Paul Defense Before Felix: Acts 24:1-21

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A Scene Change, Not A Context Change

We have a scene change this week but not a context change. Let’s refresh our memory a bit before we add any new content.

The Late Perils of the Apostle Paul

Acts 21:27–36
Paul was falsely accused of bringing a Gentile, Trophimus of Ephesus, by some Jews from Asia (Minor), likely from Ephesus too, into the Temple. The crowd nearly beat Paul to death.

Acts 21:37–22:22
Paul gives his testimony to the Hebrew people. Jesus resurrected, spoke to Him personally, and sent him to tell the Gentiles. When they heard about his call to the Gentiles, they called for his death.

Acts 22:23–29
The arresting officer, the Tribune of the Temple (Chief of Police), doesn’t inquire about his status and almost punishes a Roman Citizen without trial or cause. Paul’s not pressing the matter further gave him a respect for Paul he would not have otherwise had. It plays a key role in his determination to fulfill his duty and keep Paul alive from this point forward.

Acts 22:30–23:5
In the opening scene of the Jewish Kangaroo Court that followed, the High Priest has Paul punched in the mouth for making opening remarks. That signaled to everyone present the way he intended the meeting to end, which was for Paul to be on his way to the Romans with a sentence of execution from the Sanhedrin — the way they did to Jesus.

Acts 23:6–11
Before any further actions can be taken by the Sadducean High Priest, Paul moves to address the crowd, half of which are Pharisees. Paul wisely appeals to the Pharisees’ more fundamentalist nature. They believe in the supernatural world and a Living God. They also firmly believe in a future resurrection and judgment. Paul exploits their differences and preaches the Gospel to those in the room who are still able to hear the Pharisaical Party. Remember, many Pharisees had already converted to Christianity. They make up the leadership of a false church in Jewish Christianity. The New Testament refers to them as the Circumcision Party (Acts 11:2, Acts 15:5).

Acts 23:6–11 (continued)
The Tribune that failed to inquire about his citizenship, Claudius Lysias, saves Paul’s life again, just as he had in the Temple. Except this time, he doesn’t pull Paul from the clutches of common people but from their “Church Council and Congress.” They are at the very top of the ecclesiastical and political food chain. Paul is confirmed in his future direction after this event. He is going to testify in Rome, the center of the then “known world.”

Acts 23:12–35
Finally, two weeks ago, Claudius Lysias acts a third time to save Paul’s life from forty men who had all taken vows to kill Paul before they ate again by using an overwhelming force to ensure that Paul would get safely to Caesarea Maritima — the Roman Administrative capital of Judea. Let me stress here that these forty men were influential enough and likely dangerous sufficient to obtain the leadership of the nation to go along with their plot. You can see how some could have felt trapped between a Roman sword and a Hebrew one. Paul’s trial is successfully relocated from Jerusalem’s Kangaroo Court, which is concerned with Jewish theological questions, to Caesarea’s Roman court, one that is primarily concerned with the rights of Roman citizens. It is a far more friendly venue for the Apostle’s Trial.

The Charges Before Felix

Acts 24:1–21

And after five days, the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a spokesman, one Tertullus…

Before we explore the plot to assassinate Paul in Jerusalem, let’s briefly recap the last few sermons.

Five Days Under Guard in Herod’s Praetorium

Paul spends five days under guard in Herod’s Praetorium. A praetorium is a palace fortress. Originally, “praetorium” was the name of the military headquarters of any Roman camp. The Romans later used it to refer to official residences. In this case, it is what we call the Governor’s Mansion. Felix, the Roman governor of Judea, lived and worked in Herod’s Praetorium.

Herod’s Praetorium in Caesarea was built in 37 B.C. by Herod the Great. He is the king who tried to use the wise men to find and kill Jesus when he was a baby. He died in 4 B.C., within two years of Jesus’ birth, which was most likely in 5–6 B.C. Herod built the entire city of Caesarea and its harbor, including a palace complex that served as his Praetorium. Herod’s Praetorium was a part of the larger palace on a promontory overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. CLICK HERE to get a little more info.

The Plaintiffs Arrive

On the fifth day, the plaintiffs arrive—the high priest, a few elders, and a spokesman, Tertullus. Paul showed how effective a communicator he could be last time, splitting their assembly in two in mere seconds. To win in Caesarea, they will need to be clear, so they bring their own Clarence Darrow. That’s where we begin, the Hebrew State against Paul of Tarsus. The plaintiff speaks first:

And after five days, the high priest Ananias came down…

As you might expect, this is a lot of smoke. A lot of smoke. Antonius Felix, that is his full name, was corrupt. He was actually born a slave and became a freeman. Other Romans even refer to him as a wicked tyrant. Do you know what happened to the High Priest before Ananias Nedebeus, the man standing before Felix in our text? Felix had him killed in the Temple during a festival. His hame was Jonathan Ben Anan.

The Reputation of Felix

The governor was known for taking bribes and for allowing crime in Jerusalem to go unchecked. At the end of the chapter, the Bible will tell you in plain English that he held Paul for ransom for two years. He did not make any reforms.

What they are likely referring to is his suppression of the Egyptian Messiah’s Movement. A man known as the Egyptian, who believed himself to be the Messiah, led a group in rebellion against Rome for eight years, from 52 to 60 AD. Felix was in the final stages of destroying that movement at the time. However, there was no great peace in Jerusalem, just the opposite. Nor were there any reforms. He will lose his station two years from now for corruption and murder, though he escaped punishment. Emperor Nero, who had been sitting on the Roman throne for 4 years by this point, and his brother were good friends.

The Accusations Originate from Ephesus

If you listen closely to their accusations, they all clearly come from the Ephesian Jews.

  • A plague — he divided the Synagogue there and built a powerful mission center that likely now overshadows the Jewish Synagogue.
  • One who stirs up riots — in Ephesus, there was a big one.
  • Ring Leader of the Nazarenes — everyone knows.
  • He even tried to profane the Temple — again, Ephesian Jews.

Tertullus speaks for the whole group, of course, but he is mainly Ananias, the High Priest’s representative. Do the elders concur? Do they agree? Is Paul a riot-causing, heretical plague on the Jews that tried to profane the Temple?

The Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that all these things were so (Acts 24:9).

And so without a single violation of Roman law, no witnesses, which makes everything “hearsay,” the plaintiffs rest—heavy stuff in a Jewish court, but paper thin to a Roman.

The Defense

The plaintiffs have laid out their case; now, it is time for the defense to present its case. Paul steps forward with the permission of Felix.

“Knowing that for many years you have been a judge…”

Felix will get no smoke from Paul. He sticks to the facts of the matter. Fact: Felix has been Governor of Judea for 6 years. Fact: Paul is pleased to be in Caesarea before a Roman judge with these charges than in Jerusalem before a Hebrew one. His future is much brighter here.

The Lack of Evidence

When he arrived in Jerusalem and what he did can be easily ascertained. There are no other complaints against him. Notice the lack of witnesses. Also, remember that Felix has in his hand an account of Paul and these men written by Claudius Lysias. If it were up to him, he would have released Paul.

“This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed…” (Acts 23:27–28).

The lack of evidence against him is so plain that Paul calls attention to the void.

“Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me.”

Paul Confesses the Truth

Then Paul shifts gears and addresses the one thing in their accusation that he doesn’t want to dodge. He is a follower of Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life—which the early church shortened to just “the Way.”

“But this I confess to you, that according to the Way…”

Christianity is now on three continents: Africa, Europe, and Asia. There are thousands in Jerusalem alone, with thousands more scattered throughout all Judea. The Way is known.

Paul’s Worship and the Real Accusers

So, what was Paul doing in Jerusalem? Worshiping.

“Now after several years I came to bring alms…”

Paul was giving to the poor and offering his worship to God. There were no hot public debates. He was ceremonially purified and worshiping God peacefully in the Temple.

“But some Jews from Asia—they ought to be here…”

And there it is. Paul knows the real accusers are Jews from Asia. He recognized the men who yelled:

“Men of Israel, help! This is the man…” (Acts 21:28).

The High Priest, Tertullus, and the elders have zero first-hand knowledge of the events surrounding Paul’s arrest. They were not in the Temple. They’ve never heard him speak.

Paul’s Final Challenge

Paul then closes with a pointed challenge:

“Or else let these men themselves say…”

Paul is saying, “I admit to believing in Christ and the resurrection. My conscience is clear. Crucify me for that if you have to…” However, it is not illegal to be a Christian in the Roman Empire, yet. These men have no first-hand knowledge of Paul beyond hearsay, they can’t really say “themselves” what he has done wrong–and the silence is deafening.

Application

Maintaining a clear conscience is especially needed to maintain our Christian witness. If we go against our conscience we manifest hypocrisy. Our life becomes inconsistent with our testimony about Jesus. It is as Luther said at the Diet of Worms, “to go against conscience is neither safe nor right.”

For the sake of our testimony, “How do we keep a clear conscience?” It takes two things: Listening to it and Examining it according to the Word of God. 

Examining Conscience: Question One

Here are a few key questions for examining conscience. Question 1: Whom do you fear?

  1. Are you defending yourself? Or Are you bearing witness to Christ?
  2. Pay careful attention to your conscience–listen to it
  3. Obey it
  4. Are you seeking to please God or man? 

I would wager everyone has a story about a sorrowful time in their life when they did not obey their renewed conscience and it struck them with a sense of godly sorrow and shame at their backsliding. Christians desire to do good AND to be cut off from evil. 

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Examining Conscience: Question Two

A second key question: “Why are you saying what you are saying?” 

  1. To be thought well of?
  2. To not lose your job?
  3. To get something for yourself?
  4. Or to lift up Christ and the Gospel? 

Maintaining a clear conscience is extremely important. It takes time in God’s Word and before His throne to keep it. We get blown off course from time to time. Why? Because the heart is desperately wicked and deceitful, who can know it? The answer is, “Not you.” However, God knows and can unmask us to us. Are we utilitarians trying to get what we want out of the world while appearing Christian, or are we witnesses to Christ, never guilty of a crime or sin, but cheerful followers of the Way? We are always ready to have a clear conscience before God and man. 

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Finally, at the risk of sounding desperate, make sure to smash all the buttons and share it, puhleez. If you enjoyed Paul’s Testimony Before the Sanhedrin based on Acts 22:30-23:5, then check out some of our other blogs.

Recent Individual Essays:

Completed Essay Series: Christ, His Church, & Marriage (4 Essays) or Forsaken For us All (6 Essays)

The Plot to Assassinate Paul in Jerusalem

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