Paul Appeals to Caesar
TRANSLATION
(24) A few days later, Felix came with his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him talk about faith in Christ Jesus. (25) When he talked about righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix grew apprehensive and said, “That’s enough for now. You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” (26) Because he hoped that Paul might offer him a bribe, he sent for him often and conversed with him. (27) After two years had passed, Felix was replaced by Porcius Festus. Wanting to do the Jews a favor, Felix had kept Paul in prison.
(1) Three days after arriving in the province, Festus traveled from Caesarea to Jerusalem. (2) The chief priests and leaders of the Jews laid out their case against Paul before him and (3) requested, as a favor, that he would summon him to Jerusalem because they were plotting to kill him in an ambush along the way. (4) However, Festus responded, “Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I, myself, intend to go there soon. (5) Let those in authority among you go down with me, and, if he has done anything wrong, let them press charges against him there.”
(6) And after spending eight or ten days in Jerusalem, he returned to Caesarea. The next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him. (7) When he entered, the Jews that had come down from Jerusalem gathered around him, bringing many serious charges which they could not prove against him. (8) Paul in his defense responded, “Neither against the Law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I done anything wrong.” (9) But Festus, wanting to do a favor for the Jews, asked Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there stand trial before me regarding these charges?” (10) Paul answered, “I am now standing before Caesar’s court where I ought to be tried. I have done the Jews no wrong as you very well know. (11) If I have done anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die, but if none of these charges against me are true, no one has the right to hand me over to the Jews. I appeal to Caesar.” (12) Then Festus, after he had conferred with his council, answered, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go.”
OBSERVATIONS
With the assurance Paul had received from the Lord in his night vision (Acts 23:11), he was content to remain in Roman custody which afforded him the protection he needed from the zealous Jews in Jerusalem who had vowed to kill him. While testifying before Festus, Paul made a declaration that would forever change the direction of his life: “I appeal to Caesar” (Acts 25:11). The governor’s response serves as a summary of the next decade of Paul’s life as recorded by Luke: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go” (Acts 25:12).
The repetitions in this segment were predominantly proper names: “Felix” (vss. 24, 25, & twice in 27), “Paul” (ten times in vss. 24, 26, 27, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, & 10), “Festus” (vss. 27, 1, 4, 9, & 12), “the Jews” (eight times in vss. 27, 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, & 11), “Jerusalem (vss. 1, 3, 7, & 9), “Caesarea” (vss. 1, 4, & 6), and Caesar(‘s) (five times in vss. 8, 10, 11, & twice in 12). Other repeated words included “summon” (vss. 15 & 3), “favor” (vss. 27 & 3), “charges” (vss. 5, 7, 9, & 11), “court” (vss. 6 & 10), “stand trial/tried” (vss. 9 & 10), and “appeal/appealed” (vss. 11 & 12).
OUTLINE
I. Paul met often with Felix while he remained in prison for a period of two years. (24-27)
II. When Festus replaced Felix, the Jews again attempted to bring Paul to Jerusalem. (1-4)
III. Festus instead held the hearing in Caesarea, and there Paul defended himself. (5-8)
IV. Asked by Festus if he would consider going to Jerusalem to stand trial, Paul appealed to Caesar. (9-12)
IDEA STATEMENT
After remaining in protective custody for two years in Caesarea, Paul appealed to Caesar when Festus proposed sending him back to Jerusalem to stand trial.
APPLICATION
Paul knew that if he were to be tried in Jerusalem as Festus had proposed, his life would be forfeit. Even if he had been found innocent and released by the Romans, the Jews would have spared no efforts to kill him. With confidence in the Lord’s promise to protect him until he was afforded the opportunity to testify in Rome, Paul appealed to Caesar. He thus set in motion the process that would eventually take him to the center of the empire.
Paul in his letter to the Philippians described the mindset that enabled him to endure those long years in Roman custody: “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content” (Phil. 4:11). In essence Paul was relying on God to bring him safely to his next destination and, because of that, he had no need to worry, scheme, or plan for an escape.