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Acts | Chapter 24

24:1-27

“The people’s court”

I.) Intro. 

II.) Vs. 1-9 Three charges against Paul

III.) Vs. 10-21 Paul’s defense

IV.) Vs. 22-27 A convenient verdict?


Intro.

Two weeks ago we left off with Paul being moved 65 miles to Caesarea where Felix the Roman Governor lived. Paul is heading into the first of three trials, two of which will be hear in Caesarea & the last one before the emperor in Rome. This chapter combines two of my interests, “history & law”. You see I’m into court cases & things. In fact I regularly watch “Law & Order” repeats on T.V. The investigation, the unraveling of the case & the actual trial as the “Truth” comes to light are interesting to me. Now most of you are aware that all trials of the same basic ingredients:

  • The litigants: In this case before us they would be the state “religious leaders” against the defendant Paul.
  • A judge: That would be Felix, whom we already noted according to history was a “vulgar & a ruffian who exercised the power of a king in the spirit of a slave.”

So that is what we have before us today a trial of Paul & his defense, then finally the outcome. Behind the scenes though we shall see that it is not Paul that is on trial but rather all the others present. 


Vs. 1-9 Three charges against Paul

Vs. 1 To set the courtroom drama up Luke gives you some background into who in the “state” was pressing the charges:

  • Ananias, the High Priest was the most corrupt High Priest in Israel’s history. Now what is interesting to me is that he is 80 years old & has traveled some 65 miles to try this case.
  • “Ter-tell-us” a high priced lawyer, who in five days they have on retainer who along with some of the religious supreme court travel 65 to make sure that Paul is found guilty. Tertullus is believed by some to be a Greek speaking Jew who was specially licensed to practice law before the Romans. I have it on good authority that his name in Latin is translated Johnny Cockren in English. Actually it means “Little third” probably named for the “little third” that he gave to his clients while keeping two thirds!

            So here is the picture, you have the most corrupt high priest in Israel’s history who hires the slickest lawyer in the land to try the case all within five days before a Judge that can be bought because he to is corrupt.  And on the defense? Uh, well you have the accused without a lawyer. If ever there was a slam-dunk case this was it.

Vs. 2-4 So old “two thirds” starts his case with a little flattery of the Judge. Ok, a lot of flattery, it was Felix who hired murders to kill the High Priest Jonathan. So as “Ter-tell-us” starts saying how great Felix was the room was probably choking on the lies being told & I wonder if Felix raised his eyebrows a bit as “Ter-tell-us” cuts his flattery short to start the trial.

Vs. 5-6 Here then are the three charges they are accusing Paul on:

  1. Vs. 5a PEOPLES PLAGUE “For we have found this man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world.” This is really a personal charge but the most serious as it dealt with insurrection & the only charge that was directly against Rome. This you will recall is the same charge that led to Jesus’ crucifixion. Now from our perspective I suppose you could say as one commentator did; “That wherever Paul went, there was either a riot or a revival!” 
  2. Vs.5b RELIGIOUS RADICAL “a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.” This is a political charge that charged Paul with being involved with an illegal religion, one that was not sanctioned by Rome. The word here used for “ringleader” is a military one that means, “one who stands in front”. You see the words “sect” & “Nazarenes”? They are charging Paul with being a religious radical but they are also making it clear that he is part of a illegal sect of insignificance. Nazareth was a town that you didn’t want people to known that you were from. It was kind of the Gram Keller’s “Prairie Home Companion” famed “Lake woe-be-gone” of its day, as it literally mean’s “bean town”. That is why Nathanael said to Philip concerning Jesus’ hometown, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” 
  3. Vs. 6-8 TROUBLING TERRORIST “He even tried to profane the temple.” Here the charge is doctrinal in nature. You see this is a charge that would not interest Felix as it dealt with Jewish religious law & not Roman law. So “Ter-tell-us” is careful to say that they were going to deal with it when Lysias came & interrupted the there attempt to do so with great violence & demanded that Felix try the case. Now this all was a lie, something that Felix already knew having read the letter Claudius had sent with Paul five days earlier.

Vs. 9 Outside the three charges the only thing of proof that is offered by the prosecuting attorney “Little third” is the Jewish leaders nodding their heads in agreement with what he had just said. Where are the collaborating witnesses? Where is the evidences to support their accusations? “Well” says, “Ter-tell-us” “You just ask this plague of a man yourself & you will see what we are talking about.” What this tells me is that the prosecution was not worried about truth or evidence because they had power & corruption on their side. 


Vs. 10-21 Paul’s defense

Vs. 10 The prosecution rested it’s case & Felix nods to Paul to start his defense to the three charges. Notice that Paul uses no flattery as “Ter-tell-us” has done, instead he says, “You have been a judge for seven years in this country so I’ll just speak on my on behalf.”

Vs. 11-13 Paul offers his defense to the first charge of being the PEOPLES PLAGUE which was the charge of insurrection, by saying three reasons this could not be true.

  1. Vs. 11 NO TIME: Paul starts out by saying that the charge was false because of the fact that he had only been in Jerusalem for less then seven days seeing that he had now been in Caesarea for five. In other words it was not enough time to all by himself gather enough people to carry out an insurrection especially when you realize he was out of the country prior to that.
  2. Vs. 12 NO PEOPLE: Next Paul says that they offered no people who stated that he was causing an insurrection. “Ter-tell-us” never brought out any person to substantiate the accusation of causing any problems in or around Jerusalem.
  3. Vs. 13 NO PROOF: Finally Paul states the obvious, “Where is the proof for this accusation?” On Paul’s side of coarse there is the letter from Claudius Lysias that charges the Jews with the insurrection & that the charges they had against Paul had to do with religion not Roman law & that nothing they charged him with was worthy of or chains or death.

Vs. 14-16 Here in these verse Paul answers the second charge of being a RELIGIOUS RADICAL because he was a part of a illegal religion which was not sanctioned by Rome. But first he says, “I plead guilty to being a religious radical but not to being an illegal sect!” Then he offers a fourfold defense which affirms his faith in Jesus.   

  1. Vs. 14a “According to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers.” First Paul says that what is at issue is not Who he worship but How he worship. Paul argues that “The Way” can not be an illegal religion because it has not changed Who he worshiped but How he worshiped so Christianity was legal if Judaism was legal. Paul still worshiped the God of his fathers that had not changed but he now did so according to “The way”. And who is The Way? Well Jesus! In other words Paul was now worshiping the God of his fathers through the Fathers only Son! 
  2. Vs. 14b “Believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets.” Next Paul explains why he has changed the way in which he worships the God of his fathers; it’s because he has believed ALL things in the Bible. Paul says, “Hey, I’m worshiping God through His Son Jesus because I believe what the Bible says about Him!” “I’m a religious radical because I’m just on a journey with Jesus!” How about you? Are you a religious radical because you are simply applying the truths found in the Bible?
  3. Vs. 15 “I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.” Paul says that he had the same hope that they did in an after life & that was because of the resurrection of the just & the unjust. It was this hope in Jesus that caused him to worship the God of his fathers differently.
  4. Vs. 16 “This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.” Paul finish with this by saying that believing in the resurrection was more then doctrinal it caused him to live his life differently before God & man. Paul was living a life that rested in the resurrection & this was a positive thing not a negative thing.

Let me ask you folk’s if you were on trial for your life because of your faith in Jesus would you be able to plead guilty as charged like Paul did? Or would they not put you on trial to begin with?

Vs. 17-21 Finally Paul answers the third charge of being a TROUBLING TERRORIST because he supposable profaned the temple. Paul has three answers to this charge.

  1. Vs. 17-18 Paul shares the way in which he brought terror in the temple.
  2. Vs. 17 By bringing money to help the poor & needy Jews in Jerusalem.
  3. Vs. 18 By worshiping in the temple alone & purified according to Jewish customs.

Do you see Paul’s point? “What kind of terrorist was I if I came not with weapons or words but rather with wealth & worship?”

  • Vs. 19-20 Paul shares again where are my accusers? They weren’t in Casarea neither did they show up before Claudius Lysias in Jerusalem.
  • Vs. 21 Paul concludes with this statement where he says, “Hey the only terror I brought upon them was the terror of conscience concerning the resurrection!”

Now not only were there no witness against Paul there were no character witness for Paul as well. Think of this an 80 year old man & part of the religious supreme court was willing to travel 65 miles for reasons of hate but the Church was unwilling to travel the same 65 miles for reasons of love! Oh how often we see this in the body of Christ. We all know that song, “They will know we are Christians by our Love, by our love!”   


Vs. 22-27 A convenient verdict?

Vs. 22-23 Now Felix did what Pilate before him had done with Jesus put off doing the right thing. He could not convict Paul but he could not afford to release him politically, he does this by pretending he needed more evidence from Lysias but he already had his letter which accompanied Paul. He does grant Paul great freedom being only under house arrest.

Vs. 24-25 What Felix does politically he does spiritually as well, tries to walk the middle ground. After several days with his 18-year-old Jewish bride by his side he calls Paul in to hear more concerning his faith in Jesus. So Paul give them three pillars of faith in Christ.

  1. Righteousness: So Paul spoke to them about the PURPOSE of life which is right living. The problem is that there is none righteous the Bible says. “So how is one declared righteous?” Well by faith in the work of Jesus! So Paul must of spoke about the death of Jesus “the just for the unjust” (1 Peter 3:18)
  2. Self-control: Next Paul spoke to them about the PROBLEM of life which is self-control. Or if you will, “How to overcome temptation & walk with God in His righteousness?” So here Paul must of spoke of the resurrection of Jesus as this is how walk with Him. Paul would say that were a brand new creation raised in new life old things have passed away!
  3. Judgement to come: Finally Paul spoke to them concerning the PRODUCT of life which is judgement. All of us are going to face a judgment those of us in Christ will face a judgment where rewards will be passed out for how we have lived. And those who have rejected him will face the “Great white throne” judgment. So Paul must of spoke to them about the return of Jesus. 

Paul spoke to Felix & Drusilla about the death of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus & the soon return of Jesus. To which they decided to procrastinate the obvious conviction they had to the gospel. Oh how foolish this was you see all a person has to do to go to hell is nothing! A serve was done not to long ago that showed that 82% of all Christians are saved before the age of 20, the older the person is the greater the odds are that they will not accept Jesus. Think of that won’t you? Most people put this decision off by saying “I’ll wait till later, until I have more information & sowed my wild oats!” But every day that a person delays the odds become increased that they won’t respond to the conviction in their heart. The story is told of four demons who got together to come up with a new lie that would keep more people from becoming Christians. Each took their turn:

  1. “Hey, I know we will spread the lie that there is no God!” No that will never work because people can see what He has created & know that there is a God.
  2. “What if we tell them there is no heaven?” No that won’t work everybody knows that there is more to life then just here & now.
  3. “Ok, what if we tell them there is no hell?” No they have a conscience & they know that their sins will be judged.
  4. I’ve got it, what if we just tell them there is no hurry in making a decision?” Perfect, they cried!