“For the resurrection of the dead I am on trial before you today.” Acts 24: 21
The sound was unmistakable: the formidable sound of Roman soldiers marching in unison, especially at nine o’clock at night. There was no mistaking that distinctive sound of their hobnailed caligae (military sandals) against the cobblestone street—all calculated to strike fear in their enemies. Two hundred Roman soldiers at the head of the column and two hundred more spearmen brought up the rear. In the center were seventy horsemen, and their special charge— the reason for their mission—riding on his own mount, was Paul.
One little man, bow-legged, bald-headed with a long hook nose and eyebrows that met in the middle, was the target of some forty Jewish assassins in Jerusalem. How can this be? “For they say, ‘His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible. (2 Cor.10: 10) It was not just the messenger—it was, more importantly, the Message of the resurrection: the righteous dead and the wicked during the judgment to come that threatened their status quo. It is when we are most unsure when we cling to orthodoxy the most tenaciously. Jesus nailed it when He said to the Pharisees: "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.” (Jn.5: 39)
So to Caesarea they have come, so that Paul can ostensibly have a hearing in relative safety. The high priest Ananias, some elders, and an attorney named Tertullus came five days later to present their case to Felix, the governor.
Tertullus has three accusations against Paul. (1) “He is a fellow who stirs up dissension among all the Jews throughout the world.” (2)“He is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.” and (3)“He even tried to desecrate the temple”.
Paul quickly dispensed with the baseless accusations. And the Asian Jews who brought the charges of temple desecration did not even show up; that was how groundless it was.
Paul openly admitted that he followed the Way, which is in accord with serving the God of their fathers, in accordance with the Law and the Prophets; “having a hope in God,…that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked……For the resurrection of the dead I am on trial before you today.”
Polhill’s commentary on Acts is helpful here: Paul “believed the same Scriptures, worshipped the same God, shared the same hope. But it was precisely at this point that “the Way” parted ways with the rest of the Jews. The Christians believed that the resurrection already had begun in Christ.”
“He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to first place in everything.” (Col.1: 17-18)
We can read in Revelation 1: 5: “and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.”
Felix had enough to acquit Paul. He broke no Roman laws, and he was not guilty of breaking Jewish law. Yet Felix put off deciding about the case (“When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case.”), for fear of offending the Jewish leaders. So Paul was not freed.
Felix was married to a Jewess, Drusilla, the daughter of Herod Arippa I. Her father had executed the apostle James and would have executed Peter had it not been for God’s intervention. It is thought Drusilla was the cause of Felix wanting to speak with Paul in private about the Way. Both Felix and Drusilla heard Paul speak about faith in Christ, righteousness, and the judgment to come. But they both put eternity on hold: “When I can find the time,” they said, they will summon Paul. Felix left Paul imprisoned for two more years, until his successor took over.
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
Questions To Think About:
The sound was unmistakable: the formidable sound of Roman soldiers marching in unison, especially at nine o’clock at night. There was no mistaking that distinctive sound of their hobnailed caligae (military sandals) against the cobblestone street—all calculated to strike fear in their enemies. Two hundred Roman soldiers at the head of the column and two hundred more spearmen brought up the rear. In the center were seventy horsemen, and their special charge— the reason for their mission—riding on his own mount, was Paul.
One little man, bow-legged, bald-headed with a long hook nose and eyebrows that met in the middle, was the target of some forty Jewish assassins in Jerusalem. How can this be? “For they say, ‘His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible. (2 Cor.10: 10) It was not just the messenger—it was, more importantly, the Message of the resurrection: the righteous dead and the wicked during the judgment to come that threatened their status quo. It is when we are most unsure when we cling to orthodoxy the most tenaciously. Jesus nailed it when He said to the Pharisees: "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.” (Jn.5: 39)
So to Caesarea they have come, so that Paul can ostensibly have a hearing in relative safety. The high priest Ananias, some elders, and an attorney named Tertullus came five days later to present their case to Felix, the governor.
Tertullus has three accusations against Paul. (1) “He is a fellow who stirs up dissension among all the Jews throughout the world.” (2)“He is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.” and (3)“He even tried to desecrate the temple”.
Paul quickly dispensed with the baseless accusations. And the Asian Jews who brought the charges of temple desecration did not even show up; that was how groundless it was.
Paul openly admitted that he followed the Way, which is in accord with serving the God of their fathers, in accordance with the Law and the Prophets; “having a hope in God,…that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked……For the resurrection of the dead I am on trial before you today.”
Polhill’s commentary on Acts is helpful here: Paul “believed the same Scriptures, worshipped the same God, shared the same hope. But it was precisely at this point that “the Way” parted ways with the rest of the Jews. The Christians believed that the resurrection already had begun in Christ.”
“He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to first place in everything.” (Col.1: 17-18)
We can read in Revelation 1: 5: “and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.”
Felix had enough to acquit Paul. He broke no Roman laws, and he was not guilty of breaking Jewish law. Yet Felix put off deciding about the case (“When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case.”), for fear of offending the Jewish leaders. So Paul was not freed.
Felix was married to a Jewess, Drusilla, the daughter of Herod Arippa I. Her father had executed the apostle James and would have executed Peter had it not been for God’s intervention. It is thought Drusilla was the cause of Felix wanting to speak with Paul in private about the Way. Both Felix and Drusilla heard Paul speak about faith in Christ, righteousness, and the judgment to come. But they both put eternity on hold: “When I can find the time,” they said, they will summon Paul. Felix left Paul imprisoned for two more years, until his successor took over.
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
Questions To Think About:
- Paul’s appearance was described as “unimpressive” (2 Cor. 10:10), yet his message required a 470-soldier escort for protection. When have you allowed your own perceived weaknesses to stop you from sharing the gospel? How does Paul’s story remind us that the power is in the message, not the messenger?
- The religious leaders clung tenaciously to their orthodoxy because they felt threatened by the message of the resurrection. Is there an area in your spiritual life where you are clinging to comfortable traditions or routines instead of opening your heart to the living, active work of Jesus?
- Felix and Drusilla listened to Paul talk about righteousness and judgment, but put him off until they could “find the time.” In what areas of your life are you telling God, “I will obey when it’s more convenient”? What is the danger of delaying spiritual course-corrections?
- Colossians 1:17-18 and Revelation 1:5 highlight Jesus as the “firstborn from the dead.” How does knowing that Jesus has already conquered death change the way you view your earthly trials, losses, or fears of the future?
- Jesus warned the Pharisees in John 5:39 that they searched the Scriptures but were unwilling to come to Him for life. Is it possible to know a lot about the Bible without actually knowing the Author? How can you ensure your daily Bible reading leads to an active, intimate relationship with Jesus rather than just intellectual pride?
Posted in Showdown At Caesarea