During his ministry on earth, Jesus warned his disciples of the coming day when they would be hauled into court, mistreated, and despised because of their testimony as his followers. In fact, Jesus explained, there would be some who would even think they were doing God a service by killing them. The Apostle Paul definitely fulfilled Jesus’ predictions. With angry religious leaders in Jerusalem plotting his death, Paul narrowly escapes with his life, as he travels on to Rome, where he must stand as a witness for Jesus and the gospel of the kingdom even in the courts of that powerful world empire. Before he was forced to flee, Paul the prisoner was handed over to the Jewish high court of the Sanhedrin., where he offered his defense. An interesting feature of this passage is the Christian’s responsibility to respect government and authority, even when they are not what they ought to be—a much needed lesson for Christians in today’s Western society.
