Parish Study Fellowship Monday 10 May 2021 Paul’s trial before Festus

Acts 25 (NIV) Three days afer arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to , 2 where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. 3 They requested Festus, as a favour to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way. 4 Festus answered, ‘Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. 5 Let some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there.’ 6 Afer spending eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him. 7 When Paul came in, the who had come down from Jerusalem stood round him. They brought many serious charges against him, but they could not prove them. 8 Then Paul made his defence: ‘I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple or against .’ 9 Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favour, said to Paul, ‘Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?’ 10 Paul answered: ‘I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. 11 If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!’ 12 Afer Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: ‘You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!’ Festus consults King Agrippa 13 A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. 14 Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. He said: ‘There is a man here whom Felix lef as a prisoner. 15 When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned. 16 ‘I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over anyone before they have faced their accusers and have had an opportunity to defend themselves against the charges. 17 When they came here with me, I did not delay the case, but convened the court the next day and ordered the man to be brought in. 18 When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. 19 Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named whom Paul claimed was alive. 20 I was at a loss how to investgate such maters; so I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these charges. 21 But when Paul made his appeal to be held over for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him to be held untl I could send him to Caesar.’ 22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, ‘I would like to hear this man myself.’ He replied, ‘Tomorrow you will hear him.’ 23 The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high-ranking military ofcers and the prominent men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. 24 Festus said: ‘King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community has pettoned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea, shoutng that he ought not to live any longer. 25 I found he had done nothing deserving

1 of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome. 26 But I have nothing defnite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of this investgaton I may have something to write. 27 For I think it is unreasonable to send a prisoner on to Rome without specifying the charges against him.’

Verses 1-3

Last week ended with the transiton from the governorship of to that of .

We also saw last tme how Paul was arrested in Jerusalem, rescued from a plot against his life and that Lysias transferred him to Caesarea, where he stood trial before Felix.

We also read that Felix and his wife Drusilla heard Paul speak at his trial, and later on frequently sent for Paul and talked with him.

Nero sent Porcius Festus to succeed him as procurator of .

Festus inherited the problems of his predecessor in regard to the Roman practce of allowing freedom of worship to the Jews .

Of course this did not even please all the jews who were bedivilled by strife among themselves.

Festus died in his second year in ofce and In this short tme as procurator litle can be discovered against him. Luke gives Festus a good report.

The statement, “afer three days he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem” hints at the good and energetc leadership of Festus.

On his arrival the High Priest and the chief men of the Jews talked to him about Paul. They hoped to make Paul appear before them again in Jerusalem.

We can surmise that Paul’s generous imprisonment in Caesarea was actually a providental provision of protectve custody against the murderous intentons of the Jewish religious leaders. It was also a season of rest and replenishment for Paul afer his years of hard missionary service, preparing him for the challenges in the years ahead.

On his arrival in Jerusalem Festus stood frm refusing to give in to the Jewish leaders. He was prepared to allow them to be a part of any trial of Paul but it would be held in Caesarea and not Jerusalem.

Of course the Jewish leaders may not have actually wanted Paul to come to Jerusalem. What they really wanted was to have him murdered en route. The religious leaders knew that Paul would be acquited in any fair trial.

2 Verses 4-6a

However Festus answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea and the trial would take place there.

There was a well established Roman judicial process which Festus was determined to follow: a. Charges had to be formulated and sustained by the prosecuton b. There had to be a formal charge brought in court c. The case would be heard in person by the holder of the ‘imperium’ - in this case Festus as procurator.

This would ensure no shady behind closed door afairs and would keep Festus clear of any charge of collusion.

Verses 6b-8

Once again Paul was on trial before a Gentle ruler, accused by religious leaders.

As before, Paul’s life was in danger should he be found guilty.

The Jewish leaders now laid many serious complaints against Paul, which they could not prove.

The charges covered three areas: a. Against Jewish law - Paul had spoken against jewish practces. b. Against the Temple - Paul had deprecated the temple with a non Jew. c. Against the Emperor - causing riots.

Once again religious and politcal charges were combined.

The disturbances which Paul was alleged to have caused were religious in their origin but civil in their character.

As before, the religious leaders made accusatons without evidence against Paul.

But what is interestng this tme is that on this occasion the Emperor is included. Festus could not so easily dismiss the Public Order ofences.

Verses 9-12

It appears, however, that Festus now wanted to do the Jews a favour. Festus understood that it was important for him to have and keep a good relatonship with the Jewish people of his province.

3 So Festus asked Paul if he was willing to go up to Jerusalem and there be judged before Festus concerning these things?

Paul had no problem, if guilty, of facing death.But he was not guilty. He knew that he would not get justce in Jerusalem. So Paul was lef with no alternatve but to appeal to Rome and the Emperor for justce.

Paul’s appeal made sense. He was convinced that the evidence was on his side and that he could win in a fair trial.

Paul appealed specifcally to , who was later a notorious enemy of Christans. But for the frst fve years of his reign, under the infuence of good men around him, Nero was regarded as a wise and just ruler.

The hands of Festus were now ted. He had no alternatve but to act on Paul’s request.

However this did not stop him looking for some wriggle room so he consulted the expert witness - King Agripa II.

Paul’s hearing before King Agrippa.

Herod Agrippa II was the son of the frst and beter-known , who had executed James, and he was the brother of Berenice, Mariamne, and Drusilla (second wife of the Roman procurator Antonius Felix).

He had been educated at the court of the emperor Claudius, and at the tme of his father's death he was only seventeen years old.

On the death of king Herod of Chalcis in 48, his small Syrian kingdom of Chalcis - Lebanon today - was given to Agrippa, with the right of superintending the Temple in Jerusalem and appointng its high priest.

So it would be before Agrippa and his sister Berenice that Paul would plead his case at Caesarea Maritma, probably in 59 or 60 ().

Agrippa was Festus’s expert witness as a knowledgeable Jew. However he was disliked by the leaders of the Jews.

Verses 13-14a:

Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea. They came initally to welcome the new procurator and in so doing were honouring Caesar Though he did not have jurisdicton over Paul in this case, his hearing of the mater would be helpful for Festus.

Let us remember that his great-grandfather had tried to kill Jesus as a baby; his grandfather had John the Baptst beheaded; his father had martyred the apostle, James. Now Paul stood before the next in line of the Herods, Herod Agrippa II.

4 Festus laid Paul’s case before the king. Festus, new to his post and perhaps unfamiliar with Jewish traditons and customs, seemed to be somewhat confused by Paul’s case.

Festus had expected the Jewish Leaders to bring substantal charges relatng to the state but the charges were all to do with religious issues.

But, of course there wasn’t enough evidence to convict Paul of the accusatons against him, because he had done no wrong! So he would welcome some input from Agrippa.

Verses 14b-22

The Jewish religious leaders hoped that Festus would decide against Paul without ever hearing Paul’s defence. However this was not the custom of the Romans. He would not condemn Paul without a fair trial.

Festus found himself out of his depth and so was happy to consult Agrippa on religious maters especially as he did not understand Paul’s reference to a “certain Jesus” who was dead but is alive.

Agrippa said that he would like to hear the man myself. Agrippa’s curiosity meant that Paul would have another opportunity to speak God’s truth to a Gentle ruler.

This would be the third such opportunity for Paul in Acts 24-26 (Felix, Festus, and now Agrippa).

Verse 23

The day of the hearing dawned. Agrippa and Bernice arrived in the court with great pomp.

Luke was presumably present and he gives us the detail.

Agrippa and Bernice were probably adorned in their stately crimson robes with their crowns on their heads and Festus probably donned the state scarlet livery of a Roman governor.

This was more than a hearing of evidence; it was an event.

It was held in an auditorium, and all the commanders and the prominent men of the city were there - civil ofcials, military tribunes and others of infuence.

This was another tremendous opportunity for Paul. Surrounded by the important and powerful people of Caesarea and beyond, Paul came into the auditorium.

Paul, a litle fellow with a hooked nose, bandy legs and balding stood in front of the great and the good dressed in his simple prison garb.

Paul demonstrated an authority and a dignity greater than any of the important people at this hearing. We are lef with the impression that Paul’s humble Christan dignity impressed the court.

5 Verses 24-27

The trial which now began before both Festus and Agrippa II would prove to be the longest of Paul’s fve trials.

Festus made the point that he had examined the charges and had found that Paul had commited nothing deserving of death.

It was important for Luke to record these words of Festus. They clearly state that Festus understood that Paul was innocent.

Festus contnued to show why he was prepared to contnue the trial. He said that afer the examinaton had taken place he hoped that he would have some evidence to send to Rome.

It is worth pointng out, though, that Festus’s words as quoted by Luke are misleading. Festus did have specifc chargers which had been laid against Paul. What he did not have was sufcient evidence to accompany the charges.

John Stot concludes this part of his commentary with thesis words:

“What Festus lacked was not charges, but evidence to substantate them. For lack of this, he should have had the courage to declare Paul innocent and release him.”

However because Paul had appealed to Rome he could not be released.

The great if of history here is what might have happened if Paul had been released at this point?

Anyway the trial contnues and we will see what Agrippa advised Festus to do next tme.

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