Written ~ 07-05-2024
Read Acts Chapter Twenty Five
Acts 25
Let’s remind ourselves what has happened to Paul in the last few chapters…
- Acts 21 ~ Paul arrives in Jerusalem and soon after is arrested, an angry mob was trying to kill him
- Acts 22 ~ Paul speaks to the angry mob, but their opinion of him does not change, the Roman commander orders Paul to be bound and whipped
- Acts 23 ~ Paul is brought before the Jewish high council for a very one sided trial
- Acts 24 ~ Paul arrives in Caesarea and is brought before Governor Felix, no judgement was made, instead Felix keeps Paul in protective custody for two years
When I read chapter 25, I don’t know about you… but all I can see is some distinct parallels between the trials Jesus endured and what Paul is going through. Why do I say that? Because there weren’t any confirmed charges against Jesus, He was brought before a couple of different rulers, basically to get their opinion so the sentence of death could be set in motion. However, we know from Scripture that the Jews did get their way and Jesus was crucified. Here in Acts 25 we have Paul, he has been shuffled around to several rulers now, but no charges or demands from the Jewish leaders have been confirmed. Several times Paul could have been released from prison, but that meant he would be handed over to the Jewish leaders, which we know would have resulted in his death.
Let’s start with Acts 24:27…
27“After two years went by in this way, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And because Felix wanted to gain favor with the Jewish people, he left Paul in prison.”
Governor Felix was quite curious about everything Paul had talked to him about, and would send for him quite often, but that led to Paul staying in custody for two years. But now we have a new Governor and he knows nothing about Paul why he is in prison.
Acts 25:1-5…
1Three days after Festus arrived in Caesarea to take over his new responsibilities, he left for Jerusalem, 2where the leading priests and other Jewish leaders met with him and made their accusations against Paul. 3They asked Festus as a favor to transfer Paul to Jerusalem (planning to ambush and kill him on the way). 4But Festus replied that Paul was at Caesarea and he himself would be returning there soon. 5So he said, “Those of you in authority can return with me. If Paul has done anything wrong, you can make your accusations.”
So when Festus goes to Jerusalem the Jewish leaders met with him for the sole purpose to get Paul back to Jerusalem so they can kill him. Good thing this new governor did not fall for their sly tactics. Instead, when Festus returns to Caesarea, the leading priests and other Jewish leaders met with him again to try and prove their accusations.
Acts 25:6-7…
6“About eight or ten days later Festus returned to Caesarea, and on the following day he took his seat in court and ordered that Paul be brought in. 7When Paul arrived, the Jewish leaders from Jerusalem gathered around and made many serious accusations they couldn’t prove.”
The one sided assault of accusations continue. Paul on one side and the Jewish leaders on the other. Who are we to believe? Governor Festus gives Paul the stand and I love the boldness of Paul, I really do. Even after two years of sitting in prison, where some people may become discouraged and possibly give up, Paul does not, his focus is always on the truth.
Acts 25:8-12…
8Paul denied the charges. “I am not guilty of any crime against the Jewish laws or the Temple or the Roman government,” he said.
9Then Festus, wanting to please the Jews, asked him, “Are you willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there?”
10But Paul replied, “No! This is the official Roman court, so I ought to be tried right here. You know very well I am not guilty of harming the Jews. 11If I have done something worthy of death, I don’t refuse to die. But if I am innocent, no one has a right to turn me over to these men to kill me. I appeal to Caesar!”
12Festus conferred with his advisers and then replied, “Very well! You have appealed to Caesar, and to Caesar you will go!”
Let’s review the charges against Paul that the Jewish leaders were bringing to Festus…
- Troublemaker, constantly stirring up riots
- Ringleader for the Nazarene “cult”
- Trying to desecrate the Temple
They repeated their accusations to make a case which would show the new governor that Paul’s rebellion was both political and religious.
In the “Expositor’s Bible Commentary” it says…
- Festus’s discussion with his advisors was probably not whether an appeal to Caesar should be allowed. Since the charges against Paul concerned political rebellion, which in Roman law could be punished by death, and desecration of the Jerusalem temple, which in Jewish law called for death, Festus had no choice but to acknowledge the extraordinary character of the charge and accept Paul’s appeal. It was more a political than legal decision Festus had to make, and he was probably only too glad to have this way out of a very sticky situation. So he agreed to the appeal. Festus had the legal right to pronounce an acquittal after the act of appeal. Politically speaking, no newly arrived governor would have dreamt of antagonizing the leaders of the people he sought to govern by acquitting someone they were so vehemently opposed.
Paul was trapped in a legal battle because of unproved accusations and all he could do was stand his ground and wait to see what would happen next.
When I read through chapters like Acts 21-25, I try to find lessons I need to learn for my own life. Sometimes, like in Acts chapter 25 it’s difficult for me to find how to relate to what Paul is going through, so I sit back and reflect on ways this story can fit into my life circumstances. We see that Paul is being accused of something he did not do, none of those allegations are truth. But those accusations have caused him to be stuck in one place now for a considerable length of time. Perhaps I can relate to Paul not by placing myself in prison with him, because I don’t know what that would be like, but what if I place myself in a prison of self-doubt and anxiety, or I linger too long on the accusations Satan places in my thoughts, it’s then that I can relate to Paul in everything he is facing. The one sided accusation of an enemy, an enemy set out to destroy all the good that I am doing for the Lord, that’s how I relate to Paul. Do I stand firm or wither in a lack of confidence? By looking to Paul’s life, I choose to stand firm just as he is. I may not have a Caesar to appeal to, I have something much greater, I appeal to the Lord and He stands on my side.
Each one of us could possibly have a daily struggle of some kind, whether it’s anxiety, work or home life pressures or unproven accusations; when we stand our ground in the truths found in the Word of God, nothing can stand in our way. Our insurmountable reliance on the power we have in the Holy Spirit should give us the courage each and every day to confront our enemy and win each battle.
Paul had the Jewish leaders wanting nothing more but to kill him, they needed his message of Jesus Christ to be squelched. The only way they could get their way was to accuse him of trumped up charges that had no ground in which to stand firm. But they tried, in every way possible they tried to discredit everything Paul did or said, they made him out to be a villainous character who was trying to destroy the Jewish law and the ritualistic traditions they had grown so fond of, spoiler alert… it’s going to backfire!
You and I have an enemy who wants nothing more than to discredit everything we do or say when it lines up with the truth of Scripture. This enemy may seem to have airtight accusations, but like in Paul’s case… they are unproven.
Back to our story in chapter 25, Festus has a visit from King Agrippa (along with his sister Bernice), so Festus proceeds in telling Agrippa all about Paul’s case (Acts 25:12-21). After hearing everything Festus had to say, King Agrippa wanted to hear from Paul.
Acts 25:22…
22“I’d like to hear the man myself,” Agrippa said.
And Festus replied, “You will—tomorrow!”
Paul is brought in before King Agrippa; Festus explains that he can find no reason to charge Paul, but that he had appealed to Caesar, so that’s what Festus was planning, arrangements would be made to send Paul to Rome.
Keep in mind, all these proceedings may seem tedious, and they have Paul jumping through every hoop necessary so he could take his appeal to Caesar, but there is something much greater happening behind the scenes. What is that you might ask? It’s God’s plan that’s at work. Look back at what Acts 23:11 says…
11That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.”
So even when we do not see anything progressing we have to realize that God’s plans will always be made known in His timing and with His Will intact. We may not understand why Paul has to be in prison for two years before he could appeal to Caesar, but now was the time and in the next few chapters we will see God’s plan continue to unfold.
Same goes for you, same goes for me. We may feel we are stuck, nothing we want to happen is happening. Progress seems to be stagnant. When that happens we can either wallow in grief and complain that things just aren’t moving fast enough, or we can sit back, reflect on what is going on around us and ask the Lord what lessons we are to be learning while we wait. Paul was in a position where he could not do anything to speed up what was going on around him, he had to rely on the decisions being made by ungodly men, unbeknownst to them, to fulfill God’s plan in getting him to Rome.
In chapter 26, Paul will stand before King Agrippa and give his testimony, it will be exciting to see what happens next!
In the meantime, pray to the Father to help you during your time of waiting and uncertainty. There may be lessons you need to learn before you can move on.
Praying for you all!
~AMEN~