Paul took the Gospel to a pagan world. Today’s America is every bit as much in need of God’s Word, as was the Roman world of Paul’s day. Too many of our young people have left the faith during their formative years at college. Can we as parents and grandparents make a difference? The next two slides tells us how. If not us, then who?
Who would have thought that America could change so dramatically so quickly? America’s future depends on the direction of our youth, with far too many being indoctrinated on college campuses by left leaning college professors and student activists. What can we do as parents and grandparents? Visit Ratio Christi’s website at https://ratiochristi.org/about/
Ratio Christi, sharing Christ and Christian values with the college generation. What’s happening in America is a religious-secular movement, and the answer is Jesus Christ, at church and the college campus.
Chapter 24 closed with Porcius Festus replacing Marcus Antonius Felix as Procurator, (a.k.a. governor) of Judea. The year was 59 AD. Upon leaving, Felix left Paul in confinement because he did not want to create unrest with the Jews. Chapter 25 opens with Festus traveling to Jerusalem, but first a brief review of the closing of chapter 24.
A flashback to Chapter 24, with Paul under house arrest. No politician wants to be criticized, especially if it could damage their reputation and position. Such was the case with Felix. He could not afford to let the Jewish leaders’ criticism reach Caesar. It would signal unrest and potentially damage—i.e., diminish—his standing and reputation as governor of Judea.
Early in chapter 24, Paul was taken by the Romans from Jerusalem to Caesarea following the route shown on the map. This is the route the Romans traveled—a distance of about 64 miles. Since bandits were common, we can be certain Festus traveled with a compliment of soldiers. Camels 30 miles/day. Donkeys 20 mi./day. Horses 25-35 mi./day.
Chapter 25 opens in Caesarea Maritima and then onto Jerusalem. Once again, we see the Jewish religious leaders conspiring against Paul. Even though Jerusalem in south of Caesarea (map on previous slide), it is situated at a higher elevation, therefore going up to Jerusalem is noted.
Festus invited the Jewish leaders to accompany him to Caesarea to confront Paul face-to-face. If he is truly guilty, it would be determined there, and not in Jerusalem. Most likely he was aware of Paul’s Roman citizenship.
Caesarea was the Roman capital of Judea, built by Herod the Great in 22-10 BC. You can see the temple near the bay. Our goal is to step into the events with visual aids, as we read about them. This is where most of chapter 24 took place.
What it’s believed to have looked like. Most of which is in ruins today.
A closer look at the temple, shown in the right image. Again, it was built by Herod the Great and dedicated to Caesar Augustus. At the time, Roman Emperors were glorified as gods. Pagan gods were worshipped in Palestine by the Romans and other Gentiles. We can be sure the temple priests in Jerusalem, not only hated but despised visiting that Roman pagan city. This helps set the stage for Paul’s trial. It had also been the headquarters of Pontius Pilot.
So much biblical history noted in Acts are in ruins, equally true of the Roman Empire of Jesus’ day. Think about it as putting history into perspective. God has a plan, He always did.
The goal of the temple restoration is to triple tourists visits to the area. It currently draws about 1 million tourists annually. Those pagan gods are no longer worshiped, and the temples devoted to them are mostly in ruins.
Modern man’s fascination with the past. If you had visited that site, I would like to hear from you. Luke’s message written in the Acts of the Apostles is as relevant today as it was then. The Word of God endures forever, and is relevant for each generation.
We’re not told how many members of the Sanhedrin were there, but enough to "stand around Paul". They viewed Paul as a threat to their position and their belief that there was no resurrection. If Jesus truly rose from the grave as professed by Paul, their belief would be in error, which would undermine their authority and credibility; something they would not tolerate.
Just as Felix wanted to avoid confrontation with the Jewish leaders, the same was true of Festus for similar reasons, especially as the new governor whose primary role was to maintain order. So here we see Paul facing yet another potential trial in Jerusalem, where local mobs could and would be incited to create a hostile situation and even riot, shouting accusation against Paul, just as they had against Jesus.
Paul states that if he was guilty, then he deserved to die, but he proclaimed his innocence. He reminds Festus that as a Roman citizen he is under Roman law—and not mob rule as would happen in Jerusalem. Paul, as a Roman citizen, is not just proposing, but demanding to be sent to Rome to appear before Caesar.
The decision let Festus off the hook. He thus avoids getting himself in how water with Rome, that complaints against him by the Jewish leaders would have caused. He could have freed Paul, but not without Jewish backlash, who most likely would have forwarded their complaints to Rome and Caesar, something Festus certainly did not want.
Another dimension takes place with King Agrippa arriving. He most likely traveled from Caesarea Philippi where his palace was located. Bernice was Agrippa’s sister. He was appointed as King of Judea by Rome—and grew up in Rome.
Agrippa is also called King Herod in Acts 12 where he arrested members of the Church, intending to persecute them. He also had James, the brother of John, put to death. More information on the next slide.
(Chal-cis) (A-ris-to-bu-lus)
Festus explains the guidelines of Roman law, in regard to Paul. Charges against Paul were religious, not legal in accordance with Roman law that applied equally throughout the Roman Empire.
Festus continues his explanation. Once again, his goal is to maintain peace and order in Judea and yet, stay on the good side of the Jews. As he explained, their charges were religious concerning a dispute over Jesus’ death, and not legal under with Roman law.
Yet, releasing Paul would be like pouring gasoline on an open flame. There were two options: the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem or Caesar in Rome. Since Paul was a Roman citizen, sending him to Rome was the safest choice politically.
It may have been late in the day, so speaking to Paul would be delayed until the next day. Most likely Agrippa was tired from his trip.
I’ll let this slide speak for itself regarding how Agrippa and Bernice traveled to Caesarea. It was noted that Bernice was living with him as his wife and later she became mistress to Emperor Vespasian and Emperor Titus.
The following day, Paul was brought in to present his case to King Agrippa.
Here, Paul addresses King Agrippa, while Festus and Bernice listened. Agrippa, being appointed king by Rome, had a lot of authority and ability to assert it.
Once again Festus states that Paul did not break any Roman laws and therefore did not deserve death; so at Paul’s request, he would be sent to Rome to appear before Caesar, which left the Jews without a trump card against Festus for not turning Paul over to them.
Even King Agrippa would not voice opposition to Roman law. Since Paul didn't break Roman law, Festus had no legal charges against Paul for the Emperor. What charge does one lay on an innocent man? We won’t know until chapter 26. / chapter 25 ends here at v.27.
Just the facts! The value of Roman citizenship is once again Paul’s defense against the Jewish religious leaders who were destined to have him killed. We see God’s sovereignty from the moment of Paul’s birth, being born of Jewish parents who held Roman citizenship in the city of Tarsus, a principle Roman city in the province of Cilicia, Asia minor.
We close chapter 25 with Paul before King Agrippa. Rome’s power, like a modern day politician, is swayed by unrest or pushback by the people. Yet Paul’s Roman citizenship by God’s sovereignty, was his escape from the Jewish religious leadership, opening the door for sharing of Christ with a pagan world. A similar challenge exist on our college campuses today.
See Adrian Rogers message on the next slide. Think about Ratio Christi’s efforts on college campuses as you watch Adrian Rogers message. America’s future rests in the hands of our young people, especially those in colleges across the country who are being influenced and even indoctrinated by the far-left secular world.
A message that is very relevant today. Pastor Adrian Rogers 43-minute message, “The Generation to Come and the America of Tomorrow.” https://youtu.be/ucf444GCFzM (copy and paste in your web browser)
End of
The Acts of the Apostles
Chapter 25
