King Agrippa II, of Jewish heritage, comes to Caesarea in our passage today to pay his respects to Festus who has been appointed governor of Judea. Though the former governor Felix was Agrippa's brother-in-law (being married to Agrippa's sister Drusilla) it is politically expedient for him to establish a good relationship with the current governor. Agrippa is merely a vassal king who holds the title at the pleasure of Rome, while Festus is a Roman citizen appointed to a position of power by the emperor. In this case a governor actually outranks a king, but the two of them need to work together to keep the peace in Judea.
Agrippa II is the descendant of the wicked Herod the Great who ordered the male babies of Bethlehem killed around the time of Jesus' birth, and he is the son of the violent Agrippa I who ordered the execution of the Apostle James and who imprisoned the Apostle Peter with plans to execute him as well. In our text today Agrippa II travels to Caesarea with his sister Bernice upon whom he has bestowed the title of "queen" and with whom ancient historians such as Flavius Josephus claim he was living as husband and wife rather than as brother and sister. Though they are Jews, the sympathies of Agrippa and Bernice lie with Rome, and during the Jewish revolt of the late 60s AD these two will side wholeheartedly with Rome against the Jews and will send 2,000 men to support Rome in the fight. After Agrippa's death Drusilla will become the mistress of Titus, the son of Emperor Vespasian, Emperor Nero's successor. This is the same Titus who laid siege to Jerusalem and caused the fall of the city and the temple in 70 AD. Whether Drusilla was in an incestuous relationship with her brother we can't say for certain, but she certainly felt no qualms about sleeping with the enemy by taking up with Titus under whose command over a million of her own people died either by sword and famine, and under whose command tens of thousands of her own people were sold into slavery or dragged into the arenas of Rome to be torn apart by lions.
Luke tells us that the royal couple arrives in town shortly after Festus hears Paul's case. "A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul's case with the king. He said: 'There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner. When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned.'" (Acts 25:13-15) Agrippa has no authority or jurisdiction over Paul's case, but he does know Jewish laws and customs. Festus wants his opinion on the strife between Paul and the religious leaders from Jerusalem. Being a Roman, Festus fails to grasp why these men find Paul's doctrine so offensive.
"I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over anyone before they have faced their accusers and have had an opportunity to defend themselves against the charges. When they came here with me, I did not delay the case, but convened the court the next day and ordered the man to be brought in." (Acts 25:16-17) In asking Festus to hand Paul over, these men were asking him to let them take matters into their own hands. They intended to put Paul to death without him having had a fair trial before Festus and without him ever having been convicted of any crime.
Festus tells Agrippa that he expected the Apostle Paul to be accused of horrible acts against society, so he was quite surprised to hear the actual accusations. "When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive." (Acts 25:18-19) Festus declares, "This is the strangest trial I've ever presided over! I thought this man named Paul had committed murder or sedition. The hatred of the men from Jerusalem was so great against him that I was expecting them to provide proof that it isn't safe to let him go on living. Instead I heard a garbled account about some preacher from Nazareth named Jesus who was crucified under Pontius Pilate and buried in a tomb. The priests and elders claim this Jesus is still dead, though they don't know where his body is, and Paul claims there is no body because Jesus rose from the dead. Paul says he met this same Jesus on the road to Damascus some years after the crucifixion. The men from Jerusalem are clamoring for Paul's execution because they say that according to their laws he is worthy of death for insisting people should worship Jesus in place of God, while Paul asserts that Jesus is God."
Without meaning to, Paul's enemies from Jerusalem related the gospel message to Festus when they explained that Paul was preaching that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God who was crucified and buried but rose from the dead. Festus is thoroughly confused with the information he has received. He doesn't know whether Paul's preaching is violating Jewish religious laws or not. He doesn't know if it matters, since Rome isn't concerned with such things unless an uprising ensues. "I was at a loss how to investigate such matters; so I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these charges. But when Paul made his appeal to be held over for the Emperor's decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar." (Acts 25:20-21)
Living in Judea, Agrippa would have heard a great deal about Christianity. He is interested in meeting one of Christianity's most famous preachers. "Then Agrippa said to Festus, 'I would like to hear this man myself.' He replied, 'Tomorrow you will hear him.'" (Acts 25:22)
"The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with with the high-ranking military officers and the prominent men of the city." (Acts 25:23a) The word translated "pomp" is "phantasia" from which we get our word "fantasy". In their own minds Agrippa and Bernice are a really big deal. For political purposes, the Romans treat them as if they are a really big deal. But where is the Herodian dynasty now? Where is the Roman Empire now? Where has all their glory gone? Where are all these golden-crowned kings today? As King David once observed on the short lifespan of man, "They are like a breath; their days are like a fleeting shadow." (Psalm 144:4) These ancient kings have crumbled into dust, but the King of kings is alive and well and His kingdom will never end. This is the King and the kingdom Paul preached about. The pomp of Agrippa and Bernice was like a short-lived fantasy; it has disappeared as though it never was. But the glory of our God is eternal.
"At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. Festus said: 'King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome. But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write. For I think it is unreasonable to send a prisoner on to Rome without specifying the charges against him.'" (Acts 25:23b-27) Festus needs advice because he needs a good reason for sending Paul before the Emperor. What can Paul be charged with? Is there anything Paul can be charged with? How is Festus going to explain to Nero why the Jewish religious leaders are in such an uproar over Paul's message? The Roman Empire believes in allowing religious freedom for its subjects. If Paul wants to believe a man named Jesus rose from the dead, he has the right to do so. Likewise, the Jews have a right to worship the God they say brought them out of slavery in Egypt. Festus doesn't see why they can't all just get along.
In our own times we can make all the references to God that we want and, though our listeners may not believe in Him, they can usually shrug their shoulders with the attitude that we have the right to believe in a deity if we want to. But if we speak the name of Jesus to this same group, all of a sudden they aren't as willing to live and let live. Bitterness and anger are stirred up when those who refuse to accept the gospel of Christ hear His name. This name plays on their prejudices and fears. This name reminds them that they are not living according to the values Jesus taught. This name troubles them because the gospel of Jesus Christ says that they are sinners who need a Savior. The gospel of Jesus Christ delivers news they find unwelcome: the fact that there is a holy God whose laws we have all violated and a righteous Judge before whom we will all someday stand. Jesus warned His followers that they would be hated, arrested, beaten, and put on trial before governors and kings because of the gospel message. In Paul's day these things are already coming true, but Paul will consider it an honor to stand before a king and a governor as a prisoner if it means he can tell them about the Savior of the world.
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