Paul’s Nephew to the Rescue

More than forty Jewish enemies of Paul conspired to put him to death, putting his life in real jeopardy, at least from a human perspective. No doubt, many of the chief priests and elders on the Sanhedrin would do what the conspirators asked and call for Paul to stand before them again, where the men of the conspiracy could ambush him (Acts 23:12–15). At least for a moment, it seemed as if the Apostle had no way of escape.

God, however, had other plans. Luke tells us that “the son of Paul’s sister” heard of the wicked plot (v. 16). Understandably, many people find this mention of Paul’s nephew intriguing. We know very little about Paul’s family, but today’s passage makes plain that the Apostle had at least one sibling and one nephew. Yet Luke’s brief mention leaves us with much unknown. Did the nephew live in Jerusalem permanently, or was he visiting the city? How did he come to hear about the conspiracy against Paul? Were the Jews willing to tell him because they thought that he would likewise hate Paul’s preaching and might join their cause?

Those questions will have to remain unanswered. We do know that once Paul’s nephew heard of the plot, he went right away to tell his uncle about it. Because Paul was a Roman citizen, he was allowed visitors even though he was in imperial custody. Once Paul heard the news, he asked the centurion to take his nephew to the tribune to tell the Roman official about the plan against Paul’s life (vv. 17–22). The tribune certainly did not have to believe Paul’s nephew. Or he could have believed the report and done nothing and allowed the conspirators to ambush the Apostle. Yet as we will see in our next study, the tribune did believe Paul’s nephew and intervened to save Paul from his enemies.

John Calvin looks to this episode as a wondrous illustration of God’s providential working in behalf of His people. Paul’s rescue did not occur as a result of anything extraordinary or evidently miraculous but through a confluence of ordinary events and decisions. Somehow, his nephew heard of the plot. Then a centurion was willing to take him to the tribune. Finally, the tribune believed the nephew and acted to get Paul to a safer place. God’s providence is also working in our lives. Through what appear most of the time to be ordinary, everyday events, the Lord works for our good and His glory (Rom. 8:28).