A Use-of-Force Complaint
Saul had been a brutal persecutor of Christians until one day the risen Jesus called out to him, asking, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” (Acts 9:4) Saul knew God was speaking. He asked, “Who art thou, Lord?” (Acts 9:5) Imagine his shock when the voice replied, “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” (Acts 9:5) Saul became a Christian, now using his energy and Scripture knowledge to preach Jesus. Thus he was often targeted by unbelieving Jews.
On one occasion, Paul was set upon by a mob who tried to kill him. The chief captain Lysias rescued him and took him into custody, wanting to know what was going on. Ultimately Paul was taken before the Jewish council, some of whom were Pharisees and some Sadducees. These two groups differed in their doctrine. When Paul said he was a Pharisee, a dissension arose in the meeting.
The Roman military was tasked with keeping order, so in a sense, they were the police. When the chief captain saw the dispute between Pharisees and Sadducees in the hearing becoming violent, he was afraid they would kill Paul, so “…the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them,” (Acts 23:10)
As a cop, say you go to a disturbance in a bar. You go in and see people kicking a man on the floor. You have to use force to stop them from killing him! That is basically what Lysias had his soldiers do.
Later a group of more than forty Jews planned to kill Paul. They told the chief priests and elders to tell Lysias to bring Paul back before the council for more inquiry. They planned to kill him as he was en route. Paul’s nephew heard of the plot. He told Paul. Paul had a centurion bring the young man to tell Lysias. Lysias arranged for a contingent of 470 soldiers to escort Paul to the Roman governor Felix, who would hear the accusations against him. The ambush attempt was foiled.
Tertullus was the orator who brought the Jews’ complaint before Felix. He presented accusations, then said they had taken Paul, “…and would have judged [him] according to our law.” (Acts 24:6) Whether or not Paul would have gotten a fair trial from the council is questionable. Tertullus then told of Lysias and his soldiers using excessive force to get Paul away, as our opening passage tells us.
Felix told Tertullus, “When Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter.” (Acts 24:22) Felix did not just take Tertullus’ word. He wanted to get Lysias’ side of the story. Lysias would be able to tell how he employed force to save Paul from death by the violent mob.
Police must use force at times, but they also know any force they use must be reasonable. Complaints against officers should also be taken seriously and investigated, but investigators should hear both sides of the story. People may submit complaints to divert attention from their own wrongdoing. Tertullus could complain of excessive force, but if Lysias and his men hadn’t stepped in when they did, Paul could have been killed, which is what his enemies wanted.