Acts 24:1-27

Sermon Slides

This week we are in the concluding chapters of Acts where Paul the has become Paul the apologist, defending his teaching (i.e., what Paul teaches is not apostasy from Judaism, but rather its fulfillment), and the integrity of his character (i.e., he is not a revolutionary, but a law-abiding Roman citizen) against his implacable enemies through five trials. Luke’s primary purpose is to authenticate Paul as a primary witness of the resurrection, but on a secondary level, Paul gives us a stellar example of how we ought to relate to governing authorities and how God’s kingdom advances in the midst of the corrupt kingdoms of men.

For the past weeks we have seen Paul miraculously escape death three times, thanks to the levelheaded and justice minded Roman Tribune, Claudius Lysias. Twice the commander dispatched troops to rescue Paul from a lynch mob in the Temple and once to extricate him from of a violent tug-of-war between warring factions in the Sanhedrin. But the enemy doesn’t go down so easily. After their failure to kill Paul in the temple, a group of assassins strengthened their resolve and conspired with the high priest and the leading members of the council to lure Paul out of the protective custody of the Fortress Antonia in order to ambush and kill him. But Paul’s nephew was at the right place and time to overhear the plot to kill his uncle. The boy immediately went to the fortress and revealed the plan to his uncle. Paul then called one of the centurions to take him to the tribune, who listened attentively and considered the testimony credible. With surprising speed and resolve, the tribune dispatched nearly 500 troops (almost half his garrison) to escort Paul under the cover of night from Jerusalem to Herod’s coastal palace in Caesarea.

The tribune also sent an official letter to the governor Felix absolving Paul of any crime deserving punishment. Upon learning Paul came from the Roman province of Cilicia, Felix determined he had the authority to hear Paul’s case. So he kept Paul safely guarded in Herod the Great’s retreat while they waited for his accusers to arrive. Having been officially declared innocent by the tribune and escorted safely to Caesarea by half a Roman garrison, Paul must have slept well that night. For the wheels of justice were finally turning in his favor and God’s promise that he would testify in Rome seemed close at hand.

But as many of you may have experienced, God’s call to us on the mountaintop is often followed by deep descents into the valley of the shadow. The experience can be unnerving and often takes the uninitiated by surprise. If it drags on and on, even the most mature can begin to doubt their calling. How many of you can identify with David’s cry in Psalm 13?

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I take counsel in my soul

and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? (Ps 13:1–2 ESV)

But as the writer of Hebrews explains, God’s promises are inherited by faith and patience (Heb 6:12). A huge dose of patience is what Paul will need, for the political situation in Caesarea is far different than Jerusalem. In sharp contrast to Lysias, who did everything by the book, the governor Felix has no inclination toward justice nor serving the public interest. Richard Longenecker describes his dark rise to power.

Antonius Felix was born a slave and freed by Antonia, the mother of the emperor Claudius. He was a brother of Pallas, who was also a freedman of Antonia and became a good friend of the young prince Claudius in the imperial household. Through the influence of Pallas, in A.D. 48 Felix was appointed to a subordinate government post in Samaria under the provincial governor Ventidius Cumanus. In A.D. 52 Claudius appointed him governor of Judea when Cumanus was deposed. During his governorship, insurrections and anarc