Acts 25

Acts 25 continues the narrative of Paul's legal struggles, now under the governorship of Porcius Festus. This chapter details Festus's handling of Paul's case, including interactions with Jewish leaders who persist in their accusations against Paul. It also describes Festus’s consultation with King Agrippa II, setting the stage for Paul's defense before the king, showcasing the legal and political challenges Paul faces and highlighting the complexity of Roman judicial procedures and their interplay with Jewish interests.

Acts 25:1-5 (NKJV)
1 Now when Festus had come to the province, after three days he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem.
2 Then the high priest and the chief men of the Jews informed him against Paul; and they petitioned him,
3 asking a favor against him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem—while they lay in ambush along the road to kill him.
4 But Festus answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself was going there shortly.
5 “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.”

Festus, newly arrived in Judea, is quickly approached by Jewish leaders who renew their accusations against Paul, seeking to have him transferred to Jerusalem. This request is a pretext for an ambush intended to kill Paul. Festus, possibly unaware of the assassination plot, insists that the trial continue in Caesarea, emphasizing a lawful process by inviting accusers to present their case there, showing a semblance of maintaining justice despite political pressures.

Acts 25:6-8 (NKJV)
6 And when he had remained among them more than ten days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day, sitting on the judgment seat, he commanded Paul to be brought.
7 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,
8 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.”

After spending over a week in Jerusalem, Festus returns to Caesarea and promptly begins the hearing. The Jewish leaders present numerous serious charges against Paul, but fail to provide substantive evidence. Paul’s defense is straightforward: he asserts that he has committed no offense against Jewish law, the temple, or Roman authority, effectively nullifying the accusations through lack of legal and factual basis.

Acts 25:9-12 (NKJV)
9 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?”
10 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.
11 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.”
12 Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, “You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go!”

Festus suggests a trial in Jerusalem, likely as a political gesture to appease the Jewish leaders. Paul, sensing either danger or the unlikelihood of a fair trial in Jerusalem, invokes his right as a Roman citizen to be tried in a Roman court, appealing directly to Caesar. This bold move forces Festus to send Paul to Rome, effectively taking the case out of the local and potentially biased context, and highlighting Paul’s strategic use of Roman law to ensure his safety and the broader dissemination of his defense.

Acts 25:13-16 (NKJV)
13 And after some days King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to greet Festus.
14 When they had been there many days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying: “There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix,
15 about whom the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, when I was in Jerusalem, asking for a judgment against him.
16 To them I answered, ‘It is not the custom of the Romans to deliver any man to destruction before the accused meets the accusers face to face, and has opportunity to answer for himself concerning the charge against him.’

King Agrippa II and Bernice visit Festus in Caesarea, providing an opportunity for Festus to discuss Paul's complex case. Festus explains the situation, emphasizing Roman legal principles that ensure the accused has the right to confront their accusers and defend themselves, illustrating the procedural fairness inherent in Roman law, contrasted with the potentially fatal intentions of Paul's accusers.

Acts 25:17-21 (NKJV)
17 Therefore when they had come together, without any delay, the next day I sat on the judgment seat and commanded the man to be brought in.
18 When the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation against him of such things as I supposed,
19 but had some questions against him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.
20 And because I was uncertain of such questions, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there be judged concerning these matters.
21 But when Paul appealed to be reserved for the decision of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I could send him to Caesar.”

Festus recounts the judicial proceedings to Agrippa, noting that the accusations turned out to be religious rather than criminal, centering on Jewish law and the dispute over Jesus, whom Paul claimed was alive. Festus’s uncertainty about these theological issues, which are outside Roman legal expertise, led him to suggest a trial in Jerusalem. However, Paul’s appeal to Caesar took precedence, necessitating his transfer to Rome, and reflecting Festus’s adherence to Roman judicial standards despite his lack of familiarity with Jewish religious disputes.

Acts 25:22-27 (NKJV)
22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I also would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he said, “you shall hear him.”
23 So the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great pomp, and had entered the auditorium with the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at Festus’ command Paul was brought in.
24 And Festus said: “King Agrippa and all the men who are here present with us, you see this man about whom the whole assembly of the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying out that he was not fit to live any longer.
25 But when I found that he had committed nothing deserving of death, and that he himself had appealed to Augustus, I decided to send him.
26 I have nothing certain to write to my lord concerning him. Therefore I have brought him out before you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the examination has taken place I may have something to write.
27 For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not to specify the charges against him.”

King Agrippa expresses interest in hearing from Paul directly, leading to a formal hearing that includes significant figures and military commanders, highlighting the importance of the case. Festus introduces Paul, emphasizing his perplexity over the Jewish outcry for Paul’s execution despite finding no capital crimes. He explains his dilemma in writing to Caesar, as Roman law requires clear charges for a trial, and he hopes that Agrippa’s knowledge of Jewish customs and law will clarify the situation, ensuring that Paul is sent to Rome with a defined legal basis for his trial.