WEBVTT 00:00:05.290 --> 00:00:08.189 Well, friends, here we are another week, another 00:00:08.189 --> 00:00:11.310 episode of the semi seminarian. We're continuing 00:00:11.310 --> 00:00:14.630 a Bible study series that we're calling the Bible 00:00:14.630 --> 00:00:17.769 for grownups. And we have been in this series 00:00:17.769 --> 00:00:21.690 looking at the acts of the apostles through 11 00:00:21.690 --> 00:00:24.989 parts. This is part 11, the last two chapters 00:00:24.989 --> 00:00:28.109 of the acts of the apostles, which finds Paul 00:00:28.109 --> 00:00:31.570 shipwrecked and eventually just as he had hoped 00:00:31.570 --> 00:00:36.170 in Rome preaching. but instead chained to a guard, 00:00:36.310 --> 00:00:38.810 the implications of which we still deal with 00:00:38.810 --> 00:00:45.890 today. I'll see you on the other side. We're 00:00:45.890 --> 00:00:48.750 going to be looking at Acts 27 and 28 tonight. 00:00:48.810 --> 00:00:52.049 Those are the final two chapters of Acts. Just 00:00:52.049 --> 00:00:53.789 to kind of catch us up from where we were last 00:00:53.789 --> 00:00:59.070 time, Paul has been arrested in Jerusalem. He's 00:00:59.070 --> 00:01:01.909 been kind of bounced around to various courts. 00:01:02.590 --> 00:01:06.170 We talked about four of those courts last time, 00:01:06.209 --> 00:01:11.349 and in each one of those, Paul's argument goes 00:01:11.349 --> 00:01:14.670 from a Christological argument or a theological 00:01:14.670 --> 00:01:17.409 argument to actually a political argument or 00:01:17.409 --> 00:01:20.409 a civil argument. Last session together in these 00:01:20.409 --> 00:01:24.829 four instances where he is trying to clear his 00:01:24.829 --> 00:01:28.530 name of wrongdoing, he's indicating to the... 00:01:28.989 --> 00:01:32.230 of whatever court, King Agrippa or whomever, 00:01:32.290 --> 00:01:36.629 that Christianity is not a threat to the Roman 00:01:36.629 --> 00:01:42.989 Empire power status quo. However, fearing that 00:01:42.989 --> 00:01:46.409 he would be turned over to the Jewish authorities 00:01:46.409 --> 00:01:49.810 again, the Sanhedrin, and out of fear that they 00:01:49.810 --> 00:01:52.489 in fact might kill him, he as a Roman citizen 00:01:52.489 --> 00:01:56.750 was able to exercise his right to plead his case 00:01:56.750 --> 00:02:00.170 before the tribunal in Rome. So to Caesar, you 00:02:00.170 --> 00:02:02.989 shall go, if we recall that line from the last 00:02:02.989 --> 00:02:05.670 time. So this is where we're at now. Now it's 00:02:05.670 --> 00:02:08.650 time for Paul to be sent by the Roman authorities 00:02:08.650 --> 00:02:14.430 in Judea to Rome. And so not 27 and 28, that's 00:02:14.430 --> 00:02:17.949 the story of that travel. But as we read this 00:02:17.949 --> 00:02:20.310 and as we get to the conclusion, as we get to 00:02:20.310 --> 00:02:24.289 the end of this 28 -chapter book, this very long 00:02:24.289 --> 00:02:27.909 story of books, let me remind us where we began. 00:02:28.620 --> 00:02:32.840 We began at Acts chapter 1 in that period between 00:02:32.840 --> 00:02:36.539 the resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit. 00:02:36.639 --> 00:02:40.000 The day of Pentecost comes in chapter 2. Chapter 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:44.039 1 opens up with it being in this period where 00:02:44.039 --> 00:02:47.719 Jesus is still appearing to his believers and 00:02:47.719 --> 00:02:52.439 he's prophesying about what is to come in the 00:02:52.439 --> 00:02:56.469 years ahead. Namely, that they, the people that 00:02:56.469 --> 00:02:58.969 he has made his appearance to, are to take the 00:02:58.969 --> 00:03:03.430 message, the gospel message, the life and death 00:03:03.430 --> 00:03:07.150 and resurrection of Christ, to the ends of the 00:03:07.150 --> 00:03:13.349 earth. And when we start the book of Acts, that's 00:03:13.349 --> 00:03:15.909 the assumption that we're under. That the writer 00:03:15.909 --> 00:03:20.569 of the Acts of the Apostles, Luke, who also writes... 00:03:21.020 --> 00:03:23.159 the gospel account according to Luke. And these 00:03:23.159 --> 00:03:26.780 two, if you recall, were really meant to be part 00:03:26.780 --> 00:03:29.180 one and part two of the same book, if you will. 00:03:30.060 --> 00:03:34.620 That Luke is writing this argument, or writing 00:03:34.620 --> 00:03:38.580 this book as an argument for the fulfillment 00:03:38.580 --> 00:03:42.479 of Christ's prophecy of the spreading of Christianity 00:03:42.479 --> 00:03:45.060 to the Jew and Gentile alike. And that indeed 00:03:45.060 --> 00:03:49.000 happens. But I want to suppose that maybe, what 00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:56.110 if, This whole story of Acts, with Paul really 00:03:56.110 --> 00:03:59.009 as its main character, what if this book really 00:03:59.009 --> 00:04:04.810 wasn't about Paul? And I want to leave that for 00:04:04.810 --> 00:04:07.860 the very end when we get to the end. So let's 00:04:07.860 --> 00:04:10.060 go ahead and begin with chapter 27. Just read 00:04:10.060 --> 00:04:14.219 our way through these two chapters. I'll get 00:04:14.219 --> 00:04:16.779 to parts where I have found something interesting, 00:04:17.040 --> 00:04:19.139 so I'll stop and kind of explain something. This 00:04:19.139 --> 00:04:21.439 is really a travelogue. There's not really a 00:04:21.439 --> 00:04:23.720 lot of theology that happens in these two chapters. 00:04:23.860 --> 00:04:25.579 There's not a lot that I need to refer you back 00:04:25.579 --> 00:04:29.620 to Hebrew scripture for a particular prophecy 00:04:29.620 --> 00:04:32.180 or something that Jesus may have said in one 00:04:32.180 --> 00:04:34.120 of the gospel accounts. There's not a lot of 00:04:34.120 --> 00:04:36.100 that that happens here. This is really a story. 00:04:36.720 --> 00:04:39.079 Luke is writing a story about their travels. 00:04:39.839 --> 00:04:42.779 And if you notice on your maps there, beginning 00:04:42.779 --> 00:04:46.240 with Jerusalem, they work their way from right 00:04:46.240 --> 00:04:51.379 to left all the way to Rome. And this is basically 00:04:51.379 --> 00:04:54.160 Luke telling the story. Now, if you recall that 00:04:54.160 --> 00:04:57.379 Luke, whenever he writes and he writes about 00:04:57.379 --> 00:05:00.660 them being together on ships, he uses the term 00:05:00.660 --> 00:05:04.220 we. And so that indicates that there is a ship 00:05:04.220 --> 00:05:07.439 travel coming up, if you recall. And so verse 00:05:07.439 --> 00:05:12.000 1 of chapter 27 starts right off with a reference 00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:14.740 to the we. When it was decided that we, Luke 00:05:14.740 --> 00:05:17.560 says, would sail for Italy, Paul and some other 00:05:17.560 --> 00:05:20.259 prisoners were handed over to a centurion named 00:05:20.259 --> 00:05:23.300 Julius who belonged to the imperial regiment. 00:05:23.740 --> 00:05:28.120 We boarded a ship at Dromedium about to sail 00:05:28.120 --> 00:05:30.300 for ports along the coast of the province of 00:05:30.300 --> 00:05:34.759 Asia. and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian 00:05:34.759 --> 00:05:41.079 from Thessalonica, was with us. The next day, 00:05:41.100 --> 00:05:43.939 we landed at Sidon, and Julius, in kindness to 00:05:43.939 --> 00:05:46.379 Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so that 00:05:46.379 --> 00:05:50.199 they might provide for his needs. Ships in this 00:05:50.199 --> 00:05:53.720 time were designed to carry cargo. with transport 00:05:53.720 --> 00:05:56.899 for passengers on these vessels being something 00:05:56.899 --> 00:05:59.500 that was just incidental. Passengers therefore 00:05:59.500 --> 00:06:02.040 brought their own food and they slept on the 00:06:02.040 --> 00:06:05.439 deck. Roman officers, however, could requisition 00:06:05.439 --> 00:06:10.720 supplies and transport at no cost. Paul's custody 00:06:10.720 --> 00:06:14.720 arrangements are light. Friends were not always 00:06:14.720 --> 00:06:17.720 allowed to accompany a prisoner on their travels 00:06:17.720 --> 00:06:20.759 somewhere. Verse 4, from there we put out to 00:06:20.759 --> 00:06:24.240 sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because 00:06:24.240 --> 00:06:27.980 the winds were against us. When we had sailed 00:06:27.980 --> 00:06:30.740 across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia 00:06:30.740 --> 00:06:35.300 and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. This 00:06:35.300 --> 00:06:38.759 would have been estimated by historians to have 00:06:38.759 --> 00:06:42.420 taken about 50 days, which is... Probably a really 00:06:42.420 --> 00:06:45.740 good indicator of this being descriptive of an 00:06:45.740 --> 00:06:48.180 actual event because that's about the time that 00:06:48.180 --> 00:06:51.019 this travel should have taken. The details of 00:06:51.019 --> 00:06:53.259 this journey fit the weather conditions and the 00:06:53.259 --> 00:06:57.000 geography so precisely that this account surely 00:06:57.000 --> 00:07:00.459 reflects an actual voyage under the conditions 00:07:00.459 --> 00:07:05.120 which it was described. Verse 6, there the centurion 00:07:05.120 --> 00:07:09.759 found an Alexandrian or an Egyptian ship. sailing 00:07:09.759 --> 00:07:14.079 for Italy and put us, Luke says, on board. We 00:07:14.079 --> 00:07:17.319 made slow headway for many days and had difficulty 00:07:17.319 --> 00:07:20.819 arriving off of Snidius. When the wind did not 00:07:20.819 --> 00:07:23.459 allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the 00:07:23.459 --> 00:07:29.399 Lee of Crete opposite Salmone. We moved along 00:07:29.399 --> 00:07:31.560 the coast with difficulty and came to a place 00:07:31.560 --> 00:07:35.740 called Fair Havens near the town of La Cie. Much 00:07:35.740 --> 00:07:38.199 time had been lost, Scripture says, and sailing 00:07:38.199 --> 00:07:41.100 had already become dangerous because by now it 00:07:41.100 --> 00:07:43.519 was after the Day of Atonement, which we are 00:07:43.519 --> 00:07:46.379 actually until nightfall in right now. It's a 00:07:46.379 --> 00:07:49.639 Jewish celebration called Yom Kippur. That's 00:07:49.639 --> 00:07:52.720 today, the Day of Atonement. So Paul warned them, 00:07:53.339 --> 00:07:55.600 Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be 00:07:55.600 --> 00:07:58.980 disastrous. I bring great loss to ship and cargo 00:07:58.980 --> 00:08:03.500 and to our lives also. The most dangerous and 00:08:03.500 --> 00:08:06.519 least sailed season ran roughly from November 00:08:06.519 --> 00:08:10.300 10th through early March, but dangers were possible 00:08:10.300 --> 00:08:13.540 in the Adriatic Sea at this time as early as 00:08:13.540 --> 00:08:17.139 mid -September. Some scholars estimate that 20 00:08:17.139 --> 00:08:20.879 % of long voyages encountered serious dangers. 00:08:21.339 --> 00:08:25.439 The known remains, just the known remains of 00:08:25.439 --> 00:08:28.759 over a thousand wrecked ships from antiquity 00:08:28.759 --> 00:08:32.379 testify to how dangerous. these travels were 00:08:32.379 --> 00:08:36.700 and how frequently ships were lost at sea. Verse 00:08:36.700 --> 00:08:39.500 11, but the centurion, instead of listening to 00:08:39.500 --> 00:08:42.179 what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot 00:08:42.179 --> 00:08:44.799 and the owner of the ship since the harbor was 00:08:44.799 --> 00:08:48.019 unsuitable to winter in. The majority decided 00:08:48.019 --> 00:08:50.159 that we should sail on hoping to reach Phoenix 00:08:50.159 --> 00:08:53.360 and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete 00:08:53.360 --> 00:08:58.799 facing both southwest and northwest. Verse 13, 00:08:59.039 --> 00:09:02.159 when a gentle south wind began to blow, they 00:09:02.159 --> 00:09:04.720 saw their opportunity. So they weighed anchor 00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:07.539 and sailed along the shore of Crete. Before very 00:09:07.539 --> 00:09:10.919 long, a wind of hurricane force called a nor 00:09:10.919 --> 00:09:14.100 'easter swept down from the island. Unfortunately, 00:09:14.519 --> 00:09:17.620 mountains immediately north of Fairhavens, where 00:09:17.620 --> 00:09:20.639 they had stopped. obscured the visibility of 00:09:20.639 --> 00:09:23.580 oncoming storms from the northeast. They couldn't 00:09:23.580 --> 00:09:26.980 see them coming because of the mountains. And 00:09:26.980 --> 00:09:29.759 in this region, a south wind can suddenly shift 00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:33.159 to a nor 'easter. But even if they would have 00:09:33.159 --> 00:09:35.500 seen the approaching storm, once they reached 00:09:35.500 --> 00:09:38.879 the Bay of Messara, they did not know local conditions. 00:09:39.240 --> 00:09:41.340 And they're sandwiched between these two mountain 00:09:41.340 --> 00:09:45.750 ranges, the Platonist Valley, on one side, which 00:09:45.750 --> 00:09:49.149 could concentrate wind speeds and then hurl the 00:09:49.149 --> 00:09:52.370 ship into open sea. So what they've done is they've 00:09:52.370 --> 00:09:56.470 found themselves in a place between two ranges 00:09:56.470 --> 00:09:59.769 where the winds can actually cycle down and through 00:09:59.769 --> 00:10:03.970 and push them away from land out into the open 00:10:03.970 --> 00:10:06.809 sea. This is the danger in which they're in in 00:10:06.809 --> 00:10:09.509 this time. The ship was caught by the storm and 00:10:09.509 --> 00:10:12.210 could not head into the wind. So, Luke says, 00:10:12.309 --> 00:10:15.240 we gave way to it. And we're just driven along. 00:10:16.700 --> 00:10:19.299 As we passed to the lee of a small island called 00:10:19.299 --> 00:10:22.740 Calda, we were able to make the lifeboat secure, 00:10:22.960 --> 00:10:26.919 so the men hoisted it aboard. Ominously, this 00:10:26.919 --> 00:10:31.700 place, Calda, was the southernmost of the Greek 00:10:31.700 --> 00:10:36.059 islands. The course farther southwest was even 00:10:36.059 --> 00:10:39.549 more dangerous. The east -northeast side of the 00:10:39.549 --> 00:10:42.029 island they were passing offered no harbors. 00:10:42.029 --> 00:10:43.750 There were no place that they could put in for 00:10:43.750 --> 00:10:46.889 the storm. But it did block some of the wind's 00:10:46.889 --> 00:10:50.350 force long enough for them to salvage their lifeboat 00:10:50.350 --> 00:10:54.250 or dinghy. Often the lifeboat wasn't carried 00:10:54.250 --> 00:10:56.970 actually on the ship, but it was carried by a 00:10:56.970 --> 00:11:01.029 rope behind it. And if it wasn't brought on board 00:11:01.029 --> 00:11:02.629 during a storm like this, it would have been 00:11:02.629 --> 00:11:05.929 lost to sea. Then they passed ropes under the 00:11:05.929 --> 00:11:08.970 ship itself to hold it together because they 00:11:08.970 --> 00:11:11.629 were afraid that they would run aground on the 00:11:11.629 --> 00:11:16.669 sandbars of citrus. They lowered the sea anchor 00:11:16.669 --> 00:11:20.429 and let the ship be driven along. We, Luke says, 00:11:20.570 --> 00:11:22.350 took such a violent battering from the storm 00:11:22.350 --> 00:11:24.210 that the next day they began to throw the cargo 00:11:24.210 --> 00:11:28.269 overboard. On the third day, they threw the ship's 00:11:28.269 --> 00:11:31.330 tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither 00:11:31.330 --> 00:11:34.250 sun nor stars appeared for many days and the 00:11:34.250 --> 00:11:37.230 storm continued to rage, Luke says we finally 00:11:37.230 --> 00:11:40.149 gave up all hope of being saved. Without stars, 00:11:40.389 --> 00:11:43.250 sailors couldn't determine their position or 00:11:43.250 --> 00:11:46.350 their course. In addition to the horrors of grounding, 00:11:46.690 --> 00:11:50.750 ancient beliefs increased their despair because 00:11:50.750 --> 00:11:54.070 those who died at sea normally couldn't obtain 00:11:54.070 --> 00:11:58.509 burial. And the Greek tradition denied the unburied 00:11:58.509 --> 00:12:01.610 a place in the netherworld. So in their belief, 00:12:01.690 --> 00:12:04.190 the ghost of someone who drowned might actually 00:12:04.190 --> 00:12:07.950 just hover over the site of their death. Verse 00:12:07.950 --> 00:12:11.850 21. After they had gone a long time without food, 00:12:12.110 --> 00:12:15.149 Paul stood up before them and said, Men, you 00:12:15.149 --> 00:12:17.250 should have taken my advice not to sail from 00:12:17.250 --> 00:12:19.250 Crete. Then you'd have spared yourselves this 00:12:19.250 --> 00:12:22.279 damage and loss. But now I urge you to keep up 00:12:22.279 --> 00:12:24.100 your courage, because not one of you will be 00:12:24.100 --> 00:12:26.860 lost. Only the ship will be destroyed. I'm sure 00:12:26.860 --> 00:12:29.559 the captain of the ship wasn't too pleased to 00:12:29.559 --> 00:12:33.539 hear that. Late last night, an angel of God to 00:12:33.539 --> 00:12:38.259 whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me 00:12:38.259 --> 00:12:41.139 and said, Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand 00:12:41.139 --> 00:12:45.039 trial before Caesar, and God has graciously given 00:12:45.039 --> 00:12:47.720 you the lives of all who sail with you. So keep 00:12:47.720 --> 00:12:50.830 up your courage, men. Paul says, for I have faith 00:12:50.830 --> 00:12:53.090 in God that it will happen just as he told me. 00:12:53.509 --> 00:12:56.889 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island. 00:12:58.029 --> 00:13:00.549 Gentiles believed gods would sometimes rescue 00:13:00.549 --> 00:13:03.470 ships for the sake of a particularly devout person 00:13:03.470 --> 00:13:06.490 on board or sink them because someone on board 00:13:06.490 --> 00:13:08.529 may have been very wicked. Paul's comportment 00:13:08.529 --> 00:13:11.289 and his confidence contrast starkly, if you think 00:13:11.289 --> 00:13:13.789 about it, with the behavior of someone like Jonah. 00:13:14.970 --> 00:13:18.889 Verse 27, on the 14th night, We were still being 00:13:18.889 --> 00:13:22.110 driven across the Adriatic Sea. When about midnight, 00:13:22.289 --> 00:13:24.269 the sailors sensed that they were approaching 00:13:24.269 --> 00:13:29.470 land. They took soundings, the dropping of ropes 00:13:29.470 --> 00:13:32.309 off the side. They took soundings and found that 00:13:32.309 --> 00:13:36.350 the water was 120 feet deep. Sailors took soundings 00:13:36.350 --> 00:13:38.269 by lowering lead weights smeared with grease 00:13:38.269 --> 00:13:41.870 on a hollow underside to pick up samples from 00:13:41.870 --> 00:13:46.500 the seafloor 120 feet deep. This probably would 00:13:46.500 --> 00:13:48.519 indicate that they were probably within a quarter 00:13:48.519 --> 00:13:53.299 of a mile of Cora, an island east of Malta, and 00:13:53.299 --> 00:13:55.259 they may have passed actually within about 1 00:13:55.259 --> 00:13:59.480 ,500 feet of that island during the storm. A 00:13:59.480 --> 00:14:01.320 short time later, they took soundings again and 00:14:01.320 --> 00:14:04.039 found that it was 90 feet deep. About a half 00:14:04.039 --> 00:14:08.440 hour later, 90 feet. The rapid decrease in depth 00:14:08.440 --> 00:14:11.100 means that they were moving swiftly towards being 00:14:11.100 --> 00:14:14.580 grounded, very possibly on rocks. just beneath 00:14:14.580 --> 00:14:19.080 the sea's surface. This grounding could rupture 00:14:19.080 --> 00:14:22.419 the hull of the ship. Fearing that they would 00:14:22.419 --> 00:14:24.220 be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four 00:14:24.220 --> 00:14:26.620 anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. 00:14:27.580 --> 00:14:29.960 Usually, ships drop their anchors from the bow, 00:14:30.120 --> 00:14:32.460 the front of the ship. But here, sailors dropped 00:14:32.460 --> 00:14:35.679 them from the stern, the back of the ship. Scholars 00:14:35.679 --> 00:14:37.919 sometimes suggest that they did so to prevent 00:14:37.919 --> 00:14:41.019 the stern from being driven into the rocks or 00:14:41.019 --> 00:14:43.299 because they were hoping that they would be able 00:14:43.299 --> 00:14:46.419 to resume their course in the morning. Verse 00:14:46.419 --> 00:14:48.740 30, in an attempt to escape from the ship, the 00:14:48.740 --> 00:14:51.480 sailors let down the lifeboat into the sea, pretending 00:14:51.480 --> 00:14:53.820 that they were going to lower some anchors from 00:14:53.820 --> 00:14:56.500 the bow. So the sailors have kind of come up 00:14:56.500 --> 00:14:58.080 with this plan where they're going to need to 00:14:58.080 --> 00:15:00.080 lower, to do some other work, they're going to 00:15:00.080 --> 00:15:05.440 need to lower the lifeboat into the sea. But 00:15:05.440 --> 00:15:07.940 Paul said to the centurions and the soldiers, 00:15:08.059 --> 00:15:10.019 unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot 00:15:10.019 --> 00:15:12.980 be saved. So the soldiers cut the ropes that 00:15:12.980 --> 00:15:16.120 held the lifeboat and let it drift away. Like, 00:15:16.139 --> 00:15:18.600 sailors, you're not going to run out on us. We're 00:15:18.600 --> 00:15:23.360 all in this together. 33, just before dawn, Paul 00:15:23.360 --> 00:15:25.539 urged them all to eat. For the last 14 days, 00:15:26.200 --> 00:15:28.299 he said, you have been in constant suspense and 00:15:28.299 --> 00:15:29.879 have gone without food. You've eaten nothing. 00:15:30.259 --> 00:15:32.580 Haven't eaten anything. Now I urge you to take 00:15:32.580 --> 00:15:34.700 some food. You need it to survive. Not one of 00:15:34.700 --> 00:15:37.899 you will lose a single hair from his head. After 00:15:37.899 --> 00:15:39.639 he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks 00:15:39.639 --> 00:15:41.940 to God in front of them all. Then he broke it 00:15:41.940 --> 00:15:44.259 and began to eat. They were all encouraged and 00:15:44.259 --> 00:15:46.559 ate some food themselves. Altogether, there were 00:15:46.559 --> 00:15:50.240 276 of us on board. When they had eaten as much 00:15:50.240 --> 00:15:53.000 as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing 00:15:53.000 --> 00:15:55.259 the grain that they were carrying into the sea. 00:15:55.820 --> 00:15:58.639 In an effort to lighten the ship and keep it 00:15:58.639 --> 00:16:02.620 above subsurface rocks as long as possible, they 00:16:02.620 --> 00:16:05.220 discarded most of the cargo, which consisted 00:16:05.220 --> 00:16:09.200 especially sacks of wheat. And this would have 00:16:09.200 --> 00:16:11.840 been done by forming a chain that would pass 00:16:11.840 --> 00:16:14.659 the heavy sacks in the hold compartments from 00:16:14.659 --> 00:16:17.980 one person to another until someone on the edge 00:16:17.980 --> 00:16:19.919 of the deck could then throw them overboard. 00:16:20.639 --> 00:16:23.340 Now they couldn't have removed all of these tons 00:16:23.340 --> 00:16:25.620 of wheat that would have been on board, but it 00:16:25.620 --> 00:16:27.799 was important for them to do what they could. 00:16:28.159 --> 00:16:32.419 Once wet, because once wet, the wheat below the 00:16:32.419 --> 00:16:35.220 decks could expand and even double in size, and 00:16:35.220 --> 00:16:39.039 it would then rupture a leaking hull. When daylight 00:16:39.039 --> 00:16:41.879 came, they did not recognize the land, but they 00:16:41.879 --> 00:16:44.899 saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided 00:16:44.899 --> 00:16:47.360 to run the ship aground if they could. Cutting 00:16:47.360 --> 00:16:48.980 loose the anchors, they left them in the sea 00:16:48.980 --> 00:16:51.440 and at the same time untied the ropes that held 00:16:51.440 --> 00:16:54.240 the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to 00:16:54.240 --> 00:16:56.860 the wind and made for the beach, but the ship 00:16:56.860 --> 00:17:00.340 struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck 00:17:00.340 --> 00:17:02.639 fast and wouldn't move, and the stern was broke 00:17:02.639 --> 00:17:05.740 to pieces by the pounding of the surf. The soldiers 00:17:05.740 --> 00:17:08.619 planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any 00:17:08.619 --> 00:17:10.880 of them from swimming away and escaping, but 00:17:10.880 --> 00:17:15.400 the centurion wanted to spare Paul's life. and 00:17:15.400 --> 00:17:18.380 kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered 00:17:18.380 --> 00:17:20.980 those who could swim to jump overboard first 00:17:20.980 --> 00:17:23.160 and get to land. The rest were to get there on 00:17:23.160 --> 00:17:25.980 planks or other pieces of the ship. In this way, 00:17:26.039 --> 00:17:30.819 everyone reached land safely. In these circumstances, 00:17:31.079 --> 00:17:35.400 no one would expect the survival of all, barring 00:17:35.400 --> 00:17:39.750 divine intervention. With regard to the planks, 00:17:39.750 --> 00:17:41.769 some suggest that the planks were boards used 00:17:41.769 --> 00:17:44.549 to separate the grain and the hold below, and 00:17:44.549 --> 00:17:47.349 incoming waves near the shore would help propel 00:17:47.349 --> 00:17:51.289 those planks towards the shore, both swimmers 00:17:51.289 --> 00:17:55.049 and the planks. Verse 28, once safely on shore, 00:17:55.349 --> 00:17:58.170 we found out, Luke says, we found out that the 00:17:58.170 --> 00:18:01.569 island was called Malta. The islanders showed 00:18:01.569 --> 00:18:04.630 us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed 00:18:04.630 --> 00:18:07.529 us all because it was raining and cold. The temperature 00:18:07.529 --> 00:18:09.650 on Malta at this time of year averages about 00:18:09.650 --> 00:18:13.490 60 degrees Fahrenheit, but as we all can attest 00:18:13.490 --> 00:18:16.710 to, it can be much colder after a rain. Paul 00:18:16.710 --> 00:18:18.910 gathered a pile of brushwood, and as he put it 00:18:18.910 --> 00:18:21.190 on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, 00:18:21.269 --> 00:18:24.029 fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders 00:18:24.029 --> 00:18:26.109 saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said 00:18:26.109 --> 00:18:29.789 to each other, this man must be a murderer. For 00:18:29.789 --> 00:18:32.490 though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice 00:18:32.490 --> 00:18:35.710 has not allowed him to live. Local and Roman 00:18:35.710 --> 00:18:40.210 culture personified Justice. People often attributed 00:18:40.210 --> 00:18:43.910 survival at sea to divine favor and hence virtue. 00:18:44.710 --> 00:18:48.289 One who escapes a shipwreck only to die another 00:18:48.289 --> 00:18:50.730 way would have been thought cursed by the gods 00:18:50.730 --> 00:18:54.630 to die one way or the other. But Paul shook the 00:18:54.630 --> 00:18:57.730 snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 00:18:58.460 --> 00:19:00.839 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly 00:19:00.839 --> 00:19:04.460 fall dead, but after waiting a long time and 00:19:04.460 --> 00:19:08.079 seeing nothing unusual happening to him, they 00:19:08.079 --> 00:19:11.039 changed their mind and said he was a god. Both 00:19:11.039 --> 00:19:13.819 Jews and Gentiles thought that persons who were 00:19:13.819 --> 00:19:17.700 exceptionally close to God or gods might experience 00:19:17.700 --> 00:19:22.500 special protection. Gentiles sometimes venerated 00:19:22.500 --> 00:19:26.559 such people as partly divine. The Gentile practice 00:19:26.559 --> 00:19:29.900 of Treating some humans as divine is an issue 00:19:29.900 --> 00:19:32.359 elsewhere in Acts. I'll just read it to you. 00:19:32.400 --> 00:19:34.539 You don't have to turn to it. But you may recall 00:19:34.539 --> 00:19:36.539 from the 14th chapter of Acts, beginning with 00:19:36.539 --> 00:19:39.579 verse 8, in Lystra, there sat a man who was lame. 00:19:40.119 --> 00:19:42.200 He had been that way from birth and he had never 00:19:42.200 --> 00:19:44.339 walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. 00:19:44.900 --> 00:19:47.519 Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had 00:19:47.519 --> 00:19:49.680 faith to be healed, and called out, Stand upon 00:19:49.680 --> 00:19:52.599 your feet. At that, the man jumped up and began 00:19:52.599 --> 00:19:55.700 to walk. When the crowd saw what Paul had done, 00:19:56.720 --> 00:19:59.859 They shouted in the Lycanian language, the gods 00:19:59.859 --> 00:20:03.180 have come down to us in human form. Barnabas 00:20:03.180 --> 00:20:06.059 they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes 00:20:06.059 --> 00:20:08.539 because he was the chief speaker. The priest 00:20:08.539 --> 00:20:10.700 of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, 00:20:10.819 --> 00:20:13.440 brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because 00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:16.359 he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to 00:20:16.359 --> 00:20:19.359 them. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul 00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:21.819 heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed 00:20:21.819 --> 00:20:24.819 into the crowd shouting, friends, why are you 00:20:24.819 --> 00:20:29.250 doing this? We too are only human like you. We're 00:20:29.250 --> 00:20:31.670 bringing you the good news, telling you to turn 00:20:31.670 --> 00:20:34.470 from these worthless things that we are doing 00:20:34.470 --> 00:20:38.549 and turn towards God. The God who made the heavens 00:20:38.549 --> 00:20:40.509 and the earth and the sea and everything in them. 00:20:40.549 --> 00:20:43.470 In the past, he let all nations go their own 00:20:43.470 --> 00:20:46.109 way, yet he has not left himself without testimony. 00:20:46.430 --> 00:20:49.609 He's shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven 00:20:49.609 --> 00:20:52.789 and crops in their seasons. He provided you with 00:20:52.789 --> 00:20:54.509 plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy. 00:20:54.650 --> 00:20:59.130 Even with these words, the Lyconians had difficulty, 00:20:59.470 --> 00:21:02.309 I'm sorry, Paul and Barnabas had difficulty in 00:21:02.309 --> 00:21:06.029 keeping the Lyconians from sacrificing to them. 00:21:07.549 --> 00:21:10.990 Verse 7 of chapter 28, back in 28 now, there 00:21:10.990 --> 00:21:14.329 was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, 00:21:14.470 --> 00:21:17.369 the chief official of the island. He welcomed 00:21:17.369 --> 00:21:19.930 us to his home and he showed us generous hospitality 00:21:19.930 --> 00:21:24.480 for three days. His father was sick in bed, suffering 00:21:24.480 --> 00:21:27.200 from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see 00:21:27.200 --> 00:21:29.359 him, and after prayer, placed his hand on him 00:21:29.359 --> 00:21:31.900 and healed him. When this happened, the rest 00:21:31.900 --> 00:21:33.920 of the sick on the island came, and they were 00:21:33.920 --> 00:21:36.400 cured. They honored us in many ways, and when 00:21:36.400 --> 00:21:38.140 we were ready to sail, they furnished us with 00:21:38.140 --> 00:21:41.559 the supplies that we needed. After three months, 00:21:41.799 --> 00:21:44.140 we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered 00:21:44.140 --> 00:21:46.880 on the island. It was an Alexandrian ship with 00:21:46.880 --> 00:21:49.619 the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux. 00:21:50.380 --> 00:21:52.740 We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three 00:21:52.740 --> 00:21:55.859 days. From there, we set sail and arrived at 00:21:55.859 --> 00:21:59.500 Regim. The next day, the south wind came up, 00:21:59.539 --> 00:22:02.819 and the following day, we reached Potoli. There, 00:22:02.880 --> 00:22:04.720 we found some brothers and sisters who invited 00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:08.960 us to spend a week with them. So, we came to 00:22:08.960 --> 00:22:12.700 Rome. The inland journey from Potoli to Rome 00:22:12.700 --> 00:22:15.680 would have covered well over 100 miles and certainly 00:22:15.680 --> 00:22:21.460 would have taken a week. At Capua, after traveling 00:22:21.460 --> 00:22:24.240 about 20 miles, they would have walked the rest 00:22:24.240 --> 00:22:27.200 of the way towards Rome on the famous Appian 00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:31.619 Way. Verse 15, the brothers and sisters there 00:22:31.619 --> 00:22:33.319 had heard that we were coming, and they had traveled 00:22:33.319 --> 00:22:37.839 as far as the Forum of Appius and the three taverns 00:22:37.839 --> 00:22:40.500 to meet us. At the sight of these people, Paul 00:22:40.500 --> 00:22:43.259 thanked God and was encouraged. When we got to 00:22:43.259 --> 00:22:45.940 Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself. with 00:22:45.940 --> 00:22:48.579 a soldier to guard him. Although being unguarded 00:22:48.579 --> 00:22:51.240 completely would have been the lightest form 00:22:51.240 --> 00:22:55.319 of custody, Paul's custody is still fairly light. 00:22:56.160 --> 00:22:58.819 Being chained only to one soldier and living 00:22:58.819 --> 00:23:02.059 on his own shows that Paul was being treated 00:23:02.059 --> 00:23:05.859 as a high status person. who posed no danger. 00:23:06.039 --> 00:23:09.980 Presumably, the supervisor over his custody would 00:23:09.980 --> 00:23:12.619 have taken the verdict that we found in chapter 00:23:12.619 --> 00:23:16.980 26, verse 31. That's King Agrippa telling everyone 00:23:16.980 --> 00:23:19.059 that he didn't think Paul had done anything wrong. 00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:23.119 Obviously, the supervisor had taken this verdict 00:23:23.119 --> 00:23:26.079 into account. Paul's guard was likely also assigned 00:23:26.079 --> 00:23:28.980 from the Praetorian Guard, which is the elite 00:23:28.980 --> 00:23:33.289 unit of the Roman military in Italy. Three days 00:23:33.289 --> 00:23:36.089 later, he called together the local Jewish leaders. 00:23:36.589 --> 00:23:38.910 When they had assembled, Paul said to them, my 00:23:38.910 --> 00:23:41.210 brothers, although I've done nothing against 00:23:41.210 --> 00:23:43.849 our people or against the custom of our ancestors, 00:23:44.190 --> 00:23:46.670 I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to 00:23:46.670 --> 00:23:51.289 the Romans. They examined me. They wanted to 00:23:51.289 --> 00:23:54.190 release me because I was not guilty of any crime 00:23:54.190 --> 00:23:58.230 deserving death. The Jews objected, so I was 00:23:58.230 --> 00:24:02.490 compelled to make an appeal to Caesar. I certainly 00:24:02.490 --> 00:24:04.349 didn't intend to bring any charges against my 00:24:04.349 --> 00:24:07.970 own people. The Jewish community in Rome had 00:24:07.970 --> 00:24:10.490 suffered from scandals in earlier decades, so 00:24:10.490 --> 00:24:12.329 Paul's assurance to them that he's not going 00:24:12.329 --> 00:24:14.869 to bring any charges against the Jewish people 00:24:14.869 --> 00:24:19.009 is important. For this reason, I've asked to 00:24:19.009 --> 00:24:22.049 see you and to talk with you. It's because of 00:24:22.049 --> 00:24:24.750 the hope of Israel that I am bound to this chain. 00:24:24.869 --> 00:24:27.490 Remember, he's chained to a guard. They replied, 00:24:27.730 --> 00:24:30.230 we have not received any letters from Judea concerning 00:24:30.230 --> 00:24:32.839 you. And none of our people who have come from 00:24:32.839 --> 00:24:35.059 there have reported or said anything bad about 00:24:35.059 --> 00:24:39.500 you. So he shows up expecting to be met with 00:24:39.500 --> 00:24:42.339 trial eventually. The Jewish people don't even 00:24:42.339 --> 00:24:45.619 know what's going on. But they know who Paul 00:24:45.619 --> 00:24:48.799 is, right? That's important for us to remember. 00:24:49.240 --> 00:24:53.039 Paul's ship had arrived earlier in the new sailing 00:24:53.039 --> 00:24:56.700 season. Perhaps even before any mail could arrive, 00:24:56.799 --> 00:24:59.859 letters were carried by travelers from one place 00:24:59.859 --> 00:25:02.980 to the other. If his accusers give up their case, 00:25:03.019 --> 00:25:05.940 however, the case would eventually be thrown 00:25:05.940 --> 00:25:10.180 out. Verse 22, but we want to hear what your 00:25:10.180 --> 00:25:14.259 views are, the Jewish people say. For we know 00:25:14.259 --> 00:25:17.839 that people everywhere are talking against this 00:25:17.839 --> 00:25:20.380 sect. Now pay attention to this part right here. 00:25:21.049 --> 00:25:23.809 Because the Jesus movement in Rome at this time 00:25:23.809 --> 00:25:28.190 would have been large. And within probably five 00:25:28.190 --> 00:25:33.390 years, Nero would be martyring hundreds of Christians 00:25:33.390 --> 00:25:37.369 in Rome. Yet the synagogue leaders had little 00:25:37.369 --> 00:25:42.670 contact with the Jewish people, had little contact 00:25:42.670 --> 00:25:45.890 with Jesus followers to this point. Although 00:25:45.890 --> 00:25:50.589 Jewish believers... that had been expelled could 00:25:50.589 --> 00:25:54.809 have returned after Claudius' death in 54, this 00:25:54.809 --> 00:25:58.990 present scene is somewhere between 59 and 60. 00:25:59.470 --> 00:26:02.470 Keep that in mind. That's important. 59 and 60. 00:26:03.369 --> 00:26:09.170 So they welcome Paul. Remember, he's a Sanhedrin. 00:26:09.609 --> 00:26:12.089 He's a Pharisee. They welcome him as an educated 00:26:12.089 --> 00:26:16.130 person of their own class who can explain about 00:26:16.130 --> 00:26:20.150 the movement. So Paul shows up in about 60 A 00:26:20.150 --> 00:26:27.849 .D. in Rome talking about Christianity and there's 00:26:27.849 --> 00:26:32.309 already a large Jesus movement in Rome. Verse 00:26:32.309 --> 00:26:37.210 23 continues. They arranged to meet Paul on a 00:26:37.210 --> 00:26:40.869 certain day and came in even larger numbers to 00:26:40.869 --> 00:26:43.559 the place where he would stay. He witnessed to 00:26:43.559 --> 00:26:45.799 them from morning till evening, explaining about 00:26:45.799 --> 00:26:48.359 the kingdom of God, about the law of Moses and 00:26:48.359 --> 00:26:51.079 the prophets, and he tried to persuade them about 00:26:51.079 --> 00:26:57.019 Jesus. Verse 25, they disagreed amongst themselves 00:26:57.019 --> 00:26:59.299 and began to leave after Paul made his final 00:26:59.299 --> 00:27:01.740 statement. The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to 00:27:01.740 --> 00:27:04.420 your ancestors when he said, through Isaiah the 00:27:04.420 --> 00:27:07.559 prophet, he's giving Isaiah, prophecy of Isaiah 00:27:07.559 --> 00:27:10.339 here, go to this people and say you will be ever 00:27:10.339 --> 00:27:12.880 hearing but never understanding. You will be 00:27:12.880 --> 00:27:15.779 ever seeing but never perceiving. From this people's 00:27:15.779 --> 00:27:17.680 heart has become callous. They hardly hear with 00:27:17.680 --> 00:27:19.480 their ears, and they have closed their eyes. 00:27:19.559 --> 00:27:21.880 Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear 00:27:21.880 --> 00:27:24.279 with their ears, understand with their hearts, 00:27:24.319 --> 00:27:27.480 and turn, and turn, and I would heal them. Therefore, 00:27:27.599 --> 00:27:29.640 I want you to know that God's salvation has been 00:27:29.640 --> 00:27:35.160 sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen. Right? 00:27:35.880 --> 00:27:40.200 For two whole years. Remember, 64, 62. Paul stayed 00:27:40.200 --> 00:27:44.019 there in his own rented house and welcomed all 00:27:44.019 --> 00:27:47.319 who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom 00:27:47.319 --> 00:27:49.640 of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ 00:27:49.640 --> 00:27:53.000 with all boldness and without hindrance. And 00:27:53.000 --> 00:27:57.119 that's where Acts ends, with Paul preaching in 00:27:57.119 --> 00:28:00.480 Rome. Early tradition says that Paul was released 00:28:00.480 --> 00:28:04.519 but was arrested again once Nero began killing 00:28:04.519 --> 00:28:09.779 Christians in 64 AD. As a Roman citizen, Paul 00:28:09.779 --> 00:28:12.279 was beheaded. Peter was reportedly crucified 00:28:12.279 --> 00:28:15.140 upside down because he denied being crucified 00:28:15.140 --> 00:28:17.759 in the way that Jesus had been. The Greek term 00:28:17.759 --> 00:28:19.740 here for rented house simply means rented quarters. 00:28:19.880 --> 00:28:23.319 There's nothing to indicate a jail cell of any 00:28:23.319 --> 00:28:26.440 type. In fact, most of Rome's regular residents 00:28:26.440 --> 00:28:28.819 lived in tenement apartments, and Paul apparently 00:28:28.819 --> 00:28:32.000 just stayed in his own apartment. Rome tracked 00:28:32.000 --> 00:28:35.559 its cases carefully, so if no accusers eventually 00:28:35.559 --> 00:28:38.509 arrive, For his trial, Paul would eventually 00:28:38.509 --> 00:28:42.069 be released. Many ancient works like this end 00:28:42.069 --> 00:28:45.369 abruptly. Acts ends positively, showing how the 00:28:45.369 --> 00:28:47.930 expansion of the good news, repeatedly emphasized 00:28:47.930 --> 00:28:50.950 earlier in the book, continues even into the 00:28:50.950 --> 00:28:54.269 heart of the empire. In doing so, Acts presumably 00:28:54.269 --> 00:28:57.670 points to how the good news can continue to spread 00:28:57.670 --> 00:29:01.269 to the ends of the earth. But like I had begun 00:29:01.269 --> 00:29:04.289 to ask at the beginning tonight, rather, what 00:29:04.289 --> 00:29:09.089 if Acts isn't about Paul? No, it's about something 00:29:09.089 --> 00:29:17.470 going on at the time. If these acts, pardon the 00:29:17.470 --> 00:29:23.569 pun, end in 62, and there's no mention of the 00:29:23.569 --> 00:29:28.089 fall of Jerusalem, there's no mention of Paul's 00:29:28.089 --> 00:29:31.509 death, there's no mention of Peter's death, I 00:29:31.509 --> 00:29:35.250 argue, along with a minority, it needs to be 00:29:35.250 --> 00:29:38.319 said, a minority of biblical scholars, that the 00:29:38.319 --> 00:29:41.259 Acts of the Apostles was probably written somewhere 00:29:41.259 --> 00:29:47.579 in between. Probably about 65, 66. And I posed 00:29:47.579 --> 00:29:52.940 the question, why was the Acts written? And to 00:29:52.940 --> 00:29:56.700 whom was the Acts of the Apostles written? If, 00:29:56.779 --> 00:30:00.950 in fact, 65 and 66 is a good date, For the writing 00:30:00.950 --> 00:30:02.990 of the Acts of the Apostles, essentially what 00:30:02.990 --> 00:30:06.730 we have is Luke writing down an account of Christianity 00:30:06.730 --> 00:30:10.869 very, very soon after the events which they were 00:30:10.869 --> 00:30:13.490 described. We also need to remember that in 64, 00:30:13.809 --> 00:30:17.450 Nero begins a persecution of the Christians. 00:30:17.670 --> 00:30:20.670 We all know Nero because he famously did something. 00:30:20.809 --> 00:30:29.170 What did he do? He fiddled while Rome burned. 00:30:29.740 --> 00:30:32.880 All right, so let me tell you that story real 00:30:32.880 --> 00:30:38.059 quick, 64, 65 AD. Nero loved to build things. 00:30:38.799 --> 00:30:41.559 And there was a particular part of Rome that 00:30:41.559 --> 00:30:44.480 he wanted to build in, and the people who owned 00:30:44.480 --> 00:30:46.779 property in that part of Rome did not want to 00:30:46.779 --> 00:30:50.700 sell to the empire. So he had it set on fire 00:30:50.700 --> 00:30:53.500 so that it could be burned to the ground, cleared 00:30:53.500 --> 00:30:55.380 out, and he could build what he wanted there. 00:30:55.619 --> 00:30:58.880 To get away with it, guess who he blamed? The 00:30:58.880 --> 00:31:02.279 Christians, which led to this incredible persecution 00:31:02.279 --> 00:31:06.220 of Christians in Rome, all kind of started because 00:31:06.220 --> 00:31:08.720 Nero had started a fire and blamed it on them. 00:31:09.000 --> 00:31:13.839 So I'm arguing that if in 64, 65, 66, Luke is 00:31:13.839 --> 00:31:16.579 writing this argument, he's writing it to the 00:31:16.579 --> 00:31:20.420 Roman people saying, look, Christianity ain't 00:31:20.420 --> 00:31:24.819 that bad. Let me actually explain to you what's 00:31:24.819 --> 00:31:28.559 going on within Christianity. Remember, In 62, 00:31:29.019 --> 00:31:32.460 when this is being written, the Jewish people 00:31:32.460 --> 00:31:35.400 in the synagogues, if Luke's account is to be 00:31:35.400 --> 00:31:37.279 trusted, and it might as well be if we've spent 00:31:37.279 --> 00:31:40.700 11 sessions together trying to figure out whether 00:31:40.700 --> 00:31:44.380 it's worthy of our attention or not. Obviously 00:31:44.380 --> 00:31:48.299 it is. If Luke is to be trusted, remember that 00:31:48.299 --> 00:31:52.339 there are people in 62, just a few years earlier, 00:31:52.599 --> 00:31:55.720 that are completely aware of this Jesus cult 00:31:55.720 --> 00:31:58.670 running around Rome. but don't really know anything 00:31:58.670 --> 00:32:02.509 about it. And so what Luke is doing is saying, 00:32:02.569 --> 00:32:06.410 forget the propaganda. Let me tell you a story 00:32:06.410 --> 00:32:10.049 about how it got here. Because it's not what 00:32:10.049 --> 00:32:14.529 you think. And I think that's absolutely what 00:32:14.529 --> 00:32:18.349 he's building up to because these two chapters 00:32:18.349 --> 00:32:24.309 are put right upon a case where Luke takes four 00:32:24.309 --> 00:32:27.789 different times. where Paul is taken before Roman 00:32:27.789 --> 00:32:30.990 officials, and in each case he's shown not to 00:32:30.990 --> 00:32:34.750 have violated the law. Ultimately, Luke is saying 00:32:34.750 --> 00:32:39.250 to the Roman reader, my hypothesis is there's 00:32:39.250 --> 00:32:43.809 nothing to fear about Christianity. Its intent 00:32:43.809 --> 00:32:48.789 is not to overthrow the Roman government. Christianity 00:32:48.789 --> 00:32:54.109 is not the boogeyman. And ultimately, so can 00:32:54.109 --> 00:32:58.759 it be? A piece of explanatory work written by 00:32:58.759 --> 00:33:03.220 Luke to people in the first century AD? Absolutely. 00:33:03.859 --> 00:33:08.400 Can it be a story, a narrative of us, to us today 00:33:08.400 --> 00:33:10.619 in the 21st century about how the church grew? 00:33:11.500 --> 00:33:13.400 Absolutely. Can they be the same thing at the 00:33:13.400 --> 00:33:17.099 same time? For sure. It's just that I think sometimes 00:33:17.099 --> 00:33:19.819 we put a little bit too much focus on one and 00:33:19.819 --> 00:33:21.599 not the other just because we don't take the 00:33:21.599 --> 00:33:25.470 time to realize what's going on. when the book 00:33:25.470 --> 00:33:29.430 is written, which ties us back to our original 00:33:29.430 --> 00:33:32.230 point of this series, which we're calling The 00:33:32.230 --> 00:33:35.210 Bible for Grownups. Because when we actually 00:33:35.210 --> 00:33:37.609 study the Bible, we realize that the stories 00:33:37.609 --> 00:33:41.970 that contain around the Bible are almost as important 00:33:41.970 --> 00:33:44.789 as the stories that are contained in the Bible. 00:33:45.549 --> 00:33:48.150 And if we have a deeper, better understanding 00:33:48.150 --> 00:33:50.650 of the words that are contained in Scripture, 00:33:51.289 --> 00:33:54.410 We can have a deeper, better, richer relationship 00:33:54.410 --> 00:33:57.910 with them, apply them to our lives in a more 00:33:57.910 --> 00:34:02.250 succinct way. Any questions? Okay, so when was 00:34:02.250 --> 00:34:06.910 this written? I'm of the minority that say somewhere 00:34:06.910 --> 00:34:11.010 between 65 and 66. So after Nero did his thing? 00:34:11.190 --> 00:34:13.889 After. Okay, so then why would it end on a positive 00:34:13.889 --> 00:34:17.050 note? Why would he have not finished the story 00:34:17.050 --> 00:34:22.820 of Nero and Paul? Well, I think that's the thing. 00:34:22.960 --> 00:34:27.039 I think if, okay, so he gets, let's say, let's 00:34:27.039 --> 00:34:30.340 just play this game and say that Luke is writing, 00:34:30.519 --> 00:34:33.820 remember it's two parts in one book. So Luke 00:34:33.820 --> 00:34:38.639 starts back at the shepherds saying, you know, 00:34:38.639 --> 00:34:41.000 with the angels showing up to the shepherds, 00:34:41.019 --> 00:34:44.679 right? And goes all the way to Paul in Rome preaching 00:34:44.679 --> 00:34:48.539 here, ending in a positive note. Luke has written 00:34:48.539 --> 00:34:51.340 this big long thing to convince people that Christianity 00:34:51.340 --> 00:34:55.400 ain't bad, okay? What happens to that work if 00:34:55.400 --> 00:35:00.519 he continues that and has a chapter 30, right? 00:35:01.820 --> 00:35:06.659 29 that says, oh, and by the way, Nero, he's 00:35:06.659 --> 00:35:08.980 a jerk and he blamed that whole thing on us and 00:35:08.980 --> 00:35:13.519 we didn't do it. And it's there. The Romans are 00:35:13.519 --> 00:35:17.329 the bad guys. What do the Roman authorities do 00:35:17.329 --> 00:35:19.849 with something like that? They make sure that 00:35:19.849 --> 00:35:22.849 that gets stamped out pretty quick. So that's 00:35:22.849 --> 00:35:25.769 why there's very little the Romans are a bunch 00:35:25.769 --> 00:35:28.889 of jerks in the Acts of the Apostles. As a matter 00:35:28.889 --> 00:35:32.349 of fact, if you go through the Acts of the Apostles, 00:35:32.369 --> 00:35:37.889 you find from chapter 1 to the end that Roman 00:35:37.889 --> 00:35:41.329 officials are generally treated with a certain 00:35:41.329 --> 00:35:45.739 level of... intellect and logic and reason and 00:35:45.739 --> 00:35:50.199 even compassion. Like, for example, whenever 00:35:50.199 --> 00:35:54.980 the centurion says, you're not going anywhere. 00:35:55.699 --> 00:35:58.880 These guys are staying, you're staying too. I 00:35:58.880 --> 00:36:01.659 mean, I'm concerned. I've got a job to do to 00:36:01.659 --> 00:36:03.340 make sure this guy gets where he's going alive. 00:36:04.019 --> 00:36:06.300 And I'm going to make sure this guy gets where 00:36:06.300 --> 00:36:09.480 he's going alive. He doesn't have to. Shipwreck. 00:36:10.199 --> 00:36:12.500 Is anybody going to hold him to account if Paul 00:36:12.500 --> 00:36:15.300 escapes or drowns? Well, what do you expect? 00:36:15.380 --> 00:36:17.500 We were beaten upon the rocks outside of Malta. 00:36:17.860 --> 00:36:21.300 He drowned. But he doesn't do that. He says, 00:36:21.420 --> 00:36:24.139 I'm going to make sure this guy gets where he's 00:36:24.139 --> 00:36:28.340 going. But I'm going to also, whenever we're 00:36:28.340 --> 00:36:30.260 in the middle of a shipwreck, I'm praying to 00:36:30.260 --> 00:36:33.079 any God that will listen. And that guy said that 00:36:33.079 --> 00:36:35.699 as long as we're cool and we all stay together, 00:36:35.880 --> 00:36:38.340 everybody makes it out alive. And right now, 00:36:38.340 --> 00:36:41.019 that's the best game going. So I'm going to subscribe 00:36:41.019 --> 00:36:43.860 to what this guy says about his God. So all of 00:36:43.860 --> 00:36:45.739 you are staying put. I would probably jump on 00:36:45.739 --> 00:36:50.559 that train. Right? Anyway, I think it's something 00:36:50.559 --> 00:36:53.099 interesting to look at. It's something because 00:36:53.099 --> 00:36:55.719 the relationship between Christianity and Rome 00:36:55.719 --> 00:36:59.380 is one that certainly doesn't get solved by 70 00:36:59.380 --> 00:37:04.969 AD. It's a conflict that bleeds well into the 00:37:04.969 --> 00:37:10.789 6th and 7th centuries at least before we actually 00:37:10.789 --> 00:37:18.289 get a marrying of monarchy and papal authority. 00:37:18.949 --> 00:37:27.570 But that's an entirely different class. Well, 00:37:27.610 --> 00:37:30.250 there you have it. I want to point out that my 00:37:30.250 --> 00:37:34.150 position that the writing of Acts is on the early 00:37:34.150 --> 00:37:37.750 side, somewhere in the middle of the 60s, is 00:37:37.750 --> 00:37:42.269 the minority view amongst current scholarship. 00:37:42.469 --> 00:37:45.630 It just seems to make sense to me as I read it 00:37:45.630 --> 00:37:48.230 and study it, that Luke is writing the Acts of 00:37:48.230 --> 00:37:51.650 the Apostles, not just to explain the beginnings 00:37:51.650 --> 00:37:54.949 of the early church, but to explain that not 00:37:54.949 --> 00:37:59.860 only is Christianity write in its belief in Jesus 00:37:59.860 --> 00:38:05.019 Christ as a risen Savior, as a Messiah, but it 00:38:05.019 --> 00:38:10.500 presents no overt threat to the Roman Empire. 00:38:10.539 --> 00:38:15.340 It was never designed to be a military or a violent 00:38:15.340 --> 00:38:18.639 overthrow of the political status quo. Rather, 00:38:18.760 --> 00:38:21.880 it was about the coming of the kingdom of God 00:38:21.880 --> 00:38:26.369 to earth in an effort to improve. our relationships 00:38:26.369 --> 00:38:30.429 with each other. Anyway, that's open for discussion. 00:38:30.590 --> 00:38:32.809 I would love if you happen to listen to that 00:38:32.809 --> 00:38:34.750 and disagree. I'd love to hear your comments. 00:38:35.369 --> 00:38:38.130 You can comment any way that you want. You can 00:38:38.130 --> 00:38:43.329 find me on Twitter or on Facebook. The links 00:38:43.329 --> 00:38:46.489 are all there in the show notes. Hey, before 00:38:46.489 --> 00:38:49.690 I go, I'd like to ask you one favor. If you like 00:38:49.690 --> 00:38:51.789 the semi -seminarian, if you could take a moment. 00:38:52.570 --> 00:38:54.670 in whatever way that you listen to podcasts. 00:38:54.949 --> 00:38:57.449 If you could like this episode, if you could 00:38:57.449 --> 00:38:59.269 subscribe, you'll know when new episodes are 00:38:59.269 --> 00:39:01.909 coming out. And if there is a way for you to 00:39:01.909 --> 00:39:06.110 comment on how much the semi -seminary may be 00:39:06.110 --> 00:39:08.070 helping you and your understanding of the Bible, 00:39:08.170 --> 00:39:10.349 it would be greatly appreciated. It helps get 00:39:10.349 --> 00:39:14.050 the message out to other people. Anyway, I'll 00:39:14.050 --> 00:39:16.309 see you next time. And until then, my friends, 00:39:16.489 --> 00:39:18.829 be blessed and be a blessing.