Acts 23 reminds me of a quote from Martin Luther King that is frequently cited incompletely. He said, “Hate destroys the hater as well as the hated”. He was preaching from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, specifically the call to “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44). Dr. King explained, “If you hate your enemies, you have no way to redeem and to transform your enemies”. Today’s lesson is about recognizing hate. We begin with the apostle Paul standing before the Jewish leadership council. He was under Roman house arrest, facing his accusers. Paul began, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day”. The High Priest immediately had Paul struck in the mouth. They mistakenly believed Paul was claiming to be sinless. Too often we make erroneous assumptions about the motives of those with whom we disagree. Paul reacted, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall!” Paul realized he was addressing the High Priest, and apologetically references scripture, “Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people”. This literally means cussing. I believe this applies to your boss, Pastor, parent, and political leaders. Friend, who are you cussing?
Perhaps realizing he would not truly have an opportunity to explain anything; Paul decided to demonstrate the destructive nature of hate. “Knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees”, Paul began with the single most important point of division between them. “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead”. Immediately “a dispute broke out… and the assembly was divided… There was a great uproar”. Those from the sect of the Pharisees argued vigorously, “We find nothing wrong with this man”. It is interesting how political affiliation allows people to look past the sin of their own party. Civil debate was replaced with violent attacks. Violence, intimidation and attempted murder are products of hate. “The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces”. He called in his troops to carry Paul away by force for his own safety. The three greatest motivators of human behavior are, Love, Hate and Greed. Which one drives you?
How could Paul thrive amid the relentless attacks? Paul was assured by the Savior Himself, “Take courage! As you have testified about Me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome”. Even when some of the Jews conspired to kill Paul, he held on to that promise. Paul directed his nephew to communicate the details of the conspiracy to the Roman commander. They would ask him to “bring Paul before the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the pretext of wanting more accurate information… more than forty of them are waiting in ambush for him”. They were so committed that “They have taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him”. The commander took action. He gathered “two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen” to escort Paul out of Jerusalem to Caesarea to appeal to Felix, the Roman Governor. Roman citizenship had extensive privileges, but the Commander was also protecting his career and reputation. He wrote a letter of introduction to the Governor about Paul, asking him to give Paul an opportunity to face his accusers. “This man was seized by the Jews and they were about to kill him, but I came with my troops and rescued him… he is a Roman citizen”. Once Felix confirmed Paul was from his jurisdiction, he agreed to hear the case. Paul would be “kept under guard in Herod’s palace” for two years as the corrupt Governor waited for a bribe. Paul spent that time teaching and preaching to redeem and transform his captors because he was motivated by love. Paul wrote the definitive explanation of love (1 Corinthians 13). Hate destroys, but “Love never fails!”