(Suggested Reading Chapter 23)
Paul’s visit to the Temple at Jerusalem begins a most gloomy part of the Book of Acts. As Dr. Griffith Thomas remarks— “not only was his message rejected during the ensuing two-year period covered by Chapters 21-27, but not a single conversion to Christianity is recorded.”1 No epistles were written, as they were before and after this period, although time must have hung heavy with Paul during this long confinement. Not only that but from Agabus’ prediction in Chapter 21 to Paul’s warning to the Jews in Chapter 28, there is no mention of the Holy Spirit in the text. This is significant because, until Agabus’ warning, the Book of Acts might better have been called “the Acts of the Holy Spirit.”
It seems appropriate at this juncture, therefore, to consider the whole range of the activities of the Third Person of the Trinity in Acts. This has been done in Appendix “A” of this chapter—which outlines His various titles, as a tool to analyze the character and range of His divine work.
However, God does not leave Himself without witness. In Chapter 22 Paul witnesses to the Jewish nation at the Temple. In Chapter 23 he addresses the religious leaders in the Sanhedrin. He testifies before two Roman governors—Felix in Chapter 24, Festus in Chapter 25. Then in Chapter 26 he stands before King Agrippa. In these five defenses the Scriptures display the full range of his testimony—from the people in the Temple to the King on the throne—from religious man to political man. No wonder Paul wrote— “for what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid. Yea, let God be true but every man a liar, as it is written, That Thou mightest be justified in Thy sayings, and mightest overcome when Thou art judged” —Rom. 3:3, 4. Here then is another way of dividing the Book of Acts—the portion where there is gospel blessing, and the portion where there is none. This is always the effect of preaching the gospel—some believe, and some believe not. It is either a savor of death unto death, or of life unto life—see 2 Cor. 2:16. God comes in with blessing first, but man turns away from it as in the Acts. Looked at from the broad historical picture, believers today, especially in the once blessed Western nations, are living in the end times and witnessing an unprecedented public rejection of the gospel. Let this not deter us. Paul was like Noah at the end. Noah was a preacher of righteousness and nobody believed him. Then the flood came. If man refuses the gospel, the God who would have been glorified in blessing him will be glorified in judging him instead. With these introductory remarks let us pass on to our portion.
The Chiliarch Convenes the Sanhedrin
The Apostle’s words to the High Priest— “sittest thou to judge me after the law?” can easily mislead the reader into believing that Paul was being tried by the Sanhedrin. Paul was deferential to authority at all times. His remark amounts to little more than acknowledging the august character of the body before whom he appears and its presiding officer. But it is the Roman Chiliarch who convenes the meeting of the Sanhedrin. He does so to discover the charges against Paul who is a Roman citizen. He attends the meeting as an observer and writes down his observations and conclusions in the letter preserved to us in verses 25-30. Also, we must understand that the office of high priest is no longer a Scripturally ordained one. At this time the high priest is appointed or removed from office at the pleasure of the Romans. Moreover, Paul is strictly telling the truth when he says, “I was not conscious, brethren, that he was high priest.” Paul had been away from Jerusalem for some time and turnover in the office in the interval alone would ensure that Paul would not recognize him. But there is a still more cogent reason. As already remarked the Romans kept the priestly garments under their custody in the fortress. Since this is an enquiry, the Romans are not likely to release the high priest’s robes of office to him. To do so would invest him with judicial authority. In Roman eyes the high priest and the Sanhedrin are as much accountable for the disturbance as Paul—see 19:39, 40. So the high priest is dressed like other men and not, therefore, likely to be specially noticed by Paul.2
The High Priest Commands Paul to Be Struck
Paul now addresses the Sanhedrin. His opening remark— “Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day” is intended to pave the way for a speech of some length. He hopes to amplify his leading statement and make it the cornerstone of his defense as a good Jew. Before he can say another word the High Priest commands him to be smitten on the mouth. This is a symbolic gesture, like Paul shaking his garments in the synagogue at Corinth. It is a way of silencing a man—of telling him to stop speaking in his own defense. The High Priest is serving Paul notice that his claim to have lived in all good conscience before God is disallowed.
Paul’s rejoinder to the High Priest then is not an outburst of temper, even though it falls far short of his Master’s conduct before the High Priest. Further, Paul passes judgment on the High Priest in God’s Name—an act he would not dare do lightly, or even under provocation. The full force of his pronouncement— “God shall smite thee, thou whited wall” should be pondered. One of the greatest authorities on the Greek tells us that Luke uses “the first verb denoting simple futurity—the only sense consistent with this form is that of a prediction or prophetical denunciation, not of the general fact that condign punishment awaits such sinners—but of the specific fact that this man was himself to be smitten of God.”3 Paul’s retraction made no difference. His prophecy was fulfilled. Although Paul admitted that he should not speak evil of the ruler of the people, Paul was a greater ruler—the Apostle of Jesus Christ, and God saw to it that Paul’s words stood. Josephus, the Jewish historian, records the happening. This High Priest fled for his life in the beginning of the Jewish war, was discovered by men lying in wait for him, and put to death in A.D. 66.
The great powers God entrusted to the Apostles were almost always used for good. Where it is otherwise in Acts the two great apostles who divide the book seem to reverse their respective roles as an indication, perhaps, of an unusual happening. Thus Peter, the Apostle to the Jews metes out judgment on Ananias and Sapphira. While it is true that Paul has not yet appeared, still the incident occurs in Paul’s sphere—the Church, so clearly outside Peter’s. Then Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, pronounces blindness on Elymas the sorcerer—a Jew and a type of the Jews—and prophesies God’s smiting the Jewish High Priest. Thus Paul judges among the Jews—Peter’s jurisdiction—as Peter judges in the Church, Paul’s jurisdiction. This reversal in apostolic dealings may be deliberate—to draw our attention to the fact that judgment on man in the day of grace is not the natural order. At all times judgment is His strange work—Isa. 28:21. Men have been known to blaspheme and even publicly defy God. But God does not change His ways in a dispensation because man challenges Him. The day of judgment will take care of that. For the present He purposes gospel blessing for man. Where it is otherwise, as in Acts, the rod is applied in divine wisdom. Peter metes out summary judgment on Ananias and Sapphira; Paul merely sentences Elymas and the High Priest—the punishment being deferred until later (“thou shalt be blind”; “God shall smite thee”). God’s ways in government do not change with dispensations. Ananias and Sapphira corrupted a new work, like Israel worshipping the golden calf. Retribution was swift in both cases. But in setting aside an old work God moves slowly, like the glory of the God of Israel departing from the temple—Ezekiel 10:18, 19; 11:23. In the Acts God uses supernatural means to deal with Ananias and Sapphira; natural means (disease and human violence) to execute judgment on Elymas and the High Priest.
From the Sanhedrin to the Fortress Prison
Paul’s position is now precarious. He realizes the meaning of the High Priest’s action—that the Sanhedrin will neither hear him nor render an equitable report on him to the Romans.4 So he resorts to natural craft to break up the meeting. Sizing up the men before whom he stands, he decides that they are divided between Pharisees and Sadducees. Now the Pharisees are orthodox regarding the resurrection of the dead. Paul is a Pharisee and Christianity holds the resurrection of the dead. Indeed, Paul’s defense of the resurrection of the dead 24:21—closes this subject in the Book of Acts, just as Peter’s mention of it in 1:22 opens the subject.
So, although it is less than his apostolic calling to say he is a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, still he claims his birthright, so to speak, as earlier he claims his Roman citizenship before the Chiliarch, who is even then present in the courtroom. Reading the report the Chiliarch prepares later for his superior, it would seem that he either understood the more deliberate Hebrew spoken in the Sanhedrin or had taken the precaution of bringing an interpreter with him. Paul’s remark is explosive. The Pharisees vindicate him; the Sadducees denounce him. To save him from the physical violence of the contending parties Lysias has to intervene with military force and remove him to the fortress. He now understands that the charges against Paul are not secular but religious in nature.
This is the last time an apostle appears before the Sanhedrin. In previous appearances the Sanhedrin has been united against Christ and testimony to His Name, threatening and beating the Apostles. Here they are divided on Jewish doctrine, and the last Apostle to appear before this body does not mention the Name of Christ. But the Sanhedrin is not deceived. The Pharisees especially see that more than the resurrection of the dead is involved in Paul’s preaching. They soon recover from Paul’s stratagem and seek his life. But under God the power of Rome stands against that.
The same night in the Roman prison Paul reaches the low point. He badly needs encouragement. Then it is that the Lord stands by him and says, “Be of good courage for as thou hast testified of Me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.” Note that the Lord does not address him by name (although some translations insert it). But it is the Same Lord who called to him “Saul, Saul” on the road to Damascus. Then he was going to imprison others; now he is in prison himself and the Lord meets him there. And how exceedingly blessed to get direction from the Lord as to his future path. The Apostle to the Gentiles will go to the capital city of the Gentile world and testify there. Man cannot take away his life. It is in the Lord’s hands.
How Paul must have been encouraged when the Lord appeared to him in the night. It is written “Thou hast visited me by night when Thou holdest my goings in Thy paths, my footsteps slip not” Ps. 17:3, 5. The reader will remember that the two night visions in Acts were given to indicate the darkened moral state of the Greeks in contrast to the Jews whom God had favored. Now the night is found at Jerusalem. As we go on in our chapter Paul travels by night to Caesarea to commence his voyage to Rome. Both centers were in darkness. And if we include the Greeks at the beginning, we have night over the whole Roman Empire which is comprised of the Jew, the Greek and the Roman. These are the nations in whose languages the superscription was written over the Lord’s cross Hebrew, Greek and Latin. They united to reject Christ on earth; they unite again to reject a glorified Christ in heaven. Remember the Lord’s words to Saul on the road to Damascus “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?” In persecuting Paul, the Lord’s apostle, they were persecuting Christ.
So it is that more than forty Jews—5 band themselves together under a great curse to kill Paul. Here we see the workings of sin violence mingled with deceit. They ask the chief priests and elders to suggest to the Chiliarch that he reconvene the Sanhedrin so it can review Paul’s case. Then as Paul walks under guard from the fortress to the meeting with the Sanhedrin, they will assassinate him. Forty determined men could not overcome the Roman soldiers guarding him, but they might, by concentrating all their efforts where Paul was, and accepting the loss of some lives, break through to Paul and kill him. To this plan the chief priests and elders accede and the ambush is set up. However, Paul’s sister’s son hears about it, enters the fortress and informs Paul. This is astonishing for several reasons. First of all, it shows that Paul is enjoying relative liberty in the fortress. The Chiliarch has assessed him as free of criminal tendencies. Secondly, if he is so at liberty where are James, the elders, and the many thousands of law-keeping Christian Jews? Have they no interest in Paul’s welfare? Thirdly Paul is rescued by a natural tie his nephew. No angel appears as in Peter’s case no earthquake as in Philippi. It is Paul’s natural relationships of which we know so little, and again a mere stripling. “My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
Paul calls one of the centurions and requests that the youth be taken to the Chiliarch. This is done. His tender years are indicated by the Chiliarch taking him by the hand—a conciliatory gesture. The Chiliarch goes apart into a private quarter and is told about the plot. He dismisses the youth with a warning to keep quiet. Then he calls two centurions. They are to prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, two hundred light-armed footmen for the third hour of the night— (in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word should be established—2 Cor. 13:1). This is an intended witness by God that Paul is being carried away a prisoner by Rome for having preached the gospel to the Gentiles, for the origin of his imprisonment was 22:21. Furthermore the Chiliarch is considerate—providing ‘beasts’ to set Paul on and carry him safely to the Roman governor at Caesarea. Paul leaves Jerusalem the third hour of the night—23:23; at Pentecost it was the third hour of the day—2:15. These are the opening and dosing references to hour in the Acts and so to God’s dealings with Jerusalem, which were measured.
It has often been remarked how well the Roman soldiery are reported of in the Book of Acts—the Chiliarch here, and the centurions Cornelius and Julius before and after this incident. But an explanation should at least be attempted. It is suggested that the Roman soldiery, rough as they were, were primarily a police force attempting to maintain law and order among men in the world who otherwise would erupt in anarchy. The attempt to assert and preserve rule over rebellious man is central to the idea of all government. Cornelius was a God-fearing man even before he was saved. The centurion Julius courteously entreated Paul. He was only carrying out orders in ensuring his confinement. These orders, if traced to their apparent origin, came from an officer superior to him—the Chiliarch at Jerusalem. But the Chiliarch would never have known Paul except for the Jewish religious ferment at Jerusalem, the origin of which again was Satan. He is described as the god—2 Cor. 4:4—and prince—John 12:31—of this world. As the god of this world he stirs up the Jews at the Temple; as the prince of this world he uses the civil power to imprison the apostle. In world history the secular power is generally more upright than the religious influences which seek to use it as an instrument of oppression.
The Chiliarch’s Letter
The Chiliarch now writes a letter to the Roman governor to accompany “Paul the prisoner.” Paul is the only man called “the prisoner” in Acts—23:18; 25:14; 28:17. This letter has typically Roman features—respect for authority, conciseness, cutting through extraneous things to bedrock conclusions—a military trait—and the customary Roman ending— “farewell.” As a man of the world he relates how he protected Paul as a Roman citizen in a way that does not agree with the facts, but then he is a man of the world. He will tell the truth as closely as possible provided it does not compromise his position. Otherwise he correctly states his part in rescuing Paul, accurately assesses the charges against him as being of little moment in Roman eyes—religious dissension—not worthy of death or imprisonment. Yet Paul is being delivered to the governor as a prisoner. The reason is dearly stated—to protect him from assassination by the Jews. The Chiliarch has commanded the Sanhedrin to proceed against Paul by due process of law before the governor.
The Chiliarch’s letter is one of four in Acts, either written, or intended to be written, from the same center—Jerusalem. Four is the universal number in Scripture—e.g. the four winds of heaven, four corners of the earth. Let us then examine the record of these communications which the Scriptures give us:
The first letters are those which Paul receives from the High Priest. Interestingly enough, they are not only mentioned in 9:2—the general story of his conversion—but here in 22:5—the Jewish version of his conversion. Armed with these letters Paul goes from Jerusalem to imprison God’s people.
The next letter comes from the Council of Jerusalem. Its purpose is to free God’s people among the Gentiles from the bondage of the law. Paul takes this letter with him—the decrees to keep which were ordained by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. The result is that it establishes the Assemblies in the faith, and they increase in number daily.
The last letter coming out of Jerusalem is the Roman Chiliarch’s which we have just considered. It would never have been written had the religious authorities treated Paul righteously. But the High Priest had commanded that Paul be smitten on the mouth. Thus, the wheel has come back full circle. Paul had left Jerusalem with letters from the High Priest to imprison others; now he leaves Jerusalem really due to the actions of the High Priest, with a letter borne by another authorizing his own imprisonment.
Finally, we come to a letter which was never written. The Jews at Rome had not received letters from the Jewish brethren concerning Paul so that the reason for his imprisonment is unknown to them. This is an acknowledgment that he has done nothing wrong. They are unable to lay valid charges against Paul so write no letters. But neither had Saul of Tarsus valid charges against the believers he imprisoned before his conversion.
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Paul leaves Jerusalem by night. It was night when Judas left Christ. Jerusalem, once God’s lighthouse in the world, has been plunged into darkness. Its association with the power of heathen Rome is suggested too, an association which looks forward to that dread day when the Jewish False Prophet and the Roman beast shall unite against Christ. “We have made a covenant with death and with hell are we at agreement” —Isa. 28:15. And so farewell to Jerusalem. Paul cannot see the golden spires of its temple as he departs, or other links which bind him to the city naturally. Farewell to Jerusalem, where the Field Marshal of the armies of Jesus Christ has been received like a private soldier! Paul is brought by night to Antipatris. What a strange sight it is. All may behold Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, surrounded by a military force large enough to guard a king. When sufficient distance has been covered to allay the soldiers’ fear of attack, part of the escorting force returns to the fortress of Antonia at Jerusalem. With Paul escaped they may be needed to quell any uprising of the Jews. The remainder continue on to Caesarea.
The soldiers deliver the Chiliarch’s letter to the Roman governor. He reads it and asks Paul what (Roman) province he comes from. This question is to make sure that Paul does not come under the jurisdiction of another governor. Satisfied that he can try him6 he tells Paul that he will hear his case when his accusers are present also. In the meantime, he orders Paul confined to the palace where he himself resides. This is called the praetorium of Herod since one of the Herods built it. Later the Roman governors appropriated it for an official residence. Clearly then, Paul’s circumstances have improved since his imprisonment in the fortress of Antonia.