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Commentaries
English
Acts
  
7. The zealots’ plot against Paul (Acts 23:12-22)
12And when it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.13Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy.14They came to the chief priests and elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul.15Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning him; but we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”16So when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their ambush, he went and entered the barracks and told Paul.17Then Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, “Take this young man to the commander, for he has something to tell him.”18So he took him and brought him to the commander and said, “Paul the prisoner called me to him and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to say to you.”19Then the commander took him by the hand, went aside and asked privately, “What is that you have to tell me?”20And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask that you bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire more fully about him.21But do not yield to them, for more than forty of them lie in wait for him, men who have bound themselves by an oath that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him; and now they are ready, waiting for the promise from you.”22So the commander let the young man depart, and commanded him, “Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me.”


Luke told Theophilus, the official at Rome, how the zealots, unsatisfied with the interrogation of Paul by the highest council, plotted in their extreme duplicity to devour this corrupter of the Jewish nation. They contrived secretly to make the highest council agree. Thus Paul came to the verge of serious danger.
But Christ used the Roman commander, who had 1000 soldiers under him, to keep Paul, the Roman, who was imprisoned and under his charge, and take him out of imminent danger. In his written account Luke described the behavior of the Roman officer in a positive manner, as if he wanted to make correction for the wrong he had done.
It is interesting to learn from Luke´s reports that Paul had a married sister, who lived in Jerusalem and had active children. It is probable that sometime earlier Paul’s parents and their children had moved from Tarsus back to their hometown Jerusalem, so that after their death they might be buried in the holy land, as was the custom of many of the Jews. We do not know if they were Christian believers, as their son Paul was, but we see that the son of Paul’s sister had some connection with the fanatical legalistic rebels. He heard about a conspiracy involving forty zealots, who intended to kill Paul. When Paul’s sister heard of the plot, she wished to save her brother. She even endangered her life for him, and sent her son to the prisoner to inform him of the danger that awaited him. When Paul learned about the contrived conspiracy, he sent his sister’s son to the commander, who, hearing of the plot, became angry with the people, and took immediate measures to protect Paul. He chose to send him to Caesarea, the residence of the Roman governor, that the latter himself might judge in this matter.
All Jerusalem was agitated, for Paul was the destroyer of Jewish unity. Furthermore, he was under the special protection of the Romans government. This alone was sufficient to kindle the hatred of the zealots against Paul. They carefully plotted to kill him, imprecating the heaviest curses upon themselves if they did not do so. Everything was to happen so quickly that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed him. They hungered and thirsted for a long time, for Christ kept his servant and appointed him for new service. He sent Paul, the prisoner, to Rome, that everyone might see that true liberation was not civil freedom, but redemption from sin, death, and the wrath of God. Jesus had already stated: “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36) We see in Paul that the spiritual freedom of Christ is also realized in a bound prisoner, for Christ frees the hearts from its lusts and pride, and leads us to the praise of God, whatever the circumstances around us may be.

Prayer
O Lord Jesus Christ, we worship You, for You are living, You care for Your servants, even if they are in prisons. You keep them as the apple of Your eye. Keep us by Your presence at all times, and comfort all those that are imprisoned for Your name´s sake, that they may enjoy the freedom of a clear conscience.
Question
Why did the zealots want to kill Paul, and why did he have to travel to Rome?