Acts 23:1
Outline:
I. \\#Acts 1:1-8:4\\ God’s Work in Jerusalem
A. \\#1:1-3\\ The Introduction
B. \\#1:4-26\\ Jesus’ Departure
C. \\#2:1-8:4\\ The Holy Ghost’s Coming
II. \\#Acts 8:5-12:24\\ God’s Work in Judea and Samaria
III. \\#Acts 13:1-28:31\\ God’s Work in Uttermost Parts of the World
A. \\#13:1-14:28\\ The First Missionary Journey
B. \\#15:1-35\\ Judaism or Grace
C. \\#15:36-18:22\\ Paul’s Second Missionary Journey
D. \\#Acts 18:23-21:17\\ Paul’s Third Missionary Journey
1. \\#18:23\\ Galatia and Phrygia
2. \\#18:24-28\\ Apollos in Ephesus
3. \\#19:1-23\\ Paul Returned to Ephesus
4. \\#20-1-6\\ Paul in Greece
5. \\#20:7-12\\ Paul in Troas
6. \\#20:13-16\\ Paul in the Coastal Cities
7. \\#20:17-38\\ Paul Bids the Elders of Ephesus Farewell
8. \\#21:1-3\\ Paul in more Costal Cities
9. \\#21:3-7\\ Paul in Tyre
10. \\#21:8-14\\ Paul in Caesarea
11. \\#21:15-17\\ Paul arrived in Jerusalem
E. \\#Acts 21:18-28:30\\ Paul’s Arrest and Journey to Rome
1. \\#Acts 21:18-23:32\\ Paul in Jerusalem
a. \\#Acts 21:18-25\\ Paul before the Church
b. \\#Acts 21:26-30\\ Paul in the temple
c. \\#Acts 21:31-22:23\\ Paul on the steps
d. \\#Acts 22:24-30\\ Paul to be examined
(1) \\#Acts 22:24-29\\ By the Whip
(2) \\#Acts 22:30-23:10\\ By the Council
e. \\#Acts 23:11-32\\ An Attempt to Kill Paul
(1) \\#Acts 23:11\\ Paul Vision
(2) \\#Acts 23:12-15\\ The Plot
(3) \\#Acts 23:16-22\\ The Revealing
(4) \\#Acts 23:23-33\\The Relocation
(5) \\#Acts 23:31-33\\ The Transport
2. \\#Acts 23:33-27:2\\ Paul in Caesarea
I. \\#Acts 22:24-30\\ Paul to be examined
A. \\#Acts 22:24-29\\ By the Whip
B. \\#Acts 22:30-23:10\\ By the Council
1. \\#Acts 22:30\\ - "On the morrow" - The next day…
2. "known the certainty" - Because he wanted to know for sure.
3. "commanded the chief priests and all their council" - The
captain assembled the High Priest and council.
4. \\#Acts 23:1-5\\ Paul makes an introductory statement in
his defense.
a. "I have lived in all good conscience before God,"
meaning Paul felt he had served God faithfully.
b. \\#2\\ To this, the High Priest Ananias, had Paul
struck
(1) The could possibly be the son of Annas who helped
to crucify Christ, but the name is common and it
could also be another.
(2) As Paul will state in \\#3\\, striking him was an
unjust act.
(a) No crimes had been determined so no
punishment should have been rendered.
Le 19:35 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in
judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure.
(b) As we in America have a basic understanding
of what justice is, so did the Jews.
Joh 7:51 Doth our law judge any man, before it
hear him, and know what he doeth?
c. \\#3\\ Paul rebukes the one who gave a command to
strike him.
(1) It is obvious by \\#4-5\\, that Paul did not know
the man who gave that order was the High Priest.
(a) \\#5\\ "I wist not …that he was the High
Priest"
(b) By Paul’s own statement, he would not have
rebuked the man so if he had know who he
was.
(c) Paul paraphrases Exodus 22:28.
Ex 22:28 Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor
curse the ruler of thy people.
(2) The fact that Paul did not know the High Priest
meant one of two things:
(a) The High Priest has changed office since
Paul last stood in the Sanhedrin and Paul,
being removed from that circle for so long,
did not the High Priest’s replacement.
(b) Paul’s eyesight was so bad that he could not
make out who the High Priest was. Many
believe that Paul’s thorn in the flesh was
bad eyesight.
2Cor 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above
measure through the abundance of the revelations,
there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the
messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should
be exalted above measure.
d. However, this biased action by the High Priest made it
clear to Paul that he would not receive a fair
hearing.
5. \\#Acts 23:6-10\\ Paul divided the Council
a. \\#6\\ "Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees
and the other Pharisees" - Knowing the differences in
the two religious sects, Paul simplified Christianity
to one of its basic levels, the resurrection.
b. \\#7-9\\ While there was no guarantee that the two
parties would revert to their standard opposing
corners, they did.
c. It is noteworthy that while Christian may be
prohibited from violence, they may still use their
cunning!
d. \\#10\\ "there arose such a great dissension" - The
fight between the two factions was so great that the
chief captain was forced to again rescue Paul and
return him to the "castle," the Roman garrison and
prison.
II. \\#Acts 23:11-33\\ An Attempt to Kill Paul
A. \\#11\\ Paul Vision
1. "the Lord stood by him" - The verse does not say that an
"angel" stood beside Paul but that the "Lord" Himself
did.
2. "so must thou bear witness also at Rome" - God promised
Paul that his ministry would yet carry him to Rome,
although this promise might still be fulfilled in a way
that Paul did not yet understand.
B. \\#12-15\\ The Plot - Some of the Jews made arrangements with
the Sanhedrin to request Paul be interrogated again and when
he was to be brought in, they would kill him.
C. \\#16-22\\ The Revealing - Somehow, Paul’s nephew heard of the
plan and revealed it to Paul who then had him reveal it to
the chief captain.
1. Although called "a young man" \\#22\\, Paul’s nephew must
have been very young for the captain "took him by the
hand" \\#19\\ to lead him to a place of privacy.
2. The chief captain must have been a man of discernment and
honor to have taken this young man’s word and to have
moved Paul to safety with no more evidence than what he
had.
D. \\#23-33\\The Relocation
1. \\#23\\ "two centurions …two hundred soldiers …horse-
men threescore and ten …spearmen two hundred - A total
of 472 men and 70 horses are assembled to escort Paul.
That is some company!
2. "third hour of night" - They are dispatched at 9:00 PM.
The journey was a bit over 50 miles.
3. \\#24\\ "bring him (Paul) safe unto Felix the governor"
Antonius Felix was born a servant himself. He was freed
by Claudius Caesar (10 BC to 54 AD). He married three
women, including Drusilla who will be mentioned
\\#Acts 24:24\\. He was raised by the Emperor to the
position of governor until he was replaced by Festus.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudius.
John Gills Expositor Commentary, Acts 23:24, Online Bible Edition 4.
41.02.
4. \\#23-30\\ A Letter
a. \\#26\\ The chief captain, whose name we are told was
"Claudius Lysias," sent a letter of explanation to
the Governor Felix along with Paul.
b. \\#27\\ In the letter, the captain explained how he
arrested Paul—although he forget to mention that he
did bind Paul with the intention to interrogate him.
c. \\#29\\ Lysias shared his view that Paul did "nothing
…worthy of death or of bonds."
d. \\#30\\ And he closed by saying he sent him to Felix
when he learned of a conspiracy against Paul, giving
the accusers instructions to appear before Felix.
5. \\#31-33\\ The Transport
a. \\#31\\ "and brought him by night to Antipatris" - A
city about half way to Caesarea.
b. \\#32\\ "the horsemen to go with him" - Paul had been
given a "beast" to ride \\#24\\. The next morning,
the 402 men return to Jerusalem and the 70 horsemen
take Paul the remainder of the journey.
c. \\#33\\ Who take Paul and the letter to "governor" at
"Caesarea."
III. \\#Acts 23:33-27:2\\ Paul in Caesarea
A. \\#Acts 23:34-35\\ Paul’s first meeting with Felix
1. The meeting seemed to be short and to the point.
2. The governor…
a. \\#34\\ read the letter"
b. "asked of what province he was."
(1) The letter stated that Paul was Roman but Felix
wanted to know whose jurisdiction Paul belonged;
hence the question.
(2) "he was of Cilicia" - That would put Paul in the
Syrian province, north of Judah.
(3) Hearing that, why did Felix agree to hear the
case? Probably because the alleged crime was
committed in Judah.
c. \\#35\\ "I will hear thee …when thine accusers are
also come" - He agreed to hear the case.
d. "Herod’s judgment hall" - This was built by Herod the
Great. He built a theater, amphitheater, hippodrome,
palace, Roman temple and an extensive network of
aqueducts.
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