Acts 25:13-22

 Acts 25:13-22

King Agrippa was a ruler of a minor client kingdom dependent upon Rome. In terms of imperial power he was a minor player. He was less a king than a governor. With a single word Rome could remove him from power. He was brother-in-law to Felix who had just been removed, so there were some negative associations he needed to overcome. He was in conflict with the high priest in Jerusalem with whom Festus had a recently spent considerable time. This trip was to pay respect but also to secure Festus support for his kingship.

Part of gaining that support was to look the part, to represent power and grandeur. A hearing of the Paul’s case was the ideal occasion. Agrippa and Bernice could strut like peacocks to demonstrate they would represent Rome well. Festus could judge them and evaluate if they were fit and then report to Rome. For Agrippa this wasn’t so much about Paul as impressing the new governor.  The hearing would have been a state occasion with the king and queen in regal attire, Festus in the crimson tunic designating him as governor, honor guards in spit and polish uniforms, cohort commanders with steely eyes and hard bitten faces, and everyone looking for opportunity to impress everyone else and for a chance of advancement.  They would also be looking for weaknesses in rivals.

But in the midst of all the great pump something is missing. The word translated “pomp” that Luke uses here is the Greek word from which we get the word “fantasy”. In their pretend world of being important they miss the central part of the trial, of their lives, and of the universe. Festus summarizes the case in verse 19 by saying “…a certain dead man Jesus, whom Paul asserted to be alive.” In that passing statement Festus hit on the core of everything. Is Jesus who was dead alive or not? Compared to that issue everything else is trivial, silly, and trite. The resurrection of Jesus is the core of the gospel, the pivot of all He said and did. It is the guarantee of the future and the fulfillment of all history. If he is still dead nothing matters, if he is alive it changes everything. Like Festus, Agrippa, Bernice, the Romans, Felix, the high priest, and us we get bound up in our fantasies, self-importance, politics, self advancement and we fail to realize the most important fact of the universe Jesus was dead but is now alive.

“Lord, help me to not fall into the fantasy land of this world, but to focus on the truth of Your Kingdom. AMEN”

Acts 25:1-12

 Acts 25:1-12

The end of the governorship Felix begins the rule of Festus. Festus arrived in a hotbed of troubles. Conflicts between Rome and the Jews were on the increase and the Roman puppet, Agrippa and a high priest were in conflict. Festus needs to strike a difficult balance. He needs to uphold Roman authority while at the same time developing favor with the Jews. In AD 66 the great Jewish rebellion would begin. This is a mere 6 to 8 years after Festus’ appointment. The political situation was already getting tense. In terms of all that was going on the conflict between Paul and a high priest must have seemed of little importance to Festus. What better way to curry the support of the priest than by having a show trial and turning Paul over to them?

What Festus did not and could not have known was that he was a part of God‘s plan. It was God‘s plan to have Paul appear before the emperor and Festus was only a small part of that grand design. What we often imagined to be a great moments of history are nothing more than a footnote. What we would imagine as being trivial details are the hinge pens on which the great moments swing.

We should also note that Paul would use whatever privileged position he might have for the benefit of the kingdom. He is first and foremost a disciple but if his Roman citizenship could benefit his discipleship he would use it to that end. At this point in story Rome is a good guy. Paul has by now written his letter to the church in Rome calling them to be good citizens and to submit to the authorities of the state. But within 40 years the Revelation will describe Rome as a drunken whore sitting on seven hills. All nations and all forms of government are to be judged based on one matrix, do they benefit or harm the church. A monarchy or a dictatorship that benefits the church is superior to a liberal democracy that hurts or undermines it. Paul’s, and our, loyalty to the Lord and his church is before and above our loyalty to the state, to the government, to nations, or political theories.

“Help me, Lord, to never confuse or misunderstand what is my first loyalty. AMEN”