|
March 3, 2024
Verse 11: "But the next night the Lord stood by him and said, 'Be of good cheer! For as you were a witness for me in Jerusalem, so you must also be a witness in Rome."
Intrigue and drama happen every day in the world. We might therefore believe that such events determine the fate of people and history. But God determines all events and guides world history according to his good will. That is why we can have firm confidence.
Today we want to learn about Paul's transfer to Caesarea. This story shows us that our lives are not determined by intrigue or chance, but that God determines and directs every detail of human life. So the good will of God guides every detail of our steps in life. That is why we can be confident and live and work with joy.
1. "Be of good cheer!" (11)
Today's sermon text gives us an example of this. Forty Jewish men conspire to assassinate Paul. They will neither eat nor drink until they have murdered Paul. But this murder plan is foiled by a teenager, and behind it is the guiding hand of God.
Many of us have experienced difficult situations in life. Without God's help, we would find ourselves in a hopeless danger zone.
For example, without God's intervention I could have lived unhappily all my life because of the injury to my right leg. But God turned my injury into a blessing for me and many by giving me eternal life and using me as a missionary in Germany to save the German students.
The good news for all people is that everyone can find the helping hand of God in Jesus. That is why we can say, as David says in Psalm 23:
"1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me" (Psalm 23:1, 4).
The good news for all people is that everyone can find the helping hand of God in Jesus. That is why we can say, as David says in Psalm 23:
"1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me" (Psalm 23:1, 4).
Paul was arrested by the Romans in Jerusalem because of the false accusations of the Jews. He is now in prison.
But the Lord faithfully accompanies him and encourages him, as verse 11 tells us:
"The following night the Lord stood by him and said, 'Be of good cheer, for as you have borne witness about me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome.'"
God has a great plan for Paul. Just as Paul testified about Jesus in Jerusalem, he should also testify about Jesus in Rome so that they can believe in Jesus Christ, have eternal life and enter the kingdom of heaven.
If we follow Christ, we can be sure that God will accompany us step by step with his great goal. Jesus wants to use us as a blessing for many people. He says to us:
"Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19).
Our professions could be different: Doctor, housewife, worker, pupil, or student. But the Lord wants to use us as fishers of men. We do not need to give up our profession. But we can work as fishers of men.
What is the job of a fisher of men?
Fishermen catch fish for sale so that people can kill fish and eat them. But fishers of men heal dying people so that they can have eternal life and enter the kingdom of heaven.
God has healed us from the disease of sin and given us eternal life. We are now to help other dying people who are sick of sin so that they can be healed through faith in Jesus Christ, have eternal life and become truly happy.
Actually, we were never really satisfied with our lives. But we have experienced salvation through Jesus Christ and have become God's children. We have discovered God's will for us and are therefore perfectly happy. That is why we want to work so that other people can also experience this happiness.
While Paul is imprisoned in Jerusalem, forty Jewish men want to murder Paul. They were angry that Paul had violated the commandments of Moses. So they decide to murder him.
Paul's life is now in acute danger.
But one night the Lord stands by him and says to him:
"Be of good cheer! For as you were a witness for me in Jerusalem, so you must also be a witness in Rome." (23,11)
Jesus' words "Be of good cheer" can also be translated as "Be confident" or "Have courage!". Paul should be confident and have courage.
In the Bible, we often find Jesus saying "Be of good cheer" to his disciples.
To the frightened disciples on the stormy Sea of Galilee, Jesus said: "Be of good cheer, it is I. Do not be afraid" (Matthew 14:27b).
And even before his imprisonment, Jesus said to his disciples: "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33b).
We should take Jesus' words "Be of good cheer" to heart.
Of course, our life of faith is not a walk in the park. But the Lord says to us: "Be of good cheer!"
It is not easy to live for our heavenly goal. But it is worth living and working for it. We can have confidence because the Lord Jesus Christ always accompanies us. During our holy journey, we have a sacred task, namely to motivate people to travel to the kingdom of heaven through our testimony of Jesus.
2. Transfer under protective measures (12-22)
Let's assume that we are driving to a hotel in a chaotic city in a foreign country and want to stay there. We only have the address of this hotel. So we take a cab and give the cab driver the address. And we trust the cab driver to get the chaos under control and take us safely to the hotel.
Most of our lives are exactly like this. We don't have a clear idea of how to reach our destination, namely our heavenly home. But we can confidently trust that the Lord will bring us home safely.
A sequence of unlikely events: A teenager overhears a conspiracy; this boy happens to be the son of Paul's sister. The boy has the courage to tell the Roman centurion. The centurion takes the boy seriously and brings him to his commander, the tribune. The tribune believes the teenager and orders 200 soldiers, 70 horsemen and another seventy spearmen to guard Paul while they take Paul to Caesarea.
Jesus gives Paul a great promise, and behind it is a divine providence, like his word: "Be of good cheer, for as you have borne witness about me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome" (Acts 23:11).
God has Paul in his safe hands until this divine plan is completely fulfilled. Paul is thus protected from the conspiracy of the assassins.
Paul is sent to Caesarea with a military escort and a letter from the commander to the governor Felix.
Acts 23:23-24 reports that the commander calls two captains to him and says: "Have 200 soldiers ready to go to Caesarea, plus 70 horsemen and 200 lancers, from the third hour of the night; also have animals ready so that they can mount Paul and bring him safely to the governor Felix!"
So Paul arrives in Caesarea under the protection of 70 horsemen and 200 lancers. Thus, God keeps his promise to Paul to protect him.
US-American theologian F. F. Bruce writes:
"One of the main motives why Luke writes his two-part story is to demonstrate that the accusations of danger to the state leveled not only against Paul but against Christians in general have no substance, and that competent and impartial judges had repeatedly confirmed the innocence of the Christian movement and Christian missionaries in terms of Roman law."
The Roman soldiers take Paul and lead him to Antipathies during the night: the 200 soldiers only go as far as Antipathies because the most dangerous part of the route ends at this point.
"Up to Antipathies [about 40 kilometers] the country is dangerous and inhabited by Jews; after that the country is flat and open, quite unsuitable for an ambush, and largely inhabited by gentiles." (Barclay)
Paul makes it out of Jerusalem and to the coast at Caesarea. The plot of the 40 assassins has failed.
3. waiting under protection (23-35)
Acts 23, 34-35 reports thus: Now Felix the governor, having read the colonel's letter and learned that Paul was from Cilicia, said:
"I will interrogate you when your accusers have also arrived!"
And the governor orders him to be guarded in Herod's palace. This marks the beginning of Paul's two-year imprisonment in Caesarea.
This is the beginning of the fulfillment of the promise that Paul had received about 20 years earlier when he was called: that he would bring the name of Jesus before kings (Acts 9:15).
He then spends at least two more years in Rome. Together with his time in Rome, Paul spends the next five years of his life in Roman custody.
This is a striking contrast to his previous years, during which he traveled widely.
Paul lives in great freedom during these imprisoned years, trusting in the promise of Jesus and knowing that God can work just as powerfully through these more difficult circumstances.
We are to trust God and work in the same way.
When we have difficult times, we should not doubt God's goodness, but ask for His good will and do God's will. God will do a marvelous work through us in the midst of difficulties. In God, there is no such thing as a bad time or bad circumstances.
We are to remember God's word in Romans 8:28:
"But we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
|