was well prepared. He had done his homework. This guy was good. He was eloquent in his speech. I had to be at my best to outwit him.
He continued with his so called accusations, "We have found this man to be a perfect pest, a real plague. An agitator and a source of disturbance to all the Jews throughout the world, a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. He even tried to desecrate and defile the Temple, but we arrested him, laying our hands on him. We would have sentenced him by our own Law, but the commander Claudius Lysias came and took him from us by force, ordering his accusers to present themselves to you. By examining and cross-questioning him yourself, you will be able to ascertain the truth from him about all these things which we have charged him with." To make things worse, the Jews also joined in on the accusations and alleged that these facts about me were true.
The governor then beckoned for me to speak, so I answered, "I know that you have been a judge over this nation for a number of years now, so I am glad to make my defence before you today. As you can verify for yourself, it has not been more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem. Neither in the Temple nor in the synagogues nor anywhere else in the city did they find me either arguing with anyone or bringing together a seditious crowd. Nor can they give any proof of the things that they are accusing me of. But this I do admit and confess to you. I worship the God of our forefathers in accordance with the 'Way of the Lord,' which they call a heretical sect. I continue to believe everything laid down by the Law of Moses and everything written in the Psalms and the Prophets."
I was building a strong defence for myself. I was not going to allow myself to be bullied by them. I spoke calmly but steadily before them, not leaving a single detail out, "I still have a hope in God, believing in Him and placing my full confidence in Him, which they too accept, and that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. It is because of this that I make a point of always having a clear conscience in the sight of God and man."
I was only warming up in my defence. It was going to get very hot in the court. I wasn't going to pull any punches. I boldly announced, "After several years of absence, I came back to Jerusalem to bring charitable gifts to my nation and to offer offerings of worship in the Temple. It was in connection with the latter that they found me in the Temple. I had been ceremonially purified, I was not causing a disturbance. But some Jews from the Province of Asia, they ought to be here to make a charge if they have anything against me! Or else, let these men themselves say what crime they found me guilty of when I stood in front of the Sanhedrin. Other than this one thing which I shouted out when I was standing among them, with regards to the resurrection of the dead. I'm on trial before you today because I believe in the resurrection of the dead."
Felix was no fool. He had a rather accurate understanding of the "Disciples of the Way" and the "Way of the Lord." He put things off and adjourned the trial saying, "When Lysias the Roman commander comes down as a witness, I will decide your case." He ordered the captain to keep me in custody, but he allowed me to have considerable liberty, allowing my friends to take care of my needs. Timothy and Luke were at hand, by my side as always. Luke had travelled with me on both my second and third missionary journeys. Timothy had not left my side since I found him at his home town of Lystra, on my second journey. Timothy was a true spiritual son. I had no one like him, no one of so kindred a spirit, who was so genuinely interested in the welfare of others. Most people all seek to advance their own interests and not those of the Lord Jesus Christ as Timothy did. He had toiled with me zealously in serving and helping to advance the message of the Gospel.
Some days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for me and listened to me talk about faith in Jesus Christ, the Messiah. How that Jesus died upon the cross for our sins. How He was buried and laid in a tomb and how He was raised back to life on the third day. When I began to discuss righteousness, self control and the coming judgement on Rome and Jerusalem, Felix became frightened and said, "For the time being, go away! I will send for you when I get a chance." At the same time he hoped that I would offer him a bribe. He offered me my freedom in exchange for money. So he sent for me rather often and kept talking to me, hoping I would give in and settle with a bribe.
After two long years, Felix was succeeded by a new Roman procurator and governor of Judea, Porcius Festus, but because Felix wanted to grant the Judeans a favour, he left me bound in chains and in prison. At times I thought I was going to be in jail forever, yet deep inside me a small still voice kept speaking to me, saying, "You must first go to Rome."
I am Paul, remember I am still in prison and in chains. May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all.
Amen - so be it.
Appeal to Caesar. #15
Three days after Festus, the new Roman governor entered the province, he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem. There the chief priests and Jewish leaders informed him of my case. They laid charges before him against me and kept begging and urging him to do them a favour by bringing me to Jerusalem to stand trial. Meanwhile they were planning an ambush to kill me on the way there. Festus replied to them that I was being kept under Praetorian Guard in Caesarea and that he himself was planning to leave Jerusalem for there soon. He said to them, "Let those who are in a position of authority among you go down with me, and press charges against the man, that's if he has done something seriously wrong."
The chief priests and elders were a crooked bunch. They were trying every trick in the book to have me extinguished from off the face of the earth. They still wanted me dead after two whole years had passed by. Festus came back down to Caesarea after staying with them for not more than eight to ten days. I had lost count of the days that he was away. The following day he took his seat in the court and ordered me to be brought in.
When I arrived at the court, the Judeans who had come down from Jerusalem stood around me in a circle. They brought many serious charges against me which they could not prove. They had no evidence to support their claims. In reply to their allegations, I said, "I have committed no offence, not against the Law of Moses to which you Jews hold fast, nor against the Temple in Jerusalem, nor against the Emperor." Festus was wanting to do the Jews a favour so he asked me, "Would you be willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried before me there on these charges." I replied in my defense, "I am standing right now in the official court and judgement seat of Caesar the Emperor, and this is where I should be tried. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you very well know. If then I am a wrongdoer or a criminal and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, then I am ready to die." I knew what my rights were according to Roman Law as I was a Roman citizen, and I wasn't going to give them up. In my heart I knew that they were wanting to ambush me on the way.
I stood my ground and continued with my defense, "However If there is no ground for these charges and accusations against me, then no one can hand me over to these men to kill me." I suddenly said the unthinkable. The words came out of my mouth unexpectedly. Only God the Holy Spirit could have caused me to say such a thing. Without thinking I cried out, "I appeal to Caesar!" The entire congregation in the court went silent. Caesar had the power to release me or have me put to death. Imperator Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, the Emperor was a hard and cruel man.
Festus began to whisper as he conferred with his advisers, then he answered, "You have appealed to Caesar the Emperor, so to Caesar the Emperor you will go!" The Emperor was believe to be a god by many, a deity that lived on the earth among us. They were worshipped by the Romans as the son of god. One Emperor demanded so much worship of himself that he ordered his statue to be placed in our holy Temple in Jerusalem. However he died before this order could be carried out. After some days, Agrippa the king of Judea and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. They wanted to welcome the new Roman governor and wish him well at his new post.
They stayed there for several days so Festus had the opportun
ity to acquaint the king with my case. "There is a man here," he said, "a prisoner who was left behind in chains by Felix. When I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the Jewish elders informed me about him, petitioning for a judicial hearing and the condemnation of the man. My answer to them was that it is not the custom of the Romans to give up an accused man for punishment before the accused has met his accusers face to face and had the opportunity to defend himself against the charges in a trial. So when they arrived here with me, I did not delay, but took my seat in court the next day and ordered the man brought in. When the accusers stood up, instead of charging him with some serious crime of misconduct as I had expected. They disputed with him over some controversy about their own religion, and particularly concerning the one Jesus, Who had died but Whom Paul kept asserting over and over again to be alive. Being at a loss on how to investigate such questions, I asked him if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried on these matters there. Since Paul appealed