Paul On Trial Before Felix

Tertullus Accuses Paul: verse 3-8

The accusations:

Pestilent fellow (a real pest, LSB)

this is often the accusation that is leveled against those who speak the truth

especially those who will not back down from the truth

they are seen as troublemakers and pests

remember Ahab, who said in 1 Kings 18:17 to the prophet Elijah, “Art thou he that troubleth Israel?”

Elijah responded with the only correct answer: 1 Kings 18:18 “And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.”

of course this is the same accusation they presented to Pilate concerning Jesus; “He stirreth up the people” - Luke 23:5

“If we recognize the Spirit of God as the unique fountain of truth, we shall never despise the truth wherever it may appear, unless we wish to do dishonor to the Spirit of God.” John Calvin (French Reformer)

Seditious

this is the charge that would hold the most sway with the Romans

while getting the people riled up could be seen as seditious, because Caesar valued keeping peace in the provinces, this was possibly also a reference to the claim that Jesus is king (John 18:36-37; Luke 23:3; Matthew 2:2)

the Jews are an interesting lot of people in the Bible

they hated Roman rule, they desired freedom from their overlords, and chafed under the occupation. They longed for a messiah, God’s anointed, to come overthrow the Romans.

yet for all that hatred of the Romans, they hated Jesus more: at His trial, they shouted “We have no king but Caesar!” and here, they declare that Paul is being seditious for aligning with Jesus of Nazareth

that brings us to the third accusation:

Ringleader of the Nazarenes

it cannot be overstated how influential Paul was in the sphere of Jewish society

although Paul was neither the founder nor the leader of the Christian church in Jerusalem or in Antioch, he was seen as the ringleader of the Christians

it would seem that James, Peter, and the other elders in Jerusalem were erring on the side of keeping peace

this is indicated in Acts 21, but also in Galatians 2

this does not mean that the Jerusalem church was capitulating to the chief priests, but they do not seem to be causing them any trouble either

Paul does not deny this charge, but rather embraces it (as we will see shortly)

notice the careful language of both Tertullus and Paul: neither of them use the name “Christian”

for Tertullus (and the Jews), this term would be detestable, because to call the followers of Jesus “Christians” would be to lend credence to His claim to be the Christ

Paul calls it “The Way” in verse 14, which we will look at shortly

Profaner of the temple

this is a continuation of the charge the Jews brought up against Paul in chapter 21, where they saw Paul in the city with Trophimus the Ephesian, who the Asian Jews recognized because they, too, were from the same region

remember, this was not a law from Torah or Moses, but from the Second Temple period

this is just one of countless examples where the Jews added to the Mosaic Law and then committed crimes of segregation and murder against those who violated such laws

Tertullus makes a point in verses 6-9 to say that the Jews were happy to judge Paul in their own courts, and were only prevented by Lysias the Roman captain. This is likely an attempt to show Felix they were inconveniencing him and he should release Paul into their custody to face Jewish, not Roman, justice.

Verse 9 says the Jews chimed in, saying everything that Tertullus said was true

Paul Responds To His Accusations: verse 10-21

On points 1, 2 & 4, Paul says there is no evidence, and places the burden of proof on his accusers. In fact, the Jews that were there accusing him were only spreading hearsay, because they had heard it from the Asian Jews, who assumed Paul had profaned the Temple by taking Trophimus the Ephesian into the Temple.

To begin, Paul informs Felix that he only came to Jerusalem 12 days prior, and he makes the point that this can be verified (verse 11). 5 of those days he has been locked up in Caesarea, so that only allows for 7 other days, most of which Paul was being purified prior to entering the temple, rather than entering it to profane it. In fact, he says that during those 7 days, he did not even preach or teach to anyone, let alone cause a riot or stirring up people against either the temple or Rome. Furthermore, it’s not just his word, but the lack of proof that bears witness to this.

This reveals two things:

Paul’s entire ministry was not preaching in the streets, but sometimes was quiet, peaceful worship

Even though he was peaceful, he was still hated, opposed, attacked, and accused

As for Accusation #3, Paul admits he is a member of the sect called The Way (here in the KJV it says “heresy”), but makes the point that he worships the same God they do, believes the same law and prophets that they do, and believes in the hope of a resurrection, same as some of them do. Where Paul and them differed was on the point that Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled the law and the prophets, and is the promised Anointed One of God.

In other words, Paul makes this important point: he worships the same God as his accusers, but they are against him because he preaches that Who they are looking for has already come.

Jesus of Nazareth is the cornerstone that the builders rejected. They did not only fail to recognize Him as the fulfillment of the Old Covenant, they rejected Him when He showed them what they could not see.

Speaking to the Hebrews:

Zechariah 7:11–12 LSB

“But they refused to give heed and turned a stubborn shoulder and dulled their ears from hearing. “And they made their hearts diamond-hard so that they could not hear the law and the words which Yahweh of hosts had sent by His Spirit by the hand of the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from Yahweh of hosts.

Speaking to the Hebrews:

Hebrews 5:11–12 LSB

Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.

Speaking of people in general:

Romans 1

This could be any one of us, refusing to hear and see the truth. This is why Jesus often said, “He that has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Felix Makes A Decision: verse 22-27

Evidently, Felix was not ignorant regarding the Way. Somehow, he had gained some accurate understanding of it, and by that, he would have known that followers of Jesus were not known to be troublemakers, but that this was a common accusation against them. His decision, in this case, was to wait for the arresting officer, Lysias, to come and give his testimony before a final judgment was to be given. So he remanded Paul back to the custody of the centurion, and dismissed the Jews. But he makes an important and revealing concession: that none of Paul’s friends should be prevented from attending to his needs. Felix, it seems, was neither cruel nor unfair. Had he in any sense thought the charges of sedition were accurate, Paul would have been treated as a traitor, but instead he was more like a house guest that wasn’t allowed to leave.

Several days later, when Felix’s wife, Drusilla came to visit, he called Paul back to him and wanted to hear more about the faith in Christ. He was genuinely interested and intrigued by this Way of Christ. However, as Paul began to explain to him the matters of righteousness, temperance, and judgment, Felix began to be convicted. He, and especially his wife, had a reputation for being unrighteous and intemperate, and the fear of the judgment was too much for him. But rather than repent and believe in Christ, he sent Paul away with these words, “when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” In other words, “when I’m ready to talk about this again.”

For two years, Paul is in the custody of the Romans at Caesarea. And Felix does talk with Paul often, building a relationship with him that is unlikely. The text mentions he hoped that Paul or his friends might come up with some money in order to bribe or bail Paul out, but that never occurred.