ACTS 22:22

Paul is in Jerusalem and had just given his testimony to a wild mob of Jewish people who wanted to kill him. This is what happened after Paul finished speaking about the truth that is in Jesus Christ. The Bible says in Acts 22:22-24, “And they gave him audience unto this Word, and then lifted up their voices and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live. And as they cried out and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air, The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him.” For those of us who know Jesus as Savior we know how wonderful of a testimony that the Apostle Paul had. It is a great story of how Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus and then called Jesus to take the gospel to the Gentiles. It was a clear testimony that Paul gave to this Jewish crowd. How sad that they did not give heed to the Word.

They heard the Word, but they did not surrender to it. When Paul was finished, they still resisted his words, and they still wanted to kill him. The Roman soldiers protected Paul from the mob, but the soldiers had their ways of getting information from someone. They were going to scourge Paul, which was a terrible punishment inflicted with a whip against the bare skin. But God had given Paul one more card to play. Paul was a Roman citizen, and he had certain legal rights. Learn to use the advantages that God gives to you for God’s glory. That is what Paul did.

The Bible says in Acts 22:25-30, “And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned? When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman. Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea. And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born. Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him. On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.”

Paul was a Roman citizen, and Paul understood how Roman law worked. Paul used his knowledge for his benefit and for the spread of the gospel. Too bad that more American Christians do not understand that principle. Since the 60s many important legal decisions have been made by a few liberal and misguided judges that have had a tremendous negative effect on society. One example of this is ignoring freedom of speech, maybe the most important freedom of all, in order to enforce a liberal and anti-christian interpretation of the concept of the separation of church and state. The separation of church and state means that the government cannot establish a state church such as the Church of England. It does not mean that individuals, not even government employees, must be muzzled from expressing their own individual religious beliefs. This trend will continue unless more good people wake up and do their part in using the system legally to get more good judges sitting on the benches. In many ways the judges are more powerful than even the president. Judges can make unilateral decisions without going through the legislative process, and then future judges must consider past judicial decisions as a part of the law. More good decent people sitting as judges would find a way to get us out of this mess, and the ultimate result could end up being more human beings hearing the gospel, and the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion being preserved in our society.

Paul had just recently spoken to the Jewish mob who wanted to kill him, and now Paul has another group before him: the Jewish leaders. Paul does the same thing with them. He seizes the moment. He takes the opportunity and uses it for the gospel of Christ. Do you have a wedding ceremony to perform? Do you have a funeral service to conduct? Do you have a hospital visit to make? You can take these opportunities as opportunities for the gospel. If you have people in front of you and a chance to speak to them, then speak to them about Jesus. That is what Paul did.

The Bible says in Acts 23:1-5, “And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God’s high priest? Then said Paul, I knew not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.” It did not take much for Paul to upset these supposed religious leaders. All that he had to do was to tell them a little bit about himself. The contrast that existed between Paul, a true servant of God, and the hypocrites who pretended to be servants of God was too great for them to bear. Since they were of the world, they were led by the spirit of jealousy and envy.

Paul stated that he lived in all good conscience. Do not ever underestimate the importance of a good conscience. You cannot live by faith, if you do not have a good conscience; and without faith it is impossible to please God. If you have a good conscience, it means that you know there is nothing between you and God. You have been doing what you ought to do in His service, and therefore you have boldness in coming before Him and seeking His guidance. If you do not have a good conscience, then the way to get it restored is by the confession of sin. Your relationship with Jesus is always based upon His mercy, even when you are at your best. There is none that doeth good and sinneth not. First John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The Bible says in Acts 23:6-10, “But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question. And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the multitude was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both. And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees’ part arose, and strove, saying, we find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God. And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle.”

In the dispute between the Sadducees and the Pharisees, there is an important lesson to be learned about the nature of the unsaved. Both of these groups were unsaved and were opposed to the gospel of Christ. The Sadducees were the theological liberals. They did not believe in the resurrection or other spiritual truths which are the same errors that liberals today make. The Pharisees on the other hand were conservatives theologically speaking. From a doctrinal standpoint we would agree with the Pharisees. From a spiritual standpoint we would not agree with either one. There are many Pharisees today: people who are right doctrinally, but who are self-righteous and self-willed and who are not right with God.

After having these difficult experiences of so many people trying to kill him and beat him and torture him, the Lord spoke to Paul. We can have difficult times in following the Lord in this world, but we can always count on the Lord being there for us just when we need Him. The Bible says in Acts 23:11, “And the night following, the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.” This statement by Jesus should put to rest any question about Paul going to Jerusalem and then Rome. Was it God’s will? Evidently it was, because Jesus said that the same witness that Paul had given in Jerusalem, Jesus was going to make sure that Paul also gave at Rome. As far as we know there were no converts when Paul gave his witness of Christ in Jerusalem. We also know that there definitely were converts when Paul went to Rome. Yet Jesus said that it was the same witness in both places that Paul would give. The results that are seen are never the measure of the faithfulness of the witness. Only Jesus knows how faithful your witness has been. The results are up to Him and to the hearers. Your job might be to plant seed, and to make it possible for someone else to come along behind you to reap the harvest. Paul wrote in First Corinthians 3:6, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.”

Jesus said to Paul, “Be of good cheer.” Jesus always wants His disciples to be of good cheer. In John 16:33 Jesus told His other disciples, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Christians should be the happiest people in the world. We have every reason to be happy. Jesus is our Savior. Our sins are forgiven. God loves us. We have a home in heaven. Many wonderful promises have been made to us from God who always keeps His promises. Our future is secure. Of course, we are going to die some day, but our future is secure. We are in the hands of God. The blood of Jesus Christ was shed for our sins. If you think of all the great things that God has already done for you, and if you think of all the things that He will certainly do for you in the future; then you have every reason to be of good cheer. The desire that Paul had was to be a witness for Christ in this world; and at this point in his life he especially wanted to do so in Jerusalem and in Rome. Jesus told Paul to cheer up because Paul was going to be a witness for Jesus in Rome.

The Bible says in Acts 23:12-22, “And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy. And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul. Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you tomorrow, as though ye would enquire something more perfectly concerning him; and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him. And when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul. Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain thing to tell him. So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain: for he had a certain thing to tell him. So he took him and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee. Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me? And he said, the Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul tomorrow into the council, as though they would enquire somewhat of him more perfectly. But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee. So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him, See thou tell no man that thou hast showed these things to me.”

This passage teaches us a couple of things. Of course, it teaches us once again that God takes care of His children. You are not going to die or have any other calamity unless God allows it to happen no matter how many enemies that you have. The Almighty God has ways to protect you. So do not worry. God’s arm is not shortened that He cannot save.

The enemies of God and the enemies of God’s children always end up on the losing side once the final result has been seen. The enemies of Paul in this passage made a very foolish oath. All forty of them swore to never eat again until they had murdered Paul. They must have gotten pretty hungry, or else they did not keep their oath. Here is a good example of why not to make oaths. No one knows the future. No matter how determined you are to see something through, you are not the one who decides the final outcome.

It is a good thing to be a Christian. It is good to know that God will protect and provide both now and in the future, as long as He still has something for you to do. If you are not a Christian, today you can turn to Jesus and trust in Him as your Savior.

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