The Prudence of the Gospel: Paul Before Festus Text: Acts 25:1-12
Introduction: Justice, Jurisdiction, and Jeopardy
We come now to another scene in the great drama of the book of Acts, which could rightly be called The State versus the Church. For two long years, the apostle Paul has been languishing in a Caesarean prison, a victim of political cowardice. His previous hearing before Felix was a sham, a master class in procrastination by a corrupt governor who was hoping for a bribe. Now a new governor, Porcius Festus, is on the scene, and the enemies of the gospel see a fresh opportunity. They are persistent, they are venomous, and they are utterly blind to the fact that they are kicking against the goads.
This passage is a master class in Christian civics. It demonstrates the proper relationship between the believer and the civil magistrate. We are not anarchists. We are not revolutionaries in the carnal sense. We believe in law, in order, and in due process. But we also understand that earthly justice is often a tangled, corrupt affair, and that civil rulers are themselves under the authority of God, whether they acknowledge it or not. The world thinks of justice as a negotiation of power, a balancing of interests. The Bible teaches that justice is the application of God's unchanging standard.
Here we see Paul, a man utterly submitted to the lordship of Jesus Christ, navigating the treacherous waters of Roman jurisprudence. He is respectful but not servile. He is shrewd but not deceptive. He leverages his civic rights, not to save his own skin for the sake of comfort, but to protect and advance the mission of the gospel. This is not about Paul; it is about the Word of God not being bound. Paul understands that Festus's courtroom, and even Caesar's, is not the ultimate court of appeals. The proceedings of men are constantly being reviewed by the court of Heaven, and the final verdict has already been rendered in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul is not a defendant pleading for his life; he is an ambassador of the King of kings, proclaiming the terms of surrender to a rebellious world, and he does so even while in chains.
This encounter between Paul, the Jewish leaders, and the new Roman governor is a clash of three kingdoms, three laws, and three loyalties. The Jews are driven by a zeal for a law they no longer understand, seeking to preserve a kingdom that is passing away. Festus represents the power of Rome, a kingdom that prides itself on justice but is ultimately governed by political expediency. And Paul stands as a citizen of the kingdom of heaven, a kingdom that cannot be shaken, demanding true justice on the basis of a higher law. How a Christian navigates such a conflict is of immense practical importance for us today, as the kingdoms of this world increasingly set themselves against the Lord and against His Anointed.
The Text
Festus then, having arrived in the province, after three days went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. And the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews brought charges against Paul, and they were pleading with him, requesting a favor against Paul, that he might have him brought to Jerusalem (while they set an ambush to kill him on the way). Festus then answered that Paul was being kept in custody at Caesarea and that he himself was about to leave shortly. “Therefore,” he said, “let the influential men among you go down there with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them accuse him.” And after he had spent not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, and on the next day he took his seat on the judgment seat and ordered Paul to be brought. And after Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him which they could not prove, while Paul said in his own defense, “I have committed no sin either against the Law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.” But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and to be tried before me on these matters?” But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know. If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar.” Then when Festus had conferred with his council, he answered, “You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go.”
(Acts 25:1-12 LSB)
The Unrelenting Plot (vv. 1-5)
We begin with the arrival of the new governor and the immediate renewal of the conspiracy against Paul.
"Festus then, having arrived in the province, after three days went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. And the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews brought charges against Paul, and they were pleading with him, requesting a favor against Paul, that he might have him brought to Jerusalem (while they set an ambush to kill him on the way)." (Acts 25:1-3)
Notice the diligence of the wicked. Two years have passed, but their hatred for Paul has not cooled one bit. It has been simmering, waiting for an opportunity. The moment a new governor, Festus, arrives, they are on his doorstep. This is a crucial lesson. The enemies of the gospel do not tire. The world, the flesh, and the devil are relentless. They do not take vacations. This is why we are told to be sober and vigilant.
Their request is cloaked in the language of justice, but it is a lie. They ask for a "favor," which already tells you this is about politics, not righteousness. They want Paul moved to Jerusalem for trial. But Luke, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, pulls back the curtain and shows us their true intent: "while they set an ambush to kill him on the way." These are the chief priests, the religious leaders of Israel. Their hearts are so corrupt that they see murder as a legitimate tool for theological enforcement. When you abandon the Word of God as your ultimate standard, your conscience becomes cauterized, and there is no wickedness you are incapable of. They had rejected their Messiah, and now they are behaving just like the father of lies.
"Festus then answered that Paul was being kept in custody at Caesarea and that he himself was about to leave shortly. 'Therefore,' he said, 'let the influential men among you go down there with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them accuse him.'" (Acts 25:4-5)
Here, in what appears to be a simple administrative decision, the providence of God is at work. Festus, for his own reasons, perhaps for convenience or a desire to assert his new authority, denies their request. He is not acting out of a love for justice or a concern for Paul's safety. He is simply being a Roman bureaucrat. And yet, God uses this mundane decision to thwart a murder plot. God is sovereign over the machinations of evil men and the procedural decisions of pagan governors. He doesn't need a miracle to protect His servant; He can do it with a bit of paperwork and a politician's schedule. This should give us great comfort. God's grand purposes are often accomplished through the most ordinary means.
A Trial of Slander (vv. 6-8)
The scene now shifts back to Caesarea, where the trial finally resumes.
"And after he had spent not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, and on the next day he took his seat on the judgment seat and ordered Paul to be brought. And after Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him which they could not prove..." (Acts 25:6-7)
Festus is prompt. He takes his seat on the bema, the judgment seat, a place of immense authority. The Jews surround Paul, and they unleash a torrent of accusations. The text says the charges were "many and serious." We can imagine what they were: sedition, heresy, desecrating the temple, treason against Caesar. But the most important phrase in the verse is the last one: "which they could not prove."
This is the nature of slander. It is loud, it is confident, and it is baseless. The enemies of Christ do not need evidence; they have rage. They operate on the principle that if you throw enough mud, some of it will stick. We should not be surprised when we see this same tactic used against the church today. When the world brings charges against faithful Christians, they are often "many and serious," but they cannot be proven from the facts. They are accusations of bigotry, hatred, and intolerance, all of which are demonstrably false when measured against the standard of Scripture. Their inability to prove their case reveals the weakness of their position. An argument that must be sustained by lies is an argument that has already lost.
"...while Paul said in his own defense, 'I have committed no sin either against the Law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.'" (Acts 25:8)
Paul's defense is a model of clarity and conciseness. He boils the entire mess down to three categories: the Jewish law, the temple, and Caesar. He declares his innocence on all three counts. He is not an antinomian; he has not sinned against the law of God. He is not a blasphemer; he has not sinned against the temple, God's house. And he is not a revolutionary; he has not sinned against Caesar. He is a faithful Jew and a loyal Roman citizen precisely because he is a follower of Jesus Christ. True Christianity does not make you a worse citizen; it makes you the best kind of citizen, one who obeys the law not merely from fear of punishment, but for conscience' sake, because you fear God.
The Political Calculation and the Apostolic Appeal (vv. 9-12)
Festus is now in a bind. He can see the truth of the matter, but the truth is politically inconvenient.
"But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, 'Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and to be tried before me on these matters?'" (Acts 25:9)
Here is the rot at the heart of secular justice. Festus knows Paul is innocent. The accusers have failed to prove their case. A just judge would have dismissed the charges and released the prisoner immediately. But Festus is not primarily interested in justice; he is interested in politics. "Wishing to do the Jews a favor." He is the new governor, and he wants to curry favor with the local leadership. So he proposes a compromise. He offers a change of venue to Jerusalem, the very thing the Jews had requested for their ambush, though he offers to preside himself. This is an attempt to appear just while appeasing the mob. But for Paul, this is a death sentence disguised as due process.
"But Paul said, 'I am standing before Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know.'" (Acts 25:10)
Paul refuses to play the game. He immediately calls Festus's bluff. He is standing in a Roman court, before a Roman magistrate. This is the proper jurisdiction. He will not consent to be handed over to a kangaroo court in Jerusalem. And then he drives the point home with a sharp jab: "as you also very well know." Paul is not just defending himself; he is confronting Festus. He is calling the governor to account for his own knowledge of the truth. He is reminding Festus that he will be judged for his judgment. This is bold. This is what it looks like to fear God rather than men.
"If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar." (Acts 25:11)
Paul lays his cards on the table. He is not afraid of justice. If he has committed a capital crime, he is willing to face the ultimate penalty. This is the mark of a clear conscience. But if he is innocent, then Festus has no right to hand him over to his enemies as a political pawn. And so, seeing that he will not get a fair trial from this politically motivated governor, Paul plays his trump card: "I appeal to Caesar." As a Roman citizen, he had the right to have his case heard by the highest court in the empire. This was not an act of desperation, but a brilliant, Spirit-led strategic move. It immediately took the case out of Festus's hands and out of the reach of the Sanhedrin. It also guaranteed that Paul would accomplish his long-held desire to preach the gospel in Rome, albeit as a prisoner.
"Then when Festus had conferred with his council, he answered, 'You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go.'" (Acts 25:12)
Festus is likely relieved. Paul's appeal gets him off the hook. He doesn't have to anger the Jews by acquitting Paul, nor does he have to risk a riot or condemn an innocent Roman citizen. He can simply pass the problem up the chain of command. The council confirms the legality of the appeal, and the decision is made. "To Caesar you shall go." These words, meant as a simple legal verdict, are freighted with divine purpose. Man proposes, but God disposes. The Jews plotted to get Paul to Jerusalem to kill him. God uses their plot, Festus's cowardice, and Paul's legal right to get him to Rome to preach the gospel to the household of Caesar himself.
Conclusion: Citizens of Two Kingdoms
What do we take from this? First, we must recognize that the world's opposition to the gospel is persistent and ruthless. We should not be naive about the tactics of the enemy. They will use slander, political pressure, and violence, all under the guise of the common good.
Second, we see that Christians have a right and a duty to be shrewd in their dealings with the state. Paul did not have a pietistic disdain for his Roman citizenship. He saw it as a tool, a gift from God to be used for the protection and advancement of the gospel. We too should make use of every legal and lawful means at our disposal to defend our liberties, not for our own comfort, but so that the Word of God may run freely.
Third, we must understand that all human authority is delegated and accountable. Paul was not intimidated by Festus's title or his judgment seat. He knew that Festus was a "minister of God" (Rom. 13:4), whether he knew it or not, and was therefore obligated to render true justice. When magistrates reward evil and punish good, they are in rebellion against the one who gave them their authority, and it is our duty to call them to account, respectfully but firmly, just as Paul did.
Finally, and most importantly, we must rest in the absolute sovereignty of God over all these affairs. The hatred of the Jews, the ambition of Festus, and the appeal of Paul were all woven together by the skillful hand of God to accomplish His unstoppable purpose. He had told Paul that he must testify in Rome (Acts 23:11), and now we see the means by which He will bring it to pass. Our confidence is not in the fairness of earthly courts or the integrity of politicians. Our confidence is in the King who has been given all authority in heaven and on earth, who works all things according to the counsel of His will. And so, like Paul, we can face slander, injustice, and uncertainty without fear, knowing that whether we are in a Caesarean prison or on a ship to Rome, we are in the hands of our sovereign God, who will see His mission through to its glorious, global conclusion.