Will Paul go free? Will he stay in prison or will he be executed?
Let's dig in and find out!
Acts 25 (Read it here)
Only three days after taking over Felix's responsibilities, Festus went to Jerusalem to hear the same accusations from the priests and religious leaders. (vs. 1-2) They begged Festus for Paul to be transferred to Jerusalem to stand trial, even though it was never there intention for him to actually survive that long. (v. 3) Festus refused and, instead, told all the religious leaders that the trial would happen in Caesarea. (v. 4-5)
When the trial commenced, the religious leaders (again) made many serious accusations they couldn't prove. (v. 7) This is exactly what Paul had told Felix, too.
Paul, with supreme confidence, tells Festus that he is not guilty of any crime against the Jewish laws or the temple or the Roman government. (v. 8) Yet Festus had the same issue as Felix with wanting to please and keep the peace with the Jews. So he asked Paul if he'd be willing to go back to Jerusalem to stand trial. (v. 9)
Of course, Paul knows the Jews want him dead and he refuses to die just to appease their hatred! If he is found guilty by an unbiased ruler, that's different. Paul not only demands that the trial stay under the authority of Roman authority, but he also demands that Caesar (the emperor of Rome) hear his testimony personally! (vs. 10-11)
After a short conference with his advisers, Festus agrees to have Paul give his testimony in front of Caesar. (v. 12)
That seemed awfully easy.
One has to keep in mind that Felix was very familiar with Paul and this Christian movement but not Festus. Festus was basically a rookie governor; dealing with Jews and Christianity was new to him (he seems to not even know who Jesus is in verse 19 and he says that he didn't know "how to investigate these things" in verse 20). Another huge difference between Felix and Festus was the content of their character, too. Felix was known as being corrupt and full of arrogance while the historical tellings of Josephus was much more kind to Festus as he was described as honorable and prudent. Perhaps this is the reason why King Agrippa paid respect (or as the original Greek would imply, gladly accepted Festus' offer) by traveling to Caesarea.
Also, just because Paul appealed to Caesar didn't mean that the actual Caesar would hear his testimony. The Caesar at this time was Nero (who would become one of the biggest enemies of Christianity in the near future). Trust me, Paul wouldn't have wanted Nero there. Nero even killed his own mother after she voiced opposition about him dating a married woman!
Similar to Felix bringing his wife to hear Paul, King Agrippa does the same by bringing his wife, as well. Why? Perhaps the reason why is because Agrippa is the brother of Felix's wife, Drusilla. I wouldn't doubt that Drusilla had interesting things to say about Paul to her brother, Agrippa.
Festus caught Agrippa up on everything about the case. (v. 14) We get the importance, again, about how Roman citizens cannot:
- Be condemned without a trial (v. 16, the trial has to be overseen by Roman authority, too)
- Cannot be executed for breaking Jewish religious laws
When King Agrippa and his wife Bernice arrive at the auditorium they show off their high status by having military officers and other VIPs accompany them. (v. 23)
Festus begins by clearly stating that he believes that Paul has done nothing deserving death, (v. 25, blah blah blah, Felix, Pilate and now Festus, that's what they all say) however, Paul begged for a higher authority to hear his side of the story. That's where Agrippa comes in. (v. 26) Festus makes it clear that today he nor Agrippa will be deciding if he's guilty or innocent. Their job is to define exactly what Paul is being charged with! (v. 27) After that, perhaps they'll send him to Caesar.
Interesting. Where does this go from here? Check back tomorrow.
Questions
1.) Pilate, Felix and Festus all have the issue of wanting to keep the Jews happy. They go so far as to go against their personal opinions of Jesus and Paul. Are there people you don't agree with but you treat them nice because you don't want trouble? What's the problem with being fake like that?
2.) Drusilla, the wife of Governor Felix, probably had compelling things to say regarding Paul to her brother, Agrippa. Has there ever been a time where someone has told you something profound about God or Jesus that you just had to tell someone else? If so, what was it and how did the other person react?
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