I

After finding out about the plot to assassin Paul, the Roman commander (Claudius Lysias) has Paul escorted out of town under the cover of night.


Acts 23
23 Then the commander called two of his officers and ordered, “Get 200 soldiers ready to leave for Caesarea at nine o’clock tonight. Also take 200 spearmen and 70 mounted troops. 24 Provide horses for Paul to ride, and get him safely to Governor Felix.” 25 Then he wrote this letter to the governor: 26 “From Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings! 27 “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. 28 Then I took him to their high council to try to learn the basis of the accusations against him. 29 I soon discovered the charge was something regarding their religious law - certainly nothing worthy of imprisonment or death. 30 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.” 31 So that night, as ordered, the soldiers took Paul as far as Antipatris. 32 They returned to the fortress the next morning, while the mounted troops took him on to Caesarea. 33 When they arrived in Caesarea, they presented Paul and the letter to Governor Felix. 34 He read it and then asked Paul what province he was from. “Cilicia,” Paul answered. 35 “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.


I. I have a defensive mechanism inside of me that attempts to put me in the best light possible ... even if that means rearranging some of the facts and leaving out some of the faults. It’s like a defective default mode. Maybe Claudius and I ... and Paul (check out Romans 7:15-21) ... are the only ones that have ever dealt with this issue. I doubt it because Jesus made it very clear that the most important things we do in life ... love and serve (check out Matthew 22:34-40 and Matthew 6:33 and Luke 22:24-27) ... only happen when we take the focus off of us and put it on someone else. I think he was trying to protect me from me by redirecting me away from me and refocusing me on him. That is what Paul seemed to discover (check out Romans 7:24-8:2).