Read or listen The Acts of the Apostles Chapter 24 online (ESV, Bible Gateway)

Three accusations – Acts 24:1-9

The Jews' attempt to violently resolve the problem Paul had caused had failed due to the vigilance of Paul's nephew. The high priest Ananias was forced to go to Caesarea to accuse Paul before Governor Felix. A lawyer, a skilled speaker, Tertullus, had been brought along.

Tertullus began his speech by uninhibitedly praising the governor. In reality, Felix – a former slave who had risen to power under the wing of his brother Pallas – was not well liked. He was arbitrary and self-serving (compare verse 26: "At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul."). His brother had gained favor with Emperor Claudius and had been made treasurer.

Tertullus makes three accusations against Paul:

1. Paul is “a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world”. A plague is a reference to the contagiousness of this danger. Paul stirs up the people against the Roman authority. He is therefore a criminal who is dangerous to the empire.

2. The second accusation is Paul's position as the head of "the sect of the Nazarenes". Judaism included several sects - Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes - but they all enjoyed the protection of the Roman state. Now Tertullus is trying to get Paul, and at the same time the Christians, to be excluded from Judaism, as a sect. This would also mean that Christians would no longer have the protection of the state enjoyed by Jews.

3. Paul has attempted to desecrate the temple. It is significant that there is no longer talk of desecrating the temple, but only of attempting to desecrate it. What this attempt refers to remains unclear. Paul did not bring Greeks, that is, Gentiles, into the temple, but is it now claimed that he attempted to do so?

Or is the accusation to be understood more spiritually, that Paul is speaking against the temple? In any case, the accusation was significant, because the Jews were allowed to kill even a Roman citizen if he desecrated the temple.

Tertullus “forgets” the chaotic situation that preceded the arrest and the role of the tribune Lysias in Paul’s arrest. Talking about those events would have been difficult because they would have brought back to people's minds how things had progressed.

Our Bible is missing verse 7 because it is not in the most reliable Greek manuscripts. The missing section is: “We wanted to try him under our law. But Tribune Lysias came along and took him out of our hands with much force, ordering his accusers to come before you.”

The addition is a correct description of what happened, but it is unlikely that Tertullus would have said it, as it would have drawn the governor’s attention to the religious nature of the issue, as Paul does in his defense (verse 21). Tertullus did not want to emphasize that Paul had broken Jewish law, but Roman law. Felix would not condemn Paul for religious disputes. Instead, a political crime, i.e. incitement to rebellion, had to be found.

Who was rioting? – Acts 24:10-13

After receiving permission, Paul responds to the charges in the order in which they are presented. First, Paul shows that he did not incite a riot in Jerusalem. There was too little time—12 days—and the Jews cannot prove that he had gathered a crowd or stirred up the people to revolt. Nor had he argued or stirred up disagreements. Paul states that mere accusation is not enough; there should also be evidence. The principle still applies today: innocence does not need to be proven, but guilt.

Who is a Jew? – Acts 24:14-16

Paul states that his faith and that of his opponents have three common features:

1. The status of the Old Testament scriptures as God's revelation
2. The same God who has been at work in Israel's history
3. The common hope of the resurrection

Therefore, Paul, or other Christians, cannot be driven outside of Judaism. The Christian faith is the only true continuation of what the Old Testament tells us.

The temple was not defiled – Acts 24:17-19

Finally, Paul points out that he went to the temple purified. He cannot be shown to have committed anything in the temple that would be against Jewish or Roman law. The rioters, the Jews of Asia, should be among the prosecutors, explaining why they wanted Paul to be imprisoned and judged in a “people’s court.”

Religious dispute – Acts 24:20-21

The result, according to Paul, is that the matter is a religious dispute, which in no way belongs to the courts of the Roman Empire. Luke can of course be considered a biased narrator, but it is evident that Paul's opponents have not been able to answer Paul's defense. The dispute was and remained religious. The charges of incitement to rebellion proved untenable. If the riots that occurred during Paul's travels had been investigated, the culprits would have been found among the Jews, as was the case in Jerusalem.

Paul thus experienced the fate of Jesus: both were condemned to death on false charges. It is clear that Pilate did not condemn Jesus to death because of the religious differences between Jesus and the Jews. The sentence was passed because Pilate did not want to gain the reputation of being a supporter of those who incited the rebellion. The reason for Jesus' death sentence was written: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews (=INRI, John 19:19), i.e. rebellion. Now the Jews are trying the same thing with Felix: it would be better for the governor to condemn a troublemaker like Paul than to fall into the disfavor of the Jews.

Thoughtful game moves – Acts 24:22-27

The Jews are only partially successful: Felix does not condemn Paul, but he does not dare to release him either. So Paul is transferred to a lighter prison.

Jews made up about ten percent of the population of the Roman Empire, so there was reason to fear their intrigues. They were also in important positions close to the emperor. If Felix had fallen on bad terms with the Jews, he might soon have found himself a former governor.

Luke also gives another reason for Felix’s hesitation. The governor remembered the collection that Paul had collected and hoped to receive money from Paul. Perhaps Felix would receive a share of the collection, or he might imagine that the churches supporting Paul might raise another collection for Paul’s release. In any case, Felix hoped that someone would be willing to pay for Paul’s release. That would have been against Roman law, and Paul did not want it.

In Paul's case, Felix manages to please the Jews, but two years later (in 59 AD) the Jews in Rome raise an accusation against the governor's administration and he is summoned to Rome. At first, his influential brother helps, but soon both fall out of favor.

In order not to further anger the Jews, Felix left Paul in prison. Felix’s wife, Drusilla, was Jewish. She was the daughter of Herod Agrippa I (compare Acts 12:1-2). Herod the Great was his paternal grandfather. Apparently, through his wife, Felix had received “a rather accurate knowledge” (verse 22) of the Christian faith.

"When I get an opportunity"

In the case of Felix and Paul, history repeats itself. Herod Antipas was happy to listen to John the Baptist, but he did not dare to follow his message (Mark 6:17-20). Similarly, Felix listened to Paul, but did not want to live according to his message.

Man thinks he can command God: "I will come to you when it suits me!" But man cannot dictate his future. We know nothing even about tomorrow, let alone about more distant times. Satan’s argument today is still: “Yes, these are all good things, but there is still time to dwell on them later. Enjoy your life first, and then, having seen life, you can reconsider matters of faith.”

Whoever rejects God's call also rejects the caller. God will not be angry and turn his back on us, but we must remember that every day under Satan binds us more tightly to him and rebellion against God becomes easier. Every sin and every moment under Satan draws us towards Hell.

Every person is precious to God, so precious that He gave Jesus to die on the cross (John 3:16, Romans 8:32). But at the same time, we must remember that God hates sin, so much so that Jesus had to die on the cross to atone for our sins. Only those who have atonement for their sins, that is, those who trust in Jesus, can enter heaven (1 John 5:9-12).

Mere interest in Jesus is not enough, one must take a stand: Is Jesus the Son of God, the Savior of the world, or not?

"For everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord
will be saved.”
(Romans 10:13)