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Paul Beaten in Jerusalem - The Book of Acts · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And as they bound him with thongs,
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  Speaker 1: Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it
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  Speaker 1: lawful for you to scourge a man that is a
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  Speaker 1: Roman and uncondemned? Acts 22.25 Dear Jesus, because you have
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  Speaker 1: called me to be an effective leader, teach me through
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  Speaker 1: your Holy Spirit not only what to say, but how
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  Speaker 1: to say it. in order to most powerfully impact my listeners.
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  Speaker 1: When I speak, help me to take into account impact
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  Speaker 1: and not image. Help me to evaluate my audience and
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  Speaker 1: communicate in a way that best connects to my listeners.
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  Speaker 1: As I do so, help me give them practical applications
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  Speaker 1: to the message they're receiving from me and how to
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  Speaker 1: execute your words of truth. and impact in their lives.
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  Speaker 1: By your grace, Jesus, and through your power, I declare
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  Speaker 1: that I am a master communicator and that I am
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  Speaker 1: equipped to deliver with impact and empathy the message placed
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  Speaker 1: in my heart. In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with us today. Continue your time
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  Speaker 1: with God.
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  Speaker 3: Paul Beaten in Jerusalem In our last story, Paul said
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  Speaker 3: goodbye to the Ephesian church. He knew that danger awaited
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  Speaker 3: him in Jerusalem. The threat of danger and death was present.
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  Speaker 3: But Paul was determined to preach the gospel to his kin.
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  Speaker 3: So with great tears, Paul left Ephesus to Jerusalem. Now
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  Speaker 3: we see Paul taken up by an angry mob of Jews.
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  Speaker 3: He is beaten and nearly killed, but saved ultimately by
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  Speaker 3: his Roman citizenship, inspired by the book of Acts.
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  Speaker 2: Hello, this is Jack Graham once again with the Bible
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  Speaker 2: in a Year podcast. In our last episode, we heard
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  Speaker 2: how Paul brought a young man back to life after
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  Speaker 2: the youth fell from a third-story window. God continued to
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  Speaker 2: work through this great man in both his words and
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  Speaker 2: the signs he performed in the power of the Holy Spirit.
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  Speaker 2: We also heard Paul's farewell to the church at Ephesus,
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  Speaker 2: which he dearly loved. Today, we'll find Paul in Jerusalem,
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  Speaker 2: together with the church there, led by Jesus' own brother, James,
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  Speaker 2: who gives wise counsel to Paul. Despite his best efforts
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  Speaker 2: to make peace, the Jewish religious establishment in Asia will
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  Speaker 2: stir up hatred towards this godly man, nearly killing the
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  Speaker 2: Apostle Paul. So, let's listen now to this reading from
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  Speaker 2: the book of Acts.
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  Speaker 3: Paul went into Jerusalem under the cover of night. He
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  Speaker 3: and Luke wandered in through the city gates, hoods over
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  Speaker 3: their faces and torches snuffed. It was Passover, and the
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  Speaker 3: city was still filled with activity. Paul and Luke weaved
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  Speaker 3: through groups of people, avoiding fires and torches. Paul looked
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  Speaker 3: around the city. It had been a very long time
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  Speaker 3: since he had been in Jerusalem. The sweet spring air
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  Speaker 3: blew through the city, and Paul caught a glimpse of
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  Speaker 3: the large temple looming in the distance. The temple, God's
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  Speaker 3: holy dwelling. Paul smiled. He was thankful that now, thanks
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  Speaker 3: to Jesus, God dwelled in the hearts of men and
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  Speaker 3: women who believed. Luke and Paul made their way to
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  Speaker 3: the home of James, Jesus' brother. He greeted them warmly,
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  Speaker 3: and the three of them shared a meal with the elders.
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  Speaker 3: The church in Jerusalem was thriving under the leadership of James. However,
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  Speaker 3: the Jews were becoming increasingly more angry by the day.'
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  Speaker 3: They are all zealous for the law,' James said.' And
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  Speaker 3: they speak about you quite often, Paul.' Even I have
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  Speaker 3: heard stories from them.' They say you tell them not
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  Speaker 3: to circumcise their children and to forsake Moses.' James took
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  Speaker 3: a sip from his cup. There was clear concern on
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  Speaker 3: his face for keeping Paul safe. To the Jews, Paul
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  Speaker 3: was more than a threat. He was the best among them,
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  Speaker 3: and he turned to Jesus. If Paul, a Pharisee of Pharisees,
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  Speaker 3: could convert, then anyone could. So Paul represented vulnerability. They
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  Speaker 3: will hear that you have come, James said. You must
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  Speaker 3: do as I say if you want to stay alive.
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  Speaker 3: You will go to the temple and cleanse yourself. You
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  Speaker 3: will take part in the ceremonies so that they can
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  Speaker 3: clearly see you are not a menace to them. It
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  Speaker 3: was the best plan they had. If Paul remained hidden
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  Speaker 3: in the city for too long, it would only make
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  Speaker 3: him seem more guilty. So the next day Paul went
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  Speaker 3: into the temple for the ceremony of purification. For seven
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  Speaker 3: days he went through the old Jewish customs and attended
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  Speaker 3: the teachings of the synagogues. To Paul it was a
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  Speaker 3: refreshing reminder of how much Jesus had done for him.
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  Speaker 3: Every ceremonial law written in the Law of Moses pointed
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  Speaker 3: towards the greater cleansing of Christ. So Paul went through
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  Speaker 3: the ceremonies joyfully, for they pointed towards a greater truth.
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  Speaker 3: Seven days passed and Paul was nearly completed paying homage
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  Speaker 3: to the Jewish traditions. That was until the Jews from
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  Speaker 3: Asia came to Jerusalem. The group of Asian Jews had
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  Speaker 3: come to Jerusalem for the Passover. However, when they saw Paul,
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  Speaker 3: all they could think about was murder. Paul silently sat
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  Speaker 3: in the courtyard watching the birds glide over the temple.
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  Speaker 3: All was peaceful until Paul received a swift blow to
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  Speaker 3: the back of his head. Paul fell forward into a fountain.
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  Speaker 3: Before he could get up, a strong hand held the
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  Speaker 3: back of his head down into the water. Paul flailed
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  Speaker 3: his arms trying to break free. The men threw him
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  Speaker 3: out of the water and grabbed him by the hair.
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  Speaker 3: They dragged him into the middle of the courtyard. At
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  Speaker 3: this point, many people stopped to watch what was happening.
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  Speaker 3: Men of Israel, the men said. This is the man
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  Speaker 3: who has been teaching people to abandon our law in
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  Speaker 3: this temple. Gasps and chuckles filled the air. The Jews
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  Speaker 3: from Asia stirred up the crowd and formed a mob
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  Speaker 3: that stormed out of the temple with Paul being drugged
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  Speaker 3: by his hair. Once the gates closed behind them, they
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  Speaker 3: kicked him into a wall. Paul was surrounded. His back
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  Speaker 3: was against the wall and a sea of angry glares
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  Speaker 3: were before him. They looked at Paul like hungry wolves
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  Speaker 3: ready to grab the throat. Paul knew that death was
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  Speaker 3: a possibility coming to Jerusalem, so he breathed deeply and
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  Speaker 3: chose to accept whatever the Lord had for him. The
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  Speaker 3: chief judge of Jerusalem got word that there was an
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  Speaker 3: angry mob forming outside the temple. He wasted no time
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  Speaker 3: and had centurions sent down at once. The soldiers ran
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  Speaker 3: down to where Paul was backed into a corner being
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  Speaker 3: beaten to death. The mob was shouting out accusations towards Paul,
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  Speaker 3: so no centurion could get a good idea of what
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  Speaker 3: he was in trouble for. They acted quickly, for Paul
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  Speaker 3: was receiving the fury of over a hundred men. The
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  Speaker 3: soldiers broke up the angry mob and dispersed them. Then
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  Speaker 3: they bound Paul and took him to the judge. The
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  Speaker 3: crowd followed, shouting lies and spinning deceit. The courtroom doors
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  Speaker 3: swung open and the judge was surprised by a half-dead
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  Speaker 3: man in chains, followed by a hundred angry Jews. They
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  Speaker 3: all shouted and spat in Paul's direction. However, Paul kept
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  Speaker 3: his head down. What has this man done? the judge asked. However,
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  Speaker 3: he could not get a good answer, for all of
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  Speaker 3: them were speaking at once. Some said he was a sorcerer.
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  Speaker 3: Others said he corrupted their children. Others said he had
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  Speaker 3: violated the law of God and the law of the land.
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  Speaker 3: None of these were true, but the judge had no
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  Speaker 3: way of knowing. The soldiers were guarding Paul to make
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  Speaker 3: sure he was not killed by the mob behind them.
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  Speaker 3: The judge was growing flustered and ordered for Paul to
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  Speaker 3: be taken to the barracks. As Paul was being taken away,
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  Speaker 3: he whispered calmly to the judge, May I say something
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  Speaker 3: to you? The judge was perplexed. You can speak Greek?
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  Speaker 3: I thought you were the Egyptian assassin everyone has been
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  Speaker 3: talking about. Who are you? I am a Jew from Tarsus,
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  Speaker 3: Paul replied. I beg you, please permit me to speak
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  Speaker 3: with the people. The judge nodded and motioned him forward
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  Speaker 3: to the podium. Paul leaned against the large piece of wood.
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  Speaker 3: Someone had shattered his right knee. He was in excruciating pain,
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  Speaker 3: but he must speak. There was a great hush among
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  Speaker 3: the crowd, and Paul began to speak in the Hebrew
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  Speaker 3: language to his brothers and sisters. He told them about
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  Speaker 3: his upbringing and time as a Pharisee. He told them
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  Speaker 3: about his zeal for persecuting the church. He even told
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  Speaker 3: them about the Lord meeting him on the road to Damascus.
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  Speaker 3: Paul gave a heartfelt plea to the people before him.
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  Speaker 3: a plea to understand the love God has for them,
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  Speaker 3: a plea to consider the sacrifice of Jesus. I held
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  Speaker 3: the robes while people stoned Stephen, Paul said. I know
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  Speaker 3: the zeal you hold. It is why I left Jerusalem.
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  Speaker 3: Before Paul could speak again, they raised their voices and
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  Speaker 3: called for his death. They shouted and threw off their
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  Speaker 3: cloaks to attack him. They flung rocks and dust in
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  Speaker 3: the air. The judge did not understand Hebrew. Therefore... He
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  Speaker 3: did not understand what Paul was speaking about. So the
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  Speaker 3: judge assumed Paul must be guilty to rile up a
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  Speaker 3: crowd to such rage. He ordered for Paul to be flogged.
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  Speaker 3: So Paul was stripped naked and tied to a post.
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  Speaker 3: Paul could hear the whips being tested behind him. He
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  Speaker 3: tensed his whole body and prepared himself for what was
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  Speaker 3: about to happen. take place. Then Paul remembered something. Paul
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  Speaker 3: was born in Tarsus. He was a Roman citizen by birth.
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  Speaker 3: Paul turned his head to the centurion and asked, Is
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  Speaker 3: it lawful to flog a Roman citizen without a hearing?
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  Speaker 3: The soldier stopped in his tracks and Paul was immediately
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  Speaker 3: released from his chains. Yet the trial was not over.
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  Speaker 3: Paul would have to sit before a Roman court. Paul
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  Speaker 3: would with the Pharisees. If that didn't go well, he
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  Speaker 3: may even have to be before Caesar himself.
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  Speaker 2: As we hear God's word today, we find Paul and
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  Speaker 2: Luke back in Jerusalem. This place had been Paul's home
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  Speaker 2: for years, and now after a long journey, he was home.
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  Speaker 2: But things were different now. He was no longer a
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  Speaker 2: part of the religious elite. He was a man changed
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  Speaker 2: by Christ, by the power of the gospel working in
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  Speaker 2: his life. Paul was welcomed into the home of James, Jesus'
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  Speaker 2: own brother. He too, like Paul, had once rejected Jesus,
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  Speaker 2: but now because of the resurrection, Jesus' brother, his half-brother actually,
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  Speaker 2: is leader of the church in Jerusalem. He told Paul
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  Speaker 2: of the many Jews who had come to faith in Christ.
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  Speaker 2: These Jewish Christians were certainly grateful to have Paul with them.
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  Speaker 2: not least of all because he brought with him an
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  Speaker 2: offering for the church in Jerusalem that he had gathered
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  Speaker 2: from Gentile churches. At the same time, these Jewish Christians
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  Speaker 2: were a bit suspicious of Paul. They still observed all
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  Speaker 2: the Jewish laws, but word had come to them that
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  Speaker 2: Paul was telling Gentiles, non-Jews, and Jews alike to abandon
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  Speaker 2: Jewish traditions, including circumcision. This was only a half-truth. Paul
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  Speaker 2: did not call Gentiles to adhere to Jewish customs because
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  Speaker 2: they had a new identity in Christ. They are now
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  Speaker 2: a part of God's eternal family. But he certainly wasn't
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  Speaker 2: calling on Jewish believers to abandon their Jewish customs. This
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  Speaker 2: was surely a tactic of the enemy to sow division
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  Speaker 2: and disunity in the church. And now Paul had an
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  Speaker 2: opportunity to eliminate these rumors and show his unity with
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  Speaker 2: Jewish believers. With this in mind, James wisely counseled Paul
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  Speaker 2: to join four Jewish men who were going to fulfill
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  Speaker 2: a vow in a ceremony of purification. Paul would not
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  Speaker 2: only take part in the ceremony, but he would help
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  Speaker 2: cover their expenses for the process. Paul did just exactly
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  Speaker 2: as James advised and participated in the rites of Jewish purification.
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  Speaker 2: The ceremony actually pointed people to Christ and what Christ
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  Speaker 2: had already accomplished. Religious rites and traditions do not cleanse
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  Speaker 2: from sin. Only Christ can do that. And Paul knew this.
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  Speaker 2: Paul understood that there was nothing inherently wrong with the customs,
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  Speaker 2: but they certainly did not save or even help to save.
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  Speaker 2: Paul then joins with these Jewish believers as an alignment
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  Speaker 2: of their faith and Christian fellowship. He was practicing what
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  Speaker 2: he had always preached. Words he wrote to the believers
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  Speaker 2: in Rome, reminding them not to be a stumbling block
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  Speaker 2: to other believers. but to do what leads to peace
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  Speaker 2: and mutual edification, that is, building up. Paul's biggest problem
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  Speaker 2: was not with Jewish Christians, but with unbelievers, both Jews
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  Speaker 2: and Gentiles, but in particular, unbelieving Jews who came from
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  Speaker 2: Asia and seeing Paul in the temple began to shout
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  Speaker 2: accusations at him and stir up the crowds against him.
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  Speaker 2: We're told that the whole city turned against Paul, and
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  Speaker 2: he was dragged out of the temple into the streets
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  Speaker 2: where the mob began to beat him. Paul certainly must
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  Speaker 2: have thought this was the end of his life. But
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  Speaker 2: the chief judge in Jerusalem sent soldiers and centurions to
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  Speaker 2: break up the fight, to break up the mob. Paul
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  Speaker 2: was rescued just in time. I imagine he had never
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  Speaker 2: been so glad to have been arrested. At least now
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  Speaker 2: he would be in safe hands for a while and
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  Speaker 2: he would get his day in court. Before he could
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  Speaker 2: be taken away to a cell, Paul managed to speak
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  Speaker 2: to the judge who was surprised that Paul spoke Greek.
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  Speaker 2: He asked for permission to speak to the crowd and
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  Speaker 2: the judge allowed it. Then in the Hebrew language, Paul
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  Speaker 2: began to give his own testimony to the Jews. He
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  Speaker 2: told them of how he once persecuted the followers of Jesus,
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  Speaker 2: but how the Lord had appeared to him on the
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  Speaker 2: road to Damascus and saved him. He knew how zealous
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  Speaker 2: that these people were, and he knew that his witness
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  Speaker 2: could lead to his own death, but that did not
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  Speaker 2: stop the apostle Paul. Because of Christ, he was unstoppable.
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  Speaker 2: He continued to bear witness to what God had done
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  Speaker 2: in his life and how he called him to leave
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  Speaker 2: Jerusalem and go to the Gentiles, to go to the
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  Speaker 2: nations to share the good news. What is remarkable about
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  Speaker 2: this is that Paul had been rescued from danger, but
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  Speaker 2: for the sake of the gospel, he stepped right back
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  Speaker 2: into the fight, telling his story of salvation in Christ.
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  Speaker 2: Some might call him a freak or a fool, but
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  Speaker 2: he was a fool for Christ's sake. He would never
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  Speaker 2: stop telling the wonderful things that Christ had done in
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  Speaker 2: his life. The crowd grew angry once again upon hearing
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  Speaker 2: his words, and we read in Acts 22, 22 these words,
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  Speaker 2: Then they raised their voices and said, Away with such
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  Speaker 2: a fellow from the earth, for he should not be
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  Speaker 2: allowed to live. Their shouts are reminiscent of what the
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  Speaker 2: crowd said at the trial of Jesus when they said,
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  Speaker 2: Crucify him, crucify him. Paul was certainly identified with Christ,
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  Speaker 2: not only in life, but in suffering and rejection by
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  Speaker 2: his own people. The judge, who could not understand Paul's
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  Speaker 2: words and saw the crowd's reaction, ordered that he be flogged.
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  Speaker 2: But Paul, knowing his rights as a citizen of Rome
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  Speaker 2: since he was born in Tarsus, appealed on the basis
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  Speaker 2: of his Roman citizenship for a just, fair hearing. This
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  Speaker 2: wise action by Paul meant that he would stand before
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  Speaker 2: a court, and we'll hear about his trial before the
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  Speaker 2: Council of Jewish Leaders the next time. Dear God, we
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  Speaker 2: thank you for the example of Paul's courage and faithfulness.
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  Speaker 2: May we also be courageous, bold, and brave as we
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  Speaker 2: share our faith. May we never allow the circumstances or
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  Speaker 2: consequences of our actions for Christ to stop us from
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  Speaker 2: being bold witnesses for him. God, fill us with your
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  Speaker 2: spirit that we may speak of your love and your
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  Speaker 2: grace in our lives and never stop until you come
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  Speaker 2: for us. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for listening
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  Speaker 2: once again to today's Bible in a Year podcast. It's
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  Speaker 2: been such an incredible adventure walking through the word of
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  Speaker 2: God with you. I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.
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