Acts 23:12-35 “Getting a Charge”
On Monday afternoon here in Waimea, we got a sudden drenching. I don’t think anybody was expecting it. According to my bucket left in the back of the pick-up truck, we got about two inches of rain in about two hours. It was a good downpour that was needed! As always after such unexpected meteorological events, one can note bufa frogs suddenly appear out of nowhere again. The snails start inching up the walls and the garden stalks. And, as always, we are amazed at where those creatures come from after the rain. Where were they hiding? Why do they suddenly appear and then disappear again?
In our Scripture for today, we have a similar mystery. We hear that while Paul was being tucked away in the barracks of the Romans in Jerusalem that a young man, Paul’s nephew in fact, comes to visit him and to warn him of a murder plot by some forty men loyal to the Sanhedrin. Wow! Wait a minute! Paul the Apostle has a family?! That is a surprise! We know that Paul had a mother and father of course, everybody does. However, we did not know that he had a sister and that he had a nephew as well. To this young man, he was known as “Uncle Saul.”
When we think about Paul, we don’t get this picture in our heads of him sending birthday presents to his nieces and nephews! We cannot imagine him coming home for the holidays. Can you imagine him holding his sister’s newborn son in his arms and saying, “goo-goo, ga-ga”?
But, in this particular case, Paul’s family is certainly his saving grace because it is his nephew that sends word to Paul that a group of forty men are planning on killing him.
This reminds me of a story of when I was growing up. You all will remember that I am a twin. One day, word came to me, and actually it was going around the whole school by then, that this one punk was going to beat up my brother. I told my brother. He was taken aback and did not even know why this particular punk had anything against him. Yet, this kid in school was going around telling everybody that he was going to beat up my brother.
Of course, upon hearing this, we all just made sure that my brother was never alone at any time that he might get beaten up by this other kid. My brother was never beaten up—although he was verbally assaulted by this kid. And, to this day my brother has no idea why this kid had it out for him. I am sure that in the afterlife that is one of the questions he is going to ask Jesus! You know, “So what did that punk have against me?” Probably there will be no good answer!
I want to translate this into a biblical Truth for all of us: I think Paul must have felt awfully alone being held prisoner in the barracks in Jerusalem. When you are feeling alone and desperate, God will always send you that one person whom you need to get through the trial! Be patient and look out for that person. It might not be whom you expect!
In regards to Paul’s case, one would have thought that his help would have come from James or one of the other leaders of the church in Jerusalem. Nope! It came from his sister’s kid. And, just as soon as his job in saving Paul is done, we never hear of the nephew again. It is like that movie Nanny McPhee. The new nanny comes in and tells the children: “I can only stay as long as I am needed. For now you need me, but don’t want me and for now I will stay; but when you discover that you want but don’t need me, then I will go.” Confusing, but true about the people that God sends to us.
This rule actually applies to going to church, too. My parents would not even lend an ear to their children’s plea that they did not want to go to church, saying that church is not about what you want but rather what you need. The children who do not want to go to church are generally the ones who need to go. And the ones who do want to go to church are the ones who need it least!
Moving on to the next biblical Truth that comes to us from this passage about Paul’s arrest in Jerusalem: When you are down and out, when your back is against the wall, when you think it is time for yourself to get out—get out in style! In fact, let there be a parade!
I am not sure you can envision what is actually happening when Paul is moved from Jerusalem to Caesarea to meet with Governor Felix. He just is not taken out under the cover of darkness—perhaps disguised or hidden in a box or barrel. No, Paul goes out of Jerusalem with some 470 men guarding him, plus even extra horses! That is nothing less than a military parade. Paul had never been so honored in his whole life. Even when he is still Saul and is heading off to Damascus to persecute Christians there he only has a small contingent with him. And, those forty men who were going to assassinate him could have only stood there with their mouths agape.
This reminds me of Jesus going into Jerusalem at the end of his earthly ministry. We know this today as the triumphal entry into Jerusalem and still celebrate it today as Palm Sunday. Jesus knew that he was going to be crucified in Jerusalem—but he went out in style with a big parade into the city first. Likewise, Paul knew that he was going to be martyred (The Spirit had told him this), so he might as well go out with a big parade.
There is a church I know that had over the years dwindled down to about twenty or so active members. They struggled with questions as to whether they were still being effective witnesses to Christ in the community. They were all getting older. There were no children left in the church. Finally it was suggested that they should probably take what assets they had left and throw a big party at the fanciest hotel for themselves and close out the ministry in style.
The pastor of the church, somewhat realizing that his job was on the line, asked the church then, if they were willing to spend the last of their savings on a big party if they would be willing to spend the last of their savings on an extravagant evangelism push, of if they would be willing to spend it on hiring a CE director and building a nursery for children off of the main sanctuary—after all, the monies of the church were giving for ministry, not hotel parties.
Somewhat inspired, the church decided to send out 20,000 invitations out into the neighborhoods around the church for people to come back to worship. They built a nursery—and the first Sunday that it was open a mother with a young child came and used it. Young families started coming back. The Sunday school started up again. They continued to put out flyers and more people came. Their closing celebration became the re-birth of their ministry—not unlike the Palm Sunday leading to Easter!
The last biblical Truth that I see in this particular Scripture I think is the most profound: Paul is brought before the Governor named “Felix.” [As an aside, the name means “happy” but he was really not a very happy guy.] The first thing that Felix does is that he calls for the chief priest in Jerusalem to come so that Felix can hear what charges have been brought against Paul. The Bible tells us that Ananias came to Caesarea five days later. When we read this we think at first that this is a rather late response to being summoned; however, if one considers that it takes at least two days to go from Caesarea to Jerusalem and two days back, then this is an incredibly swift response. The chief priest barely had time to pack.
What we don’t know from the Bible, but that would have been widely known in the time, was that the chief priest’s predecessor had been assassinated by Governor Felix. If Ananias had not quickly responded to the governor’s summons, he might have been the next one to be assassinated. There could be no doubt who was in control. After Paul’s military escort in parade-like fashion out of Jerusalem, the contrast of Ananias scurrying down to Caesarea to save his own life is amazing.
Here is the question for all of us: “What happened in Jerusalem once Ananias was called to Caesarea?” For the first time since the persecutions against Christians began, they get some relief from their persecutors. The Christians in Jerusalem can come out of hiding. James the Apostle, and leader of the church there, can start up an active ministry again.
We must always focus outward and ask ourselves not just what is happening in our own personal ministries or the ministry of the church where we worship on Sundays. We have to ask ourselves how the Kingdom of God is doing in general. We cannot just focus on our own church programs, but rather focus on the larger picture of how many Christians have been saved on Kauai, how many souls have been won to Christ! How many souls in the world can be saved?!
You might be wondering how we can address such a thing from Waimea. After all, Hawaii is the most geographically isolated landmass in the world. But, you know, Paul was held in Caesarea under arrest by Felix for two years. In that time he never lost touch with the churches he had visited and help to start. Paul wrote out his theology in the first eight chapters of Romans while he was held in Caesarea. He wrote the letter to Titus that we start studying in our evening Bible Study tonight while he was held in captivity in Caesarea. No matter where you are, you can change the world for Christ!
1) God will
send you whom you need in your life when you them. 2) When you are down and
out, have a parade. Celebrate God. 3) Always look to the greater Kingdom of
God. Amen.