Prisoner
The ninth in a series of talks on the Acts of the Apostles at Nedlands Anglican Church 5 May 2024
In this study we must needs skip a lot and cover a lot. I will begin at the point Paul decides to return to Jerusalem. The mission in Europe began at Philippi in Macedonia, and went on the Thessalonica, Beroea, Athens, and Corinth. In Corinth Paul stayed 18 months before returning by sea to Syria and the sending church at Antioch. He then journeyed overland to Ephesus where he had a spectacular ministry for two years. Following a violent protest led by the local silversmith guild, he crossed to Macedonia to encourage the churches there, and then to Greece and Corinth. He then determined to sail to Jerusalem, but plot to kill him forced a change of plan, and he went overland to Macedonia, and began his voyage to Palestine there.
This is another of those odd passages that demands an explanation. This list of people receives no explanation, and none of these people plays any part in the continuing story. But it is not difficult to guess why Luke has added this detail. It is here in Philippi, four years after we left him here, that Luke reappears in the story, and he is about to accompany Paul on his journey to Jerusalem. These are his travelling companions. For some months Paul has been collecting money to take as a gift to the poor in Jerusalem. Representatives of the contributing churches are coming along to ensure safe delivery. Luke is probably the representative from Philippi. These men would also have been sources of information about what happened in their own cities.
The party sailed to Troas, and then hopped along the coast to Miletus, the port at the mouth of the river that flowed through Ephesus.
Paul does not wish to be delayed so the elders of the church(es) in Ephesus meet him at Miletus. He addresses them as though he expects never to return. Luke reproduces his speech as an instruction for Christian pastors. It is a model for Christian ministry, and incidentally the foundation of our Anglican understanding of ministry, and our service for ordaining ministers.
It is from passages like this that we understand the form of ministry of the first churches. The Ephesus church was led by a group of men called elders (presbuteroi, which became the English word priest). This follows the Jewish system of synagogue leadership. Later in the speech Paul will call them overseers (episcopoi – bishops) and will speak of them as shepherds (pastors). Christian ministers are to be shepherd-overseer-elder-leaders. He recalls his own ministry as a model for them. He taught—publicly and house to house, urging repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus. And his ministry was not without opposition. That is the way of it.
He calls his mission a ministry (diakonia – service) and a race. Notice how he remembered it. Over and over he speaks of teaching. It is surprising that he says nothing of healing or exorcism, both of which were a feature of his ministry in Ephesus, but these are incidental to the main task of evangelizing and teaching. The man from whom I learned much spoke often of the task for which we were training as teaching “the whole counsel of God.” It was not enough, he said to preach the gospel, which was very much the ministry-norm where I trained; one must teach everything God has revealed in his word, so that disciples may have a full understanding of the faith and be able to instruct others in the life he intends.
Paul speaks of the church as the flock of God. Jesus of course is the “great shepherd.”[1]Pastors are under-shepherds. Paul urges them to “shepherd the flock which [God] bought with his own blood.” This is a striking expression. What Jesus did and said, God did. How precious is the church for which the Son of God suffered so much.
It is clear Luke does not think Paul will ever return to Ephesus. He did, which is one pointer to thinking Luke wrote prior to Paul’s release from prison and return to Asia.
For the third time Paul points them to the word of God as the instrument which will build them up—and their congregations—and bring them into God’s kingdom. He calls it the word of grace, as he is thinking primarily of the gospel, the opening up of the kingdom of God for sinners. We are saved by grace—by the sheer kindness of God.
Notice the detail. The author is a lover of travel, who keeps a diary of everywhere he goes. There is a Christian church at this stage in Tyre. From there they coast-hop to Ptolemais (Acre, Acco), and Caesarea, and then by road to Jerusalem.
Things are changing in Jerusalem. It is now about 58 A.D. and Jewish nationalism is growing intense; in less than ten years there will be war. The Roman occupation is deeply resented, and Paul’s ministry among Gentiles makes him a public enemy. Jesus’ brother James, who is the leader of the church in Jerusalem, speaks of the tens of thousands of Christians in Jerusalem who are also devoted to the law. It is rumoured Paul is teaching Jews not to circumcise their children. James advises him to carry out an act of devotion in the temple to convince people that he lives according to Moses’ law.
The main base of the Roman army in Palestine at this time was in Caesrea. A cohort (600 men) with its tribune was stationed in Jerusalem in the Antonia Fortress overlooking the temple.
The Egyptian is spoken of by Josephus (Jewish War 2.261–263). He was one of a number of what Josephus calls charlatans, that appeared in the fifties, and sought to take over the leadership of the Jewish nation. Josephus says they sought to foster revolutionary changes by leading their followers into the wilderness and promising miracles. Paul Barnett thinks they were imitating what they saw as Jesus’ failed attempt at the feeding of the five thousand, when the people tried to make him king, but he would not let them.
Paul surprises the tribune with his Greek. Romans spoke Greek in the eastern provinces. We discovered Paul was a Roman citizen when he was imprisoned in Philippi. Here we learn here for the first time that Paul is also a citizen of Tarsus, a famous centre of education in the ancient world. According to one recent scholar this would make Paul an elite in the Roman Empire. He doubts he could be both a citizen of Rome and Tarsus, and a student of Rabbi Gamaliel. But Luke would hardly allow something so easily detected to spoil his narrative. We also note that the information about Paul is introduced when it becomes necessary to understand the story. Luke never describes Paul; he writes of him as a known character.
Paul tells his story to the crowd in Jerusalem. This is the second time we have heard it from Luke. When he speaks of God’s command to him to go to the Gentiles the crowd become violent and Paul is returned to the fortress.
The story that unfolds only makes sense when we grasp that Paul was indeed an elite person: his education, ability to deliver an oration in Aramaic or Greek, and dual citizenship gave him great status. God chose such a man to take the gospel of Christ to the Gentile world, but also to be an expert witness who could speak authoritatively to Jews and assure them that Christianity was fully in line with the faith of Israel’s Scriptures.
It is a remarkable story. Paul didn’t come to Jerusalem with the hope of being arrested, though he had a sense of needing to appear in the capital come what may. He intended after his time in Jerusalem to travel to Rome, and then, with the help of the Roman church to go as far west as it was possible to go, to preach Christ in the province of Hispania. In fact, his arrest led to a hearing before the Jewish High Court, then an opportunity to speak of Christ to two successive Roman governors, then to the Jewish king, Herod Agrippa II, and finally, we think, to a Roman imperial court, perhaps the emperor Nero himself. Such is the providence of God. It is possible that the only place Christians will one day be able to explain the gospel is in a court room; we should not be too upset if someone charges us with hate-speech of something similar. Just pray for the courage to speak the truth in love, and leave the results to God.
Paul is taken to the Sanhedrin, where he causes another near riot by claiming to be on trial for believing in the resurrection of the dead. This pitted the Sadducees and Pharisees against each other, and the Romans had to extract Paul from the middle of a dog fight.
Zealots then planned an ambush to murder him, but it became known to the tribune, who hurriedly organized a company of soldiers to march him to Antipatris and then to Caesarea, and hand him over to Governor Felix. Now that it was known he was a Roman citizen he was hot property. His next opportunity to explain Christianity was to Felix and his Jewish wife Drusilla. Felix is known to us from Josephus’s history, who tells a scandalous tale of how Felix succeeded in getting Drusilla to marry him. He was the brother of an influential Roman administrator, and became procurator of Judaea from 52 to 60 A.D. It was during his time that banditry broke out on a large scale in Judaea.
The charge brought against Paul was a very serious one in Roman eyes: causing riots and stirring up trouble. Keeping the peace in the provinces was paramount for rulers and administrators.
Paul insists he has not stirred up trouble. He is a follower of the Way, which they call a sect, and believes in the faith of his forefathers, especially that there will be a resurrection of the dead. He claims this is what his trial is really about.
Paul remains for two years a prisoner in Caesarea. Luke says Felix was angling for a bribe. Anyway, he was still there when Porcius Festus succeeded him. Festus wanted to please the Jews and asked Paul if he was willing to come to Jerusalem and stand trial there. Paul knew that meant certain death, so exercised his right as a Roman citizen to appeal to the emperor. Festus granted his wish.
At the same time the new king, Herod Agrippa II came to Caesarea to greet the new procurator. Festus asked if he would like to hear Paul and an occasion was arranged for him and his sister, Berenice, who accompanied him.
Once again Paul identifies resurrection as the bone of contention. “Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?” Jesus’ resurrection remains contentious to the present time.
Paul now tells his story for the third time, so important does Luke regard it to convince us his hearers that Paul was no self-appointed agitator, but as much a part of the salvation plan of God as were Abraham, Moses, and David. It is not an exaggeration to say that Luke is advancing a doctrine of Paul.
God says of his servant in Isaiah 49 that he would be a light to the Gentiles that salvation might come to the ends of the earth.
Whether Paul is claiming to be the servant or to share the servant’s mission, Luke clearly believes him to have a vital role in the bringing of God’s salvation to the world.
Always with the gospel comes the declaration of amnesty to those who will turn and submit to the rule of the new king. God offers forgiveness to those who turn from darkness to light, just as at the end of the Gospel Jesus commanded his disciples to proclaim the forgiveness of sins in his name.
Several things need comment here. First, Festus acknowledges Paul’s learning. Second, Paul thinks the king is an understanding and faithful Jew; he must pay little regard to the scandalous rumour that Agrippa has a sexual relationship with his sister. Third, he thinks the king will have a fair knowledge of the events surrounding Jesus; “These things were not done in a corner.” It is important for us today as we try to judge the truth of the New Testament story to know that the actual events were common knowledge, that what Jesus said and did was known from one end of the country to the other and beyond. It was not a matter of believing or disbelieving what Jesus did, but of making sense of it.
The king and governor confer and agree that Paul has done nothing warranting death; he could be released if he had not appealed to Caesar. So plans are made to place him on a ship bound for Rome. Next time we will look at Luke’s account of the voyage, the shipwreck, the time in Malta, and our last glimpse of Paul in Rome.
[1] 1 Peter 5.4; Hebrews 13.20.