Acts 25
Acts 25
[00:00:00] Hey everyone. Welcome to God's plan. Your part year two, where this year we're reading through and studying the entire new Testament one chapter at a time. Thanks again for joining us in discovering God's plan and your part in it. Today, we are in Acts chapter 25. We are going to continue the narrative of what is happening to Paul while he is in custody in Caesarea.
If you remember at the end of the chapter yesterday. Uh, there was this kind of changing of the guard and Paul had been kept in custody in Caesarea for two years. Now the ball is going to start to get moving a little bit more. And probably the big takeaway from this chapter is Paul is going to officially and finally appeal to Caesar.
Yeah. And I think it's worth noting how often. He's been questioned at this point, so it started out way back. Um, one, I would even say with just like the Jewish people who are very upset with him. Right. Then it turns to Ananias, who is like outwardly accusing him. Right. Then we go to Felix, then we go to Festus, now we [00:01:00] have Agrippa, and we'll also be introduced, um, to Caesar.
Well, that is eventually who he will appeal to and that is seven individuals. That's insane. All because he went up to Jerusalem. You'll remember he was told several times. Directed by the Holy Spirit. You remember he was told he would be taken into custody by prophetesses. Prophetess, and also by a man with a belt, um, and he's just there like in the temple.
This is a couple of chapters ago. He's in the temple, uh, trying to show that he is sympathetic to those who are believing in following the law and yet they take him into custody. And now he's just basically sitting in prison over and over and over again. So what is interesting in, in like the beginning part of the chapter is that when he is brought to Festus, um, He's basically put on like he's essentially put on trial again Like they're asking him a lot [00:02:00] of questions again But what really got me was like gee whiz in verse 7 It says when he arrived the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him Bringing many and serious charges against him that they could not prove so again, it's just like that thing that just would not stop like They're constantly surrounding him and trying to plead their case, which is faulty, but trying to plead their case against him.
And it just, I don't know, if I were Paul, I'd just be like, oh my word, here they are again. Like, Remember false accusations that cannot be confirmed by multiple witnesses are prohibited by the law that these Jewish leaders claim to be so passionate about. So they're only passionate about the law when it serves their own desires and not when it goes against what they want.
You can see here that they clearly are just out for blood. They want Paul to be killed. Uh, So Felix was hesitant about that idea. [00:03:00] Festus is also hesitant about the, that idea. What's different here and why Festus brings in Agrippa is that Felix understood, uh, there, there was that thing we talked about yesterday where Felix understood the way because his wife was Drusilla.
She had connections to Herod Agrippa and she understood both Jewish customs and these new and developing Christian customs. Festus feels like he does not understand this at all, and so he wants to bring in Agrippa, this is a Herod, this is Herod Agrippa II, uh, because he wants to be essentially, like, counseled by somebody who understands these customs, uh, Herod Agrippa II would have had Um, like authority over the temple, over certain areas of Jerusalem.
And he would have been very familiar with Jewish customs. So he would have understood, uh, what the high priest and these religious officials were charging Paul with. I think even something to consider before that is that [00:04:00] Festus is asking him. In verse nine, uh, it says he wished to do the Jews a favor and said, do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and there be tried on these charges before me?
So it feels like he's kind of like he's trying to play like the upper hand and be like, well, you can't do anything about anybody. Let me take you over there. Um, and that's where it kind of, I don't know, in my mind it kind of feels like a little bit of Paul's humanity is showing because he's like, Nope, I appeal to Caesar.
Like, in that, I just, it does feel a little bit like, I don't know, I'm just pulling my card. I'm pulling the ace because I want to be able to like have my butt covered. So this is really interesting, uh, that he appeals to Caesar one because we're going to find in the coming chapters, uh, that one of the folks that Paul makes a defense to finds him innocent and reveals that he probably could be released had he not appealed to Caesar.
So this appeal to Caesar, like, locks him into this process. But I wonder if they [00:05:00] only said that after he said he appeals to Caesar. Like, I wonder if they're like, well, if you would've just, like, cause it's Agrippa who ends up talking to him. But Agrippa's motives would've been very much to get him, like, in trouble, out, whatever, as well.
So, having, like, Having said that Paul would have been innocent, I'm leery of that. Because I'm like, I don't know. I don't trust you at all. Like, all these people want him out. And why would you, Agrippa, have any other feelings other than that same thing? So another thing that this appeal to Caesar does is Is it guarantees Paul's protection?
It's pretty clear that if he's transported to Jerusalem, there's going to be some level of plot or plan that comes against him that might be successful, but it's also going to guarantee that the gospel goes to Rome at the expense of the Romans, which is incredible actually. And it's going to end up being a place that has incredible influence.
Like Rome at this time is definitely. A hub of the [00:06:00] world. And so Paul appealing to travel to Rome to be seen by Caesar is going to guarantee that the gospel is going to move in a powerful way. In Rome and from the influence that's present in Rome, there's going to be a lot of like outpouring and influence to other places because there's people and coming, coming and going from Rome all the time.
And so people are going to end up going there, hearing the gospel, taking the gospel back with them, uh, wherever they end up, there's this idea and you may have heard it before all roads lead to Rome. That was the truth in this time period. There was also like this modern technology at the time that was roads.
It really was. And, and Roman roads are like world renowned because you can still go over to Rome. You can still go over to Israel and find Roman roads that are in very good condition. They're 2000 years old, years old, and they have less potholes in them than a typical road in Pennsylvania. Um, but. You can't [00:07:00] bypass how significant this is.
All roads lead to Rome, which means when the gospel takes root in Rome, the gospel can spread very effectively to other places. The other thing that's kind of crazy about this appeal to Caesar is that it was most like, there's some debate about this, but it was most likely Nero, uh, that he is appealing to and Nero at first seemed like a decent emperor, but quickly became Like very crazy and very enraged, particularly towards Christians.
So Paul here may be appealing to an emperor that he thinks is somewhat sympathetic, but is quickly going to become enraged against Christians specifically. Well, it's funny too, because after. Basically, after Agrippa says, hey, I want to talk to this guy, he's like, given permission to. But I wonder if, like, did Paul even see it coming?
Was he really thrown off by it? Because it seems like Agrippa's, like, really out of order. It doesn't make sense that he would be the next person questioning him. Right. Um, but, it's [00:08:00] funny that he has this time spent with him, um, and I think it says that Um, essentially, when he's, when he questioned him, uh, when Festus questioned him, he's basically saying, like, well, when I talked to him, I found no reason for him to even be In trouble or to be like of in having any consequence of anything, um, and then right after that they're like, well, I guess when, when we send him on his way, we better have some kind of like written notice that says what the people said.
So it doesn't seem like it's a waste of time project. Festus, uh, essentially finds him not guilty on Roman charges. And so he brings in Agrippa, who is Herod, um, to explain the Jewish charges, because Festus does not want to send some guy under guard of Roman soldiers to Caesar, uh, for no reason. It's kind of, it'd be kind of embarrassing.
It's kind of the, like, CEO, the president of the company with this small trivial matter. So they're like trying to make sure that. [00:09:00] This is explained well, he has a good understanding, like, well, you know, we've seen him, he wants to talk to you, here's like the explanation from like the Jewish leadership, there you go.
It's almost just like covering themselves again. So in tomorrow's chapter, uh, we will see Paul's defense to Agrippa, and there's a pretty interesting exchange between the two, uh, but for today, uh, Uh, we're essentially just seeing more of God's sovereignty. Like this appeal to Caesar is very significant overall.
It feels like the chapter just moves along pretty quickly, but this appeal to Caesar is a significant point in Paul's life, a significant point in the book of Acts and a significant point in Christian history, because this is a decision I'm sure led by the Holy spirit that is going to cause Christianity to grow and to flourish.
Throughout the known world at the time. So it's not just Paul, uh, making a legal maneuver here. This is a significant move of Christian faith. I think something else like maybe even to consider is for a [00:10:00] year, part for today is just to be thinking about like the solid, what seems to be for the most part, the solid nature of Paul's faith.
So he is not. ashamed and he's not concerned with giving his testimony over and over again. In ways when I hear it, it almost feels like, well, they're wrong, but at the same time, it's always an opportunity for him to share his testimony and share his life, which is actually really cool. So I would say just like be encouraged by the, like the firm faith that Paul has in these chapters and even to how, like how to apply that to our own lives.
Um, when he is up against things over and over again. It almost seems like he becomes more confident. He never hides it. Right. And what he believes and he's not afraid to show it. He never hides it and he never compromises. He's been tried now, like you alluded to under what? Five, six, seven people. And his testimony remains.
It's the same. Not one time is it like, well, you know, like maybe you [00:11:00] should think about Jesus. Like it's like, Hey, this is what happened to me. This is what I know to be true. This is what you should believe. He never compromises. He never backs down. It seems to be that he never doubts that the Holy Spirit is moving and working in his life and that God is continuing to push him on mission to what God has planned for his life.
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And we want to continue to encourage you to read God's word for yourself. Um, the whole book, if you can, and understand what it's saying, because it is so valuable to our faith. We'll be back again tomorrow with Acts chapter 26. Thanks for joining today's episode of God's Plan, Your Part. As always, please consider partnering with us as we are a listener supported podcast that we hope to continue to grow with support from listeners just like you.
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Acts chapter 25 Now three days after Festus had arrived in the province he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. And the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews laid out their case against Paul, and they urged him, asking as a favor against Paul, that he summon him to Jerusalem, because they were planning an ambush to kill him on the way.
Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea, and that he himself intended to go there shortly. So, said he, let the men of authority among you go down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them bring their charges against him. After he stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought.
When he had arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him bringing many and serious charges against him, that they could not prove. Paul argued his defense. [00:17:00] Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the Temple, nor against Caesar have I committed any offence. But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and there be tried on these charges before me?
But Paul said, I am standing before Caesar's tribunal, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well. If then I am a wrongdoer, and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them.
I appeal to Caesar. Then Festus, when he had conferred with his council, answered, To Caesar you have appealed, to Caesar you shall go. Now when some days had passed, Agrippa the king and Bernice arrived at Caesarea and greeted Festus. And as they stayed there many days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying, There is a man left prisoner by Felix.
And when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews laid [00:18:00] out their case against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him. I answered them that it is not the custom of the Romans to give up anyone, before the accused met the accusers face to face and had an opportunity to make his defense concerning the charge laid against him.
So when they came together here, I made no delay, but on the next day took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought. When the accusers stood up, they brought no charge in his case of such evils as I supposed. Rather, they had certain points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who was dead, but whom Paul asserted to be alive.
Being at a loss how to investigate these questions, I asked whether he wanted to go to Jerusalem and be tried there regarding them. But when Paul had appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of the emperor, I ordered him to be held until I could send him to Caesar. Then Agrippa said to Festus, I would like to hear the man myself.
Tomorrow, said he, you will hear him. [00:19:00] So on the next day, Agrippa and Bernice came with a great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city. Then at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. And Festus said, King Agrippa. And all who are present with us, you see this man about whom the whole Jewish people petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not live any longer.
But I found that I had done nothing deserving of death. But as he himself appealed to the emperor, I decided to go ahead and send him. But I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. Therefore I have brought him here before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa. So that after we have examined him, I may have something to write, for it seems to me unreasonable in sending a prisoner not to indicate the charges against him.
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