The Jews Try To Kill Paul

INTRO

Jesus told His disciples they would be persecuted, and Paul responded, “Okay, bring it!” Paul was fully prepared to follow Jesus wherever it took him—no matter what he experienced. Yesterday, at the end of Acts 23, Paul was being escorted by soldiers safely out of Jerusalem to Caesarea (v. 31). The Roman commander sent a letter with Paul for the governor, explaining about the threat against Paul. Paul was kept under guard in Herod’s palace (v. 35). That provides the transition into chapter 24. We’re going to look at three characters in this chapter who have been identified by Warren Wiersbe: Tertulus the lawyer, Paul the accused, and Felix the foolish.¹

TEACHING

Acts 24:1–9: Tertullus the Lawyer.Paul waited in prison for five days until Ananias the high priest came down from Jerusalem to go before the governor with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus (v. 1). Tertullus brought false accusations against Paul (v. 2a), and he complimented Felix the governor for all the reforms he had brought (vv. 2b–3). Proverbs 26:28 says to beware the flatterers because they will bring about ruin. After flattery, Tertullus asked Felix for his graciousness to hear what they had to say (v. 4). Tertullus accused Paul of being a plague, an agitator, a ringleader of a rebellious group, and a desecrator of the temple (vv. 5–6).

Nelson’s Commentary explains these basic charges as “political treason, religious heresy, and temple desecration” and also that Paul had been “causing riots throughout the empire, that he had spoken against the Law of Moses, and that he had brought a Gentile into the Jewish temple courts.”²The charge of political treason accused Paul of trying to raise up a new ruler. The charge of religious heresy accused Paul of speaking against the Law of Moses. The charge of temple desecration accused Paul of bringing a Gentile into the Jewish temple courts. Tertullus explained, although the Jews had wanted to judge Paul themselves, he had been taken from their hands with force by the Roman commander Lysias and brought to Felix instead (vv. 7–8). The Jewish elders along with Ananias and Tertullus agreed with Tertullus’ report (v. 9).

Acts 24:10–21: Paul the Accused.Wiersbe points out that these verses look at “Paul’s faithful answers” to his accusers.³Paul also began his response with compliments to Felix (v. 10) and reminded Felix that it had only been 12 days since he went to worship in Jerusalem (v. 11). By pointing out the number of days, Paul emphasized there was no way he could have been committing political treason because he had been under arrest the entire time. Wiersbe provides the outline of Paul’s 12 days there:

Day 1 – Paul arrived in Jerusalem (21:17).

Day 2 – Paul met with James and the elders (21:18).

Day 3 – Paul entered the temple with the men who had been purified as Nazarites (21:26).

Day 4 – Paul was in the temple.

Day 5 – Paul was in the temple.

Day 6 – Paul was arrested in the temple (21:27).

Day 7 – The Roman commander took Paul to meet with the Sanhedrin (23:1–10).

Day 8 – Men plotted to kill Paul, so he was taken under guard to Caesarea (23:12, 23).

Day 9 – Paul arrived in Caesarea (23:33).

Day 10 – Felix sent for Jewish leaders to arrive.

Day 11 – Paul waited for Jewish leaders to arrive.

Day 12 – Paul waited until they arrived that day for the hearing.

Day 13 – The hearing took place.⁴

Paul pointed out that there was no evidence to support the false accusations (vv. 12–13) but testified that he worshipped his fathers’ God according to the Christian way, which believes in all that was written in the Law and the Prophets (v. 14). Further, Paul told of his belief in the resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous and that he had a clear conscience toward both God and men (vv. 15–16). Paul explained he had been charitable toward the Jews to bless them (1 Corinthians 16:1–4; Romans 15:25–33) and that the Jews in Asia, who had found him to be purified in the temple, should be the ones to speak for him there. He had not desecrated the temple (vv. 17–19). Paul asked to hear the charges of what they had found was wrongdoing when he spoke to the Sanhedrin (v. 20) or if their problem was his statement, “Today I am being judged before you concerning the resurrection of the dead” (v. 21).

Acts 24:22–27: Felix the Foolish.Felix knew about The Way, so he adjourned the hearing to wait for Lysias, the Roman commander, to arrive (v. 22). Paul was kept under guard but given some freedom and allowed access to his friends (v. 23). Felix’s wife Drusilla was Jewish and was the great-granddaughter of Herod the Great who had tried to kill Jesus as a baby.⁵Drusilla was also the great-niece of Herod who executed John the Baptist, and her father had killed the Apostle James. ⁶Some days later, Felix had Paul come before him to speak about his faith in Jesus (v. 24). However, Paul’s words about God’s righteousness scared Felix, and he sent Paul away (v. 25). Wiersbe describes Paul’s presentation before Felix as “yesterday’s sin,” “today’s temptation,” and “judgment to come.”⁷Verse 26 states Felix had hoped Paul would give him money, so he sent for Paul to come before him to speak quite often (v. 26). Verse 26 states Felix had hoped Paul would give him money, so he sent for Paul to come before him to speak quite often (v. 26). This continued for two years until Felix was replaced by Porcius Festus. As a favor to the Jews, Felix left Paul in prison in Caesarea (v. 27).

CLOSING

Wiersbe presents a story by Dr. Clarence Macartney who told of a meeting in hell in which Satan called his four strongest demons together to think up lies people on earth would accept. The first three each came up with a lie that Satan was able to discount by proof: “There is no God”; “There is no heaven”; and “There is no hell.” The fourth demon presented the most easily acceptable lie: “There is no hurry.”⁸Today is the day of salvation!