Teaching (no posting) The Acts of The Apostles

[SpiritPsalmist]

The Seven Sons of Sceva
Act 19:13-17

There were some traveling Jewish exorcists who tried to cast demons out saying, "In the name of Yeshua, whom Paul preaches". They treated the name of Yeshua like it was a magic word and found out the hard way. The evil spirit answered them with, "Yeshua I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?" Then the man who was possessed by the demon overpowered all seven of them and beat them up, ripping their clothes off of them and sent them running and wounded out of the place they were at.

• Historical details can be found in ~Jewish New Testament Commentary~

The event became known to all, Jew and Greek who lived in Ephesus and the name of Yeshua was being glorified.


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[SpiritPsalmist]

Book Burning
Act 19:18-20

Apparently, Ephesus was a major occultic city. One of the things that people did when they turned their lives over to Yeshua and were filled with the Ruach HaChodesh (Holy Spirit) was to stop their evil practices, publically admitting their evil ways and turning away from them. They brought all their occultic books of magic and spells and paraphernalia and put them into a pile and had a huge bonfire. It says that the total of all the books and paraphernalia totaled about 50 thousand pieces of silver. That was a lot of money.

They did not consider selling or giving away the items, they burned them. They did not want to profit off the money nor did they want others to get caught up in the evils of the use of such items. They definitely did not try to incorporate them into their new belief in Yeshua. They destroyed them. Period. (See Deut 12:3)

• A drachma was a day's wages for common labor; therefore think of fifty thousand drachmas as at least two million dollars. On the other hand, books and scrolls, since they were individually produced, were relatively much more expensive than now. Speculation: if the average believer had $200 worth of occult books to burn, ihe congregation numbered ten thousand. Ephesus was a major center for occult religion (vv. 23-35).
  
  The destruction of these books was one of the best investments believers have ever made. Not only did they forsake publicly their former pagan ways, but the demonic contents of these books went up in flames, never to poison the minds of anyone again. We are not told that anyone suggested selling the books to pagans and "laundering" the proceeds by using them to advance the Gospel. ~Jewish New Testament Commentary~

In this manner, the word of the Lord was spread and strengthened.


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[SpiritPsalmist]

Paul's Plans
Act 19:21-22

After the Ephesians who had turned from their wicked ways and trusted in Yeshua for their salvation had gotten rid of their personal idols and books of occult practice, by the leading of the Holy Spirit, Paul plans to go to Jerusalem after he's gone through Macedonia and Achaia. His plans also are to see Rome. He sent his two assistants, Timothy and Erastus on ahead of him but he himself stayed in Asia for a while longer.


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[SpiritPsalmist]

The Riot at Ephesus
Act 19:23-40

After the events of the pagan worshippers bringing their idols and amulets, and potions, and what-knots and repenting and burning them all in a bonfire, there was great concern among those who made their living off creating these items. Not only had the new believers burned their items of evil practice, but they were also no longer buying any more. They made a considerable amount of money on these things. Of course, they blamed Paul and The Way.

One man named Demetrius who was a silversmith and made shrines to Artemis gathered all the other idol makers together and stirred up a commotion regarding Artemis in particular. They said that all of Asia worshiped Artemis and now because of the lack of selling their idols Artemis would lose her glory.

When the group of artisans heard this they became enraged. Of course that caused more people to gather and they were confused, not knowing why they were gathered. They rushed into the theatre where The Way was meeting and they dragged with them, Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were travel companions of Paul. Paul, in his usual "grab the bull by the horns" manner, wanted to go out to the middle of the crowd and address them but the other disciples would not let him.

Most of the rioters did not even know why they were gathered. Different parts of the group were chanting one thing and other parts of the group something else. Alexander (there is more than one Alexander mentioned in the Bible) was sent forward to offer a defense for the actions of the crowd but whey they realized he was Jewish pulled him down and for two hours shouted, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians". So even though Alexander was defending them, their anti-semitism was evident.

The town clerk was finely able to calm everyone down. He reminded them that everyone knows that Ephesus has a temple to Artemis". He told them to be calm and not reckless. The men they had seized and brought out were not revilers nor sacrilegious toward Artemis the goddess. He explained that if Demetrius and the others wanted to file a complaint against anyone that the courts were open for them to do so. If they wanted to do anything further, they needed to do it in a lawful assembly. He told them they were in danger of being charged with rioting because there was no reason to justify the mob.

Upon saying all this, the town clerk dismissed them all, telling them to leave.

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[SpiritPsalmist]

Paul Journeys to Macedonia and Greece
Act 20:1-6

After the riot, Paul decided to move on to Macedonia. Before he left he called all the disciples in the area together to encourage them in the Lord and to say goodbye. He then left to go to Macedonia.

When he had passed through Macedonia giving great words of encouragement to the believers he went to Greece where he stayed for three months.

In Greece, while he was preparing to sail to Syria, a plot was formed against him by the unbelieving Jewish leaders.

• A plot against him by the unbelieving Jews. "Unbelieving" is not in the Greek text; see 9:22-23N. We have read of a number of plots, some originated by Jews, some by Gentiles. We have seen in general that sometimes people receive the Gospel and sometimes they reject it (see Yn 7:43N). Their rejection can be either active or passive, the latter expressing itself as indifference, apathy or a feeling of superiority even while approving of the believers. The following table presents instances of each, showing the verses in the book of Acts and the locations of the Jewish and Gentile responses to the Gospel: (cont at Jewish New Testament Commentary)

Because of the plot against him, Paul decided to return via Macedonia and traveling with him were Sopater of Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus of Thessalonica; Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia. They all went ahead of Paul and were waiting for Paul and Luke, the author of Acts, in Troas when they arrived via Philippi after their observance of Passover. They stayed in Troas for seven days.


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[SpiritPsalmist]

Eutychus
Act 20:7-12

As previously mentioned God's daily calendar goes from sundown to sundown. ("So there was evening and there was morning--one day". (Gen 1:5) Paul and the men with him are now in Troas.

When the Sabbath ends it is customary to have a Havdalah. It was now the next day, the first day of the week, and they gathered together to break bread.

Paul was talking with them and because he was planning to leave the next he prolonged his time with them until midnight. It does not say where they were gathered, but wherever it was, they were on the third floor. It was dark so there were also many oil lamps. The mix of food and the lamps quite possibly caused sleepiness. One young man in particular, was sitting in the window, (possibly to get some fresh air), and he fell sound asleep and fell out of the window to the ground, dead.

Paul ran out and threw himself on Eutychus then announced to the people to not worry that there was life in him. (I'm sure all the commotion knocked the sleepiness out of more than a few people ) Everyone then went back up to the room and ate and listened to Paul teach until sunup, and then he left.

Eutychus was alive and well and everyone was relieved.


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[SpiritPsalmist]

Paul Aims Toward Jerusalem
Act 20:13-16

Paul's companions went to the ship ahead of Paul and they set sail for Assos. Paul had decided to travel by land to Assos and he would meet them and get on the ship there. When they arrived in Assos, Paul got on board and then they set sail for Mitylene. Setting sail from there, they arrived the next day opposite Chios. The next day they sailed to Samos. Then setting sail from there they arrived the next day at Miletus.

Paul was thinking of going to Ephesus but decided to sail past so that if he hurried he could reach Jerusalem in time for Shavuot. See posts 5 and 6 of this study for more details on Shavuot, known in Christian circles as The Day of Pentecost.


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[SpiritPsalmist]

Paul's Goodbye At Ephesus
Act 20:17-38


Paul went from Miletus to Ephesus and when he arrived he sent a message for all the elders of the believing community to come to him. When they had all gathered he addressed them, reminding them of his commitment to the gospel and how he preached it the same to the Jew and the Greek. He held no scriptural training back from them that could be helpful. Remember that Paul was highly trained in the scriptures and these leaders were not only getting the same type of training that Paul had received, but Paul was also training them in the correct understanding of the scriptures. It is not recorded even once him telling them they were following a false religion, he did, however, teach them how to understand through the eyes of Yeshua. His message was clear: Turn from sin to God and put your trust in our Lord Yeshua.

He explained to them that he was going to Jerusalem and he did not know what was going to happen to him. Threats were constantly being made on his life and the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) was warning him of danger there but he was going to go anyway. He considered his life of no importance but his desire was to spread the gospel and finish the race set before him...to declare, in-depth, the Good News of God’s love and kindness.

He told them they would never see him again. He declared his innocence of the blood of anyone because he had thoroughly done his job of teaching and training them. He did not shy away from teaching them everything he knew and understood.

He told them to watch over themselves and the ones whom the Holy Spirit had sent to be part of each of their congregations; to shepherd them as he had done with them. He warned them that the "wolves" would come after he left and would try to lead the believers away. Even from among the group of leaders some of them were wolves and would try to distort the message of God. "So stay alert".

He was now giving them into the care of the Lord and His love and kindness, for it could build them up and give them an inheritance among all those who've been set apart for God.

He never asked for anything from them but worked with his own hands providing his needs for himself (He was a tentmaker) and the workers that traveled with him. In everything he had been an example of how to work and help the weak and remember the words of the Lord when he said, "There is more happiness in giving than in receiving".

When Paul had finished speaking he knelt down with them all and prayed. They were all in tears and threw their arms around him in farewell. What saddened them the most was that he had said they would never see him again. Then, they went to the ship with him to see him off.

Some people say Paul was a "proud" man, but I don't believe so. He was boisterous, gung-ho ish, and blunt, but he was not prideful. He freely and willingly shared his knowledge and insight with all those he was training and were willing to listen...even the wolves. He'd been humiliated by being let out a window in a basket. He'd been stoned and beaten with rods. His body was most likely mutilated, twisted and bent, but he continued on in the race, giving praise to God and rejoicing in HIS goodness.

Consider: is the gospel you are preaching the same as Paul's? Are we giving a gospel of "prosperity" in our belongings or in the prosperity of our relationship with God? Having things is not bad, but trusting in those things to get us through life is. Are we giving a gospel that says, "just pray this prayer after me (which is nowhere in scripture), or "ask Jesus into your heart (again, nowhere in scripture) and "Now you're saved and you don't need to do anything but love Jesus"?

Let us run the race set before us. Guard yourselves against the many false doctrines that have permeated many of our congregations today. I think Paul would be greatly grieved if he saw and heard what is called the gospel among many of today's congregations.

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[SpiritPsalmist]

The Meeting-Up with The Brethren in Tyre
Act 21:1-6

Paul and his attendants set sail for Cos. Since it says, "After tearing ourselves away", Luke was among them. The next day they went to Rhoades and from there to Patara. From Patara they found a ship going to Phoenicia they went aboard and set sail. They sailed past Cyprus and kept sailing to Syria, landing at Tyre for the ship to unload cargo. While the ship unloaded its cargo the group looked up the disciples in that city and stayed with them for seven days. Through the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit) they kept telling Paul to not go to Jerusalem because he would be in great danger there.

• Guided by the Spirit, they told Sha'ul not to go up to Yerushalayim. Is God divided? Does he speak from both sides of his mouth? Can the Holy Spirit tell Sha'ul to go to Yerushalayim (20:22) and also speak through others telling him not to go? First, the two events are not at the same time. God can give an order and then rescind it, as he did in the case of Abraham's sacrificing Isaac (Genesis 22), or make a promise to destroy Nineveh and then change his mind because its inhabitants repent (Jonah 4). But here the Ruach HaKodesh is giving the believers of Tzor a word of knowledge (1С 12:8-10&N) that in Yerushalayim Sha'ul will meet with trouble. This word, already sensed by Sha'ul (20:23), is confirmed again shortly afterwards (vv. 10-14&N). But it is their own inference, not the Holy Spirit's command, that Sha'ul should therefore not go on. Their urging seems reasonable, and it appeals to sentiment. But it is not the Lord's will for Sha'ul, whom he told at the beginning that his ministry would involve suffering (9:16). ~Jewish New Testament Commentary~

When it was time for Paul and his team to leave and continue their journey everyone in the congregation went to see them off. Men, women, and children all went to see them off. The congregation stayed with them until they were just outside the city then they knelt and prayed and said their farewells then returned to their homes while Paul and his team boarded the ship.

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[SpiritPsalmist]

Paul and His Team in Caesarea
Act 21:7-16

From Tyre, the ship sailed to Ptolemais. They met with the congregation there and stayed with them for one day. The next day they departed for Caesarea. There, they entered the home of Philip, the evangelist, who was one of the seven and they stayed with him.

Philip had four, unmarried daughters who prophesied. It does not give their ages but they all were prophetesses.

• A prophetess is a female prophet. A prophet/prophetess of God is a spokesman for God. While it does not specify whether they spoke over Paul and his companions or not, it's probable that they did, it just does not record it.
• Besides Philip's daughters, there are other Prophetesses mentioned in the scriptures:

1. Miriam, the sister of Aaron and Moses. (Ex 15:20)
2. Deborah, the only woman we know of to be a judge over Israel. (Jud 4:4).
3. Huldah, who lived during the reign of King Josiah. (2 Kings 22:14; 2 Chron 34:19-28)
4. Isaiah's wife, identified only as "The Prophetess who gave birth to Isaiah's son. (Is 8:1-4)
5. Anna (Luke 2:36-38) She immediately recognized who Yeshua was when Joseph and Miriam brought him to the temple.

• The scriptures also mention a couple of false prophetesses, women who claim to speak God's word but are lying.

1. Noadiah, a part of the conspiracy to make Nehemiah afraid to follow God. (Neh 6:14)
2. Unnamed, but referred to as Jezebel, teaching the church at Thyatira to follow idols and leading them into sexual immorality. (Rev 2:20)

• Obviously, one can not be a prophetess and remain silent and not give instruction/insight from God to men as many churches teach today. Obviously, Paul did not believe, nor did he teach that women are allowed only to prophesy and/or teach other women as some teachers teach today. Women are not to usurp the authority of men, but unless the woman forcefully takes over what a man is already doing, she is NOT usurping. If a persons character is so weak that he/she chooses to be offended by God using a woman to speak, they can choose to walk away. Paul welcomed women as teachers and even accepted their guidance in his own life.

Paul and his companions stayed at the home of Philip for several days. On one of those days a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea to see Paul. When he arrived, he took Paul's belt and tied his own hands and feet and through the knowledge of the Ruach HaKodesh told Paul that in this way Paul would be bound by the unbelieving Jews in Jerusalem who would deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles...the heathen who were not serving God.

When Paul's companions and the other believers who were gathered heard this, they began to beg Paul not to continue on to Jerusalem. Paul's response was to tell them to stop weeping and breaking his heart, for he was ready to not only be bound but to die for the Lord Yeshua. He knew that God had told him to go to Jerusalem. (Act 20:22-24)

• At first God did not tell Paul what would happen to him, but along the way God sent prophets and prophetesses to reveal it to him.

Since Paul could not be persuaded to give up the plan to go to Jerusalem they stopped trying to persuade him and told him only, "May God's will be done".

When their time in Caesarea was over, Paul and his companions packed and started toward Jerusalem. Some of the congregation went with them, taking them to Mnason of Cyprus, who was an early disciple and they would stay with him, then continue on to Jerusalem from there.


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[SpiritPsalmist]

Paul's Arrival in Jerusalem
Act 21:17-22

When Paul and his companions arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed with much enthusiasm by the believers. The next day they went up to see Ya'akov (Jacob or AKA James), the half-brother of Yeshua ( Matt 13:55; Mrk 6:3) and the leader of the believing community in Jerusalem. All of the elders were there as well.

• Ya'akov (James). On the name itself see Mt 4:21N. This Ya'akov is called the "brother" of Yeshua at Mt 13:55, Mk 6:33; see also Mt 1 ;25N. Not a believer during the Messiah's earthly ministry (Yn 7:3-8&N), he came to faith later, perhaps as a result of seeing Yeshua resurrected (1С 15:7). He was among the 120 present in the "upstairs room" (1:14). He became leader of the Messianic Jews of Yerushalayim (15:13. 21:18; Ga 2:9, 12). Tradition considers him the author of the New Testament book of Ya'akov (Ya 1:1). Apparently Kefa had already turned over the leadership in Yerushalayim to Ya'akov and was himself establishing congregations elsewhere (8:14,9:32-11:18; 1С 1:12,9:5). ~Jewish New Testament Commentary~ (Chapter 12 commentary notes on James)

After greeting them all Paul began to bring them up to date with what God was doing, telling them of all that had happened among the Gentiles. When they heard it they all began glorifying God and rejoicing for what God was doing among the Gentiles.

Then they said to Paul (James and the elders were in agreement), that there was a problem because all the many thousands of Jewish believers had heard (fake news LOL) that Paul was teaching that Torah (Gods instructions on life) was "old" and "done away with" and that they did not need to follow it anymore. They knew that such teaching was false since it was God Himself who had said that His laws are "Forever". (Gen 9:16; Ex 31:16; Ex 12:14; Ex 12:17; Ex 12:24; Ex 31:17; Lev 16:29; Lev 16:31; Lev 23:21; Lev 23:31; 2 Chron 2:3; Ps 119:159-160; Deut 5:29; Deut 11:1; Lev 10:15; Deut 4:30-31; Matt 5:17-19. Heb 13:8 "Yeshua the Messiah is the same yesterday, today, and forever". If he said it yesterday, he still means it today.

Does the following of Gods instructions "save us from our sins"? Absolutely NOT! I personally believe though, that desiring and aiming at keeping His instructions shows Him that you are just as committed to HIM as He is to you. Sure, He can see our hearts but actions speak volumes. God's laws are where we learn how to behave like His children. See Rom 7 for Pauls's comments regarding the two laws at war...the law of sin and the law of God that he so desired to follow.

From Paul's recounting of what God was doing among the Gentiles, they knew that the rumors were false. Gentile believers were attending Synagogue on Sabbath and were studying Torah and learning to walk in God's ways. So they advised Paul as to what he needed to do to try and squelch those rumors.



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[SpiritPsalmist]

Jacobs (James) and the Elders Instructions To Paul
Act 21:23-26

To recap from the last teaching: Paul has been told that the thousands of believing Jews in Jerusalem have heard a rumor that Paul has abandoned his Jewish faith and is actually teaching that Jews are to give up their faith and no longer do the things that God told them in the scriptures.

In order to try and prove to the believers that the information they've been given is false Jacob (see the previous post for commentary), the half brother of Yeshua who is now the leader of the Jerusalem congregation of believers and the elders are telling Paul the actions he must take to show the rumors as false. Sadly, there are still many today who make such false statements about Paul, even though we see Paul following the instructions given. Some teach that Paul was in disobedience to God when he followed the instructions from Jacob but that's highly improbable. Paul was not the kind who could be coerced to do something he did not believe God had said to do. Just my opinion though.

Among the Jerusalem congregation of believers, there were four men who had taken a vow.

• A vow. A voluntary vow; the terms are set forth in Mishna Nazir (see also 18:18N). Generally such vows were from one to three months in length. The outward elements consisted in not touching anything dead, refraining from any product of the grapevine and not cutting one's hair (see Numbers 6:1-21). At the end of the vow the Nazirite had his hair cut and burned it on the Temple altar, and certain prescribed sacrifices were offered. ~Jewish New Testament Commentary~

Paul was instructed to take them and to purify himself along with them and to pay for all the expenses involved. By doing this it would be obvious to all that the rumors regarding Paul not following and teaching against Torah were untrue.

The Gentiles were not required to do these things though. The Jerusalem Counsel (James and the Elders) had written up a letter that gave particular instructions for the Gentiles.

1. Abstain from eating food offered to idols. See also Jewish New Testament Commentary on 1 Cor 8-10.
2. Abstain from eating/drinking blood. "One reason God prohibited the consumption of animal blood in the Old Testament was to teach respect for the sacredness of life. Blood is viewed as a symbol of life throughout the Bible (see Leviticus 17:11). The Bible’s first mention of the word blood is found in Genesis 4:10 where God asks the murderer Cain, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.” The shedding of blood represents the loss of life. In the New Testament, the “blood of Christ” is a common figure of speech for the “death of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:19)". ~Got Questions~
3. Abstain from eating an animal that has been strangled. Strangeling, among many of our other methods of killing, is a very cruel manner of killing an animal. When God gave His instructions (I did not find specific scriptural instructions but if you know where it is, please share in the comments) to Moses, the animal was to be killed the quickest, most painless and most humane way of slaughtering. It is done in a quick, even, deep cut across the throat with a very sharp blade. The animal is calm, and not in fear and feels nothing. It dies instantly. In the manner that many kill today, it is cruel and the animal in its intense fear causes toxic hormones that we end up eating. See also Prov 12:10. God cares about animals and us.
4. Abstain from immorality. Immorality is rampant today, even among those who claim to be believers in Yeshua. It's NOT ok.

The next day Paul took the four men and did as instructed. He went into the Temple and announced when the days of purification would be completed and when the sacrifices would be offered for each of them. See Num 6:1-21. NOTE: Today, sacrifices are not made because the instruction was to offer them in the temple and there is no temple.


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[SpiritPsalmist]

Paul Attacked and Arrested
Act 21:27-36

The unbelieving Jews from Asia saw Paul in the Temple and recognized him. They immediately began attacking him and yelling out false accusations.

• Paul was not teaching against the people.
• Paul was not teaching against the Torah.
• Paul was not teaching against the Temple.
• Paul had not brought a Goyim into the Temple. They had previously seen Trophimus with Paul and assumed that he had entered the Temple too.
• Paul had not defiled the Holy Place.

The commotion caused by the unbelieving Jews stirred the city into an uproar and they rushed Paul, dragged him out of the Temple and out the gates which were shut and locked behind them, and they began to beat him.

However, the Roman battalion got to them in time to prevent the mob from killing him. Upon seeing the soldiers the mob stopped beating him. Paul was arrested and bound with chains and then they asked what he had done. Some in the crowd were yelling one thing and some another. With all the noise the commander could not conclude what the charges were so he commanded that Paul be brought to the headquarters so they could question him more.

When they got to the steps of the headquarters the soldiers had to carry Paul up because of the violence of the crowd. Since the mob had been beating him, it's a wonder that he could walk at all. Tje crowd was shouting, "Away with him".

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[SpiritPsalmist]

Paul's Request of The Roman Commander
Act 21:37-39


As the soldiers were carrying Paul up the steps to the headquarters, Paul spoke to the Commander and respecting his authority, sked if he could say something to him. The commander was surprised that Paul spoke to him in Greek. The commander says, "So you're not that Egyptian who started that rebellion that led four-thousand assassins into the desert"? He still did not know what had upset the people so much about Paul. He thought he was someone else.

Paul clarified that he was Jewish and from Tarsus, which was not an insignificant city.

• mean city; it being the metropolis, or chief city, in Cilicia, built by Perseus, as some think; howsoever, having the privilege of the Roman freedom; as Acts 22:28. ~Matthew Poole's Commentary~

Paul request that he be allowed to speak to the people. He does not demand, he requests. Even though he was arrested, I think there was also a bit of gratefulness for their rescue of him from the mob.


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[SpiritPsalmist]

Paul Defends Himself
Act 21:40-22:16

Paul has requested from the Commander to be allowed to speak to the people. The commander is surprised because he had thought, with all the ruckus, that Paul was an Egyptian outlaw they had been looking for. They allowed Paul o speak.

When Paul had received permission, he stood on the steps and waved his hands to quiet the people down and he began to speak.

He spoke to them in Aramaic and addressed them as brothers and fathers. They became quiet. He identified himself as Jewish and from Tarsus of Cilicia but raised in Jerusalem under the tutelage of Gamaliel. Having been a student of Gamaliel showed that Paul was not an average Jew. He had been chosen from among many young boys to be under the training of Gamaliel...the dream of every Jewish boy and his parents. He told them of how he was brought up thoroughly in the Torah and was zealous for God just as they were too. (He did not insult them and call them names. He did not scream at them that they were all going to hell)

He told them of how he had been a persecutor of The Way (the believers in Yeshua), taking both men and women and throwing them in prison and/or killing them. "All the Kohen (priests) and elders can testify that I did these things". He had received official letters from the Kohen and elders to do what he was doing. His purpose of going to Damascus was to arrest all those in The Way that he could find and bring them back to Jerusalem in chains. But! It happened that on the way, a great light flashed around him, and falling to the ground he heard a voice say, "Saul, why are you persecuting me?"

The voice identified himself as Yeshua from Nazareth, and as the one that Saul was persecuting. Those traveling with him saw the light, heard the rumblings, but were unable to understand the words being said. Paul told of his response, "What should I do Lord?"

Because the brightness of the light had blinded him he was led by the hand to Damascus. Then Ananias, a devout man of the Torah, well spoken of by the people came to him and stood before him, called him brother and his eyes were healed and he could see again.

Paul told of how Ananias told him that God had hand-picked him (Saul) to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. Ananias told Paul he would be a witness for all people of what he had seen and heard.

"Now, what are you all waiting for? Get up, be immersed, and wash away your sins by calling on his name."




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[SpiritPsalmist]

Pauls Defense Continues
Act 22:17-21


Paul continues. He tells them that when he returned to Jerusalem, he was praying in the temple and while doing his prayers, he had a vision. In the vision, he saw the Lord and the Lord told him to hurry and get out of Jerusalem because the people would not accept his witness of what had happened to him and his coming to faith in Yeshua and that Yeshua was the Messiah.

Paul's response to the Lord was, "But Lord, they know me and they know that from one synagogue to another I hunted the believers in Yeshua down and imprisoned them and beat them. I led the beatings and killing of them. They know who I was Lord, of course, they'll listen to me". He even mentions that he was the one standing by and guarding the clothing of those who were stoning Stephen. "The Lord again repeated His instructions to me". "Get out for I will send you to the Gentiles".


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[SpiritPsalmist]

Paul And The Roman Commander
Act 22:22-29

Up to this point in Paul's speech, the crowd had been listening. When he said God had told him He would send him to the Gentiles (heathen) they became enraged but because the Roman soldiers were there all they could do was throw their cloaks and toss dirt in the air.

• Cast off their clothes - Their outer garments. Probably they did it now intending to stone him, Acts 7:58.And threw dust into the air - As expressive of them abhorrence and indignation. This was a striking exhibition of rage and malice. Paul was guarded by Roman soldiers so that they could not injure him; and their only way of expressing their wrath was by menaces and threats, and by these tokens of furious indignation. Thus, Shimei expressed his indignation against David by cursing him, throwing stones at him, and casting dust, 2 Samuel 16:13. ~Barnes Notes On The Bible~
• Waving their clothes gave their anger a visible dimension. Likewise they probably were throwing dust only because there were no stones handy (compare 7:58, Yn 8:59). My guess, based on thirteen years of living in the Middle East, is that the dust was not thrown in the air vaguely or ceremonially but purposefully and vigorously in Sha'ul's direction! ~Jewish New Testament Commentary~

The commander ordered that Paul be taken inside. He said that Paul should be beaten until he told the truth. He thought Paul was still a dangerous criminal. Why else would the people be so angry? He had not understood Paul's speech since Paul had spoken in Aramaic.

After they had stretched Paul out with straps to be whipped, Paul asked the Centurian, "Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen without a trial? When the Centurian heard this he rushed to the Commander to report it..."What are you going to do, this man is a Roman?"

The Commander went to Paul and asked him, "Are you a Roman?"

Paul answered, "Yes".

The Commander answered, "I bought my citizenship for a lot of money".

Paul answered, "I was born here".

Upon hearing this, those who were about to do the whipping immediately pulled away from Paul. The Commander was also afraid since he had bound Paul.

• As in Philippi (16:36-40&N) Sha'ul makes full use of his legal rights not merely to save his hide but also to protect the honor of the Gospel. Both whipping him and binding him in chains (v. 29) would violate his rights as a Roman citizen. Since Sha'ul had not been charged, nor had the commander been informed of grounds for a charge, whipping Sha'ul prior to a trial would have been a misuse of authority for which the commander would have been liable. By questioning the whipping Sha'ul was saving the commander as well as himself an unpleasant experience. ~New Testament Commentary~

Paul was not yelling and screaming about being a Roman citizen and they have no right to do what they are doing, he wasn't threatening them, he merely asked a question and they understood the ramifications of their not following protocol.


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[SpiritPsalmist]

Paul Before the Sanhedrin
Act 22:30-23:10

So the next day the Roman Commander, wanting to know the accusations against Paul, had Paul loosed and led him to the High Priests and the Sanhedrin.

Paul looked intently at each of the men and addressed them as, "Brothers." He said, "You know that all my life I have lived a good life.

• Sha'ul looked straight at them and probably recognized many familiar faces in the Sanhedrin, since he may well have once been a member himself (26:10&N). In any case. it is clear from vv. 6-10 thai he understood his audience. Brothers. These people are still Sha'ul's brothers (compare 22:1 &N). However, this is not a formal meeting of the Sanhedrin, for "Brothers" is not a mode of address appropriate for a court in regular session (rather, it is appropriate for old friends; see above paragraph). Instead, this is the gathering summoned by the Roman commander (22:30). In no other Sanhedrin session does the person being questioned commence the proceedings with a speech of his own (compare 4:5-22, 5:21-40, 6:12-7:60; Lk 22:66-71). Also, in a formal session the identity of the cohen hagadol would have been clear to Sha'ul (vv. 2-5; but see note there). ~Jewish New Testament Commentary~

The High Priest, Ananias had the men standing by him hit him on the mouth. Paul's response to Ananias was, "God is going to strike you on the mouth you whitewashed wall. Do you sit judging me according to the Torah, yet you violate the Torah by having me struck on the mouth"

• Pauls response was human. Not necesarilly how God would have had him respond though. See Jewish New Testament Commentary for more thoughts on this.

Those who hit Paul responded, "Do you insult the High Priest"?

Paul said, "I did not know that he was a High Priest for it is written that you should not speak evil of a ruler of your people".

• There is thought that this response too, is "sarcasm", since, by the clothing worn by the High Priest, it would have been obvious who he was, however, his behavior is not that of a High Priest. Paul admits his own behavior is wrong as well by quoting the law of not speaking evil of a ruler of your people. (Ex 22:27)

Then Paul recognized that part of the group was Pharisees and the other part was Sadducees. He said, "Brothers, I am" (not I was, but I am) "a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I am on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead".

• On the Tz'dukim and P'rushim see Mt 3:7N.
  I myself am a Parush (a Pharisee), Greek ego Pharisaios eimi. "Ego" ("I") adds emphasis ("I myself), and the verb "eimi" is present tense ("am"). Though a Messianic Jew for some twenty years, Sha'ul still considers himself a Pharisee (compare Pp 3:5). This fact alone invalidates equating "Pharisee" with "legalist" or "hypocrite"; see 15:5&N, Mt 23:13-36N.
  
  It is concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead that I am being tried. Compare Yeshua's correction of the Tz'dukim on this point (Mt 22:23-32). A Pharisee could believe in Yeshua and his resurrection and remain a Pharisee like Sha'ul; Luke refers to other believing P'rushim at 15:5. But it is difficult to see how a Sadducee could remain a Sadducee after coming to faith in the risen Yeshua (see v. 8&N), and the New Testament makes no mention of believing Sadducees. It does mention believing cohanim (6:7&N), and some of these may well have been Tz'dukim before coming to faith. ~Jewish New Testament Commentary~
• A thought that I have is that when Paul saw some were Pharisee and some were Sadducees he knew exactly what would happen when he mentioned "resurrection of the dead". I think he knew an argument would ensue and of course, nothing would be solved then.

When he said this they started arguing for the Pharisees believe in the resurrection and the Sadducees don't. Some of the Pharisees stood and defended Paul saying he had done nothing wrong and saying, "What if an angel has spoken to him".

It became such a big uproar that the Commander was afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces. So he ordered the soldiers to get Paul and return him to the headquarters.

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[SpiritPsalmist]

The Plot against Pauls Life
Act 23:11-22

The following night the Lord came to Paul and told him to take courage, "Just as you testified about me in Jerusalem, you will also do in Rome".

• Do you awaken in the wee hours of the morning? Perhaps God is waking you to talk with you.

When it was daylight, the unbelieving Judean leaders formed a conspiracy against Paul. They made an oath to not eat or drink until they had killed Paul. There were more than forty men who made this vow.

• Of course, their plan did not succeed but they did not starve to death. An oath could be undone by a Rabbi. "The sages have allowed four kinds of vows to be nullified: vows of urging, vows of exaggeration, vows made in error, and vows made under duress (Mishna N'darim 3:1)
• Torah instructions regarding vows: Ex 30:3-16 and Deut 23:22-24.
• Commentary notes from chapter 18 oaths and vows. Yeshua rules out oaths for Messianic believers (Mt 5:33-37) but not vows, although the distinction beiween them is not a clear one (see Mt 5:33N). The Greek word for "vow" occurs only here and at 21:23. What kind of vow did Sha'ul take, and what did cutting his hair have to do with it? Nothing is said of what he vowed to do, but Numbers 6:1-21 describes the Nazirite vow, which involves allowing the hair to grow during the days of the vow; and Mishna tractate Nazir spells out the details of such vows, including their minimum length, thirty days. Strictly speaking, however, this cannot have been a Nazirite vow; for if it had been, Sha'ul would not have been shaved in Cenchrea but would have waited till he arrived in Yerushalayim (v. 22) to shave his head and offer the obligatory sacrifice at the Temple (compare 2I:23-24&NN). Furthermore, if we assume that the patterns described in the Mishna, compiled around 220 C.E., were already being followed in Sha'ul's time, he would have had to spend at least thirty days in Israel to validate his vow (Nazir 3:6, 7:3), since a Nazirite vow undertaken in a "land of the Gentiles" is invalid. Perhaps this was a Diaspora adaptation of the Nazirite vow.
  
  No matter what the details of Sha'ul's vow were, this verse proves that he did not abandon the Torah; on the contrary, even when he became as a Gentile among Gentiles he continued to observe Jewish practices. See 13:9N, 1С 9:20-22&NN. ~Jewish New Testament Commentary~

They went to the ruling leaders and told them of their vow and their plan. The plan was that the leaders and the Sanhedrin were to serve notice to the Roman commander to bring Paul down to them to have his case more thoroughly investigated. But on their way from the courthouse to where the Sanhedrin would be waiting, they would attack and overcome the soldiers and would kill Paul. They figured there would only be a few soldiers they would have to overcome.

However, Paul's nephew somehow heard of the ambush.

• We know a bit about Sha'ul's parents — they were Hellenist Jews who also were Pharisees; they were of the tribe of Benjamin; and they spoke Hebrew as well as Greek (23:6, Pp 3:5) in the town where they lived, Tarsus in Cilicia. But we know nothing about his sister or about his nephew, who was visiting or living in Jerusalem and who helped save him. How his nephew became privy to the plot is uncertain. Either Sha'ul's enemies included members of his own family, in which case the nephew's presence would not have alarmed them; or his relationship to Sha'ul was unknown to the plotters. ~Jewish New Testament Commentary~

He went and told Paul who called a centurion and asked the centurion to take the young man to the commander because he had a message for him. The centurion did as requested and the commander took the young man aside to speak with him, asking, "what is the message you have for me?".

The commander listened then dismissed the young man telling him to "tell no one that you have told me of these things".

• To me, the commander actually seems like a fair man. He listened to Paul and allowed him to speak to the people. It seems that he is trying to treat Paul fairly, especially since Paul is a Roman citizen.

Comments and Questions

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

The Army of Soldiers Accompanying Paul
Act 23:23-35

When the Roman commander heard the news of the plot to kill Paul he immediately called for two of his centurions. He gave them instructions to prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to accompany Paul as far as Caesarea. He also told them to provide a horse for Paul to ride so that he could be taken safely to Felix. He then wrote a letter to Felix.

From the letter, we learn the name of the Commander, Claudius Lysias. He addresses it to, "The most excellent Governor Felix". He gave him the basic rundown of Paul's arrest and why he was now sending Paul to him.

So the soldiers did as they were told and took Paul by night to Antipatris. The next day they returned to headquarters, leaving the seventy horsemen to continue on with Paul. When they arrived in Caesarea they delivered Paul and the letter to the governor. When he heard that Paul was from Cilicia he told Paul that he would give him a hearing when his accusers arrived. He then gave orders for Paul to be guarded in Herod’s Praetorium.

• Under guard in Herod's headquarters building (the Praeiurium). Sha'ul is placed in military custody for his protection but not put in a prison cell, since no charges have yet been brought against him. ~Jewish New Testament Commentary~

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