of “the Way” - of Jesus. The Roman commander would know comprehend any of this, so his surface assessment makes sense as that is what he saw. However, there is a much bigger issue.

‌“No charge that merited death of imprisonment” - TRUE. Paul broke no laws while in Jerusalem - religious or otherwise.

‌“When I learned the plot… I sent him immediately” - TRUE.

‌“I ordered the accusers to see you” - TRUE. Apparently, Lysias DID order the accusers to go see Felix because they will arrive 5 days later, with their lawyer.

‌So, for the most part, Lysias presents a pretty fair and accurate account of the details. He kinda fudges some details to protect himself and make himself look good to the man who could have him fired. While many will do that, it is not right. You will NOT see Paul twist any facts to benefit his case or treatment. Integrity is important, even with little things.

‌That letter, along with 272 soldiers, accompanied Paul as they left Jerusalem. 

‌Acts 23:31–32 (CSB)
So the soldiers took Paul during the night and brought him to Antipatris as they were ordered. 32 The next day, they returned to the barracks, allowing the cavalry to go on with him.

‌The first part of their journey was to Antipatris.

‌Antipatris was on the road between Jerusalem and Caesarea. It was roughly 37 miles from Jerusalem and 25 miles from Caesarea. It was also located on the Via Maris, the road that connected Egypt and Syria.

Nixon, L. (2016). Antipatris. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, L. Wentz, E. Ritzema, & W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press.map

‌They spend the night and the 200 hundred soldiers and 200 spearmen headed back. Paul, the centurions and the 70 cavalry continued on the next day.

‌WHY would the soldiers go back at this point?

‌Some scholars say it is because Antipatris was on the border between Judea and Samaria. Since Jews would not enter Samaria, it is possible the centurions felt there was not as much of a threat.

‌Acts 23:33 (CSB)
When these men entered Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him.

‌They eventually arrive at Caesarea Maritima.

‌We have been here before! So has Paul AND Peter! This is where Cornelius, a Roman centurion, came to faith through Peter and was spreading the gospel to the Gentiles. It is also where Paul connected with Philip the evangelist and his daughters that prophecy! This is where Paul left to go to Jerusalem and now he is back! (Acts 21:8-15)

‌This was an impressive city - dedicated to Caesar, and built by Herod the Great less than 100 years prior to these events. Caesarea had a hippodrome for chariot racing, an amphitheater, fresh water via aqueducts, public restrooms that flushed and a huge marketplace for all of the foreign products brought in by boat.

‌Speaking of that, this city had an engineering marvel of its day - a tremendous man-made port made of hydraulic concrete that housed nearly 40 acres of water!

Rendering: here is a rendering of what it might have looked like.

‌Picture: this is what remains today.

‌Paul was brought to this magnificent city and presented to Felix. 

‌Acts 23:34–35 (CSB)
After he read it, he asked what province he was from. When he learned he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will give you a hearing whenever your accusers also get here.” He ordered that he be kept under guard in Herod’s palace.

‌Cilicia, along with Judea, fell under the jurisdiction of the Roman governor of Syria. When Felix heard this he decided to hear the case. We can presume that if it was a different jurisdiction that Paul was from, Felix would have passed him off. However, in this case he would not want to bother the governor of Syria with a minor case that he could take care of.

‌Paul was ordered to be kept under guard in Herod’s Palace. We do not have any modern day specs on it, but it was reported to be very opulent. 2 stories with multiple court yards and extending out into the ocean. It has a fresh water pool in the middle of it.

‌So, Paul waits. Under arrest.

‌While there is not a deep theology, we can always learn about God and his ways. When God told Ananias to go restore Paul’s vision after the encounter on the road to Damascus, he told him: 

‌Acts 9:15 (CSB)
But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is my chosen instrument to take my name to Gentiles, kings, and Israelites.

‌God was being faithful in taking Paul where he would have the greatest opportunity to do that AND God was protecting Paul to make sure he could do it.

Sometimes, God’s ways are not what we expect. However, in this case, Jesus told his disciples that what Paul was experiencing was going to be typical and expected for Jesus followers during that time: 

‌Matthew 10:16–18 (CSB)
“Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves. Beware of them, because they will hand you over to local courts and flog you in their synagogues. You will even be brought before governors and kings because of me, to bear witness to them and to the Gentiles.

‌When I read passages like this, it does inform my theology. It helps me realize that seemingly bad things from my perspective can still be the will of God. It also makes me understand that opposition or hard times does not necessarily mean I am being punished or that there is something wrong - it could just be an opportunity about to happen. An opportunity for God to do something that will matter for his kingdom.

‌You have to remember that JUST before being taken to Caesarea Maritima, the resurrected Jesus stood by Paul in prison and said: 

‌Acts 23:11 (CSB)
The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, “Have courage! For as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so it is necessary for you to testify in Rome.”

‌The chapters in front of us will demonstrate the faithfulness of God to protect Paul and get him to Rome.

‌I think there are many times that we have circumstances that we don’t like or we have seasons were it seems we are stuck and cannot do what we want or even feel called to do. Paul was called to preach to the Gentiles, and instead he is in prison with no audience. We may have seasons where things are calm and not a lot seems to be happening in our faith and witness. That does not mean something is wrong. It just means we have time to seek God for the next open door - even if it is years before that happens (as we will see).

‌When we read passages of scripture that are all narrative, where it is just activity and locations, we are reminded that much of life is filled with the mundane routines of work and activity. That does not make it wrong or bad. Be prayerful that God will use you, and be faithful to honor him in those activities.