The Roman commander had to have some of his men forcefully drag Paul from the council because the Sanhedrin is in such an uproar he fears they will kill Paul. Paul is lodged at the barracks until something can be done about his situation.
"The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, 'Take courage! As you have testified about Me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome." (Acts 23:11) Luke previously told us that it was Paul's plan to visit Rome after visiting Jerusalem, "Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. 'After I have been there,' he said, 'I must visit Rome also.'" (Acts 19:21)
During the long and lonely night in the Roman barracks, Paul begins to feel that his plans to visit Rome are hopeless. He can't even go outside without being either torn to pieces or stoned to death. He doesn't know how he's going to make it out of Jerusalem, much less make it to Rome. I think Paul feels about as deeply discouraged as he has ever felt. The Lord wouldn't make a personal appearance to urge him to take courage if he wasn't discouraged. The Lord wouldn't assure him his heart's desire to visit Rome is going to be fulfilled if Paul wasn't overwhelmed with doubts about ever being able to preach the gospel there. Paul will indeed go to Rome, though not as a free man. On the way he will have the opportunity to preach the gospel to Governor Felix at Caesarea and to his successor, Governor Festus. He will also preach the gospel to King Agrippa and his wife Bernice at Caesarea before appealing to Caesar himself, at which point he is placed on a ship with other prisoners who are bound for Rome, prisoners with whom he will be able to share the gospel. He will be shipwrecked and snakebitten on the island of Malta and will have the opportunity to preach the gospel and heal the sick there. Paul will indeed go to Rome, but not in the way he intended. He will go in the way God intended, and along the journey he will preach the gospel to those who would not have heard it if God had sent him as a free man to Rome.
"The next morning some Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. More than forty men were involved in this plot." (Acts 23:12-13) We don't know the identity of these forty-plus men. Some scholars believe they belong to the group known as the Zealots, a group which attracted violent men who thought nothing of carrying out assassinations whenever it suited their political purposes.
"They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, 'We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here.'" (Acts 23:14-15) This plot shows us how corrupt the priests and elders have become. The men who hatched the conspiracy feel confident they will have their full support. The religious leaders who should be setting a godly example for the nation are willing to take part in the assassination of a man who has committed no crime.
"But when the son of Paul's sister heard of this plot, he went into the barracks and told Paul. Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, 'Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him.' So he took him to the commander. The centurion said, 'Paul, the prisoner, sent for me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.' The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside and asked, 'What is it you want to tell me?'" (Acts 23:16-19) To the centurion Paul is known as "the prisoner". This is a title Paul will proudly take for himself, only he will add something to it, calling himself "the prisoner of Christ Jesus". (Ephesians 3:1, Philemon 1:1, Philemon 1:9) Paul will consider it an honor to be held in custody by kings and governments for the sake of the gospel because this is the method the Lord Jesus chooses for Paul to preach the gospel to those who wouldn't have heard it otherwise.
Paul's nephew is almost certainly quite young. The commander would be unlikely to take a grown man by the hand and to use such a gentle manner when speaking with him. The Bible refers to him as a "young man", but according to Jewish law he could rightly be called a "young man" at the age of thirteen. I think he is in his early to mid teens. I don't want us to miss the amount of courage it must have taken for him to go into a Roman barracks. It must have been quite intimidating to stand face to face with a Gentile soldier like the Roman commander who is decked out in a sharp-looking military uniform and wearing an impressive number of medals on his cloak. But a life is at stake and the young man does what needs to be done.
"He said: 'Some Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about him. Don't give in to them, because more than forty of them are waiting in ambush for him. They have taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready now, waiting for your consent to their request.' The commander dismissed the young man with this warning: 'Don't tell anyone that you have reported this to me.'" (Acts 23:20-22) The life of the young man, and the lives of his family members, might be in danger if word gets out that they know about and have reported the plot to kill Paul. In addition, the commander doesn't want it known ahead of time that he is going to transfer Paul under guard to Caesarea. As we will study tomorrow, he plans to hold Paul safely in the barracks all day and then send him with two hundred soldiers to Caesarea by dark of night. The conspirators mustn't find this out or else they will lie in wait to attack Paul and the company of soldiers after dark.
It must be terrifying for Paul to know that a band of men wants him dead. He already knows most of the members of the Sanhedrin want him dead. He knows the mob that assaulted him at the temple wants him dead. He is probably beginning to believe he will die at Jerusalem. He thinks this is the end of the road for him. No wonder the Lord encouraged him in the night! How many times has the Lord encouraged you in the night? How many times have you felt like it was the end of the road, or like a situation was completely hopeless, or like things would never get any better? We go through dark nights and even dark days in this fallen world, but thanks be to our gracious God for His strength and encouragement and love!
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