25:13 And after some
days King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to greet Festus. 14 When they
had been there many days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying:
“There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix, 15 about whom the chief
priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, when I was in Jerusalem, asking
for a judgment against him. 16 To them I answered, ‘It is not the custom of the
Romans to deliver any man to destruction before the accused meets the accusers
face to face, and has opportunity to answer for himself concerning the charge
against him.’ 17 Therefore when they had come together, without any delay, the
next day I sat on the judgment seat and commanded the man to be brought in. 18
When the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation against him of such
things as I supposed, 19 but had some questions against him about their own
religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be
alive. 20 And because I was uncertain of such questions, I asked whether he was
willing to go to Jerusalem and there be judged concerning these matters. 21 But
when Paul appealed to be reserved for the decision of Augustus, I commanded him
to be kept till I could send him to Caesar.”
22 Then Agrippa said to
Festus, “I also would like to hear the man myself.”
“Tomorrow,” he said,
“you shall hear him.”
I find this behind the scenes glimpse fascinating. Festus is
not a bad guy, Clearly he is both confused and intrigued by Paul's case. He is
also a humble man because he is admitting to his superior that he doesn't know
what to do. Festus doesn't say he has never heard of Jesus but clearly doesn't
know much about Him and has formed no strong opinion either way. Essentially
from his perspective he has been dragged into a religious dispute about which
he knows little and is unsure what to do.
What what happens next:
25:23 So the next day,
when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great pomp, and had entered the
auditorium with the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at Festus’
command Paul was brought in. 24 And Festus said: “King Agrippa and all the men
who are here present with us, you see this man about whom the whole assembly of
the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying out that he was not
fit to live any longer. 25 But when I found that he had committed nothing
deserving of death, and that he himself had appealed to Augustus(Caesar), I
decided to send him. 26 I have nothing certain to write to my lord concerning him.
Therefore I have brought him out before you, and especially before you, King
Agrippa, so that after the examination has taken place I may have something to
write. 27 For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not to specify
the charges against him.”
Think about it, Paul spent two years sharing his faith with
Felix and recently Felix has moved to a different place and position. Now Paul
is sharing his story with Festus and now Festus has created the opportunity for
his story to be told to King Agrippa in front of the entire 'who's who' of
Caesarea in the auditorium. Can you see what God is doing? Just as he used
Daniel to reach foreign king after foreign king with the story of the True God,
so Paul is being used to reach a class that no ordinary person could reach. The
Jews have actually helped the cause of the Gospel by attempting to get rid of
Paul.
Speaking of the Jews I want to make two unflattering
observations not to disparage them but to use their experience and mistakes as
a lesson for us. First of all in their misplaced zeal to get rid of Paul they
had to fabricate lies. They then had to present those lies to a public court, a
court of "Gentiles", men who do not know the True God. In simpler
terms instead of sharing good news with men who desperately need it, they are
instead embarrassing themselves and shaming the Gospel by their display of
foolishness. So pathetic was their "case" against Paul that Festus
says "I need to send Paul to Caesar but I'm not even sure what to tell him
the problem is." Festus is actually hoping that by having Paul speak to
the assembly and Agrippa that it will give him something to work with as far as
a letter to write to Caesar Augustus about the case. Let me put it in really
simple terms. The Jews who should be an example to the Romans of a better way,
are instead an incoherent embarrassment who have become a pain in the backside
of Festus.
The reality is every Christian and every church is a witness.
The world around you may know little or nothing of your religion but they are
forming an opinion based on you. Their vague picture of God is being informed
and shaped by their interactions with you.
Here is the second unflattering thing I want to point out.
Don't forget that Paul came to Jerusalem fearing the Jews who believed in
Jesus. See at this point the Jewish faith was divided. There were anti Jesus
Jews or old school Jews and pro Jesus Jews or followers of the Way, what we now
call Christians. It was the Christians who were hostile to him. While he was carrying
the gospel around the world the church in Jerusalem was gossiping about how
Paul has abandoned his Jewish roots entirely and was trashing the basic laws of
their faith. Liars spread these rumors and they has spread like wildfire by
church members more eager to talk than to think and investigate. By the time
Paul returned he had become public enemy number one of the people who should
have been his greatest supporters. Their misplaced zeal ended up putting Paul
in prison and put them back in league with the old school Jews who had killed
Jesus. Do you see what happened?!! The supposed followers of Jesus are now in
league with the men who killed Jesus, and have their "guns" aimed at
Paul, the greatest champion of the Way. All of it accomplished by liars and
gossips - sins we don't even consider that serious. I? mean who doesn't talk
about other people right? Who doesn't pass on information that may or may not
be true?
Now a second Roman governor is involved, and a king, and soon
Caesar, all of them trying to make sense of nonsense.
Meanwhile God is using it all to bring the Truth to the
highest seats of Roman authority. Don't get me wrong in what I'm about to say
because neither Felix nor Festus are perfect men, but it's pretty bad when the
pagan rulers are more noble and fair than the leaders of God's church. I've
said it before and I'll say it again. Religion minus Jesus equals the greatest
curse and evil the earth can know.
Be certain you are following Jesus not religion and spreading
Good news, not gossip.
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