Sunday, June 15, 2025 AM

Christ on Trial in the Book of Acts

Father, we thank you for this day that you have made. We thank you for your goodness that you show to us in so many different ways. We thank you that you are faithful. We thank you that you are unchanging in your goodness and in your truth.

We thank you that you have revealed yourself so powerfully through creation, and so perfectly through your word and preeminently through your son, Jesus Christ. Now we ask that by the blessing of your Holy Spirit that you would give us the grace to respond to your scriptures, that we would rejoice in your truth, and in so rejoicing that we would be renewed.

We pray these things for the sake of Jesus Christ, the one with whom you are well pleased.

Amen.

I invite you to open your Bibles and turn with me to Acts chapter 24. Acts 24, we'll be reading verses 10 through 21 in a moment. Acts chapter 24, verses 10 through 21. When we read through these chapters in the book of Acts, we begin with what appears to be more or less stories about Peter.

And then we have a few other minor characters that we read about, and then we begin to read about Paul. A story after story about Paul and what happened to him and those who were with him. But I trust that through all of the stories of Peter and Paul, we realize that this is actually a story about Christ.

The places that they went and the sufferings they endured, the preaching that they gave, the sacrifices that they made, were really all about the person and work of Jesus Christ. This book has been given historically the title of the Acts of the Apostles, and yet what are their acts other than the acts of the risen Lord Jesus Christ?

His grace and power at work through them by His Spirit. We've thought about Paul's testimony and Paul's tribulations, and now we are to think about Paul's trials, as Paul himself is put on trial by both Romans and Jews because of his commitment to Jesus of Nazareth and preaching his gospel of the kingdom.

But it's not just that Paul is put on trial over and over again. It is really Christ who is being put on trial. As these arrogant men have been deigned to put him to the test, and yet Paul is being put on trial so that the proof is given that the worthiness of Jesus Christ and the truth of the gospel are proven true through these trials in Paul's life.

I invite you to stand with me if you are able. We're going to read Acts 24, beginning in verse 10. This is the word of the Lord. Then Paul, after the governor had nodded to him to speak, answered, inasmuch as I know that you have been for many years a judge of this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself because you may ascertain that it is no more than 12 days since I went up to Jerusalem to worship, and they neither found me in the temple disputing with anyone nor inciting the crowd, either in the synagogues or in the city, nor can they prove the things of which they now accuse me.

But this I confess to you, that according to the way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and the prophets, I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.

This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men. Now, after many years, I came to bring alms and offerings to my nation in the midst of which some Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, neither with a mob nor with tumult.

They ought to have been here before you to object if they had anything against me, or else let those who are here themselves say if they found any wrongdoing in me while I stood before the council, unless it is for this one statement, which I cried out standing among them concerning the resurrection of the dead, I am being judged by you this day.

This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. You may be seated. What do you think of when you hear the word trial? Perhaps a 30-day trial, trial by jury, trial by fire. The whole point of a trial is to find out the truth, to discover the genuineness or the worth of whatever or whoever is on trial.

In common Christian parlance, we talk about going through trials, don't we? When we go through trials, what is being proven true? Who is being proven true? Is it not that God is being proven true? His word is being proven true?

His promise is being proven true? Is it that our faith is being proven true? The grace of God being proven true. James reminds us that when we go through such trials, we ought not accuse God of sin or of evil or of tempting us to such things.

And we ought not speak against Christ our King who will bring us through more than one trial to prove the truth of his gospel in our lives and in this world today. We ought not speak against Christ who is the King.

Anyone who would put Christ on trial, even by proxy, will soon find themselves on the witness stand, which is exactly what happens in our story this morning. And this development of this story shows us a difference.

There's a difference between being condemned by men with false standards and then being confronted by God's righteous standards. What happens first is the priests bring accusation against Paul and then Paul gives an answer to their accusations.

We then look at Felix and we think about his anxiety when he's confronted with the truth of gospel preaching. And then we're going to consider Paul's appeal as he obeys Christ's command concerning Rome.

It is important to remember that Paul stands uncondemned through it all, despite all of the accusations. And those who actually end up condemned are those who would put Christ on trial. I think it's important for us to remember that God's standards leave all of us without excuse.

God's standards humble all of us, expose all of us and deprive all of us of the ability to defend ourselves without excuse. We all, at some point, stand in the place of Job, hand over mouth without excuse, despite whatever severity of trials we have experienced.

The temptation is to deploy alternative standards by which to either condemn others or exonerate ourselves, perhaps both at the same time. Efficiency, kill two birds with one stone. If we can operate by alternative standards, we can distract attention from ourselves and it even feels like exoneration when we can employ standards against others to condemn others.

This is a classic temptation for running from God's standards by deploying our own. Let us remember that as the saints, we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places and that we have already the ultimate appeal in the highest court.

What a fellowship, what a joy divine leaning on these everlasting arms. I want us to confidently rest in the real and abundant righteousness of Christ so that we can hold forth His truth and zeal, bound in hope and not stayed by the condemning statements of men.

The Priests' False Accusations Against Paul

First of all, we have the priest's accusation in the first nine verses. And as we read through these verses, I want you to note the number of witnesses that are brought against Paul. I want you to think about their elevated lofty names and think about the nobility of their speech.

But ultimately, we're going to be considering, we're going to consider the emptiness of their claims. Beginning in verse one of chapter 24. Now, after five days, Ananias the high priest came down with the elders and a certain orator named Tertullus.

These gave evidence to the governor against Paul. And when he was called upon, Tertullus began his accusation saying, saying that through you, we enjoy great peace and prosperity is being brought to this nation by your foresight.

We accept it always. And in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness, nevertheless, not to be tedious to you any further, I beg you to hear by your courtesy, a few words from us. For we have found this man, a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.

In other words, Paul's a troublemaker. So Ananias with all the elders with the Sanhedrin and their hired attorney Tertullus traveled two days journey to Caesarea to meet with the Roman governor and to bring charges against Paul.

And they will not be satisfied until they can get the Romans to condemn Paul to death. This was their plan all along. In the previous chapter, they had plotted together, even attacking the Romans. They were willing to attack the Romans to kill Paul and they were unable to have the opportunity.

They want the Romans to kill Paul for them. So they come together with Tertullus to bring these charges. Notice that they call him a pestilent fellow. They accuse him of being an insurrectionist. They describe him as a chief of troublemakers.

And I find those three descriptions somewhat ironic since this would be exactly the way that the Romans would describe the Jews in their temple. To a T, this is how the Romans saw the Jews. This is how they saw the chief priests.

This was why none of the Romans wanted to have to govern this region. But consider further what they mean there in verse five. What are their accusations in particular? And I think we should pay attention to this because there is rarely a better compliment found than in the complaint of an enemy.

First of all, they say Paul is corrupted. He is thoroughly corrupted. He is a lost cause. They say he is a plague, but the way that it's put in the original, perhaps your translation has this, he is a pestilence.

He is diseased.

He is diseased by a plague. What's the problem with that? Well, he's spreading it. He's contagious.

He's a problem.

He needs to be contained. He needs to be isolated. He's unclean. He needs to be cast out. He's profane. He must be destroyed. They use a term here that was used in the translation of the Old Testament to describe Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas.

It was used to describe Nabal, Abigail's husband. The word they used to describe Paul was used throughout the book of Proverbs whenever scoffers were rebuked. This is how they speak of Paul the apostle.

What's the problem? Paul is so riddled through with Jesus Christ, there's no hope of a cure for him. He's so contagious in spreading Christ wherever he goes. They only have one solution. We have to destroy him.

What an amazing compliment. What an amazing compliment. Secondly, they accuse Paul of being a catalyst. They use two related terms there in verse five. They say a creator of dissension. It's the way the New King James reads.

These two terms are similar. The first one can be used all by itself to describe a riot. And the second word is used to describe a Los Angeles level of disruption. So essentially they're saying Paul is a running riot.

He is an insurrectionist that will be bad for Roman governance. Trying to appeal to the desire of Felix to govern peaceably. They say Paul is the one who's causing all the problems. So what are they saying?

They're saying Paul is an insurrectionist. Pay no mind to our earlier threat to try to kill a bunch of Romans and Paul. Don't pay attention to that.

No, no, no.

Paul comes with such power in preaching that it turns the world upside down. What a great compliment. Thirdly, they say he's no foot soldier in this insurrection. He's a captain.

He's a chief.

He's one that you really need to pay attention to. This is no small fry. And so they say he is a ringleader in this insurrectionist conspiracy of Nazarenes. They're saying the Jews aren't your problem, Felix.

It's all these Nazarenes everywhere. And he's a ringleader of all of these insurrectionists. They're trying to malign all of Christians here. Now Paul used to be their chief. He used to be their ringleader.

He used to lead zealously their attacks against others. But now his life has been so transformed by the power of Christ, he is a ringleader of the way. Again, praise God. What a compliment. When they revile you and say evil things about you for the sake of Christ, rejoice and be glad.

They say he's a troublemaker. That's the general complaint, the one that probably has the most appeal to a Roman governor. But now they have a specific complaint in verses six through nine. Not only is he a troublemaker, he is a temple profaner, they say.

Verses six through nine. He even tried to profane the temple and we seized him and wanted to judge him according to our law. But the commander Lysias came out, came by, and with great violence took him out of our hands, commanding his accusers to come to you.

By examining him yourself, you may ascertain all these things of which we accuse him. And the Jews also assented, maintaining that these things were so. Tertullus, their orator, now, so he moves from the general accusations to a specific accusation, and he presents the templeites as the victims.

Paul profaned their temple. They sought to judge him according to their law. The Roman commander with great violence took Paul from their hands. So they put the charges now to Felix and they all agree as to give credence to their story.

But wait, Paul didn't actually profane the temple. And they weren't trying to lawfully judge him, they were beating him to death in the street like any group of small-time thugs. And their violence is what precipitated the intervention of the Roman garrison, and they have not willingly submitted to the current court proceedings.

They had conspired to assassinate Paul long before now, contravening Roman justice. No matter, all the elders agree on the new version of the facts, so it must be true. They all say the same thing. Can that many distinguished people say the same thing and it not be true?

Yes, it's not even close to being true. It's interesting that they bring the general complaint of instability against Paul, but then they bring this complaint about the temple. They see the temple as the gauge of true faithfulness.

How zealous are you for the temple? That's how holy or right you are, in their view. And they want you to be zealous for the temple in their way, not in Christ's way, for his zeal for his father's house had eaten him up, but not zealous in that way.

No, zealous in their way. And they naturally associate temple honor with Roman support.

Why?

The temple is protected by Roman interests. It is subsidized by Roman finances. It is modeled after Roman architecture. So they speak to the Roman governor, Felix, and notice how they address him. They talk to Felix the way that Joshua and David used to talk to Yahweh.

Oh, great provider of all that we need and peace.

We love you.

Who are they worshiping? Look at their idol of the temple. This is always the way of idolatry. Even back as far as Genesis 3. Imagine, imagine if Eve had felt the way about God, the way she felt about the forbidden fruit.

To take those verbs, those famous action verbs where Eve was looking upon the fruit and desiring it and so on, but what if she felt that way about God? What if she saw that God was the giver of all food and that his communion was pleasant to the eyes and to the soul and that in him was the satisfaction of every desire to be made wise?

What room would remain in the heart for idolatry or accusation against God? Ananias and the elders here reject Paul.

Why?

Because they reject Christ. They accuse Paul because his labors necessarily diminish their idol, the temple, and his labors seek to separate them from that idol. If what Paul says is true, what use will they have for a gold-covered, brick-and-mortar temple?

Not much use. Notice the early church's use. Remember how they used the temple courts, the temple grounds? They gathered in Solomon's portico to have church. What a great rain shelter. Let's gather there and let's praise Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

That would have been a great use for that gold-covered temple, turn it into a church building. But they do not want to be separated from their idol. Paul would have his brethren, according to the flesh, hold fast to Christ in every possible way, release all other attachments, but they've already proven that they prefer Caesar and the governor in Caesarea to Jesus of Nazareth.

We will have no king but Caesar, and we'll have no governance of us other than Felix from Caesarea. We don't want Jesus of Nazareth. We don't want the ruler of the kings of the earth. We're here to protest against that.

Well, what a wonderful thing if we could be so accused like Paul, that our Lord would have us rejoice and be exceedingly glad at this kind of reviling. This type of reinforcing compliment is hard to come by.

So when it comes, rejoice in it, treasure it. Say, thank you very much, and may we be contagious and catalysts for Christ. Whatever trial we are being put through is opportunity to prove the worthiness of Christ, to prove the reality of the promises, to prove the faithfulness of God.

Paul's Defense Before Felix and the Resurrection

Now, Paul's answer we've read in verses 10 through 21, and Paul here is without anxiety or fear. He says he cheerfully, cheerfully maintains his innocence, and notice that he sets forth his defense very positively by declaring the message of the resurrection.

He does all of this in the lack of any viable accusation against him. Now, notice there in verse 10, how Paul puts it. He says to the governor, in as much as I know you have been for many years a judge of this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself.

Paul says, Felix, I am glad to answer these charges because I know that you've been governor here in this region for quite a long time, which means what? I don't think that you're fooled by the smooth talk of Tertullus.

I think you know how restless and tumultuous the Jews in Jerusalem and the temple are. You've been here for years, Felix. So you'll notice that I was in Jerusalem just 12 days ago. Felix, do you think I'm the source of the unrest?

Do you think I'm the source of the problem.

That these Jews have?

You have been here for years. I showed up 12 days ago. What's more logical? I'm the source of the problem or maybe they're the source of the problem. Now, Felix, you've been here for years. You decide, right?

I the more cheerfully answer these outrageous charges. This is fairly ridiculous that somebody would claim this. I am glad to answer the charges. Paul says, I was not making trouble in Jerusalem. Look at verse 12.

It says, they neither found me in the temple disputing with anyone nor inciting the crowd. Who started the dispute? The Jews from Asia did. Who incited the crowd? The Jews from Asia did. Where are they?

They're not here. Jews from Asia started the whole thing. They got everybody riled up. And are they here today in court? No, they're not. See, I wasn't the one who was inciting anyone. I was not trying to argue.

Remember how much humility Paul was expressing and attempted peacemaking at that moment. He had humbled himself. He was going the extra third and fourth mile trying to make peace with the Jews in Jerusalem.

He was doing everything he could to make peace. And they're the ones who came after him. So they cannot testify against him in any way to justify their accusations. They are liars. Now, that's a term that I think that we should go ahead and start using again.

It is not an unchristian thing to say to someone, well, this is about the third or fourth time you've said something that isn't true. And some of it's pretty obviously not true. Aren't you concerned that you're a liar?

I mean, people need to know. This isn't like everybody can believe whatever they want and be true to themselves. No, there is such a thing as a liar. And it is not a safe thing to be. It's an extremely dangerous thing to be, to be a liar.

Well, they're liars. And now Paul takes his moment to promote the gospel, to preach the truth of the resurrection in verses 14 through 21. Paul says, now they call the way which I preach, which I follow, they call the way a sect.

But he says, they're incorrect in that because I am preaching in agreement with all the law and prophets. I'm preaching Moses consistently. I'm preaching Isaiah consistently. What I proclaim is in full agreement with the law and the prophets.

We are not a breakaway sect. What I am saying, what I am preaching is the truth of everything that they say they hold dear. Paul does not preach contrary to Jewish scripture and faith. Paul with clear conscience and proven devotion preaches the reconciliation of all that they hold dear in the risen Nazarene who is the way.

The Nazarene, Jesus of Nazareth, he is the meaning of Abraham. He is the meaning of Moses. He is the meaning of the temple. He is the meaning of resurrection. Paul says, so if you're gonna judge me this day, judge me on the score of this, the resurrection, because the resurrection is coming and there's a day when all will be raised and there will be a judgment.

And who is the first fruit of the resurrection? Well, it is Christ. And who is the foundation of the resurrection? It is Christ who will be there at the finish, who will be feared in the day of the resurrection, but the Lord who will judge between the righteous and the unrighteous.

So Paul says, if you're going to judge me today, judge me on account of this truth, the resurrection. He takes the opportunity in this trial to say, no, I'm not a troublemaker. No, I'm not a liar. You know, Felix, they're the ones making trouble.

It's clear that they're the ones who are lying. If we're going to talk about something today, let's talk about the good news of Jesus Christ. Let's talk about the resurrection from the dead. Let's talk about something that matters to everybody here.

And for this reason, I will stand trial. Now, some may complain that Paul has somehow hijacked their sacred scriptures and taken the law and the prophets and the writings and taken the Pharisees, not the Sadducees, the Pharisees' sacred belief in the resurrection.

And he has somehow redeployed them for his own purposes, that he has twisted them somehow for his own skillful gain. Somehow, if he stands there to say that Jesus of Nazareth is king, that he is being anti-Jewish.

Remember, this has been running around for a couple of years now to say, Christ is king is to be an anti-Semite. Jesus is a Jew, by the way. I didn't know if you knew that. And apparently, also, I just discovered this this last week, saying Christ is king is now unpatriotic as well.

We can add that to the mix. The inexorable meaning of the law and the prophets biblically coheres with the meaning of the resurrection from the dead. This coherence is in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

So, of course, Paul says, yeah, I'll take the title, I'll be a ringleader of the Nazarenes. Yes, I'll agree with that because I preach the resurrection. I preach the branch of righteousness, the Nazarene, the branch man.

Yes, I preach the promised branch of righteousness unto life for all who believe. Paul has been personally and falsely accused, so it's perfectly fine to say, no, those are all lies, and here's why it's obvious these are all lies.

But it would be unfortunate if his testimony stopped there. We cannot give our testimony or consider our tribulations outside of Christ, so may our answer in the trials be approving, not of our own worth, but approving of the worth of Christ.

Felix's Fear, Delay, and Corrupt Convenience

Now, notice the prefix anxiety. Notice how Felix fails to handle this well. Verse 22, chapter 24. But when Felix heard these things, having more accurate knowledge of the way, he adjourned the proceedings and said, when my sea is the commander comes down, I will make a decision on your case.

So he commanded the centurion to keep Paul and to let him have liberty and told him not to forbid any of his friends to provide for or visit him. And after some days, when Felix came with his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.

Now, as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, go away for now. When I have a convenient time, I will call for you. Meanwhile, he also hoped that money would be given him by Paul, that he might release him.

Therefore, he sent for him more often and conversed with him. But after two years, Porcius Festus succeeded Felix and Felix, wanting to do the Jews a favor, left Paul bound. I want you to think about how Felix responds to Paul's answer.

Clearly, an impact has been made here. I think Felix believed Paul's innocence. If Paul indeed was the leader of an insurrectionist group, always stirring up problems, then Felix would not have said, let him have whatever visitors he wants.

If he really was an insurrectionist, like the commander, Lysias, thought Paul was back in Jerusalem, he thought he was the leader of the insurrection from Egypt, then he would have had him bound and beaten and treated him terribly.

But he lets Paul have a great deal of freedom, letting people come to see him and provide for him. So I don't think that Felix agrees with the accusations from the golden tongue of Tertullus. He has him guarded, but allows him freedom.

But then Felix shows something of the same syndrome that Herod did toward John the Baptist, you may remember. I'll listen to you as long as I think I can handle it, and then I'm gonna put you away, and then I'll come back later for some more.

This is, I'll use you, you can come talk to me for a little bit, and then if I, oh, that's a little bit too much, I'm gonna, oh, we're gonna stop for now. You know, it's therapy, right? I'm gonna go in the, I'll let the therapist say as much as I want the therapist to say, like, oh, I think we're done for the day.

Oh, I won't go any further in that matter. I feel better, but I really don't wanna handle those types of issues. In the meantime, he keeps on bringing Paul back again and again, because it was customary to get your friends out of jail through a bribe.

Keeps on waiting, he's like, where's the payoff here? And no matter how many times he talks to Paul, Paul is, I don't know if he's actually quoting his dear friends, Peter and John, silver and gold have I none.

But he is preaching to him the gospel. What is Felix doing here? He's operating by convenience and covetousness. He'll hear Paul on his grounds, or he'll use Paul to his own gain. This must be rather nice to have the apostle Paul as your own personal private preacher to come say, you know, heart-piercing things.

It kind of helps you think about things in a better way. It's kind of nice to have somebody with a handle on the truth who's bold and courageous. Man, that's kind of nice to have him talking to me all the time, but I only take it as far as I want it to go.

There is no repentance or faith here. It's just curiosity and learning. In the end, Felix shows his true colors. He fears public opinion more than he fears God, and he extracts himself from any convenient opportunity to be saved.

Do you see what he said? He said, go away for now, when I have a convenient time, I will call for you. Those are some of the saddest words in all of Holy Scripture. How often are they repeated in the hearts of men and women and children?

God is not bound to convenience to save sinners. You can ask Saul of Tarsus about that. Very inconvenient timing for Saul. But it is still a very woeful thing to be given so many gospel attentions only to play around with them and move on.

It is a disaster to only direct your interest toward Jesus Christ for the sake of personal improvement or personal gain. Jesus Christ does not ease carefully into the heart causing nigh a ripple or sound.

He does not save sinners without saving us from our sin. His atonement does not leave us far from God. His cleansing does not gloss over corruption. The first resurrection is real new life in the first fruit of the new creation.

Felix would have made an outstanding member of many churches today. But his is a very, very sad story in the book of Acts. Rather than asking what will it take for you to be a Christian, let's make a deal.

Let us rather remember what it took for Christ to save the likes of us and then entrust ourselves entirely to Him in His death and resurrection. Now notice Paul's appeal in chapter 25, verses one through 12.

As we read through these 12 verses, I want you to see again that here is a renewed conspiracy against Paul and thereby against the Romans by the Jews who had just recently accused Paul of being the insurrectionist.

Then you're going to see that the complaints against Paul are renewed. They say very much the same thing that they said before to the new governor. And then we're going to see the continued commitment of Paul to follow the plan that Christ gave to him to preach because he still has a task to complete.

So we begin with the first five verses. See how the Jews are still incensed. Verse one, now when Festus had come to the province after three days, he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem. Then the high priest and the chief men of the Jews informed him against Paul and they petitioned him asking a favor against him that he would summon him to Jerusalem.

And you'll notice Luke inserts the reality of what was going on behind the scenes while they lay in ambush along the road to kill him. But Festus answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea and that he himself was going there shortly.

Therefore, he said, let those who have authority among you go down with me and accuse this man to see if there is any fault in him. Something tells me that Festus hadn't just fallen off the turnip truck and he figured that if he wanted to keep his prisoner alive, he better leave him in Caesarea.

He didn't believe what these Jews were saying. He didn't believe their accusations from afar. He did not believe in their plan of bringing Paul to Jerusalem. And so he says, no, I'm going to Caesarea.

You come there and make accusation against him. New administration, they've already tried it under Felix. Now they're gonna try it under Festus. We're gonna have a rehashing of the whole trial. Paul's gonna have to be on trial all over again.

Notice verses six through eight. Paul, even though he has a second trial, he's still innocent. And when he had remained among them more than 10 days, he went down to Caesarea and the next day, sitting on the judgment seat, he commanded Paul to be brought.

When he had come, the Jews, who had come down from Jerusalem, stood about and laid many serious complaints against Paul, which they could not prove. While he answered for himself, neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I offended in anything at all.

Now, Festus had several days with the Jews to understand really where they were at. He invites them over to Caesarea and they come with their accusations, but they cannot prove anything. They cannot prove any guilt in the Apostle Paul.

He has wronged no Roman law. He has wronged no temple policy. He has wronged none of the Jews. They cannot prove anything other than this, that they really, truly, deeply, genuinely hate Paul. That much is proven, how much they hate.

I take this moment as a particular example. When you are reading through 1 John, and there is a continual contrast between those who are of the people of God, who are the true people of God, the true children of God, versus those who are not.

When you walk through those classic so-called tests for salvation, assurances of salvation, remember the context in which 1 John was written. Those who continued in conspiracy and evil, those who continue to hate their brethren are very clearly, John says, of the evil one, of the devil.

But those who are of love and do good deeds, they are those who are truly of Christ. The contrast between who are the true people of God and those who are not the people of God is made by this distinguishing factor.

By this, all men will know that you are my disciples, by the love that you have for one another. There is no love from the Sanhedrin towards Paul, their brother according to the flesh. Paul has a massive amount of love for his brethren according to the flesh, which is why he continues to keep himself in position to preach the gospel to those who want to kill him.

Put on trial, the truth of it is proven. And Paul remains incarcerated, verses 9 through 12. But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there be judged before me concerning these things?

So Paul said, I stand at Caesar's judgment seat where I ought to be judged. To the Jews, I have done no wrong. As you very well know, for if I am an offender or have committed anything deserving of death, I do not object to dying.

But if there is nothing in these things of which these men accuse me, no one can deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar. Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, you have appealed to Caesar?

To Caesar you shall go. Festus, of course, like Felix before him and Pontius Pilate before him, simply want a peaceful rule where no problems occur. Maybe he can give them Paul as a small price to pay, but Paul would have none of it.

Why?

He is correct in his interpretation of the legal situation. I'm standing here before the seat of Caesar. You are his representative. Why would I be taken to a lesser court, an other court? This is where the accusations have been made.

This is where they need to continue. But Jesus, you may remember, the night after Paul had been beaten in the streets, Jesus stood there with Paul, comforting him. And Jesus promised Paul, you are going to preach for me in Rome.

His king has already spoken. The supreme judge has already ruled. Everything is already decided. Paul knows exactly what the plan is. I'm supposed to go to Rome. Here I am in Caesar's court. As a Roman citizen, I can appeal to Caesar and that means I'm gonna be in Rome.