then he called two of the centurions and said, “get ready two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as caesarea at the third hour of the night. also provide mounts for paul to ride and bring him safely to felix the governor.” and he wrote a letter to this effect: claudius lysias, to his excellency the governor felix, greetings. this man was seized by the jews and was about to be killed by them when i came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a roman citizen. and desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, i brought him down to their council. i found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. and when it was disclosed to me that there would be a plot against the man, i sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him.” [acts 23:23-30]
guarded as a precious treasure.
this tribune, claudius lysias, had messed up big time. having misunderstood and assuming that he knew who paul was, he didn’t think to inquire of any roman citizenship. he had grabbed him, bound him, thrown him in prison, stretched him out to be scourged with whips, only to quickly backpedal in fear, learning that he was protected by citizenship of birth. now paul’s life was threatened, and surely the tribune was in fear for his own safety and status, feeling that he may receive the blame for any harm done to a citizen of rome. so he curates a document for written evidence of his innocence, and even his perceived heroism toward paul, while at the same time, quickly ridding himself of any further responsibility for him, going to great measures to assure the safe passage to the governor. whether for any genuine care toward paul, or simply for saving his own hyde, this tribune was going to guard paul’s life as precious.
there is such great comfort in this passage. paul’s life was regarded as precious because of his roman citizenship. but our lives are regarded as precious because our citizenship lies in heaven, predestined before the foundation of the world [eph 1], bought by the precious blood of Jesus Christ [1 cor 6] and sealed with the Holy Spirit [eph 4] as a guarantee of our inheritance. our lives are precious because God says our lives are precious to him, and he has proven it by giving his Son [rom 8:32].
but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. [1 pet 2:9]
as citizens of heaven, and as children of the Almighty God, we have nothing to fear. in life or death, we are his. in trial or rest, we are his. in poverty or riches, in sickness or health, in sorrow or gladness, we are seen, known, and loved by a Father who gave up what was precious to him because we are precious to him. know his love for you today. rejoice that you are your Father’s precious treasure!
for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. [deut 7:6]
for this reason i bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. [eph 3:14-19]
~ arwen eastman