Acts 23:12-22--A Plot to Kill Paul

Acts 23:12-22
English Standard Version

A Plot to Kill Paul
12 When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. 14 They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul. 15 Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

​16 Now the son of Paul's sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul. 17 Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him.” 18 So he took him and brought him to the tribune and said, “Paul the prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you.” 19 The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” 20 And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more closely about him. 21 But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him, who have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him. And now they are ready, waiting for your consent.” 22 So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of these things.”

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Remember that the Jews have been stirred up again by Paul's testimony that he gave, for he pitted the Pharisees that believed in the supernatural and the resurrection of the dead against the Sadducees who believed in neither the supernatural (excluding God) or the resurrection of the dead.  The Jews were once again ready to riot, but this time there was a group that had taken things a bit further insomuch as they had sworn an oath not to eat or drink anything until they had killed Paul.  Clearly this is premeditated murder disguising itself as being a religious zealot, for God had clearly commanded His people "thou shalt not manslaughter" and had told the whole world in the Noahic Covenant in Genesis 6:9

“Whoever sheds the blood of man,
    by man shall his blood be shed,
for God made man in his own image."

How is it then that these pagan, Gentile Romans are more righteous in this regard than the Jews who were "the people of God" and had the Law of God, but seemed to not be transformed by it?  In a way the Jews here were acting worse than Gentiles and were proving to not belong to God, but as Jesus called them, "You are children of your father the devil...." because "he was a murderer from the beginning."  This was in reference to Jesus knowing that the Jews were plotting in their heart how to murder Him, but the same is going on now with anyone that they see made in the likeness of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.  They desire to kill Paul because he looks like Jesus and talks like Jesus and he is telling people to repent and be born again (just like Jesus did) and to confess Jesus as Lord.

The Jews plot to tell the tribune that they want another trial, but this time they want to hold court in their Council chambers in Jerusalem.  The plot was to kill Paul along the way.  However, Paul's nephew (the son of Paul's sister) somehow heard of this plot and told Paul of it who told his nephew to tell one of the centurions responsible for protecting him and the centurion took news of this report of the assassination plot all the way to the tribune.  Now remember that the tribune knows the Paul is a natural-born Roman citizen.  He cannot simply turn Paul over to the Jews or turn a blind eye because Paul is officially under the protection of the Roman government at this time being held over for trial.

Paul's nephew relays the news to the tribune that more than forty Jews swore this oath to not eat or drink anything until they killed Paul and they were lying in wait for Paul to leave the protection of the barracks so that they might kill him on his way down from the barracks to the Council chambers.  The tribune dismissed Paul's nephew telling him not to tell anyone that they had spoken, but we'll see next time that the Sanhedrin was outfoxed by the tribune and the tribune wisely decides that he needs to get rid of Paul (for the safety of himself, this soldiers and the city they are trying to protect) and he will march Paul out of Jerusalem under the cover of darkness with an armed escort of two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to take him to Caesarea and deliver him to Felix, the governor of the region.  We'll look into this more next time.