Appealing to Caesar

Rev. Andrew Hunt, III

Walking through the book of Acts • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

Acts 24:22–25:12

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Appealing to Caesar

, But Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case.” Then he gave orders to the centurion that he should be kept in custody but have some liberty, and that none of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs.

But Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case.” Then he gave orders to the centurion that he should be kept in custody but have some liberty, and that none of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs.

After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.” At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him. When two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.

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 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 in his defense, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I committed any offense.” 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.”

This passage continues the trial of Paul from last week, as we studied together, we found out that when God is your advocate… though God will allow persecution, God will never always prosecution. We also found that when God is your advocate... though you might mount a defense, it is God who is really defending you. And as we hold both of these truths close and fast to our hearts, we also recognize that God gives us great courage during our trials.

When Satan and his accusers come after in on us like a flood, it is God who will lift up a standard. The Holy Scriptures tell us in

, Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me. , The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.

It is with this confidence that we are assured that the flood waters and the dangerous currents of false accusations will never overtake us even if you lack the abilities to prevail on our own.

One summer morning as Ray Blankenship was preparing his breakfast, and he gazed out the window, and when he did, he saw a small girl being swept along in the rain-flooded drainage ditch; right beside his Andover, Ohio, home. Blankenship knew that farther downstream, that the ditch would disappear with a roar underneath a road and then emptied into the main channel of very deeper waters.

So, Ray dashed out the door and raced along the ditch, trying to get ahead of the foundering child. Then in a great act of pure courage; he hurled himself into the deep, churning waters. After only a few moments Blankenship got him bearings and surfaced and was able to grab the little girl’s arm. Then they both began to tumbled end over end for probable seemed like an eternity, bouncing around from the middle of the water to the bank and back again. Now, they find themselves within about three feet of the larger channel of water which was about 25 feet deep. Ray's free hand felt something--possibly a rock-- protruding from the bank.

He clung desperately, but the tremendous force of the water tried to tear him and the child away. He thought, "If I can just hang on until help comes,". At that moment he decides to imagine not holding on to the rock but holding on to God’s unchanging hand. By the time fire-department rescuers arrived, Blankenship had held on and pulled the girl to safety. Both were treated for shock. On April 12, 1989, Ray Blankenship was awarded the Coast Guard's Silver Lifesaving Medal. The award is fitting, for this selfless person who was at even greater risk to himself than most people knew. What was the great risk you asked? Ray Blankenship can't swim.

Again, this is the confidence that we are assured of that even when the flood waters and the dangerous currents of false accusations come into our lives; they will never overtake us even if we lack the abilities to prevail on our own.

Let us pray…

Meanwhile, there has been a short recess at Paul’s trial, so Felix orders the centurion to keep Paul under guard but to give him some freedom and permit his friends to take care of his needs. This was a great concession because in those days when you were in prison, the state did not provide for you and you relied on your friends. Remember the words of Jesus, in , For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Felix assigned Paul’s personal care to a centurion, rather than to a lower ranking soldier. Serves as an indication that Felix wished Paul to be healthily preserved for the longer term from the predictable vagaries of military custody in the hope of exploiting him. The liberty Felix spoke of was a form of freedom, a more relaxed custody, where Paul would not be dependent upon his guards to sanction his every activity.

There would be no oppressively close guarding need here. Yet, Paul remained in chains probably in Herod’s palace, where he was removed the general population and from the possibility of attack from his accusers. This protective custody allowed the access of family or friends ‘his own people’, which may have included his relatives, but certainly fellow Christians, to bring food and other practical comforts.

Perhaps also they were able to receive letters from Paul to churches and individuals with whom he was connected. Many suggested that during this time served in prison Paul penned, Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon, Philippians, and 2 Timothy from his confinement in Caesarea. Such imprisonment and confinement in this fashion was not for punishment but a means of keeping people available for trial or for actual punishment later. Isn’t it amazing that regards of where you are, and regards of what circumstances might surround you; our God is able to keep us? Paul was being kept as he was appealing to Caesar and appearing before Felix.

Appealing to Caesar… Appearing before Felix

The knowledge of this more private encounter with the governor and his wife can have come to Luke only from Paul. Although the narrative is brief, it contains significant terms which indicate how Paul presented the gospel to this couple in a way that was relevant to their background and situation. This passage further illustrates how Paul’s loose custody operated for his benefit and as the continuance of his missionary work, not the end or suspension of it. The passage proves once again the words of Paul,

, Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. Paul is showing us here that even if we are locked up, you can’t lock out the good news of Christ.

God will made a place for His Word; for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to guide the hearts of the Roman world into the Kingdom of God.

24 After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish… It is unlikely that this was a prison visit, since Luke mentions that Felix sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. Perhaps Felix came to a particular place in the praetorium and called for Paul to be brought before him again. Drusilla, who had previously been married to King Azizus, was the youngest daughter of Herod Agrippa I and sister of Herod Agrippa II. Felix wooed Drusilla away from Azizus, thus causing her to ‘transgress the laws of her forefathers’ through adultery. Although the Herod’s were not fully Jewish, they sought to maintain ‘a façade of their Jewishness’.

Given the aggressive opposition of Agrippa I to Christianity in , it is fascinating to see both his daughter and son engaging with Paul and his teaching more openly in and 26. During the formal trial before Felix he did not afford Paul the opportunity to speak about faith in Christ Jesus, but now privately, in chambers somewhat, he did not hesitate to listen to Paul with his wife.

Given this great opportunity Paul changes tactics from shrewdly defending his honor as a devout Jew to boldly proclaiming the gospel; in other words, he switches from apologist to prophet!

It is significant that Luke first reports Paul proclaiming Jesus as the promised Christ or Messiah of Israel and calling upon this Gentile and his Jewish wife to believe in him. Beckoning them to have ‘faith in Christ! Putting the title ‘Christ’ before the personal name ‘Jesus’ makes it clear that the messiahship of Jesus was being asserted.

Paul goes on the text says, 25a,‘…As he reasoned about righteousness, self-control and the coming judgment,’ it seems likely that Paul’s faith in Christ here is ‘related to salvation, that one must believe in the Lord Jesus and they will be saved and have their sins forgiven. Such an explicitly biblical presentation of the gospel to a Gentile was presumably made possible because of Felix’s existing knowledge of ‘the Way’ and also because of Drusilla’s Jewish connection. Paul explanation suggest the need for repentance and genuine belief, which was another significant plank in Paul’s regular appeal to Jews and Gentiles .

Paul wanted them both to realize that genuine faith in Christ involves a change of allegiance and therefore a change in behavior and priorities. Paul presented this challenge in terms that were particularly applicable to Felix and Drusilla. Now, Paul speaks of righteousness, self-control, and judgement. “Righteousness” and “self-control” are mentioned to indicate qualities particularly required of Felix and other rulers when they are measured in the judgment. But this warning seems to land of deaf ears somewhat it you look at the next statement in the passage. 25b-26, …Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.” At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul. Paul did not flatter this man who had the power of life and death over him but proclaimed the gospel boldly and clearly. Yet, Felix was soliciting a bribe. Roman law prohibited officials from taking bribes, but Josephus reports that bribe-taking was rampant. Felix’s desire for a bribe to show favoritism in his judgment against Paul can only as indicate his lack of righteousness and self-control. Having proclaimed Jesus as the promised savior-king, Paul challenged Felix and Drusilla at a personal level, at moral level, and at a spiritual level, concerning their readiness to face the judgment to come, and show them their need for faith in Christ. Paul’s proclamation of God’s judgment and the gospel to Felix and Drusilla involved no denunciation of idolatry, but rather a vigorous appeal to their consciences to recognize their guilt before God before a Holy God. Their danger of damnation before a Holy God and their consequent need to respond before a Holy God through faith in Christ Jesus. With a few brief phrases, Luke has illustrated how the gospel was presented and applied to the specific situation of a Gentile ruler and his Jewish wife. Paul’s courageous example also functions in the narrative as ‘encouragement to other witnesses to present their message even to high officials’.

25b‘,After this, Felix was alarmed and said, ‘…Go away for the present…’

He puts off making a personal decision about Christ, even as he puts off making a decision about Paul the prisoner! His concluding response 25c‘…When I get an opportunity I will summon you.’ This is more than a polite dismissal, since Luke records further conversations between them. However, the governor’s mixed motives are immediately highlighted.

26 Felix’s mercenary interest 26a ‘at the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul…’ This shows his fallibility as a human being and as an administrator of Roman justice. Felix blatantly seeking a bribe at the same time that he was promising to send for Paul and hear more of his message of Christ. The practice of seeking bribes from prisoners was illegal for Roman authorities, though it continued to take place. Luke does not tell us how the governor concluded that Paul might be able to pay a bribe. It is possible that Felix was impressed by the news that Paul had brought a considerable monetary gift to Jerusalem and hoped that some of Paul’s friends might be able to secure money for his release. We just don’t know! Doubtless this made Paul feel all the more need to challenge the governor about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come! Felix is presented as a confused and divided man, as a double-minded man, unstable in all things. A man with some understanding of the great issues at stake, but unwilling to take the steps required of him by the challenge of Paul’s gospel. His conversations with Paul continued for two years, until his procuratorship came to an end. 27, When two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.

There is some uncertainty about the date of Felix’s departure from office. He was sent to Judea in ad and he was replaced by Festus in 59.

Then violence broke out between Gentiles and Jews in Caesarea, and Felix sided with the Gentiles. Strong Jewish protests were sent to Rome, and he was soon removed from office. Little is known of Felix’s successor, Porcius Festus. Josephus tells us that he ‘proceeded to attack the principal plague of the country; he captured large numbers of the brigands and put not a few to death.’ Josephus also records how he tolerated the building of a wall in the temple at Jerusalem, designed to prevent Agrippa from observing the sacrifices. He died in office in ad 60 and was succeeded by Albinus. So, his administration was ‘not marked by the excesses of his predecessor and successors, although vigorous actions continued to be taken against insurgents.

The impending arrival of a new governor could have a been a suitable time for Felix to release Paul, especially since the Jews had not succeeded in bringing witnesses forward to advance the case against him.

25:3But because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison. Just as the Jewish authorities needed Felix to enforce certain judgments, so Felix needed them to help maintain order in Judea and give favorable reports of his administration to the emperor. So political expediency triumphed over justice for Paul in this situation. So, there was Paul still in custody appealing to Caesar but now appearing before Festus.

Appealing to Caesar… Appearing before Festus.

Now we see that the new governor began his work energetically. 25:1aThree days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, which was his second capital city. There, an impressive delegation from the Sanhedrin, consisting of the chief priests and Jewish leaders, 25:2a appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. They share dissatisfied with the way Felix had dealt with their previous approach, they took the opportunity to influence his successor and 25:3requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem. Their motive for this seemingly innocent request was that 25:b they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way. However, this time the plot is attributed to the leadership in Jerusalem rather than to an unnamed group of conspirators. Their request implies that they considered it unlikely that they would win the case by following the normal judicial procedures in Caesarea so murder would be their only appeal to justice. Look at the measure of the importance the Jewish officials placed on this matter that they not only confronted Festus with this matter as soon as he came to town but also were willing to go to such lengths to eliminate the Paul problem

Festus, however, who was not initially moved by their request, behaved with ‘a proper responsibility towards his prisoner’. He was doubtless aware of the previous plot against Paul and the swift and decisive action of Lysias in delivering him to safety in Caesarea. Desiring to uphold Roman justice, Festus declares, 4‘Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon’. He calls for those who are leaders among the Jews, 5 ‘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 charges against him.” Perhaps Festus was seeking to minimize the number of antagonists, to avoid any further public disturbances about Paul. Here he shows appropriate legal caution in suggesting that ‘if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there’. Soon Paul would find himself appealing to Caesar and awaiting an appearance before Caesar.

Appealing to Caesar… Awaiting an appearance before Caesar

6 We see that the new governor Festus spent only eight or ten days with the Jews in Jerusalem before he returned to Caesarea. 6bThe next day he convened the court, ‘he sat down in the place of judgment’; the text says, ‘that took his seat on the tribunal ... This word bēma means ‘seat’ and stands for the place where judgment takes place. So, seeking to deal with the request of the Jews in his own way, 6c he ordered that Paul be brought before him. These were the beginnings of the formal proceedings against Paul. His accusers were 7the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem with Festus, according to his instruction. They stood around Paul and 7bbrought many serious charges against him. Though these are serious charges, Luke shares with us that the charges were seriously lacking in any proof. Their case was now over two years old and it did not improve with age. Being of two years old also made it difficult ‘to secure eyewitnesses to specific accusations, and so the Jews must have had to be content with generalities.

8, Paul argued in his defense, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I committed any offense.”

Paul appears to reply one by one to the charges brought against him, saying, ‘I have done nothing wrong against (1) the Jewish law or (2) against the temple or (3) against Caesar’. Paul denies both the religious and the sociopolitical aspects of the formal charge presented by Tertullus back in , which was a development of the original accusation of Paul’s opponents in Jerusalem. Paul’s appeal to Caesar is both a surprising development in the story and a central theme in the narrative to follow. In his previous defense, Paul made it clear that he had done nothing wrong. That he had not abandoned the law or the prophets but interpreted them in terms of the eschatological hope of a general resurrection and final judgment because of his faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. Later in this chapter we will see that Festus comes to the understanding that this dispute is all about religion and not about breaking Roman law. Paul saw the Scriptures and Jewish Law being fulfilled Jesus Christ. He insists that he taught nothing but ‘what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass’. With regard to the temple, he had done nothing wrong, he continued to participate in its ritual (at least to some extent) rather than using it as a place for disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd. Although he expounded a theology of worship that was ‘according to the Way’ and focused on the glorified Jesus rather than the temple, he saw this as consistent with scriptural teaching about the messianic era. Charges about bringing Gentiles into the temple and violating its sacredness could not be substantiated. With regard to the charge of offending against Caesar, I have done nothing wrong, here Paul insisted that he was a loyal citizen of the Roman Empire and not a political rebel or deliberate troublemaker. On this basis, he was appealing for his case to be transferred to Rome and to go before Caesar.

9 Festus now responds to the request made by the Jews in v. 3, wishing to do them a favor (charin). Like Felix, Festus refuses to give a verdict, adopting the same prevaricating policy of leaving Paul in prison, as a favor to his accusers. The word prevarication is just a polite word for lying. History has observed that Roman justice was constantly being undermined by political calculations. For its own purposes Rome needed to placate a powerful pressure group. But why would the governor change his mind in just a few days? Festus’s first response (v. 3) was that of ‘a political novice not yet aware of who holds power and what their interests are’, but he quickly learns about ‘the high priests, their importance to Rome, and the strength of their conviction that Paul should be tried in Jerusalem’. So, when he asks Paul, 9b‘Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and there be tried on these charges before me?’ this is his way of making a concession towards Paul’s opponents. Since he had come to the conclusion that there was no charge of a political nature to be answered, Festus presumably felt that the religious question could best be resolved in Jerusalem, where the offence against the temple was alleged to have taken place. Whatever his motivation, his desire to preserve the peace and give Paul a fair trial was not completely abandoned. The words before me emphasizes that Festus would officiate at any future trial and not abandon Paul to the jurisdiction of the Jews.

Here we see Paul vigorously opposes the governor’s suggestion, apparently suspecting its political motivation. He insists that he is in the proper court: 10‘I am now standing before Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried’. As in v. 6, bēma (‘seat’) stands for the place where judgment takes place or, perhaps more generally here, it refers to ‘the judicial institution that makes use of the place’. Paul means that only Caesar or his representative have the right to try this case, not the Jews! He does not expect Festus to delve more deeply into theological matters, but to maintain justice with respect to the case that has already been presented. In terms of strict legality, ‘the Jews are his accusers and therefore cannot act as judges of the truth of his claim’.

Festus, however, can decide because of the evidence he has already heard Paul says here 10b‘To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well’. Paul goes on to acknowledge that if he has ‘done wrong’ and is 11‘guilty of doing anything deserving death’, he will not ‘refuse to die’. But if the charges brought against him by the Jews are untrue, he insists that ‘no one has the right to give me over to them’

Paul will not allow himself to be made ‘a diplomatic gift to the Jews.’ For this reason, he goes over the governor’s head and appeals to Caesar.

This was not an application to a higher court to have the sentence of a lower court changed, but the process called provocatio, which was

‘an appeal before trial to a higher court which would then take the whole case, trial, verdict, and sentence out of the lower court’.

In the first century ad, only Roman citizens could make such an appeal to the emperor. Paul recognize that even if he was acquitted by the governor and set free in Judea it would have been dangerous for him, given the plot against him (v. 3). So, the case needed to be transferred to Rome because political expediency was overtaking justice for Paul. Moreover, appealing to Caesar would enable him to visit the capital as planned, this puts him right where Jesus had promise that he would testify concerning Him.

The Lord’s words to Paul in the vision recorded in 23:11 were ‘you must (dei) also testify in Rome’. You see ‘by his own decision Paul can help to fulfill the Lord’s purpose that he bears witness in the centers of power, including Rome’. Paul made his appeal to Caesar ‘not only for the sake of his personal safety but also from a desire to win recognition for the Gentile churches and because of the incomparable opportunity of preaching the gospel which the hearing of his appeal would give him’. ‘You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!’

12 After Festus had conferred with his council, following established custom, he made his own decision and declared: It is not clear why the governor felt it necessary to consult with his council on this occasion. Since Paul was Roman citizen, Festus was bound to respond to his request and send him to Rome. Perhaps he sought advice about the way to report the case to Caesar, given the unusual nature of the proceedings and the lack of any hard evidence against Paul. It would not look good to have such a case poorly handled in the province and then referred to the emperor.

Paul though his faith in Jesus Christ believed that was justified before His Holy God whether or not he ever receives justice in this life! Because of Christ death on the Cross and His resurrection Paul what justified by faith.

What is justification? It is the declared purpose of God to regard and treat those sinners who believe in Jesus Christ as if they had not sinned, on the ground of the merits of the Savior. It is not mere pardon. Pardon is a free forgiveness of past offenses. It has reference to those sins as forgiven and blotted out. Justification has respect to the law, and to God's future dealings with the sinner. It is an act by which God determines to treat him hereafter as righteous--as if he had not sinned. The basis for this is the merit of the Lord Jesus Christ, merit that we can plead as if it were our own. He has taken our place and died in our stead; He has met the descending stroke of justice, which would have fallen on our own heads if He had not intervened.