Acts 25
(1) New Leader Finds Paul Innocent
Three days after Festus moved to Caesarea to start his new role, he went to Jerusalem where the chief priests and other Jewish leaders presented their case against Paul to him. Then they asked Festus to do them a favor and transfer Paul to Jerusalem (while planning to ambush him and kill him on the way). But Festus told them that Paul would be kept at Caesarea where he was about to return to. But he told the Jews,
“Your leaders are welcome to come to Caesarea and prosecute him there if there’s anything he’s at fault for.”
As soon as Festus finished his 8–10 day trip to Jerusalem, he went back to Caesarea, took his seat at the courthouse, and ordered for Paul to be brought in. When Paul got there, the Jews from Jerusalem gathered around him and pressed lots of serious charges against him, although they couldn’t prove any of them. Each time Paul defended himself saying,
“I haven’t committed any crimes against the Jewish Law, the temple, or Caesar.”
Festus wanted to do the Jews a favor, so he asked Paul,
“Why don’t you go to the Jewish courts in Jerusalem and have this trial there?”
But Paul said,
“My trial is here in Caesar’s courthouse, which is where it should be. I haven’t wronged the Jews in any way, as you yourself know. If I did anything wrong deserving of the death penalty, then I’d accept that as my sentence. But if none of their accusations are true, then I shouldn’t be handed over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”
Festus talked with his council about Paul’s response then replied,
“Since you appeal to Caesar, then I’ll send you to Caesar.”
(13) Case Escalates to King Agrippa
After several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea, planning to be there for many days. After paying their respects to Festus, Festus explained Paul’s cased to the king, saying,
“So there’s this guy who Felix left in prison, and when I went to Jerusalem, the Jewish chief priests and elders pressed charges against him, trying to convict him. I told them that Roman custom doesn’t allow us to hand him over to them until he goes face-to-face with his accusers and presents his defense. So the day after they got here, I took my seat at the courthouse and ordered the man to be brought in. When the prosecutors stood up to press charges, the kinds of crimes they accused him of were so much milder than I was expecting. They just had some disagreements with him about their own religion and about a dead man, Jesus, who Paul thinks is still alive. I didn’t know how to judge those matters, so I asked Paul if he’d be willing to go to Jerusalem and have the trial there. But Paul appealed to have verdict be decided by the Emperor. So now I’m just keeping him in custody until I send him to Caesar.”
Agrippa replied,
“I would like to hear this guy for myself.”
So Festus said,
“Alright, you can have your wish tomorrow then!”
(23) Paul’s Trial with King Agrippa Starts
The next day, there was a lot of fanfare as Agrippa and Bernice walked into the auditorium. They were accompanied by multiple commanders (who each oversaw 1,000 troops) and some of the city’s most prominent people. Then Paul was brought in at Festus’s command, and Festus said,
“Welcome, King Agrippa and everyone in attendance! I present to you the man that the Jews are saying should be put to death. In my view, he hasn’t committed any crimes worthy of the death penalty, but since he appealed to the Emperor, I’ve decided to send him to Rome. The only problem is that I don’t have anything concrete to write about him in my letter to my superior. That’s why I’m brining him in front of you now, King Agrippa, and everyone else. I need something to write about him after this interrogation is over, because it would be absurd to send a prisoner without explaining why he’s in prison.”
