Lesson 8 - Paul In Prison

 Lesson 8 

Paul In Prison

Bible Posrion: Acts 21: 17 - 26:32

Memory Verse: 2 Cori 12: 9 - 10 

And He said to me, " My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." There for most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 

Introduction : 

Paul, who did his ministry extensively worldwide, was imprisoned for the gospel's sake. We will study in this lesson the reasons for his imprisonment as well as his ministry in bounds. Paul was presented before many kings. We will also study how Paul appealed to the Emperor and was thus sent to Rome. 

Paul at Jerusalem :

We will learn about the imprisonment of Paul, who worked with freedom until now. Paul was not unaware of what was going to happen to him. He came to Jerusalem willing even to die for the sake of Jesus Christ (At 21:13 ). Meanwhile, a rumor was spread among the Jews in Jerusalem and all over, accusing Paul of rejecting the Jewish Law and persuading others against the observance of the Law. The fact was that even then, converted Jewish believers were unwilling to leave the Law. As far as the Gentile converts were concerned, the church council had already passed the ruling that they were not bound to observe the Law (Act 15). Apostle Paul, however, had yielded James and other apostles to please the Jewish believers. Four of the Jewish believers had Nazirite vows which were to be broken ceremonially in the Jewish Temple. While breaking the vow, sacrifices, and offerings were to be made in the Temple (Num. 6 13 -21). Paul was asked to pay the expenses of the ceremony, which they agreed to fulfill. But this not only did not fulfill the intended thing, but it provided the Jews an opportunity to arrest him in the Temple itself (acts 21: 17 -27)

Stir against Paul and God's deliverance : 

A mere misunderstanding grew and developed into a turbulent riot against Paul. The people brought many accusations against him (Acts 21: 27,28). They sized Paul, dragged him out of the Temple, and closed the doors of the Temple. They were almost up to killing him. But the Lord immediately sent help through a high official. The Roman commander Lysias rushed to the spot and delivered Paul from their hands. They took him to the castle of Antonia in chains. The soldiers had to carry Paul as they descended the stairs because of the mob's violence. The reason for this uproar was a misunderstanding by the Jews that Paul defiled the holy place by taking a Greek named Trophimos into the Temple with him. Compare this riot with the one at Ephesus. Here it is the religious blindness of the Jews, but at Ephesus, the Gentile silversmiths caused trouble. Nothing is worse than spiritual blindness and more harmful than religious fanatics. Similar was the cry of the crowd against Jesus Christ ( Luke 23: 17 -24)

Preaching to the Murderers ( Acts 22: 1 -21) 

There are ten sermons of Paul recorded in the Book of Acts. It is interesting to take note of them. Here Paul addressed a murderous crowd. This is a strange address that none else may ever have ventured. How did people respond? When they heard him speak to him in Aramaic, they listened quietly. 

The Chief language of the Roman world in Paul's day was Latin, Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew. Latin was the language of the law courts; and of the literature of Roam. Greek was the cultural language of the empire, familiar to all educated persons, and was the common medium of most people from Rome and eastward. Even in Palestine, Greek is currently spoken. Though the New Testament was written in Greek, Jesus and apostles, and the early believers spoke Aramaic. Although Paul knew Greek, he chose to speak in Aramaic to draw more attention from the Jews. Paul summarized three things in his sermon. 

1. His life before conversion (22: 1 -5)

2. His conversion (acts 22: 6 -16)

3. His call for the mission to the Gentiles (22: 17-21).

The people listened until the apostle mentioned his mission to the Gentiles. Then they shouted, "Away with such a fellow from the earth; he is not fit to live" They shouted and threw off their clocks, flinging dust into the air. Then the commander directed that he be whipped and questioned in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. As they stretched him to flog him, Paul asked the Centurion standing there, "Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn't even been tried and found guilty?" (22:29).

PAUL BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN COUNCIL (Acts 22:30-23:10) 

When the Centurion understood that Paul was a Roman citizen, he had him released and brought before the Sanhedrin, the highest civil court of the Jews. There Paul testifies about his faithfulness in fulfilling his duty to God in all good conscience; at this, the high priest Ananias orders the standers by to strike Paul. Immediately Paul said to him. God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to Judge me according to the Law, yet you violate the Law by commanding that I be struck? His Courage to speak to the high priest in such a way is admirable, while it is to be admitted that it doesn't come up to the example of Christ(1 Peter 2:21-23). Further, we see Paul's wisdom in tracking such a dangerous situation.

Knowing that some of them were Pharisees and the others Sadducees. Paul cried out in the Sanhedrin, My brothers! Am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on Trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead. When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. As a matter of fact, the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. So he ordered the troops to take Paul away by force to the barracks. Notice that although the councils were of honorable men, they were no better than wolves to Paul.

The same night Paul had a comforting vision of the Lord (Act 23.11). In such an unfavorable situation, when nobody from his fellowship or church could meet and comfort him, the Lord proved a faithful companion in comforting and strengthening Paul. The Lord spoke to him that he would be sent to Rome to witness about the Lord (22:17-21). See other instances when the Lord strengthened Paul (18:9, 10, 27:23-25)

The Flot of the Jews Frustrated (Act 23:12-30)

The Jews who were divided the previous day were united again. They were joined on oath to kill (23:12). About forty of them were bound to be committed not to eat or drink until they killed Paul. This plot was brought to the notice of Paul by this nephew. Paul took emergency measures to transfer him to Caesarea, the Headquarters of the Roman governor was 64 miles away from Jerusalem. The Chief Captain sent Paul under a strong guard to Caesarea with a letter to Felix, the procurator of Judea.

Paul at Caesarea (A.D. 58-60) Acts 23:31-0 - Ch 26)

In the city of Caesarea, built by Herod the Great in Honor of Augusts Caesar, there were many Places. That is where Cornelius had his residence when apostle Peter was called to open the door of the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 10). Felix ruled Judea from 53 to 60 A.D. His wife was Drusilla, the daughter of Herod, who had, James killed with a sword. Felix was a sensual and cruel official receiving too many bribes. Paul stood before the Roman official. When the Jews heard about this, they sent a group of people, including a lawyer named Tertullian, to file charges against Paul. (24:1, 2)Notice the charges they made against Paul. We found this man to be a dangerous nuisance, he starts riots among the Jews all over the world, and he is a leader of the party of the Nazarenes. He also tried to defile the Temple, and we arrested him (24:5, 6)

Paul made a sermon before the Jewish accusers and before Felix (24:10 21). He pointed out that the accusation brought against him was baseless and proved that he was a keeper of the Law rather than a breaker. He expressed his concern and love for the Jews; He concluded by saying, "It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on Trial before you today.

Felix, however, left the matter in abeyance without passing a verdict. The reason can easily be understood as his expectation of bribes from Paul (See 24:26, 27). Felix allowed him some freedom in prison by meeting his friends who would help him (24:23). Meanwhile, Felix and Drusilla came to Listen to the gospel. Despite listening to the Gospel from Paul, they didn't allow it to take effect in their life. As Paul spoke about righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix was afraid and sent him away. From the fact that he was scared of the message, we can understand the kind of person Felix was. Thus Paul continued in prison for two years. 

Trial Before Festus 

After two years, Felix was succeeded by Festus (AD. 60-62). He was more good-natured and righteous than Felix. Paul was called in before Festus, and he stood on Trial. The Jews who had come down from Jerusalem brought severe charges against him. Paul made his defense before the court. In the meantime, the Jews had already earnestly requested Festus to transfer him to Jerusalem for Trial. But Paul's coincidence with the Lord will already know Paul that he would be sent to Rome. Thus the evil scheme of Jews was frustrated again.

Paul before King Agrippa (25:13 - 26,32)

King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay respects to Festus. He was the son of Agrippa I, who had killed James. He had two sisters, Drusilla, the wife of Felix, and Bernice. When Festus told Agrippa about Paul, he expressed the desire to see and hear him. The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience with the high-ranking officers and the city's leading men. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. When permission was granted to speak, Paul addressed that honorable audience (Acts26:1-29). Agrippa was quite familiar with the Law. This was the second time Paul recounted the story of his conversion. He proved that the change in Him was undeniable and that his ministry conformed to the heavenly vision he received. He clarified that his preaching was based on the Old Testament scripture. What was the response of Festus and Agrippa to Paul's effective preaching? Festus said to Paul. "You are mad, Paul! Will you make me a Christian in this short time? Paul answered whether, in a short time or Long Time, my Prayer to God is that you and all the rest, of course, for these chains(26:25,29). The royal assembly was silent for a while. With all solemnity, they passed the verdict: This man has not done anything for which he should die or be imprisoned. He could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar" Paul spent more than two years in the prison of Caesarea. It was a compensation rest God gave him for his constant labor.