Paul’s defense before Festus (Acts 25)By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

Paul’s defense before Festus (Acts 25)

By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce  

 Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical Precepts & Gospel music

 

Paul’s defense before Festus (Acts 25)

Scriptures reading Acts 25

 

¹ Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, ² Where the chief priests and Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. ³ 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. ⁴ Festus answered, “Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. ⁵ Let some of your leaders come with me and press charges against the man there, if he has done anything wrong.”

⁶ 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. ⁷ 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.

 ⁸ Then Paul his defense: “ I have done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.” ⁹ 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?” ¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ 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!”

¹² After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!” ¹³ A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus.¹⁴ 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. ¹⁵ When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he becodemned.

¹⁶ I told them that it is not the Roman custom ot hand over any man before he has faced his accusers and has had an opportunity to defend himself against their charges. ¹⁷ 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. ¹⁸ When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. ¹⁹ 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. ²⁰ 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. ²¹ When Paul made his appeal to be held over for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caear.”

²² Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.” He replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”²³ The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high ranking officers and the leading men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. ²⁴ 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 Caesared, shouting that he ought not to live anylonger. ²⁵ 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. ²⁶But 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. ²⁷ For I think it is unreasonable to send on a prisoner without specifying the charges against him.”

Verse 1 to Jerusalem. Since there was much unrest, Festus thought it prudent to make an early visit to the religious capital, Jerusalem. The Jews saw in this an opportunity to ask that Paul be returned there. If the request were granted they would try to kill him on the way (v.3).

Verse 9 gain favor with the Jews, this exposed the corruption of another Roman politician.

Verse 11 I appeal to Caesar. Festus’s suggestin that Paul appear in Jerusalem for trial (v.9) provoked this appeal to Caesar. Paul relized that the trial would not be impartial if conducted by Festus, especially if the case were transferred to Jerusalem, and that he would be in great danger if he was returned to the jurisdiction of the Sanhedrin. The right of appeal was one of the most ancient and cherished rights of a Roman citizen. For his defense Paul wanted to appeal to Caesar. This would allow him to fulfill his desire to see Rome for the furtherance of the Lord’s testimony (19:21) and was according to the Lord’s indication to him (23:11). Without this appeal he would have been killed by the Jews who plotted against him (23:12-15;25:1-3,9) and would not have been able to write his last eight Epistles. Before his appeal to Rome, he had written only six Epistles: 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Galatians, Romans, and 1 and 2 Corinthians. During his first imprisonment in Rome he wrote Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon. After that imprisonment he wrote 1 Timothy, Titus and Hebrews. Then, during his second imprisonment he wrote 2 Timothy. With out these last eight Epistles, what a lack the divine revelation would have and what a loss the church would have suffered! His appeal did render great profit and benefit to the Lord’s interest.

Verse 12 The council of a Roman province, composed of the councilors or assessors chosen by the governor of the province, with whom the governor usually consulted concerning an appeal like Paul’s .

Verse 13 A grippa. Herod Agippa II, son of Herod Agrippa I (12:1),  both of whose territories he ultimately ruled under Rome’s jurisdiction. Herod Agrippa II, who reigned over the region north and east of Galover the region north and east of Galilee, a Jew by religion. Bernice, the sister of Drusilla, Felix’s wife (24:24). She was also a sister of Agrippa, with whom he was living incestuously.This again showed the corruption of the politicians in the circle of Roman politics. Paul was not required to defend himself before them, since he had already appealed to Caesar, but he took this opportunity to witness to the Jewish king.

 

Bibliography,

King James, The Holy Bible (KJV), Cleveland, OH: The world publishing company

Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV). Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986

Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.