Acts 25 & 26

Acts 25 Festus therefore, having come into the province, after three days went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. 2And the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews informed him against Paul; and they besought him, 3asking a favor against him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem; laying a plot to kill him on the way. 4Howbeit Festus answered, that Paul was kept in charge at Caesarea, and that he himself was about to depart thither shortly. 5Let them therefore, saith he, that are of power among you go down with me, and if there is anything amiss in the man, let them accuse him.

Another Assassination Plot

Festus wastes no time in visiting Jerusalem, the center of religious and political life in the territory of his newly acquired office. Festus offers no motive for the visit. Historically, it makes sense that Festus would seek to establish a relationship with the ruling elite of the Jews.

Not only did Festus inherit Felix’s political problems, he also inherited his most celebrated prisoner. Hoping to capitalize on Festus’s inexperience and desire to placate them, they were repeatedly urging him, requesting a concession against Paul.
Porcius Festus assumed the office of governor c. AD 60 and ruled until c. AD 62.

While in Jerusalem, the “chief priests and the leaders of the Jews,” likely a reference to the Sanhedrin, give Festus “a report against Paul”. Two years have passed, a new chief priest has now come to power: Ishmael, who had been recently appointed by Agrippa II.

Festus refuses to grant the Sanhedrin’s request, stating that Paul would continue to be held in Caesarea, to which Festus would be returning soon. He does state that these authorities were free to travel and to bring accusations against Paul there.
Festus asks Paul if he wants to go to Jerusalem to be tried before him on these charges. All this was motivated by his desire “to do the Jews a favor”.

Paul might think that it would not be in his best interest to press the governor to continue the case in Caesarea, which could possibly result in his acquittal, given that Paul realized that the charges against him were unfounded. As C. K. Barrett states, “Paul had as much to fear from acquittal as condemnation. Released from custody in Caesarea with no Roman soldiery at hand to protect him he would have been an easy victim to the assassin’s knife.”

Paul for any number of reasons, declines Festus’s “offer” and appeals to the emperor.

Paul declares that this is the appropriate venue for his trial, implying that no other venue, that is, the Sanhedrin, is appropriate. Paul has been charged with crimes against Rome—it is to Rome that he should answer. There is no good reason for him to be tried before any Jewish authority, for Paul has committed no crime against the Jews—a fact of which, Paul claims, Festus is well aware

Paul reasserts that if there is no basis for the charges of the Jews against him, “no one including Festus! can turn me over to them.”

The Accusations Toward Paul

25:7And when he was come, the Jews that had come down from Jerusalem stood round about him, bringing against him many and grievous charges which they could not prove; 8while Paul said in his defense, Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar, have I sinned at all

The many serious charges they brought were the same ones (sedition, sectarianism, and sacrilege, cf. 24:5–6) that they had been unable to prove two years earlier before Felix. Those unsubstantiated charges were no more likely to convince Festus than they had Felix.

The Absence of Proof

Festus, unlike Felix, did not sweep the problem under the rug. Seeking a way out of his dilemma, he proposed a compromise. Wishing to do the Jews a favor, Festus asked Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me on these charges?”

To the inexperienced Festus, that no doubt seemed like an acceptable compromise. But Paul knew the Jewish leaders far better than he did. The “compromise” actually gave them everything they wanted. The members of the Sanhedrin did not care who presided over Paul’s trial—they never intended there to be one. They planned to murder him on the way to Jerusalem (v. 3).

Persecution of Christians by false religion is always based on two premises: it is based on false accusations, and it is for Christ’s sake. Believers are to live blameless lives and so reveal their critics’ accusations to be false

Remember vile king Ahab of Samaria wanted the lovely vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. And he refused, he was refused that vineyard. And he told his wicked wife, Jezebel, so she designed a plan to get the vineyard that Naboth had. They would have a special palace feast and they would invite Naboth to be the guest of honor and they would seat next to Naboth, two evil men and in the middle of the feast in his honor, these evil men would stand up and accuse Naboth of cursing God and cursing the king. And then immediately everybody would be in horror about his blasphemy, they would pounce on him and kill him. And that is exactly what they did. Killed by a lie. The evil slander resulted in the murder of Naboth. It resulted in the devastation of Ahab and his house by God. It resulted in the death of Jezebel whose body was eaten by mongrel dogs in the street … all because of a lie.

And you remember the poisonous tongue of Haman was to be the Satanic tool for the extermination of the Jews by the Medo-Persians in the book of Esther. And God saved them through Mordecai and Esther. And Haman who plotted it all with his evil tongue was hanged on the gallows he had made for the Jews.

Many people have died because of the deadly poison of the tongue. Even our own Lord. Fiery tongued haters of the gospel secretly induced men

The binding power of sin.

Although he had been out of the mainstream, incarcerated at Caesarea for two years, the Sanhedrin’s hatred of Paul had not abated. “Truly, truly, I say to you,” Jesus said in John 8:34, “everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin 2 Peter
2:19, “By what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.” The Jewish leaders were enslaved by their venomous hatred of Paul, an innocent man.

This reveals the sovereignty of God in human affairs. The Sanhedrin’s request to bring Paul to Jerusalem to stand trial seemed innocent enough. But God providentially intervened to protect His servant.

Appealing to Caesar

Festus had no option but to grant Paul’s appeal.
Paul immediately rejected Festus’s compromise. Since, as governor, Festus was the emperor’s representative, Paul could rightly claim, I am standing before Caesar’s tribunal. As a Roman citizen, that was where he ought to be tried; there was no reason to go to Jerusalem. The reference to Caesar’s tribunal also served as a subtle reminder to Festus of his duty as the emperor’s official agent.

Meeting Agrippa and Bernice, 25:13–27

Acts 26:13Now when certain days were passed, Agrippa the King and Bernice arrived at Caesarea, and saluted Festus. 14And as they tarried there many days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the King, saying, There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix;

Agrippa

Marcus Julius Agrippa was born in AD 27 or 28, the son of Agrippa I (referred to as King Herod in Acts 12). around the mid-50s, he was given rule over limited areas of Galilee and Peraea. Agrippa also had appointive powers for the office of high priest. Though, as a Jew, Agrippa was sensitive to Jewish concerns, he was unswervingly loyal to Rome
Agrippa’s private life was scandalous; Bernice was not only his consort but also his sister. (Their sister, Drusilla, was the wife of the former governor, Felix.) Their incestuous relationship was the subject of gossip in Rome (where Agrippa had grown up).

Festus reports straightforwardly that Paul had been imprisoned under Felix and portrays himself as behaving according to the best standards of Roman justice, flatly denying the Sanhedrin’s request, to move Paul, all in the interest of proper jurisprudence.

Festus, as a Roman governor, might very well consider these matters “superstition.” But he knows that he is speaking to a Jewish leader who would consider these matters to be of a legitimately religious nature

Festus adds another detail, he states that the charges concerned not only matters of “their own religion,” but also matters about Jesus, a man who had died, but whom Paul claimed to be alive.

Festus puts the best spin on it that he can before Agrippa: it would make him appear vacillating and, perhaps, weak to admit that what prompted him was the desire to grant a favor to the Sanhedrin body.

Festus implies that Paul is at least partially responsible for the current situation, for it was Paul who appealed to the emperor (v. 21).

Agrippa’s request to hear Paul for himself.

Paul Shares His Testimony

Acts 26: 23 sets an elaborate stage, describing the grand entrance of Agrippa and Bernice into the “audience hall.” Attending the session, as well, are all the leading persons of the city. This hearing is not before the bēma, but in the “audience hall” or “auditorium.” The setting is almost surreal—why do all the leading military officers and residents of Caesarea need to be there? There is a sense that Paul’s hearing is as much a form of entertainment for the idle aristocracy as a legal proceeding.

Festus turned Paul’s hearing into an occasion to honor Agrippa. Accordingly, Agrippa and Bernice were accompanied by the commanders (the five tribunes commanding the five cohorts stationed at Caesarea) and the prominent men of the city.

The spectacle must have been breathtaking. Agrippa would have been decked out in all the trappings of royalty, including a purple robe, golden crown, rings, and perhaps a scepter. Bernice, though not technically Agrippa’s queen, would have been similarly attired. The five tribunes would have been wearing their full-dress uniforms, the prominent men of the city wearing their finest clothes. An immaculately dressed honor guard of soldiers undoubtedly escorted the dignitaries into the auditorium.

When everyone was seated, Festus gave the command, and Paul was brought in. The contrast could not have been more striking. Into the midst of the assembly hall, crowded with the most important people in Caesarea, walked a Jew who has been described as short, bald, and physically unimposing

Bernice

Bernice was born about one year after her brother Agrippa (c. AD 28). Her younger sister, Drusilla, was married to Felix. Bernice had a short marriage to Marcus Julius Alexander. When he died she married her uncle Herod, king of Chalcis. He too did not live long, dying in AD 48, whereupon she took up residence with her brother Agrippa II. Rumors abounded as to the incestuous nature of their relationship.

Festus summarizes the accusations of “the multitude of the Jews” against Paul by saying that they claimed he did not deserve to live. The statement echoes the cry of the “multitude of the people” in Acts 21:36, “Away with him”

Paul Speaks

And Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and proceeded to make his defense: “In regard to all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that I am about to make my defense before you today; especially because you are an expert in all customs and questions among the Jews; ’ ” (26:1–18)

Paul believed that Agrippa, because of his Roman orientation, was not likely to be sympathetic to the Sanhedrin. And his Jewish background made him an expert in all customs and questions among the Jews, so that he could grasp the issues. To Paul, then, Agrippa was both objective and knowledgeable

Paul’s testimony contains two main themes: Jesus Christ’s resurrection proves Him to be the Messiah, and Paul’s transformed life proves the reality of Christ’s resurrection.

To show how startling and complete the divine transformation of his life was, Paul began his testimony by describing his life before his conversion.

“Why is it considered incredible among you people if God does raise the dead?” By raising Jesus from the dead, God validated the Old Testament promise of resurrection, at the same time demonstrating that Jesus was Israel’s long-awaited Messiah.

Paul understood that perfectly, having once believed the same way himself. He had once thought that he had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

Consequently, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea(26:19–23)

Response to Paul’s Testimony

And while Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus said in a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you mad.” But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I utter words of sober truth. For the king knows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you do.” And Agrippa replied to Paul, “In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.” And Paul said, “I would to God, that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains.”

And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

One of the underlying themes of the narrative of Acts is the way in which human choices integrate with the quiet movement of God’s providence.

God is always in control.