Acts 22:30-23:11

This year, as we have studied through the book of Acts, we have been working on the theme, “You Will Be my Witnesses.”  Luke has very intentionally told stories about witnessing.  We have seen:
-Peter standing on the day of Pentecost…
-Philip riding with an Ethiopian…
-Paul standing in the Aeropagus proclaiming the One True Living God…
-Healings and demons cast out and even two people raised from the dead.
-Witnessing from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria and to the ends…

All of those stories have been witnessing stories.  We have learned lots of lessons about being Jesus’ witnesses.  Now, as we are approaching the end of the book, Luke changes the flavor of witnessing. As we follow Paul from the Temple in Jerusalem to the Palace of the Emperor in Rome the flavor changes.  It is like… ice cream. The witnessing in Acts goes from Rocky Road to Neapolitan.  We will watch how the flavor changes over the next several weeks. This morning we are going to ask, “What is significant about Neapolitan Ice Cream witnessing?”  

Last week we were in Acts 22.  The Roman commander was about to make a big mistake; scourge Paul. He was about to use a beating to get the truth out of Paul and that was illegal. It was against the law to interrogate a Roman Citizen by beating them.  Paul, then, exercised his rights as a Roman Citizen to avoid having the stuffings whipped out of him.

And that was a good thing.  But it left the Roman commander with a problem.  His problem was Paul.  Paul had started a riot in the Temple.  Paul had been the match, the train, the ground, the tornado and the hit which was all that it would take to blow up Jerusalem.  It was the commander’s job not to let that happen.  But Paul was a Roman citizen.  He couldn’t just get rid of Paul, like he had done to other “trouble-makers.”  If he wanted to rid himself of Paul, he needed to have a case against him.  He needed some evidence.  He needed to know what in the world was going on.  But he couldn’t just beat somebody to get to the truth. 

We find out at the end of chapter 23 the commander’s name was Claudius Lysias.  So instead of me having to keep calling him “the Roman commander” let’s call him Claude.  Anyway, Claude had an idea about how to collect his evidence and find out what to do with Paul.

Acts 22:30 The next day, since the commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble.

The Sanhedrin was Jewish ruling council.  The name, Sanhedrin comes from the Greek: συνέδριον, "sitting together," hence "assembly" or "council.”. The Great Sanhedrin was an assembly of Jewish judges who constituted the Supreme Court and the legislative body of ancient Israel. It was presided over by the High Priest, a vice chief justice, who acted as the executive branch, and sixty-nine general members who all sat in the form of a semi-circle when in session. Prior to the destruction in 70 AD, the Great Sanhedrin would meet in the Hall of Hewn Stones in the Temple during the day, except on festivals and the Sabbath.  To us this would be our Supreme Court, Congress and the Executive branch all rolled together, remembering everyone was under the Romans. 

Claude had this idea. If he were to bring Paul before the Great Sanhedrin he could find out what it was the Jews had against Paul.  So, Claude got hold of the High Priest; at the time a man named Ananias. This is a different Ananias than the Ananias & Sapphira of Acts 5 or the Ananias which baptized Paul.  As I have said there was a shortage of names in Bible times.  Anyway, Claude got a hold of Ananias to have Paul brought before it; which he was happy to do.  History records that Ananias was not a very good priest, let alone a High Priest. He took bribes, stole tithes from the people and was prone to violence.  He also was pro-Roman, as were many of the Sadducees because the Romans put him in power.  So, Claude called up his buddy Ananias and asked him to call together the Sanhedrin to get to the bottom of this Paul thing. 

In the first verse of Acts 23 Luke begins to contrast Paul and the High no-so-Priestly; Ananias.  It is in this contrast that we begin to understand the significance of Neapolitan Ice Cream witnessing. 

Acts 22:30 - 23:1  Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.  Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, "My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day."

“Looking straight at the Sanhedrin” is a metaphor for looking into their hearts.  Paul, just like Jesus did on many occasions, saw into their hearts and what he saw caused him say, “I have fulfilled my duty to God!” 

How could Paul say this, didn’t he persecute the church?  Didn’t he give his consent to the death of Stephen?  Didn’t he throw Christians in jail?  Paul had always done what he believed to be the right thing.  When he persecuted Christians that was what he believed God wanted him to do.  When he found out he was wrong, he repented and become one of them. Paul did his duty before God.  But the implied criticism, as he looked into their hearts, did not sit well with the High Not-So-Priestly Ananias; as you might suspect.

Acts 23:2-3  At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!"

Yikes.  Paul did not like being judged by the High Not-So-Priestly, Ananias. He could not help his indignation at the hypocrisy.  This guy was a crook and he popped Paul in the mouth.  That wasn’t right!  A footnote; Ananias was killed by anti-Roman zealots just a few years after this. “Paul’s curse, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall” came to pass. 

Whitewashed wall… hmm… another clue to the point of this sermon.  Remember Jesus used this same metaphor.  Ananias looked good on the outside just like a fancy façade on a sarcophagus.  But inside the sarcophagus was death and corruption.  That wasn’t a very pretty thing to say to the High Priest, even though it was extremely accurate. 

Acts 23:4-5   Those who were standing near Paul said, "You dare to insult God's high priest?"  Paul replied, "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.'"

We need to see the video here to know exactly how Paul said this:
-Honest mistake… “Oh, I didn’t know… unlikely…
-Apologetic… Paul got hold of his indignation; “Oh, I sorry…”
-Sarcastic… “Oh, I don’t know.  He wasn’t acting like a high priest.”  My vote is on sarcastic because of what Paul saw in his heart. Paul could see into the white-washed sarcophagus.

Before the trial could go on and accusations be made and lies could be told, Paul decided they were not worthy to judge him and Paul shuts down the whole operation. 

Acts 23:7-8 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, "My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead."  When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.  (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.) 

Before we go on with the story you need to know one more thing about what is going on in 57 AD.  Like today there were two major political parties in Jerusalem. Not the Republicans and Democrats, but the Sadducees and Pharisees.

The Sadducees only accept, as Scripture, the first five books of the Old Testament.  Really there is not much there about what happens to us after death, so they thought it was all over but the crying when you died.  Whereas, the Pharisees bought the whole Old Testament and consequently believed in life after death and supernatural stuff and all that.  So, Paul shut the whole thing down with this statement about being on trial because of the resurrection.  Paul was talking about the resurrection of Jesus and his own resurrection because of Jesus.  Paul decided to be match, the train, the ground, the tornado and the hit which blew up the Sanhedrin. 

Acts 23:9-10  There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. "We find nothing wrong with this man," they said. "What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?"  The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.

Why did Paul do this?  Was this must a clever trick to get himself out of this mess or was Paul making a different point?  I believe Paul decided not to be judged by these hypocrites. They didn’t have a clue about what was right and wrong. And when they did know they chose wrong.  That is the point of Luke’s chapter and the point of this sermon. Luke contrasts the honest conscious of Paul with the bunch of yahoos of the Sanhedrin.  And that point is amazing applicable to us in October of 2008.  

It is all about Neapolitan Ice Cream.  “Tim, I think you are losing it.”  Stay with me.  Why is Neapolitan Ice Cream #5 on the Food Channel list of in the top fifteen favorite ice creams of all time?  Two reasons:

First, it allows for choice.  You can share it with others.  Some like vanilla and some like the strawberry and others like chocolate others like all three some like two of the tree; you get the point.  That is the power of the Gospel.  It has appeal to all kinds of people.  We have seen that over the last several weeks as Paul has told the story of Paul in Jerusalem.  His mission was to the Gentiles, but it was also powerful to the Jews. It touched the lowliest slave boys like Eutychus but it has power with the mighty.  The Gospel can touch everyone.  And as we present the Gospel can connect to all kinds of people.  That is the power of Neapolitan Ice Cream witnessing!

The second reason Neapolitan Ice Cream is popular, is that it isn’t all mixed together.  There are clean lines which divide the flavors.  It is what it is.  Unlike rocky road which all mixed up, Neapolitan Ice Cream is clean.  And that is what we must be.  There must not be any deception.   There must not be any hypocrisy.  We must not be like Ananias the not so high priest. We must be transparent.  We must be authentic. We must be who we are; sinners saved by the grace of God! Neapolitan ice cream is not mixed up. 

2 Corinthians 4:1-6  Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.  Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.  And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.  The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.  For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.  For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

These two characteristics of Neapolitan ice cream must be held in tension one against the other.  We must use the Gospel to connect.  We become the other person to reach the other person, but we must never be deceptive or sly or cunning or misrepresent what the Gospel really is!  That was what Paul did.  He attempted to connect to all people with the Gospel, but he was unwilling even to be judged by the hypocritical Sanhedrin.  There was no room in who he was to for hypocrisy!  In our witnessing we simply be who God has made us to be and share our amazing stories of what God has done in our lives.  We share the warts and all and we authentically be Neapolitan Ice Cream! 

How do we do this?  It is hard.  Honesty is tough. Listen to what Jesus said to Paul after this confrontation with hypocrisy.

Acts 23:11 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."

The courage to be Neapolitan Ice Cream comes from Jesus. Jesus will stand near as we tell of our faith and witness in honesty and sincerity.  Isn’t that a great thought?  

Los Alamos Church of Christ
October 5, 2008