DAY 24
Acts 24:1-27
Paul Appears before Felix
Five days later Ananias, the high priest, arrived with some of the Jewish elders and the lawyer Tertullus, to present their case against Paul to the governor. 2 When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented the charges against Paul in the following address to the governor:
“You have provided a long period of peace for us Jews and with foresight have enacted reforms for us. 3 For all of this, Your Excellency, we are very grateful to you. 4 But I don’t want to bore you, so please give me your attention for only a moment. 5 We have found this man to be a troublemaker who is constantly stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the cult known as the Nazarenes. 6 Furthermore, he was trying to desecrate the Temple when we arrested him. 8 You can find out the truth of our accusations by examining him yourself.” 9 Then the other Jews chimed in, declaring that everything Tertullus said was true.
10 The governor then motioned for Paul to speak. Paul said, “I know, sir, that you have been a judge of Jewish affairs for many years, so I gladly present my defense before you. 11 You can quickly discover that I arrived in Jerusalem no more than twelve days ago to worship at the Temple. 12 My accusers never found me arguing with anyone in the Temple, nor stirring up a riot in any synagogue or on the streets of the city. 13 These men cannot prove the things they accuse me of doing.
14 “But I admit that I follow the Way, which they call a cult. I worship the God of our ancestors, and I firmly believe the Jewish law and everything written in the prophets. 15 I have the same hope in God that these men have, that he will raise both the righteous and the unrighteous. 16 Because of this, I always try to maintain a clear conscience before God and all people.
17 “After several years away, I returned to Jerusalem with money to aid my people and to offer sacrifices to God. 18 My accusers saw me in the Temple as I was completing a purification ceremony. There was no crowd around me and no rioting. 19 But some Jews from the province of Asia were there—and they ought to be here to bring charges if they have anything against me! 20 Ask these men here what crime the Jewish high council found me guilty of, 21 except for the one time I shouted out, ‘I am on trial before you today because I believe in the resurrection of the dead!’ ”
22 At that point Felix, who was quite familiar with the Way, adjourned the hearing and said, “Wait until Lysias, the garrison commander, arrives. Then I will decide the case.” 23 He ordered an officer to keep Paul in custody but to give him some freedom and allow his friends to visit him and take care of his needs.
24 A few days later Felix came back with his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish. Sending for Paul, they listened as he told them about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 As he reasoned with them about righteousness and self-control and the coming day of judgment, Felix became frightened. “Go away for now,” he replied. “When it is more convenient, I’ll call for you again.” 26 He also hoped that Paul would bribe him, so he sent for him quite often and talked with him.
27 After two years went by in this way, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And because Felix wanted to gain favor with the Jewish people, he left Paul in prison.
1. Christianity has often been accused of being a cult and in Paul’s day, it was no different. When the world sees a group that lives with counter-cultural values, it is easy to mistake them as a cult. This is because the values of Christianity are timeless and don’t reflect the values of any particular society or culture. Jesus evidenced this in the Sermon on the Mount, telling the crowd that Kingdom values stood in opposition to cultural and societal values of the time. In what ways are we called as Christians to stand in opposition to the values of our day? Where are we at risk of replacing Christian values with our own cultural values in our lives?
2. Over and over again, Paul encountered conflict that emerged wherever he went. While Paul never did much other than speak the message of Jesus, he encountered hostility that threatened to put him in chains, at the very least. Does it surprise you that Paul only had to speak for mobs and riots to form around him? What do you think was so offensive to the Romans about the message Paul was bringing? What does this tell you about your own practice of faith in Christ? Should we expect peace and harmony or conflict when we speak of the hope we have found in Jesus Christ?
3. The troubles that Paul faced should inform our faith and even inform our prayer life. One of the reasons we pray and read Scripture as part of our Christian discipleship and spiritual formation is to strengthen our faith to endure difficulties that may lie ahead in our own lives. The object of being with God through Scripture, prayer, and fellowship isn’t just to deepen our knowledge of God, but to deepen the strength of our faith to endure suffering so that we may find a deep joy in our lives. What have you been taught about the role of prayer and Scripture study in your own life? Have your thoughts about prayer and study changed in light of the circumstances of the early church in Acts?
Father God, today I pray for a deeper understanding of Your presence in my life. As I read Scripture and pray, I ask that You would strengthen my faith to endure the things that may come in my life. While You know what the future holds, I trust that You will sustain me within it. I pray that my knowledge of You never remains an intellectual exercise, but instead becomes a transformational element of my faith that strengthens over time. Amen.
LIFE IS NOT MEANT TO BE LIVED ALONE. YOU WERE CREATED TO EXPERIENCE LIFE WITH OTHER PEOPLE.