Sha’ul Faces a Plot to Kill Him
We pick up the story of Sha’ul after his encounter with Yeshua in Acts 9:23.
23 Quite sometime later, the non-believing Jews gathered together and made plans to kill him (Sha’ul); 24 but their plot became known to Sha’ul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to do away with him; 25 but under cover of night, his talmidim took him and let him down over the city wall, lowering him in a large basket. [1]
Quite sometime later, pictures Sha’ul dutifully preaching Yeshua as Messiah for long enough to become the uppermost enemy of unbelieving Jews in Dammesek. He had come to help their struggle against the growing Messianic movement, but now he had become the chief cause of its growth. Thus, they conspired to kill him. Unable to leave via the city gates, Sha’ul escaped in a most undignified but effective manner: he was placed in a large basket and shoved through an opening in the wall (lit. “through the wall”).
26 On reaching Yerushalayim, he tried to join the talmidim; but they were all afraid of him – they didn’t believe he was a talmid.
Among Believers in Yerushalayim, Sha’ul’s reputation as a persecutor of the church was unchanged. Either news had not come from Dammesek, or else the disciples in Yerushalayim took a “wait and see” attitude. Perhaps they even suspected his conversion was just a ruse to infiltrate the fledgling Messianic movement and destroy it from within.
27 However, Bar-Nabba got hold of him and took him to the emissaries. He told them how Sha’ul had seen the Lord while traveling, that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Dammesek, Sha’ul had spoken out boldly in the name of Yeshua.
Bar-Nabba (Barnabas) was convinced of the genuineness of Sha’ul’s conversion, apparently because he had talked to him. Bar-Nabba (“son of encouragement”) was the nickname that the apostles gave to Joseph, a prominent member of the early church (Acts 4:36). Bar-Nabba was a companion of the Sha’ul in the early years of his ministry. The background information known about Bar-Nabba comes from Acts 4:36–37: Luke reports that the apostles gave the name Bar-Nabba to a man named Joseph. Bar-Nabba was from the tribe of Levi and was born on the island of Cyprus. He was also a man of some means since he “owned a tract of land” (Acts 4:37) – but he was generous, for he sold his land and gave the money to the Emissaries. [2]
28 So he remained with them and went all over Yerushalayim, continuing to speak out boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He talked and debated with the Greek-speaking Jews, but they began making attempts to kill him. 30 When the brothers learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus. [3]
Sha’ul talked and debated with the Greek-speaking Jews, some of whom may have been involved with him in Stephen’s stoning (7:57–60). A Greek-speaking Jew himself, Sha’ul spoke Greek as his primary language. Seeing one of their own, a former persecutor of the Messianic community no less, argue on behalf of Yeshua was more than they could bear. They attempted to kill Sha’ul, with the result that he was whisked away to his hometown. [4]
31 Then, the Messianic community throughout Y’hudah, the Galil, and Shomron enjoyed the peace and was built up. They lived in the fear of the Lord, with the counsel of the Ruach HaKodesh, and their numbers kept multiplying. [5]
In our next post, Sha’ul heads to Antioch.
Click here for the PDF version.
[1] Acts 9:23–25.
[2] Lexham Bible Dictionary.
[3] Acts 9:26–30.
[4] Holman Illustrated Bible Commentary.
[5] Acts 9:31.
My Heart is for Israel 