Paul said, “I
was born free.”
Acts 22:28
And the night
following the Lord stood by him, and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul: for as you
have testified of me in Jerusalem, so must you bear witness also at Rome.” Acts 23:11
Have you ever
been falsely accused? It does not feel good. I have been there. People love to
believe the bad before the good, because it is like carrying a dark deep secret
filling one with a sense of importance. However, everyone hears the lie without
questioning if it is true. And why would one falsely accuse another? Power?
Insecurity? Jealousy? Prejudice? Oh! The list can roll on and on. Another
reason is that people do not like change and change makes them feel threatened.
In the end, the false accusations will eventually turn around and hurt the
accuser. A lie is a lie.
In Paul’s case,
the Sanhedrin and leaders at the temple did not accept the resurrection of
Jesus. If they did, they would lose their power and riches. Many used their
position to gain power over the people. At the same time, some used their
position to create ties with the Roman leaders and to make themselves wealthy
from temple offerings. Since the resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God, members
of the Sanhedrin refuse to believe as they felt that they will lose power over
the people. They knew the law and words of the prophets. If Jesus is the
Messiah, this will change their position in the Temple. They did not want to
accept the Gentiles nor any kind of change, and Paul, the missionary, was a
threat in their eyes towards change.
In Acts 22 and
23, the Sanhedrin had succeeded in having Paul arrested, but they wanted more.
They wanted Paul dead. This man was teaching the dirty Gentiles. How dare he!
They did not want these people coming into the temple. Note, Paul did not bring
Gentiles into the temple as he understood Jewish laws. He was taught by
Gamaliel and had ambitions to be on the council until Jesus stopped him on the
road to Damascus. Paul was with them when they stoned Stephen to death. At one
time, Paul was one of them. Paul’s heart changed. Now, they wanted Paul dead.
The Temple
leaders lost their chance to kill Paul when the Roman soldiers stopped the riot
and took Paul into custody. Now, how can they accomplish their goal of stopping
Paul? Together, forty men made a conspiracy to kill Paul. They go to the chief
priests and elders and share their plans. In fact, these forty men made a
promise to each other to not eat or drink until Paul is dead. Now, this is a
commitment. So, they shared the plan with the temple leaders. When the chief
captain brings Paul to them so they can ask more questions, they will be ready
to attack and kill Paul along the way. They all agreed on this great plan to
end Paul’s influence forever.
While they were
making plans to kill Paul, a young man was near by and heard the plans. It was
Paul’s nephew. He heard the plans and went right away to the castle and told
Paul. Paul calls the guards and asks them to take his nephew to the chief
captain. The guard goes to the chief captain saying, “Paul, the prisoner,
called me to come to him and prayed me to bring this young man to you as he has
something to say to you.” Now, the chief captain takes Paul’s nephew’s hand,
takes him aside privately, and asks, “What do you have to tell me?”
The nephew tells
the chief captain, “The Jews have agreed to come to you tomorrow and ask you to
bring Paul to the council; so, they can inquire more from Paul. But do not
yield to their request, because forty men will be waiting along the way to kill
Paul. These forty men have made an oath to not eat or drink until they have
killed Paul.”
After hearing
this the chief captain tells the young man to not tell anyone what he had just
shared. He calls two centurions and gave orders for them to prepare two hundred
soldiers to go to Caesarea along with seventy horsemen and two hundred
spearmen. At the third hour of night, provide beasts to set Paul on and take
him safely to Felix the governor. He wrote a letter to Felix:
“Claudius Lysias
unto the most excellent governor Felix sending greetings. This man was taken of
the Jews and should have been killed of them: then came I with an army, and
rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman. When I would have known the
cause wherefore, they accused him, I brought him before the council. Whom I
perceived to be accused of questions of the law, but to have nothing laid to
his charge worthy of death or of bonds. Then, it has been told me how that the
Jews laid wait for the man, I sent straightway to you and gave commandment to
his accusers also to say before you what they had against him. Farewell.”
Paul was slipped
away in the night surrounded by over four hundred soldiers. God placed a young
man in the place to hear the plot, and he shared the plot with the authorities.
This saved Paul. It also will place Paul before a more powerful government
leader. Another group of men will hear about Jesus’ saving grace. This is what
Paul did. Even while he was being falsely accused, he continued to share the
gospel. He did not take vengeance against the accusers. He knew God had a plan.
This plan will place Paul on the road to Rome.
Now, how to you
handle false accusations? Please do not be the one sharing evil stories about
anyone. Take such stories to God in prayer. Question the person sharing and let
them know you do not appreciate hearing terrible things about people. Then, if
you are falsely accused, do not take offense nor defense. Pray. Be honest.
Share the truth. Pray continuously. Be graceful and leave everything to God. He
will reveal the truth in His time. As with Paul, God has a plan for you.
Note: Acts 23
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