Acts 25
- Who wrote it
- Traditionally Luke, a doctor and companion of Paul
- Who it was for
- Theophilus and other followers of Jesus
- What was happening
- Paul appeals to Caesar, and Festus consults King Agrippa
What’s happening
Festus, having come into the province, goes up to Jerusalem from Caesarea after three days. The chief priests and principal men of the Jews inform him against Paul, and ask him as a favor to have him sent to Jerusalem, lying in wait to kill him on the way. Festus answers that Paul is being kept in Caesarea and that he himself is going there shortly: "Let them therefore who are in power among you go down with me, and if there is anything wrong in the man, let them accuse him." When he has stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he goes down to Caesarea, and the next day, sitting on the judgment seat, commands Paul to be brought. When he has come, the Jews who have come down from Jerusalem stand around him, bringing against him many and grievous charges which they cannot prove, while Paul says in his defense, "Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar, have I sinned at all." But Festus, desiring to gain favor with the Jews, answers Paul, "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem, and there be judged by me concerning these things?" But Paul says, "I am standing before Caesar's judgment seat, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also know very well. For if I am a wrongdoer, and have committed anything worthy of death, I don't refuse to die; but if none of those things is true that they accuse me of, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar!" Then Festus, when he has conferred with the council, answers, "You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you shall go." After some days King Agrippa and Bernice arrive at Caesarea and greet Festus. As they stay there many days, Festus lays Paul's case before the king, saying, "There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix, about whom the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, when I was in Jerusalem, asking for a sentence against him. I answered them that it is not the custom of the Romans to give up any man to destruction before the accused has met the accusers face to face, and has had opportunity to make his defense concerning the matter laid against him. When therefore they had come together here, I didn't delay, but on the next day sat on the judgment seat, and commanded the man to be brought. Concerning whom, when the accusers stood up, they brought no charge of such things as I supposed, but had certain questions against him about their own religion, and about one Jesus, who was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive. Being perplexed how to inquire concerning these things, I asked whether he would go to Jerusalem and there be judged concerning them. But when Paul had appealed to be kept for the decision of the emperor, I commanded him to be kept until I could send him to Caesar." Agrippa says to Festus, "I also would like to hear the man myself." "Tomorrow," he says, "you shall hear him." So on the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice have come with great pomp, and have entered into the place of hearing with the commanding officers and the principal men of the city, Festus gives the order, and Paul is brought. Festus says, "King Agrippa, and all men who are here present with us, you see this man about whom all the multitude of the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying that he ought not to live any longer. But I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death, and as he himself appealed to the emperor, I determined to send him. Of whom I have no certain thing to write to my lord. Therefore I have brought him out before you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, that, after examination, I may have something to write. For it seems to me unreasonable, in sending a prisoner, not to also specify the charges against him."
Why the setting matters
Festus governed Judea from about AD 59 to 62 and, unlike Felix, seems to have tried to resolve the backlog, though he too wanted to please the leaders. The chief priests renew the plan for an ambush, two years on. Paul's appeal to Caesar is a legal right of Roman citizens: it moved the case out of the provincial court and into the emperor's own court in Rome. Paul probably appeals here because he sees that in Jerusalem he would not get a fair trial, and Festus accepts, after a consultation, so Paul's journey to Rome will be at state expense. Agrippa II ruled territories to the north and east and was the last of the Herodian kings; he had the right to appoint the high priest and care of the temple, which made him a competent judge of Jewish matters. Bernice was his sister, and Josephus says there were rumors of an improper relationship between them. Festus' summary of the case is candid: he did not understand the dispute, which concerned "one Jesus who was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive." That sentence is also Luke's concise summary of the whole Christian message. The emperor at this time was Nero, though Luke does not name him; "my lord" (kyrios) was a title that emperors began to accept, and the word "Augustus" (Sebastos) is the Greek of the emperor's title. The scene sets up the longest speech in the book, in the next chapter.
Who’s in this chapter
Porcius Festus
The new governor; wants to please the Jews, and consults Agrippa.
Paul
Appeals to Caesar.
The chief priests
Ask for Paul to be sent to Jerusalem, planning an ambush.
The Jews from Jerusalem
Bring serious charges they can't prove.
King Agrippa
King Agrippa, who wants to hear Paul.
Bernice
Agrippa's sister, who accompanies him.
The emperor
The Caesar to whom Paul appeals.
Talk it through
- Paul appeals to Caesar rather than go to Jerusalem. What does that tell you about how he saw the choices?
- Festus says the dispute was about "one Jesus, who was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive." Why is that a good summary of the gospel?
- Festus wants to do the Jews a favor and Paul will not allow it. How do you weigh using one's rights against trusting God?
- Agrippa wants to hear Paul. What do you think he hopes to learn?
Read Acts 25
World English Bible
1Festus therefore, having come into the province, after three days went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. 2Then the high priest and the principal men of the Jews informed him against Paul, and they begged him, 3asking a favor against him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem; plotting to kill him on the way. 4However Festus answered that Paul should be kept in custody at Caesarea, and that he himself was about to depart shortly. 5“Let them therefore”, he said, “that are in power among you go down with me, and if there is anything wrong in the man, let them accuse him.”
6When he had stayed among them more than ten days, he went down to Caesarea, and on the next day he sat on the judgment seat, and commanded Paul to be brought. 7When he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing against him many and grievous charges which they could not prove, 8while he said in his defense, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar, have I sinned at all.”
9But Festus, desiring to gain favor with the Jews, answered Paul and said, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem, and be judged by me there concerning these things?”
10But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also know very well. 11For if I have done wrong and have committed anything worthy of death, I don’t refuse to die; but if none of those things is true that they accuse me of, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar!”
12Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you shall go.”
13Now when some days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea, and greeted Festus. 14As he stayed there many days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix; 15about whom, when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, asking for a sentence against him. 16I answered them that it is not the custom of the Romans to give up any man to destruction before the accused has met the accusers face to face and has had opportunity to make his defense concerning the matter laid against him. 17When therefore they had come together here, I didn’t delay, but on the next day sat on the judgment seat and commanded the man to be brought. 18When the accusers stood up, they brought no charges against him of such things as I supposed; 19but had certain questions against him about their own religion, and about one Jesus, who was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive. 20Being perplexed how to inquire concerning these things, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there be judged concerning these matters. 21But when Paul had appealed to be kept for the decision of the emperor, I commanded him to be kept until I could send him to Caesar.”
22Agrippa said to Festus, “I also would like to hear the man myself.”
“Tomorrow,” he said, “you shall hear him.”
23So on the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great pomp, and they had entered into the place of hearing with the commanding officers and the principal men of the city, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. 24Festus said, “King Agrippa, and all men who are here present with us, you see this man about whom all the multitude of the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying that he ought not to live any longer. 25But when I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death, and as he himself appealed to the emperor I determined to send him, 26of whom I have no certain thing to write to my lord. Therefore I have brought him out before you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, that, after examination, I may have something to write. 27For it seems to me unreasonable, in sending a prisoner, not to also specify the charges against him.”
Text: World English Bible, Public domain. About our sources