Wishing to do a favor

Acts 25 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Festus then, having arrived in the province, three days later went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. ² And the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews brought charges against Paul, and they were urging him, ³ requesting a concession against Paul, that he might have him brought to Jerusalem (at the same time, setting an ambush to kill him on the way). ⁴ Festus then answered that Paul was being kept in custody at Caesarea and that he himself was about to leave shortly. ⁵ “Therefore,” he said, “let the influential men among you go there with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them prosecute him.”

⁶ After he had spent not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, and on the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. ⁷ After Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him which they could not prove, ⁸ while Paul said in his own defense, “I have committed no offense either against the Law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.” ⁹ But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me on these charges?” ¹⁰ But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know. ¹¹ If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar.” ¹² Then when Festus had conferred with his council, he answered, “You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go.”

¹³ Now when several days had elapsed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea and paid their respects to Festus. ¹⁴ While they were spending many days there, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a man who was left as a prisoner by Felix; ¹⁵ and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him. ¹⁶ I answered them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand over any man before the accused meets his accusers face to face and has an opportunity to make his defense against the charges. ¹⁷ So after they had assembled here, I did not delay, but on the next day took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought before me. ¹⁸ When the accusers stood up, they began bringing charges against him not of such crimes as I was expecting, ¹⁹ but they simply had some points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about a dead man, Jesus, whom Paul asserted to be alive. ²⁰ Being at a loss how to investigate such matters, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there stand trial on these matters. ²¹ But when Paul appealed to be held in custody for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him to be kept in custody until I send him to Caesar.” ²² Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I also would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he said, “you shall hear him.”

²³ So, on the next day when Agrippa came together with Bernice amid great pomp, and entered the auditorium accompanied by the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. ²⁴ Festus said, “King Agrippa, and all you gentlemen here present with us, you see this man about whom all the people of the Jews appealed to me, both at Jerusalem and here, loudly declaring that he ought not to live any longer. ²⁵ But I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death; and since he himself appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him. ²⁶ Yet I have nothing definite about him to write to my lord. Therefore I have brought him before you all and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the investigation has taken place, I may have something to write. ²⁷ For it seems absurd to me in sending a prisoner, not to indicate also the charges against him.”

Chapter 24 of Acts ends saying:  But after two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and wishing to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul imprisoned.  In today’s text it says:  But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me on these charges?”    It seems odd that these ruling authorities would want to do the Jews a favor. Perhaps we can get some insight as to why they would do this from something else said in chapter 24.     At the same time too, he was hoping that money would be given him by Paul; therefore he also used to send for him quite often and converse with him.    It seems as though the Roman rulers were not above taking bribes in return for favors. Certainly the Jewish religious leaders had money available to pay for the favors they received. I guess in many ways politicians back then were not that different than those today. In today’s text it says:  But I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death; and since he himself appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him.  The only reason Paul appealed to the Emperor was because Festus refused to render a decision based on fact. Even though he found no grounds for the accusations, he continued on behalf of the accusers. In much the same way, when Jesus was arrested, in Luke 23:13- 25 it says:  Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, said to them, “You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him. I will therefore chastise Him and release Him” (for it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast).  And they all cried out at once, saying, “Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas”— who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder. Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them. But they shouted, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Then he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go.” But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed. So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested. And he released to them the one they requested.       We often see today that politicians, like Pilate, will cater to those who shout the loudest, not necessarily to those who are right. Laws are manipulated and changed to benefit and accommodate those who are the most vocal.

Jesus warned that this would happen. In John 15:18-25 He says:   “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’    Like Paul, our defense is not centered on our own reputation. We are to be witnesses for Christ. It is the gospel we are to proclaim. In Matthew 10:19-20 Jesus says:  “But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.”    The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. We are not responsible for how others respond to the truth, only that we continue to speak it when and wherever we have the opportunity. The corrupt political system in Paul’s day led to opportunities for Paul to witness to governors and kings and to continue his ministry teaching, exhorting and encouraging the church. It should come as no surprise that the systems of the world might work against us. We may not be the loudest voice in our culture today, but we must continue to be the voice of truth when and wherever we have the opportunity. Like Paul, we must continue to be witnesses to the world and encouragers of the church.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit thank You for the testimony of the written word, inspired by the Spirit of Truth. Knowing in advance that the systems of this world will conspire against what is right; I choose to speak the truth, to declare the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. My prayer and declaration is more than come what may I will declare Your truth. My prayer is, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Amen.