Paul the Shrewd - Acts 22:22-23:35 (November 8th and 9th Readings!)

The student of Gamaliel and architect of the early church was certainly no dummy. The crowd is more determined than ever to have Paul executed (talk about a “feeding frenzy”). Notice how dehumanizing the crowd has become (again, collective egoism). Once you’ve dehumanized the opposition, you can do anything to him or her. Just as with Jesus, the Roman officials try to appease the angry crowd with a flogging. Flogging was also the most effective way of getting to the truth. Many did not survive a flogging (done with a “cat of nine tails” – a whip inlaid with bone and metal). Only, in this case, Paul invokes his Roman citizenship. He was not born in Jerusalem, just raised there. He was raised in Tarsus as a Roman citizen. His name, Paul, was a Roman designation. How slick and humorous of Paul to play his citizenship card at just the right time as a “by the way…is it right to bind and flog a Roman citizen?” He has successfully divided the Romans from the Jewish leadership.

Then Paul, in his defense before the Sanhedrin, made up of the liberal Pharisees (who added liberally to the law, allowed for belief in resurrection and were less friendly to Rome) and the conservative Saduccees (who were purists with the law, did not believe in resurrection and were strongly allied with Rome), plays "divide and conquer" with them as well. Paul nearly is torn apart in the violence of their debate. The authorities put him in confinement for protection. God encourages Paul and tells him Jerusalem was just a stop on the way to Rome.

The plot thickens as an extremist group sets up to ambush and execute Paul. For his safety, he is sent under armed guard to Caesarea to be tried by Felix the governor. Isn’t it interesting how God uses even pagan uninterested persons to carry out his purposes? If only we could see the way God sees. This all looks like a circus and an unnecessary one at that. But there is a plan in operation, and it is big.