Acts 24. Neither review resulted in a decision concerning Paul s guilt or innocence

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1 Acts 24 As we near the end f the bk f Acts, tday we mve int the secnd f three sectins describing Paul s years in captivity Last week we studied the first sectin with Paul in Jerusalem under the cntrl f the Rman cmmander fr the chrt in Jerusalem Paul was examined by the Rmans unsuccessfully and later sent befre his accusers, the Jewish cuncil r Sanhedrin Neither review resulted in a decisin cncerning Paul s guilt r inncence And when a plt t kill Paul was uncvered, he was sent t Caesarea t stand trial by the Rman prcuratr, Felix In fact, in lking back ver the events in chapters 22-23, it s easy t see Gd at wrk in keeping Paul in custdy Paul was never accused f anything specific and n witness has cme frward t make a credible accusatin The Rmans were simply curius fr why the Jews had rited and attempted t kill Paul The mre sensible respnse wuld have been t cnsider Paul a victim rather than the suspect S it seems clear that Paul is destined by Gd s hand t remain in Rman custdy and t be escrted under their cntrl t Rme Paul culd have made his way t Rme withut the Rman escrt, But he wuldn t have had the same pprtunity t reach the upper echelns f Rman authrity As chapter 23 ended last week, Paul had arrived in Caesarea, befre Felix the prcuratr fr Judea After Felix received Paul, he placed Paul in the Praetrium, a palace built by Herd the Great Just as Paul had been hused in the Antnia Frtress palace in Jerusalem, here we see him hused in the palace fr Caesarea 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

2 Acts 24! 2 Paul spke f his time in this place briefly in the letter t the Philippians Phil. 1:12 Nw I want yu t knw, brethren, that my circumstances have turned ut fr the greater prgress f the gspel, Phil. 1:13 s that my imprisnment in the cause f Christ has becme well knwn thrughut the whle praetrian guard and t everyne else, Phil. 1:14 and that mst f the brethren, trusting in the Lrd because f my imprisnment, have far mre curage t speak the wrd f Gd withut fear. Paul himself vices the tw primary reasns that Gd has permitted his imprisnment T encurage the brethren t greater curage t speak the wrd f Gd And s that Paul s time spent in prisn wuld pen drs fr Paul t preach t a part f Rman sciety that wuld therwise never knw the truth S the trial befre Felix begins Acts 24:1 After five days the high priest Ananias came dwn with sme elders, with an attrney named Tertullus, and they brught charges t the gvernr against Paul. Acts 24:2 After Paul had been summned, Tertullus began t accuse him, saying t the gvernr, Since we have thrugh yu attained much peace, and since by yur prvidence refrms are being carried ut fr this natin, Acts 24:3 we acknwledge this in every way and everywhere, mst excellent Felix, with all thankfulness. Acts 24:4 But, that I may nt weary yu any further, I beg yu t grant us, by yur kindness, a brief hearing. Acts 24:5 Fr we have fund this man a real pest and a fellw wh stirs up dissensin amng all the Jews thrughut the wrld, and a ringleader f the sect f the Nazarenes. Acts 24:6 And he even tried t desecrate the temple; and then we arrested him. [ We wanted t judge him accrding t ur wn Law. Acts 24:7 But Lysias the cmmander came alng, and with much vilence tk him ut f ur hands, Acts 24:8 rdering his accusers t cme befre yu.] By examining him yurself cncerning all these matters yu will be able t ascertain the things f which we accuse him. Acts 24:9 The Jews als jined in the attack, asserting that these things were s. It required five days fr the Jewish leaders t make their way t Caesarea n ft 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

3 Acts 24! 3 Paul had traveled n hrse, s he made the trip in much less time Ananias and sme elders came with an attrney bearing a Greek name, meaning he was prbably a Gentile These prceedings wuld have been cnducted accrding t Rman Law, and the Jewish leaders prbably didn t understand Rman trial prceedings S they hired a Gentile attrney t prsecute their case As Paul appears befre Felix, the prsecutr lays ut his case In typical fashin, the attrney begins by ingratiating himself t the judge, Felix The attrney acknwledges Felix s benevlent rule ver Judea In ne sense this statement is false and intended t flatter Felix Because Judea had experienced revlts and uprisings due t Jewish unwillingness t be ruled by Rme There were als reprts f Felix permitting bands f thieves t prey n rad travelers and then demand a share f their prceeds On the ther hand, there was a general truth t the attrney s descriptin f life under Felix This time was part f the Pax Rmana, a perid f ver 200 years f relative peace and prsperity thrughut the empire Judea was prbably the least peaceful, thugh, secnd nly t Britannia After the lng-winded intrductin, the attrney mves t the specific accusatins against Paul First, Paul was a pest The Greek wrd fr pest means plague r pestilence Calling Paul a pest in that day was meant smewhat less metaphrically and mre literally than it is tday 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

4 Acts 24! 4 We say smene is a pest because they bther us The attrney meant Paul was a plague, a blight n the city and the natin f Israel His calls Paul a plague because he is causing dissensin amng all the Jews thrughut the wrld Dissensin is the Greek wrd stasis, which literally means insurrectin S this accusatin is carefully wrded t catch the prcuratr s attentin Paul is nw accused f inciting insurrectin amng Jews This charge wuld have been particularly damaging if true, because Jews were s easily stirred t rebellin against Rme And s the Rmans were particularly reactive t such accusatins Besides the fact that the accusatin was a lie, nevertheless it is quite a testimny t Paul s effectiveness as a minister f the Gspel Paul has the reputatin f reaching all the Jews and cnfrnting them with the Gspel Ntice als that the lawyer identifies Paul as the ringleader f a sect called the Nazarenes The wrd sect suggests that Jews viewed Christians as a subgrup within Judaism As such, they were hated fr their unwillingness t be held accuntable t Jewish authrities Finally, the prsecutr charges Paul with desecrating the Temple, thugh he never specifies hw Paul did s This charge was imprtant because it explained the actins f the Jews in the Temple Since Jews were permitted t kill anyne wh desecrated the Temple, this charge because their excuse fr riting t kill Paul 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

5 Acts 24! 5 The attrney states that the Jews had lawfully arrested Paul, but this wasn t true They were inciting vilence against Paul withut benefit f a trial Finally, the attrney levies a charge against the Rman cmmander Tertullus intimates that the Rman cmmander had vilated law when he intervened t stp the actin f the Jews Since Rmans allwed the Jews t take actin against ffenders within the Temple, the attrney suggests that the cmmander had n jurisdictin t intervene Ntice at this pint that n prf has been ffered fr these accusatins, and nne will be ffered since nne exists Instead, the attrney assures Felix that the prf will be fund in an examinatin f Paul himself And as Tertullus ended his presentatin, the rest f the Jews wh traveled frm Jerusalem begin t chime in and agree with Tertullus Next it was Paul s turn t speak Acts 24:10 When the gvernr had ndded fr him t speak, Paul respnded: Knwing that fr many years yu have been a judge t this natin, I cheerfully make my defense, Acts 24:11 since yu can take nte f the fact that n mre than twelve days ag I went up t Jerusalem t wrship. Acts 24:12 Neither in the temple, nr in the synaggues, nr in the city itself did they find me carrying n a discussin with anyne r causing a rit. Acts 24:13 Nr can they prve t yu the charges f which they nw accuse me. Acts 24:14 But this I admit t yu, that accrding t the Way which they call a sect I d serve the Gd f ur fathers, believing everything that is in accrdance with the Law and that is written in the Prphets; Acts 24:15 having a hpe in Gd, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrectin f bth the righteus and the wicked. Acts 24:16 In view f this, I als d my best t maintain always a blameless cnscience bth befre Gd and befre men. Acts 24:17 Nw after several years I came t bring alms t my natin and t present fferings; Acts 24:18 in which they fund me ccupied in the temple, having been purified, withut any crwd r uprar. But there were sme Jews frm Asia Acts 24:19 wh ught t have been present befre yu and t make accusatin, if they shuld have anything against me Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

6 Acts 24! 6 Acts 24:20 Or else let these men themselves tell what misdeed they fund when I std befre the Cuncil, Acts 24:21 ther than fr this ne statement which I shuted ut while standing amng them, Fr the resurrectin f the dead I am n trial befre yu tday. Paul begins by declaring that he was happy t present his defense befre smene wh has been judging Israel fr many years and understands their law Paul begins his defense by pinting ut he had nly been in the city fr twelve days Hardly enugh time t lead an effective revlt And Paul pints ut they ffered n prf in any case Paul gives his true purpse in arriving in the city which was t wrship Paul des acknwledge ne statement f the attrney, that Paul was a member f the Way, r Christianity Paul culd admit this simply because it was nt (yet) a crime in Rme t be a Nazarene r Christian But rather than being a sect r breakff frm Judaism, Paul testifies that Christianity was the fulfillment f all that Jews cherished and wrshipped Finally, Paul gets t the rt f the real issue He preached cncerning the resurrectin f Christ frm the dead Paul is saying that he is here simply because they didn t like t hear him preach cncerning the truth f the Gspel And Paul adds that the reality f resurrectin was his main mtivatin t keep a clear cnscience Knwing that judgment was cming and wishing t have a gd utcme at the judgment, Paul was always careful t bey Gd and law Paul says the incident in the Temple was merely the result f their hatred f his message 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

7 Acts 24! 7 S when Paul came t wrship, he brught n crwd meaning n Gentiles as he was accused Rather it was Jews frm Asia instigated the rit Yet they are nt present t make their accusatins Under Rman law there were severe penalties fr accusers wh made charges and failed t appear at curt S withut the real accusers present, Paul challenges Ananias and the Elders t prvide prf frm their wn inquisitin in Jerusalem Paul reminds them that he nly spke ne phrase and nthing mre was decided Felix chses nt t make a decisin cncerning Paul Acts 24:22 But Felix, having a mre exact knwledge abut the Way, put them ff, saying, When Lysias the cmmander cmes dwn, I will decide yur case. Acts 24:23 Then he gave rders t the centurin fr him t be kept in custdy and yet have sme freedm, and nt t prevent any f his friends frm ministering t him. Acts 24:24 But sme days later Felix arrived with Drusilla, his wife wh was a Jewess, and sent fr Paul and heard him speak abut faith in Christ Jesus. Acts 24:25 But as he was discussing righteusness, self-cntrl and the judgment t cme, Felix became frightened and said, G away fr the present, and when I find time I will summn yu. Acts 24:26 At the same time t, he was hping that mney wuld be given him by Paul; therefre he als used t send fr him quite ften and cnverse with him. Acts 24:27 But after tw years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Prcius Festus, and wishing t d the Jews a favr, Felix left Paul imprisned. Felix apparently had sme understanding r experience with Christianity The Greek phrase a mre exact knwledge means an accurate r thrughly understanding f Christianity We dn t knw what he knew specifically, but Luke prbably means that Felix knew enugh t understand that the accusatins weren t sund Als, it seems t explain what happens next t Paul Felix says that he waits fr the cmmander t cme and explain the situatin 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

8 Acts 24! 8 But Felix never summns the cmmander, which suggests he was lying at this pint Furthermre, Felix already had the letter frm the cmmander that reprted that Paul was nt fund t vilate any Rman law Felix was merely making excuses fr nt rendering a decisin This allwed him time t listen t Paul and learn mre abut the faith Paul preached And he hped t make sme mney frm Paul We can see this is true lking at Felix s actins ver the next mnths and years Felix desn t seem t have ill will against Paul because Paul is granted cnsiderable privileges in the meantime And his wife, wh was a Jewess, tgether with Felix began t hld curt and listen t Paul s preaching Drusilla was the daughter f Herd Agrippa wh put James t death and imprisned Peter Felix had wed her frm a previus marriage, a scandalus thing even amng Rmans Interestingly, the nly sn she bre t Felix was killed in the eruptin f Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79 It s been said that during these discussins enslaved ryalty was addressing ryal slaves There was prbably a curisity factr and perhaps a sincere interest in the message Paul preached cncerning righteusness, self-cntrl and judgment These were the three elements that Jesus said wuld be preached in His absence under the influence f the Hly Spirit Jhn 16:8 And He, when He cmes, will cnvict the wrld cncerning sin and righteusness and judgment; Jhn 16:9 cncerning sin, because they d nt believe in Me; Jhn 16:10 and cncerning righteusness, because I g t the Father and yu n lnger see Me; 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

9 Acts 24! 9 Jhn 16:11 and cncerning judgment, because the ruler f this wrld has been judged. Ntice the respnse this preaching gained in Felix He was clearly cnvicted and even frightened at the prspect f judgment A man wh had schemed, rbbed, cheated, lusted, adulterated and any number f ther sins must have understd his jepardy And yet he ran away frm the truth and nt tward it Felix prves Paul s wn wrds when he wrte in Rmans Rm. 3:9 What then? Are we better than they? Nt at all; fr we have already charged that bth Jews and Greeks are all under sin; Rm. 3:10 as it is written, THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; Rm. 3:11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; Rm. 3:12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE. Bth Jew and Greek are under the charge f sin befre Gd and that charge drives them away frm His presence It desn t bring them int the light fr the darkness f men s hearts cannt receive Gd by it s wn pwer Jhn 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light f men. Jhn 1:5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did nt cmprehend it. Felix has been expsed t the Light, but he cannt cmprehend it, and the cnvictin drives him away in fear Paul says it is the kindness f Gd that leads us t repentance in Rm 2:4, and that kindness refers t Gd s grace t break thrugh ur dark hearts Paul describes the mment when this happens fr each f us in 2Cr 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

10 Acts 24! 10 2Cr. 4:6 Fr Gd, wh said, Light shall shine ut f darkness, is the One wh has shne in ur hearts t give the Light f the knwledge f the glry f Gd in the face f Christ. Fllwing this frightening incident, Felix cntinues t hld Paul hstage fr tw years hping t exhrt mney frm Paul in exchange fr his freedm Alng the way he cntinues t cnduct cnversatins with Paul We nte that Paul never makes any such ffer f mney Instead, Paul seems cntent t remain where Gd has placed him knwing he has this pprtunity t preach t Felix and receive visitrs Hw might we react t this situatin tday? Wuld we pay a bribe t leave a prisn in a freign land s we culd get hme and cntinue ur lives? Or wuld we see ur circumstances as Paul did in this case? Wuld we patiently allw ur time in prisn t becme a witness pprtunity Understanding that Gd was in cntrl and ur time in such a place had been rdained fr His glry? That desn t mean we wuldn t take every pprtunity t leave, but nly under the right cnditins And a bribe wasn t the right cnditin fr Paul Finally, Luke says the tw years ended when Felix was succeeded by Festus Festus becmes Paul s antagnist in chapter 25 Felix was depsed by Ner arund AD 60 after a fight brke ut amng Jews and Greeks in Caesarea Felix s respnse was t harsh, and his sldiers killed many Jews in the prcess The Jews cmplained frmally t Ner, wh respnded by recalling Felix and installing Festus What little me knw f Festus is he ruled nly a shrt time and died in ffice in AD Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

11 Acts 24! 11 Finally, Luke says that the reasn Felix left Paul imprisn when he was recalled t Rme was t win the Jewish favr Apparently, Felix thught that leaving Paul in prisn wuld gain the Jews apprval Since he was traveling t Ner, Felix thught perhaps this wuld cause the Jews t sften their cmplaint Or at least he wuldn t be antagnizing them further 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.