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Acts 24:1-9  PAUL FALSELY ACCUSED BEFORE GOVERNOR FELIX 

Introduction:

	In our previous text forty men made a vow that they would neither eat nor 
drink until they killed the Apostle Paul.  Paul had been a prisoner of the Roman  
army at Jerusalem and when the chief captain learned of the plot to kill Paul, 
he sent him by night to the city of Caesarea for a hearing before Governor 
Felix.   He the members of the Sanhedrin Council that if they wanted to bring 
charges against Paul they would have to go to Caesarea to do it.     	
	In  our text today a group of Jews arrive at Caesarea from Jerusalem to 
bring  charges against Paul.  So Paul is brought before Felix for a hearing 
where the charges will be heard and he will be given an opportunity to defend 
himself.  I will not deal with Paul’s defense in this message, but will confine 
my remarks to the charges which are brought against Paul.    

I.  The men who came to place charges against Paul 

	V. 1, “And after five days Ananias the high priest descended with the 
elders...”  It is of special interest for us to note that Luke does not tell us 
what happened to the forty men who had made the vow not to eat nor drink until 
they had killed Paul.  I feel sure of one thing.  I feel sure that by the time 
those five days had passed they figured out that they made a bad in making that 
vow.  I strongly suspect that not one of them kept his vow.  I suspect that they 
all broke it.  
	Luke does tell us that the chief priest and some of the members of the 
Sanhedrin Council did not waste time in getting to Caesarea and bringing charges 
against Paul.  They quickly got a group of men together which would make the 
trip to Caesarea and bring charges against Paul before the Roman governor, 
Felix.  To get a delegation together, have a meeting to plan their strategy and 
then travel to Caesarea all within a five day period meant that they did a rush 
job.  This was top priority for them.  
	The fact that the high priest, himself, headed up this delegation showed 
that they were very serious about bringing getting a conviction.  They hoped 
that his presence would influence the governor to issue a verdict that would be 
favorable to them. 
	 Luke does not tell us how many accompanied the high priest nor does he 
tell us who they were.  It is most likely that there was a sizable number.  The 
larger the number the greater the impression that would be made on Governor 
Felix that their cause was just.  As to who the men were, it is most likely that 
all of them held membership on the Sanhedrin Council..  These were men who were 
looked upon by the public as being of the highest religious rank in all of 
Israel.  This, too, was calculated to influence Governor Felix to rule in their 
favor and convict Paul severe punishment.  They hoped to persuade Felix to give 
Paul the death penalty.      

II.  The lawyer whom they hired

	(V. 1), “...and [with] a certain orator [named] Tertullus, who informed 
the governor against Paul.”  The name, Tertullus, was a Roman name indicating 
that Tertullus, himself, was not a Jew, but was a Roman.  He is said to be an 
“orator.”  That is, he was a speaker.  He was a professional speaker.  He was a 
speaker who was for hire.  He specialized in speaking before the court.  Today 
we would call such a man “a lawyer.”  The Jews thought that it would be to their 
advantage to hire a lawyer who was familiar with procedure in a Roman court.  
Thus, they did not spare the expense in their effort to get a conviction against 
Paul in the Roman court.  I am sure that they hired the most skilled lawyer they 
could find to present their case against the Apostle Paul.  They hired a man who 
was not interested in whether or not Paul was guilty of any crime.  All he was 
interested in was getting Paul convicted and getting a fat fee for his efforts.  
I certainly would not want to infer that all lawyers today fit that description, 
but I am afraid that all too many of them do.       
	V. 2, “And when he was called forth, Tertullus began to accuse [him], 
saying, Seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy deeds 
are done unto this nation by thy providence.”  We should understand that Paul’s 
case would not be heard by a jury.  Tertullus did not have the task of 
convincing a group of men.  Governor Felix was both judge and jury.  He was the 
only man whom Tertullus had to try and influence.  So Tertullus wasted no time 
in trying to impress Felix.  He started out with  flattery.  He was careful not 
to present the flattery as coming from himself.  He carefully worded his 
flattering remarks so that they would appear to come from the high priest and 
from the men who accompanied the high priest.  Tertullus said, “...by thee we 
enjoy great quietness...”  Thus he stated that his clients were appreciative of 
Felix for the peace and quietness he had brought to the land.  He wanted to give 
the impression that his clients had great respect and admiration for Felix 
because he had brought great peace and quietness to  the land.  
	He, of course, was lying about their admiration and respect for Felix.  
They hated him and according to the Jewish historian, Josephus, they would show 
their hatred for him by going Rome and bringing charges against him to the 
Caesar.  
	It is true that the land at that time did have great quietness because of 
Felix, but Felix deserved no praise for it.  They had peace because Felix had 
brutally punished all Jews who openly spoke against Rome or Roman rule in the 
land.  He had crushed all Jewish opposition with an iron hand.  
	Tertullus continued with his flattery before presenting any charges 
against Paul.  V. 3, “We accept [it] always, and in all places, most noble 
Felix, with all thankfulness.”   
Now I doubt that Felix was fooled by this flattery, but he probably was pleased 
to get it.  There may be times when someone flatters us and we may know that it 
is flattery, but we usually like to hear it any way.  So I feel sure that Felix 
liked this flattery even though he knew that it was not spoken in sincerity.     
	Tertullus continued:  V. 4, “Notwithstanding, that I be not further 
tedious unto thee, I pray thee that thou wouldest hear us of thy clemency a few 
words.”  Here Tertullus shows shrewdness by promising Governor Felix that he and 
his clients would not take much of his time.  They would not tire his patience 
with a long drawn-out presentation.  They would make it short.  
	I am sure that his clients were hoping that Felix would also make his part 
of the trial short.  They wanted Felix to make a quick decision after hearing 
their lawyer without requiring them having to present witnesses to testify 
against Paul.  They did not have any witnesses who could speak truthfully 
against Paul and they were afraid that any witnesses they might present could 
not speak convincingly against Paul.  They knew that their best chance of 
getting a conviction was to let their lawyer do all  -- or at least most  -- of 
the speaking for them.  Tertullus would not speak truthfully, but he would speak 
convincingly.  So they hoped that Felix would rule quickly without having to 
present any witnesses at all.  

III.  The charges which they made against Paul

	Now comes the first charge against Paul.  V. 5, “For we have found this 
man [a] pestilent [fellow]...”  To put this charge in our own words, they said 
that Paul is a trouble maker.  Now what kind of charge is that to present to a 
court?  It does not actually accuse Paul of any specific deed.  If he is a 
trouble maker, what kind of trouble did he make?  Where did he make trouble?  
When did he make trouble?  Who did he harm by the trouble that he made?  Who did 
he attack or slander?  What specific trouble did he make?  You can see that this 
charge was too vague.  No specific charge was made.      
	In this same verse comes the second charge.  (V. 5), “...and a mover of 
sedition among all the Jews throughout the world...”  This charge has the sound 
of being more specific, but it is not.  The word, sedition, speaks of 
revolutionary activity.  But if Paul was guilty of revolutionary activity, what 
specific deed of revolutionary activity is he accused of doing?  Did he stir up 
Jews against the Roman government?  Did he go among Jews in all of the places 
where he did mission work and stir up Jews against the Roman government?  If he 
had, you can bet that  the Roman Governor Felix would have already heard about 
it.  Or is he merely being accused of disagreeing with Jewish leaders in matters 
of religion.  If that is it, then Paul is certainly not alone.  The high priest 
was a Sadducee and all of the Pharisees were guilty of disagreeing with the high 
priest on several religious matters.  In fact the majority of the people in 
Israel disagreed with the Sadducees.  The Sadducees were in the seat of 
leadership on the Sanhedrin, but they were not in the majority.  If their 
complaints were over religious differences the Roman government had already 
spoken.  They would not rule in such cases.  
	But regardless of what kind of sedition Paul was accused of doing --- when 
and where did he do it?  And what specifically did he do?  Again they really 
made no specific accusation against Paul.  
	The third accusation against Paul was also made in this verse.  (V. 5), 
“...and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.”  The word “ringleader”  was 
designed to draw up in the mind of Felix a misleading picture of Paul.  It was 
also designed to draw up a misleading picture of all Christians.  Paul was, 
indeed, a noted leader among Christians of that day.  But the Christians were a 
peaceful, law abiding people.  But the impression that Tertullus tried to leave 
was that Christians were a rebellious lawless group of people making trouble 
wherever they were found and that Paul, as one of their leaders, must be made an 
example by a severe sentence from Felix.  
	Tertullus then took advantage of the bad reputation of the city of 
Nazareth in which Jesus grew up.  It had such a bad reputation that when Philip 
told Nathaniel that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, Nathaniel asked, “Can any 
good thing come out of Nazareth?”   When he told Felix that Paul was the 
ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes he sought to portray Paul and all 
Christians as being members of some kind of radical underground movement which 
was bent on harm to all others.  He sought to convince Felix that Paul was a 
scoundrel and that he was a leader of a bunch of no-good scoundrels.    
	Then comes the fourth charge against Paul.  V. 6, “Who also hath gone 
about to profane the temple...”  This, of course, was a blatant lie.  It is true 
that someone in the crowd at the temple had accused Paul of having profaned the 
temple by bringing a Gentile into it, but it was a lie.  It was a lie back then 
and it was a lie now before Felix.  If the accusation had been true there would 
have been many witnesses and Paul’s accusers would surely have brought one or 
more of those witnesses to Caesarea.  But they had no witness because it never 
happened.  All they had was an accusation and that was a lie.  

IV.  The false charges made even against the Roman chief captain at Jerusalem

	Then Tertullus told another lie.  To be more specific, the Jewish leaders 
told the lie to Tertullus and Tertullus told the lie to Felix.   Therefore, the 
Jewish leaders told the lie to Felix through their lawyer.  It is not a lie 
directly against Paul, but it is a lie that was calculated to hurt Paul’s 
chances of a fair verdict before Felix.  (V. 6), “...whom we took, and would 
have judged according to our law.”  The truth is that Paul’s accusers at the 
temple made no effort to bring him before the Jewish court for trial.  Instead, 
they sought to beat him to death.  They were in the process of doing just that 
when the Roman chief captain and his soldiers had come to Paul’s rescue.  
	But the Jewish leaders did not want Felix to know the truth.  So they made 
up a lie about the chief captain.  V. 7, “But the chief captain Lysias came 
[upon us], and with great violence took [him] away out of our hands.”  They said 
that the chief captain took Paul away from the Jewish Sanhedrin Court which was 
attempting to give him a legal trial.  They said that he then required of them 
to come all this distance to Caesarea in order to get justice.  V. 8, 
“Commanding his accusers to come unto thee...
	Through Tertullus, the Jews imply that they hope that Felix will give due 
consideration to the charges which they have made against Paul and bring justice 
to their cause.  If he would bring swift punishment to Paul it would make their 
long trip worthwhile.  (V. 9), “...by examining of whom thyself mayest take 
knowledge of all these things, whereof we accuse him.”  
	Tertullus then called no eyewitness to support any of his claims.  But it 
must have been upon a cue from him that all of the Jews who accompanied him 
spoke up and gave verbal assent to what he had said.  V. 9, “And the Jews also 
assented, saying that these things were so.”  That is, the Jews who were with 
the chief priest were in agreement with all that Tertullus had said in their 
behalf.  Let me point out to you that not one of them stated to Felix that he 
had witnessed Paul committing anything wrong.  Not one of them verified to Felix 
that Paul was guilty of any of the accusations.  All they did was to verify that 
these were the charges which they now presented to the court.  

V.  What this has to do with us

	We may ask ourselves, “What does all of this have to do with us?”  The 
answer is that it has a great deal to do with us.  First of all, let us see what 
this has to do with God’s desire for the gospel message to be carried to lost 
souls.  The Lord wanted somebody to bring the gospel message to Governor Felix.  
The Apostle Paul had been called by the Lord to carry the gospel to the lost.  
He was called especially to the work of carrying the gospel message to Gentiles 
who were lost in sin.  God was interested in carrying the message to Governor 
Felix.  But if Paul had come knocking on his door and had said, “God sent me 
here to witness to you about Jesus Christ and tell you how to stay out of the 
fires of hell, Felix would have thought he was some kind of kook and would not 
likely have even let him enter his door.  But since Felix was the Governor of 
Judea and since the Apostle Paul was being brought before him as a prisoner, 
there was no excuse for not listening what Paul had to say.  In our next text 
Felix is going to call upon Paul and give him an opportunity to speak and he is 
going to listen intently to what Paul has to say.  So far as I know Felix never 
trusted in Jesus and never got saved.  But there is one thing I do know; I know 
that he had a great opportunity to do so because one of the best soul-winners of 
all the ages witnessed to him about Jesus Christ. 
	 Even so the troubles which us Christians face in our own lives give us 
opportunities to witness for Jesus and these are often opportunities that we 
would never have had if we never had any trouble in life.  
	I know also that the Apostle Paul loved the Lord and wanted to work for 
the Lord.  Paul wanted to be used of God.  He wanted to count for the cause of 
Christ.  He wanted to win lost souls and he wanted strengthen Christians who 
were already saved.  But his greatest opportunities to be of service to the Lord 
he loved came through the trials and afflictions which he endured.  I have often 
seen it so in our day.  I have often seen that the Christian who was most 
effective in living for Jesus and bringing honor and glory to Him has been the 
Christian who had some kind of suffering in this life.  It sometimes is a 
physical ailment and suffering that one endures.  Sometimes it is suffering some 
kind of unfair treatment from somebody else.  Sometimes it is outright 
persecution from those who do not know the Lord.  But time and again it has 
proven to be the Christian who has a hard time in life.  
	I know also that the Apostle Paul is an example of one whom the Lord never 
deserted even though he endured great hardships.  When Paul was beaten by the 
mob in Jerusalem he was never really in danger of being killed even though the 
people in the mob intended to beat him to death.  When forty men got together 
and plotted to lay in wait for Paul and kill him, even when they swore that they 
would neither eat nor drink until they had killed him, Paul was never in danger 
of being killed by them.  When the Jewish high priest and numerous men of the 
Sanhedrin Council hired the best lawyer they could get and traveled to Caesarea 
fully intending to see Paul sentenced to death, Paul was never in any danger 
that he would be put to death by the Roman Governor Felix.  God fully intended 
to get Paul to the city of Rome because He still had work for him to do there.  
In fact, God had work for Paul to do all along the route to Rome.  Paul would 
never be in danger of losing his life until the Lord was through with him here 
in this life and the same thing is through with us.  Terrorists may take over 
more planes, they may fly into more buildings, they may send anthrax and God 
only knows whatever else in the way of bacterial warfare upon our nation.  The 
middle-east crisis between the Palestinians and Israel may erupt into another 
world war.  The Anti-Christ may even rise to power and persecute us severely.  
Earthquakes may come and shake this old earth as it has never been shaken 
before.  Volcanoes may blow their venom into the air so that it pollutes the air 
around the globe, but until God gets through with a Christian there is no way in 
the world that he will be killed.  There is no way in the world that he will 
die.  He will die only when God is through with him in this world.  
	There is another thing that we need to keep in mind.  There will be 
rewards for service which the child of God renders to Jesus.  I strongly suspect 
that there will be greater rewards for those who serve the Lord under difficult 
circumstances.  If one only serves the Lord when it requires little effort and 
little sacrifice then I suspect that his reward will be little.  But for those 
who serve the Lord under stress and hardship, great will be their reward in 
heaven.  
	This passage of Scripture should be a great encouragement to all of us who 
are saved.  It should encourage us to do more for the Lord.  It should encourage 
us to be willing to sacrifice and to suffer for the Lord.  It should challenge 
us to never be discouraged in our service to the Lord no matter how bad things 
look.  It should encourage us to just keep on serving the Lord and leave it up 
to Him to take care of us until He is through with us here on this earth.  It 
should encourage us to know that when our time is up that we will be going out 
to a better world.  
	This passage of Scripture should also sound out a warning to those who are 
unsaved.  Whatever trouble Paul would face in this life that would not affect 
his eternal destiny.  He had trusted Jesus as his Savior and he was on his way 
to heaven.  But the one who has never trusted Jesus to be his Savior is on the 
road to hell.  In his life here on earth he will face problems, troubles, pains 
and heartaches and then when his life is over he will go into the everlasting 
fires of torment.  That ought to sound out a warning to him and encourage him to 
turn to God for mercy and trust Jesus Christ to save his soul.