135 Acts 24:27-25:12 PAULS HEARING BEFORE FESTUS Introduction: In an earlier text the Apostle Paul was brought to trial at Caesarea before Governor Felix. In that hearing Paul was neither found guilty of the charges placed against him by the Jewish leaders nor was he found innocent and set free. Rather he was detained under the pretext that Felix wanted more information before reaching a decision. However, Felix was not really interested in getting more information about the case. What he wanted was for Paul to offer him a bribe so that he would set Paul free. In our most recent text Drusilla, the wife of Felix, persuaded Felix to call Paul in for another hearing so that she could learn more about Jesus and the Christian movement. She was not interested in becoming a Christian, but she was curious about Jesus, whom she had already much about. In that hearing Paul would not be on trial. Drusilla just wanted to satisfy her curiosity about Jesus and about Christian beliefs and practices. So Felix had called for Paul to tell himself and Drusilla about Christianity. In that hearing Paul told Felix and Drusilla about Jesus and he reasoned with them about righteousness, temperance and judgment to come. He reminded them that one day they would both stand before God in judgment. He must have told them that the only way for a guilty sinner to be prepared for judgment is to repent of sin and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. Paul’s testimony was so convincing that Felix trembled and stated that at some more convenient time he would call for Paul again, indicating that at that time he, too, would become a Christian. According to verse 26 Felix did call for Paul again, but not in order to become a Christian. Rather, he repeatedly called for Paul and each time that he did so he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe in order to get him to set Paul free. Felix was more interested in getting money than he was in getting saved. A lot of people today have the same attitude. They are a lot more interested in getting another dollar than they are in going to heaven. In or text we learn that after a lengthy imprisonment for Paul, Governor Felix was replaced by Porcius Festus and Paul would be called in for a hearing before Festus. I. Paul’s two years of imprisonment while Felix was still governor 24:27, “But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix' room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound.” For two years Felix kept up the charade of pretense calling Paul in for a hearing, but never attempting to settle Paul’s case. This must have been a very disheartening experience for Paul. It was a test of his faith. He had been told by the Lord that he would go to Rome to testify for the Lord there. But how could he go to Rome when he was locked up in prison in Caesarea? To make matters worse, Felix had decided not only to keep Paul locked up, but to keep him bound. In addition to being locked within the prison walls, Paul’s hands and feet were bound. This not only brought him much physical discomfort, but it brought him much mental anguish. For two years the Apostle Paul was left bound within his prison cell in this torturous fashion. Now note the reason for leaving Paul bound. It was not that Felix was afraid that Paul might make an attempt to escape. Neither was it because Paul was a threat to other prisoners. It was in order to please the Jewish leaders. I suspect that he was not only trying to get Paul to offer him a bribe to set him free, but that he was also trying to get the Jewish leaders to offer him a bribe to pronounce Paul guilty and put him to death. It appears that if they had ever made such an offer he would have taken their bribe, pronounced Paul guilty and put him to death. So under Felix this man of God suffered two years of unnecessary torturous imprisonment. He should have been tried and set free. It is entirely possible that if Felix had remained as governor of Judea that he would have never called another trial for Paul, but would have left him in prison. However, after two years of being bound, awaiting his trial, another was appointed by the Roman Caesar to take the place of Felix as governor of Judea. Josephus said that it was those same Jewish leaders who had hired Tertullus to speak such high words of praise of Felix at the trial of Paul who went to Rome and made complaints to the Caesar about the extreme cruelty of Felix which caused the Caesar to replace Felix. It is likely that they hired the same lawyer to voice their complaints to Caesar about Felix that they had hired to praise him at the trial of Paul. But after two years of keeping Paul bound and repeatedly calling him in hoping to get an offer for a bribe, Felix himself was moved from office as governor of Judea and Porcius Festus was sent to Caesarea to take his place. II. Festus, the new governor in Judea 25:1, “Now when Festus was come into the province, after three days he ascended from Caesarea to Jerusalem.” Once Festus became governor in place of Felix, he moved quickly to assume the reins of government over Judea. This would bring about a more productive hearing for Paul under the new governor. After only three days in Caesarea where his office was located Festus went to Jerusalem, where the Jewish temple was located, where the leaders of the Jewish people were located. The high priest lived and the seventy members of the Jewish Sanhedrin Council lived there and held their meetings there. While his own office would be in Caesarea the leaders of the people over whom he would rule were in Jerusalem. So Festus very quickly made the up-hill journey to Jerusalem to meet with the Jewish leadership. 25:2-3, “Then the high priest and the chief of the Jews informed him against Paul, and besought him, And desired favour against him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem, laying wait in the way to kill him.” The Jewish leaders wasted no time in speaking to the new governor against Paul. They requested that Festus send to Caesarea and have Paul brought to Jerusalem to stand trial. They, of course, did not tell Festus what their real plans were. They intended to have someone lay in wait and ambush Paul and kill him before he ever reached Jerusalem to stand trial. 25:4-5, “But Festus answered, that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself would depart shortly [thither]. Let them therefore, said he, which among you are able, go down with [me], and accuse this man, if there be any wickedness in him.” But Festus was not at all inclined to send to Caesarea and have Paul brought to Jerusalem for trial. It is not likely that he had any suspicions that they intended to ambush Paul and murder him. But rather, he had not intended to stay in Jerusalem long enough to do have Paul’s trial and do the other things that he wanted to do before leaving and returning back to Caesarea. Having the trial at Caesarea would consume the time that it would take to send back the message to Caesarea plus the time it would take to bring Paul back to Jerusalem. This plus the time that would be consumed in doing the other things he planned to do in Jerusalem would require him to stay in Jerusalem longer than he wished to stay. He was anxious to get back to his office and assume his duties as the new governor of the land. Besides that, records showed that Paul was a Roman citizen and he had been brought from Jerusalem to Caesarea for trial. He would not favor placing an unnecessary burden of travel on a Roman citizen in order to have his trial. It would make more sense to him to place the burden of travel on those who were not Roman citizens. Rather Festus instructed them to accompany him back to Caesarea and he promised that he would hear their charges against Paul and inferred that if he found their evidence sufficient that he would punish Paul accordingly. III. Charges made against Paul in a hearing before Festus 25:6, “And when he had tarried among them more than ten days, he went down unto Caesarea; and the next day sitting on the judgment seat commanded Paul to be brought.” It is worthy of note that some of the older manuscripts read that he did not tarry among them more than eight or ten days and most of the modern versions of the Bible carry that translation for this verse. Thus his visit in Jerusalem was short as he had told the Jewish leaders that it would be. 25:7, “And when he was come, the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove.” A number of the Jewish leaders did accompany Festus back to Caesarea as he had invited them to do. Luke does not tell us if the high priest was with them has he had been in the trial before Felix. Luke does tell us that they presented many complaints against Paul and that those complaints were all of a very serious nature, but he does not tell us what they were. We can only presume that they were very similar to the ones presented to Felix. Neither does Luke tell us if the Jewish leaders hired Tertullus or some other lawyer to be their spokesman before Festus and they had done before Felix. If they did not hire a spokesman to present their case then we can be sure that they had some skilled speaker of their own group to do the speaking. Luke does tell us that they did not prove any of the charges which they made against Paul. In the case which they had earlier made before Felix they had brought charges but had brought no witnesses in an effort to prove that the charges were true. It would appear that they followed the same course of action in this hearing before Festus. It appears that since they had no witnesses who could speak truthfully and verify that the charges were true that they just depended upon the skill of their spokesman, whoever he might have been, to convince Festus that the false charges which they presented were unquestionably true. IV. Paul’s defense before Festus 25:8, “While he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all.” Paul’s response to their charges verifies that the charges brought against him in this hearing were about the same as they had been in the previous hearing before Felix. He pleaded “Not guilty” to all of the charges. To be more specific he said that he was not guilty of doing or saying anything against the Law of Moses. He said that he was not guilty of polluting the temple nor of even attempting to pollute the temple. He said that he was not guilty of doing or saying anything against Caesar or the Roman government which represented Caesar. It is to be presumed that all of the many things which the Jews said against him fell within one or more of those three categories. Thus, they had charged him of speaking against the law of Moses, of polluting or at least seeking to pollute the temple and of speaking or acting in some way which would be considered treason to Caesar. It also to be presumed that Paul spoke in great detail citing things which would substantiate that he was not guilty of the things of which he was charged. V. The proposal which Festus made Now stop and consider the situation. Many unproved charges had been against Paul. Not one of the charges had been substantiated by witnesses. No evidence had been presented to the court to show that he was guilty. The only just verdict that could possibly be rendered by the court would be “Not guilty” on the basis of lack of evidence that the charges were true. However, that is not the verdict that Festus rendered. Neither did he render a verdict of “Guilty.” Instead he proposed a new court hearing and that the new hearing be held back at Jerusalem. V. 25:9, “But Festus, willing to do the Jews a pleasure, answered Paul, and said, Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these things before me?” Now here is a strange twist. Festus had already turned down the request of the Jewish leaders that he send for Paul and that Paul’s case be heard in Jerusalem. Now, he himself proposes the very same thing. He proposes that Paul go to Jerusalem and that he, too, will go back to Jerusalem and that the trial take place at Jerusalem. Since Festus was not willing to hear the case at Jerusalem when he was back there in Jerusalem, why was he willing to turn around and make that trip back to Jerusalem just to hold the trial in Jerusalem? Luke gives us at least a part of the answer to that question. Luke said that it was because he was willing to do the Jews a favor. Aha! They got to him. How did they persuade him that he should take Paul back to Jerusalem for the trial? Luke does not tell us how they got to him, but we can read between the lines. They either threatened him or else the bribed him or perhaps both. If he did not take Paul to Jerusalem for the trial they could make trouble for him with the Caesar as they had done with Felix. On the other hand if he did move the trial back to Jerusalem they could and would make it worth his while in money. Luke does not tell us this, but this is the only possible answer as to why Festus is now willing to go back to Jerusalem and hear the case. V. Paul’s response to the proposition of Festus Before we get to Paul’s response, perhaps you may wonder why would Festus have to ask Paul if he was willing to go back to Jerusalem for the trial. The answer is that Paul was a Roman citizen. He could not require Paul to go back to Jerusalem without Paul’s consent. Paul’s Roman citizenship provided Paul with a lot of influence before the Roman court. Now to Paul’s answer: V. 10-11, “Then said Paul, I stand at Caesar's judgment seat, where I ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well knowest. For if I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if there be none of these things whereof these accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto Caesar.” Paul responded that he had done no wrong toward the Jews who sought his death. Further, he said that Festus very well knew that he had done those Jews no wrong. In essence he publicly accused Festus of being dishonest by failing to release him when Festus knew beyond any reasonable doubt that he was not guilty. But Paul knew that his Roman citizenship gave him the edge. He appealed his case to be heard by the Roman Caesar himself. He said, “I appeal unto Caesar.” This meant that God had been right all along. He would yet go to Rome and preach the gospel there. V. 12, “Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, Hast thou appealed unto Caesar? unto Caesar shalt thou go.” VI. Some quick lessons There are actually a lot of valuable lessons from this passage of Scripture. Let me mention just two. Let us Christians learn to trust God to take care of us under all circumstances. Now do expect that just because you are saved that God will not allow you to suffer. If you do wrong God will allow you to suffer the consequences for your sin. If you do wrong God will even cause you to suffer for your sin. God chastises every child that He has. God will even allow His saved people to unjustly suffer at the hands of unjust men. Jesus suffered unjustly and He warned us in the Scripture that those who life godly will suffer persecution at the hands of ungodly men. But Jesus has also promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Jesus allowed Paul to suffer for Him, but Jesus never forsook Paul. The Lord had already prepared a way whereby Paul would be delivered from the hands of the wicked Jewish leaders so that he could go to Rome where Jesus wanted him to go. Listen, my Christian friends, never fear. Jesus is near. He is always near. And if the Lord God of heaven and earth be for you who can succeed in his efforts against you. Even when it seems that there is no hope. Even when it seems that it is impossible for you to survive, yet you can do more than survive. You can succeed. You can have the victory. Never fear. Jesus is near. A second lesson which I would call to your attention is to the unsaved. Governor Felix had a great opportunity to be saved. He heard Paul testify of Jesus the Savior. He was convicted of his own guilt of sin. He trembled to think of standing before God in judgment with his sins unforgiven. But Felix was more condemned about money than he was about his soul. Felix wasted his best opportunity to get saved. He apparently wasted all of his opportunities to get saved. The great majority of people who know that they are lost and on the road to hell waste away their opportunities to call on Jesus and get saved. They die and go out of this world into the everlasting fires of torment. But you do not have to do that. You can turn to Jesus today and call upon and ask Jesus to save your soul. You can trust Jesus now here in this auditorium. : Conclusion: I am going to ask the music directors to come forward at this time and lead this congregation in the singing of a hymn. I am going to ask this congregation to stand and to sing the hymn. I am going to ask that you who are not prepared to face God in judgment come forward now and call upon the Lord to save your soul. I am going to ask that Christians who need to come forward to present yourself to this church for membership to also come forward and let your desire be known. Who will be the first to step out? Who will lead the way? Who will come?