The Circumstances of Paul's Testimony (Acts 25:23-27)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/14/2018 10:13 AM

 

My Worship Time                      Focus:  The Circumstances of Paul’s Testimony

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                               Reference:  Acts 25:23-27

 

          Message of the verses:  “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."”

         

          I want to first look at the word “pomp” “show, showy appearance, display.”  It is kind of like looking at one of those old time, but not real old time movie that has the old Roman Empire showing.  Movies that Hollywood doesn’t make any more.  At any rate this presentation that Festus actually put on for King Agrippa was the best that he could have done.  There were also commanders present (the five tribunes commanding the five cohorts stationed at Caesarea) “and the prominent men of the city.”

 

          Now can you imagine in all of this splendor after they are all set down that Festus calls the aging, balding, short man whom we know as the Apostle Paul, as he comes in wearing chains.  The people may have cringed when he walked in, but none the less we know that in history Paul was one of the most prominent men ever to live, and we never hear much of those sitting there in splendor any more with the exception of those Luke names, and then we can conclude that none of these were saved, unless it happened sometime in the future when we hear nothing about it.

 

          We have mentioned the problem that both Felix and Festus had, and now Festus mentions the problem to the king here in this section.  First of all if neither of these two men would have stood up and done their job properly and not been afraid to stand up to the Jews then none of this would have been necessary for Paul would have been released.  Now Festus because of his cowardice has to find something to write to the emperor about why he is sending Paul to him.  He would be in a world of trouble if he could not find out something to write to the emperor as it surely would not look good on him to send someone there with no reasons to be there.

 

          One more thing and that is that Paul was probably not legally bound to be at this hearing since he had already appealed to Caesar, but as we go back to when Paul was first saved the Lord told Ananias that Paul would speak before kings for the sake of Jesus Christ, and Paul is about to do so.

 

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 16:31).

 

Today’s Bible question:  “Jesus compared the days of what Old Testament man to the days of the Son of Man?”

 

Answer in our next SD.

 

9/14/2018 10:37 AM