Memorize: Urgent appeal to Caesar
Key Verses:4, 11, 23, 26,
The new regional Roman leader is on his first tour of his province. He is immediately confronted with a ‘no win’ situation. The leaders of the rebellious, but politically sensitive area of his territory want a man killed. He could easily win points with them by simply obliging them. It would be a political favor that he could draw on again and again when things got tough. He could say, “Remember when I let you kill Paul…” and the Jews would be more than happy to return the favor. It would be only a small breech of legal rightness to hand Paul over. He could get away with it pretty easily. After all, who would stand up for Paul before Rome? Festus unknowingly saves Paul’s life by delaying.
When Paul is brought before Festus, and his accusers are present, Festus realizes that there are no charges that carry the penalty of death. The Jews are just squabbling about what appear to be some Jewish matters. Why are they trying to waste his time? And Paul is caught in the middle. Paul knows that he has done nothing wrong, but he also knows that the Lord’s hand is in this. The Lord showed him that his ministry would extend to Caesar himself. And since Festus seems unwilling to act as a fair arbiter of the case, Paul appeals to Caesar. Appealing to Caesar is like appealing to the Supreme Court.
Paul gets the privilege of sharing the Gospel with all the rulers of that portion of the world. They are gathered in Caesarea to congratulate Festus on his appointment as Governor of that region. The King and his wife come to pay him their respects. This is an official state visit, so there is all the pomp and circumstance that normally accompanies such occasions. And Paul ends up in the middle of this visit. Remember Festus is stuck. Festus still does not have any charges that he can pin on Paul, since he has not done anything deserving death. He is hoping King Agrippa can help him out of this political bind. He doesn’t want to look like a fool when he sends Paul forward, so he must come up with some charge, or he will be wasting Caesar’s time. But there is nothing!
Politics hasn’t changed much over the years. Fighting and squabbling, back-biting and back-scratching have always been a staple of political theater. Graft and corruption are not isolated to Chicago. Any place there is power, there will be the possibility of corruption. That is why having power at the lowest levels is best. When power is local, it is not an unknown person who is wielding the power, but your neighbor. You are less likely to abuse power when you have to look your victims in the face. As it is now in the world, those who hold power are removed and isolated from those who are affected by their decisions. Their position isolates them from the negative effects. That is why the Founders of the United States only gave the Federal Government very specific, limited powers. The rest were state and local matters. But we have strayed very far from their intentions.
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The Arnold Journey 