In the above scene we see Paul’s accusers in Caesarea some 60 miles away from Jerusalem. The leading priests were before the Roman governor, Felix, to present their case against him with the hope Paul will be executed for his supposed misdeeds. They possessed a deep hatred of Paul and his Christian ideas. They brought the lawyer, Tertullus, to present to Felix their charges against Paul. Their accusations against Paul were false: that he was stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world, and he even tried to desecrate the temple. Paul was an apostle but not the ringleader of the Christianity cult; they resided in Jerusalem. Tertullus in the courtroom was doing his best to paint Paul as a troublemaker. First, and as with Paul later, Tertullus complimented Felix on what a great ruler he is, a glad-handed technique to win favorable treatment from him. We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation. Everywhere and in every way, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. Later we hear Paul doing the same thing, I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. Paul is implying that Felix is such a good and fair judge that he will see through the Jewish leadership’s frivolous charges against him as a troublemaker that deserves death. Earlier the Sanhedrin had done away with Jesus by describing him as a troublemaker, falsely accusing Jesus of wrong-doing. The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. (Matthew 26:59-60) Now before Felix they were using the same deception, lying before the authorities of Rome. Jesus understood well the hearts of the Sadducees and Pharisees. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44 ) These leading priests for selfish reasons were willing to lie before the leadership of the world. They were using the native language of the devil to hold on to their place of leadership in the Jewish community. They now knew Christianity was spreading like wildfire within the Greek and Jewish communities, so they felt they had to beat back this fire by having Paul executed. They were 60 miles from Jerusalem, expressing lies before Felix, hoping that Felix would help to solve their need to quell Christianity by killing Paul. However, Felix quickly ascertained that this was a religious matter, not a secular misdeed. Paul in presenting his defense had painted this as a spiritual fight not a secular matter. I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man. For Felix, a secular ruler, these charges against Paul by the Jewish leadership did not come under his jurisdiction, for they were about spiritual issues. Although not to alienate the Jewish leadership, he kept Paul in confinement.
We know Paul had learned to be content in all situations. I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. (Philippians 4:11) So, this confinement was but another problem he had to endure. Paul’s life was one of troubled seas. Nothing in his life was very placid for long. Jesus had promised him a turbulent life. The Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” (Acts 9:15-16) At this juncture in his life he finds himself presenting the Good News to a governor, satisfying part of his commission, given to him by the Lord. He is now once again revealing the Path to a secular leader and to the Jewish elite. The Good News had been rejected by the Jewish leadership many times. They construed the message as nonsense, perpetrated by demons. They hated this idea of Jesus being the long-awaited Messiah. They despised that Jesus claimed divinity, coming from God, as the Son of God. They believed his words were from the demonic world. The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?” “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. (John 8:48-49) For the Sanhedrin, Paul was following this demon possessed man, Jesus. He was spreading lies about Jesus being the Messiah. Of course the Sanhedrin was doing this for their own selfish reasons; they knew for them, this cult of Christianity was a death knell if the Jewish people accepted Jesus as their Messiah. They had no choice but to stamp Christianity out as quickly and aggressively as they could. For them, Paul must be executed. Paul, as Jesus, knew their hearts. Jesus told them explicitly that their father was the devil. He told them they were following the ruler of this world and not God the father of Abraham. They claimed Abraham as their father, but they possessed murder in their hearts, first towards Jesus and now towards Paul. They were following the one who so contaminated the world with his evil that God destroyed all humans except for Noah and his family with a catastrophic flood. The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. (Genesis 6:5) Rather than peace and tranquility reigning in humans, violence, disruption and destruction filled their every action and thought. Sadly the Sadducees and Pharisees followed the liar Satan. They thought of themselves as being wise, but in reality their wisdom and knowledge followed the natural ways of the devil. They laid heavy burdens on the people through their teachings, yet not helping the people to find the God of grace and mercy. They championed themselves as being people of God, the intermediators between God and men and women. However, God had a better understanding of them and their supposed importance to the people, Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others. (Matthew 23:5-7) Paul's existence and his extolling of Christ as being the Savior of all mankind was a threat to their lifestyle and position of authority within the Jewish community.
The Jewish traditions perpetrated by the Priests lay very heavily on the people’s shoulders. The priests made it very hard for the people to be right with God. Tradition and discipline can be good to know God, but it also can shield from them the grace and mercy of God. The Good News which the priests rejected was very simple and straight forward. The Good News relied on Jesus and his works, not the works of men. The works of men as a path to know God is difficult and tiring: it usually depends on a strenuous effort on the part of men and women to be right with God. But Jesus forgoes all that effort of men and women by saying, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live." (John 5:24-25) The Path to know God was what Paul preached, a deadly message to the survival of the priesthood. The Path hinges on faith in Jesus’ words and deeds. Paul tells the Romans, I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith." (Romans 1:16-17) Righteousness is not leverage by works but by faith in God’s words. Jesus meant it when He said, For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17) Not following the law and its regulations correctly brings condemnation. And the spiritual officers were there to condemn you if you stepped out of line. Now for them, Paul has stepped out of line. For them, Paul seems to have sidelined the law. But really Paul was preaching Jesus had fulfilled completely the law and regulations, releasing people of such an obligation, freeing them from their efforts to please God through works. The PATH to satisfy God’s requirement of righteousness for men and women was one of freedom, not law and its regulations. Friends around this breakfast table we are free, free indeed. We do not slumber in this race we are running for the glory of God. We are obligated to run this life in the garment of our Savior. He paid the full price for our salvation. None of us should run this race of life in our own garments. Our attire should reflect the glory of our Lord. We do run hard in our freedom, for we run for the glory of God. We serve the world as Jesus served the world, with faithfulness and love. We run the race hard as Paul tells us and illustrates in his own life; not for us to know God but to reflect God to the world. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27) We will not be disqualified dear friends, for we run in Jesus’ attire every day, bringing glory to his name, THE PERFECTER OF OUR FAITH. Amen!
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