Acts 25:23-27

                                                             Acts 25:23-27

So on the next day Agrippa and Bernice came with 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 to live any longer. But I found that he had done nothing deserving death. And 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 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.”

 

This passage shows us the hand of God at work in the rulers of the world.  It also lets us see into the mind of Festus and what he is thinking in this whole situation.  It is clear that Festus has a reason for doing what he is doing.  However, it even more clear to see what God is doing in this setting.  In our circumstances we might not have this kind of clarity, but God is no less in charge of our lives than he was in Paul’s life.  We can take comfort in this truth.

 

THE STAGE IS SET: Agrippa, Bernice and all the military tribune gather for the sole purpose of hearing Paul’s defense.  There are no accusers at this hearing.  Only Paul and a captive audience.  Satan is trying to kill Paul and his attempts are only resulting in the furtherance of the Gospel.  It truly is a blessing to see God working through these circumstances to set the stage for a Gospel advancing moment.  As persecution against believers in Christ mounts around the world because of our conviction to preach and obey the Word of God, we can trust that God will use it to advance His kingdom.  We need not fear.  God is in control and will use our sufferings for His glory and our eternal good.

 

THE CONTEXT IS COMMUNICATED: Festus begins by introducing the context of the trial.  The Jews from everywhere had been insisting that Paul was guilty of crimes that were worthy of death.  However, upon his examination of the accusations, and hearing Paul’s defense, he came to the conclusion that Paul had done nothing worthy of death.  In other words, Festus is declaring that Paul is innocent of the charges filed against him.  Yet, he is still in prison.  This is an amazing admission for the judge to make.  This certainly begs the question: why are we still here dealing with this.  We should not be surprised by injustice.

 

THE REASON IS REVEALED: Since Paul had appealed to Caesar instead of agreeing to go back to Jerusalem, Festus finds himself in a difficult situation.  Not only does he say Paul has done nothing worth of death, Festus admits that he cannot find any accusation to lay before Caser against Paul.  The reason for the repeated hearings and for Agrippa getting a chance to hear the case was to help him know what he should write to the emperor.  Once again, we see that the judge knows Paul is innocent but he does not have the courage to do what is right.  We need to be prepared for the fact as persecution arises against Christians, there will be judges who will prefer to condemn innocent believers in order to avoid upsetting vocal special interest groups that claim to be politically correct as they insist on discriminating against believers.

 

APPLICATION: Trust God to work in our culture and through persecution for the advance of the Gospel.  Be prepared to face injustice and the condemnation of the innocent.  Do not be surprised when we are prohibited from speaking the truth of God’s Word. 

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