Our passage today, is a summary of the suffering that the Apostle Paul endured at the hands of his lying accusers and his wicked political captors. The people who should have been his friends were nothing more than slanderous back stabbers and the Roman officials who should have protected him from false accusations and freed him from any further harm, chose instead, to leave him in chains to win political favors.2
From day one, Paul’s enemies had no case against him, no real proof that he had broken any laws, and no integrity whatsoever to substantiate their false complaints against him. They falsely accused him of “attacking Jewish law (Acts 21:21), defiling the temple (Acts 21:29; 24:6), and dishonoring Caesar by encouraging civil unrest (Acts 23:29)”.3 These were very serious accusations – as baseless as they were – that ultimately led to some really destructive outcomes.
Paul’s enemies were literally snakes in the grass, swirling around the feet of God’s chosen instrument (Acts 9). They literally had no leg to stand on except for the fact that they had amassed a crowd of people who would shout the same false accusations against Paul without doing the hard work of investigating their own judgements and claims against him. Interestingly, in doing what they did, Paul’s enemies, while appearing to be highly religious people, only proved that they were “enemies of the cross of Christ… [whose] end is destruction, [because] their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things” (Phil. 3:18 – 19).
These people ignored the Word of God through the Apostle Paul when he said, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing [arguing], that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation” (Phil. 2:14 – 15). Think about the testimony of these so-called religious fakes. They were a nasty stench in God’s nostrils.
Of these kinds of people, Paul would later write that we should “avoid such people” because they are “lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power… always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth… disqualified regarding the faith” (2 Tim. 3:2 – 8). May it never be true of us that we would walk in the shoes of those whom Paul aimed these words at.
If we find ourselves in the shoes of Paul’s enemies today, we should recognize that we are acting as enemies of God and if we have trusted in Jesus then we should be convicted by the indwelling Spirit of God to walk in open and authentic repentance. Of course, we know that that is not what Paul’s enemies did in our text today. They did not listen to God’s Word, nor did they hear the message of the gospel, nor did they seek to honor God with their lives. Instead, they continued their twisted pursuit of tearing down the Apostle Paul by any means necessary.
1Now three days after Festus had arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. 2And the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews laid out their case against Paul, and they urged him, 3asking as a favor against Paul that he summon him to Jerusalem – because they were planning an ambush to kill him on the way. 4Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea and that he himself intended to go there shortly. 5“So,” said he, “let the men of authority among you go down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them bring charges against him.” 6After he stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. 7When he had arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him that they could not prove.
8Paul argued in his defense, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I committed any offense.” 9But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and there be tried on these charges before me?” 10But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well. 11If then I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar.” 12Then Festus, when he had conferred with his council, answered, “To Caesar you have appealed; to Caesar you shall go.”
13Now when some days had passed, Agrippa the king and Bernice arrived in Caesarea and greeted Festus. 14And as they stayed there many days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a man left prisoner by Felix, 15and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews laid out their case against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him. 16I answered them that it was not the custom of the Romans to give up anyone before the accused met the accusers face to face and had opportunity to make his defense concerning the charge laid against him. 17So when they came together here, I made no delay, but on the next day took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought. 18When the accusers stood up, they brought no charge in his case of such evils as I supposed. 19Rather they had certain points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who was dead, but whom Paul asserted to be alive. 20Being at a loss how to investigate these questions, I asked whether he wanted to go to Jerusalem and be tried there regarding them. 21But when Paul had appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of the emperor, I ordered him to be held until I could send him to Caesar.” 22Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” said he, “you will hear him.”
23So on the next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city. Then, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. 24And Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are present with us, you see this man about whom the whole Jewish people petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. 25But I found that he had done nothing deserving of death. And as he himself appealed to the emperor, I decided to go ahead and send him. 26But I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. Therefore, I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that, after we have examined him, I may have something to write. 27For it seems to me unreasonable, in sending a prisoner, not to indicate the charges against him.”
#1: THE JEWS LAY OUT THEIR BASELESS ACCUSATIONS (VV. 1 – 7)
In verses 1 – 7, Luke tells us that a new Sherriff arrived in town by the name of Festus, and upon arriving in town, he promptly met up with some of the Jewish scumbags who not only had their baseless accusations against Paul, but they also had an open green light to assassinate him if possible (vv. 1 – 3). These self-righteous scumbags tried to get Festus to bring Paul to them so they could murder him, but by God’s grace Festus invited Paul’s accusers to come lay out their case again in Caesarea where Paul was imprisoned (vv. 4 – 5).
And of course, we know that these men do make the trip to Caesarea again to lay out their baseless accusations which Luke describes as “many… serious charges against him that they could not prove” (vv. 6 – 7). The moral of the story here: You can always spot a religious phony by paying attention to the baseless accusations that come out of their mouths.
What should we do when we are face to face with snakes like these? In our flesh, we are prone to fight back; to defend ourselves and to set the record straight. Although it is not a sin to defend yourself, it is not always helpful or productive to argue or defend yourself against those who have already made up their minds in judgement against you.
I often fail in this area (rest assured this is not typically an issue of sin but more often than not it is an issue of wisdom – not casting pearls before swine) but as often as I do fail in this area, I am always reminded that Jesus was silent like a lamb before his false accusers. Although the apostle Paul is not completely silent, because he does argue in his defense, he also exhibits a unique trust in his sovereign Savior as he appeals to a higher political power.
#2: PAUL APPEALS TO CAESAR (VV. 8 – 12)
In verses 8 – 12, Luke tells us that Paul “argued in his defense” as he explained that he had not broken any of the laws against the Jews, the temple, or Caesar and then in a remarkable exhibition of godly wisdom and outstanding trust in his heavenly Father, Paul refused Festus’ invite to go back to Jerusalem as he appealed to make his case known before Caesar in Rome – a request that Festus cannot deny since Paul is a roman citizen.
It is also helpful to note that Paul is not afraid of death nor is he afraid of the potential consequences of a rigged hearing in Rome, he knows that he is not guilty, therefore he says in verse 11, “If I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them.” Simply put, Paul knows the integrity of his heart, he knows the calling of God on his life to take the gospel to the ends of the earth – to the very gates of hell in Rome – and he is not afraid of death, he is only concerned about completing the ministry the Lord Jesus had given him.
Paul had entrusted his life and ministry into the nail scarred hands of his crucified, risen, and returning Savior. How I wish there were more believers in the church today who possessed this kind of Spirit filled tenacity. Can you imagine what would happen if the energy that the church spends on putting out the fires of gossip, and slander, and murmuring, and complaining were redirected into the work of actually taking the gospel to the lost? What if we became less like Paul’s accusers and more like the apostle Paul? What kind of impact and what kind of places would God take us to if we focused more on advancing the gospel instead of the petty arguments the church is known for? In Paul’s case, his faithfulness to the advancement of the gospel landed him in front of a king and a queen.
#3: THE KING AND QUEEN MEET WITH FESTUS (VV. 13 – 22)
In verses 13 – 22, King Agrippa and his Queen, Bernice, meet up with Festus to hear about the Apostle Paul’s case, and after Festus recounted the history of what landed Paul in his jail cell, the king and the queen ask to meet the Apostle Paul. The king, after hearing Festus’ account, actually says, “I would like to hear the man myself” to which, Festus replied, “Tomorrow… you will hear him” (v. 22).
Now, I think we have to be careful not to overlook the fact that Festus is a spineless leader who, although he is basically truthful about the false accusations against Paul, he is also a self-serving coward who was more concerned about doing the Jews a favor (v. 9) than he was about upholding the truth. Festus, in his cowardly leadership, was more concerned with playing games, winning favors, and keeping the mob happy by perpetuating the outright gossip and slander that was being leveled against the Apostle Paul. Any time we are tempted to entertain gossip, slander, grumbling, or complaining against another believer, we are mimicking Festus’ cowardly, self-serving, ethic.
The good news though, is that Festus was not ultimately in control even though he most likely enjoyed the sense of control that he held over the Apostle’s head. The idol of control is an insidious and elusive altar that often takes the shape of an inability to meet falsehood head on with the power of the truth. Ultimately, God was in control, and he used even a coward like Festus to orchestrate the opportunity for the Apostle Paul to share the gospel with a king and a queen. Can you imagine what it would be like to hold so fast to the gospel as you resist the petty issues that usually consume the church and in doing so you find yourself with the opportunity to share the gospel with a king and a queen?
I think that many within the church have lost sight of the power of the gospel and traded in the commandment to make disciples by sharing the gospel; they have traded in the gospel for pleasures of this world that typically revolve around the pursuit of power, control, comfort, safety, and pleasure.
It is easier to share in the acceptable sins of others in the shadows rather than to risk the discomfort of facing down hell’s henchmen in the sunlight. It is more tempting to get your heart and mind caught up in the gossip, the slander, and the blatant false accusations that float around the dark corners of church families than it is to actually be about the business of taking the gospel to the hell’s doorstep. The funny thing is, it does not take too long for the Lord to publicly reveal the cowards in the room, and he usually does it through their very own words.
#4: FESTUS PUBLICLY CONFIRMS THE BASELESS ACCUSATIONS (VV. 23 – 27)
In verses 23 – 27, Luke tells us that the King and the Queen show up the next day “with great pomp”, everyone knows the king and queen have entered the room (v. 23). And Festus, ever ready for a public display of his power and control, launches into a public introduction where he shows his cowardly hand and his perpetuation of the slanderous charges against the Apostle Paul when he says “I found that he had done nothing deserving of death… he himself appealed to the emperor, I decided to go ahead and send him… I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him… it seems unreasonable, in sending a prisoner, not to indicate the charges against him… therefore, I have brought him before you all… so that after we have examined him, I may have something to write.”
In all of this, Festus publicly declares Paul’s innocence, sets up a kangaroo court against him, and in doing so condemns himself as a cowardly perpetuator of false accusations; a perpetuator of gossip, slander, grumbling, and unbased complaining against an innocent man of God. The beauty amidst all the horror of these false accusations from people who should have been Paul’s friends and the cowardly actions of the public official who should have had Paul’s back, is that God is orchestrating the advancement of the gospel to the ends of the earth.
The very tools that God used to advance his gospel is nothing more than some backstabbing wannabes and some cowardly public leaders. These are the tools that God used to move the message of the gospel on Paul’s lips to the very ends of the earth. Let that be an encouragement to those of you who are doing everything you can to keep your heads above the water as you seek to advance the gospel to the ends of the earth amidst the backstabbers and the cowards around you.
God is on his throne, and he will use every means necessary to accomplish his mission to the ends of the earth. It will be hard. It will be painful. You will lose friends. Those whom you thought you could trust, will be the first to stab you in the back. Those whom you thought would protect you will be the very ones who use your difficulties and your failures for their own self interests. If you are lucky, you might even speak to some really powerful people and then die like the Apostle Paul did in pursuit of God’s calling on your life.
Rest assured though, God will accomplish his purposes in and through you, if like the Apostle Paul, you remain steadfast and committed to the calling of God on your life, no matter what the powers of hell throw at you. You can also trust that those who betray you, gossip about you, slander you, complain about you, and grumble against you – if they never repent – will face a day where they will meet their ultimate enemy in the final showdown with the God they made war against.
CONCLUSION…
In conclusion, we have studied the text and examined the different characters: Paul who was falsely accused, the Jews who were a bunch of gossiping, slandering, grumbling, complaining, false accusers, and Festus who was a cowardly perpetuator of the false accusations against Paul. We have also been reminded that despite the ugliness of Paul’s circumstances, God is still in control, and he is working to advance his gospel to the ends of the earth by any means necessary.
One commentator said, “None of us likes to be falsely accused. To do what is right and be charged with doing wrong, to work hard to maintain a good job record or reputation and have someone smear it – such injustice can easily crush the human spirit, even in a follower of Jesus Christ. We know the truth, we know who we are in Christ, but slander hurts.”4 In this regard, I try hard to maintain an ethic that is slow to judgement, slow to speak, slow to anger, quick to listen, and even slower to form opinions about other people – especially when those opinions are being formed by other people’s gossip, slander, grumbling, and complaining. Why? Because slander is not becoming of a believer any more than pornography use is becoming of a believer. On top of that, slander hurts. Period.
The same commentator commenting on this passage, notes that both Joseph and Daniel faced false accusations, endured the suffering that comes along with it and came out the other side much better than they were before – Joseph even said, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Gen. 50:20).5 If you are on the receiving end of someone’s gossip, slander, grumbling, or complaining behind your back, you do not need to vindicate yourself, the Lord knows and sees and will return in judgement against those who try to destroy you with their words. Trust, that ultimately, God will use this momentary pain for your good and his glory.
Finally, lastly, Charles Spurgeon said, “We ought never to fear those who are defending the wrong side, for since God is not with them, their wisdom is folly, their strength is weakness, and their glory is their shame… Often the less we say to our foes, and the more we say to our best Friend [Jesus], the better it will fare for us.”6 This brings me back to something we talked about at the beginning of this message – namely our crucified, risen, and returning Savior’s posture before his false accusers. He was mostly silent and when he did speak, he used his accuser’s words against them to indict them for their rebellion against God.
Jesus promised that true followers of his will experience the same treatment as he did. His brother James would later say that we should “count it all joy my brothers when you face trials and tribulations of all kinds” (James 1:2). Unforgiveness is a joy-killer; so make sure you labor hard to ask God to help you to forgive those who have falsely accused you, slandered you behind your back, and attempted to smear your name. Remember that God extended forgiveness to you for your sins against him as he hung on that cross of Calvary therefore you can extend the same forgiveness to others when they sin against you.
Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you. Beat your flesh into submission so that you may stand tall with the Apostle Paul at the foot of a bloody cross, in the doorway of an empty tomb, in light of the hope of heaven. Those false accusations will not ultimately stick to you because there is therefore now no condemnation for you in Christ Jesus and there is no separation for you from Christ Jesus because the cross was bloody, the tomb is empty, and heaven is your destiny! – Amen!
1 Unless otherwise specified, all Bible references in this paper are to the English Standard Version Bible, The New Classic Reference Edition (ESV) (Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, 2001).
2 Derek W. H. Thomas, Acts, (Phillipsburg, New Jersey: P&R Publishing, 2011), 677 – 681.
3 Ibid., 679.
4 Kent, Hughes, Acts: The Church Afire, (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 1996), 316.
5 Ibid., 317 – 318.
6 Ibid., 319.