You’ve Got the Time is taking 28 minutes a day to listen to the New Testament on mp3. You’ll cover the entire New Testament in just forty days. 28 minutes a day for forty days – it’s just that simple. I’m preaching on selected Scriptures throughout the forty days as you listen. As with last week’s message, we have another inter-faith dialogue. Only this time the scene is a courtroom.
And after five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a spokesman, one Tertullus. They laid before the governor their case against Paul. 2 And when he had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying:
“Since through you we enjoy much peace, and since by your foresight, most excellent Felix, reforms are being made for this nation, 3 in every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude. 4 But, to detain you no further, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly. 5 For we have found this man a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. 6 He even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him. 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to find out from him about everything of which we accuse him.”
9 The Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that all these things were so.
10 And when the governor had nodded to him to speak, Paul replied:
“Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense. 11 You can verify that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem, 12 and they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city. 13 Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me. 14 But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, 15 having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. 16 So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man. 17 Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings. 18 While I was doing this, they found me purified in the temple, without any crowd or tumult. But some Jews from Asia—19 they ought to be here before you and to make an accusation, should they have anything against me. 20 Or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the council, 21 other than this one thing that I cried out while standing among them: ‘It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day.’”
22 But Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case.” 23 Then he gave orders to the centurion that he should be kept in custody but have some liberty, and that none of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs.
24 After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.” 26 At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him. 27 When two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison” (Acts 24:1-27).
Today, we’re going to looking inside a first-century Roman courtroom. And as I love a good legal drama as much as anyone, I’m eager to tell the story. As we’ll see everything culminates in the aftermath of today’s legal drama as we eavesdrop on the private conversation between the ruling couple and their prisoner. For it is in this private conversation that Paul mentions three things that alarm the judge: “righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment…” As you have been listening to the book of Acts for most of the week, you’ll note that the narrative slows down considerably when you arrive midway in Acts 21. As an example of this slowdown, Luke narrates only twelve days between Acts 21:17 and 23:34. Luke’s concentration on the details of these events suggests that Luke thinks what happens is very important. It’s been a little more than two decades since Jesus Christ died and rose again in Jerusalem. The entire scene plays out around circa 57 AD as Felix served as governor for about five years. Bock, 692. The entire region is quite volatile and just about anything could cause the Jews to boil over in revolt. Part of the reason for the volatility lays in the man we’ll meet today, Felix. Felix’s time as governor was especially brutal for the Jewish people. Standing before Felix, the Roman Governor, is a man familiar to many Christians, the Apostle Paul.
The Story
Paul had recently gone to Jerusalem for the first time in years (Acts 20:16). When we encounter him, he is on his way to Rome as a prisoner. He’s in prison because when he entered the Temple in Jerusalem, Jews from Asia saw Paul in the Temple. They called their friends to seize him and “all the city was stirred up” (Acts 21:30). They began to beat Paul there until a Roman cohort arrived (Acts 21:31-36). It’s here we meet Claudius Lysias, the leader of the Roman cohort. His title in Greek identifies him as a commander of 1,000 troops and he writes a letter to Felix explaining the need for Felix to examine Paul (Acts 23:26-30). The Jewish Sanhedrin already heard Paul’s accusers in what could be described as pretrial hearings (Acts 22:30-23:11). About forty men dedicate themselves to neither eat nor drink until they have killed Paul (Acts 23:12-15). Paul’s nephew hears of the plot (the only time we hear anything of Paul’s family in the pages of the Bible) and tells Claudius Lysias. Paul is now sent before Felix as he was transported by 470 Roman soldiers after 9 pm to ensure his safety from reported death threats (Acts 23:23).
The Prosecution
Tertullus, a Roman lawyer, represents the interests of the Jewish leaders and he offers the prosecution's speech. You could think of Tertullus as the “legal gun” for the Jewish people who include the high priest at the time, Ananias. We know that the Jewish hierarchy wants to rid themselves of Paul because they have gone to the trouble to hire this “legal gun.” And the fact that the high priest himself made the sixty-mile trip for the trial reinforces this fact. Tertullus brings the formal legal complaint on behalf of Jewish leadership (verse one). In verses two through six, Luke gives us a summary of Tertullus' speech. After the perfunctory flatteries (appropriate when speaking before Roman authorities), Tertullus cites three charges against Paul:
1) Paul sought to stir up riots among the people (verse 5);
2) He is a ringleader of the Nazarenes (verse 5);
3) He sought to profane the Temple (verse 6).
These were very serious political charges and had Paul been found guilty, it would lead to his death. Tertullus calls Paul “a plague.” We might say in our day that such a person is cancer that needs to be stopped. Such a man demands a vigorous response if this “disease” is going to be stopped. Tertullus brings the formal legal complaint on behalf of Jewish leadership (verse one). In verses two through six, Luke gives us a summary of Tertullus' speech. Tertullus refers to followers of Christ as Nazarenes because Jesus was from Nazareth, his hometown. By calling him a member of the Nazarenes, they are trying to paint the picture that this is a dangerous sect wishing to disrupt the social order. In essence, the Nazarenes and Paul would cause Rome considerable headaches. After listing to the facts as this lawyer viewed them, Tertullus makes a plea for Felix to act (verse eight).
The Defense
Paul stands cheerfully before Felix to make his defense. By human calculations, Paul was merely a “butterfly before a steamroller.” For both Jerusalem and Rome were the two enormously strong power blocs of his day. The rule of Rome, represented in Felix, was some three million square miles around the Mediterranean Sea. Jerusalem’s faith went back nearly two thousand years to Abraham. The combined might of the two was overwhelming. It was the solitary dissident of the fledgling Christian faith that stood alone in front of them. As Paul defended both himself and the Christian religion, Christians were possibly outnumbered by about one to thirty thousand.
Again, by human calculations, Paul was no more than a “butterfly before a steamroller.” Paul makes his defense after the governor invites him to do so by nodding (Acts 24:10). Paul says in effect that the prosecution’s words were a bald-faced lie. “…they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city. 13 Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me” (Acts 24:12-13). While his accusers brought several charges against him, they could not substantiate anything. Paul’s response is simple – they cannot prove any of these charges. In short, he is innocent of all charges. Remember that Tertullus told Felix that Paul would have profaned the Temple had Paul not been stopped (Acts 24:6). Yet, Luke tells us in Acts 21:27 tells the story where Paul was seized by a Jewish mob and nearly murdered. The original charge against Paul is not that he sought to desecrate the Temple but that he tried to bring a gentile into the Temple (Acts 21:28). Again, the truth is the opposite of what Tertullus had just said. Had Roman authorities not stepped in, Paul's life would have ended there. Paul continues his defense by assuring Felix that he did not violate either the Roman law or God’s law. In fact, Paul’s presence in Jerusalem was to unite the Jewish people (Acts 24:17). Paul had collected funds from Gentile churches throughout the Roman Empire and brought them to their needy Jewish brothers in the church at Jerusalem (Galatians 3:10; Romans 15:26; 2 Corinthians 8-9). After denying what he hasn’t done, Paul tells Felix he does have a confession to make (Acts 24:14f). Perhaps Felix’s ears perked up when he heard this as he could quickly rid himself of this pesky trial.
Paul Confesses to Four Deeds:
1) He worships “the God of our fathers,” or Israel (Acts 24:14).
2) He follows everything “laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets,” or what we refer to as the Old Testament (Acts 24:14).
3) He possesses “a hope in God,” similar to the prosecution (Acts 24:15).
4) He “always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man” (Acts 24:16).
If he is guilty of anything, it’s a clean conscience. All of this is included in what the prosecution called “the Way,” or simply the completion of Judaism. Felix then adjourns the court proceedings so that he can hear from Claudius Lysias. Felix reserves judgment until he can gather more information.
Luke tells us two things as we leave Felix’s courtroom: 1) Felix kept Paul in prison because Felix was doing this as a favor to the Jews (Acts 24:27). Rather than pursue justice, Felix would rather do a favor for Jewish authorities. 2) Two years go by as Felix sought a bribe (Acts 24:26). Although Roman law directly forbade bribes, Felix nevertheless, sought a bribe. Neither paints a flattering picture of the judge.
The Aftermath: Paul & Felix in Private
Like any good legal drama, much of the action takes place outside of the courtroom. Rather than listening to an important conversation on the courthouse steps, Luke allows us to eavesdrop to the private conversation between the prisoner, Paul, and the ruling couple, Felix and Drusilla. “After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus” (Acts 24:24). And it’s this conversation outside the courtroom that most interests me. It’s here that we get a glimpse in the personal life as the judge takes off the black robe. Felix is but one of a string of mediocre Roman governors during the chaotic years before Jerusalem’s fall in AD 70. He once was a slave and he made for a brutal governor.
A Roman historian tells us that because Felix’s brother Pallas was influential in Rome. Because of this, Felix felt he had carte blanche authority to do what he wanted. His brutality in suppressing the Jews and revolutionary groups simply added fuel to the fire that made this time in Jerusalem’s history so volatile. He was so brutal that even the Roman emperor Nero replaced him. And when Nero thinks your evil, you’re at a whole other level!
Paul’s private conversation with Felix and Drusilla hinges upon something about the governing couple that you don’t know. Felix had by his side, Drusilla, the daughter of Herod Agrippa I. The ancient historian, Josephus, notes that Drusilla is beautiful. Felix was so attracted to her that he talked her into leaving her husband. Although she had been married, Felix stole her for himself. Although she was another man's wife, Felix had managed to steal this teenage bride before she was even twenty. She was Felix's third wife. A Roman historian spoke of Felix as having “a mercenary soul. ” Living together in sin and shame, it was these two that sat together on the throne awaiting the words of the prisoner, Paul. The two had some kind of curiosity in Christianity (Acts 24:24).
As Paul awaited the verdict for two years, he had the opportunity to talk with both Felix and Drusilla about Christianity. It's on one of these private discussion times that Paul talks to the governing couple. It’s in this private conversation that I want you to see three things to take home with you.
1. The Sermon Didn’t Please the Audience
“And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you” (Acts 24:25).
Now Paul could have stayed with the more palatable aspects of the Gospel. Why righteousness, self-control, and judgment? Why did Paul take this tract with Felix? All three terms have an ethical dimension to them. Paul did what any preacher ought to do: he selects a topic appropriate to his audience. Paul made sure that Felix and Drusilla knew that Christianity had ethical implications. While Paul does communicate respect for Felix's position, he doesn’t attempt to tell him what he wants to hear. Paul talks to Felix about self-control and the conversation had decidedly taken a personal turn in their lives.
Do you think Paul knew everything about Felix that I’ve told you today? Do you think he could have chosen to speak about something other than “righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment?” When Paul filled out the mailing address on the envelope of his sermon, he didn’t need to look up the address. He knew Felix needed to hear about self-control. Felix was living with a girl he stole who wasn’t even twenty years old. He didn’t exactly have his passions under control. I like this about Paul – he didn’t trim the Gospel’s message. Paul didn’t cut the hard edges of the Gospel in order to make it more marketable. The Gospel isn’t just facts to believe; it also demands a changed life.
2. The Gospel is not “Whatever”
Today, we live in a world that has overstimulated us. We live in a desensitized culture where Hollywood has assaulted the imagination and we are on information overload. Today we pursue knowledge without knowing who we are or why we exist. With Youtube videos, downloads on iTunes, and instant information access on anyone’s Facebook status, no wonder so many of us respond with a yawn and say, “Whatever.” Yet, in this “Whatever” world, the Gospel stimulates a heart emotional response.
2.1 The Unconverted Become Scared
Acts 24:25 says he was “alarmed.” The word means much more than a casual reading would suggest for it has connotations of being “frightened” or “terrified.” I want you to circle that word and place out beside it Revelation 11:13: “And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven” (Revelation 11:13). That’s the same word to describe the feelings you would have after 7,000 people are killed in an earthquake. Felix was terrified of Paul’s words because Paul spoke of the resurrection of the unjust earlier in his defense: “…there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust” (Acts 25:15). Now in private conversation with him, Paul speaks of “the coming judgment” (Acts 24:25).
We are told Felix had “a rather accurate knowledge of the Way,” or Christianity after Paul spoke. Paul made Felix see God’s White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). Though Paul’s hands were in chains, it was Felix that saw the books opened and himself arraigned before the Judge of the Universe. He nailed him to his seat that day and Felix was petrified.
2.2 The Converted Are Driven
The power of the Gospel on a person is most evident when you see its hold on a person. You see, the Gospel is not just something you hold onto…
the Gospel has its hold on you. When the Gospel entered Paul, he was subjected to trouble, persecution and sorrow. Yet, despite this, none of these things could drive the Gospel out of him. Paul knew that it was the resurrection of Christ that caused him to be in prison: “It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day” (Acts 24:21). Like a ship weighed down with too much cargo, yet the captain thinks the cargo is too precious to jettison the extra weight. Paul would rather languish in prison for years than throw the Gospel over the sideboard. I am reminded of Moses. “Moses ... refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward” (Hebrews 11:24-26). I am reminded of John Bunyan. John Bunyan was placed into prison for preaching the Gospel. The Gospel was so important to him he said, “If you let me out of prison today, I will preach the gospel again tomorrow…”
