THE SPREAD IN ASIA MINOR AND EUROPE
THROUGH THE MINISTRY OF PAUL AND HIS COMPANIONS (29)
Read and pray: "So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man." (Acts 24:16)
In this message, we reach Acts 24:1-27, a passage where Paul is accused by the Jews' lawyer (vv. 1-9), defends himself before Felix (vv. 10-21), and is kept detained by the unjust and corrupt Roman governor (vv. 22-27).
ACCUSED BY THE JEWS' LAWYER
In Acts 24:1, we read: "Five days later, the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor." Tertullus was a lawyer, a legal expert familiar with Roman legal procedures.
Verses 2 to 4 continue: "When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: ‘We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation. Everywhere and in every way, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly.’” Tertullus’ words here reveal his vileness; he was entirely devoid of any ethical standard.
In 24:5, Tertullus accuses Paul: "We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect." Here, we see a threefold accusation. First, Tertullus accused Paul of being a troublemaker. A troublemaker is something full of harmful “germs.” Paul, however, was full of positive germs: the germs of the resurrected Christ for His propagation, infusing Him into people. We should all aspire to be this kind of “troublemaker.”
Second, Tertullus described Paul as one who "stirs up riots." He accused Paul of being an instigator of uprisings among the Jews throughout the inhabited earth. Third, Tertullus claimed that Paul was the ringleader of the Nazarene sect. Tertullus’ words show that the Jews regarded believers in the Lord Jesus as Nazarenes.
In chapter 13 of Acts, the believers were first called Christians, in Antioch. Christians are men of Christ, those who live Christ. Here, the Jewish lawyer gives believers another nickname: Nazarenes. This nickname indicates that the believers were seen as followers of the Nazarene, Jesus.
DEFENDING HIMSELF BEFORE FELIX
In 24:10, Paul begins his defense before Felix: "When the governor motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: 'I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense.'" We see that, in contrast to how the Lord faced His opponents, it was necessary for Paul to defend himself and exercise wisdom to save his life from persecutors, in order to complete the course of his ministry.
Serving God and Walking According to the Scriptures
In verses 11 to 14, Paul continues: "You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me. However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets." Here, we see that what the Jewish opponents called a sect, Paul called "the Way." As we have discussed, the Way, mentioned several times in Acts (9:2; 18:25-26; 19:9, 23; 22:4), denotes the full salvation of the Lord in God's New Testament economy.
In verse 14, Paul testified that, according to the Way, which his opponents called a sect, he served the God of his ancestors. The Greek word translated as “serve” literally means “serve as a priest.” Paul’s way of serving God was according to the New Testament economy. Thus, his form of service differed from that of other Jews.
In verse 14, he also stated that he believed everything in accordance with the Law and written in the Prophets. Here, he affirmed that he acted according to the Old Testament, composed of the Law and the Prophets. Therefore, he vindicated himself as someone walking according to the Scriptures.
Enjoy more: Hymn 19
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