Paul has now been moved to Caesarea, a coastal city NW of Jerusalem. He's under trial before Antonius Felix who was the Roman procurator of the Judea province from 52-60 CE. The prosecuting attorney, Tertullus, makes his case against Paul as an agitator and states that the last straw was Paul's attempt to profane the temple. This was referring to Acts 21:27-29:
When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, who had seen him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd. They seized him, shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against our people, our law, and this place; more than that, he has actually brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.I have already referred to the Jewish restriction of Gentiles in the temple. Roman rule sought to keep order in all of its provinces. But they also sought to protect Roman citizens and Paul qualified.
Paul makes his own case and testifies that Christianity (aka the sect of the Nazarenes, aka the Way) remained within standard observance of Judaism. His defense further underscores that this is really a matter of intra-religious debate in the Jewish faith concerning the resurrection.
Felix is note shown in the best light by Luke as he seems to be ruled by fear and greed. He keeps Paul imprisoned in Caesarea for two years (58-60 CE) without making a judgment against him one way or another. We see that the prophecy of Argabus from Acts 21:10-11 came true:
While we were staying there for several days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. He came to us and took Paul’s belt, bound his own feet and hands with it, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’”Paul certainly understood suffering for the sake of the gospel. Within his epistles, the themes of freedom in Christ take on a new ring. When he writes in 1 Corinthians 13:7 that love "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" we have new insight.
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| Quiet contemplation can lead us to greater spiritual insights if we take the time to ponder. |
Paul was productive in his incarceration. We have the epistles that were composed while he was in jail. This makes us think about "throw-away" time. How can we take some time in thinking about the larger spiritual matters that we face in life? Are there ways that we can incorporate spirituality into everyday chores that must be done? Is there a larger issue of your faith that you would like to research?
Prayer for the day:
Psalm 130
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!
If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
It is he who will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.
Photo by photoholic1 via Flickr.com. Used under the Creative Commons license.
All scripture quoted is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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