The Apostle Paul is being held at Herod's palace in Caesarea until his accusers can arrive from Jerusalem to present their case against him in front of Governor Felix.
"Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor." (Acts 24:1) A legal "dream team" is sent to accuse Paul, not the rabble rousers from Asia Minor who stirred up the mob at Jerusalem, and not the forty-plus men who took a vow to remove Paul from the earth. Only the best and brightest are sent to Caesarea to make a good impression on the governor. Tertullus the lawyer has a Roman name, and it is believed that he is a Jewish proselyte who is thoroughly acquainted with the laws and customs of both the Romans and the Jews. This makes him the perfect choice to appear before a Roman governor to accuse Paul of violations of Jewish law.
"When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: 'We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation. Everywhere and in every way, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly.'" (Acts 24:2-4) The flattery that Tertullus heaps upon Felix is sickening. It's true Felix enforced the peace as much as possible with military might, but he was also known by ancient historians as a cruel and heartless man. The historian Josephus accuses him of having the high priest Jonathan executed. The men who are standing before Felix with Tertullus do not consider him their friend and they do not enjoy being under his authority or under the authority of Rome. But I imagine they manage to keep straight faces and to nod in agreement as Tertullus praises the governor.
The lawyer brings up Felix's success in keeping the peace because he intends to present Paul as one who constantly disrupts the peace. Tertullus now commits perjury in Felix's court. "We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him." (Acts 24:5-6)
Paul never once incited a riot. Wherever he takes the gospel, riots tend to ensue, but this is never his desire or intention. Wherever the gospel goes, Satan goes along to try to keep the hearers of the gospel from taking it to heart. Wherever the gospel goes, the devil tries to stir up disagreement. He knows that pitting people against each other will take their minds off Christ. The Lord is using Paul in such a mighty way to spread the gospel that Satan has decided he must have the apostle put to death if at all possible. The Apostle Paul has human enemies, but he realizes that the one who stirs up hatred against him is the devil himself, which is why Paul will say in his letter to the church at Ephesus, "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12) The religious leaders from Jerusalem are pawns in the devil's game. He is playing on their prejudices and fears to make them feel that the Apostle Paul is the most dangerous man on earth.
Tertullus ends his argument on a weak note, for although he invites Felix to question Paul himself to find out if these things are true, he offers no evidence to support the charges against Paul. "'By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him.' The other Jews joined in the accusation, asserting that these things were true." (Acts 24:8-9)
If Paul has indeed stirred up riots, Tertullus should provide details of how Paul managed to stir them up and where and when he stirred them up. Tertullus refers to Christianity as "the Nazarene sect". By calling Christianity a "sect" his intention is to strip the religion of all validity and respect. People can respect a major mainstream religion even if they don't agree with it, but a sect conjures up the image of a cult or heretic movement. The lawyer provides no explanation for exactly how Paul intended to desecrate the temple. The mob at Jerusalem accused him of bringing a Gentile into the inner court, which he did not do, but Felix isn't told any of this. To a Gentile like Felix the idea of desecration is more along the lines of vandalizing or attempting to destroy a house of worship. This makes Paul sound like a violent man.
In tomorrow's study Paul will present the truth of the matter to Governor Felix and in doing so will preach the gospel of the risen Christ. Felix will dismiss Paul without rendering a judgment at that time, so overcome is he with fear and guilt when he realizes he is living an unrighteous life. It is not believed that Felix ever converted, but it won't be because the Lord didn't deal with his heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment