God Speaks
Five days later Ananias, the high priest, arrived with some of the Jewish elders and the lawyer Tertullus, to present their case against Paul to the governor. 2 When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented the charges against Paul in the following address to the governor:
“You have provided a long period of peace for us Jews and with foresight have enacted reforms for us. 3 For all of this, Your Excellency, we are very grateful to you. 4 But I don’t want to bore you, so please give me your attention for only a moment. 5 We have found this man to be a troublemaker who is constantly stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the cult known as the Nazarenes. 6 Furthermore, he was trying to desecrate the Temple when we arrested him. 8 You can find out the truth of our accusations by examining him yourself.” 9 Then the other Jews chimed in, declaring that everything Tertullus said was true.
10 The governor then motioned for Paul to speak. Paul said, “I know, sir, that you have been a judge of Jewish affairs for many years, so I gladly present my defense before you. 11 You can quickly discover that I arrived in Jerusalem no more than twelve days ago to worship at the Temple. 12 My accusers never found me arguing with anyone in the Temple, nor stirring up a riot in any synagogue or on the streets of the city. 13 These men cannot prove the things they accuse me of doing.
14 “But I admit that I follow the Way, which they call a cult. I worship the God of our ancestors, and I firmly believe the Jewish law and everything written in the prophets. 15 I have the same hope in God that these men have, that he will raise both the righteous and the unrighteous. 16 Because of this, I always try to maintain a clear conscience before God and all people.
17 “After several years away, I returned to Jerusalem with money to aid my people and to offer sacrifices to God. 18 My accusers saw me in the Temple as I was completing a purification ceremony. There was no crowd around me and no rioting. 19 But some Jews from the province of Asia were there—and they ought to be here to bring charges if they have anything against me! 20 Ask these men here what crime the Jewish high council found me guilty of, 21 except for the one time I shouted out, ‘I am on trial before you today because I believe in the resurrection of the dead!’”
22 At that point Felix, who was quite familiar with the Way, adjourned the hearing and said, “Wait until Lysias, the garrison commander, arrives. Then I will decide the case.” 23 He ordered an officer to keep Paul in custody but to give him some freedom and allow his friends to visit him and take care of his needs.
24 A few days later Felix came back with his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish. Sending for Paul, they listened as he told them about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 As he reasoned with them about righteousness and self-control and the coming day of judgment, Felix became frightened. “Go away for now,” he replied. “When it is more convenient, I’ll call for you again.” 26 He also hoped that Paul would bribe him, so he sent for him quite often and talked with him.
27 After two years went by in this way, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And because Felix wanted to gain favor with the Jewish people, he left Paul in prison.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
Reflection: I am indebted to Warren Wiersbe* for highlighting the three men in this chapter: Tertullus, Paul, and Felix. Tertullus was a “good” prosecutor. He flattered Felix the Roman governor, but he insulted and mischaracterized Paul. He exaggerated and purposefully misrepresented the facts without offering corroborating evidence. Paul acknowledged Felix without flattery. He stated clearly and truthfully who he was and what he had been doing. He presented the facts of what he believed and quoted exactly what had triggered the uproar at the Sanhedrin. Felix essentially just passed the buck and refused to believe. Paul being kept in custody just to please the Jews or in hopes of a bribe–not because the case against him had been proven–is a tragedy, but God used even this miscarriage of justice to further the expansion of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
*The Wiersbe Bible Commentary by Warren W. Wiersbe, pp. 397-401.
Prayer: O Judge of all the earth who oversees courts on earth and in Heaven, please help Your people whenever they are called into court in some of these ways: 1) May we not be intimidated by high-powered attorneys. 2) May honor and respect flow in both directions. 3) May the cases of both parties be presented truthfully, clearly, and concisely according to the law and/or rules of the court. 4) May false accusations and/or misunderstandings be confronted and handled without anger or malice. 5) May judges and/or juries make clear, unbiased decisions and not “pass the buck.” 6) May believers trust You to overrule and/or use whatever the decision, even the wrong motives and selfish actions of sinful people, for Your good purposes. In the name of Jesus, the ultimate judge. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will pray that God will be glorified in the courts of my community, state/province, and nation.
- I will watch what I say to be sure that I am not flattering, insulting, mischaracterizing, exaggerating, or purposefully misrepresenting the facts.
- I will present my viewpoint clearly without being defensive or offensive.
- I will clearly present the truth about Jesus to someone this week so that they can decide to believe in Jesus or not.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.