Acts 25:1-27 - Corps Notes - January 11, 1977
Acts 25:1-27 January 11, 1977 Well, tonight people, chapter 25 of Acts. We closed with Porcius Festus in Acts 24:27 and chapter 25 opens with Festus. Acts 25:1 “he ascended from Caesarea to Jerusalem” - you know, he went up; to go from Jerusalem to Caesarea, is to go down. Acts 25:2 “the high priest” - that is not right. It’s the chief priest. Remember I explained to you that every person who was head of a course was a chief priest. That’s what we’re talking about here. There were 24 courses of priests. I’d like to say this too. I’ve often wondered and I think perhaps I’m right on this, that of the 24 courses each course had a chief priest but there was one chief over the top of the chiefs. And I believe that was what happened here. “the chief of the Jews” - one of the top leaders “besought him” - begged him; sort of put the pressure on him Acts 25:3 “favour” - to graciously consider this (against Paul) - that’s what he was after “send for him to Jerusalem” - Paul was incarcerated in jail in Caesarea, some 60 miles away. This chief priest and a lot of the influential men bugged Festus, the governor, to ask him to send Paul to Jerusalem. “laying wait in the way to kill him” - of course Festus didn’t know that “laying wait” - making a plot, or “having made a plot” “in” – along They had tried to kill him two years before and now he’s in jail for two years, and they’re still trying to figure it out. Acts 25:4 “he himself would depart shortly thither” - in other words; he’s going to hasten toward Caesarea real soon Acts 25:5 “accuse this man, if there be any wickedness in him” – “if there be any wickedness in this man, accuse him” - in other words; if there’s any wickedness in this Paul, you guys go on down to Caesarea and you place your accusation. Acts 25:6 “more than ten” – eight or ten “judgment seat” - this is the bēma Acts 25:7 “stood round about” - his accusers “stood around him,” like Paul was standing here and then the accusers stood round about “and laid” - bro
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did. Acts 25:11 “I appeal unto Caesar” - that was sort of something. One would have thought Paul wouldn’t have had to appeal to Caesar. First of all Felix knew Paul hadn’t done anything wrong, but he left him in jail for 2 years. Festus came along and Festus knew he’d done nothing wrong. Yet, in order to please people, they kept him locked up. They kept pushing him. They finally wanted to push him back to Jerusalem. I do not know if Festus knew about the plot against Paul, if he came back to Jerusalem. Paul said, “Look, I’m not going back to Jerusalem. No man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto Caesar.” This was a Roman citizen’s right; that he could appeal to the highest court in the land, if the need were there. That’s exactly what he did here. He appealed and said, “I want to go to Rome.” Acts 25:12 “council” - that council is not the Sanhedrin. These are the cabinet members of th