23:1 Paul confesses the truth of his life: his devotion and love, his faith in God. No matter what evil or circumstance Paul faced, he gripped onto his truth, this truth that God was the passion and creator of his life. Paul knew that with that truth as the foundation of his life and the core of his heart and soul, nothing these adversaries could do against him that could take him from underneath God's protective wing. Children of God remain and return to God no matter where their enemies try to send them.
23:2 This "high priest"* is arrogant, closed-minded and violent. This man refuses to acknowledge Paul's truth and innocence. Remember that the adversaries of the apostles are against them because they fear losing their corrupt power. Paul was gathering (healing, leading, teaching!) the people these evil ones had been oppressing and they wanted their authority back.
*Be careful not to automatically revere people in religious positions and institutions. No person is superior over another. They are not better than you because they stand in positions of religious authority or impressive, expensive churches. Remember, God values humility and modesty and you should search for those qualities in all people you encounter. Just because a person attends or works in a church does not make them "good." Their actions as a human being determine who they are and no matter where a person works, they can still be hypocritical, arrogant and/or deceptive. In this case, Paul is being beaten by someone who pretends to be a person of God. Do not revere anyone but God, and do not trust in anyone as fully as you can trust God.
23:3 Paul accuses and subsequently identifies the truth of this man, so-called "high priest"; he's a fraud and not a person of God at all. This man has no substance, his position and his character is built on greed and lies.
23:4 This verse compliments verse two which we previously covered. People were shocked that Paul would speak against this church official. They should not have been shocked! The only divine-being deserving of our respect is our creator, who is compassionate, truthful and wise. No human has the authority to lord over another and every human should be chastised when they attempt to lord over others. Paul, as an apostles and faithful child of God, is a blessed, privileged vessel through which God's wisdom could come into the world and that is just what Paul is doing: he is cutting this corrupt man down to size, revealing to everyone that he is merely a flawed man, without any authority or superiority over anyone else. Paul is continuing to teach people: do not let another person control you or tell you what is right from wrong. God gave us freedom and no human has the authority to take it away.
You have the freedom to observe and to identify and perceive truth from lie and right from wrong. Use your gift, your ability to never let anyone else define the world for you.
23:5 Paul could get himself into trouble by going against the high priest. These people read the scripture of the Old Testament at face value, without delving deeper in the metaphors and logic within it. You should not speak badly of a good leader; but you should always identify a bad one.
23:6-7 Identified as the son of a Pharisee, Paul receives a backing from half the crowd.
23:8 Paul came and taught of Jesus' resurrection and of life after death on earth; the Sadducees did not believe in either. So, the Pharisees were a bit more keen to listen to Paul.
23:9-10 Paul receives some support and he's taken from the violent crowd.
23:11 The spirit of God remains with Paul, as it will remain with you when you put your faith in it, true, unwavering faith. You must develop your faith so that it does not sway. Thanking God on the good days does not absolve you of blaming Him on the bad ones. Likewise, consulting God on the bad days does not absolve you of forgetting Him on the good days. Paul stood and worked firmly in faith and he therefore received firm love and support. God awaits your permission and He only enters your life in the measure you trust Him to. If you only trust Him a little, He won't overstep the limits you imposed on Him. If you trust Him a lot, you give Him a lot of space and opportunity and joy to do a lot.
Think of it this way: if you only allow a pinprick of light into your life (limited faith), due to the tiny hole, it cannot create much light in your life. If you burst down the walls, God can soak you in His light.
If your faith is the size of a pinprick, how can the light enter?
Faith is effort. Trust is not a decision but an action. God is perceptive, He is perception, He knows when your faith is real and when your trust is true. Life your life dutifully to show and develop your faith and your trust. By trusting Him, you are agreeing that His way is the best way. Meaning you agree that compassion is the core of everything. Meaning you accept your purpose on this earth to become purposeful, rather than self-absorbed. You must live your life in accordance with His will in order to show Him that you give your faith and trust to His will. Be kind, be perceptive, be honest, be fair in every moment of your life and your devotion will show Him that your spirit is aligned with His. By doing these things, you burst down those walls that are ignorance, chaos, selfishness and greed. His spirit cannot co-exist with those things, it is too compassionate, too pure. Remove those things from your life, create space for Him to enter.
God encourages Paul: be happy. You are fulfilling your purpose and you have nothing to fear, evil cannot take away your spiritual life, it cannot take away God's love for you.
23:12 This is the lunacy of evil. They vow not to eat or drink until they kill an innocent man. Even if they disagree with Paul, they do not need to devote their lives to killing him. This is why God so values His faithful children, they accept their purpose as advocates for justice and compassion against these absolute lunatics of evil and greed.
God lets us become whoever and whatever we want to become; unfortunately, some people use this opportunity on earth to become... horrible.
23:13-14 No matter how many people bind together against you, they do not beat the majority that is you and God. Even if they kill you, they simply enable you to escape them forever, in the spiritual home of God. Let God make you strong and clever, invulnerable to their deception and evil conspiracies. No matter how committed they are, they will inevitably fail against God.
23:15-16 God always enables us to be informed. There is no limit to what He can give us. When we become spiritual-perceptive and faithful, we are always kept aware and prepared. No secrets or deceptive plans work against us.
23:17-18 Paul is provided the opportunity (by God, of course) to retain the upper-hand. He is not a sitting-duck. As faithful children of God, we are prepared and armored and informed, always.
23:19-22 The young man, sent by Paul (who was informed by his sister, who was informed by God through her faith and trust in Him) informs the commander of the secret, violent plot against Paul.
It can be easy to be consumed by sadness, dejection or fear because there is still plotted tragedy in the world. Remember that the more people who awake to their spiritual purpose, the more chance we have of diminishing evil. The more we realize that this earth is freedom, a chance to create ourselves, the more likely we are to create goodness within ourselves. Remember also that this earth is temporary; this trial and opportunity ends and evil has already been declared the loser. Those who "lose" their earthly lives due to injustice on the earth, instantly come alive in compassion and truth in spirit. The difficult part of their lives is over, forever. Use this life to be purposeful for the people who are oppressed by injustice and you will re-establish and rejuvenate yourself in the process.
There are difficulties within our own lives and sometimes we must be both the victim and the hero. Luckily, our hero is actually God and He enables us to save ourselves. There are cruddy people in the world; people who are greedy, arrogant, horrible... the list goes on and on, but allow God's wisdom to strengthen you against their tactics. Identify their true character before it can ever harm you. There are bumps in the road but with God, you see them coming and you can avoid most of them. Sometimes you can't miss a bump, but allow it to be a lesson, an instruction on how to avoid that particular bump in the future. Become wiser than the bumps! Allow Him to flood light into you when something or someone creates darkness. He's incredibly creative; allow Him into your life and He will reach you.
23:23-30 The commander arranges for Paul, acknowledging him as an innocent man, to be rescue from the impending, plotted danger.
23:31-35 Paul is transported to relative saftey and will again be given the opportunity to preach. Purposeful every day of his life! Led and supported by God through all of it.
23:31-35 Paul is transported to relative saftey and will again be given the opportunity to preach. Purposeful every day of his life! Led and supported by God through all of it.
