Take Courage!

Acts 22:30-24:27

The next day, since the commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them. – Acts 22:30

Let’s start with a little background. Where are we? What is going on? Despite repeated warnings by prophets and by the Holy Spirit that bondage and affliction awaited him, Paul had felt led by the same Holy Spirit to go on to Jerusalem. Once here, in a short time some Jews from the province of Asia recognized him and shouted out, accusing him of teaching against the people, the Law, and the Temple, and that he had defiled the Temple by bringing Greeks into it.

Things became chaotic, and in the uproar they began to beat Paul with the intention of killing him. Roman guards came and broke things up, carrying Paul up on stairs. Paul received permission to speak, and attempted to share the gospel with them. As he related how he had become a follower of Christ, once he mentioned that he had been sent by the Lord to reach out to the Gentiles, the crowd erupted again.

The guards carried him into their garrison and were about to flog him to learn the truth when Paul explained his Roman citizenship. At this they relented but instead held him a day. This brings us up to the current verse, which says that the next day the commander ordered an assembly of the Sanhedrin so that Paul could stand trial before them.

In the Book of Acts Luke records five defenses of Paul against the charges stemming from this incident. One we looked at last week, in Acts 22, when Paul stood at the steps of the temple and made his defense to the crowds. Now here, in Acts 23, we will see Paul’s second defense, this time to the Sanhedrin. The other three defenses are given in Acts 24 (which we will also examine today), in Acts 25, and in Acts 26.

Who were the Sanhedrin? They were like the Jewish Supreme Court. There were 70 members at any given time, with a roughly equal representation of Pharisees and Sadducees. We talked about these two groups back when we discussed Acts chapter 4.

The Pharisees believed were what you might call conservatives, or orthodox. They believed in the literal truthfulness of the entire Old Testament. As a result, they believed in angels, in the spirit world, in miracles, and in the resurrection of the dead. They tended to be focused on obeying every little detail of the law (or their interpretations of it) to the neglect of more fundamental character issues. Jesus took them to task on many occasions because of this.

The Sadducees were more secular. They tended to believe (at least when asked) in the first five books of the Bible (called the Torah), but in general they rejected the literalness or even truthfulness of the Old Testament as a whole. They viewed the material world as all there really was, rejecting the possibility of angels, a spirit world, miracles, or the resurrection of the dead.

The head of the Sanhedrin at this time was a man named Ananias, appointed by Herod of Chalcis, the brother of King Herod Agrippa I. Herod Agrippa I was the one who had Peter put in prison and who was “eaten by worms and died” after he was praised as a god (described in Acts 12).

Ananias was known for his cruelty and for using assassinations and killings to achieve his goals. At one point his cruelty was so extreme that he was forced to go to Rome to defend himself to Emperor Claudius for his brutal treatment of Samaritans. He was rescued by Herod Agrippa II, the son of Herod Agrippa I. It later became known that Ananias stole a significant amount of the tithes that were supposed to support all the priests. Some of these funds were probably used to bribe people in Rome so he could stay in power. He was later murdered by Jews for his alliances with Rome.

With this background, let’s look at Paul’s experiences in this court.

Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, "My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day." At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!" – Acts 23:1-3

What happened here? Paul made a strong statement few of us (if any) can make. He was saying, in effect, “I know that I have been following God in all that I have done - to share the gospel, the news of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” The implication to the Sanhedrin was that they weren’t doing this – that by opposing those who labor for the gospel they were opposing God. In response, the brutal Ananias ordered those near Paul to strike him on the mouth. This is hardly a sign that you are going to get a fair trial.

Paul’s response may seem a bit harsh to our ears, as if he has lost his cool, but except for calling him a whitewashed wall, was relaying fact – this did violate the law. The “whitewashed wall” comment was also used by Jesus. At the time, the Jews would cover walls or stones with whitewash (like a white paint) if the walls or stones were used to cover the dead. This was done so that Jews wouldn’t accidentally touch these places, which were considered unclean based on the Laws of Moses. To call someone a whitewashed wall was to say that you look bright and pretty on the outside, but inside, you are more like decaying, putrid flesh. It is a pretty stinging phrase, although perfectly true here, because a brutal, utterly corrupt, evil man stood before Paul wearing the beautiful priestly robes of the Sanhedrin.

Those who were standing near Paul said, "You dare to insult God's high priest?" Paul replied, "Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: 'Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.'" – Acts 23:4-5

Why would Paul not realize he was the high priest? Some think his eyesight was failing – they base this on other clues in his letters. Or he simply may not have known who the latest high priest was. But Paul is quick to recant – even quoting scripture (Exodus 22:28) that pointed out his sin. The Pharisees would have approved of this; the Sadducees would have thought, to use a popular phrase of our day, “Whatever.”

Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, "My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead." When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.) – Acts 23:6-8

By saying he was a Pharisee, Paul was affirming his belief in the truthfulness of Scripture, including passages that deal with resurrection of the dead. His argument was that their real problem with him, and with all other Christians, was not about Greeks supposedly entering the temple, or about any of the other spurious claims madce against him, but about his belief that Jesus was risen from the dead.

Did the Holy Spirit give him these words to say? I believe so. The effect of his short speech was fascinating:

There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. "We find nothing wrong with this man," they said. "What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?" The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks. – Acts 23:9-10

Paul had struck a nerve. The Sanhedrin went crazy. Paul seemed to have a knack for making people around him do this. Once again, Paul was taken away before something happened to him. Once again, people’s extreme hostility prevented Paul from even getting out the real gospel message. You would think this would be discouraging to Paul – after all, here he is, in Jerusalem – he knew beforehand that things would be very hard from him here – bondage and afflictions. But he was willing to do it for the sake of the gospel – getting out the good news – and yet, twice, before large groups of Jews who desperately need to hear it, he is cut off before he can get to the heart of the gospel – the purpose of Jesus’ life on earth, what was accomplished with the crucifixion, and how it is all proven by the resurrection. Again, this had to be discouraging.

Perhaps Paul thought, “Why am I here, Lord, if I cannot even get out the message? What is the point? Why did You lead me here?” Or perhaps he thought, “Man! Twice I’ve really blown it! Why did I beat around the bush? I should have gone straight to the gospel! How could I say that `whitewashed wall' thing? What was I thinking?”

The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage! As you have testified about Me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome." – Acts 23:11

“Take courage!” – a message straight from the Lord. Literally, “Be of good cheer!” Isn’t that awesome? Isn’t it incredible?

In Greek the root word is tharseo. In the Bible it is mostly used by Jesus. In Matthew 9:2, before healing a paralytic, Jesus said, “Tharseo, son; your sins are forgiven.” In Matthew 14:27, when Jesus was walking on the water to the terrified disciples in their boat, Jesus said, “Tharseo! It is I! Don’t be afraid.” In Luke 8:48, when the woman in the crowd who had been bleeding for twelve years touches Jesus’ cloak, Jesus said to her, “Daughter, tharseo! Your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

The one exception is in Mark 10:49, when Jesus tells the disciples to get blind Bartimaeus, and the disciples, who by know what Jesus is about to do, tell him, “Tharseo! On your feet! He’s calling you!” I love this! Can you see the joy here? Can you imagine how awesome it would be to be with Jesus, knowing that you are about to see another miraculous healing, that you are about to see a man go from being glum, to being astonished, to being filled with joy, to bowing down in worship before the God-Man, Jesus Christ?

And the last occurrence is in John 16:33, where Jesus says, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But tharseo! I have overcome the world!”

Have you ever blown it? Maybe something you said at work, or something you did, where afterwards you think, why did I do that? What was I thinking? Why wasn’t I thinking?

I have had times were I felt led of the Lord to start a conversation with someone and I didn’t. One example: I was on an airplane, and someone next to me was reading something that I could see would have been a great conversation starter for spiritual things. But I did nonthing. Other times I was given an opening with a family member to move into spiritual things and I don’t take it. There have been other times when someone at work or elsewhere begins to confide in me about some serious struggles or new awareness of his frailty, and what do I do? I become uncomfortable and say something to move on to another subject. Have you ever done this?

When things like this happen, what do you think about the Lord? Do you think about what He is thinking? If you beat up on yourself, even if you don’t acknowledge it, what you are thinking is that He is quite disappointed in you. Perhaps even a little angry at you. Some of us are wound so tightly that we are constantly worried about what we do because we think of God as impossible to satisfy.

Now when I come out and say it like that, your head steps in and says, “Oh, no. That’s not true. God loves me.” But for many of us there can be a disconnect from our head and our heart. Deep down, our heart is saying, like that Sadducees, “Yeah, whatever.”

I want to challenge you today with a different kind of prayer. I call it a “Why Prayer.” I heard about it on the radio recently. Here is how it works. The next time you feel overwhelmed, discouraged, upset, or depressed, pray to God. Skip all the flowery language and get right to the crux of things (pun intended). Say, for example, “Lord, I feel like such a failure.” Then imagine God replies to you with one gentle, non-condemning word: Why? Answer Him. “Well, because I didn’t share anything with that guy while You were prompting me.” Imagine God again replies with “Why?” “Why does that make you feel that way?” “Because I have disappointed You. You are disappointed in me.” “Why do you think that?” “Because it’s true!” Aha! Your heart has been exposed before your brain can get in there and hide it.

What did the Lord tell Paul? “Be of good cheer, Paul.”

The Lord would say the same to us. Our heads know this, but our hearts don’t believe it. God loves us! He is not going to beat us up when we fail in things like this. We are not perfect – we are being perfected, but it is a process. A long process. And I believe the sin of viewing God as someone who is just waiting to be disappointed in us, as opposed to someone who loves us with a crazy love - so extreme that He sent His Son to die for us while we couldn’t care the least about Him - this sin is much greater than not living up to expectations of perfection.

We shouldn’t serve God in order to avoid Him being disappointed in us. We should serve God because He is awesome and we love Him.

I think the Lord’s message to Paul also applies when we beat are simply beaten down by the world around us – whether it is difficulties at work, hard family situations, financial stress, and so on. The Lord says, “Be of good cheer, [Your name here].” There is a purpose in it. The Lord told Paul, as you have testified about Me here, so must you go on to do this in Rome. Paul must have thought? I did what? When did I testify about You here? I hardly said anything! But the Lord thought otherwise, and who cares what anyone else thinks?

Paul was being used like an Old Testament prophet here – it wasn’t his business to worry about the results. That was God’s business. He was doing just fine with hard things and God had more hard things for him to go through.

The same can be true of us – when we are in tough situations, especially ones that go on and on and you don’t know what is coming next, it is easy to be discouraged. The Lord says, “Be of good cheer! You are enduring this fine.” There may be more to endure. But the Lord’s message is a reminder that He is with you.

If you are not going through these things now, later you will. We all go through seasons like this. File away in your heart – not your brain – the truth of God’s love. Absorb the truth that He loves us and tells us to hold steady, to be encouraged, because wherever we have to walk, He will be with us, even if it is through the valley of the shadow of death.

The next morning the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. More than forty men were involved in this plot. They went to the chief priests and elders and said, "We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here." – Acts 23:12-15

I have read this multiple times and am still amazed thinking about it. These men are serious. They have made a vow before God to do this! They have told the chief priests and elders about it. Forty men. Can you imagine such an oath?

But when the son of Paul's sister heard of this plot, he went into the barracks and told Paul. Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, "Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him." So he took him to the commander. The centurion said, "Paul, the prisoner, sent for me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you." The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside and asked, "What is it you want to tell me?" He said: "The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about him. Don't give in to them, because more than forty of them are waiting in ambush for him. They have taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready now, waiting for your consent to their request." The commander dismissed the young man and cautioned him, "Don't tell anyone that you have reported this to me." Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, "Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight. Provide mounts for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix." He wrote a letter as follows: Claudius Lysias, To His Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings. This man was seized by the Jews and they were about to kill him, but I came with my troops and rescued him, for I had learned that he is a Roman citizen. I wanted to know why they were accusing him, so I brought him to their Sanhedrin. I found that the accusation had to do with questions about their law, but there was no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment. When I was informed of a plot to be carried out against the man, I sent him to you at once. I also ordered his accusers to present to you their case against him. – Acts 23:16-30

Do you see the hand of God orchestrating Paul’s protection here? Paul is being moved out of Jerusalem because it is simply too dangerous. I do wonder what the forty men did about their oath.

I also see Claudius Lysias telling things in the best possible light for him. He doesn't mention how he almost beat a citizen not proven guilty of anything because he was too lazy to ask. How true to the ways of the world! Yet even in the middle of this thoroughly secular, harsh, godless world, God is at work. God’s word is true. God uses a little boy (for that is what the Greek says) to conduct His purposes. (And what an outstanding little boy!) Somehow or another, Paul is going to be OK – he is going to make it all the way to Rome.

So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night and brought him as far as Antipatris. The next day they let the cavalry go on with him, while they returned to the barracks. When the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him. The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia, he said, "I will hear your case when your accusers get here." Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod's palace. – Acts 23:31-35

Governor Felix was a former slave, the first slave to become governor in the Roman Empire. In a world known for corruption, Felix was known for his exceptional corruption. Eventually he would be deposed because of it. This is the man Paul is about to be tried before. The picture at the top of this blog entry is of what is left of this palace. I somehow doubt that Paul had a room with an ocean-side view.

Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor. When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: "We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation. Everywhere and in every way, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly. – Acts 24:1-4

That was rather nauseating, wasn’t it? Try reading it out loud. But in a corrupt world, this is what you do to gain favor. Stroke the ego. Grovel and snivel. This of course still goes on today. You may think America is corrupt. In some ways and areas it is. But in comparison, most of the world is shockingly corrupt. I could tell you stories from Mongolia, but they would be no different than stories from most of the world. Corruption is often so prevalent that the non-corrupt are persecuted solely because they won’t join in the corruption.

"We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him." The Jews joined in the accusation, asserting that these things were true. – Acts 24:5-9

Wow! Stirring up riots? False. Nazarene ringleader? False. Temple desecrater? False. Almost every word here is false, except for the part that says he was a man!

It is also funny to me imagining the Jews asserting these things were true. I picture them saying, "Yeah, boss! That's right, boss! You tell 'em!"

When the governor motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: "I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me. – Acts 24:10-13

Paul does not resort to flattery – indeed, his opening comment is pretty funny if you think about it. The laywer has just given this sickeningly sweet flowery series of praises before giving his account, and Paul feels some pressure to do the same. But he can't think of anything good to say - he probably knew all about the governor and his reputation already. So what does he say? He says that he knows he has been a judge a long time. That's it.

After this brief opening, Paul’s response is direct – these charges are false and not provable. He goes on:

However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man. – Acts 24:14-16

What is “The Way”? It is Jesus. Recall that He said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and Life.” If you are a follower of Jesus, you too are a follower of the Way.

"After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings. I was ceremonially clean when they found me in the temple courts doing this. There was no crowd with me, nor was I involved in any disturbance. But there are some Jews from the province of Asia, who ought to be here before you and bring charges if they have anything against me. – Acts 24:17-19

All of this is absolutely true. As we learned last week, Paul was in the process of paying money to the Temple so that four men could fulfill their vows. It would have been about a month's wages. What a contrast to the lies of the Tertullus!

Or these who are here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin— unless it was this one thing I shouted as I stood in their presence: 'It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.' " – Acts 24:20-21

Paul invites a response. He asks them, what real crime can you accuse me of? None! One expects them to answer to this question. But instead:

Then Felix, who was well acquainted with the Way, adjourned the proceedings. "When Lysias the commander comes," he said, "I will decide your case." He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard but to give him some freedom and permit his friends to take care of his needs. – Acts 24:22-23

That’s all. Felix does not pursue Paul’s line of questions. He waits for Lysias. Why? Probably he is just stalling. He may be hoping for bribes from either party. Or he may want to avoid angering the Sanhedrin, because they could make him lose his position, which was already shaky.

Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, "That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you." At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him. – Acts 24:24-26

Corruption again! Paul only has to give him a bribe, and he could go. What would you do? Would you be tempted?

What about the Lord’s promise to Paul about testifying in Rome? Bribing would not do! Paul continued to wait and trust. Plus, here was an opportunity to try to reach Felix and his wife Drusilla with the gospel. They were hard cases, though.

Drusilla, Felix’s third wife, was the daughter of King Herod Agrippa I. Early sources say she broke off an engagement to another king because she liked Felix’s thoroughly corrupt approach to getting power. It sounds like a match made in, well, the other place.

Paul again is acting a bit like an Old Testament prophet. It’s one thing to talk about love and light, but righteousness (doing what is right before God), self-control (living under God’s laws instead of under no law except the laws of greed and lust), and, I think, especially, the coming judgment when God will repay all acts of unrighteousness with what they deserve (unless you throw yourself on the “mercy seat” of Christ), was something else. Felix didn’t want to hear any more about those things.

So now what happened?

When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison. – Acts 24:27

Two years! Remember Jesus’ promise to Paul, that he would witness in Rome? Two years have passed, and Paul is still in a holding pattern. Can you imagine if this were you? Would you doubt God, would you doubt yourself, or would you continue to “take courage”?

And then, finally, Felix is removed from office and replaced by Porcius Festus. Felix could have easily had Paul released at the end of his time there, especially since he wasn't found guilty of anything, but he didn’t, because he was still currying favors wherever he could, looking out for Number One. I am struck by the parallels between Paul here and Joseph in the Old Testament. Both stuck in prison to wonder, “What are you doing, God?”

In closing, I have to come back to Acts 23:11. Are there some hard things going on in your life? Things about your circumstances that you wish would hurry up and change? Or things about you that you wish would change? God knows. He is in control. He knows what He is going. He only gives good gifts to His children – gifts that are for our ultimate good. Trust Him!

Take courage! He will not give you more than you can endure. Be of good cheer! I don’t mean “don’t worry, be happy.” I mean the following:

(1) Allow yourself to be encouraged by the truths of Scripture. I have worded this carefully. Allow yourself to do this. It is tempting when discouraged to cut yourself off from God. To be encouraged by the truths of Scripture, obviously you have to spend time reading the Bible. There is no substitute for this. Read it and then meditate on it. By meditate I mean to spend time thinking about what you have read. Do this each day.

(2) Allow yourself to be encouraged by the fellowship of other believers. Again, it is tempting to cut yourself off from other people when you are down. And again, obviously, to allow yourself to be encouraged in this way you have spend time in fellowship with other believers. You also need to open up and be transparent about your struggles so others can help you.

(3) Allow yourself to be encouraged through prayer. To do this you have to spend time in prayer. Again, don't cut yourself off from God when you are discouraged. Try the “why” method. Be honest in your answers so you can understand why you do what you do and why you think what you think.