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Read (and listen!) through the amazing story of Luke and Acts!
Immerse: Luke and Acts is part of Immerse: The Reading Bible, which takes you on a new and unique journey through the books of Luke and Acts in the New Testament. This fresh arrangement of the books highlights the depth of the New Testament’s fourfold witness to Jesus the Messiah. The Son of God, who fulfills all the longings and promises of the collected Scriptures. The goal of Bible reading is to understand the sacred writings in depth so we can learn to live with them. Using the text of the New Living Translation (NLT) from Tyndale Publishing, now you can experience Luke and Acts the same way the original readers did and be fully immersed in the most amazing story of all time!
Oliver: Welcome to Immerse Luke
and Acts, Day nineteen, Week four
.
The next day, the commander ordered
the leading priests into session
with the Jewish High Council.
He wanted to find out what the
trouble was all about, so he released
Paul to have him stand before them.
Gazing intently at the High Council,
Paul began, Brothers, I have always
lived before God with a clear conscience.
Instantly, Ananias, the high
priest, commanded those close to
Paul to slap him on the mouth.
But Paul said to him, God will
slap you, you corrupt hypocrite.
What kind of judge are you
to break the law yourself by
ordering me struck like that?
Those standing near Paul said to him,
Do you dare to insult God's high priest?
I'm sorry, brothers.
I didn't realize he was the high priest.
Paul replied, For the scriptures say, You
must not speak evil of any of your rulers.
Paul realized that some members of
the High Council were Sadducees,
and some were Pharisees.
So he shouted, Brothers, I am a
Pharisee, as were my ancestors, and
I am on trial because my hope is
in the resurrection of the dead.
This divided the council, the
Pharisees against the Sadducees.
For the Sadducees say there is no
resurrection, or angels, or spirits, but
the Pharisees believe in all of these.
So there was a great uproar.
Some of the teachers of religious
law who were Pharisees jumped up
and began to argue forcefully.
We see nothing wrong
with him, they shouted.
Perhaps a spirit or an angel spoke to him.
As the conflict grew more
violent, the commander was afraid
they would tear Paul apart.
So he ordered his soldiers to
go and rescue him by force and
take him back to the fortress.
That night, the Lord appeared to
Paul and said, Be encouraged, Paul.
Just as you have been a witness
to me here in Jerusalem, you must
preach the good news in Rome as well
The next morning, a group of Jews
got together and bound themselves
with an oath not to eat or drink
until they had killed Paul.
There were more than 40
of them in the conspiracy.
They went to the leading priests
and elders and told them, We have
bound ourselves with an oath to eat
nothing until we have killed Paul.
So you and the high council
should ask the commander to bring
Paul back to the council again.
Pretend you want to examine
his case more fully.
We will kill him on the way.
But Paul's nephew, his sister's
son, heard of their plan and went
to the fortress and told Paul.
Paul called for one of the Roman
officers and said, Take this
young man to the commander.
He has something important to tell him.
So the officer did, explaining, Paul,
the prisoner, called me over and asked
me to bring this young man to you,
because he has something to tell you.
The commander took his hand,
let him aside, and asked, What
is it you want to tell me?
Paul's nephew told him, Some Jews are
going to ask you to bring Paul before
the High Council tomorrow, pretending
they want to get some more information.
But don't do it.
There are more than 40 men hiding
along the way, ready to ambush him.
They have vowed not to eat or drink
anything until they have killed him.
They are ready now, just
waiting for your consent.
Don't let anyone know you told me this.
The commander warned the young man.
Then the commander called two
of his officers and ordered, Get
200 soldiers ready to leave for
Caesarea at 9 o'clock tonight.
Also take 200 spearmen
and 70 mounted troops.
Provide horses for Paul to ride and
get him safely to Governor Felix.
Then he wrote this letter to the Governor.
From Claudius Lysias to His
Excellency Governor Felix.
Greetings.
This man was seized by some Jews,
and they were about to kill him
when I arrived with the troops.
When I learned that he was a Roman
citizen, I removed him to safety.
Then I took him to their High
Council to try to learn the basis
of the accusations against him.
I soon discovered that the charge was
something regarding their religious law.
Certainly nothing worthy
of imprisonment or death.
But when I was informed of a plot to kill
him, I immediately sent him on to you.
I have told his accusers to
bring their charges before you.
So that night, as ordered, the soldiers
took Paul as far as Antipatris.
They returned to the fortress the
next morning, while the mounted
troops took him on to Caesarea.
When they arrived in Caesarea,
they presented Paul and the
letter to Governor Felix.
He read it, and then asked
Paul what province he was from.
Cilicia, Paul answered.
I will hear your case myself
when your accusers arrive.
The governor told him.
Then the governor ordered him kept in
the prison at Herod's headquarters.
Five days later, Ananias, the high priest,
arrived with some of the Jewish elders
and the lawyer Tertullus to present
their case against Paul to the governor.
When Paul was called in, Tertullus
presented the charges against Paul in
the following address to the governor.
You have provided a long
period of peace for us Jews.
And with foresight have
enacted reforms for us.
For all of this, Your Excellency,
we are very grateful to you.
But I don't want to bore you, so please
give me your attention for only a moment.
We have found this man to be a
troublemaker, who is constantly
stirring up riots among the
Jews all over the world.
He is a ringleader of the
cult known as the Nazarenes.
Furthermore, he was trying to desecrate
the temple when we arrested him.
You can find out the truth of our
accusations by examining him yourself.
Then the other Jews chimed in, declaring
that everything Tertullus said was true.
The governor then motioned
for Paul to speak.
Paul said, I know, sir, that you have been
a judge of Jewish affairs for many years.
So I gladly present my defense before you.
You can quickly discover that I
arrived in Jerusalem no more than 12
days ago to worship at the temple.
My accusers never found me arguing
with anyone in the temple, nor
stirring up a riot in any synagogue,
or on the streets of the city.
These men cannot prove the
things they accuse me of doing.
But I admit that I follow the
way, which they call a cult.
I worship the God of our ancestors,
and I firmly believe the Jewish law
and everything written in the prophets.
I have the same hope in God that these
men have, that He will raise both
the righteous and the unrighteous.
Because of this, I always tried
to maintain a clear conscience
before God and all people.
After several years away, I returned
to Jerusalem with money to aid my
people and to offer sacrifices to God.
My accusers saw me in the temple as I
was completing a purification ceremony.
There was no crowd
around me and no rioting.
But some Jews from the province
of Asia were there, and they ought
to be here to bring charges if
they have anything against me.
Ask these men here what crime the
Jewish High Council found me guilty of.
Except for the one time I shouted out,
I am on trial before you today because I
believe in the resurrection of the dead.
At that point, Felix, who was quite
familiar with the way, adjourned the
hearing and said, Wait until Lysias.
A
few days later, Felix came back with
his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish.
Sending for Paul, they listened as he
told them about faith in Christ Jesus.
As he reasoned with them about
righteousness and self control,
and the coming day of judgment,
Felix became frightened.
Go away for now, he replied.
When it is more convenient,
I'll call for you again.
He also hoped that Paul would
bribe him, so he sent for him
quite often and talked with him.
After two years went by in this way,
Felix was succeeded by Portius Festus.
And because Felix wanted to
gain favor with the Jewish
people, he left Paul in prison.
Three days after Festus arrived
in Caesarea to take over his new
responsibilities, he left for Jerusalem,
where the leading priests and other
Jewish leaders met with him and
made their accusations against Paul.
They asked Festus, as a favor, to
transfer Paul to Jerusalem, planning
to ambush and kill him on the way.
But Festus replied that Paul
was at Caesarea, and he himself
would be returning there soon.
So he said, those of you in
authority can return with me.
If Paul has done anything wrong,
you can make your accusations.
About eight or ten days later, Festus
returned to Caesarea, and on the
following day, he took his seat in court
and ordered that Paul be brought in.
When Paul arrived, the Jewish leaders from
Jerusalem gathered around and made many
serious accusations they couldn't prove.
Paul denied the charges.
I am not guilty of any crime against
the Jewish laws, or the temple,
or the Roman government, he said.
Then Festus, wanting to please the Jews,
asked him, Are you willing to go to
Jerusalem and stand trial before me there?
But Paul replied, No, this is
the official Roman court, so I
ought to be tried right here.
You know very well I am not
guilty of harming the Jews.
If I have done something worthy
of death, I don't refuse to die.
But if I am innocent, no one has a right
to turn me over to these men to kill me.
I appeal to Caesar.
Festus conferred with his advisors,
and then replied, Very well.
You have appealed to Caesar,
and to Caesar you will go.
A few days later, King Agrippa
arrived with his sister, Bernice,
to pay their respects to Festus.
During their stay of several days, Festus
discussed Paul's case with the king.
There is a prisoner here, he told him,
whose case was left for me by Felix.
When I was in Jerusalem, the leading
priests and Jewish elders pressed charges
against him and asked me to condemn him.
I pointed out to them that Roman law
does not convict people without a trial.
They must be given an
opportunity to confront their
accusers and defend themselves.
When his accusers came here
for the trial, I didn't delay.
I called the case the very next
day and ordered Paul brought in.
But the accusations made against him
weren't any of the crimes I expected.
Instead, it was something about
their religion and a dead man named
Jesus who Paul insists is alive.
I was at a loss to know how to
investigate these things, so I asked
him whether he would be willing to stand
trial on these charges in Jerusalem.
But Paul appealed to have his case
decided by the emperor, so I ordered
that he be held in custody until I
could arrange to send him to Caesar.
I'd like to hear the man myself, Agrippa
said, and Festus replied, You will.
Tomorrow.
So the next day, Agrippa and Bernice
arrived at the auditorium with great
pomp, accompanied by military officers
and prominent men of the city.
Festus ordered that Paul be brought in.
Then Festus said, King Agrippa, and
all who are here, this is the man
whose death is demanded by all the
Jews, both here and in Jerusalem.
But in my opinion, he has
done nothing deserving death.
However, since he appealed his
case to the Emperor, I have
decided to send him to Rome.
But what shall I write the Emperor?
For there is no clear charge against
him, so I have brought him before
all of you, and especially you, King
Agrippa, so that after we examine
him, I might have something to write.
For it makes no sense to send a
prisoner to the Emperor without
specifying the charges against him.
Then Agrippa said to Paul,
You may speak in your defense.
So Paul, gesturing with his
hand, started his defense.
I am fortunate, King Agrippa, that you are
the one hearing my defense today against
all these accusations made by the Jewish
leaders, for I know you are an expert
on all Jewish customs and controversies.
Now please, listen to me patiently.
As the Jewish leaders are well
aware, I was given a thorough Jewish
training from my earliest childhood
among my own people and in Jerusalem.
If they would admit it, they know that
I have been a member of the Pharisees,
the strictest sect of our religion.
Now I am on trial because of my
hope in the fulfillment of God's
promise made to our ancestors.
In fact, that is why the twelve tribes
of Israel zealously worship God night and
day, and they share the same hope I have.
Yet, Your Majesty, they accuse
me for having this hope.
Why does it seem incredible to any
of you that God can raise the dead?
I used to believe that I ought to
do everything I could to oppose the
very name of Jesus the Nazarene.
Indeed, I did just that in Jerusalem.
Authorized by the leading
priests, I caused many believers
there to be sent to prison.
And I cast my vote against them
when they were condemned to death.
Many times I had them punished in the
synagogues to get them to curse Jesus.
I was so violently opposed to them that I
even chased them down in foreign cities.
One day I was on such a mission to
Damascus, armed with the authority
and commission of the leading priests.
About noon, Your Majesty, as I
was on the road, A light from
heaven, brighter than the sun,
shone down on me and my companions.
We all fell down, and I heard a
voice saying to me in Aramaic, Saul,
Saul, why are you persecuting me?
It is useless for you to
fight against my will.
Who are you, Lord?
I asked, and the Lord replied, I am
Jesus, the one you are persecuting.
Now get to your feet, for I
have appeared to you to appoint
you as my servant and witness.
Tell people that you have
seen me, and tell them what I
will show you in the future.
And I will rescue you from both
your own people and the Gentiles.
Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles
to open their eyes so they may
turn from darkness to light and
from the power of Satan to God.
Then they will receive forgiveness
for their sins and be given a
place among God's people who
are set apart by faith in me.
And so, King Agrippa.
I obeyed that vision from heaven.
I preached first to those in Damascus,
then in Jerusalem, and throughout
all Judea, and also to the Gentiles,
that all must repent of their sins
and turn to God, and prove they have
changed by the good things they do.
Some Jews arrested me in the
temple for preaching this.
And they tried to kill me, but God has
protected me right up to this present
time, so I can testify to everyone,
from the least to the greatest.
I teach nothing except what the
prophets and Moses said would happen,
that the Messiah would suffer and
be the first to rise from the dead,
and in this way announce God's
light to Jews and Gentiles alike.
Suddenly, Festus shouted,
Paul, you are insane.
Too much study has made you crazy.
But Paul replied, I am not
insane, most excellent Festus.
What I am saying is the sober truth.
And King Agrippa knows about these things.
I speak boldly, for I am sure these
events are all familiar to him,
for they were not done in a corner.
King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets?
I know you do.
Agrippa interrupted him, Do you
think you can persuade me to
become a Christian so quickly?
Paul replied, Whether quickly or not, I
pray to God that both you and everyone
here in this audience might become the
same as I am, except for these chains.
Then the king, the governor, Bernice,
and all the others stood and left.
As they went out, they talked it over
and agreed, This man hasn't done anything
to deserve death or imprisonment.
And Agrippa said to Festus, he
could have been set free, if
he hadn't appealed to Caesar.
This concludes today's
immerse reading experience.
Thank you for joining us