ACTS CHAPTER 22:23-23:11,
“When Things Go From Bad To Worse”
By
Jim Bomkamp
1.
INTRO
1.1.
In our last study, we looked
at Paul’s giving of his testimony to the angry mob gathered there at the temple
in Jerusalem who had been beating him up and who wanted to drag him off and
kill him, and we saw that Paul’s testimony was a model for us to study in how
we ought to communicate with people our testimony of how we came to Christ
1.1.1.
We saw that as Paul began
giving his testimony how incredible it was that he addressed the people who had
been beating him up as ‘brethren and fathers’
1.1.1.1.It demonstrated the power of the Holy Spirit in his life
1.1.1.2.Paul wasn’t concerned with his own safety but that he might be faithful
to the calling that he had from the Lord in his life
1.1.1.3.We saw how that Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit will give us the
words to share when we are persecuted, however we need to always be prayerful
so that we might be in tune with the Holy Spirit and thus hear what He might
have us to do and say
1.1.1.4.We looked at the importance of making the most of each and every
opportunity that comes our way for sharing our Christian testimony
1.1.1.5.We saw how that Paul looked beyond the behavior of those who previously
were smashing his face in and saw their deep need for the love of God in their
life
1.1.1.6.We saw how that Paul spoke the people’s language and thus they began to
listen to him
1.1.1.7.We saw how that Paul shared the events that had occurred in his coming
to salvation in such a way that people could see
1.1.1.7.1.It was only God who could have done this in his life
1.1.1.7.2.The people could see how that Christ could work similarly in their life
1.1.2.
We saw that the people
listened to Paul for awhile, however when he mentioned that God called him to
go to the Gentiles that the crowd again exploded into an uproar
1.1.2.1.We saw from this that our responsibility is to share Christ in the
power of the Holy Spirit with people, and what fruit is born from it is God’s
responsibility
1.2.
In our study today, we are
going to look at Paul’s interrogation both before the Roman commander and his
soldiers as well as the Sanhedrin
1.2.1.
We will see in our study how
that things just seem to go from bad to worse for Paul as this day turns into a
huge trial for him
1.2.2.
We will see how that Paul
had learned that in our trials and struggles that God was molding his life so
that he could be that beautiful gem that would reflect the radiance of the
glory of his maker
1.2.3.
We will see that in spite of
how wrongly the Jewish religious authorities handled their responsibilities
that Paul still gave them proper respect because of the office which they held
as God’s representatives
1.2.4.
We will see how that God
encourages us in the midst of our trials and struggles in this life
2.
VS 22:23-24 - “23
And as they were crying out and throwing off their cloaks and tossing dust into
the air, 24 the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, stating
that he should be examined by scourging so that he might find out the reason
why they were shouting against him that way.” - The Roman commander orders Paul into the
barracks to be interrogated
2.1.
The Roman
commander then ordered that Paul should suffer a ‘scourging’ with a whip in
order the he might be able to get out of him a confession of whatever wrong he
might have done.
2.2.
The Romans
had a real interesting way of interrogating people. They would just keep beating a prisoner until
he confessed.
2.3.
Things were
going from bad to worse for the apostle Paul on this day for the scourging that
the Roman commander spoke of was the same scourging which Jesus received before
being nailed to the cross of Calvary (John 19:1) and it was an extremely brutal
form of punishment.
2.3.1.
The ‘flagelum’ as it was called, was a whip
that had several thongs of leather that came out of the end, and upon the end
of each of the thongs of leather was tied pieces of brass, iron, or bone.
2.3.2.
The person would be tied to a pole or tied up and stretched out on the
ground when he was scourged.
2.3.3.
When a person was whipped with this ‘flagelum’
the pieces of brass, iron, or bone would tear into a his
muscles, ligaments, and tendons and tear out pieces of them when pulled out.
2.3.4.
It was believed that over 40 lashes with this ‘flagelum’
would kill a person, thus in Deut. 25:3 a person could not receive a sentence
from the court of greater than 40 lashes for any crime.
2.3.5.
Paul says of himself in 2 Cor. 11:24,25 that
three times he had received been beaten with rods (which was a type of this
scourging).
2.3.6.
This form of punishment was so brutal that the Porcian
Law of 197 B.C forbid that any Roman citizen should be
punished by scourging. If a person were
scourged and did not die, he would be crippled for the rest of his life as a
result of the scourging.
3.
VS 22:25-26 - “25 And when they stretched him
out with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful
for you to scourge a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?”
26 And when the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and told him,
saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.”” - Paul tells the soldiers who were stretching
him out in order to scourge him that he was a Roman citizen
3.1.
The solders
under command of the Roman Commander began to tie Paul up and prepare him for
the scourging. Then, Paul decided that
since nothing good could come of his being beaten in a senseless manner by
those to whom he could not have any real ministry to or effect upon, that in
this case in order to prevent his being scourged he would assert his rights as
a Roman citizen.
3.2.
According to
Roman law a Roman citizen could not be scourged by authorities for any crime,
and he could not be punished for any crime unless he had received formal
charges against himself and been given a full and legal trial for the
charges. Therefore, what these men were
attempting to do to Paul was completely illegal in
3.2.1.
The solder to
whom Paul told that he was a Roman solder then became
worried for he knew he was already operating in violation of Roman law for
having chained Paul even before any formal charges had been made against him,
so he immediately told the commander how that Paul had claimed Roman citizenship.
3.2.2.
According to
Roman law, if a person were to violate the rights of a Roman citizen by not
following the procedures of the law, then what the person was to receive was
the same punishment which he was attempting to or did give to the person.
3.3.
We see from
the life of Paul as recorded in the book of Acts, as well as his epistles which
make up a large part of what is our New Testament that he had learned much
about Christ up to this point in his life which helped to go through these
circumstances in the way which he did.
3.3.1.
Paul had
learned that no matter what circumstances that he was in that God was still on
the throne. He was still in control, and that no matter how the circumstances appeared
on the outside that God was really still in control.
3.3.2.
Paul had learned
that God uses the trials that we go through in our lives to mold us into the
very likeness and image of Christ.
3.3.2.1.Before going to the cross, Jesus told His disciples
that, “in the world you will have ‘tribulation’, but take courage, I have
overcome the world” (John 16:33).
3.3.2.1.1.This Greek word translated ‘tribulation’ is the word ‘thlipsis’, and it speaks of a tremendous crushing pressure,
and as such was used for cracking open grains of wheat or crushing grapes to
get the juice out of them. Jesus
promised His followers of all ages that they would experience tremendous
crushing pressure upon their lives in this world.
3.3.2.1.2.That most beautiful and valuable of gems, the
‘diamond’, is the hardest occurring
natural substance in the world. It is
also the most lasting of gemstones as a result.
A diamond can only be cut by another diamond, and it can also not be
tarnished or corrupted by being placed in acids. The diamond is formed deep inside the earth
as a result of mostly carbon which is exposed to tremendous heat and
pressure. A diamond can be destroyed by
intense heat and they will turn into graphite and can be used as a lubricant,
however if exposed to intense heat and oxygen they will actually burn. Diamonds are formed by diamond crystals, and
some of the crystals have 6 faces, but most have eight. Diamonds have the ability to reflect light,
bend rays of light, and break light up into the colors of the rainbow, however
in order to produce the greatest possible brilliance in a diamond, many little
facets (sides) must be cut and polished on it.
Each tiny facet must be exactly the right size and shape and must be
placed at exactly the right angle in relation to other facets. The making of a diamond is an illustration of
what the Lord is doing in our lives as Christians as a result of the trials and
‘tribulations’ which we go through. The
end result of these trials and ‘tribulations’ will be that most beautiful and
valuable quality of the character of Christ reflected in our lives.
3.3.2.2.In Heb. 12:3-13, the author (which was probably
the apostle Paul) wrote about how that through the trials and difficulties that
we Christians go through in this life that our Father in heaven is disciplining
us so that we may be perfected into the image of Christ, “3 For consider
Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may
not grow weary and lose heart. 4 You
have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against
sin; 5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not
regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by
Him; 6 For those whom the Lord loves He
disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you endure; God
deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not
discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of
which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not
sons. 9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected
them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?
10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He
disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. 11 All discipline
for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have
been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
12 Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and
the knees that are feeble, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that
the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.”
3.3.2.2.1.In the first two verses in chapter 12 of Hebrews, the
author tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus who the author and perfector
of faith, and then he proceeds to speak of the way in which Jesus endured
suffering is to be our example to follow when we go through our trials and
persecutions.
3.3.2.2.2.The author says here that all earthly fathers
discipline their children so that their children will turn out to be good people
and not do foolish and wicked things, and in the same way the trials that we go
through produce the same effect in our lives as Christians.
3.3.2.2.3.The author says that earthly fathers discipline their
children for the children’s own good, just as God disciplines us for our own
good so that we will ‘share His holiness’.
3.3.2.2.4.The author says that the end result of our trials will
be ‘the peaceful fruit of righteousness’, for God is producing in our lives the
very image of Christ.
3.3.2.2.5.The author writes that we are not to ‘regard lightly’
the discipline of the Lord, which would mean that we are to pay attention to
what God is teaching us, realize the importance of what the trial is producing
in our lives, and apply the lessons that God is trying to teach us.
3.3.2.2.6.The author writes that we are not to ‘faint’ because
of the trials that we go through that come from the Father’s hand, which means
that we are not to get overwhelmed by them and give up trying to do good and
serve God because of the trials.
3.3.2.3.In 1 Peter 1:7, the apostle Peter wrote about
how precious in the sight of God is the faith of His children that is tested
(or ‘tried’) by trials, “7 that the proof of your faith, being more
precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be
found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
3.3.2.3.1.Peter wrote that that ‘tested faith’ will even result
in ‘praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ’.
3.3.2.4.In 1 Peter 2:4-5, Peter talks about how to God
that Christ is a precious stone but that we also are to God precious stones,
just as the ‘diamond’ I previous mentioned, “4 And coming to Him as to a
living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God, 5
you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ.”
3.3.2.5.Spurgeon
once spoke about the difference between ‘punishment’ and ‘chastisement’ and how
that it is out of love for us that God ‘chastises’ us, “God punishes the
sinner on his own account, because he is angry with the sinner, and his justice
must be avenged, his law must be honored, and his commands must have their
dignity maintained. But he does not punish the believer on his own account, it
is on the Christian’s account, to do him good, He afflicts him for his profit,
he lays on the rod for his child’s advantage; he has a good design towards the
person who receives the chastisement. While in punishment the design is simply
with God for God’s glory, in chastisement, it is with the person chastised for
his good, for his spiritual profit and benefit. Besides, punishment is laid on
a man in anger. God strikes him in wrath, but when he afflicts his child,
chastisement is applied in love, his strokes are, all of them, put there by the
hand of love. The rod has been baptized in deep affection before it is laid on
the believer’s back. God doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve us for nought, but out of love and affection, because he perceives
that if he leaves us unchastised, we shall bring upon
ourselves misery ten thousand-fold greater than we shall suffer by his slight
rebukes, and the gentle blows of his hand.”
3.3.2.5.1.A note to parents here is that we must be careful to
discipline our children the same way in which our heavenly Father disciplines
us. In love the Lord trains us up in
righteousness and all of His discipline to us is done out of His love for us,
not in anger. When disciplining our
children while they were young and needed lots of discipline we always told
them that we loved them and that we were disciplining them because we loved
them and wanted them to grow up to be good people and to love the Lord, not to
be bad people and do bad things. A
parent who does not discipline his child is not loving
his child as he should, for love requires us to correct our children.
4.
VS 22:27-29 - “27 And the commander came and
said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.” 28 And the commander
answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” And Paul
said, “But I was actually born a citizen.” 29 Therefore those who were about to
examine him immediately let go of him; and the commander also was afraid when
he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had put him in chains.”
- Paul tells the commander that he was
actual born a Roman citizen
4.1.
The Roman
commander now became very nervous, having heard that Paul was a Roman
citizen. He knew that he was already in
violation of Roman law in his handling of Paul and thus could already suffer
grave consequences. The commander then
questioned Paul about whether or not he truly was a Roman citizen, to which
Paul gave an affirmative answer.
4.2.
The Roman
Commander was curious about how that Paul had obtained his citizenship, and
Paul told him that his parents had Roman citizenship, and therefore he had been
born with the full rights of Roman citizenship.
4.2.1.
Being born
with Roman citizen was more valuable and prestigious than purchasing it.
4.2.2.
A person
could obtain Roman citizenship through bribing a Roman official, which the
Roman commander had evidently done.
5.
VS 22:30 - “30
But on the next day, wishing to know for certain why he had been accused by the
Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Council to
assemble, and brought Paul down and set him before them.” - The Roman commander brought Paul before the
Sanhedrin to ascertain what crime Paul might have committed
5.1.
The Roman
Commander made a decision that came from worldly wisdom. He decided that since Paul was a Roman
citizen, and since he did not want to violate Paul’s rights as a Roman citizen,
and since he had no formal charges that he could bring against Paul that would
hold up in a Roman court, he would turn Paul over to the Jewish authorities and
grant them the authority under Roman law to determine Paul’s fate.
5.1.1.
The Sanhedrin
had been given wide jurisdiction by the Romans for determining civil matters,
and in fact they could administer any punishment up to capital punishment, for
which they would have to obtain specific permission from
5.1.2.
By handing
Paul over to the Sanhedrin to administer justice to Paul, the Roman Commander
could make peace with the Jews by letting them do what they wished with Paul (i.e.
kill him), plus he would not be in danger of violating Roman law with his
handling of Paul.
5.2.
Things just
continued to get worse for Paul on this day, for now justice would be
administered by the very Sanhedrin that desired to have him killed for blasphemy
and persuading people to find God through Jesus.
5.3.
Someone once
said that until it is the Lord’s time for a Christian to go to be with the
Lord, then each one of us is invincible.
God has a purpose for us, and until we have fulfilled that purpose, then
God is going to protect us from death.
Trials may be in the picture, but no one can take our life from us. God had plans for Paul, and thus though
things have gone from bad to worse for Paul, God was still working His plan in
Paul’s life.
6.
VS 23:1-5 - “23:1 And Paul, looking intently at the Council, said, “Brethren, I have
lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day.” 2
And the high priest Ananias commanded those standing beside him to strike him
on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you
whitewashed wall! And do you sit to try me according to the Law, and in
violation of the Law order me to be struck?” 4 But the bystanders said, “Do you
revile God’s high priest?” 5 And Paul said, “I was not aware, brethren, that he
was high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of
your people.’”” - Paul
reviled the ‘high priest’ for having him struck in violation of the law
6.1.
Paul tells
the Jewish Sanhedrin who are giving him a mock trial
so that they can have him put to death that he has been living his life with a
‘perfectly good conscience’.
6.1.1.
Paul had not
defiled the temple by the instructions of the Law of Moses, nor had he brought
Gentiles into the temple as he had been accused.
6.1.2.
Paul also
knew that though he had taught men that the ceremonial Jewish law was now superceded by Christ, that this was the doing of God.
6.1.3.
Paul’s life
was not lived in rebellion against God, but rather according to His will and
purposes.
6.1.3.1.It was actually those who were trying Paul in this
mock trial who were the real rebels against God’s holiness and
righteousness. They were the true law
breakers and transgressors of God’s Law on this day.
6.2.
The high
priest ordered Paul to be struck on the mouth by a soldier in order to make it
look like he out of godly zeal for Jehovah was concerned for proper respect and
righteousness, and to make it seem that Paul had displayed great self-righteous
arrogance in giving that answer to the Council.
However, Paul was just speaking the truth to the Council.
6.2.1.
In fact,
those of the Sanhedrin were the ones that were really on trial that day. No matter what a person may get away with in
this life, there is going to be a day in which there will be final justice for
all, and on that day no one will have gotten away with anything.
6.3.
What Paul
said to the high priest about God striking Ananias proved to be prophetic,
however. Less than two years after this
incident, King Agrippa deposed Ananias from the high priesthood, and then in 66
AD, during the beginning of the Jewish war under the procuratorship
of Florus, history records that Ananias had his house
burned down and was stabbed to death by the daggers of the Sicarii.
6.4.
Paul called
the high priest a ‘white-washed wall’.
This reminds me of what Jesus called the Pharisees on one occasion. He called them ‘white-washed tombs’. In both cases, the white-wash was hypocrisy
which hid from the surface what was a reality
underneath. These Pharisees, and indeed
Ananias the high priest, gave a show of godliness,
however in reality they were very evil of heart, filled with all wickedness.
6.5.
From this
story it seems as if Paul had acted sort of out of character for himself in
speaking this way to the high priest.
There has been much discussion as to what Paul’s motives were in
speaking to the high priest in this way:
6.5.1.
Some have
said that Paul appeared to have bad eye sight and thus he might not have been
able to see that this was the high priest.
6.5.1.1.However, since Paul himself had even been on the
Sanhedrin it is unlikely that he would not have known where the high priest
would have sat during this council nor how he would
have presided.
6.5.2.
Some have
said that since Paul had been gone from
6.5.3.
Some have
said that perhaps the high priest didn’t wear his normal attire, or the meeting
was so informal that Paul couldn’t determine who was interrogating him.
6.5.4.
Some have
said that Paul just lost his temper momentarily, however if he did lose his
temper, then I think that the that type of anger that he manifested was what
the Bible calls ‘righteous anger’, and thus his anger towards the high priest
was justified.
6.5.4.1.It has been recorded in history that Ananias is
thought to be the most corrupt and vile of the high priests to ever hold that
office.
6.5.5.
Ken Ortiz
brings out an interesting point. He
believes that Paul stood before Ananias as sort of a representative of the
people, or God’s people. In that
capacity, Paul was concerned for those who would sit before this seat of
judgment after him, and if he were treated with such a
contempt for true justice, then other believers would be treated in the
same way, and Paul could not bear to allow that to happen.
6.6.
Regardless of
Paul’s motives for responding to the high priest in the way that he did, we
Christians need to be careful how we respond to those who mistreat us, for the
scripture speaks to us about how to respond to those who mistreat us.
6.6.1.
Jesus of
course is our best example of how to bear up under trials when being mistreated
unjustly by others:
6.6.1.1.Isaiah prophesied concerning Jesus in Is. 53:7,
“7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His
mouth; Like a lamb that is led to
slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not
open His mouth”.
6.6.1.2.Peter wrote in 1 Pet. 2:21-24, concerning how
Christ is to be our example in our suffering, “21 For you have been
called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an
example for you to follow in His steps, 22 who committed no sin, nor was any
deceit found in His mouth; 23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in
return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to
Him who judges righteously; 24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the
cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds
you were healed”.
6.6.1.3.Jesus taught us to love our enemies, pray for them,
and do good to them.
6.6.2.
We Christians
must be careful when people hate and persecute us that we do not take vengeance
into our own hands and strike back in anger.
We need to let God alone take any vengeance that needs to be taken.
6.7.
We notice
here that when it is pointed out to Paul that this man, Ananias, was the high
priest how that he responded appropriately then to Ananias, for Paul knew how
that we Christians are to be in subjection and give respect to all those whom
God has placed in authority over our lives.
6.7.1.
In Romans
chapter 13, which Paul would later write, he expresses how that we are to be in
submission to all those who are in authority over our lives and give them
proper respect.
6.7.2.
Though Paul
had no respect for the man Ananias because of his wicked heart, nevertheless
when it was pointed out to him that Ananias was the high priest, Paul submitted
to him and gave him proper respect because Paul had respect for the office
which the man represented before God.
7.
VS 23:6-9 - “6 But
perceiving that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul began
crying out in the Council, “Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am
on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!” 7 And as he said this,
there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees; and the assembly
was divided. 8 For the Sadducees say that there is no
resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit; but the Pharisees acknowledge them
all. 9 And there arose a great uproar; and some of the scribes of the Pharisaic
party stood up and began to argue heatedly, saying, “We find nothing wrong with
this man; suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”” - Paul
decided to try to pit those who were of the party of the Pharisees against
those of the Saducees
7.1.
As Paul was
about to be condemned to death in this mock trial by the Sanhedrin, he realized
that the group of 70 men which comprised the Sanhedrin was divided in half,
between Pharisees and Sadducees. He
himself had once been one of the strictest of Pharisees, and so he knew that he
could divide this group in half by claiming that he was on trial for the
resurrection of the dead, a truth to which he was convinced and in which he
knew that the Pharisees would support him in.
7.1.1.
We can see by
his actions that Paul knew how to manipulate crowds.
7.1.2.
We can see
here that Paul knew that it would be senseless for him to die for his faith
under such circumstances, therefore he felt that he had the freedom to
manipulate this crowd and by doing so perhaps obtain his release.
7.2.
Paul has been
criticized by some for his actions outlined in these verses, especially for
proclaiming himself as being a Pharisee.
After becoming a Christian, Paul had no affiliation with the
Pharisees. However we look at it, I do
not think that we can criticize him for what he did, for after all he did believe
in the resurrection of the dead so he didn’t lie.
7.2.1.
Paul was
being led of the Holy Spirit in this situation.
7.2.2.
We should be
willing in any situation to suffer if we know that God desires us to and if
good may come of it, but as the Holy Spirit leads us, and if we see in a
situation that to suffer would be pointless, why should we suffer when there is
a way to avoid it, yet without our having to sin?
7.3.
Paul
accomplished his desired result when he proclaimed that he was a Pharisee on
trial for the belief in the resurrection of the dead, the Pharisaic party stood
up and proclaimed that they had found nothing wrong with him, and, that perhaps
‘an angel’ or ‘spirit’ had spoken to him.
8.
VS 23:10 - “10
And as a great dissension was developing, the commander was afraid Paul would
be torn to pieces by them and ordered the troops to go down and take him away
from them by force, and bring him into the barracks.” - The commander ordered his troops to take Paul
back to the barracks
8.1.
The Roman
Commander took Paul from the presence of the Jewish council as he saw that they
were in the midst of a major riot, and he was afraid that they would end up
tearing Paul to pieces, and as a result he would be responsible for not
providing him adequate protection as a Roman citizen.
8.2.
Paul was now
again back at the Fortress of Antonio on the NW corner of the temple.
9.
VS 23:11 - “11 But on the night immediately
following, the Lord stood at his side and said, “Take courage; for as you have solemnly
witnessed to My cause at
9.1.
Evidently,
Paul was very discouraged at the days events.
9.1.1.
He realized
that he had failed in his attempt to persuade his brethren the Jews concerning
the gospel of Jesus Christ and God’s acceptance of the Gentiles
9.1.2.
He had even
failed in his attempt to preach the gospel to the angry mob which had grabbed
and beaten him in the theater.
9.1.3.
Now, he knew
that he was at the mercy of the Sanhedrin and a Roman Commander who would
surely try to press legal charges against him.
9.1.4.
We know that
Paul was depressed and discouraged from the fact from how that the Lord came to
him in the night and ‘stood at his side’ and encouraged him to, ‘Take
Courage’.
9.2.
Jesus often
encouraged his disciples to, ‘Take Courage’.
In the New American Standard translation, there are four other recorded
incidents in the gospels where Jesus specifically told people to, ‘Take
Courage!’
9.2.1.
Jesus told a
person to, ‘Take Courage’, for He had healed their infirmity
9.2.2.
He also told
another person to do the same thing, because He had forgiven them of their
sins.
9.2.3.
In Matt.
14:27, He told His disciples this when he was walking on the water by their
boat, and they thought that He was a ghost, “Take courage, it is I, do
not be afraid”.
9.2.4.
In John
16:33, Jesus said: “33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but
take courage; I have overcome the world.””
9.3.
The King
James translation of John 16:33 translates, ‘Take Courage’, as “Be of
good cheer”, and this leads me to think that the thing that the Lord is trying
to tell His disciples to do is to “Be encouraged, be bold, and be fearless”,
seeing as He is God and ruling over all creation and their lives.
9.4.
Our God is
Almighty God. We Christians need to
realize that our God is the One in whom we can, ‘Take Courage’. Our lives are in His hand, and we have
nothing to worry about seeing that He is God, and that He is for us, Rom.
8:31. He is in control, and nothing
happens but that He who knows what is best, allows to
happen. We should never worry! We should also never fear!
9.5.
According to
Phil. 4:6-7, when is it a good time to worry?
Never...
9.6.
Instead of
being pessimistic and depressed, we Christians ought to “be encouraged” by the
Lord because of all of His promises to us.
We ought to be optomistic through faith in His
faithfulness to fulfill His promises to us.