📖 Matendo ya Mitume — Somo la Kina — Sehemu ya 9: Kukamatwa Yerusalemu (Matendo 21:17–23:35)📖 Acts Intensive — Unit 9: Arrest in Jerusalem (Acts 21:17–23:35)

I. Makaribisho na OnyoI. The Welcome and the Warning

Hatimaye Paulo alifika Yerusalemu pamoja na sadaka ya msaada aliyoikusanya kutoka kwa makanisa ya watu wa Mataifa huko Makedonia, Akaya na Asia. Ndugu waliwapokea kwa furaha. Kesho yake Paulo aliingia kumwona Yakobo — ndugu wa Bwana, mchungaji mkuu wa kanisa la Yerusalemu — pamoja na wazee wote. Paulo aliwaeleza kwa kina kila jambo ambalo Mungu alikuwa amefanya kati ya watu wa Mataifa kwa njia ya huduma yake. Wote waliokuwamo walimtukuza Mungu. Kisha Yakobo akasema jambo ambalo lingepaswa kumwonya Paulo. "Ndugu, waona jinsi Wayahudi walioamini walivyo elfu nyingi, nao wote wana wivu kwa ajili ya torati" (Matendo 21:20, SUV). Neno la Kiyunani linalotafsiriwa elfu nyingi (myriads) maana yake ni makumi ya maelfu. Kanisa la Yerusalemu sasa lilikuwa kubwa mno. Tena lilikuwa la Kiyahudi kwa kiasi kikubwa mno. Na lilikuwa na wasiwasi kuhusu Paulo.Paul finally arrived in Jerusalem with the relief offering he had collected from the Gentile churches across Macedonia, Achaia, and Asia. The brothers received them gladly. The next day Paul went in to see James — the Lord's brother, the senior pastor of the Jerusalem church — and all the elders. Paul reported in detail everything God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. The room glorified God. And then James said something that should have warned Paul. "You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law" (Acts 21:20, NKJV). The Greek word translated myriads means tens of thousands. The Jerusalem church was now massive. And it was massively Jewish. And it was nervous about Paul.

Uvumi ulikuwa umefika Yerusalemu kwamba Paulo alikuwa akiwafundisha waumini Wayahudi walioishi ughaibuni (Diaspora) wamwache Musa, waache tohara, na kuziacha desturi za torati ya Musa. Uvumi huo haukuwa wa kweli. Paulo alikuwa amemtahiri Timotheo kwa sababu za kimisheni. Paulo alikuwa amefanya nadhiri ya Mnadhiri huko Kenkrea. Paulo alikuwa amesisitiza mara nyingi kwamba waumini Wayahudi walikuwa huru kushika desturi za baba zao wakitaka. Lakini uvumi uliendelea kuenea hata hivyo. Yakobo alipendekeza suluhu ya maafikiano. Kanisani kulikuwa na watu wanne waliokuwa wameweka nadhiri ya Mnadhiri iliyokuwa karibu kumalizika. Kumalizika kwake kulihitaji ibada hekaluni na malipo ya dhabihu. Yakobo alipendekeza Paulo ajiunge nao, alipe gharama, na kuonyesha waziwazi kwamba yeye mwenyewe alikuwa Myahudi mwaminifu kwa Torati. Paulo alikubali. Yeye ndiye aliyekuwa ameandika, "Nalikuwa kama Myahudi kwa Wayahudi, ili niwapate Wayahudi" (1 Wakorintho 9:20, SUV). Alikuwa tayari kuingia hekaluni na kulipia dhabihu za watu wengine wanne ili kudumisha amani.Rumors had reached Jerusalem that Paul was teaching Jewish believers in the Diaspora to forsake Moses, abandon circumcision, and walk away from the Mosaic customs. The rumors were not accurate. Paul had circumcised Timothy on missionary grounds. Paul had taken Nazirite vows in Cenchrea. Paul had repeatedly insisted that Jewish believers were free to keep the customs of the fathers if they wanted to. But the rumors were spreading anyway. James proposed a compromise. There were four men in the church who had taken a Nazirite vow that was about to expire. The expiration required a temple ceremony and a payment of sacrifices. James suggested that Paul join them, pay the bills, and visibly demonstrate that he himself was a Torah-faithful Jew. Paul agreed. He was the man who had written, "To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews" (1 Corinthians 9:20, NKJV). He was willing to walk into the temple and pay for four other men's sacrifices to keep the peace.

Nataka kusimama na kukiri kwamba watu wema wamebishana kwa miaka elfu mbili kuhusu iwapo Paulo alikuwa sahihi kufuata ushauri wa Yakobo. Wengine husema ilikuwa diplomasia yenye hekima iliyonunua kizazi kingine cha ushirika kati ya Wakristo Wayahudi na wa Mataifa. Wengine husema ilikuwa maafikiano ambayo Bwana aliyabatilisha kwa kuruhusu ghasia zilizofuata. Maandiko ya Matendo hayatuambii. Kile ambacho maandiko yanatuambia ni kwamba Bwana aligeuza matokeo ya maafikiano hayo kuwa mnyororo ule ule uliomfikisha Paulo Rumi. Iwe Paulo alikosea au hakukosea, Bwana alikuwa akiliendesha gari la vita.I want to stop and acknowledge that good men have argued for two thousand years about whether Paul was right to take James's advice. Some say it was wise diplomacy that bought another generation of Jewish-Christian fellowship. Some say it was a compromise that the Lord overruled by allowing the riot that followed. The text of Acts does not tell us. What the text does tell us is that the Lord turned the consequences of that compromise into the very chain that brought Paul to Rome. Whether Paul made a mistake or not, the Lord was driving a chariot.

II. Ghasia katika Ua wa NjeII. The Riot in the Outer Court

Karibu na mwisho wa kipindi cha siku saba za utakaso, Paulo alipokuwa katika nyua za hekalu pamoja na wale Wanadhiri wanne, baadhi ya Wayahudi kutoka jimbo la Asia walimtambua. Hawa walikuwa Wayahudi wa eneo la Efeso waliochukia kazi ya Injili ya Paulo katika masinagogi yao, nao walikuwa Yerusalemu kwa ajili ya sikukuu ya Pentekoste. Walimwona Paulo. Wakachanganyikiwa kwa hasira. Wakaanza kupiga kelele kwa sauti kuu ili kukusanya umati. "Waisraeli, saidieni! Huyu ndiye yule mtu afundishaye watu wote kila mahali mambo yaliyo kinyume cha taifa letu na torati na mahali hapa; tena zaidi ya hayo amewaingiza Wayunani hekaluni, amepanajisi mahali hapa patakatifu" (Matendo 21:28, SUV).Toward the end of the seven-day purification period, while Paul was in the temple courts with the four Nazirites, some Jews from the province of Asia recognized him. These were the Ephesian-region Jews who had hated Paul's gospel work in their synagogues, and they were in Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost. They saw Paul. They lost their minds. They started shouting at the top of their lungs to draw a crowd. "Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place" (Acts 21:28, NKJV).

Shtaka la pili lilikuwa uongo mtupu. Paulo hakuwa amemwingiza Myunani yeyote katika nyua za ndani. Lakini Luka anaeleza kwa uangalifu kile kilichoupa uvumi huo mahali pa kushikilia. "Kwa sababu walikuwa wamemwona Trofimo, Mwefeso, pamoja naye mjini, wakadhani ya kuwa Paulo amemleta hekaluni" (Matendo 21:29, SUV). Trofimo alikuwa mmoja wa wajumbe wa Mataifa waliobeba sadaka ya msaada pamoja na Paulo. Wayahudi wa Asia walikuwa wamewaona wakitembea pamoja mjini. Wakakimbilia hitimisho. Wakaligeuza hitimisho lao kuwa mimbari. Umati ukawa na wazimu wa hasira.The second charge was a flat lie. Paul had not brought any Greek into the inner courts. But Luke notes carefully what had given the rumor its handle. "For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple" (Acts 21:29, NKJV). Trophimus was one of the Gentile delegates who had carried the relief offering with Paul. The Asian Jews had seen them walking together in the city. They jumped to a conclusion. They turned their conclusion into a pulpit. The mob went berserk.

Adhabu kwa mtu wa Mataifa aliyevuka kizuizi cha hekalu la ndani ilikuwa kifo. Wanaakiolojia kwa kweli wamegundua mojawapo ya mawe ya onyo yaliyosimama kati ya Ua wa Mataifa na nyua za ndani. Liliandikwa kwa Kiyunani: Mgeni yeyote asiingie ndani ya kizuizi na ukuta unaozunguka patakatifu. Yeyote atakayekamatwa atawajibika mwenyewe kwa kifo chake kitakachofuata. Warumi walikuwa wameipa Sanhedrini mamlaka ya kuwaua papo hapo watu wa Mataifa waliovunja sheria hii, hata raia wa Rumi. Basi Wayahudi wa Asia walimkamata Paulo, wakamburuta nje ya nyua za ndani ili wasiitie najisi ardhi takatifu kwa damu yake, wakafunga kwa nguvu milango ya hekalu nyuma yao ili vurugu zisirudi ndani, wakaanza kumpiga ili wamuue.The penalty for a Gentile crossing the inner-temple barrier was death. Archaeologists have actually recovered one of the warning stones that stood between the Court of the Gentiles and the inner courts. It read in Greek: No foreigner is to enter within the balustrade and embankment around the sanctuary. Whoever is caught will himself be responsible for his ensuing death. The Romans had granted the Sanhedrin authority to execute Gentile violators on the spot, even Roman citizens. So the Asian Jews seized Paul, dragged him out of the inner courts so they would not pollute the holy ground with his blood, slammed the temple gates behind them so the violence would not spill back inside, and began to beat him to death.

III. Afisa wa Kirumi Kwenye NgaziIII. The Roman Officer on the Stairs

Kando ya majengo ya hekalu, upande wa kona ya kaskazini-magharibi, ilisimama Ngome ya Antonia — kambi ya askari wa Kirumi iliyopewa jina la Marko Antonio, iliyokaliwa na kikosi kimoja cha askari (takriban watu elfu moja), hasa kwa sababu nyua za hekalu wakati wa sikukuu za Kiyahudi zilijulikana kuwa mahali pa ghasia. Jemadari wa Kirumi aliyekuwa zamu mchana ule alikuwa mtu aitwaye Klaudio Lisia. Alitazama chini kutoka ngomeni, akaona umati ukimpiga mtu ili kumuua katika ua wa hekalu, akachukua maakida wawili na kikosi cha askari wa haraka, akakimbia kushuka ngazi. Umati, ulipowaona Warumi wakija, uliacha kumpiga Paulo. Lisia alimtia Paulo mbaroni, akaamuru afungwe kwa minyororo miwili, akauliza umati yeye ni nani na amefanya nini. Umati ulipiga kelele bila mpangilio. Lisia akaacha kujaribu kupata habari kutoka kwao, akaamuru Paulo apelekwe juu kwa ngazi hadi kambini. Umati ulisonga kwa nguvu sana hata askari walilazimika kumwinua Paulo kutoka ardhini na kumbeba juu kwa ngazi ili abaki hai, huku umati nyuma ukipiga kelele, "Mwondoe huyu!" (Matendo 21:36, SUV) — kilio kile kile ambacho umati wa Yerusalemu ulikuwa umepiga yapata miaka ishirini na mitano kabla, katika jumba la Pilato, kuhusu Kristo.Adjacent to the temple complex, on the northwest corner, stood the Antonia Fortress — a Roman barracks named after Mark Antony, garrisoned with one cohort of soldiers (about a thousand men), specifically because the temple courts during Jewish festivals were a known riot zone. The Roman commander on duty that afternoon was a man named Claudius Lysias. He looked down from the fortress, saw the mob beating someone to death in the temple court, took two centurions and a flying squad of soldiers, and ran down the steps. The crowd, seeing the Romans coming, stopped beating Paul. Lysias took Paul into custody, ordered him bound with two chains, and asked the crowd who he was and what he had done. The crowd was incoherent. Lysias gave up trying to get a story out of them and ordered Paul carried up the steps to the barracks. The crowd surged so violently that the soldiers literally had to lift Paul off the ground and carry him up the stairs to keep him alive, while the mob behind shouted, "Away with him!" (Acts 21:36, NKJV) — the very same cry the Jerusalem mob had shouted about twenty-five years earlier at Pilate's palace, about Christ.

Ulinganifu huo si bahati mbaya. Paulo anatendewa, katika maongozi ya Mungu, jinsi Bwana wake alivyotendewa. Mwanafunzi hampiti Bwana wake. Mfumo wa saa za mwisho za Kristo sasa umewekwa juu ya mfumo wa kukamatwa kwa Paulo kwa mara ya kwanza. Umati ukipiga kelele mwondoe huyu. Mamlaka ya Kirumi ikimtia mbaroni. Mapigo ya mijeledi yanakuja. Kesi mbele ya baraza la Kiyahudi inakuja. Kesi mbele ya liwali wa Kirumi inakuja. Kesi mbele ya mfalme wa ukoo wa Herode inakuja. Matendo 21–26 itampitisha Paulo katika vituo vile vile alivyopitia Kristo, karibu katika mahali pale pale, mara nyingi mbele ya wazao wa familia zile zile. Bwana hajamaliza kuiandika Injili ya Luka Luka anapomaliza Injili yake. Anaimalizia kupitia maisha ya Paulo.That parallel is not an accident. Paul is being treated, in the providence of God, the way his Master had been treated. The disciple is not above his Lord. The pattern of Christ's last hours is now overlaid on the pattern of Paul's first arrest. The mob shouting away with him. The Roman authority taking custody. The flogging coming. The trial before the Jewish council coming. The trial before the Roman governor coming. The trial before a Herod king coming. Acts 21–26 is going to walk Paul through the same stations Christ walked through, at almost the same locations, often in front of the descendants of the same families. The Lord is not done writing the gospel of Luke when Luke ends his Gospel. He is finishing it through the life of Paul.

Juu ya ngazi, kabla tu askari hawajamwingiza kambini, Paulo alizungumza na Lisia kwa Kiyunani. Jemadari alishtuka. "Je! Unajua Kiyunani? Basi, wewe si yule Mmisri ambaye kabla ya siku hizi uliwafitini watu, ukawaongoza wale watu elfu nne wauaji, ukaenda nao jangwani?" (Matendo 21:37–38, SUV). Lisia alikuwa amedhani amemkamata gaidi mashuhuri wa Kimisri, kiongozi wa Sicarii (watu wa majambia) aliyekuwa amewaleta Wayahudi elfu nne wenye silaha kwenye Mlima wa Mizeituni akitarajia kuta za Yerusalemu zianguke kwa amri yake. Paulo alimsahihisha. "Mimi ni Myahudi, mzaliwa wa Tarso katika Kilikia, raia wa mji usio mnyonge; nakuomba, unipe ruhusa niseme na watu hawa" (Matendo 21:39, SUV). Lisia, labda sasa akiwa na udadisi wa kutosha, alimpa ruhusa. Paulo alisimama juu ya ngazi za Ngome ya Antonia, akawapungia watu mkono, na ghasia zikanyamaza.At the top of the stairs, just before the soldiers carried him into the barracks, Paul addressed Lysias in Greek. The commander was startled. "Can you speak Greek? Are you not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?" (Acts 21:37–38, NKJV). Lysias had assumed he had captured a notorious Egyptian terrorist, the leader of the Sicarii (the dagger-men) who had brought four thousand armed Jews to the Mount of Olives expecting Jerusalem's walls to fall down at his command. Paul corrected him. "I am a Jew from Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city; and I implore you, permit me to speak to the people" (Acts 21:39, NKJV). Lysias, perhaps just curious enough now, granted permission. Paul stood on the stairs of the Antonia Fortress, motioned with his hand, and the riot fell silent.

IV. Hotuba ya Kiebrania Kwenye Ngazi za KambiIV. The Hebrew Speech on the Barracks Stairs

Kisha Paulo akafanya mojawapo ya mambo ya ujasiri mkubwa kabisa katika Agano Jipya. Alizungumza na umati ule ule uliokuwa umemaliza tu kumpiga ili kumuua. Alizungumza nao kwa Kiebrania — kwa usahihi zaidi, Kiaramu, lugha ya kila siku ya Wayahudi wa Uyahudi — jambo ambalo liliwavutia zaidi. Umati ulitarajia maneno mengine makali kwa Kiyunani, lugha ya kigeni, lugha ya watu wanaolegeza imani. Badala yake walisikia lugha ya mama ya walimu wa dini, kwa lafudhi kamilifu, kutoka kwa mtu aliyefunzwa katika shule za Yerusalemu yenyewe.And then Paul did one of the most courageous things in the New Testament. He addressed the same mob that had just been beating him to death. He addressed them in Hebrew — actually Aramaic, the everyday language of Judean Jews — which got their attention even more. The mob expected another tirade in Greek, a foreign language, the language of compromisers. Instead they got the rabbinical mother tongue, perfectly accented, of a man who had been trained in the schools of Jerusalem itself.

Hotuba ya Paulo, iliyoandikwa katika Matendo 22, imepangwa sawasawa na utetezi mahakamani. Aliwaeleza nasaba yake. "Mimi ni Myahudi, nalizaliwa Tarso, katika Kilikia, lakini nalilelewa katika mji huu miguuni pa Gamalieli, nikafundishwa katika ujuzi wa sheria ya baba zetu, nikawa mtu mwenye juhudi kwa Mungu, kama ninyi nyote mlivyo leo" (Matendo 22:3, SUV). Kujitambulisha pamoja na wasikilizaji. Ninyi nyote mna juhudi kwa Mungu kama nilivyokuwa zamani. Aliwaeleza maisha yake ya kuwaudhi waamini. Aliwaeleza, katika simulizi la nafsi ya kwanza lililo la kibinafsi kuliko yote katika Agano Jipya, habari ya njia ya Dameski — nuru ya adhuhuri, sauti, swali, upofu wake, Anania, na maneno "Ndugu Sauli, upate kuona" (Matendo 22:13, SUV).Paul's speech, recorded in Acts 22, is structured exactly like a courtroom defense. He told them his pedigree. "I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers' law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today" (Acts 22:3, NKJV). Identification with the audience. You all are zealous toward God as I once was. He told them his persecuting career. He told them, in the most personal first-person account in the New Testament, the story of the Damascus road — the noonday light, the voice, the question, his blindness, Ananias, the words "Brother Saul, receive your sight" (Acts 22:13, NKJV).

Umati ulisikiliza kwa ukimya wa mshangao. Walikuwa wakimfuata. Walikuwa pamoja naye. Alikuwa amewashika. Kisha Paulo akageuka. Aliwaambia kwamba miaka kadhaa baadaye, alipokuwa akisali hekaluni, Bwana alimtokea akasema, "Enenda zako, kwa kuwa mimi nitakutuma uende mbali kwa watu wa Mataifa" (Matendo 22:21, SUV). Kwa neno lile Mataifa umati ukalipuka. "Mwondoe mtu huyu katika dunia, kwa maana haifai aishi!" Walirusha nguo zao hewani, wakarusha mavumbi juu, wakapiga kelele kwamba alikuwa mkufuru. Lisia, akitazama kutoka mlango wa kambi, aliamua kwamba amesikia Kiaramu cha kutosha. Aliamuru Paulo aingizwe ndani na kuhojiwa kwa mapigo ya mijeledi — njia ya kawaida ya Kirumi ya kuhoji — ili ajue alisema nini kilichoukasirisha umati kiasi hicho. Warumi wakamfunga Paulo tayari kwa kupigwa mijeledi.The crowd listened in stunned silence. They were following him. They were tracking with him. He had them. Then Paul made his pivot. He told them that years later, while praying in the temple, the Lord had appeared to him and said, "Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles" (Acts 22:21, NKJV). At the word Gentiles the crowd exploded. "Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!" They threw their cloaks in the air, threw dust into the air, screamed that he was a blasphemer. Lysias, watching from the barracks door, decided he had heard enough Aramaic. He ordered Paul taken inside and examined under scourging — the standard Roman interrogation method — to find out what he had said that had so enraged the crowd. The Romans tied Paul up for flogging.

V. Kadi ya UraiaV. The Citizenship Card

Paulo alikuwa ameiacha siku ifike hapo bila kutumia uraia wake wa Kirumi. Aliwaacha Wayahudi wa Asia wamkamate. Aliuacha umati umpige. Aliwaacha Warumi wamfunge kwa minyororo miwili. Lakini hakuwa tayari kuwaacha wampige mijeledi. Akida alipoinama na kamba za ngozi ili kuanza, Paulo aliuliza kwa utulivu, "Je! Ni halali kwenu kumpiga mtu aliye Mrumi, naye hajahukumiwa?" (Matendo 22:25, SUV).Paul had let the day get this far without playing his Roman citizenship. He let the Asian Jews arrest him. He let the mob beat him. He let the Romans bind him with two chains. But he was not going to let them flog him. As the centurion bent down with the leather strips to begin, Paul asked quietly, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?" (Acts 22:25, NKJV).

Uso wa akida ukageuka rangi kwa hofu. Sheria ya Kirumi, tangu sheria za Porcia za mwanzoni mwa karne ya pili K.K., ilikataza kumpiga mijeledi raia wa Rumi chini ya adhabu nzito. Akida akakimbia kwa Lisia. Lisia akaja mbio. Mazungumzo yaliyofuata ni mojawapo ya vichekesho vya kimya kabisa vya Luka. "Niambie, wewe u Mrumi?" "Naam." "Mimi nalipata wenyeji huu kwa mali nyingi." "Lakini mimi nalizaliwa katika hali hiyo" (Matendo 22:27–28, SUV). Lisia alikuwa ameununua uraia wake katika soko la Kirumi, huenda mwishoni mwa utawala wa Klaudio. Paulo alikuwa ameurithi wake — baba yake alikuwa amepewa uraia kwa sababu ya huduma fulani kwa Rumi, huenda tangu zamani za Pompei. Mkuu wa askari elfu moja wa Kirumi alikuwa amelipia kile ambacho mhubiri Mkristo alizaliwa nacho. Maakida wakarudi nyuma. Lisia ghafla akaogopa. Alikuwa amemfunga raia wa Rumi.The centurion blanched. Roman law, going back to the Porcian laws of the early second century BC, forbade scourging a Roman citizen under heavy penalty. The centurion ran to Lysias. Lysias came running. The conversation that followed is one of Luke's quietest comedies. "Tell me, are you a Roman?" "Yes." "I obtained this citizenship with a large sum of money." "But I was born a citizen" (Acts 22:27–28, NKJV). Lysias had bought his citizenship in the Roman market, probably in the late reign of Claudius. Paul had inherited his — his father had been granted citizenship for some service to Rome, probably back in Pompey's day. The captain of a thousand Roman soldiers had paid for what the Christian preacher had been born with. The centurions backed away. Lysias was suddenly afraid. He had bound a Roman citizen.

Ndugu zangu, jifunzeni somo kutokana na jinsi Paulo alivyotumia uraia wake. Hakuuonyesha kwa kujivuna kwa faida yake binafsi siku nzima. Aliiacha Injili ifuate mkondo wake kwa gharama ya mapigo na kamba. Lakini haki ya kufuata taratibu za sheria ilipokaribia kuvunjwa na sheria ya dola ilipokuwa ikivunjwa mgongoni mwake, alidai haki zake. Mkristo anayekataa kabisa kutumia kinga za kisheria ambazo Mungu amempa si wa kiroho zaidi kuliko Paulo. Mkristo anayetumia haki zake tu ili kukwepa kuteswa kwa ajili ya Kristo ni mwoga. Paulo aliweka mpaka mahali sahihi — na mahali sahihi palikuwa pale ambapo sheria ya Kirumi yenyewe ilikuwa ikivunjwa.Brothers, take a lesson from Paul's use of his citizenship. He did not flaunt it for personal advantage all day. He let the gospel run its course at the cost of beatings and rope. But when due process was about to be violated and the law of the empire was being broken on his back, he claimed his rights. The Christian who refuses ever to use the legal protections God has given him is not more spiritual than Paul. The Christian who uses his rights only to escape suffering for Christ is a coward. Paul drew the line in the right place — and the right place was where Roman law itself was being broken.

VI. Mbele ya Baraza (Sanhedrini)VI. Before the Sanhedrin

Lisia, akiwa bado anajaribu kujua shtaka halisi dhidi ya Paulo, aliamuru Baraza (Sanhedrini) likusanyike, akamleta Paulo mbele yao asubuhi. Paulo alianza kwa sentensi ambayo ilikuwa ama maneno ya kwanza yaliyochaguliwa vibaya kuliko yote katika historia ya mitume, ama tamko la ujasiri mkubwa kuliko yote ambalo mfungwa yeyote aliwahi kutoa mbele ya mahakama ya kidini. "Ndugu zangu, mimi nimeishi mbele za Mungu kwa dhamiri njema kabisa hata leo" (Matendo 23:1, SUV).Lysias, still trying to figure out the actual charge against Paul, ordered the Sanhedrin assembled and brought Paul before them in the morning. Paul opened with a sentence that was either the most poorly chosen first words in apostolic history or the boldest declaration any prisoner ever gave a religious court. "Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day" (Acts 23:1, NKJV).

Kuhani Mkuu Anania, aliyeketi katika kiti cha mwenyekiti, aliamuru mtu aliyesimama karibu na Paulo ampige kinywani kwa sababu ya ujeuri. Paulo akajibu, "Mungu atakupiga wewe, ukuta uliopakwa chokaa! Wewe umeketi kunihukumu kwa sheria, nawe waamuru nipigwe kinyume cha sheria?" (Matendo 23:3, SUV). Kisha mtu mmoja akamnong'oneza Paulo kwamba alikuwa amemkemea Kuhani Mkuu. Paulo, labda kwa sababu Kuhani Mkuu alikuwa ameketi bila mavazi yake ya kawaida siku ile, labda kwa sababu macho ya Paulo yalikuwa dhaifu tangu Dameski, akasema, "Ndugu zangu, sikujua ya kuwa yeye ni Kuhani Mkuu" (Matendo 23:5, SUV). Naye akanukuu Kutoka 22:28 — "Usimnenee mabaya mkuu wa watu wako." Paulo alijisahihisha mara tu alipoambiwa. Hiyo ndiyo alama ya mtu ambaye kwa kweli ameishi kwa dhamiri njema.The high priest Ananias, sitting in the chairman's seat, ordered the man standing next to Paul to slap him on the mouth for impudence. Paul retorted, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?" (Acts 23:3, NKJV). Then someone whispered to Paul that he had just rebuked the high priest. Paul, perhaps because the high priest had been seated out of his usual robes that day, perhaps because Paul's eyesight had been poor since Damascus, said, "I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest" (Acts 23:5, NKJV). And he quoted Exodus 22:28 — "You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people." Paul corrected himself the moment he was told. That is the mark of a man who actually has lived in good conscience.

Kisha Paulo akafanya jambo la busara ya ajabu. Alitazama upesi kuzunguka ukumbi wa baraza akaona kwamba Sanhedrini ilikuwa na Mafarisayo na Masadukayo. Akasema kwa sauti kuu, "Ndugu zangu, mimi ni Farisayo, mwana wa Mafarisayo; mimi ninashtakiwa kwa ajili ya tumaini na ufufuo wa wafu!" (Matendo 23:6, SUV). Ukumbi ukaingia katika vurugu. Mafarisayo waliamini ufufuo. Masadukayo hawakuamini. Nusu ya chumba waliruka kumtetea Paulo; nusu wakaruka kumshambulia. Baadhi ya waandishi wa upande wa Mafarisayo walisimama wakapaza sauti, "Sisi hatuoni neno baya katika mtu huyu; huenda roho au malaika amesema naye, tusipigane na Mungu" (Matendo 23:9, SUV). Angalia mwangwi huu. Maneno ya zamani ya Gamalieli — kupigana na Mungu — yamezunguka na kurudi, sasa yakitumiwa na Mafarisayo kumtetea Sauli wa Tarso, mwanafunzi mashuhuri kuliko wote wa yule Farisayo. Vurugu barazani ziliongezeka kuwa hatari sana hata Lisia akaamuru askari washuke kumtoa Paulo kwa nguvu na kumrudisha juu kambini.Then Paul did something brilliant. He took one quick look around the council chamber and noticed that the Sanhedrin contained both Pharisees and Sadducees. He said in a loud voice, "Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!" (Acts 23:6, NKJV). The chamber broke into a brawl. The Pharisees believed in the resurrection. The Sadducees did not. Half the room jumped to Paul's defense; half jumped to attack. Some of the Pharisee scribes stood up and cried, "We find no evil in this man; but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God" (Acts 23:9, NKJV). Notice the echo. Gamaliel's old phrase — fighting against God — has come full circle, now applied by the Pharisees to defending Saul of Tarsus, the Pharisee's most famous student. The riot in the council got so dangerous that Lysias ordered the soldiers down to extract Paul forcibly and take him back up to the barracks.

VII. Jipe MoyoVII. Be of Good Cheer

Usiku ule katika kambi ya Antonia Paulo alilala peke yake. Umati ulikuwa umetaka damu yake. Sanhedrini ilikuwa imegeuka kuwa vurugu. Yakobo na wazee wa Yerusalemu hawakuweza kumzuia asiingie matatani. Warumi walikuwa wamemshika kwa minyororo. Saa arobaini na nane kabla, alikuwa akiabudu pamoja na umati wa Pentekoste. Sasa alikuwa mfungwa aliyefungwa minyororo bila kujua kesho ingeleta nini.That night in the Antonia barracks Paul lay alone. The mob had wanted his blood. The Sanhedrin had degenerated into a brawl. James and the Jerusalem elders had not been able to keep him out of trouble. The Romans were holding him in chains. Forty-eight hours earlier he had been worshiping with the Pentecost crowd. Now he was a chained prisoner with no idea what tomorrow held.

Naye Bwana akamtembelea. "Usiku ule Bwana akasimama karibu naye, akasema, 'Jipe moyo; kwa kuwa kama ulivyonishuhudia huko Yerusalemu, imekupasa kunishuhudia huko Rumi vilevile'" (Matendo 23:11, SUV). Soma maneno hayo polepole. Jipe moyo. Bwana hakusema, Pole kwa kuwa siku yako imekwenda vibaya hivi. Hakusema, Nitakutoa katika jambo hili. Alisema, Jipe moyo. Ushuhuda uliotoa Yerusalemu umetimiza sawasawa kile nilichokutuma hapa kukitimiza, nawe utatoa ushuhuda ule ule huko Rumi. Minyororo iliyokuwa mikononi mwa Paulo sasa ilikuwa sehemu ya ratiba ya safari yake. Bwana alikuwa na mpango wa safari, na minyororo ilikuwa tiketi ya kupanda chombo. Marafiki, kila mnyororo ambao Mkristo anavaa katika maongozi ya Mungu ni tiketi ya kupanda kuelekea mahali ambapo Bwana ameshapaandaa. Jipe moyo.And the Lord visited him. "But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, 'Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome'" (Acts 23:11, NKJV). Read those words slowly. Be of good cheer. The Lord did not say, I am sorry your day went so badly. He did not say, I will get you out of this. He said, Take heart. The witness you bore in Jerusalem accomplished exactly what I sent you here to accomplish, and you will bear that same witness at Rome. The chains around Paul's wrists were now part of his itinerary. The Lord had a travel plan, and the chains were the boarding pass. Friends, every chain a Christian wears in providence is a boarding pass to a destination the Lord has already arranged. Be of good cheer.

VIII. Kiapo cha Watu Arobaini na MpwaVIII. The Forty-Man Oath and the Nephew

Asubuhi iliyofuata Wayahudi zaidi ya arobaini walijifunga kwa laana. Waliapa kwamba hawatakula wala kunywa mpaka wamemwua Paulo. Wakaenda kwa wakuu wa makuhani na wazee na mpango. Makuhani wangeomba Sanhedrini ikutane tena na kumwomba Lisia amlete Paulo chini tena barazani kwa ajili ya kuhojiwa zaidi. Mahali fulani njiani kati ya kambi na ukumbi wa baraza, wale arobaini wangewavizia walinzi na kumwua Paulo. Ulikuwa mpango uliopangwa vizuri. Ungefanikiwa.The next morning more than forty Jewish men bound themselves under a curse. They swore not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. They went to the chief priests and elders with a plan. The priests would request that the Sanhedrin reconvene and ask Lysias to bring Paul down again to the council for further questioning. Somewhere on the road between the barracks and the council chamber the forty would ambush the escort and kill Paul. It was a competent plan. It would have worked.

Lakini Paulo alikuwa na dada huko Yerusalemu, na dada yake alikuwa na mwana. Luka hatuambii jina la kijana huyo wala umri wake. Anamwita tu mwana wa dada yake Paulo. Kijana alisikia habari za kuviziwa — labda alimjua mmoja wa wale waliokula njama, labda nyumba ya wakuu wa makuhani ilikuwa na watumishi waliozungumza. Alienda moja kwa moja kwenye kambi ya Antonia, akapelekwa kwa mjomba wake, akamweleza njama hiyo. Paulo akamwita akida. "Mpeleke kijana huyu kwa jemadari, kwa maana ana neno la kumwarifu" (Matendo 23:17, SUV). Akida akampeleka kijana juu. Lisia akamshika kijana mkono, akaenda naye kando faraghani, akasema, "Una habari gani unayotaka kuniambia?" (Matendo 23:19, SUV). Fikiria Lisia, mkuu wa askari elfu moja wa Kirumi, akimshika mkono kijana wa Kiyahudi na kwenda naye kando faraghani. Ulinzi wa Bwana huja kupitia wajumbe wasiotarajiwa. Njama ilizimwa na kijana ambaye hakuna mwingine aliyefikiri kumpa habari.But Paul had a sister in Jerusalem, and his sister had a son. Luke does not tell us the boy's name or his age. He calls him simply Paul's sister's son. The boy heard about the ambush — perhaps he knew one of the conspirators, perhaps the chief priests' household had servants who talked. He went straight to the Antonia barracks, was taken to his uncle, told him the plot. Paul called a centurion. "Take this young man to the commander, for he has something to tell him" (Acts 23:17, NKJV). The centurion took the boy upstairs. Lysias took the boy by the hand, walked aside with him privately, and said, "What is it that you have to tell me?" (Acts 23:19, NKJV). Imagine Lysias, the captain of a thousand Roman soldiers, taking a Jewish boy by the hand and walking him aside in private. The Lord's protection comes through unlikely couriers. The plot was foiled by a boy nobody else thought to brief.

Nataka kusema jambo hili kwa sauti kubwa, kwa sababu tunalisahau. Bwana huwatumia watoto. Bwana huwatumia vijana wasio na majina. Bwana humtumia mshiriki mdogo kabisa wa kanisa lako kukuletea ujumbe unaouhitaji zaidi. Lisia alimsikiliza kijana. Lisia alichukua hatua. Ndani ya saa chache mpango ukawa umepangwa.I want to say this loudly, because we forget it. The Lord uses children. The Lord uses unnamed teenagers. The Lord uses the youngest member of your church to deliver the message you most need. Lysias listened to the boy. Lysias acted. Within hours the plan was made.

IX. Wapanda Farasi wa Usiku wa Manane Kuelekea KaisariaIX. The Midnight Cavalry to Caesarea

Jibu la Lisia lilikuwa kubwa mno. Aliwaita maakida wawili akawaamuru wakusanye askari mia mbili, wapanda farasi sabini, na wenye mikuki mia mbili — watu mia nne na sabini, karibu nusu ya askari wote wa Yerusalemu — waondoke saa tatu ya usiku, yaani saa tatu usiku (saa 9:00 usiku kwa hesabu ya kimataifa), kumsindikiza raia mmoja wa Rumi aitwaye Paulo hadi Kaisaria, maili sitini upande wa kaskazini-magharibi. Lisia pia aliamuru farasi waandaliwe kwa ajili ya Paulo mwenyewe, akamwandikia liwali Feliki barua akieleza shauri hilo.Lysias's response was massive. He summoned two centurions and ordered them to assemble two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen — four hundred and seventy men, almost half the Jerusalem garrison — to leave at the third hour of the night, that is, nine o'clock, to escort one Roman citizen named Paul down to Caesarea, sixty miles to the northwest. Lysias also ordered horses readied for Paul himself and wrote a letter to the governor Felix explaining the case.

Barua ambayo Luka ameiandika ni kazi bora ya kupotosha mambo kwa mtindo wa kiutawala wa Kirumi. Lisia hataji kwamba alikuwa amemfunga Paulo kinyume cha sheria. Anajionyesha kama mwokozi ambaye, alipojua kwamba Paulo ni Mrumi, aliingilia kati kishujaa. Anaeleza shauri hilo kuwa mabishano ya kitheolojia ya Kiyahudi. Anamkabidhi Paulo kwa hukumu ya liwali. Bwana aligeuza hata hila ya kiofisi ya Lisia ya kujilinda kuwa njia huru ya Paulo kufika Kaisaria.The letter Luke records is a masterpiece of Roman administrative spin. Lysias does not mention that he had bound Paul illegally. He paints himself as the rescuer who, on learning Paul was a Roman, had gallantly intervened. He describes the case as a Jewish theological dispute. He commends Paul to the governor's judgment. The Lord turned even Lysias's bureaucratic self-protection into Paul's free passage to Caesarea.

Saa tatu usiku ule msafara uliondoka Yerusalemu gizani. Kundi la watu arobaini waliokula kiapo lilikuwa likisubiri msafara wa walinzi wa asubuhi na mapema katika njia ya kuelekea ukumbi wa baraza. Hawakumwona Paulo akiondoka. Kufikia jua lilipochomoza, Paulo alikuwa maili arobaini kwenye uwanda wa pwani huko Antipatri — mbali na kufikiwa na umati wowote wa Yerusalemu. Wapanda farasi waliendelea naye hadi Kaisaria huku askari wa miguu wakirudi. Paulo alikabidhiwa kwa liwali Feliki, barua ikasomwa, Feliki akaamuru alindwe katika praitorio ya Herode mpaka washtaki wake watakapofika, na kesi ya pili kati ya kesi nne za Paulo — mbele ya Sanhedrini, Feliki, Festo na Agripa — ikaanza.At nine that night the convoy left Jerusalem under cover of darkness. The forty-man oath party was waiting for an early-morning escort along the road to the council chamber. They never saw Paul leave. By the time the sun rose, Paul was forty miles up the coastal plain at Antipatris — out of reach of any Jerusalem mob. The horsemen continued on with him to Caesarea while the foot soldiers returned. Paul was delivered to the governor Felix, the letter was read, Felix ordered him kept in Herod's Praetorium until the accusers should arrive, and the second of Paul's four trials — before the Sanhedrin, Felix, Festus and Agrippa — began.

Matendo 21–23 inamalizika Paulo akiwa amesimama katika Kaisaria ile ile ambamo Kornelio aliongoka, ambamo Filipo mwinjilisti bado aliishi, katika jumba lile lile la Herode ambamo Herode Agripa I alipigwa na malaika kwa kupokea ibada ya wanadamu. Jiografia ya Matendo ni theolojia yake yenyewe. Bwana huwapitisha watumishi wake tena katika vyumba ambamo amefanya kazi hapo kabla, ili kuwakumbusha kwamba Mungu yule yule aliyetenda kazi Kaisaria miaka kumi na mitano kabla anatenda kazi Kaisaria sasa.Acts 21–23 ends with Paul standing in the same Caesarea where Cornelius had been converted, where Philip the evangelist still lived, in the same Herod's palace where Herod Agrippa I had been struck down by an angel for taking the worship of men. The geography of Acts is its own theology. The Lord brings His servants back through the rooms where He has worked before, to remind them that the same God who acted in Caesarea fifteen years earlier is acting in Caesarea now.

X. Mafundisho Matatu ya Kwenda Nayo NyumbaniX. Three Lessons Home

Kwanza, maafikiano ya kudumisha amani yanaweza kugharimu sana, lakini Bwana anatawala matokeo. Iwe Paulo alipaswa au hakupaswa kukubali mpango wa Yakobo hekaluni, ghasia zilizofuata zikawa gari la vita lililomfikisha Rumi. Bwana hubatilisha hata maamuzi yetu yenye mashaka. Mtumaini katika siku ambazo unashuku kwamba hukuwa na hekima yako bora.First, compromise to keep peace can be costly, but the Lord rules the consequences. Whether or not Paul should have agreed to James's plan in the temple, the riot that followed became the chariot that took him to Rome. The Lord overrules even our questionable judgment. Trust Him on the days you suspect you were not at your wisest.

Pili, jipe moyo. Usiku wa chini kabisa wa Paulo huko Yerusalemu ulikuwa usiku ambao Kristo alisimama karibu naye gerezani. Saa za chini kabisa za Mkristo kwa kawaida ndizo saa ambazo Bwana yuko karibu zaidi. Minyororo unayovaa katika maongozi ya Mungu ni hati za safari. Mahali ambapo Bwana anakutuma, minyororo haitakuzuia kufika.Second, be of good cheer. Paul's lowest night in Jerusalem was the night Christ stood by him in the cell. The Christian's lowest hours are usually the hours when the Master is closest. The chains you wear in providence are travel papers. Where the Lord is sending you, the chains will not stop you from arriving.

Tatu, Bwana huwatumia wajumbe wasio na majina. Kijana wa Kiyahudi ambaye hakuna aliyejishughulisha kumtaja jina katika Agano Jipya aliokoa maisha ya mtume Paulo. Ukombozi ujao katika kanisa lako unaweza kuja kupitia mtoto, mshiriki mkimya, rafiki aliyesahauliwa. Usiyadharau madogo. Bwana huendesha kazi zake za uokoaji kupitia watu ambao wenye kiburi huwapuuza.Third, the Lord uses unnamed couriers. A Jewish teenager nobody bothered to name in the New Testament saved the apostle Paul's life. The next deliverance in your church may come through a child, a quiet member, a forgotten friend. Do not despise the small faces. The Lord conducts His rescue operations through the people the proud overlook.

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