I. PRAYER
II. Introduction
a. Last week, if you recall, we left the Apostle Paul there in Caesarea. He was there for some two years, being held by the Roman governor, Felix, because while finding nothing worthy of death or imprisonment, he wanted to get a bribe out of the early church.
b. The church did not pay the bribe that Felix wanted, and Paul was kept there, to be brought out every once in a while to speak to Felix, and during these times, Paul reasoned with Felix and his wife Drusilla about the Christian faith.
c. The most tragic thing about Felix and his wife is that they did not make a decision for Christ, or at least we are not told that. This is a very good example of people that know the truth, people that have heard the gospel, but yet refuse to surrender their lives to Jesus Christ.
d. As I read this weeks’ passage, I thought about how differently people in authority were viewed in the ancient Middle East, as compared to our government in the United States today. In the ancient Middle East, people were fearful of their leaders, and for good reason.
e. Government officials for the most part were the ultimate authority, and could set rules and laws as they chose to see fit. Remember last week, how I told you how Felix the governor came to be removed from his office? He got angry with the Jews, and he allowed the Syrians to go through town beating and plundering the Jews.
f. Now, when Caesar heard about this, he had Felix removed, and Felix was replaced by a man named Porcius Festus. But, Felix wasn’t thrown in jail or anything, his brother was a friend of Nero, so nothing else came of this.
g. But, before this time, Felix raped and plundered the people of Israel. He was one of the most corrupt, evil men ever to rule, and this went on for some 8 years, unnoticed.
h. This would all change though, in the year 60, as Felix was recalled to Rome, and his wife Drusilla went on a vacation and a shopping trip to the ancient city of Pompeii. It was there in Pompeii that the 19 year-old Drusilla died, as Mount Vesuvius erupted, and buried the town under dirt, ash, and lava.
i. The new governor would inherit responsibility for Paul, a citizen under house arrest there in Caesarea, and he wants to find out why Paul is imprisoned, and his meeting with Paul is what we are going to look at today, as we continue our study through Acts. We now have only 3 more chapters to go. So, three more Sundays until we move into the Book of Galatians, after a year and a month in Acts.
III. Background
a. A Father was trying to teach his fifth-grade son the value of
tithes and offerings. The boy listened attentively, and then he went on to say, "I still don’t understand why you have to pay taxes."
b. To this the Father replied, "Because the Bible says we must give unto
Caesar what belongs to Caesar and unto God what belongs to
God." His son looked puzzled. "That’s what I’m trying to tell you,
Dad. Caesar died a long time ago."
c. The little boy was right Caesar died long ago, but what Caesar represented then, and still represents to us now is the ruling powers that be, or the government.
d. It’s been said that the only things sure in this life are death and taxes. Paul has been held prisoner now in Caesarea by the corrupt governor Felix for some two years at this point, and we will look at the events that unfold at the assumption of power by a man named Festus.
e. Paul will find in today’s study that his Roman citizenship pays even more dividends, as he will use his right of appeal to not only save his life, but also to get a free ride to Rome.
f. In today’s study, we will look at all of Acts 25. There’s a place to take notes in your bulletin, and I encourage each of you to do that. We have a lot of ground to cover this week, so, let’s dive right in. I feel like we’re at the end of a long race, just coming around the last turn, having been in this book for a year.
IV. Study
a. Intro
i. Paul makes his defense in front of a new ruler in our passage today, Porcius Festus, and we are introduced to King Agrippa II. We’ll get into more detail about each of them later.
ii. I’ve broken today’s passage into six parts – The Accusation of the Jews, The Answer by Festus, The Appeal of Paul, Agrippa’s Arrival, The Account of Festus, and last Assessing the Charges.
iii. Just like last week, see Paul’s accuser’s coming on the scene at the opening of the scene, and we read in verse 1-
b. The Accusation of the Jews (Acts 25:1 – 3)
i. 1 Now when Festus had come to the province, after three days he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem.
ii. We were introduced to Festus last week, as Felix was removed from power by the Roman government, because they finally realized what an utter disappointment and failure that he was as governor of Judea.
iii. When Felix left office, he left the problem of the Apostle Paul with Festus. In other words, he left Paul in jail for a few years, procrastinating as to what to do with him. In our vernacular, Felix “passed the buck”.
iv. When Festus arrives in Judea, he is about 70 years old, and he would rule Judea as governor for two years. Roman history records the date of this handoff to be about the year 60, and
v. Festus would die in office in the year 62, presumably from natural causes, since he would have been 72 years old at that point. The short reign and death of Festus is actually of benefit to us looking through history.
vi. Festus would have been just a footnote, but the historians spent some time describing him, because he was the only recorded Roman governor to die in office.
vii. He would arrive by ship from Rome at the seaport Roman capital of Caesarea. After his long journey, Festus spent a few days resting, and then he goes up to Jerusalem, which was, by far the largest city in the province. He did this to meet with the meet with the Jewish leadership, and as we will see, the Jewish authorities used this to their advantage,
viii. Festus was nobler than Felix, and far less corrupt. He actually wanted to make Judea better during his reign. Josephus notes that there were many bandits and robber roaming around the province when he took office and that Festus used the army to eliminate many of them.
ix. Festus was a very no-nonsense kind of guy, and one of the first things he does as governor was to deal with the problem of keeping Paul in prison. We read in verse 2-
x. 2 Then the high priest and the chief men of the Jews informed him against Paul; and they petitioned him, 3 asking a favor against him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem--while they lay in ambush along the road to kill him.
xi. The bitter hatred of Paul by the Sanhedrin seems to have grown in the two years that Paul had spent at Caesarea. This was a new high priest as well, a man by the name of Ishmael.
xii. They were still bitter, and as bitterness bound up in the heart does, it comes out again until it is dealt with. We should pay attention to this, and put away the bitterness that we have towards other people. Maybe it’s a relative, or a co-worker, or a former acquaintance, but you need to deal with the bitterness in your heart today. The Jews didn’t we see the fruit of that bitterness.
xiii. They ask the governor for a favor. That word favor in the original language is the same word that is translated as grace elsewhere in the Bible.
xiv. Grace is getting something that you don’t deserve. As sinners, we deserve justice, but through the grace of Jesus Christ, we receive eternal life.
xv. So, the Jewish leaders wanted something they didn’t deserve, they wanted to have Paul summoned to Jerusalem. They didn’t deserve having Paul brought to Jerusalem, as Caesarea was the seat of government.
xvi. They wanted to ambush the party bringing Paul up to Jerusalem, and kill Paul along the way. They had tried this before, remember? But the Roman commander there at Jerusalem, a man by the name of Lyses, heard of their plot, and sent Paul to Caesarea under a heavy guard of 470 soldiers.
xvii. One thing we do know is that Paul has gotten a time of rest and refreshment there in Caesarea. I believe that this was a reward from God for Paul’s years of service, but also a time to minister to Paul and build him up for the great tasks in the years ahead.
xviii. Festus hears the requests of the Jewish leaders, and we see his answer in verse 4 -
c. The Answer By Festus (Acts 25:4 – 6 )
i. 4 But Festus answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself was going there shortly.
ii. This verse tells us that Festus was a very wise and insightful man. Maybe he sensed something was not right with the Jews’ request. Personally, that’s what I think. He knew something was up, and he didn’t want to tip his hand.
iii. History does tell us that Festus was a good ruler in Judea, and that he was very diligent in his rule. He would have trouble to deal with of his own.
iv. Like Felix before him, Festus had to deal with at least one fake prophet. There was an Egyptian who whipped up trouble during Felix’s reign, this unnamed self-proclaimed messianic figure "promised [his followers] salvation and rest from troubles, if they chose to follow him into the wilderness"
v. Back in Acts chapter 21, when the Roman commander thought that Paul was the Egyptian who led four thousand people out into the wilderness? Well, that all happened during Felix’s reign, and Felix had to deal with that.
vi. Unlike Felix’s handling of the Egyptian though, in this case both the fake prophet and his followers died at the hands of the Roman troops the governor sent to quell the "rebellion. Festus was a man of action, not a man of corruption like Felix. In verse 5, Felix says -
vii. 5 "Therefore," he said, "let those who have authority among you go down with me and accuse this man, to see if there is any fault in him."
viii. Festus invites them to come down to Caesarea with him, and if they had a case against Paul, they should present the case to him there, rather than in Jerusalem. Paul would defend himself and his faith a fourth time.
ix. First, in front of the mob on the steps, second, in front of the Sanhedrin. Third, in front of Felix and his wife Drusilla. This time, in front of Festus, number four, and next in front of King Agrippa. So, there are five times Paul makes his defense, as recorded in Acts.
x. Now, the Bible doesn’t just throw number around kind of haphazardly. The numbers often mean things, and the number five is indicative of grace, and we know this is the case, because it is by God’s grace that the Jews haven’t already killed Paul, and it is by His grace that Paul would stand in front of Caesar. We see Festus making the trip to Caesarea in verse 6 -
xi. 6 And when he had remained among them more than ten days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day, sitting on the judgment seat, he commanded Paul to be brought.
xii. Another trial of Paul was about to begin. Here was Festus, the Roman governor, all dressed up and ready to hear the case of the Jews vs. Paul.
xiii. I would imagine that the courtroom was silent, as Paul is brought in. The prosecution would be ready, and no doubt that they brought their orator, their attorney, but Paul had his attorney too, the Holy Spirit. The trial opens in verse 7 -
d. The Appeal of Paul (Acts 25: 7 - 12 )
i. 7 When he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood about and laid many serious complaints against Paul, which they could not prove,
ii. The Jews made the sixty mile trip, and brought out their charges again, that Paul was a troublemaker, that Paul was a leader in the heretical sect of the Nazarenes, or the Christians, and last that Paul had tried to profane the temple by bringing in gentiles.
iii. Paul was an early leader in the church, but he wasn’t stirring up trouble in Jerusalem, and he didn’t take gentiles into the temple. He was in the temple to worship, as he told Felix last week.
iv. The long and the short of it was that the Jews had no charges worthy of death of imprisonment that they could prove against Paul. They just had a bunch of baseless accusations and hot air from their orator. We see a glimpse of Paul’s defense in verse 8 -
v. 8 while he answered for himself, "Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I offended in anything at all."
vi. Paul’s defense is that he hasn’t broken any laws that they could accuse him of, either their own, or Roman law. Paul was a Roman citizen after all, and since the charges didn’t stick, he should have been set free. Paul was confident that this would eventually happen, and that is indeed what happened, but it would take a while.
vii. 9 But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there be judged before me concerning these things?"
viii. So, the trial should have ended with an acquittal and release of Paul, but Festus sees an opportunity to get in better with the Jews, and being the new governor, this would be beneficial to him. But, Paul being a citizen prompted a question about the change of venue. The choice was Paul’s, not Festus’, and not the Sanhedrin’s. So, Paul answers in verse 10, and says -
ix. 10 So Paul said, "I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you very well know. 11 For if I am an offender, or have committed anything deserving of death, I do not object to dying; but if there is nothing in these things of which these men accuse me, no one can deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar."
x. Paul says – Hey Festus, I don’t care if you are the new governor or not. The fact of the matter is that I am a Roman citizen, and as such, I should be tried at Caesar’s judgment seat, which I am now at. I haven’t done anything wrong.
xi. If he had done something wrong, he was willing to face the consequences of it, but Paul had not, and there was nothing credible to the charges brought against him at this point.
xii. Paul remembered the plot against his life last time, and likely feared that this had the possibility of happening again. He was willing to stand trial, again, but not in Jerusalem.
xiii. Paul probably sensed that he wasn’t going to get a fair trial out of Festus at this point, and he feared that he would be used as a pawn in the new governor’s political games, just like he was with the last governor. If Roman justice was to be done, Paul only had one more option, and that was a direct appeal to Caesar himself.
xiv. When Rome had become an Empire, this option became available to Roman citizens all over the Empire. If they felt that they could not get a fair trial, they could appeal to Caesar, and this is what Paul does.
xv. 12 Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, "You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go!"
xvi. This must have surprised Festus, because he quickly confers with his council. I can imagine him asking, “Can he do that? Is it legal?” Apparently, it was, and Festus agrees to transfer Paul’s case to Rome.
xvii. For Paul, this was again God’s divine providence at work in his life. He was saved once again from plot by the Jews to kill him, and he would be brought to Rome, where God told him that he would witness for Him.
xviii. The Caesar that Paul would be making his appeal to would be none other than Nero himself. Nero was later an avowed enemy of Christian church.
xix. But the first five years of his reign, when he was under the influence of good men around him, Nero was regarded as a wise and just ruler. Paul had no reason to believe that Nero would be anti-Christian, or that Nero would make a deal with the Jews. Paul was convinced that he would get a fair trial in Rome.
xx. So, I would imagine at this point, all was being made ready to send Paul to Rome. We read on in verse 13 though, that the new governor gets a visitor….
e. Agrippa’s Arrival (Acts 25: 13 – 16)
i. 13 And after some days King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to greet Festus.
ii. This was King Herod Agrippa the Second. His father was Herod Agrippa the First, who had James beheaded, and died as recorded in Acts chapter 12.
iii. Agrippa was only 17 when his father died, and too young to take over the throne. He was educated in Rome, and was given the area of Galilee to be King when he came of age.
iv. His sister was Felix’s wife Drusilla, we learned about her last week. But, Agrippa II was the last of the Herods. He was more of a figurehead than a potent political player; Agrippa called on Festus in order to strengthen his weakened political ties.
v. Agrippa came with Bernice. Described in literature as being a ravishing beauty, Bernice was Drusilla’s sister — making her the half-sister of Agrippa. After the death of her husband, Herod of Chalcis, Bernice comes to move in with her half-brother Agrippa. Apparently, she liked keeping things in the family… Eww!!!! Because of this, Agrippa and Bernice were never married, but they lived together immorally.
vi. History tells us Bernice would eventually leave Agrippa for Titus Vespatian, a Roman general who would later lead his armies to destroy Jerusalem and burn the Temple. Following a short stay in Rome, however, Bernice would go back to Agrippa II. Bernice was a shady lady; Agrippa was no angel. Thus, many historians say they deserved each other.
vii. Agrippa would die in about the year 100, at the age of seventy. He was by all accounts, the last king of Israel. We read on in verse 14 -
viii. 14 When they had been there many days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying: "There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix, 15 about whom the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, when I was in Jerusalem, asking for a judgment against him.
ix. Festus would like to get Agrippa’s thoughts about Paul’s case, because he was widely regarded in Roman circles as an expert on Jewish life and customs. Agrippa was, for all practical purposes a Jew, and had the power to appoint a high priest.
x. But, really, this would be a hearing and not a trial, since Agrippa really had no jurisdiction over Paul, because he was from Tarsus, and he was a Roman citizen.
xi. Festus wanted the opinion of someone who would be familiar with all of the details of the case, but would really have no stake in it, and Agrippa was that person.
xii. He explained how the chief priests and the elders of Israel had petitioned Festus to make a judgment against Paul, condemning him to death. But, as we know, he refused, and he answered,
xiii. 16 To them I answered, ’It is not the custom of the Romans to deliver any man to destruction before the accused meets the accusers face to face, and has opportunity to answer for himself concerning the charge against him.’
xiv. Roman law demanded that a citizen be given a fair trial in which he could answer for the crimes that he was accused of. Since Felix had let the case grow stale, Festus had to open it again, to satisfy himself that justice was done. We hear Festus’ account of what happened in verse 17-
f. The Account of Festus (Acts 25: 17 – 22 )
i. 17 Therefore when they had come together, without any delay, the next day I sat on the judgment seat and commanded the man to be brought in.
ii. Notice the contrast here between Festus and Felix. Where Felix was lazy and corrupt, Festus was prompt, wasting no time in bringing Paul in front of his court. He continues -
iii. 18 When the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation against him of such things as I supposed, 19 but had some questions against him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.
iv. Festus had thought that Paul would be accused of some kind of grievous crimes, but instead what he found was an argument over Jewish religious terms, and at the center of it all was a man named Jesus, whom the Jews claimed to be dead, but Paul insisted that He was alive.
v. Jesus had been the center of many disputes, this wasn’t the first, and it certainly would not be the last. But, this illustrates how the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the central issue of our faith. It is what we base our faith upon.
vi. The Bible tells us in 1st Corinthians chapter 1, verse 18 that - For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. The gospel was something these men did not understand. We see this in verse 20 – Festus says -
vii. 20 And because I was uncertain of such questions, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there be judged concerning these matters. 21 But when Paul appealed to be reserved for the decision of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I could send him to Caesar."
viii. Festus claims that he didn’t know what to do with Paul, but because he wanted to gain points with the Jews, he asked Paul if he would be tried in Jerusalem. Perhaps the case was confusing to Festus because Paul had done nothing wrong. This was, in fact the case.
ix. Verse 21 is a rather interesting one. The in the original language, it makes it sound as if Paul demanded to be kept in Roman custody for the ruling of the emperor.
x. The emperor is called Augustus here. Well, wait a second; I thought the emperor was Nero at this point. This is true, it was Nero. The term Augustus was a title of the emperor, it is better translated as the august one, or one who is revered, or worshipped.
xi. Festus is talking to Agrippa about this because he is in a real jam. He was in this jam because Paul had appealed to Caesar, and in so doing, that required Festus to send some charges that Paul was charged with, or else Nero would think that Festus sent Paul without reason, making Festus look bad. Agrippa wanted to help him out though.
xii. 22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, "I also would like to hear the man myself." "Tomorrow," he said, "you shall hear him."
xiii. Agrippa thinks – Hey, I can get in better with the old Gov here if I help him out of this jam. I’ll find something to charge this Paul guy with so he won’t look bad. Paul would be having his hearing immediately, so Festus wouldn’t have to worry about it any longer. We read on in verse 23 -
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g. Assessing the Charges (Acts 24: 23 – 27 )
i. 23 So the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great pomp, and had entered the auditorium with the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at Festus’ command Paul was brought in.
ii. The scene that Luke describes for us is a grand state occasion. King Agrippa and Bernice, as well as many of the other military and social officials of Caesarea came together in what was probably the amphitheater there, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
iii. It would have been packed out. People would have been dressed up. Soldiers would have been standing guard. Dignitaries would have been escorted in. It was a real `happening’ whenever there was an official hearing in this beautiful amphitheatre overlooking the Mediterranean.
iv. Here is King Agrippa, sitting on the same seat in the same amphitheater that his father died at years earlier. Scripture tells us that he came in great pomp, just like his father. Apparently, he hadn’t learned much from his father’s death.
v. This is a grand scene to be sure, and in the midst of all this flash and pomp, here comes the haggard frame of a servant of Christ, the Apostle Paul.
vi. Voltaire once called Paul an "ugly little Jew." That probably wasn’t an inaccurate physical description of the man; but compared to the others, he is the one with the authority and dignity here.
vii. I say that because think about who is here. A washed up Roman governor, at seventy years old sent to clean up the mess of another incompetent one, King Agrippa, who was King of the area of Galilee, but he was in an incestuous relationship with his sister, who had just been widowed from her uncle, and Paul, the servant of the Most High God. Paul wasn’t on trial here, Christianity was.
viii. 24 And Festus said: "King Agrippa and all the men who are here present with us, you see this man about whom the whole assembly of the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying out that he was not fit to live any longer. 25 But when I found that he had committed nothing deserving of death, and that he himself had appealed to Augustus, I decided to send him. 26 I have nothing certain to write to my lord concerning him. Therefore I have brought him out before you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the examination has taken place I may have something to write.
ix. The proceedings open with a statement from Festus to King Agrippa. He describes Paul as a man who had been charged by the Jewish people as not fit for living anymore.
x. Festus declares to the audience, who would have been mainly non-Jewish that he could find nothing that Paul had done which would require the death penalty.
xi. In light of Paul’s appeal to Caesar Nero Augustus, he had decided to send him to Rome for trial. He had brought Paul in front of this assembly, and especially Agrippa, so that Paul might be examined, that it might yield some tangible reason for sending Paul to Rome. He continues in verse 27.
xii. 27 For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not to specify the charges against him." And we will stop here today.
xiii. You see, Festus was required to send along with Paul some charges, some basis for his appeal to Caesar. It would be absurd to send Paul to Rome without charges, and if Festus did that, he would get removed for incompetence just like Felix.
xiv. So, here we’ve reached the end. If you want to find out what happens to Paul, come back next week, and we will look at the rest of his hearing in front of Agrippa in chapter 26.
xv. I’d like to close with this -
h. Conclusion
i. The crux of the argument that Paul had against the Jews concerned the Resurrection of Jesus. Many liberal Bible scholars today dismiss the Resurrection as a myth made up by the early church.
ii. But, the Ressurection is central, it is pivotal to the Christian faith, and I wanted to take this opportunity to explain why. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, the Christian faith is a foolish fantasy. However, if the resurrection of Christ did occur, it confirms His life, message, and atoning work. It is the basis of our hope of life beyond the grave.
iii. Christ is alive, and the evidence is overwhelming. Here are some of the reasons we can be so sure.
iv. 1. Jesus predicted His resurrection. 2. The Old Testament prophesied it. 3. The tomb was empty and the grave clothes vacant. If those who opposed Christ wished to silence His disciples, all they had to do was produce a body, but they could not.
v. 4. Many people saw the resurrected Christ. They looked on His face, touched Him, heard His voice, and saw Him eat. 5. The lives of the disciples were revolutionized. Though they fled and even denied Christ at the time of His arrest, they later feared no one in their proclamation of the risen Christ.
vi. 6. The resurrection was the central message of the early church. The church grew with an unwavering conviction that Christ had risen and was the Lord of the church.
vii. 7. Men and women today testify that the power of the risen Christ has transformed their lives. We know that Jesus is alive not only because of the historical and biblical evidence but also because He has miraculously touched our lives.
viii. If you’re here this morning, and He hasn’t touched your heart, don’t wait another minute, decide today.
i. Let’s Pray.
