When God Drops Out of the Picture
May 27-June 2
Make sure you read or listen to Dr. Jack Levison's commentary by following this link:
Be sure to spend some time with his
"Questions for Further Reflection" at the bottom of the commentary. You'll find
new questions there each week!
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Paul Visits James in Jerusalem, Then is Arrested by Roman
Authorities
Acts 21:17-36
Luke continues to recount the action by using the pronoun
“we” – an eyewitness account. Paul
arrives in Jerusalem and makes a report of his ministry to James. There is much rejoicing, but there’s a
catch. Paul learns that there are some
Jewish believers who are under the impression that he has been teaching Jews
not to observe the Law of Moses, and they’re not very happy about it. Paul follows the suggestion for
reconciliation, going through a ritual of purification according to the Jewish
law.
- Why do you think Paul went ahead and purified himself as requested?
- Have you ever “bent over backwards” to meet the demands of someone or a particular group? Share your story.
- How important is it to meet others’ demands in Christian community? What are the limits?
Paul Defends Himself, Witnessing to His Conversion and
Call
Acts 21:37-22:29
Paul’s purification actions didn’t keep some Jews from
Asia from seeing him in the temple and seizing him, firing up the crowd by
accusing Paul of “teaching all men everywhere against our people and our law
and this place.” They tried to kill
Paul, but he was saved by being arrested by the commander of Roman troops in
Jerusalem. The Roman Commander
mistakenly thought Paul was an Egyptian revolutionary. In response, to clarify his identity, he
received the Commander’s permission to speak to the crowd who sought his life. He spoke to them in the people's language of Aramaic, sharing
the testimony of his conversion and calling into missionary service in the
church. The crowd was not sympathetic,
but raged all the more. Paul was about
to be flogged by a Roman Centurion when he informed them that he was a Roman
citizen. The Roman citizenship he was
born with would allow him to be protected and heard.
- Paul was saved by being arrested, something that is usually seen as a negative circumstance. Have you ever experienced a good side of something bad in your life? How might a negative experience save you from something worse?
- What is your testimony of meeting and starting to follow Jesus? How is it similar to Paul’s? How is it different?
- Have you ever shared your testimony with a person or a group? Were they friendly to you, or hostile? What was the experience like?
- What do you think is the most difficult aspect of speaking your story of faith in Jesus?
Paul in Trouble with the Jewish Leaders
Acts 22:30-23:22
Paul continues his defense of his ministry in front of
the council of chief priests and elders in Jerusalem. Paul is bold in defending himself from
mistreatment, but also shows humility in acknowledging that he misspoke in
speaking harshly to the high priest, something scripture forbids. By claiming that he was on trial “concerning
the hope of the resurrection of the dead” (v. 6), he touched off a debate
between two main groups on the council, the Pharisees and Sadducees. The Pharisees were sympathetic to Paul because
they believed in the concept of the resurrection, while the Sadducees did
not. In verse 11 we see that the Lord is
standing near Paul and encouraging him, letting Paul in on the master plan that
is unfolding: just as Paul has testified for Jesus in Jerusalem, he will also
bear witness to Jesus in Rome. A
conspiracy to kill Paul is discovered by Paul’s nephew; Paul sends him to the Roman authorities to tell them of the plot.
- How do you stay humble and obedient to God’s word in the midst of difficult circumstances?
- In the New Testament, Pharisees generally get a bad rap, but Paul is proof positive that Jesus can transform their lives…and they actually have beliefs (e.g. resurrection) that might serve as “doorways” to Christian faith. What “doorways to Christian faith” do you see in the lives and outlooks of non-Christians in our culture?
- How has Jesus stood near you and whispered encouragement to you? What was your situation? How might Jesus be encouraging you through what you are going through now?
Paul Explains Himself – and the Gospel – to the Civil Authorities
23:23 - 26:32
Around Seattle, there’s a lot of
talk about King Felix (Mariners’ pitcher Felix Hernandez). But here in Acts, Felix is the Roman Governor
and Agrippa (Herod Agrippa II) is the King.
To each of these powerful civil authorities Paul defends his actions,
recites his testimony, and witnesses to Jesus [Felix, 24:10-21 & Agrippa,
26:1-29]. Paul is now in Caesarea on the
coast (not the famed Caesarea Philippi of the gospels), one step closer to
Rome. Jesus is moving Paul closer to
Rome, and influencing the actions of the Roman authorities to make it
happen. Paul tells the truth as he gives
his account, and speaks about faith in Christ Jesus as he does it. But the process is painfully slow: Paul is in
prison in Caesarea for over two years!
The finer points of justice are why it’s taking so long: defining the
charges against Paul and factoring in his rights as a Roman citizen. But this process preserves Paul’s life from
plots to kill him, prolongs his ministry, and allows him to preach to the
powerful.
- What would you say if you were put on the stand to defend your Christian actions and beliefs?
- How have you shared your personal testimony of faith in Jesus?
- Describe where you think Jesus is moving you. What people and places might be on the next leg of your journey of following Christ?
- For Paul, prison actually provided protection from evil forces. What seems like a prison to you but actually might be a positive thing in the long run?
In Christ,
Pastor Kurt
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