Miraculous Safety

Acts 27:1-44

Good morning! Today we continue our exploration of the book of Acts – we are nearing the end of this book; next week we have our final chapter. It is amazing to me to think back on the book and see the dramatic changes that have taken place in the Roman world. From a group of 12 disciples, to thousands of believers in Jerusalem, to miracles, to persecution and scattering, to the dramatic conversion of one of the key people behind the persecution, Paul, to the spreading of the gospel in Judea, Samaria, and then even beginning to spread in earnest “to the ends of the earth.” In major city after major city in the Roman-dominated world, thousands are coming to faith in Christ, and even the cultures themselves are beginning to change. Before long, the government of Rome will see that the spread of Christianity threatens their very existence, not through war, but through a rejection of Roman gods and a radical change in the people, one that means that they will no longer participate in the cruelty, the idolatry, and the countless other abuses and vices that have made Rome function and grow for centuries.  When Rome fully realizes this, believers will experience a degree of persecution that is unimaginable for us, and yet, even then, the Christian faith will only grow. It will spread like a forest fire that can not be put out. 

But, relative to the book of Acts, that is in the future. Where are we in Acts? Paul, who has been imprisoned for more than two years in Caesarea, has appealed to Caesar, and so Paul will be sent to Rome. 

Recall that Paul is not actually guilty of anything. He had come to Jerusalem, and while there, had spoken with many believers, both Jewish and Gentile, and among the Gentile believers was Trophimus the Ephesian. Seeing Paul at the Temple, and hating him because of his Gospel message along with the fact that he was not only associating with Gentiles, but treating them like family, they started a riot, spreading a rumor that Paul had brought Trophimus into the Temple (which he had not). This lead to Paul’s arrest. And despite multiple attempts to set the record straight, the Jews would only riot when Paul tried to explain the truth, and because of a conspiracy to kill him, he was whisked away to Caesarea, where he stayed under arrest without progression on his case for two years. A new governor wanted to start out by making a good impression on the Jews, and so he pressed for transferring Paul back to Jerusalem to have a trial there. But the Jews again intended to murder Paul, and Paul, whether he knew this or not, knew of his danger, and appealed to Caesar, meaning that he wished his case to be given in Rome. The governor agreed, and this brings us to today’s passage, but before we do, I want to say one more thing.

Today’s passage, more than any I have done in quite a few years, lends itself powerfully to verification of its details using history, geography, science, other Scriptures, and more, and I am going to use these tools perhaps to excess today. Why am I doing this? Because I think it is extremely important that we trust the Bible, quite literally, with our lives. And the details of today’s passage are so amazingly verified that it should make us trust the Bible even more. It is quite literally God’s Word, and it is God-breathed and it is true. So with that in mind, let us start today’s passage.

When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us. – Acts 27:1-2

The first thing that strikes me about this passage is the word “we”. This was apparently a merchant ship, not a military vessel, and so anyone could reserve passage who was willing and able to pay. The use of “we” implies that the author of Acts, Luke, accompanied Paul on this journey. Also with them was Aristarchus, who appears to be a long-time companion of Paul. Aristarchus from Macedonia is mentioned in Acts 19 as a traveling companion of Paul who experienced the riot in Ephesus. He is also described as “from Thessalonica” in Acts 20, as one of Paul’s traveling companions who went with them through Macedonia. He is mentioned again in Paul’s letter to the Colossians as “a fellow prisoner” who “sends you his greetings.” And he is also mentioned in Philemon as a “fellow worker” who sends his greetings. And so Paul is not alone. He is accompanied by at least two of his friends and former traveling companions in his missionary journeys.   

Now, Adramyttium was a port city in the province of Asia, well north of Ephesus and a little south of Troas (the location where Eutychus fell out of the window and was raised from the dead). It was common for ships to go up and down the coast for transporting both goods and people. 

The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs. From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. – Acts 27:3-8

Sidon was about 70 miles north of Caesarea. Caesarea is in modern-day Israel; Sidon is in Lebanon. Today it is the third largest city in Lebanon. If you remember the scene of the death of Herod in Acts 12, where Herod was settling a dispute and fell dead as people shouted “this is the voice of a god, not a man,” the dispute was between the cities of Tyre and Sidon. These cities were about 20 miles apart. Sidon or the Sidonians are mentioned roughly 50 times in Scripture. The Sidonians were known as the ones in Lebanon who cut the acclaimed cedars of Lebanon. But prior to the reception of the gospel there, the Sidonians were known for worshiping false gods including Ashtoreth. Multiple Old Testament prophecies against Sidon were given. And yet Jesus, in Matt. 11, said of Tyre and Sidon, that if they had seen the miracles that Jewish towns Chorazin and Bethsaida had seen, they would have repented, and so these towns were facing even worse judgment than Tyre and Sidon. The passage says that Paul had more friends in this city. This is more evidence of how the gospel was spreading and spreading. Paul seemingly had friends everywhere! 

And so then they went on to the right (East) of the island of Cyprus because the island sheltered them from winds that would have sent made their progress slow or even sent them in the wrong direction. They went past Cilicia and Pamphylia, and stopped in Myra in Lycia. Myra is in modern-day Turkey and is famous for ancient rock-cut tombs. Prior to the introduction of the gospel, Myra was known for worshiping Artemis, not Artemis of the Ephesians, but Artemis Eleutheria. Essentially the same god, but different stories about the god. But the gospel spread in Myra, and in written records we are told of a Myran Christian leader being martyred in AD 95. The gospel was spreading here too.

From here we are told they switched ships and went with difficulty, as the winds were against them. But they made it as far north as Cnidus. We don’t know exactly when Cnidus became influenced by Christianity, but by the Byzantine era (a few hundred years after Christ) it was strongly Christian, as there are many ruins of churches that have been found. Prior to this, excavations show that they worshiped Dionysus and Aphrodite. 

From there, due to their difficulty in making progress in their original route, they decided to not continue to travel along the coast but instead sail for the island of Crete. Their difficulties with the wind continued, but they made it to the southern port of Fair Havens on Crete. 

Paul’s letter to Titus makes it quite clear that Christianity was spreading throughout the island of Crete. At some point, Paul left Titus there to appoint elders in every town of believers. From Scripture, the details are murky, but many believe that this took place after Paul went to Rome. If this is true, spoiler alert, Paul must have eventually been released from house arrest in Rome and gone on to have further missionary journeys, one in which he left Titus in Crete. The distance from Sidon to Myra was about 500 miles, from Myra to Cnidus about 130 miles, from Cnidus to Salmone another 130 miles, and from Salmone to Fair Havens about 80 miles.

Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement. So Paul warned them, “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest. – Acts 27:9-12

The Day of Atonement is Yom Kippur, which is one of the high Holy Days in the fall. So winter was coming, and to this day the seas in that area become quite stormy and rough in the winter. The harbor was exposed, and so it was not a good choice for staying put during the winter. They would have had to have gone in a direction that either kept them from moving forward or even moved them backward to keep the ship safe for the winter, and the sailors did not want to do that. So they decided to go on towards Phoenix, on the west side of the island of Crete, where they would be protected from the winter storms. But Paul urged them not to do this, because, it seems, the Lord was prophetically warning him that this would not go at all well. Today, Phoenix is called Loutro, and on a web page describing the location, it actually mentions that, due to the location and shape of the harbor, “the sea is always calm and northeasterlies are unknown in Loutro.” 

When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure, so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved. – Acts 27:13-20

To weigh anchor means to raise it up out of the water when you are about to sail. And although Loutro doesn’t get northeasterlies, they didn’t make it that far, and dangerous hurricane force winds pushed them away from Crete and past a small island called Cauda. Cauda today goes by the related name Gavdos. The island is about 12 square miles, and although it has some beaches, the southern part of Gavdos has imposing cliffs.  

The lifeboat was likely attached to a side of the ship. The wind and waves were so severe that they feared that the forces would either rip apart the lifeboat or, even worse, cause the lifeboat to rip apart the ship. So they moved it from the side to fully on top of the ship and made it secure. And then they added ropes under the ship so as to provide compressive force to try to hold the ship together. The ship was subject to all kinds of forces from the wind and the irregular waves, causing at various times one part of the ship to experience one direction of force while another part of the ship felt another direction. The risk was that this could snap the main planks of the ship, so the ropes were used to provide more support. 

Now, they knew they were being driven southward, although not exactly sure where, but they knew that south of them was a region of water called the sandbars of Syrtis. We have additional fictional and historical accounts that verify this.

Apollonius of Rhodes in the 3rd century BC wrote the book known as Jason and the Golden Fleece. And in it, he describes a ship carried towards the Libyan sea where they came into Syrtis, “where there is no getting out again for ships… for everywhere are shallows, everywhere thickets of seaweed from the depths, and over them silently washes the foam of the water.” 

Strabo, an ancient Greek geographer around 100 AD wrote the following about Syrtis: “The difficulty … is that in many places their deep waters contain shallows, and the result is, at the ebb and the flow of the tides, that sailors sometimes fall into the shallows and stick there, and that the safe escape of a boat is rare.  On this account sailors keep at a distance when voyaging along the coast, taking precautions not to be caught off their guard and driven by winds into these gulfs.” 

And Dio Chrysostom, a traveler who lived from 40 to 120 AD, wrote “The Syrtis is an arm of the Mediterranean extending far inland, a three days’ voyage, they say, for a boat unhindered in its course.  But for those who have once sailed into it find egress impossible; for shoals, cross-currents, and long sand-bars extending a great distance out make the sea utterly impassable or troublesome.”

And so, because of this, the Acts passage says they used a “sea anchor.” What is a “sea anchor”? A sea anchor, unlike a “regular” anchor, is designed to slow a boat but not stop it. Modern sea anchors often consist of parachutes that fill up with water; but sea anchors can also be designed to drag along the ocean floor but not dig in to become stuck. Sea anchors go back over a thousand years before the events in Acts, and there is a display of ancient sea anchors at the Maritime Museum in Haifa, Israel. Ancient sea anchors consisted of long ropes weighed down by heavy items designed to have contact with the sea floor but not become stuck to it. The reason you didn’t want to be stuck was that the forces of the wind and waves would then tear the ship apart. So there was a “sweet spot” in the amount to which the ship was slowed down. Most ships had many sea anchors so they could use the right one for the right conditions. 

Despite these measures, they were still in fear of losing the ship to the storm, so they threw things overboard to lighten the ship as much as possible. But when you are carried along by the winds of a storm, you often remain stuck in that storm, and that is what happened to them. Eventually, it says, they lost hope of surviving the storm.

After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.” – Acts 27:21-26

But God. God spoke to Paul in the storm. I want to remind you of the stakes. Paul has yet to write the various letters of the New Testament. God has exceedingly important plans for Paul, and He will not let the perhaps foolish decisions of the captain and crew of the ship derail His plans. God states, “You must stand trial before Caesar.” And God’s grace comes not just to Paul but to all the men who sail with him, most of whom are likely not believers, at least, not yet. 

On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet deep. Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away. – Acts 27:27-32

It says that they dropped four anchors; that is, they put four anchors down to the level of the floor of the sea. Now, they don’t want to be dragged; they want to stop, because it is night and they fear being dashed to pieces by rocks. 

Again, I love all the details doctor Luke gives us. We are told that the anchors were dropped from the stern. Normally, this is a very bad idea. Listen to this from the website anchoring.com: “Dropping a stern … anchor in addition to your primary is a good idea in certain situations. You may want to use this technique if you are anchoring with limited space available such as in a channel or narrow bay. This way, you’ll prevent your boat from swinging into another vessel or running aground. Another possible case is to maintain a heading into the swell for greater comfort. In most other scenarios, it is not a good idea to use a stern anchor this way because your boat will not swing. If you are unsheltered and conditions are unpredictable for example, you may end up with waves crashing astern, which is at minimum unpleasant but can be downright dangerous.”

As you can see, some of the men did not trust or believe that God had really spoken to Paul. I am not surprised by this. These men were basically committing a kind of mutiny, defying orders and taking the lifeboat for themselves. But it appears that at this point, the centurion, at least, and perhaps the soldiers as well, truly believed Paul. The lifeboat is already in the water, and all that remains is for the men to climb down into it. Believing Paul’s warning, the centurion orders his soldiers to cut the ropes to the lifeboat so that it drifts away before the sailors can get into it.  

Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. Altogether there were 276 of us on board. When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea. – Acts 27:33-38

What a remarkable picture this is! Paul, a prisoner, has become the de-facto leader of this boat, as well as the leader of the Roman centurion. And Paul gives thanks for something that has not happened yet. The people seem to be growing in faith, as they even throw the excess grain into the sea. They apparently believe Paul that not only will they survive, but the ship won’t. Lightening the ship will make it possible for it to go further towards shore before grounding, making it easier for them to come ashore. If the ship did survive, this might be seen as foolish, because they could have brought food with them, along with other supplies, unloading the ship. But perhaps the nastiness of the presumably still ongoing storm makes them see that there is no chance of that. 

When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf. – Acts 27:39-41

Again, they are proceeding as if they know the ship will not survive. They did not bring the anchors back into the ship, as it would have further weighed the ship down. They let them go. And they now untie the ropes holding the rudders so that they can steer, and they put out a sail. But soon the ship strikes sand, and the roughness of the waves and wind destroys the back of the ship. The ship will never sail again. 

The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely. – Acts 27:42-44

This is a critical final detail of this passage – the soldiers, as per normal protocol, knew that it was far better to kill their prisoners than to let any of them escape; if word got out that they had let prisoners escape, they could lose their own lives. But the centurion risks his own life by making orders that they spare the prisoners, including Paul. By giving this order, he takes responsibility for this decision, meaning that his own life will be on the line, rather than those of his men, if indeed any prisoners escape. But the prisoners, along with the rest of the men, owe their lives to Paul, and they will indeed all reach land safely, and together. Where are they? Stay tuned for next week’s message, but know that the distance from Cauda to where they are now is more than 500 miles. 

In closing, I want to highlight the scene of Paul, on the ship at night, the storm still around them, breaking bread and giving thanks to God for saving them. What a beautiful picture of communion! The parallels run deep. We too, are metaphorically on a ship at night, a ship that will not survive the ultimate morning. We too, were destined for destruction as a result of our foolishness, but the kindness and mercy of God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ has saved us. When we remember the Lord with bread and the cup, we are, by faith, thanking Him for something that has not yet happened. Yes, we can be positionally saved – that is, we have the promise of salvation through faith in Him – but we have not yet physically experienced it. And just like the case of Paul’s ship, of all those that are truly God’s, not one will be lost. And so I encourage you remember the Lord’s body, broken for us, with the bread, and remember the Lord’s blood, spilled for us, with the cup, and give thanks to God for what is yet to come. For the next few minutes, I will play some music while you spend time with the Lord, and when you are ready, partake of the bread and the cup. Although “shipwreck” awaits us, beyond that lies the eternal shores.

Obedient to the Vision

 Acts 26:1-32

For those of you who are just joining us here today or on Zoom, I want to take a few minutes to recap what has happened in the recent past few weeks to Paul in our series in the book of Acts titled “With All Boldness: The Book Of Acts”. 

In Acts chapter 23 the Jews had plotted to kill Paul in Jerusalem but Roman Commander in Jerusalem Claudius Lysias became aware of the plot and sent Paul by night to Governor Felix in Caesarea with a letter describing the plot against Paul.  In Acts chapter 24 we read:

Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor. – Acts 24:1

The name of the governor was Felix.  Felix put Paul’s accusers off saying “when Lysias the commander comes down I will decide your case.

Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. 25As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him. When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Roman Governor Porcius Festus, but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison. – Acts 24:24-27

This brings us to chapter 25. Let us reread the entire chapter so we know the context of our passage today from chapter 26.

Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, where the chief priests and Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. They urgently requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way. Festus answered, “Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. Let some of your leaders come with me and press charges against the man there, if he has done anything wrong.” – Acts 25:1-5

After spending eight or ten days with them, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him. When Paul appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove. Then Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.” – Acts 25:6-8

Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?” Paul answered: “I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!” – Acts 25:9-11

After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!” – Acts 25:12

A few days later King Agrippa and (his sister) Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. He said: “There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner. When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned. “I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over any man before he has faced his accusers and has had an opportunity to defend himself against their charges. When they came here with me, I did not delay the case, but convened the court the next day and ordered the man to be brought in. When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. I was at a loss how to investigate such matters; so I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these charges. When Paul made his appeal to be held over for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.” Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.” Festus replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.” – Acts 25:13-22

The next day Agrippa and (his sister) Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high ranking military officers and the leading men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. Festus said: “King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome. But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write. For I think it is unreasonable to send on a prisoner without specifying the charges against him.” – Acts 25:23-27

Note that King Herod Agrippa II was the grandson of Herod the Great. King Herod Agrippa II’s sisters’ names were Bernice and Drusilla.  This second sister Drusilla was Governor Felix’s wife.   So Herod Agrippa II, Bernice and Drusilla were all siblings and were the Great grandchildren of Herod the Great who ordered the slaughter of all the babies two years old and younger in the town of Bethlehem.  

As you know this was Herod the Great’s attempt to kill the baby Jesus in order to prevent Jesus from becoming king of the Jews.

With that background we will continue on in today’s message titled “Obedient to the Vision.”  We begin in Acts 26.

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense: - Acts 26:1

Note here, that motioning with his hand was Paul’s way of quieting the crowd.  He also used this method to quiet the crowd in Jerusalem as recorded in Acts 21:40. Continuing: 

“King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews, and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently. – Acts 26:2-3

Note Paul’s reverence and humility here towards the king.  We can learn a lot from this when we pray to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Here we have Paul in the auditorium filled with the high ranking commanders of the Roman Legion and all the prominent men of Caesarea.  Luke doesn’t say but it is possible that Cornelius the Centurion whom Peter baptized in Caesarea along with his whole household could have been present since Cornelius lived in Caesarea. Now this was a great opportunity for the Gospel and Paul was certainly happy for it. This was a partial fulfillment of what the Lord had promised Ananias back in Acts 9:15 where He says, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.”

Paul goes on in his address to King Agrippa: 

“The Jews all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee. – Acts 26:4-5

Paul does not assume here that the Jews will be willing to confirm his past history of being a Pharisee of the strictest sect of both his and their religion.  Paul’s reputation of persecuting the believers of the so called Way and torturing them to get them to blaspheme was the basis of this living according to the strictest sect of our religion claim.

And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today. – Acts 26:6

Actually, it is because Paul was also proclaiming that God was extending this hope to the Gentiles whom the Jews hated.

This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. O king, it is because of this hope that the Jews are accusing me. Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead? – Acts 26:7-8

Note how Paul pivots from his hope in what God has promised their forefathers to the 

doctrine of the resurrection of the dead.  Paul had used this technique before to divide the crowd and get them arguing amongst themselves.  Here he also has the Roman Governor Festus and the High ranking Roman commanders and the prominent people of Caesarea in addition to the Jews to preach to.  Then he quickly pivots back to the name of Jesus.

“I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them. – Acts 26:9-11

Note that here Paul confesses to the fact that he was unjustly imprisoning the saints in God’s church and casting his vote to put them to death and punishing them while trying to get them to blaspheme.  I have often overlooked this last sentence in verse 11.  Paul says that he even went to foreign cities (plural) to persecute them.  We have no record of which cities these were but Paul begins verse 12 with “On one of these journeys” as he pivots the address to his own conversion experience. Continuing on we read:

On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ – Acts 26:12-18

Here Jesus communicates the reality that when Paul was persecuting the saints of the church he was actually persecuting Jesus.  Jesus took it personal.  Remember that the church is the bride of Christ.  

In essence the two have become one through the power of the Holy Spirit.  You can’t persecute the one without persecuting the other.  This is good to know when you experience persecution.

Jesus was sending Paul on a mission to preach the Gospel that the unbelievers could hear it and receive forgiveness of their sins.  Do you know that you too are sent for this same purpose? You are sent to those around you to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and turn them from the power of Satan to the power of God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified (made holy) by their faith in Jesus. This is our purpose on this earth. It is why we are still here. You can praise God just as well in heaven. But you cannot do this job anywhere else but here.  The commission of the Christian is not to make the message or his or her testimony serve him or her. No, the commission he or she is given is to deliver the message of the Gospel and serve the one who is sent it.  Paul Continues:

“So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. That is why the Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. But I have had God’s help to this very day, and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen3that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles.” – Act 26:19-23

Remember that Paul now has a distinguished audience. They are hearing this – and at last, after two years, Paul is finally getting to share the gospel. He does so in the context of his defense. All those people in the stands heard. Paul no doubt looked at them, and then looked at the king, as he said “and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike.”

At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning is driving you insane.” – Acts 26:24

Literally, “You are a raving lunatic!” Festus embarrasses himself here before all of the high ranking Roman officers and the prominent citizens of Caesarea. His outburst reveals more about his own flawed character than it does about Paul's.

“I am not insane, most excellent Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable. The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.” – Acts 26:25-27

Notice how cordially Paul addresses the governor here as most excellent Festus. There is no doubt that King Agrippa knew all that Paul was talking about. He knows what his great grandfather did at the birth of Christ. He knows what his great uncle did at the time of John the Baptist. He knows what his father did to James and Peter. And he knows how his father died. And yet this is also a man steeped in excess and in sin.  He is king because of political favors to Rome, succeeding because he is a master of politics in a political world. Paul takes his speech to a very bold place, asking the king a very personal question and answering it presumptively for him. “Do you believe the prophets? I know you do!”

This was an embarrassing and awkward moment for Agrippa. Things like this are not supposed to happen at "controlled media events." Who does Agrippa blame for this? Not Paul, because it is not really his fault. It is the fault of Festus, for allowing Paul this venue.

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” – Acts 26:28

Now it is unknown why Agrippa made the statement that he did.  Was this statement made jokingly or sarcastically or was Agrippa serious? We just don’t know. Perhaps it was even hard for Paul to know. But Paul's answer, regardless, was absolutely sincere. He prays that everyone listening would come to faith in Christ.

Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.” The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them. They left the room, and while talking with one another, they said, “This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.” Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.” – Acts 26:29-32

Recall that Festus was hoping Agrippa would find some genuine crimes to accuse Paul of, so that he wouldn’t look bad when he sent Paul to Caesar. Festus didn’t get what he had hoped for. Agrippa says this man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment. As we have discussed, Agrippa does not seem particularly happy with Festus right now, and certainly it doesn’t appear that he is going to do him any political favors.  Remember Agrippa’s and Bernice’s brother-in-law Felix had recently been recalled to Rome for not keeping the peace in the territory and for upsetting the Jews.  Agrippa’s position as king also relies heavily on him not upsetting Rome or the Jews.  Paul is like a hot potato.  No one wants to be holding onto him especially if it could upset Rome.  The fact that all of these high ranking Roman Officers heard Paul’s reasonable defense and now know that he is a Roman citizen who the Jews want to put to death does not bode well with their opinion of Festus or King Agrippa.  It is no wonder that King Agrippa wanted to distance himself from Festus.  He may have made this statement for the soul purpose of the Roman officers hearing it and communicating it back to Rome.  That way he would be seen as having nothing to do with Paul the Roman Citizen’s imprisonment and punishment as could be verified by these Roman officers testimony of the conclusion of this pompous event.

We don’t know if Paul heard of this private conversation with Agrippa and the rest of the high ranking officers or if he found out about it later, but somehow it was made known to Luke who recorded it here. I think it is highly likely that, sooner or later, Paul heard that Agrippa said. “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

If you were Paul, how would that make you feel? Upset? Angry? Would you ask God, “What are You doing?” “Where are You?” “Why do You seem so weak?” “Why are You being thwarted by a political world?”

I don’t think Paul asked these things at all. Maybe he felt pangs of these questions from time to time, but he did not dwell on them or live under their weight. What did Paul say? “I pray that you all could be as I am, except for these chains.” Even though Paul was in chains, he was the freest man in that stadium. Paul, in the center of murder plots, political schemes, and corrupt leaders, was more at peace than anyone there.  Why? Because he was appointed by Jesus to be God’s mouthpiece to proclaim the Gospel and he knew it.

How do we live in a political world, when our bosses scheme against us, when we are accused falsely, when we end up with enemies, when people just don’t like us? How many of you have had some experience of this? 

I have and I still do. How are we to live in the middle of this stuff? We can live free and at peace in Christ.  We know that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.

You can change your thinking so that you too can live in the freedom and peace of Christ. How do you do this? By trusting Him more. Trust Him even with the political and sinful world around you. Trust Him with all that hinders you.  Also, remember why you are sent to this world.  You are appointed to be an ambassador to this world? It is not to excel in navigating the politics of modern life. It is not even to succeed in life.  It is to proclaim the good news of the Gospel so that people who hear it and see you living it may believe and as a result turn from darkness to light, from Satan to God.  

When and if they do turn to God, they like you will receive the forgiveness of their sins and a place among those who are made righteous by their faith in God.  We believers are sent into this world for the purpose of sharing the Gospel. This does includes prayer. It does includes demonstrating compassion for the poor. It does includes providing for the needs of others.  

Now all these things are good and beneficial but we must remember not to neglect the most important thing.  That is speaking the truth about God and His plan to bestow salvation on everyone who believes in Christ’s death on the cross as payment for their sins.

Also, remember who it is that sends you. Jesus sends you. He is with you. It is not wrong to pray for World Peace and it is not wrong to pray for help navigating through this political world, but do not expect Him to deliver you from the conflicts that arise each day.  Instead, expect Him to be there with you every step of the way.

What if you reject God’s plan of salvation?  Or what if you believe Jesus died on the cross but you think that based on your good works you are going to get into heaven with or without that? You may think it takes your good works in addition to Christ death on the cross to earn a place in heaven.  If you think that, essentially, you have rejected God’s only plan of salvation and replaced it with your own plan.  Well you are effectively calling God the creator of the Universe a liar.  For His word says in Ephesians 2:8-10

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Eph. 2:8-10 

So there is indeed a place for good works that God has prepared for us to do but these good works are not part of nor are they a requirement of His plan for salvation.  If you think that they are you are you are saying that His son’s death on the cross was not enough for your salvation and the salvation of the world.  That Jesus’ death on the cross plus your added good works are needed for salvation to take place.  You are saying that man has to add his or her good works to God’s plan of salvation in order to be saved.  That is a false Gospel and it comes from Satan the father of lies.  Remember, God says in Isaiah 64:6: 

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. – Is. 64:6

When man tries to add good works as a requirement to the Gospel of salvation he presents a corrupted Gospel.  But after experiencing the free gift of true salvation through Him, we can and will do good works.  These good works are done not to add to or earn salvation but to glorify Him who died and set us free from the law of sin and death.  Why after and not before we are saved?  Well after we are saved we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us.  Only by the power of Holy Spirit can we do the good works that we were created to do to Glorify Jesus the Son.  That is why the apostle Paul said in Galatians 2:20-21:

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” – Gal. 2:20-21

What is the grace of God?  God’s grace is usually defined as underserved favor.  Grace cannot be earned; it something that is freely given.  We count on God’s grace and the bridge that He built in our relationship with Him.  From the Old Testament Exodus 33:19, we know that grace is part of God’s character.  He says to Moses:

“I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you, and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will show compassion on whom I show compassion.” – Ex. 33:19 NASB

To Caesar

Acts 25:1-27

Good morning, everyone! As I was preparing for this message, I was struck by how quickly things can change. It has been only two weeks since I last gave the message on Sunday morning. And in that time I have been to California to spend time with my dad and his family, and so many things happened during that time that I am still struggling to process it. And as soon as I get back, we learn of this terrible, incomprehensible terrorist attacks on mostly civilians in Israel, with over 1300 dead and thousands more injured. 

My heart goes out to my family, whom, as far as I know, none of whom are believers. And my heart similarly goes out to the people of Israel, of whom I am a brother by blood, a land of about 10 million people – excluding Gaza, which is not really part of Israel at all, since Israel left Gaza to govern itself in 2005. Of the 10 million people in Israel, about 7 million are Jews. To better understand the size of the calamity, as a percentage of population, this would be like having 43,000 Americans die, fourteen times as many as died during the terrorist attack of 9/11.  

These events have made me hesitate as I have thought about what to share from our planned passage in Acts, not because modern events have changed history – of course that is not the case – but because the behavior of the Jewish leaders in this latter part of the book of Acts is so poor, even, dare I say it, terroristic in its behavior. But one of the things I love about Acts, and indeed, the entire Bible, is its unflinching willingness to present truth, the total, truth, good, bad, and ugly, about the descendants of Abraham, the inheritors of multiple amazing promises from God.  

I strongly believe that God is still in the business of dealing with the descendants of Abraham. I do not believe in replacement theology that suggests that the church has replaced the Israelites in all things, including being “replacement” recipients of God’s promises to the Israelites. As Paul himself writes in Romans 11:1, 

“I ask then: Did God reject His people? By no means!” – Rom. 11:1a

And Paul goes in Romans 11:11:

Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring! – Rom. 11:11-12

Paul goes on to describe how Gentile believers are “grafted in” to the people of faith by their faith, and he reminds them that they do not support the “root,” but the root supports them. He goes in in Romans 11:22 to say:

Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree! – Rom. 11:22-24

As one of those who has been grafted back into my own olive tree, I am humbled and extremely thankful to God. I have shared this before, but it is worth saying again: There is every possibility that I am the first person in my family line in 2000 years to come to faith in Christ. It makes me want to ask “why me” but we could all ask that. Paul goes on to say that a day will come when “all Israel will be saved,” but that could be “all” of a small remnant of that exists at some future time – we simply do not know how things will eventually unfold. 

But current events at home make me freshly fearful for my family, and of course, current events in Israel make me fearful for the people of Israel. At home, I was disappointed to see strong opposition to the gospel message in multiple family members, and as for Israel, I was also disappointed in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s first speech in response to the atrocities by Hamas, disappointed because he did not once mention God. I ask you to pray for my family and pray for the people of Israel that they would “much more readily” be willing to be grafted into their own olive tree.

And so, coming back to the book of Acts, I find it significantly more painful to talk about the horrendous behavior of the Jews towards Paul. Earlier I only read to you the first half of Romans 11:1; here is the entire verse:

I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. – Rom. 11:1

I find it powerful that despite all the things the Jews had done and had tried to do to Paul, Paul continued to identify himself as one of them. And recent events at home and abroad have reminded me that I too am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, in my case from the tribe of Levi. Even my Hebrew name, Z’ev ben Meier haLevi, reminds me of this. I have not suffered even a hint of what Paul suffered, but there is tension in my family over my beliefs, and because of my faith in Jesus, Israel would deny to me the right of Allijah, the right to move to Israel like other Jews. I have no desire to move to Israel at this time; indeed, I don’t even want to visit right now, so you can tell my wife to relax – but I nevertheless see the men and women of Israel as my brothers and sisters, and I grieve for what they have gone through and for what they may yet go through.

I also grieve for the Palestinians who are trapped in Gaza, who never agreed with Hamas’ message or its methods, and who now are suffering because of what their leaders have done. Unfortunately, this is always the way of war. And as our Isaiah study keeps reminding us, God also judges nations, and although we don’t have the clarity of Scripture to understand current events as we do to understand past events, I do wonder if the tragic situations in Israel and Gaza are both in part due to the judgment of God, who both observes Israel’s secular pride in their technology and armies and Gaza’s disdain and hatred of the people God lovingly chose to bring forth the Messiah who came and died and rose again to redeem all peoples, all nations.  

But with that said, let us turn back to the book of Acts, starting with a brief summary of the events we have read about in Acts over the past few weeks. In Acts 22, Paul went to Jerusalem, being led as he believed of the Lord, despite prophetic warnings that bad things would happen to him there. After only being in the city for a short time, Paul was recognized, a crowd was stirred up by Jewish instigators, and Paul was arrested. Paul spoke to the people from outside the police barracks, beginning to tell them the story of how he came to faith in Christ, but before he could finish the people again rioted, and Paul was brought back into the barracks. The next day Paul was brought out before the Sanhedrin, and again the people rioted before he could say much at all, and he was once again brought back into the barracks. Upon learning of a plot against his life, Paul was secretly and hurriedly transferred to Caesarea, to be protected by Governor Antonius Felix, who would then have the responsibility to figure out what to do with Paul. Felix had Paul brought, still under guard, to Herod’s palace on the coast of Caesarea. Felix sent word back to Jerusalem to have his accusers prepare a case and come to Caesarea to present their charges. The high priest Ananias went there along with additional elders and a lawyer named Tertullus. Tertullus accused Paul of being a troublemaker, one who stirred up riots among the Jews all over the world, and he also claimed that Paul had tried to desecrate the Temple. When Felix motioned for Paul to give his defense, Paul explained that he went to Jerusalem to worship, and he was not arguing with anyone at the Temple or stirring up a crowd there or anywhere else, that it was Jews from the province of Asia who were there who stirred up the crowd against him. He admitted that he was a follower of the Way, and then said, “it is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.” 

Felix adjourned the proceedings, waiting for the report from Lysias the commander in Jerusalem. From the account in Acts 24 it is not clear whether Lysias ever came, or indeed, whether he was even sent for. It seems that this was more of a stalling tactic. Felix later came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, to listen to Paul talk about faith in Christ. Felix came multiple times to Paul, hoping, Acts says, for a bribe to let him go. But Paul did not offer him anything. 

History does not look very kindly upon Felix. From the writings of Josephus and others, we know that in addition to the example we see in Acts of him being willing to forgo any kind of justice for a bribe, his general disregard for justice led to a significant increase in all kinds of crime in Judea. His lack of solving problems led to many riots and disturbances, which Rome deeply frowned upon. He even hired Jewish assassins to murder a high priest named Jonathan because Jonathan had repeatedly criticized Felix and threatened to report him to Caesar. These assassins succeeded in killing Jonathan during a Jewish festival by hiding daggers under their garments and then escaped without ever being caught. The people he used were called the Sicarii, the “dagger men”. 

The history of the Sicarii is quite interesting in itself. They were strongly opposed to Roman occupation and were willing to do anything, including killing Jews, in order to weaken the Roman hold on Israel. Their willingness to kill Jonathan probably is because they viewed him as a Roman sympathizer. They eventually teamed up with other zealots including the leaders Menahem Ben Yehuda and Eleazar ben Ya’ir. Menahem took a group of zealots and Sicarii to Masada and killed all 700 Roman soldiers there, taking over Masada. They also overtook another fortress called Antonia, overpowering the troops of Herod Agrippa II, who comes into our passage today. There is also evidence that they committed atrocities similar to what we saw Hamas do last week – in particular, it appears that at one point they committed a massacre of Jews in Ein Gedi for reasons that are not clear but probably related to their overall mission of achieving independence from Rome – perhaps these people were either seen as too friendly to Rome.

In AD 66, the Sicarii, with the other zealots, with were the ones who took control of Jerusalem from the Romans, taking control of the Temple, expelling the Romans from the city, and executing any, Jewish or Roman, who disagreed with them. They maintained control until AD 70 when the Romans retook and destroyed the city and the Temple. Menahem was killed at that time, and Eleazar and the other Sicarii fled to Masada. The Romans retook the fortress in AD 73 only to find that the Sicarii had committed suicide rather than surrender.   

But all this happens in the future relative to where we are in Acts. Back to Felix: our final verses of last week’s passage tell us the following:

When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison. – Acts 24:27

So Felix did not deal with the Paul situation at all. For two whole years, Paul remained in Caesarea under guard, and then Felix was recalled to Rome, which we know from other sources was because of the many complaints that he was not keeping the peace or doing other required tasks. There he was accused of excessive cruelty in a dispute between the Jews and Syrians of Caesarea. To be accused of excessive cruelty in Rome is really saying something. He was able to avoid punishment through the intercession of his highly politically connected brother. 

In Caesarea, Felix was replaced by Porcius Festus. The name Porcius means “pig,” by the way. Not the best name for someone who is supposed to manage a Jewish province. The time period is the late 50s AD. Before I say more about Festus, let us go on to today’s passage:

Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way. Festus answered, “Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. Let some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there.” – Acts 25:1-5

It is incredible to me that, even though two years have passed since Paul’s arrest, the Jewish leaders are still absolutely fixated on Paul. Their hatred of Paul is truly amazing – even though Paul has been arrested all this time, unable to do any further missionary journeys or go back to Jerusalem, he is still their top focus. One reason for this may be that they feared that the new governor might just release Paul, since, after all, there were no valid charges against him, and two years was an extremely long time to hold someone without valid charges. Once again, they hatched a plan to have him murdered, this time on route back to Jerusalem. They requested Paul’s immediate transfer, but Festus rejected their suggestion, saying that their leaders should instead come with him back to Caesarea. 

Once again, I feel like we are seeing God at work behind the scenes, protecting Paul’s life. Festus is likely oblivious to their real plans, but he nevertheless manages to thwart their evil intentions. 

After spending eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him. When Paul came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him. They brought many serious charges against him, but they could not prove them. Then Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.” – Acts 25:6-8

And so here we are given a brief summary of events. He hangs out with the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem for about a week. It is very important to Festus that he build good relations with them, so that they will be good, quiet, behaving Roman subjects. He does not want to be recalled to Rome like his predecessor. He wants to learn the issues, the potential trouble spots, etc., so that he can address them before they blow up. 

And then they go to Caesarea to talk about Paul, but also I am sure, to continue to try to build good relations with the Jewish leaders. Once again, they make their spurious, unfounded charges against Paul, and once again, Paul declares his innocence. 

Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?” Paul answered: “I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!” After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!” – Acts 25:9-12

And now, suddenly, the situation becomes extremely dangerous for Paul, who knows and remembers that the Jewish leaders are willing to have him killed, because they have tried it before. The fact that he is the topic of discussion almost immediately after Festus comes into power shows him that he, Paul, is still public enemy number one in Jerusalem. And so when Festus asks Paul if he is willing to go to Jerusalem and face trial there, he knows that there is a good chance he will never make it alive to Jerusalem, and even if he does, he will likely still be killed there, either as a result of bad “justice”, or, more likely, outside of the halls of justice. 

Paul knows that his options are running out. And so, as a Roman citizen, he uses a rarely utilized right – he appeals to Caesar. This is not a great solution, as justice can move very slowly in Rome, and the result of such an appeal is very uncertain, as the Caesars could be very capricious, and, generally speaking, they didn’t like Jews much at all. And, Christian or not would likely be an unimportant detail to them, just as it was to most non-Jews. And who was the Caesar, the Emperor, at this time, in the late 50s AD? None other than Nero. 

Nero became emperor in AD 54 at the age of only 16. His mother, Agrippina, was the ultimate helicopter parent, not only choosing his tutors and other contacts, but also killing all potential rivals who might get in the way of Nero coming to power. She fully intended to rule through her son. But over the next few years, Nero’s relationship with his mother began to deteriorate, presumably because Nero wanted to make his own decisions without interference, including in matters of love, where he had begun an affair with a married woman. Things continued to deteriorate, and in AD 59, according to the Roman writer Suetonius, Nero had a trusted subject named Anicetus arrange a shipwreck on ship carrying his mother. His mother, it turns out, survived the wreck, but Anicetus then executed her and reported her death as a suicide. 

Nero at the time was married to Claudia Octavia, who was the daughter of the previous emperor, Claudius. When her mother died, Claudius remarried, and the person he married was none other than Agrippina. This means that Claudia Octavia and Nero were stepbrother/stepsister before becoming married. In any case, there are strong suspicions that Agrippina poisoned Claudius, but however Claudius died, Nero became emperor immediately after that. But back to Claudia Octavia. Nero divorced her in AD 62, claiming officially that she was infertile, but also claiming unofficially that she was unfaithful. The people of Rome were deeply upset about this, as they tied her to their previously beloved emperor Claudius. Wanting to restore his reputation by tearing down that of Claudia Octavia, Nero asked Anicetus, the same person that killed his mother, to confess to adultery with Octavia, which he did. Nero also accused her of covering up the adultery with an abortion, even though he had previously said she was sterile. She was then exiled to a small island, where, a few days later, people under Nero’s command had her killed, again reporting the death as a suicide.  

This only scratches the surface of Nero. This is the man to whom Paul had entrusted his future. Of course, this would not have been Paul’s perspective. Paul was fully entrusting his future to the Lord. And I want to remind you of Acts 23:11:

The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” – Acts 23:11

This took place when Paul was back in Jerusalem, under arrest. Now, two years later, it was coming true! I doubt this is the way Paul thought it would come true – he probably hoped it meant that he would get to go to share the gospel and encourage believers in Rome as a free man, not as a prisoner. But nevertheless, he was undoubtedly encouraged, because he saw the Lord’s promises to him coming true. 

A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. He said: “There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner. When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned. I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over anyone before they have faced their accusers and have had an opportunity to defend themselves against the charges. When they came here with me, I did not delay the case, but convened the court the next day and ordered the man to be brought in. When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. I was at a loss how to investigate such matters; so I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these charges. But when Paul made his appeal to be held over for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.” – Acts 25:13-21

This chapter seems like a who’s who of important people, doesn’t it? Let’s talk about King Agrippa and Bernice. This is Herod Agrippa II, who we mentioned briefly when talking about the Sicarii. Herod Agrippa II was the last of the ruling Herods. Bernice was his sister. He was well connected and supporter of both emperor Claudius and then emperor Nero. At this time, he was spending large sums of money in beautifying Jerusalem, which the Jews somewhat appreciated, although they were never really great fans of the Herods, in part due to their Edomite roots, and in part due how cozy they were with Rome. But he also spent large sums of money in beautifying Berytus, which is now Beirut in Lebanon, which was then a Greek city in Phoenicia. The Jews did not like this at all. 

Bernice was also of the Herodian line, and at the time of this account in Acts, she had already been twice widowed. At their time there were widespread rumors that she was carrying out an incestuous relationship with her brother, but we do not know whether these rumors were true or not.

Now Festus answered directly to Rome, but his position was strongly influenced by what King Agrippa would say about him. So it was very important for Festus to keep Agrippa happy. And so, in this passage, Festus tells Agrippa about Paul, further explaining that he suggested that the trial be conducted in Jerusalem because “he was at a loss how to investigate these charges.” There may be some truth to the statement, but the earlier passage tells us that this was not the primary reason. Festus was trying to do a favor to the Jewish leaders so that they would “owe him” in the future. Festus, unsurprisingly, does not mention these details to the king. 

Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.” He replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.” The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high-ranking military officers and the prominent men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. Festus said: “King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome. But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write. For I think it is unreasonable to send a prisoner on to Rome without specifying the charges against him.” – Acts 25:22-27

I want to mention one more thing about Herod Agrippa II: It was Herod Agrippa I, this Herod’s father, who had arrested believers in Acts 12 and who had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. He then arrested Peter. The Lord sent an angel to rescue Peter before he could be brought to trial. But then Herod Agrippa I went to Caesarea, and there wearing his royal robes, with great pomp, delivered a public address to the people, who then shouted “this is the voice of a god, not of a man.” Acts 12:23 tells us that an angel then struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. This is the father of the man we see here, also entering at what was likely the same location, again with great pomp, accompanied and praised by many important city officials. Fortunately for him, God did not strike him down as He had his father. 

And then Festus, in what was likely his most important speech to date given his still new assignment in Israel, explains the situation regarding Paul and invites Herod to interrogate him so as to know what to write to the officials in Rome. From Festus’s perspective as a non-Jew, he feels like he cannot understand the details of the complaints, so he trusts that Herod, as a Jew, will be able to figure it out and explain it to him.

Now it may feel like Festus is overstepping his role in putting Herod on the spot to do something for him, and to a degree that may be true. But from an honor-shame perspective, using a baseball analogy, Festus is also giving Herod a gentle fat pitch over the plate so that Herod can hit a home run with it. As a Jewish leader, it should be easy for Herod to determine the situation, and when he provides Festus with what is needed, Festus will be able to shower him with praise for his discernment and wisdom and, thereby, raise his honor status among the many people who are present.

And this brings us, in a cliffhanger, to the end of today’s passage. We have watched Paul get bounced around from corrupt leader to corrupt leader, many of whom have been Jewish. As I mentioned at the beginning of this message, this message became hard to prepare in light of the events of the past week. But where is God? He is there. He is protecting Paul. He is not unaware of all the schemes of these evil people, nor is he unaware of Satan’s schemes. And He is delivering Paul to Rome, where Paul will have a tremendous opportunity to continue to advance the gospel, even though he is in chains. 

And even though the events with my family and the global events seem dark, I am encouraged because God is there, and He is not unaware of man’s or Satan’s schemes. He is continuing to work, maybe in ways we cannot see, but there is no question that God’s desires are coming to pass. 

And to encourage you on a final note, let me briefly tell you the story of Mosab Hassan Yousef, a Palestinian who worked undercover for Israel’s internal security service Shin Bet from 1997 to 2007. This is from the Wikipedia article on him:

“Mosab Hassan Yousef was born in Ramallah, a city 6.2 miles north of Jerusalem. His father, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, was a Hamas leader who spent many years in Israeli prisons. He is the oldest of five brothers and three sisters. When Yousef was growing up, he wanted to be a fighter because that was according to him what was expected of Palestinian children in the West Bank. Yousef was first arrested when he was ten, during the First Intifada, for throwing rocks at Israeli settlers. He was further arrested and jailed by Israel numerous times. As his father's eldest son, he was seen as his heir apparent and became an important part of the Hamas organization.

“Yousef said he saw the light after a stint with his dad’s comrades in an Israeli jail during the mid-1990s. At Megiddo Prison, he witnessed Hamas inmates leading a brutal year-long campaign to weed out supposed Israeli collaborators. ‘During that time, Hamas tortured and killed hundreds of prisoners,’ he said, recalling vivid memories of needles being inserted under finger nails and bodies charred with burning plastics. Many, if not all, had nothing to do with Israeli intelligence. ‘I will never forget their screams,’ he continued. ‘I started asking myself a question. What if Hamas succeeded in destroying Israel and building a state. Will they destroy our people in this way?’

“Yousef's doubts about Islam and Hamas began forming when he realized Hamas' brutality, and that he hated how Hamas used the lives of suffering civilians and children to achieve its goals. Yousef was held by Shin Bet agents in 1996. While in prison, he was shocked by Shin Bet's interrogation methods, which he considered humane when compared to how Hamas operatives tortured imprisoned suspected collaborators. He decided to accept a Shin Bet offer to become an informant.

“Beginning with his release from prison in 1997, Yousef was considered the Shin Bet's most reliable source in the Hamas leadership, earning himself the nickname ‘The Green Prince’ – using the color of the Islamist group's flag, and ‘prince’ because of his pedigree as the son of one of the movement's founders. The intelligence he supplied to Israel led to the exposure of many Hamas cells, as well as the prevention of dozens of suicide bombings and assassination attempts on Jews. He has said that he did not inform for money, but rather that his motivations were ideological and religious, and that he only wanted to save lives. In order to thwart any suspicions of collaboration, the Shin Bet staged an arrest attempt, telling the Israel Defense Forces to launch an operation to arrest him, and then provided him intelligence allowing him to escape at the last minute, after which he went into hiding for the rest of his career.

“Yousef says he supplied intelligence only on the condition that the ‘targets’ would not be killed, but arrested. This led to the detention of several key Palestinian leaders, including Ibrahim Hamid, a Hamas commander in the West Bank, and Marwan Barghouti. Also, Yousef claims to have thwarted a 2001 plot to assassinate Shimon Peres, then foreign minister and later President of Israel. According to his former Shin Bet officer, ‘Many people owe him their lives and don't even know it.’

“According to his story, Yousef met a British missionary in 1999 who introduced him to Christianity. Between the years 1999 and 2000, Yousef gradually embraced Christianity. In 2005, he was secretly baptized in Tel Aviv by an unidentified Christian tourist. He left the West Bank for the United States in 2007, and lived some time in San Diego, California, where he joined the Barabbas Road Church.

“In August 2008, Yousef publicly revealed his Christianity, and renounced Hamas and the Arab leadership, thereby endangering himself and exposing his family in Ramallah to persecution. Yousef has also claimed that his aim was to bring peace to the Middle East; he hopes to return to his homeland when there is peace.

“Yousef has stated that despite his conversion to Christianity, he is ‘against religion’, and does not adhere to any denomination of Christianity. He has stated, ‘Religion steals freedom, kills creativity, turns us into slaves and against one another. Yes, I am talking about Christianity as well as Islam. Most Christians I have seen, seem to have missed the point, that Jesus redeemed us from religion. Religion is nothing but man's attempts to get back to God. Whether it is Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, animism, any ism. Religion can't save mankind. Only Jesus could save mankind through his death and resurrection. And Jesus is the only way to God.’”

Today there are questions about Yousef's beliefs, about whether they fully adhere to orthodox (small "o") Christianity, but one thing that is certain is that he is no longer an adherent of radical Islam, no longer promotes violence, and no longer is ruled by hate. He has correctly stated that Jesus is the only way to God, and I pray that God will protect him and help him to truly keep his heart bowed to Jesus.

God is working. Let us continue to pray to Him and trust in His work. 

Troublemaker and Ringleader

Acts 24:1-27

Good morning!  Last week, we finished up Acts 23 which saw Paul rescued from a conspiracy to murder him.  Today, we’re going to go on in Acts 24 as Paul will face yet another trial.  This time, it is a trial before the governor of Judea.  Before we dive in, let’s refresh briefly.

Paul has been going about the area of modern-day Turkey, Greece, and Macedonia for about ten years.  There were times when Paul stayed in Antioch.  Then, there were longer times in Ephesus and Corinth.  During those years, Paul had preached the gospel to thousands certainly.  Through his ministry and the ministry of others, millions had heard the gospel in those ten years.  And, it’s not yet thirty years since Jesus rose from the dead.

During those ten years, Paul had performed amazing miracles.  But there was also opposition, particularly from the Jews in different cities.  In some cases, Paul simply had to move on.  In others, Paul had been arrested, beaten, and even stoned by those who opposed the good news.  In spite of the trials and difficulties, Paul continued not only in preaching and teaching, but also in good works.

He worked with other leaders in those churches he had helped to start and gathered an offering from among the churches of Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Greece for the poor believers in Jerusalem.  And so, Paul returned to Jerusalem.  While there, Paul was recognized by some Jews from Asia Minor who were also in Jerusalem at that time.  They incited a riot at the temple and even tried to kill Paul on the spot.

Thankfully, because of the uproar, the Roman garrison got involved and rescued Paul by arresting him.  Just before entering the barracks, Paul was able to convince the commander to allow him to address the crowd.  They listened to Paul intently until he explained that God had sent him to the Gentiles.  At that point, the crowd threw off their cloaks and started flinging dust in the air, preparing to stone him if they could.

The Roman soldiers then took Paul into the barracks and prepared to flog and interrogate him upon orders of their commander in order to figure out what was driving the people to riot.  Paul then asked the centurion whether or not it was legal to flog a Roman citizen without a trial.  This brought a reprieve, and in the morning, the commander, still wanting to know why Paul was being accused by the Jews, released Paul, arranged a meeting of the Jewish Council, the Sanhedrin, and brought Paul before them.

Paul addressed the Sanhedrin explaining that he had been put on trial by them because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.  Since the two main parties among the Jews disagreed on whether or not there is a resurrection, this threw everyone into turmoil yet again.  Finally, the Roman commander had to send in the soldiers to rescue Paul lest he be killed.  Again, they took Paul to the barracks.

It is at this point that a conspiracy is formed to kill Paul.  Again thankfully, the plot is discovered, overheard by Paul’s young nephew of all people.  Paul’s nephew tells Paul, Paul sends his nephew to the Roman commander, the commander listens to the boy, and takes decisive action.

Paul is rescued once more by being sent further along in the chain of authority.  This time being taken to the Roman governor of Judea, Antonius Felix.  At the end of chapter 23, Felix tells Paul that he will hear his case once his accusers arrive.  He then keeps Paul under guard in Herod’s palace at Caesarea.

That brings us through the tumultuous period before the events we’ll read about today in Acts 24.  It seemed right to review these events to help us understand what will come next.  Recalling all these details, I have to say there is one person I feel sorry for.  Poor Claudius Lysias, the Roman commander.  He so desperately wanted to understand why everyone was rioting about Paul, partly because it was his job, but partly I think because he had been talking to Paul for a number of days and seemingly found him to be rational and non-threatening.  Lysias had received Paul’s nephew, listened to him and believed him.  I hope that Lysias ultimately heard, understood, and received the gospel.

Okay.  Let’s pray and jump into Acts 24.

Father God, speak to us from your word today.  We desire to hear and learn from you.  Teach us we pray in Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor. When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: "We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation. Everywhere and in every way, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly. – Acts 24:1-4

Five days might seem like a long time to us today, especially when the distance from Caesarea to Jerusalem is only 70 miles, but in this time, it was pretty much immediate.  Consider that a messenger would have to be sent down to Jerusalem notifying the accusers that Paul was in custody in Caesarea.  Then, the Sanhedrin would have to appoint their representatives.  Then, they would travel up to Caesarea and not like the Roman soldiers had done overnight.

Ananias was the high priest from 47-59 AD, not to be confused with Annas the former high priest who was involved in Jesus’ trial and was present when Peter and John had been arrested and then were brought before the elders and teachers of the Law in Acts 4.

In Acts 23, Ananias had ordered that Paul be struck on the mouth, and Paul responded, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall!”  Ananias has been noted as a cruel and violent man toward the Jews, and a friend of Rome.  Within a few years of the events here in Acts 24, the Great Jewish Revolt (sometimes called the First Jewish-Roman War) will begin, and Ananias will be murdered by his own people.

The Sanhedrin was made up of 71 elders.  No doubt, the elders mentioned here are some of that council.  We don’t know anything about Tertullus, most likely, he was a Hellenistic Jew, familiar with Roman law and proceedings.

Tertullus opens with what is called a eulogy.  Which I think I’ve only heard the word eulogy used in connection with funerals but it can also describe speeches made to commend or honor someone who is living.  What he’s really trying to do here is sufficiently honor (and kind of butter up) Felix without going overboard.  Interestingly, Felix was not a great ruler and he was recalled by Rome.  The end of chapter 24 only tells us Felix is succeeded by Festus.  The reason, Felix had been recalled was because of misrule.  This business about years of peace and reform is likely what Felix wants to hear or believe about himself, but it’s being overly generous at a minimum.  With the eulogy, Tertullus smoothly transitions to the accusation against Paul.

"We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him." The other Jews joined in the accusation, asserting that these things were true. – Acts 24:5-9

Tertullus makes two charges against Paul.  (1) He has stirred up multiple riots among the Jews all over the world.  Dissension in the empire was held to be treason against Caesar.  That gives you an idea why we’ve seen so much energy go into calming people down and preventing riots.  No one wanted to be found guilty of treason against Caesar.  (2) Being a leader of a religious sect without Roman approval was contrary to Roman law.  So, our title today is also the accusation of the Jews against Paul:  Troublemaker and ringleader.

Jesus is from the small town of Nazareth.  He is sometimes called a Nazarene or Jesus the Nazarene.  Here, Tertullus uses that term to describe the followers of Jesus, the Nazarene sect.

I don’t know how important it is to dwell on the details, but I do find them fascinating.  Here, Tertullus says that Paul even tried to desecrate the temple, so they seized him.  If you remember back in chapter 21, the Jews from Asia Minor accused Paul of bringing Gentiles into the temple because they had seen Trophimus, a Gentile, with Paul outside the temple.  Here, Tertullus states the point without running the risk of being guilty of making a falsifiable claim.

The other Jews here who join in the accusation are members of the council and, as we will see in a few verses, does not include the Jews from Asia who had originally confronted Paul in the temple and started the riot.  Several Jews no doubt echo what Tertullus said, and the prosecution rests.

When the governor motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: "I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me. However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man. – Acts 24:10-16

Paul includes an acknowledgment of Felix, but avoids Tertullus’ flattery.  Paul’s defense seeks to answer the accusations laid against him.  For starters, he’s only been in Jerusalem for max six days, and maybe only five.  He’d spent a night in Roman custody in Jerusalem, a night on the road to Caesarea, and then five days waiting on his accusers to arrive.  He simply hadn’t had time to be much of a troublemaker in Jerusalem.  Then, he wasn’t arguing with anyone at the temple, nor was he stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere in the city.  All of those are verifiable facts supported by the letter from Lysias. “I found that … there was no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment.”

Paul admits that he is a follower of the Way, but he clearly states his confidence in the God of the bible.   His words remind me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:17.  Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”  Paul then believes everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets.  The God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the New.  Paul is a follower of the true faith.  The Jews are the ones who have gone astray.

"After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings. I was ceremonially clean when they found me in the temple courts doing this. There was no crowd with me, nor was I involved in any disturbance. But there are some Jews from the province of Asia, who ought to be here before you and bring charges if they have anything against me. Or these who are here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin--unless it was this one thing I shouted as I stood in their presence: 'It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.' – Acts 24:17-21

Paul plainly explains what he was doing in Jerusalem.  He was there to bring gifts to the poor and present offerings.  He was worshiping in the temple, and he was ceremonially clean.  The absence of the Jews from Asia at the trial is suspicious.  If they could substantiate their claims, it would make sense for them to contribute their testimony.  If they could not substantiate their claims (which they couldn’t do), then better to stay away.  Paul makes this clear to Felix in a careful way.

Paul does exactly as Tertullus had hinted.  Felix is able to learn the truth about all these charges they have brought against him.  The charges are baseless.  Paul is honest even to the last and includes what he told the Sanhedrin about the resurrection of the dead.  That however brings Felix to intervene.

"Then Felix, who was well acquainted with the Way, adjourned the proceedings. "When Lysias the commander comes," he said, "I will decide your case." He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard but to give him some freedom and permit his friends to take care of his needs. – Acts 24:22-23

Felix had been governor in Judea for six years at this point.  It was not possible for him to be unaware of the Christians.  He makes what seems to be a rather odd excuse.  Why would the governor of an entire province be dependent on a Roman commander to give a verdict.  Lysias was commander of a cohort, the tenth part of a Roman Legion.  He was high ranking sure, but more like a colonel rather than a general.  Perhaps he was thinking Lysias could contribute some additional evidence.  At least, it would have be a chance for Lysias to meet Paul again and hear the gospel.

So, whatever the reason, no decision is rendered in Paul’s case, and Paul is kept under guard.  It’s hard to predict what “some freedom” means.  Perhaps a kind of house arrest, but when it goes on to say that his friends were permitted to take care of his needs, it sounds like he was still being held in some Roman facility.

Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, "That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you." – Acts 24:24-25

We talked about some of the other folks involved in this chapter, but we didn’t really examine Felix other than generally saying he had been governor for six years in Judea and that he wasn’t a great leader.  Felix was a shrewd but selfish character who did some truly horrible things including arranging the murder of the high priest Jonathan.  Felix is the kind of person that Psalm 73 talks about, an arrogant and wicked one who prospers for a time.  God tells us that such people will face judgment for what they have done.  

Felix was born a slave and then freed.  He was a pagan Greek, but he was able to convince Drusilla, the daughter of Herod Agrippa, and a Jew to marry him through trickery.  Felix as much as anyone needed the gospel, starting with repentance.

Some days after the initial trial, Felix summons Paul to hear him further.  So, what did Paul talk about before Felix and Drusilla?

Paul spoke about faith in Christ Jesus.  That would have included the message of repentance, of turning away from sin and turning to Jesus.  He would have spoken about the need to be saved and justified by faith in Jesus Christ rather than by trying to be or even just appear good.

“A person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.” –  Gal. 2:16

But those points may not have connected with Felix where he was.  Felix was already hardened in sin.  I don’t know if he was even concerned about appearing good.  Paul went deeper and began to talk about righteousness.  No doubt Paul would have spoken of the righteousness we have in Christ.  But with Felix, Paul may also have spoken of the kind of life we should live even if it is impossible to do it without Christ in us.

Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. … Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? – Rom. 6:13-14, 16

Would those words of sin as slavery resonate with a man who had been born a slave and later freed?  If not, perhaps he would have shared something even more concrete.

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. ... This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God's child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. – 1 John 3:7, 10

There are other ways that Paul could have focused on righteousness.  The prior verses deal with individual righteousness, but there is also the need for righteousness among the leaders of people.  Could Paul have illuminated Felix with the following thoughts as well?

[Wicked kings] make many promises, take false oaths and make agreements; therefore lawsuits spring up like poisonous weeds in a plowed field. ... Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you. – Hosea 10:4, 12

Kings detest wrongdoing, for a throne is established through righteousness. – Prov. 16:12

For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them. – Is. 61:8

How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. – Ps. 82:2-4

Therefore, Your Majesty, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue. – Dan. 4:27

In addition to righteousness, Paul also spoke to Felix about self-control.  Self-control is necessary to live in righteousness.

The grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.  It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. – Titus 2:11-12

Paul could also have contrasted the acts of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit helping Felix to see the differences.

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. – Gal. 5:19-24

And what of those who do not belong to Christ Jesus?  Paul spoke of the judgment to come.

Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before him, and around him a tempest rages. He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that he may judge his people. – Ps. 50:3-4

God will bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed." – Eccl. 3:17

If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still. – Eccl. 5:8

I never could find an age for Felix, but Drusilla was just 22 years old at this point.

You who are young, be happy while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. – Eccl. 11:9

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. – Eccl. 12:14

Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. – Dan. 12:2

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.' "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' "He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." – Matt. 25:31-46

Each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. – Rom. 14:12

God judges people's secrets through Jesus Christ. – Rom. 2:16

He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God. – 1 Cor. 4:5

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. – 2 Cor. 5:10

When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels, He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. – 2 Thess. 1:7-10

Felix was afraid.  He had become frightened as Paul had talked.  The word to describe his fear is a little bit unique.  It’s still a word based on phobos where we get the word phobia.  However, the particular word is only found five times in scripture.  Two times, it’s used to describe the fear the people felt when they encountered Jesus after the resurrection.  Once is the fear that Cornelius had when he saw the angel.  The final time is in Revelation after an earthquake where the survivors were afraid, but rather than hardening their hearts, they give glory to the God of heaven.  So, I think this fear that Felix felt was the right kind of fear.  If only, he would respond in that fear with repentance.

Ultimately though, Felix only sent Paul away at that point saying, "That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you." (Acts 24:25)

At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him. When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison. – Acts 24:26-27

So, for two years, Felix waited for a bribe that never came.  He had difficulty with the Jewish leaders throughout his governorship, and he was removed from his position because of misrule to face trial in Rome for his malfeasance.  No doubt, he wanted to do everything he could to avoid further provoking the Jews so that they would not speak out any more strongly against him.

In many ways, it had to be a downer to Paul to be stuck in prison for two years without any clarity about what would happen next.  Waiting is hard even when you have something to look forward to.  Waiting when you don’t know how long you have to wait and waiting perhaps for an even worse sentence has to be excruciating at times.

And yet, I think Paul could bear it well.  We don’t have a record here in Caesarea like we do in Rome, but I’m sure Paul found ways to share the gospel with the captive audience of guards that had to spend time with him.  But even if that were not the case, Paul had peace in Christ and a clear conscience from serving Him.  Even in his trial before Felix, Paul had said, “I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.”

Our peace comes from Christ, and our salvation is in Him alone, but it is impossible to ignore how often a good conscience pops up in bible, at least 20 times.  I only found one Greek word for it, and the King James Version even translates that word as “conscience” all 32 times that it appears.

Paul exhorts Timothy to hold on to the faith and a good conscience. (I Timothy 1:19)

So, how’s your conscience?  Are you troubled?  Are you putting the right things first?  Yesterday, we had a men’s meeting, and Brad shared something I had heard before, but he put it a bit differently.  I thought it was a good way of thinking of these things in our modern time.  With all the technology that we have at our fingertips, it’s like this sound-bite, YouTube, quick game, series of instant satisfactions, are grooming us with a rapid release distraction that conceals this need to fill the hole in our hearts.

 

This idea of a God-shaped hole or a God-shaped vacuum is attributed to Blaise Pascal.  In one of his books published in 1670, he talked about the fallacy of trying to be happy apart from faith.

“What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself.” – Blaise Pascal, Pensées VII (425)

C.S. Lewis used a different illustration, comparing a human to a car.  A car needs fuel to run.  Without it, it does not go.  In Mere Christianity, he wrote that the human “machine” is designed to run on God Himself.  Without Him, we don’t run.

How do we get fueled up?  How do we keep from putting something other than God in that infinite abyss in our hearts?  I John gives us another picture.  

If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.  If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. – I John 1:6-9

If we walk in the light, then we can see sin for what it is.  Hate it.  And confess it when we find ourselves in it.  It doesn’t say that we are sinless.  In fact, it says the opposite.  If we claim to be without sin, we are deceived.  Rather we have to see when we’re going astray and then we are purified.  Isn’t that what a good conscience feels like?  Being purified from unrighteousness?

Don’t miss the first verse either.  Claiming to have fellowship with God, but walking in darkness is almost a sure recipe to having a bad conscience and being unable to experience forgiveness.  I don’t want to spend time to unpack the theology of whether or not someone walking in the darkness can be saved.  Because why would anyone want to live like that?

Let’s continually walk in the light.  By that, we will be prepared for whatever circumstances we might face, even for times of waiting.  Remember, it is Jesus who has done the work even to clear our consciences.  We need only stay by Him.

How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! – Heb. 9:14

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, I do pray for each one who is listening now and even ones who may come across this message in the future.  Lord God, help us to walk in the light as you are in the light.  Enable us to have continuing sweet fellowship with one another and other believers.  Glorify your name we pray, Jesus.  Amen.