- In Acts 23:1-5 the high priest orders Paul to be illegally struck. Paul answers him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall!" It's interesting to note that a few years later Ananias, know for his brutality, would be assassinated by his own people.
- In this account, when Paul sharply rebukes Ananias, those standing nearby say, "You dare to insult God's high priest?" Paul replies, "Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: 'Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.'" This appears to be a further rebuke basically saying, "Surely the high priest does not conduct himself in such a way."
- In 23:12-15 some Jews vow not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. Since we know that their plan fails, you have to wonder did they starve to death? The People's Bible mentions that the rabbis at the time had basically created loopholes for people to get out of these kinds of oaths.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Paul's Arrest in Jerusalem
A little background information on a couple of the sections we read today:
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Your last comment is interesting because that exact thought went through my mind.
ReplyDeleteIn the text (Acts 22:28-29) where it's written "Then the commander said, 'I had to pay a big price for my citizenship'...etc. I take it to mean that there would have been a difference if Paul had paid for his citizenship versus being born. Is that true? Why would that have made a difference? I just wondered what the commander was implying by telling Paul he had to pay for his citizenship. Would they have treated Paul differently had he not been born a citizen?
Hey Megan,
ReplyDeleteGood question. I checked the People's Bible on this and it sounds like the commander mentioned that because citizenship in Rome was highly valued, giving extra rights like not having to be punished in some of the more gruesome ways. It also allowed you to serve in the military. So when Paul mentioned this it brought to mind for the commander what he had gone through to become a citizen. The People's Bible also says, "The born citizen was considered to be of higher social standing than one who was not born into that status."