June 5, 2022
Acts 23:12-35
“Killer Conspiracy”
Service Overview: Some Jews once again gather to try and have Paul killed; even going so far as to promise not to eat or drink until he was dead. Little did they know Paul’s life was in God’s hands, not theirs. And God’s cosmic conspiracy to get the gospel to Rome would not be stopped.
Memory Verse for the Week:
“May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in you.” Psalm 25:21 (NIV)
Background Information:
- In Roman society there were clearly defined levels of social order. At the apex of the social order was the emperor himself, on the first tier were members of the senate, and on the second tier were the equestrian knights. The equestrian order, second only to the senate, and regional governors were given the honorific title “Most Excellent,” so when Claudius Lysias sent Paul to Felix, he was sending him to somebody very high up in the Roman hierarchy. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 343)
- How large a military escort was needed to deliver Paul safely to Governor Felix in the Roman capital of Caesarea? Four hundred seventy men (Acts 23:23-24)! The commander took no chances; he ordered maximum security. There were at least forty wild Jews out for Paul. Just in case, the commander made sure that even four hundred attackers would have little chance against the might of the Roman guard. (Phillip A. Bence, Acts, Kindle Location 4518)
- Felix was a former slave who had been liberated and elevated to high office through special influence at Caesar’s court. Tacitus, the Roman historian, held him in very low esteem as a man. He had become notorious for his unscrupulous dealings, his excessive cruelty, and his addiction to violence. (Arnold E. Airhart, Beacon Bible Expositions: Acts, 265)
- [Felix’s] term of office as procurator was marked by increasing insurgency throughout the province, and by the emergence of the sicarii. The ruthlessness with which he put down these risings alienated many of the more moderate Jews, and led to further risings. Tacitus sums up his character and career in one of his biting epigrams: “he exercised the power of a king with the mind of a slave.” (F.F. Bruce, Acts, 456) (Tacitus, History 9.)
- The zealots were roughly equivalent to the terrorists we sometimes read about today, who often work surreptitiously “underground” in their nefarious work. One of the disciples of Jesus, you may recall, was a zealot—Simon the Cananean whom Luke styles a zealot (Luke 6:15). The movement was led by a Jewish political party with vague religious overtones. Their devices included violence, deception, intrigue, and terrorism. Their goal was to liberate the Jews from the Roman oppressors. (Donald Grey Barnhouse, Acts, 204)
- If the military escort seems to us excessively large as a guard for one prisoner, it does provide a commentary on the political unrest and common violence of those times. (Arnold E. Airhart, Beacon Bible Expositions: Acts, 264)
The question to answer…
What drove these conspirators to such extremes?
Answer…
Pure, loathsome hate. Hate for Paul, but especially hatred for the message he was spreading.
What conspiracies might we uncover in this account?
- The conspiracy of man.
(vv. 12-15, 20-21, 30 | Ex. 21:14; Psalm 10:2; 21:11; 119:150; Prov. 6:16-19; 10:23; 12:2)
Luke tells us three times that they were so convinced that Paul had to die that these forty-plus men gathered together and took a sacred vow to go on a hunger strike. … They were zealots, the terrorists of the first century. They were infuriated by Roman occupation. They hated the Sanhedrin. They hated the scribes and the Pharisees because they were convinced that the Jewish authorities had betrayed them. Nevertheless, they would use the authorities whenever it was expedient for their goals. Their goal in this case was to kill Paul. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 342)
To these leaders, politics and position had become more important than God. They were ready to plan another murder, just as they had done with Jesus. This also revealed the flimsiness of their case against Paul. They knew they had no case, but they so desperately wanted to get rid of him that they were willing to stoop to any means to do so. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 388)
- The conspiracy of government.
(vv. 18-19, 22-31 | Ps. 2:1; 22:28; John 19:11; Acts 5:29; Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17)
Paul was a prisoner; but he was a Roman citizen and therefore the commander mobilized a small army to see him taken in safety to Caesarea to be tried before Felix. It is strange how the fanatical hatred of the Jews—God’s chosen people—contrasts with the impartial justice of the commander—a heathen in Jewish eyes. (William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, 166)
The seriousness with which the commander took the warning about the plot shows that he knew Ananias was the kind of man to fall in with it and realized that Jewish feeling against Paul was strong enough to nurture such a plot. (Richard N. Longenecker, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, John and Acts, 534)
- The conspiracy of Satan.
(1 Chr. 21:1; Job 1:6-12; John 10:10; Eph. 6:11-12; 1 Peter 5:8; 1 John 5:19; Rev. 20:10)
Satan is an extremely fierce foe, and he is all the more dangerous because he is a spiritual being and we cannot see him. Moreover, although Satan is for himself and not others, not even for the world itself in its opposition to God, there is nevertheless a certain cooperation between Satan and the world so that Satan uses it and the world uses him. These two, the world and the devil, are allied against us in much the same way that these Jewish terrorists were allied with the Sanhedrin against Paul. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 382)
- The conspiracy of God.
(vv. 16-18, 35 | Gen. 50:20; Ps. 145:14-20; Prov. 16:9; 21:1; Is. 14:24; Jer. 29:11; Rom. 8:28)
From a human perspective, Paul made it safely to Rome because of imperial commanders and centurions and a detachment of almost five hundred soldiers. But the truth is that Paul eventually reached his divinely appointed destination because God is sovereign and because nothing can thwart his plans. (Osborne, Acts, 388)
To those who don’t believe in divine intervention, this story would seem to involve a great deal of coincidence. The plot just happens to be overheard by Paul’s nephew—and the nephew goes to the commander and reveals the plot. Of course, where God is concerned, there is no such thing as coincidence. He is sovereign over all events. (Ray C. Stedman, God’s Unfinished Book: Acts, 294)
Conclusion… What encouragement does a text like this offer those in Christ Jesus?
A. In Christ, God can and will use you.
(1 Sam. 12:24; Mat. 25:40; John 12:26; Rom. 12:11; Gal. 5:13; Col. 3:23-24; 1 Pet. 4:10)
If God delights in using little things, then God can use us, however small or apparently insignificant we may be. (Boice, Acts, 384)
God’s people can afford to be daring, in the will of God, because they know their Savior will be dependable and work out His perfect will. Paul was alone—but not alone! His Lord was with him and he had nothing to fear. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 397)
B. In Christ, God can and will protect you.
(Deut. 31:6; Ps. 37:7; 46:1; 91:1-16; Prov. 18:10; Is. 41:10; 54:17; Jer. 1:4-5; 2 Thes. 3:3)
Paul can do nothing to protect himself, but Paul doesn’t need to be concerned. The Lord is watching over him. Paul is God’s man in God’s place, carrying out God’s plan. (Stedman, Acts, 294)
God’s ways are not our ways. Ours are limited; his are not. Don’t limit God by asking him to do things your way. When God intervenes, anything can happen, so much more and so much better than you could ever anticipate. Let God amaze you with his limitless power and his creative plans. (Osborne, Acts, 392)
C. In Christ, God can and will be with you.
(Psalm 31:20; 91:1-16; Isaiah 8:12-15; Matthew 6:25-34; 10:29; 28:20; James 1:12)
[Harry Ironside] says that there are days in our lives when not only do things seem dark, but also God does not seem to be speaking to us. He seems silent and remote. Does that mean that God has forgotten us or does not care what is happening? Ironside says quite rightly, “God is never closer to his people than when they cannot see his face.”1 That is gloriously true. But there are still those dark times when we seem merely to be plodding along in some weary path from day to day, and we wish somehow we could break out of it. (Boice, Acts, 380)
Gospel Application…
The gospel of Jesus compels the taking of risk in order to be faithful in fulfilling the mission we’ve been given.
(Matt. 28:18-20; Luke 15:10; 19:10; Acts 1:8; Rom. 1:16; 10:10-17; 2 Tim. 4:5; 1 Pet. 3:15)
He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.
(Jim Elliot, as quoted by his wife Elisabeth in her book, Shadow of the Almighty, 247)
As you review the events recorded in this chapter, you cannot help but be impressed with the commitment of the apostle Paul to his calling. “None of these things move me” (Acts 20:24). If ever a man dared to follow Christ, come what may, he was that man. Paul did not look for the easy way but for the way that would most honor the Lord and win the lost. He was even willing to become a prisoner if that would further the work of the gospel. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 397)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or Life Group.
- If you could attempt anything for God, and knew you wouldn’t fail, what would that be?
- How might a text like this serve to encourage someone in the midst of a difficult season in life?
- Has there ever been a situation in your life you could look back on and see how God was at work, even though you didn’t know it at the time?
- Have you ever experienced an instance of God’s protection over you? How do experiences like this bolster one’s faith?
Quotes to note…
What is the significance of this lengthy portion of Acts? Through the actions of the Roman commander, God won a major contest. Jews in Jerusalem had determined to kill Paul, but God had determined that Paul would safely reach Rome (see 23:11). Despite the fact that Paul, God’s servant, faced difficult days, God himself would not be defeated! Today, even when our circumstances look daunting, God remains in control. (Phillip A. Bence, Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, Kindle Location, 4568)
Beneath the surface of our human analysis of the impossibilities we face, the Lord is arranging things to press us forward to accomplish His will. Luke delights to imply that in his accounts. (Lloyd J. Ogilvie, The Communicator’s Commentary: Acts, 322)
I cannot tell you what God is doing in your circumstances. I cannot see the future any more than you can. But God is doing something in your circumstances. And if you are going through dark times, as Paul was, if you are discouraged, if the way seems dark, if you are weary with the struggle, the message of this chapter is to continue to trust in God and serve him regardless. His purposes for you will be accomplished, the day will brighten, and the will of God will be done. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 386)
Paul’s calm courage (see 21:39) and his Roman citizenship (22:27) evidently had impressed the commander. Paul was evidently living by a principle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:12: “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” We, too, need to live our lives before nonbelievers in a way that helps them see Christ in us. Such behavior may work for others’ benefit, not to mention our own. (Phillip A. Bence, Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, Kindle Location, 4518)
Luke must have chuckled as he was writing these words, knowing that these sincere but misguided Jews (more than forty of them) would have to go without food for a long time. It would be ten years or so before Paul’s death in Rome! (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 388)
The reassuring message of the Lord had transformed Paul’s dark night of disappointment and distress into the calm light of assurance and peace. He had the Lord’s explicit word, “So must thou bear witness also at Rome.” How, and when, he did not yet know, but of the fact he was sure. (Arnold E. Airhart, Beacon Bible Expositions: Acts, 263)
The Lord intervened and arranged the details of informing Paul of the plot to ambush him and take his life. Behind the scenes the Lord was protecting His Apostle for the purpose He intended. His nephew was either a member of the Sanhedrin, informed by someone who was, or had picked up intelligence about the plot from rumors. (Lloyd J. Ogilvie, The Communicator’s Commentary: Acts, 322)