Paul stands trial before Felix

Claudius Lysias, the Roman captain in Jerusalem escorts Paul safely out of Jerusalem. 23:31-33

He sends him to Caesarea.

This is where Felix, the Governor of Judea lived.

Since Paul had established his Roman citizenship, he had the choice of a local or a Roman judgment.

The Jews had failed to come to a conclusion.

Felix would initiate Paul’s Roman examination.

Felix agrees to give Paul a hearing, once his accusers arrive. 23:34-35

The Roman legal system was not too dissimilar from ours.

In order for a man to be convicted, his accusers had to be present.

Paul’s trial would begin, when the representatives from the Sanhedrin arrived in Caesarea.

It took five days for the Jewish leaders to descend from Jerusalem and head north to Caesarea.

No doubt, they spent this time planning out their arguments.

We know that they also teamed up with a man named Tertullus who would present their case.

Tertullus is identified as an orator.

He was most likely a lawyer and the best that they could find.

Tertullus, as the accuser, gets to speak first, during the trial. 24:1-9

Before he starts to make his case, he spends some time flattering the governor.

He complements Felix’ peaceful rule.

He expresses gratitude for the “very worthy deeds” that Felix has done for the Jews.

He speaks for the nation in receiving his governance with thanksgiving.

Finally, he acknowledges the governors busy schedule and asks that the governor would tolerate their few words about Paul.

His general accusation against Paul is that he is a troublemaker.

He is a pestilent fellow.

He seeks to encourage sedition among the Jews across the empire.

He is the ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.

To prove that Paul is a troublemaker, Tertullus offers only one example of evidence.

He claims that Paul had attempted to profane the Temple.

He claims that the Jews tried to handle this situation themselves.

They were, however, interrupted by the chief captain Lysias.

He came in and with great violence took Paul away from them.

He was the one who has prevented us from taking care of this ourselves.

It is his fault that this has been placed on your plate.

Finally he tells Felix, that if he will examine Paul, he will see that they are telling the truth.

All of the Jews agree with Tertullus that this is exactly how everything occurred.

With that, their accusations are complete.

It is then Paul’s turn to speak in defense of himself. 24:10-21

Paul also begins his case by complementing the governor.

His words give us a further peak into Paul’s personality.

He says that “knowing how long Felix has been a judge over the Jews makes him confident that Felix will side with Paul.”

He had been forced to listen to innumerable squabbles and disagreements that sprung from around the Jews.

He knew their proclivities and pettiness.

Paul knows that this will make him less likely to believe them.

Paul tells his side of the story.

He came to Jerusalem 12 days ago to worship.

Though it is true that they found him in the Temple, he was not disrupting anyone.

Their is no proof that they can produce that would prove otherwise.

The fact that the Jews had produced no evidence in their case other than their testimony freed up Paul from having to produce his own evidence.

The case became a situation of he said-she said.

So, what Paul do with the rest of his time before the governor?

Share the gospel with him, of course.

Paul tells Felix that he is in fact guilty of holding to the body of beliefs that the Jews called a heresy.

He was a ringleader of the Nazarenes.

He was a follower of the way.

This sect, as they called it, was not incompatible with the accepted teaching of Judaism.

He held to all things that were written in the law and the prophets.

He had hope toward God, as they would also claim, that there would be a resurrection of the dead.

The just and the unjust would be raised.

Paul’s “hope toward God” was that he would be numbered with the just.

What is left unsaid is the difference in criteria for who makes up the just.

Because of the compatibility of Paul’s beliefs with theirs, Paul claims to be void of offence before God and man.

Having detoured into a taste of the hope of the gospel, Paul concludes by returning to his case.

The Jews failed in producing any evidence to support their claims.

Paul finally points out that they have failed to produce a single witness from among the people who had the original problem with Paul, the Jews of Asia.

Since the Jews that were accusing him, were not the ones in the temple, they could not speak to that situation.

All they could do was accuse Paul of wrong-doing before the council, which Paul says they couldn’t.

Felix responds to the case by calling for a recess. 24:22-27

He will speak to Lysias to discover the truth of the situation.

Notice one little phrase in verse 22 “having more perfect knowledge of that way.”

Felix already knew something of the doctrine of “the way” or the sect of the Nazarenes.

Remember, though the gentile world called it Christianity, the Jewish world called it the way.

Felix probably learned about the way from his wife who was Jewish.

There was already a curiosity about this group before Paul ever showed up in his courtroom.

While Felix waits for Lysias, who never seems to have been summoned, Paul will be kept in custody.

He has a centurion assigned to him.

He is given freedom to entertain any visitors that would come to minister to him.

One of his most common visitors happens to be Felix and his wife Drusilla.

The reason for their visit?

To hear more about the gospel.

Specifically, faith in Christ.

Paul of course was always ready and willing to talk about Jesus.

He spoke to the couple of righteousness, temperance, and judgment.

Most believe that this message was tailer-made for the audience.

Felix and Drusilla had both been adulterous in their previous marriages.

They had both divorced their previous spouse in order to be with each other.

Paul is warning them that God will judge unrighteousness no matter what your worldly position of power.

When Felix heard this, it made him tremble.

He is obviously convicted.

He resists the need to make a decision right then.

He tells Paul that he will call him when he is ready.

Paul reminds in Felix’ custody for two years.

Felix always hoped that someone would offer money for Paul’s release.

No money comes.

Felix communes with Pul more and more often, but we have no record of a decision of faith in Jesus.

And, at the end of two years, Felix’ time in office is over and he transfers custody of Paul to his successor, a man named Festus.

In this morning’s passage we see that Paul was committed to fulfilling God’s plan for his life to be a messenger of the gospel.

Even on trial.

Even in prison.

Paul never stopped looking for opportunities to share the gospel.

He couldn’t control the fact that he was facing false accusations.

But he could use his trial as a forum for the gospel to be presented.

He couldn’t control the fact that he was wrongfully imprisoned.

But he could use his time to witness to anyone that would listen.

He couldn’t control the response from Felix to the gospel, but that didn’t prevent him from sharing the gospel with him.

As we have seen, Paul knew the transformation that Jesus could bring.

He wanted everyone else to experience it too.

My message this morning is simple.

If you don’t know that Jesus is your Savior, would you make that decision today?

What would you think if I told you 2000 years from now, people will still be talking about your life?

What if this morning you would see the testimony of this man whose life was changed by Jesus and you would say, I want that too.

That confidence, that strength, that purpose.

To be so convinced of what you believe to speak up so boldly.

To experience the freedom of eternal life.

If you do know Jesus, when was the last time you leveraged the events of your life to be a forum for you to share Jesus with someone?