Filed under: god | Tags: acts, ananias, claudius lysias, drusilla, felix, god, jesus, paul, porcius festus, tertullus
1. The commander decided to trick all those conspirators by sending Paul to Caesarea during the middle of the night with what looks like an army. It pays to be a Roman citizen.
2. The commander’s name was Claudius Lysias. Nice to know. Anyway, he writes this letter to Governor Felix explaining to him that he was protecting Paul because there was no charge to kill him. So…he wants Felix to sort it out. And that was what was going to happen whenever his accusers arrived (he he he…I bet they were sad that they couldn’t ambush him).
3. Wow…Ananias brought a lawyer. You know this is serious.
4. Let’s spot the lies in Tertullus’ case: 1. They have not enjoyed being occupied by the Romans. 2) He was just plain sucking up. 3) Paul wasn’t causing riots; he was honoring a Jewish custom and helping some guys go through their purification vows. 4) Paul isn’t even really the “ringleader.” That would be Peter. 5) He wasn’t desecrating the temple; they thought one of the four kids was a Greek guy. He wasn’t.
5. Paul just lays down the truth. He even confesses that he is a follower of “the Way.” He says that he agrees with the Law and the Prophets, so he doesn’t understand why they all have sticks up their butts.
6. Paul boiled it down to the fact that they were mad that he believed in the resurrection of the dead– hardly a death sentence.
7. Isn’t it interesting that Felix knew all about “the Way”? He basically places Paul under house arrest until the commander comes to straighten up a few points.
8. Felix and Drusilla wanted to hear more about “faith in Christ Jesus.” Apparently, this Felix was a seeker.
9. Paul talked about key things: righteousness, self-control, and future judgment; and I guess that was all too much for Felix. He wanted what he heard to be “convenient.” Following God is not.
10. The whole Felix is a seeker theory kind of gets a wrench in it when it says that he was waiting for a bribe. And then he left him in prison for two years just so that he could butter up the Jews. Wow…so now what?
