Appealing to Caesar

0:01 I would like to, I, I know I'm in this process of figuring out what this time period looks like right now when I used to give news updates. Today I wanna show you just a brief video. I mentioned it last week and I thought I would give you a little bit fuller of a video this week, um, about schul runnings. I, I don't know if you caught it in the middle of the video because she kind of went through it real quick. This is the first Drew's Olympian.

0:53 That is an amazing thing to think about, especially when the accusation against Israel is an accusation of apartheid, which means separation and unequal rights, and in fact, treating others as less than to the point of discrimination. Uh, they now have the first Drews Olympian ever. Uh, so anyways, keep that in mind as you, as you hear these accusations, um, bander about, uh, if you, by the way, I, I I got, when I saw this, I got, oh man, did I miss them? I did. I miss the video. 'cause you know, we try to watch a little bit of Winter Olympics if, if we can, they have not gone yet, so don't be upset. Uh, if you wanna watch 'em, they're on February 16th and 17th and the two man bobsled and then on the 21st

1:41 and 22nd in the four man bobsled. So put that on your calendars. I would like to invite Rabbi Sean to come to the stage at this time. Avea sha sha may my father in heaven. Lord, I thank you for Rabbi Sean. I thank you for his diligence, uh, to pour over the scriptures and to study and to prepare, uh, to bring your word. Lord, I just ask that you would speak to us today, that you would open up our ears, that we can hear from you through Rabbi Sean. We bless you in Yeshua's name. Amen. Amen. Thank you. Rabbi Ari

2:31 will be in Acts 23 if you have your Bibles with you. I was 11 years old when I first heard Biggie's album, ready to Die. Oh my God. It may have been my introduction to existentialism. I didn't know what existentialism was at age 11. However, I found this album gripping and would listen to it frequently. If you're not familiar with the album, it is vulgar, violent, and depicts life as a crack dealer in Bedford Stuyvesant with dreams

3:17 of Riches and Success as an adult. I say that the album is existentialist because Biggie understands that his lifestyle leads to a quick demise. It is kill or be killed now he is ascending, but when he makes it to the top and accomplishes his goals of fame and success, one of his enemies will be ready to assassinate him if the despair doesn't cause him to take his own life. I read a quote recently that sticks with me. Orientation and destiny define identity. I'll say that one more time

4:02 'cause it's a lot to unpack in those few words. Orientation and destiny define identity. Where have we come from and where are we going? I was not raised on the streets of Bedford Stuyvesant. I was raised about an hour west of there in a Long Island suburb. However, I had my life threatened by my drug dealer at age 14, witnessed mob shootings at age 15 as well as as an adult and had the premonition to step out of the backseat of a stolen car while stopped at a red light at age 16,

4:48 this car was being driven by a crack head who was about to be held up at gunpoint when he reached his destination. So although I wasn't raised in Bedford Stuyvesant, I understood the violence that lurked around every corner in my neighborhood. Additionally, within 1000 feet of my house, three of my peers committed suicide and I had similar thoughts in my early teen years. I had just turned 14 when Biggie's next album came out. It was called Life After Death and in Prophetic Fashion released just 16 days after Biggie was murdered.

5:35 It was an epic double album featuring biggie's 10 Crack Commandments and Mo Money Mo problems, where Biggie realizes that the more money he makes, the more problems he sees. The most inspiring track on the album is Sky's the Limit, where Biggie tells his life story with all its risk and aspiration. The chorus insists that you can have what you want and be what you want. Although Biggie's murder is still unsolved by the age of 24, he had attained all of the success and accolades that he dreamed about Andra about

6:24 his worst fears also came to pass as Yeshua tells us in Matthew 26, those who live by the sword die by die by the sword. That's right. In spite of dying at age 24 and only releasing two albums, biggie is considered one of the greatest rappers of all time as a brutally honest storyteller of the streets, living life without fear, being far from timid and only making a move if his heart's in it. Biggie's mom, TTA Wallace, a hardworking, intelligent single mom, never intended for her son to live this violent life.

7:11 However, after his funeral when his casket was paraded through the streets of Brooklyn, witnessed masses of people out in the street as a testament to the impact her son made upon the lives of ordinary New Yorkers. That's when in her own words, she saw the love. So you may be asking rightly so, why am I taking the time on a Shabbat morning to discuss the life and death of Christopher Wallace, otherwise known as Biggie Smalls or the notorious BIG? We are believers in Yeshua seeking to honor the Lord of the universe. However, when I reflect upon the Book of Acts,

8:00 I realize that not much has changed in the world over the past 2000 years. Wherever humans exist, there is violence, envy, and aspirations of power. Have you ever heard of Julius Caesar? The Roman Empire was the context of the New Testament. The Pax Romana was peace enforced by military might. Although the apostles were not crack dealers, it was just as dangerous to be emissaries of Yeshua that Du Kim or Sadducees were a highly political group with ties to the Roman Empire,

8:46 Paul a Pharisee had been a man of violence. He was responsible for Jewish believers in Yeshua being put to death as they were a threat to both Jewish and Roman institutions. Ultimately, Yeshua presented a kingdom of God which was contrary to the kingdom of Caesar. Even today, as followers of Yeshua, we need to be reminded once again that the kingdom of God is contrary to the political systems in which we find ourselves. Paul, who once served as an existential threat to Messianic Judaism is now an

9:33 emissary of Yeshua. He now opposes the side that he used to represent a possible majority of the Sanhedrin is seeking to murder. Paul, Paul appeals to Caesar, not because it is safer, but because he has already witnessed to the San Hedron and aspires to witness to Caesar Nero at the time, the most powerful political leader in the world is the title of my message is Appealing to Caesar. It comes from Acts chapter 23 verses 23 through 35.

10:20 I invite you to explore the way that your life is serving the kingdom of God. I will ask three questions pertaining to the three sections of this passage. First, who are your unlikely allies? Second, what are you striving after? And third, where are you serving God's purposes? I will be reading from the Tree of Life version of the Bible. My outline and worksheet can be found on the YouVersion app and there are also p worksheets available in house if you raise your hand. Acts 23 verses 23 through 24

11:06 read as follows, calling two of his centurions, he said at the third hour of the night, prepare 200 soldiers along with 70 horsemen and 200 spearmen to proceed as far as Caesarea also provide mounts for Paul to ride so that he might be brought safely to Felix the governor. Who are your unlikely allies? Claudius Lys is the commander who helps Paul to escape Jerusalem. However, they had a complex relationship up to this point.

11:52 In chapter 21, Lys had received word about Paul being beaten outside of the temple. Lys was over about 1000 men. We don't know how many soldiers accompanied um, lys to the temple, but it seems to be several hundred. Upon seeing the many soldiers, the crowd stopped beating Paul immediately. However, the transport of Paul became difficult with soldiers carrying Paul and the crowd following and becoming violent again. Upon the steps of the headquarters, Lys learned that Paul knew Greek

12:39 and that he was not the Egyptian leader of 4,000 assassins as he had supposed. He also learned that Paul was a Jew. Lys then allowed Paul to speak in Aramaic to the crowd, which eventually led to the crowd getting stirred up again as Lys didn't know what they were arguing about. Presumably he brought Paul into the Roman headquarters and sought to examine him by lashing. So understand here Lys is neither a good guy or a bad guy in the story. He's a mixed bag like us.

13:24 Before the lashes could begin, Paul let it be known that he was a Roman citizen. Lys was afraid to learn that he had bound a Roman citizen one of their own. Perhaps he had used a little too much force. It makes you wonder what would've happened if Paul was not a Roman citizen. It seems that he would've died at Lys command. I want you to get a picture of the moral ambiguity of the situation. Lys is not simply some savior of Paul, though he does technically save his life three times.

14:11 Lys is also doing the work of the Roman Empire who have no regard for Paul as a Jew, the government even mistakenly abused their own citizens. Lys was probably scared at this point that he would lose his job. So Lys decided he should release Paul to the Sanhedrin the first time. Lys saves Paul from the angry mob, Lys supposes that he's taking down a grand assassin. Perhaps he had a promotion in mind. The second time Lys saves Paul. It is from the lashings, which he himself had ordered.

14:57 The third time Lys saves Paul. It is from a murder plot seemingly within the Sanhedrin. Lys is informed by Paul's nephew. Though the text does not say whether Lys was aware of the relationship to Paul. In any case, Lys was probably seeking to save his own tookus rather than having a great concern for Paul as a Roman citizen. If Paul had died by the hands of the San Hedron, Paul's blood would've been upon Lys hands. As Lys had released Paul to the San Hedron with knowledge

15:42 that he was a Roman citizen, that Lys could have found himself in trouble for having bound Paul, a Roman citizen, and it would've been worse if Paul had died while he was in lys care. That rain's really coming down, huh? Find I have to raise my voice to overcome the rain. An informant, Paul's nephew learns of the plot of the San Hedron to kill Paul and informs the commander who orders him to tell no one and brings in heavy reinforcements to escort Paul to Caesarea again.

16:28 Lys does not necessarily care about Paul. On the contrary, he probably would've seen Paul to his death three times if he had better information and was better at his job. Paul is now a hot potato that Lys is hoping to pass to the Governor Felix in order to get himself off the hook. Furthermore, he might be able to spin the situation in order to make him himself look like the hero. So at about nine at night, he calls as many as 470 men to bring Paul out. This would've been nearly half of the men under his command,

17:14 which would deplete his numbers in Jerusalem, which was a a dangerous place at the time. This text unearths a complex political picture. The Roman Empire has power over the San Hedron. However, the San Hedron can subvert or manipulate the empire. Moreover, there is a greater kingdom at work. In the text, Paul, a citizen of Rome and likely former member of the San Heran, is now serving the kingdom of God. This supersedes his other allegiances. While Paul understood the political systems of the Jews

18:00 and Rome, his encounter with Yeshua gave Paul a higher perspective. Paul was not afraid of the Sanhedrin or Rome. Rather, he had already accomplished his mission of witnessing to the highest Jewish court concerning Yeshua. Next, he would seek the opportunity to witness to the most powerful man in the world, Caesar himself. Here we see a clash of three kingdoms. At this point you might be thinking, what type of narcissist is Paul? Who is he to demand an audience before Caesar?

18:47 Who is he to expect the universe to conspire in order to bring this about, although the text tells us that Paul was visited by Yeshua and given his, given his marching orders from a human perspective, Paul must have looked like a lunatic. If it were his goal to be free, Paul would've had several opportunities to get himself out of trouble. Instead, he pressed himself deeper into the trouble. This is not because Paul loved trouble. Rather he had an entirely different vision in mind. He sought to be a witness of Yeshua's power

19:35 and did not care if he had to suffer in the process. Us, the text does not say this, but I think that Paul carried the weight of his past including putting Messianic Jews to death. In light of this, he did not deem it too great of a thing for him to suffer for the sake of Yeshua, even if it resulted in his death and eventually it would however much like Yeshua prior to the cross in the Gospels. It wasn't Paul's time just yet. He still had goals and aspirations.

20:20 However, these goals were not self-serving but kingdom oriented. So in a strange and complex series of events, lys though corrupt himself becomes the instrument of deliverance. For Paul, he subverts the plans of the San Hedron. God uses unlikely allies to protect his people. I don't know about you, but I have received protection from unlikely sources. This has implications for the way that we witness to others. We should not suppose that witnessing is a one way interaction.

21:09 Rather, we are witnessing to others and others are witnessing to us. There may be those who do not believe in Yeshua, but they might become a deliverer for us or witness truth to us in a particular way. Per KA vote, the ethics of the Father says, who is wise? One who learns from everyone. We should not suppose that we have a monopoly on the truth. Rather, we should recognize that God has created all humanity according to his image and we all bear God's likeness in some way.

21:55 All people can witness to the power of God. So I ask you today, who are your unlikely allies? Acts 23 verses 25 through 30 read as follows. He wrote a letter to this effect, Claudius s to the most excellent governor, Felix. Greetings. Does anyone use that in their emails? Greetings. This man was seized by the Judean leaders and was about to be killed by them. When I came on the scene with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he is a Roman citizen,

22:43 desiring to know the charge of which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their San Hedron. I found that he was accused concerning issues of their law, but charged with nothing worthy of death or imprisonment. When I was informed there was a plot against the man, I sent him to you immediately. Also ordering his accusers to state before you what they have against him. What are you striving? After my homiletics or preaching professor used to tell us that we would attain the thing that we were continually striving after.

23:31 As I said, Claudius Lys is a complex character in the narrative he's multifaceted. Here We see first century Roman military correspondence. It is the equivalent of reading some secret emails between people that run things today. This has historical value as ancient military correspondence. It is also a masterclass in public relations, a most dubious industry. Rather than saying plainly what happened, Lys spins the situation in order

24:17 to make himself look more favorable and perhaps worthy of promotion. Notice what is not mentioned in Ly letter. He doesn't mention that he almost lost Paul to the crowd in Jerusalem. He doesn't mention that he thought Paul was an Egyptian vigilante. He doesn't mention that he had bound Paul and was about to kill him without a background check. Rather, he portrays the Judean leaders as the enemy and himself as the hero. Saving Paul upon learning that he was a Roman citizen.

25:03 There is an ounce of truth in there, but lys is quite a spin doctor. There was a reason that he ascended to the rank of Commander. Lys makes it seem that he was always in control, merciful and noble. Meanwhile, Lys is saving his own tail and saddling Felix with quite a situation. It is a human tendency to desire to move from the margins to the center, and it is a human tendency for those in the center to guard their positions from those on the margins. It is advantageous for billionaires to persuade us

25:51 that they are just like us so that we do not threaten that privileged position. Caesar sought to keep the peace so that he could continue in prosperity. The Judean leaders had their authority in Jerusalem and did not want it to be disturbed by Yeshua and his followers. I can sympathize with the Judean leaders. It must have been difficult to be a rabbi at the time of Yeshua and his followers. Here you are debating the Torah or representing God as a priest while Yeshua is giving sight to the blind and feeding the multitudes right around the corner.

26:38 Perhaps they were jealous and did not wanna become Yeshua's disciples. Perhaps they were upset that Yeshua was stealing the attention of the people. It probably wasn't easy for the pig farmers either. People have their own aims in life. Not everyone is ready to submit themselves to the radical call of being a follower of Yeshua. It is a costly decision. As I stated, the politics of Rome and Jerusalem were highly corrupt. Everyone did what seemed right in their own eyes. The Judean leaders looked out

27:25 for their own interests and so did Rome. Paul was actually a threat to both systems. Paul himself was quite ambitious. He rose to high ranks in the Jewish establishment and was even willing to kill for his cause. His change of heart came through a power encounter with Yeshua, which transformed his outlook. Paul remained a radical Jew though now no longer through violence. On the contrary, he was willing to suffer and die in order to make Yeshua known to Israel and also to the nations. As chaotic as Paul's life is in this episode,

28:13 things are going swimmingly for Paul as he's doing precisely what God has called him to do. So what about you? What are you striving after? Where would you like to go? Have you ever stated your intentions clearly? I was recently speaking with an ambitious young person who I won't name, and I asked them about their goals in life. They did not want to tell me, and I realized that there are at least three reasons why they may not have wanted to tell me. For one, maybe they didn't know exactly or perhaps they were too embarrassed to say it.

29:03 Maybe they just didn't trust me. I don't think this was the case. As they told me that wasn't the case, but I believe in this case it was an issue of principle. They had a specific goal in mind, but thought that they should accomplish that goal quietly rather than tell people about it. Have you ever wondered about this yourself when you had goals? There is debate on whether we should simply keep our goals to ourselves or announce them to others that we trust. On the one hand, if the members of the San Hedron had wanted to kill Paul

29:50 and had kept their plans amongst themselves, they may have accomplished their goal. In this case, as the saying goes loose lips very good. They spoke it out and it ended up foiling their plans. Thankfully. On the other hand, if we are not able to articulate our plans, we may not even understand our plans ourselves. In this case. As the saying goes, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. There is power to speaking something into existence. After all, that's how God created the world.

30:40 If we are able to write out our plan, we may see that it is ridiculous. We may see that it is good, but it needs refinement. We may see that it is of the Lord. It may even lead us to the next steps in the process. In most cases, our plans will not take root until we are willing to confess them to others. It's not some kind of psychological magic, though others may be willing to advise us. Most good things and worthy goals are not accomplished in isolation. God designed us in a particular way whether we like it or not, that we need the help of others.

31:29 So if we never share our plans with anyone, it is ultimately unlikely that they will succeed. I realize that it takes time to formulate a good plan and to build trust with others or to discern trustworthy people in your life. However, more often than not having a successful plan involves not only sharing it with the Lord and articulating it clearly for ourselves. It also requires sharing it with others, which is a vulnerable thing who might join in the effort with us or even push back upon it. Sure, maybe that person is jealous of you or doesn't want you to succeed.

32:17 It could also be that they are helping you because your plan needs more refinement before it is ready to roll. I can think of several occasions where I have stated my plans and it has been met with a no. And while this can hurt in the moment and it does, no one likes getting bad news. I usually realize in retrospect, after some time passes that it was good that that door didn't open. Sometimes we need to face a closed door in order to realize a new direction. A closed door can be an unlikely ally that causes us

33:04 to refine our mission. What are you striving after? My advice is to seek the Lord's purpose in your life to the best of your ability. Confess it to the Lord. Make it plain for yourself and those trusted friends who are with you on the journey. They may help you to refine your plans or even join you in your efforts. Acts 23 verses 31 through 35 reads as follows, so the soldiers in keeping with their orders took Paul and brought him by night to antitrust.

33:50 On the next day, they returned to headquarters leaving the horsemen to go on with him. When they came to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul before him. Upon reading the letter, the governor asked what province he was from. When he learned that Paul was from Alisia, he said, I will give you a hearing when your accusers have arrived. Also. Then he gave orders for Paul to be guarded in Herod's Pretor, Where Are you serving God's purposes. Paul found himself at Herod's Pretoria

34:36 one step closer to meeting Caesar in Rome. He would live to die another day. He would have five days to wait before Ananias, the high priest would come with a group of representatives. I wonder if Paul had an ocean view accessory. A maritime would become a place of brutal public executions of Christians in the third and fourth centuries. However, as a Roman citizen in the first century, Paul likely received better treatment. Governor Felix had no reason to mistreat Paul and was likely eager to receive a bribe for his release.

35:23 The empire was simply serving its own needs. That's what empires do. Paul had narrowly escaped death and was now caught up in the Roman machine, the most powerful country in the world. Things seem fairly grim, but this is precisely where Paul would have wanted to be. How about you? Where are you serving the kingdom of God? I'm not just thinking about the community of faith here. In order to see the kingdom of God expand, we must move out from the center to the margins.

36:08 I said earlier that it is a human tendency to move from the margins to the center. However, the kingdom of God often works in the opposite way. Yeshua sent his Tal Meade out into the world from the center to the margins. I want to try to make you uncomfortable. If I can, God sends us forth to be witnesses to the ends of the earth, right? This involves a departure into foreign contexts. I don't just mean overseas mission trips either. The nations are here and I believe that this is the strength of our country.

36:57 Rather than wish people away or deemed them as foreigners, we should be kingdom minded and seek to be witnesses of the kingdom wherever we find ourselves and with whomever we find ourselves. Amen. This means getting outside of our comfortable social circles and being willing to interact lovingly with those of other faiths and perspectives. Amen. This involves not only being a teacher, but also being a continual learner. This involves the elimination of enemies by turning them into friends. This means that people of other faiths

37:43 and perspective also have things to impart to us as we both witness to what the spirit is doing in our midst. Paul did not have a wife and kids waiting for him at home. If you are married, congratulations, but you are bound in a way that Paul was not. You have a responsibility to your spouse that must come before others. Likewise, if you have children, you have a particular responsibility that Paul did not. You are not free to move about the cabin

38:29 or move so independently as Paul did. Your first ministry is at home continually waiting for you. However, should you take up the responsibility of your spouse and children, and I suppose you have a choice there, you'll find I hope that it is mutually beneficial. You are carrying each other. You are ministering to one another's needs as you are able and as your patience allows. Though home life is never perfect, it can be an abiding source of love, joy, and encouragement with the Lord's help.

39:15 Some of you need to pick up roses on the way home. Should we be able to live as witnesses within our household? We may hope to expand this kingdom dynamic among our neighbors, workplaces and communities. I encourage you to not only consider where you can make an impact upon others, but where others are making an impact upon you. As believers in Yeshua, we should continually be growing in knowledge. We should continually be expanding our emotional maturity. We should continually be growing in our moral capacity.

40:02 We should continually be growing in our ability to relate to people of all kinds of perspectives. Hopefully, we grow as those who are not easily offended but can bear with others and persist as witnesses of the kingdom of God. In conclusion, I invite you to consider how your life thus far has served the kingdom of God. Has your life been good news to others? Have you witnessed to Yeshua's goodness and been an agent of redemption? In reflecting back upon Paul's travels by night

40:50 under guard from Jerusalem to Caesarea, where he sits waiting upon his accusers. I invite you to further reflect upon these three questions as you enter into the coming week. First, who are your unlikely allies? We might consider Paul's nephew. Where's he been this whole time? Who knows? However, he comes in clutch to save the day. We might consider Claudia LICs the Roman commander who seems only concerned to save his own hide. However, he also seems intrigued by Paul.

41:38 Paul is a witness to lys, but lys, in spite of his flaws and ambition, manages to save Paul's life. Not one, not two, but three times. Who are your unlikely allies and who might you be an unlikely ally for? Second, what are you striving after? The Sanhedrin, at least in part, was striving to put Paul to death, and it's possible that a majority of the Sanhedrin was seeking to put Paul to death. Lys was striving to pass the hot potato

42:24 to another Roman official. The governor, Felix Paul was striving to be a witness to the Lord not only in Jerusalem, but also in Rome. What about you? What are your goals and ambitions? Where did they come from? Can you articulate them? Can you share them with others? Why or why not? Are you doing kingdom work or just seeking your own ends? Thirdly, where are you serving God's purposes? Paul was a witness at the temple for Shavuot,

43:11 but this ended up being a closed door. Quite literally, He faced more rejection and even violence among the crowd and was carried off to the headquarters where he addressed his brothers and fathers in Aramaic Mayek. Ultimately, his witness would be officially rejected. Yet his witness remained for the San Hedron as well as the Roman authorities that he faced. Whatever plans they had for Paul, God had his own purposes In Paul's life, Paul was willing to sacrifice his comfort and safety in order to be a witness of Yeshua's work in his life. In what ways are you a witness

43:57 and being witness to within your homes, neighborhoods, and communities? Let us consider this week how our lives are building the kingdom of God. Shabbat shalom. Follow A New Year's diet. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

45:10 In the name of our Messiah, Yeshua.