Jews Plot To Kill Paul; Acts 23:12 – 22 Part 2

Church History: Date: A.D.57 – 59

They made an oath, placing the heaviest curses upon themselves, their souls, bodies, and families, if they did not kill Paul, they would not eat nor drink till they had done it. What a complication of wickedness is here! To plot to kill an innocent man, a good man, a useful man, a man that had done them no harm, but was willing to do them all the good he could.
There was no opportunity to get to Paul in the castle. He was there under the protection of the government. They conceived a plan to get the chief priests and elders to ask the governor of the castle to allow Paul to come to them. They would wait for him in the council-chamber to further examine him (they have some questions to ask him, or something to say to him), and then, in his passage from the castle to the council, they would put an end to all disputes about Paul by killing him. They were so proud of themselves and so confident that the plan would work, that they were not ashamed or afraid to brag about it.
There was a youth that was related to Paul, his sister's son, whose mother probably lived in Jerusalem; and somehow or other, we are not told how, heard of their plot against him. He either overheard them talking about it among themselves, or was told by others who were there. He went into the castle, probably, as he used to do, to attend to his uncle, and bring him what he wanted, which gave him a free access to him and he told Paul what he heard.
This part of the story is related very particularly, perhaps because the penman was an eye-witness of the prudent and successful management of this affair, and remembered it with a great deal of pleasure. Paul had gained the respect of the officers that attended, by his prudent peaceable deportment. He could call one of the centurions to him, though a centurion was one in authority, that had soldiers under him, and used to call, not to be called to, and he was ready to come at his call and he asked that he would introduce this young man to the chief captain.