Paul - the Prisoner of Jesus Christ: Continued

Acts 23‑28  •  19 min. read  •  grade level: 12
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We now come to his fourth arraignment—that before the new governor of the province, Porcius Festus—and it is remarkable to notice the undeviating hatred of the Jews against him. The moment the new governor came up from the seat of government to the capital city of his new province, the high priest and the chief of the Jews instigated him to send for Paul to Jerusalem, in order that they might again attempt to assassinate him. Festus, however, possibly saw through their plans, for he determines that the trial should take place at Caesarea; and surely we may again own the hand of God in this as in chap. 23:16, in protecting His servant. Angels are God’s ministering spirits, in this dispensation doing His bidding even at Gentile courts (Daniel 10:13-20), and doubtless God overruled the arrangement concerning Paul’s examination. Paul is now arraigned before Festus, and calmly and with the dignity of one consciously walking with God defies his accusers to bring aught against him. Festus plainly sees he is innocent, but wishing to become popular amongst the Jews now at the commencement of his rule, asks Paul would he go up to Jerusalem; but Paul knew that the time was past for Jerusalem, and that the Lord wished him now to testify at Rome and therefore, availing himself of the last appeal open to every Roman citizen, appeals to Augustus, the then emperor of Rome. Festus but concedes to Paul what was his right. Agrippa, however—a higher dignitary than even Festus, as shown not only by the title of “king” but also by Festus’ deferential manner towards him—now comes upon the scene on a visit to Festus, and of Paul the latter speaks to Agrippa, referring to Paul’s testimony “of one Jesus, which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.” Agrippa desires to hear him, thus accomplishing the purpose of God announced to Paul in chap. 9:15—that he should testify before “kings,” &c.; and in all this we may well observe God’s hand. It was His desire that “every creature” should hear the gospel (Mark 16:15), and thus even the highest in office are made responsible through the faithful testimony of His beloved servant. As in the time of the Lord, so in the time of His apostle—the spoken word will testify against them at the last day (John 12:48).
Nothing is more striking in this account of the various examinations of the apostle than his manly bearing in the presence of his judges. We are forcibly reminded of how, when Jacob was brought into the presence of Pharaoh (Gen. 47:7) he took the place of superiority, for “without all contradiction, the less is blessed of the better” (Heb. 7:7), and bestowed his benediction on the haughty monarch of Egypt. Paul was consciously walking with God, and thus was in no way dismayed at his position; with the answer of a good conscience he could confront those who were at this time in the possession of the throne of the world. Paul is not afraid to relate the whole story of his life. He had done it once before to the Jewish mob, he does it now before King Agrippa, and thus we have three succinct accounts of his conversion, chap. 9, 22, and the one before us, each supplying some additional particulars to the one that had preceded it. Paul had always had the desire to serve God. The Pharisees were, in his day, those who most zealously observed the law. He had been the straitest of Pharisees, but there had been a promise of a Messiah to come, made unto the fathers. Abraham had heard of Him (Gen. 22:18, Gal. 3:16). The promise had been confirmed to Isaac (chap. 26:4), and to Jacob (chap. 28:14), and in the hope of the fulfillment of this promise the twelve tribes were even then serving God night and day. And here we may well pause to meditate for a little upon this verse, for it is a very remarkable one. Why did the apostle speak of “twelve tribes,” seeing that ten had been carried captive by the King of Assyria (2 Kings 17), and had never returned, and those who were then in the land were but a remnant of the other two tribes (Judah and Benjamin) that had been carried captive by the King of Babylon, and out of whom but a small remnant had returned, as recorded by Ezra and Nehemiah, in the days of the Kings of Persia? The reason is simple. Unlike Elijah, who believed that he only was left (1 Kings 19:14), while all the time God had 7000 who had not bowed the knee to Baal, Paul entered into God’s mind concerning Israel, and saw by faith the nation in all its perfection as awaiting the fulfillment of the promise made unto the fathers. He knew that amidst the ruin consequent upon their rejection of God, God had still a remnant according to the election of grace, that this remnant were maintained by God during the long “night” season of darkness that had come upon them for their sins, and that presently, in the “day” time of blessing that was to come, they would again take their place of allegiance to God, and realize the fulfillment of the promises made unto their fathers. Observe here a Greek version reads “night and day,” and not “day and night,” as in our version.
The faith of Paul is well worthy of imitation by us who, although we see around us the ruin of that Church which once appeared so fair when formed by the hand of God at Pentecost (Acts 2:41-47), must remember that the body of Christ is just as perfect as it was in the apostles’ day, and will be till the Lord returns. The “twelve loaves” (Lev. 24:5-9) represented the twelve tribes of Israel; every Sabbath were they to be renewed; purity was to characterize them, and they were the portion of the priests only. So with us, 1 Cor. 10:16, 17 tells us that “we being many are one loaf” (Greek). On the first day of the week the loaf with us is renewed, and purity must be our character (1 Cor. 3:16), who are now “an holy priesthood.” (1 Peter 2:5).
In the breaking of bread we express that to which we belong—the body of Christ. And this is as perfect as in Paul’s day, having for its nourishment the joints and bands (Col. 2:19), and Christ’s gifts, until He comes (Eph. 4:4-14). Blessed thus to see the body, from God’s point of view, perfect as ever. But I resume: Paul shared the hope of the twelve tribes, viz., that the promises would be yet fulfilled, and seeing that Christ, raised from the dead, was “the seed” in whom these promises were to be fulfilled, he had forsaken that in which he was brought up for Him, and this formed the ground of his accusation before the Jews.
In the story of his conversion he keeps back nothing, for the account of his wickedness in his unregenerate state would but magnify the grace of that God who had saved him, and could save, too, those to whom he spake; and in the detail of the Lord’s appearing to him, in the 16th and 17th verses, we get two additional particulars which the other accounts leave out, and which are of much interest.
He was to be a minister and a witness, “both of those things which thou hast seen, and of the things in which I will appear unto thee.” At the time of his conversion he became possessor of certain truths, but these were to be increased by further revelations, until the whole canon of Scripture was completed through him; for to him “it was given to fulfill (fill up or complete) the word of God” (Col. 1:25).
At the time of his conversion, he received the truth that Jesus was the Son of God, for he immediately preached it (Acts 9:20), and thus he was a minister of the gospel—what he calls, in 2 Cor. 4:4, “the glorious gospel,” or, as it should be read, “the gospel of the glory.” This was his first ministry, for he had two (see Colossians 2:23-25, and Eph. 3:6-9)—that of the Gospel and that of the Body, and both these were revealed to him at the time of his conversion, for he not only saw that Christ in the glory was the Lamb that was slain, but he also saw that He and the saints on earth were of one body. “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.” These then were the things he had seen, but the Lord had yet further revelations to make to him until the Scripture was completed, and as instances of these I would point you to 1 Cor. 11:23-26; 15:20-29; 1 Thess. 4:15; 5:11. Of course the apostle was inspired to write all his Epistles, but these were especial revelations concerning the truth of the Body which had been entrusted to him.
This is the first particular of interest which this account gives us. The second is, the promise of deliverance from the people of Israel, and from the Gentiles to whom he was sent. Had God forgotten His promise, seeing that Paul was now a prisoner of the Gentiles, and handed over to them by the Jews? No; but the apostle’s self-will (for he was but a man) had prevented its fulfillment. His mission was to the Gentiles, but he would return to Jerusalem, and thus his Lord’s care of him was obstructed. How often do the servants of the Lord now by their self-will hinder the loving purposes of God concerning them? Doubtless the Lord raised up other instruments to open the Gentile eyes, to bring them from their natural state of darkness into the light of life, from the power of the god of this world to that of the living God, to receive at His hands the pardon of their sins, and the inheritance for which with other saints in light they had been made meet through faith in Jesus. How beautifully complete is this testimony! (v. 19.) Paul could but obey such a vision, and from that day to the present time had been God’s witness of these things, and now was accused of the Jews for showing the fulfillment of the very things that their own Scriptures had foretold should come to pass. Festus, utterly untouched by this testimony, proclaims Paul to be mad, but Agrippa evidently was not unmoved, for before them all he had to confess, “In a little you will be making a Christian of me.” Full of faith and the Holy Ghost the apostle replies, “Would to God that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.” A noble wish, dictated by a heart filled with the love of God. He could not desire a better thing for them, for how contemptible was all the King’s dignity as compared with that of his prisoner, an heir of God and a joint-heir with Christ! Of Agrippa we hear no more. In glory it will be known whether he was saved. But his heart was evidently softened towards his prisoner, for had he not appealed to Rome he might have been set at liberty.
It is most blessed to see these two closing chapters of this interesting record of the Acts of the Holy Ghost, the complete way in which this noble servant of Christ lived above the circumstances in which he was placed. He had doubtless failed (and where shall we find perfection but in Christ?) to carry out the purpose of God for which he was set apart, but his failure only the more manifestly sets forth the riches of God’s grace, who at the moment of his greatest need exhorted him to “be of good cheer,” and so completely strengthened him for the trial he was about to undergo, that in every position in which we henceforth find him whether it be in the midst of the shipwreck scene (comp. 2 Cor. 11:25) or bound with a chain as prisoner at Rome, or brought before the “lion” Nero, the Roman Emperor (2 Tim. 4:16,17), we find him completely master of his position, and standing for God in the world.
On turning to the text, we now find him a prisoner, handed over to a captain of the Emperor’s regiment along with other prisoners, and surely we may say it was with a sad heart the apostle turned his back upon those he loved so well, his own nation who had now so fully and decidedly rejected grace. The Lord, however, did not permit him to go without the company of those dear to him in the Lord—Luke (as evidenced by the “we” of 5:1 &c.) the Author, was with him, as also Aristarchus of whom we first heard in chap. 20:4. This was apparently a most devoted man. There is no account of any accusation against him, and yet Paul (Col. 4:10) speaks of him as his “fellow prisoner,” and surely we may argue from this, that he willingly devoted himself, and surely it was a high honor to devote himself thus (1 John 3:16), to accompany the apostle to prison, and share his chain with him, and it would seem that he was not alone in this act of devotedness, for in Philem. 1:23, the same honorable mention is made of Epaphras, and inasmuch as both are spoken of by the apostle as his fellow-laborers (Philem. 1:24, Col. 4:12), it has been thought by some that these two devoted ones took it in turns to share the apostle’s confinement with him.
It is further worthy of remark how God inclined the hearts of those in whose charge he was to entreat the apostle “courteously” (v. 3., chap. 28:7, 16), doubtless they saw he was unjustly accused, and did their best to alleviate his sufferings.
In the 10th verse, the man who was acting for God, and, therefore, able to enter into God’s mind, prophesies of the loss that should come on the ship. Unheeded, however, he was; for the natural man could not but think that those educated to the sea must know more about these things than one who was not. Even so in the present day. “Unlearned and ignorant men” may prophesy of the coming judgment, but they are not believed, while those trained up in the schools of theology will be eagerly listened to. How important for us to confer not with flesh and blood, but to be led of the Spirit only.
Again, in the 21St verse, we find God acting in His faithful servant. In order to arrive at the mind of God, he had for the time abstained from those things that might excite the flesh, and now he becomes God’s mouthpiece. And here, digressing for a moment, I would ask you to observe how in Dan. 1 we find the prophet in like manner keeping himself from those things that might excite the flesh, and in chap. 2 we find him used by the Lord to unfold His counsels. He is for God in the first chapter, God is for him in the second. Paul, then, now becomes God’s mouthpiece, because God had given him the lives of those who were with him, though the ship itself would be lost. We have read of how Noah’s family was saved through his uprightness; and how Lot’s daughters, wicked in themselves, escaped through their father’s righteousness. But here we have God interfering in a new way, and preserving the lives of the 276 persons who were with Paul in the ship. Paul believed God that it should be even as He had told him. And so we find in the last verse that they all came safe to land.
The Island of Malta, in the Mediterranean, was the place on which their lot was cast, and here God vouchsafes signs and wonders at the hands of His servant. Not unmindful of the necessities of the body, as we find also from 2 Tim. 4:13-21 (the winter rendering his cloak necessary), he sets an example by gathering sticks, and a viper fastens on his hand; but the suspicions of the poor countrymen are changed to awe when the beast is shaken off without injury. In this, and in the miracle on Publius’ father, Mark 16:18 is brought to our minds. And now the hospitable shores of Malta are left, and Italy is in due time reached. And here the apostle’s heart, somewhat downcast, naturally, on account of the ordeal he was about to pass through, was cheered by meeting brethren in the Lord, and he thanked God and took courage, and here his prayer, as recorded in Rom. 1:10-12, is granted, and he at last finds himself in the great capital of the Gentile empire. His rejection, and in rejecting him they rejected his Master and his doctrine, had been complete and final at the great city of the religious world, Jerusalem. A further test was now about to be applied to the inhabitants of the great city of the civil power.
Verse 17. —Paul is not long idle; and, true to his own principles of making the Jew the first offer of grace, he calls their chiefs together, and tells them of “the hope of Israel.” Of Him they had heard nothing, but of the sect they knew this that it was everywhere spoken against. What a testimony to the truths that they taught! That which judges the evil around it could never be popular, and this “sect,” as they were pleased to call it, had already a bad name in the religious world. Now, as then, we shall find that those who hold the truth and teach it, will be deemed the off-scouring of the earth—but it is blessed to be permitted to share the place the Master took when He was here, and be with Him rejected of that which denies His name.
On the appointed day he put the truth before them, bringing their own law and prophets to bear on their consciences, but in vain, for though a remnant, as ever, such is the grace of God, was saved, the nation as a nation rejected the truth, and were given up to unbelief. And the apostle has no resource but to pronounce sentence upon them in the words of the prophet Isaiah (chap. 6) on His rejection as their earthly Messiah as heir according to the promises to Abraham, and of the throne of David, the Son had used the same words, Matt. 13:13, and again in John 12:40, when rejected as the Son of God; and now we find Him finally rejected as the glorified Saviour, and therefore His apostle follows in his Master’s footsteps, and Israel’s last chance is gone until the time that the feet of Him whom they pierced stand once more on the favored Mount of Olives, not now as the lowly Messiah, but as the Son of Man in power and great glory. Then shall they and all the tribes of the earth mourn, while we are in perfect happiness, having taken our place with Him in the glory that He has earned by His work, and possesses in His own right as the Son of God—nay, as God Himself.
The Gentiles now are the vessels of God’s mercy, and to them the salvation of God is now sent and they will hear it. What a wondrous salvation is the salvation of God! Not only are we saved from our sins—this is certainly salvation—but we are saved in a style worthy of God, we are saved unto God, who is made known in Christ.
This was the salvation that old Simeon learned in Luke 2:25-33. It says, “He blessed God and said, Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.” He had long waited for the consolation of Israel, and it was revealed unto him that he should not taste of death until he had seen the Lord’s Christ. The moment he had got Christ in his arms he had seen and more than seen God’s salvation. The hope of Israel was precious; but what was that compared with him when he held to his bosom God’s salvation? The hope of Israel was earthly: but here was something better—God’s salvation, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Israel; therefore he could ask to depart. He by faith saw the consolation of Israel rejected and given as a light to the Gentiles, and therefore he cared not to stay—he was willing to depart. God’s salvation gives you Christ, and Christ in glory.
And now this interesting chronicle of facts closes. The apostle’s work was not over. For two years he dwelt in his own hired house a prisoner, but at liberty to preach and to teach all who came; and from the epistles we learn that the Lord used him much (Phil. 1:12,13, Col. 4:22). From Rome the most of his epistles were written—Eph. 3:1, Philippians, Col. 4:18, Philemon, Heb. 13:23—and from them though we cannot gather much, yet we learn this of his subsequent history—that at his first examination he, like his Master, was forsaken of all, but the Lord only—and that, in the consciousness of having fought a good fight, and kept the faith, he was ready to be offered, being well aware that his departure drew nigh; but the crown of righteousness was ready for him, and he should have his desire to depart and be with Christ, even though he trod the very pathway that his Master had trodden before him (Phil. 3:10, 2 Tim. 4:6-9, 16-18). Truly he could say, “To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” How good of the Lord to leave us such a record of His workings through His servants! May He bless these meditations to you! Amen.