I Worship the God of Our Fathers
So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man. Acts 24:16
Acts 24:1–27– The Story of the Church: Living Into This Drama in the 21st Century
Third Sunday after the Epiphany – January 23, 2022 (am)
We come this morning to the next account in Luke’s telling the early history of the spreading of the gospel in fulfillment of the great commission. We’re in the sequence of trials in the life of the apostle Paul that eventually took him to Rome. Today, we see his trial before the Roman governor, Felix, in Caesarea, the capital city in the province of Judea (Stott 356). And even though it’s hard to imagine how this scene could have any relevance to us today, I think you’ll be surprised to find out it does!
Due to the plot against his life, Paul had been sent to Felix under the cover of darkness by the Roman tribune in Jerusalem, Claudius Lysias (23:23-24). And Lysias had written an explanatory letter to Felix so that he’d have all the necessary facts as to why (23:26-30). That scene ended with Felix waiting for Paul’s accusers to arrive (23:35). Now our scene opens. Let’s follow this story in four parts.
The Mockery of a Legitimate Trial – 1-21
Five days after Paul arrived, the high priest Ananias came down to Caesarea with [his entourage that included] a [prosecuting attorney] (cf. Stott 360), … Tertullus (1). And the mockery of a legitimate trial begins right away, with Tertullus’ words to win Felix’s goodwill (2b-4). It was proper to begin with a statement that puts you in the good graces of the judge. But Tertullus’ words are empty flattery to the point of being blatantly false! 2 … Since through you we enjoy much peace, and since by your foresight… reforms are being made for this nation, 3 in every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude. In reality [Felix] had put down several insurrections with such barbarous brutality that he earned for himself the horror, not the thanks, of the Jewish population (Stott 360). He had… made life miserable for the Jews, and thus was the cause of rebellious movements more than being the solution to them (Polhill 1992 480).
Regardless, Tertullus lays out three charges against Paul. First, he was a plague, one who stirs up riots (5). Second, he was a ring leader of the sect (heresy) of the Nazarenes (5). Third and most seriously, he… tried to profane the temple (6), likely referring to the faulty charge of the Jews from Asia who thought he’d brought Trophimus the Ephesian with him into the temple (21:27-30). Tertullus assured Felix that a simple [examination] would [prove the truth] of these charges (8). And the Jews with him, the high priest and some elders (1), agreed! (9) This is all Luke recorded of the charges.
Felix then turned to Paul (10). He made a goodwill statement as well (10b), but a much more modest one. Then he proceeded to refute each of Tertullus’ three points. First, he said: I had not been in Jerusalem any more than twelve days (11), 12 and they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city. Second: the Way is not a sect. Rather, 14 … I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, 15 having a hope in God, [the same as] these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. In other words, the Way is built on the Jewish Scriptures. It’s the fulfillment of them, explaining how the Jewish hope in the resurrection will be accomplished, and to what end! Third: [I was behaving consistently with the Law in the temple area] (16-18a). 18 … But some Jews from Asia stirred up the whole crowd [and falsely accused me] (21:27-28)—19 they ought to be here before you and to make an accusation, should they have anything against me. It was a seriously breach of Roman law that his eyewitness accusers weren’t present (Stott 362). 21 [My most divisive act was] that I cried out in the council: “It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day”—nothing worse. And with this, Paul rested his defense and the arguments were finished.
The Pretense of a Legitimate Verdict – 22-23
Now Felix was stuck. And he didn’t even find a particularly graceful way to avoid making a decision. All he said was: 22 … When Lysias… comes down, I will decide your case. But Lysias had already given Felix his thoughts, in the letter (23:26-30). The problem was that, like Lysias before him and Festus after him, [Felix knew] that Paul was guilty of no crime…. Still, he ruled over the Jews and had to live [among] them. And there were powerful Jews in this delegation calling for Paul’s condemnation. [Felix] didn’t want to incur their wrath. It was easier to put off [this] whole matter, even if it meant that Paul [had to be detained to do] it (Polhill 1992 485-6).
So, that’s how this whole mess ended, with the pretense of a legitimate verdict at the close of a mockery of a trial. Felix was in no position to rule based on Jewish Law. But there was no offense under Roman law. So, Paul was kept in custody (23) under the loosest expression of Roman imprisonment (Stott 363).
The Charade of a Legitimate Dialogue – 24-26
After this, Felix and his wife Drusilla created opportunities to talk with Paul about faith in Christ (24); she was Jewish (24). And it’s interesting what Paul addressed with them (25). But first, some context: Felix is Drusilla’s second husband. Drusilla is Felix’s third wife. She’s reported to’ve been unusually beautiful. And he used intermediary to lure her from her first husband (Polhill 1992 486). She was the youngest daughter of Herod Agrippa I, who killed James… with the sword (12:2) and later died in his pride, eaten with worms (12:23). This also makes her the sister of King Agrippa II and of Bernice (both of whom we’ll meet next week [25:13ff.]).
Given what we heard earlier of Felix’s brutal tactics, and now of his immoral ways, it’s little wonder that Paul chose to speak with them about righteousness and self-control and coming judgment (25), a very suitable trio of topics for these two! And Felix was alarmed (25)—Paul’s words got to him! But in the end, he seems more interested in bribe money (26) and in currying favor with the Jews (27) than in hearing about Jesus (24).
The Absence of a Legitimate Outcome – 27
And even after all this, Paul sat there in Roman custody for two years, ostensibly awaiting the arrival of Lysias! (cf.22) And Felix left him there even when he was being removed from office (27), as history reports, for his total mismanagement of a dispute between the Jews and Gentiles of Caesarea (Polhill 1992 476).
But this is the apostle Paul! He just remained there in Herod’s praetorium (23:35) for two years, doing nothing worthy of Luke’s record except for occasional talks with Felix and Drusilla!
Conclusion
So, what are we to make of this story—what is its relevance to us, that I suggested we’d find?
I’ve noticed in my life what a high importance I place on efficiency. I can suspect conspiracy if a green light I’m approaching turns yellow too soon for me to slide through. I have a friend who jokes about becoming paranoid if he misses an opening in a revolving door. We can talk about efficiency as though it’s a fruit of the Spirit (Gal.5:22-23), a sign of God’s blessing. When we had young children, Jean & I often marveled at the timing of a dirty diaper, and other things!
Here we see the apostle Paul, on mission with God, his story being recorded in Scripture for all the ages! God can sovereignly assure him, whenever needed, that he’ll be safe (18:9; 22:18; 23:11), that his message will bear fruit (18:10), whatever! God guides his steps! Anywhere! But God guided them to Felix’s court, where he remained for two years! Paul was going to Rome where he’d meet the church that would send him on to Spain with the gospel! (Rom.15:24) Yet, here he sat! And worse, it wasn’t just random inefficiency that landed him here. It was unfairness and genuine injustice—the false accusation of jealous, vindictive Jews followed by this sham of a trial! Yet there’s no record of a complaint from Paul!
Unfairness and genuine injustice are no joke to us at all! When we experience them, we point it out! We let people know! And we expect matters to be addressed, set right! But Paul quietly endured them here. And Luke all but ignored them in his narration. And he reported only the facts about the inefficiency, only the details. Yet, this is how Paul got to Rome! Eventually! In due course! This is the eternal plan of God for Paul, and for the spread of the gospel through Paul: two years detained in Caesarea! This recalls his months and miles of travel westward on his second journey (16:6-10), not going here and not going there!
What can we learn? Three lessons for us today:
Efficiency doesn’t equal effectiveness in gospel ministry. Often our learning and growth happens somewhere off in the weeds! Plus, I believe God’s Kingdom runs on a different time schedule than this world, even a different time signature!
Injustice doesn’t impede effectiveness in gospel ministry. Often it’s just the appointed circumstances for our service! And there’s no substitute for injustice to make us like Christ (cf. Joh.16:2)—anything to help us not conform to this world!
Let’s begin looking for God in the detours and delays of life—the twists and turns, the ins and outs, the speed-ups and slow-downs. This may actually be where we see and hear Him most clearly, where we most sense His nearness!
It’s not just by an act of our will that we hear and heed these lessons. This isn’t just a let’s-do-better sort of a charge. We actually have a Savior who absorbed not only the cost of our sin, but the cost of any done against us! Do you hear that? The salvation we have in Him enables us to love Him and fellowship with Jesus more deeply through the sufferings and injustices we experience. 1Pe.2:19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. … 21 For to this [we] have been called, because Christ also suffered for [us], leaving [us] an example, so that [we] might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but [he] continued entrusting himself to [God] who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds [we] have been healed. This is the power by which we’re freed from stumbling over the inefficiencies and unfairnesses and injustices in life! By faith in Jesus, we can be equipped to take them in stride, as Paul did here, and experience an ever-deepening walk and love and intimacy with God through them.
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Resources Cited
Dockery, David S, ed. 1992. New American Commentary. Vol. 26, Acts, by John B. Polhill. Nashville: Broadman & Holman.
Longman III, Tremper, and David E. Garland, eds. 2007. Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 10, Luke-Acts. Acts, by Richard N. Longenecker, 665-1102. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
Stott, John, ed. 1990. The Bible Speaks Today. The Message of Acts, by John Stott. Leicester, Eng.: InterVarsity.
NEXT WEEK: I Appeal to Caesar, Acts 25:1–27