READ | ACTS CHAPTER 24
Paul’s Trial Before Felix
24 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. 2 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. 3 Everywhere and in every way, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. 4 But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly.
5 “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 6 and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. [7] [a] 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him.”
9 The other Jews joined in the accusation, asserting that these things were true.
10 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. 11 You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12 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. 13 And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me. 14 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, 15 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. 16 So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.
17 “After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings. 18 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. 19 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. 20 Or these who are here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin— 21 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.’”
22 Then Felix, who was well acquainted with the Way, adjourned the proceedings. “When Lysias the commander comes,” he said, “I will decide your case.” 23 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.
24 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. 25 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.” 26 At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him.
27 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.
24 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. 2 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. 3 Everywhere and in every way, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. 4 But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly.
5 “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 6 and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. [7] [a] 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him.”
9 The other Jews joined in the accusation, asserting that these things were true.
10 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. 11 You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12 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. 13 And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me. 14 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, 15 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. 16 So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.
17 “After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings. 18 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. 19 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. 20 Or these who are here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin— 21 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.’”
22 Then Felix, who was well acquainted with the Way, adjourned the proceedings. “When Lysias the commander comes,” he said, “I will decide your case.” 23 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.
24 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. 25 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.” 26 At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him.
27 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.
DEVOTIONAL
When Paul was confronted by Jesus on the road to Damascus, scripture tells us that scales covered his eyes and for some time he could not see. It was while Paul was blinded, confused, and full of emotion that the Lord appeared to Ananias. In Acts 9:15 we read how the Lord told Ananias to go, lay hands on Paul and pray for him to be filled with the Holy Spirit because “This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the gentiles and their kings.” Now, more than two decades later, the second part of that promise would begin to come true. Paul would next appear and plead his case before Governor Felix, the most powerful Roman official in all the land once ruled by the Israelites. This wasn’t the total fulfillment of the promise, only the beginning of Paul coming before men of increasing influence and power to proclaim the Gospel. Paul would spend the next five years of his life in Roman confinement, a striking contrast to his previous years of wide and spontaneous travel. Despite his loss of freedom, Paul understood that he was precisely where God wanted him.
Felix was a shrewd man, known to be cruel in his governance and prone to indulgent living. He would have listened to the deceptive flattery of Tertullus, the Jewish lawyer hired to prosecute Paul, with tongue in cheek. There was no real evidence given against Paul in the prosecution, only spiteful words and cloaked threats of how letting Paul go free would damage the relations between the occupied and their Roman overlords. Felix walked a middle ground, attempting to appease everyone so that his comfortable lifestyle could continue unchanged. He knew Paul was innocent, yet he did not want to identify himself with Paul’s gospel and these people known as Christians. He made no decision and kept Paul in custody. Felix was so intrigued by Paul that he brought his Jewish wife Drucilla to meet him. The boldness of Paul is put on display when he essentially preaches to the powerful couple on the topics of righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come. These are three topics many modern preachers would avoid speaking about, especially when addressing an influential figure like Felix. Knowing the couple’s background in immoral living, these were the points they probably needed most to hear. Paul was so effective that on hearing about the Judgment to come, Felix became afraid so much so that he stopped Paul from speaking anymore. Knowing something about his lifestyle, at least we can say that he probably understood what was being said to him and felt conviction over his indulgent and gratuitous lifestyle. The gospel, if anything, should make those who are intent on rejecting Jesus second guess that decision. It is guilt and conviction which often leads many to repentance. Not so for Felix. He put the conviction off and kicked the can further down the road. Many people express rejection of Christ and the gospel through delay. Not today, they say, maybe one day I will stop this life of sin and give my life to Jesus, but I just can’t right now. What would people think of me? What about all the fun I would miss out on?
Paul would stay confined in Caesarea for the next two years. He was supported by local Christians and most likely, generous funds were collected in support of Paul. We read that Felix continued to meet with Paul in hopes Paul would bribe him. Once again, we see a possible way out for Paul, a temptation to simply pay money and once again be a free man. Paul didn’t take the bait, he offered something much greater than human wealth. For Governor Felix, his mind stayed fixed on the physical instead of what was truly important and eternal. For two years, Felix would not release or condemn Paul and for two years the governor continued to reject the message of the Bible which Paul continued to share with him. Felix was in the middle of battling two fears, the fear of God and his judgement, and the fear of man and his human judgment. In the end, Felix refused to release Paul, though he knew he was innocent of the charges. He did this for the same reason Pilate condemned Jesus while knowing of his innocence. They both acted out of the pure political advantage of wanting to do the Jewish leaders a favor. In a way, people like Felix and Pilate are the guiltiest of those who reject Jesus Christ. They know what is right but refuse to do right purely out of the fear of man. They have an eternally fatal lack of courage and resolve. We face a similar dilemma in our own lives. We often attempt to balance our fear of man and social pressure with our fear of God and knowledge that this life is not all there is. We set our temporary physical existence on the scale opposite eternity, and more often than not, we choose the temporal over the eternal. This happens every day, yet it does not have to. We don’t have to compromise what God has called us and equipped us for. God has already given us all we need in Jesus. He gives us the courage to live out a life which reflects a healthy fear of God instead of a fear of man.
Felix was a shrewd man, known to be cruel in his governance and prone to indulgent living. He would have listened to the deceptive flattery of Tertullus, the Jewish lawyer hired to prosecute Paul, with tongue in cheek. There was no real evidence given against Paul in the prosecution, only spiteful words and cloaked threats of how letting Paul go free would damage the relations between the occupied and their Roman overlords. Felix walked a middle ground, attempting to appease everyone so that his comfortable lifestyle could continue unchanged. He knew Paul was innocent, yet he did not want to identify himself with Paul’s gospel and these people known as Christians. He made no decision and kept Paul in custody. Felix was so intrigued by Paul that he brought his Jewish wife Drucilla to meet him. The boldness of Paul is put on display when he essentially preaches to the powerful couple on the topics of righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come. These are three topics many modern preachers would avoid speaking about, especially when addressing an influential figure like Felix. Knowing the couple’s background in immoral living, these were the points they probably needed most to hear. Paul was so effective that on hearing about the Judgment to come, Felix became afraid so much so that he stopped Paul from speaking anymore. Knowing something about his lifestyle, at least we can say that he probably understood what was being said to him and felt conviction over his indulgent and gratuitous lifestyle. The gospel, if anything, should make those who are intent on rejecting Jesus second guess that decision. It is guilt and conviction which often leads many to repentance. Not so for Felix. He put the conviction off and kicked the can further down the road. Many people express rejection of Christ and the gospel through delay. Not today, they say, maybe one day I will stop this life of sin and give my life to Jesus, but I just can’t right now. What would people think of me? What about all the fun I would miss out on?
Paul would stay confined in Caesarea for the next two years. He was supported by local Christians and most likely, generous funds were collected in support of Paul. We read that Felix continued to meet with Paul in hopes Paul would bribe him. Once again, we see a possible way out for Paul, a temptation to simply pay money and once again be a free man. Paul didn’t take the bait, he offered something much greater than human wealth. For Governor Felix, his mind stayed fixed on the physical instead of what was truly important and eternal. For two years, Felix would not release or condemn Paul and for two years the governor continued to reject the message of the Bible which Paul continued to share with him. Felix was in the middle of battling two fears, the fear of God and his judgement, and the fear of man and his human judgment. In the end, Felix refused to release Paul, though he knew he was innocent of the charges. He did this for the same reason Pilate condemned Jesus while knowing of his innocence. They both acted out of the pure political advantage of wanting to do the Jewish leaders a favor. In a way, people like Felix and Pilate are the guiltiest of those who reject Jesus Christ. They know what is right but refuse to do right purely out of the fear of man. They have an eternally fatal lack of courage and resolve. We face a similar dilemma in our own lives. We often attempt to balance our fear of man and social pressure with our fear of God and knowledge that this life is not all there is. We set our temporary physical existence on the scale opposite eternity, and more often than not, we choose the temporal over the eternal. This happens every day, yet it does not have to. We don’t have to compromise what God has called us and equipped us for. God has already given us all we need in Jesus. He gives us the courage to live out a life which reflects a healthy fear of God instead of a fear of man.
