Reading: Acts 23-24, Psalm 130

Following his arrest and detainment by the local authorities in Rome, Paul gets a chance to address the sanhedrin, the same judging body that Jesus stood before during the night before his crucifixion. Paul, who in other times would almost certainly been sitting on such a council, begins his defense with the fact that he is faithful to the laws of Moses. He does not disrespect the law. He is immediately struck at the command of the high priest- and he rightly objects. I’m not sure what is going on with the comment that he did not realize he was the high priest, as it seems unlikely that Paul was unaware who the high priest was in such a setting. It seems to me more likely he is being sarcastic. That he did not know he was the high priest because he was acting contrary to the law. But there is no way to know for sure. Anyway, the point is Paul realizes he isn’t going to get a fair hearing, so he brilliantly brings up the biggest point of dissension among the sandhedrin itself: the resurrection of the dead.

Paul is not being dishonest here. The message he has spent the last several years of his life preaching is that Jesus rose from the dead, and therefore is the righteous judge of all humankind. On the other hand, he is clearly manipulating the situation, pulling the attention away from the issue that landed him in hot water. That he preached this message to gentiles was the major compliant against him, but he chooses to make it about the content of the message. And it works exceptionally well. He gets the major parties, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, quite worked up about it, and they get so heated that some of the Pharisees start defending Paul’s position because it matches their own. Realizing they are getting nowhere and think might get dangerous, the Roman authority hauls Paul off and disperses the meeting.

Having failed to convict him by those means, some of the more militant Jews form a cabal sworn to assassinate Paul. They aren’t the best conspirators, though, because Paul’s nephew finds out about it and tells the Roman guards, who spirit Paul away that night. He winds up in the court of Felix, the procurator of the province. Basically the successor to Pontius Pilate, though the Romans had reorganized their system of government a bit and changed all the titles, because governments like to do that sort of thing to pretend they are effective. Felix was a notoriously corrupt man, but he was married to a Jewish woman, Drusilla, and was generally tolerant to Jewish customs. Confusingly, Felix actually married two women named Drusilla. This was the second, and she would later meet an abrupt end while living in Pompeii when mount Vesuvius buried the city in 79 A.D. But that is the not point here.

Paul launches into his typical defense, but Felix, realizing that Paul is a very divisive and dangerous figure, decides that he will put this one on hold. He puts Paul under arrest, but allows him to see his friends and communicate with them. If possible, Felix wants a bribe to let Paul go free. At the same time this placates his Jewish relatives because it keeps Paul out of the picture. Good politician, Felix. Avoid the problem long enough that your replacement has to deal with it instead, and if possible profit on the deal.

Unfortunately Felix comes to a bad end. He is recalled to Rome to face accusations that he deliberately incited a conflict between the Jews and the Syrians so that he could profit from their conflict. He avoids punishment for that particular crime, but dies anyway, most likely from tuberculosis. His wife moves to Pompeii and he is succeeded by a Roman official with the unlikely name of Porcius Festus.

In the middle of all this drama, notice that Paul’s major concern continues to be the proclamation of the gospel: Jesus has risen from the dead and is therefore the righteous judge of the world. This message shocks people like Felix and makes them anxious. It enrages the Sadducees of the sanhedrin. It brings about a great deal of conflict. Jesus said that he would cause division and conflict even among families, and it sure seems to be playing out here. We also get a prediction of where Paul is headed, as God shows up and tells him he will testify in Rome. As a Roman citizen, Paul has the right to appeal any legal case he finds himself in to the emperor.