Acts 23:26-35

Summary retelling of Acts 23:26-35

               

The military leader writes the governor a letter about Paul’s encounter in Jerusalem: riot, charges, religious argument, no political reason to be imprisoned, and even a threat upon his life.  He gives the letter to the centurions and they take Paul as far as Antipatris.  There the foot soldiers leave Paul with the cavalry and come back to Jerusalem.  The cavalry brings Paul to Caesarea and presents Paul to the governor, Felix.  Felix asks a few questions of Paul and then orders him to be kept on house guard until his accusers can arrive from Jerusalem.  Paul is kept in Herod’s praetorium.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

The main body of the military takes Paul as far as Antipas.  It was at Antipas that the land became largely Gentile in nature.  Thus, we can see that this conflict is largely a conflict of faith.  It is not the Romans – the secular world – that has a problem with Paul.  Rather, it is the religious world of the Jews that have the problem with Paul.

Do you think this is true today?  In America, does most of the religious persecution that you hear about come from non-believers persecuting believers or does it come from various religious groups fighting amongst each other?

Second Thought:

When Paul is brought to Felix, Felix asks him some introductory questions.  First of all, Felix wants to make sure that he has jurisdiction over Paul.  Thus, he asks Paul about where he was born since he is a Roman citizen.  Felix can read that the military leader in Jerusalem could find no legal reason to keep Paul bound, so Felix wanted to be very careful and approach Paul with all the respect that he could.

How does this story help reinforce the idea that God can use anything to protect His followers?

Third Thought:

Not only is Paul protected by Felix, but he is “imprisoned” in Herod’s praetorium.  This is not a jail.  Rather, this is a luxury dwelling that Herod built for entertaining guests by the Mediterranean Sea.  In today’s terminology, it would be like someone in North Carolina being sentenced to the Biltmore Estates in Asheville.  Or it would be like someone in Virgina being imprisoned in Monticello.  Paul is under guard, but God continues to smile upon him and make his “custody” bearable.

How does this story continue to impress God’s ability to care for His followers upon you?  What does this story help reveal about God besides His generosity?

Passage for Tomorrow: Acts 24:1-9