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The DEEP

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Acts 23:23-35 (ESV)

Then he called two of the centurions and said, “Get ready two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night. Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to Felix the governor.” And he wrote a letter to this effect:

“Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency the governor Felix, greetings. This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen. And desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council. I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. And when it was disclosed to me that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him.”

So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. And on the next day they returned to the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him. When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. On reading the letter, he asked what province he was from. And when he learned that he was from Cilicia, he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive.” And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod's praetorium.

Wait. The tribune sent 470 men with Paul to guard him as they spirited him away to the governor? That’s too many even for a favorite nephew. How come Paul rates?

This is an example of how the Roman government works. If the tribune were to lose one of his prisoners to a mob, he would lose his job, if not his head. The Jews have been on the brink of revolt for quite some time now (and will revolt within a few decades). A Roman tribune must keep the peace – the Pax Romana. He doesn’t just want to protect Paul; he wants to intimidate the rabble with a show of force.

http://www.unrv.com/early-empire/pax-romana.php

This tension between the Pax Romana and the Jewish revolutionary attitude explains a lot. It underlies their misunderstanding of what kind of messiah God sent. It’s also explains how they got Jesus crucified.


The first century Jews made the mistake of assuming that God thinks the way they do. They hated being ruled by the Romans. Their worship was hindered, so they assumed that God wanted the Romans out too.

But God had bigger plans. Roman rule was just one piece of a larger puzzle. God even used it (e.g., the roads) to advance His purposes.

We make the same mistake. We worry about elections as if they have cosmic significance. Sure, you should vote and even get involved at higher levels – but don’t kid yourself about how that relates to what’s really important. If you’re placing your hope in politics, you’re sure to be disappointed.


The weekly study guides, which include discussion questions, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies

Mike Slay

As a mathematician, inventor, and ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church in America, Mike Slay brings an analytical, conversational, and even whimsical approach to the daily study of God's Word.

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