Paul's Case Before Festus Continues

Tom:

This is our Understanding the Scriptures segment, we are in Acts, chapter 25, and we’re going to pick up with verse 14-21:  “And when they had been there many days, Festus declared Paul’s cause unto the king, saying, There is a certain man left in bonds by Felix:  About whom, when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, desiring to have judgment against him.  To whom I answered, It is not the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to die before that he which is accused have the accusers face to face, and have license to answer for himself concerning the crime laid against him.  Therefore, when they were come hither, without any delay on the morrow I sat on the judgment seat, and commanded the man to be brought forth. Against whom when the accusers stood up, they brought none accusation of such things as I supposed: But had certain questions against him of their own superstition, and of one Jesus, which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.And because I doubted of such manner of questions, I asked [him] whether he would go to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these matters.But when Paul had appealed to be reserved unto the hearing of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I might send him to Caesar.

Dave:

Well that’s a good introduction; a good summary presenting the situation as it is.There is nothing that Agrippa and Bernice can do about it.He has appealed to Caesar and to Caesar he will go, but nevertheless this piques our interest.You have to commend the Romans, they are not going to deliver somebody to death before he’s faced his accusers.I think the Muslims could learn a little bit from that.Furthermore, they are not particular who they kill.It could be innocent women and children.You get on a school bus with a bomb secreted on you—and then you could also apply it among some Christians today.You can kill someone with gossip—tell lies about them.They don’t have a chance to defend themselves.  They are not even heard.  You are telling—it could be lies—that’s why we don’t listen to gossip.

Tom:

Or promoting something that somebody else said without getting to the facts.

Dave:

It could be slander, so you want to be very careful about that.  Tom, many years ago, how old would I have been?  Well, it was probably late teens, early 20’s, I was taking a correspondence course.  I took quite a few correspondence courses.  I became a CPA by taking correspondence courses, passed the exam.

Tom:

But you had your degree in mathematics from UCLA.

Dave:

Well yeah, but mathematics won’t help you pass the CPA exams.  But one of the courses, this was kind of a—well; I would have to say, sound advice and see if I can remember—a little poem. I don’t think I ever mentioned on this program.  “If you are tempted to reveal a tale someone to you had told about another, Make it pass before you speak three gates of gold.  These narrow gates—first is it true, and then is it needful?  In your mind give careful answer and the third is last and narrowest, is it kind?  And if to reach your lips at last it pass through these gateways three, then you may tell the tale, nor fear what the result of speech will be.”  I think that’s pretty good, Tom.

Tom:

Sounds like Proverbs, almost!

Dave:

Yeah.  So, we can kill people, I mean, their reputation, by passing on—we don’t gossip, we don’t pass on something, and the Romans were not, from hearsay, I mean they had a law, and they were not going to kill someone unless that person could face their accusers, unless they were very clear about the accusation.  I think a lot of Christian people and churches could take a lesson from that.

Tom:

Now Dave, you’re putting yourself into a position that the Emerging Church people would say, Hey, wait a minute, he’s finding something in the culture, he’s finding something in the—the Romans, they worship their Caesars, and so on.  So, you had better explain yourself on that one, Dave.

Dave:

Well, God has written his Law in every conscience, Romans, chapter 2.  Now that’s an interesting passage because no one has written in their conscience, “Keep the Sabbath.”  So, we’ll have to bring that to the attention of the Seventh Day Adventists.  It’s not in anyone’s conscience; therefore, it’s not for all people.  All the moral laws are written in the conscience, but none of the rituals, or the religious laws, although there are hundreds of them, are written in anyone’s conscience.  So, I can take what into the conscience, and everyone knows this, it’s there, the Bible says so.  So, the law, hopefully, and I have—well, I did pass the baby bar, contracts toward some criminal law.  Because I was taking law by correspondence, you had to take two exams.  So I have studied a bit of law, and you have to acknowledge that—for example, I think of a famous case.  There were two men and a boy, and they were the lone survivors of the sinking of the ship, and they determined that—they’re running our to food and they are running out of water, that there were three of them continued to live they would probably die.

Tom:

All three.

Dave:

All three, so they killed the boy, and they had his food and his drink, and so forth.  And they were accused of murder, they survived and they were taken to court, and it went all the way to the Supreme Court, as I recall.  See, there is no law, we call this common law, there’s no law written by a legislative body that says when two men and a boy are in a life raft, and they determined, you know, and so forth, and it was determined that had the boy lived all three of them would have died.  But no one has the right to take another’s life, especially to save their own, and that was the judgment of the Supreme Court, as I recall.  So, I can learn from law, and Paul says, I appeal to Caesar.  Okay.  Well, Caesar’s going to go by Roman law, and I think that is legitimate.

Tom:

Dave, I have to interject this because I know some people would say, Is Dave against capital punishment?

Dave:

No.

Tom:

Well, you said, no one has the right to take a life.

Dave:

Okay.  Let’s go back to the Ten Commandments.  It doesn’t say, “Thou shalt not kill,” that’s in the King James, unfortunately— “Thou shalt not commit murder.”  But the Bible commands, thank you, Tom, the Bible commands us to kill, to punish by death those who have taken the life of another.  Capital punishment is in the Bible for sure.

Tom:

Jesus went to the cross for our sins.

Dave:

That’s right.  He was put to death, you could say, by God.  There is the ultimate example of capital punishment.  In fact, in the Old Testament, God warns Israel, “You allow murderers to go unpunished—you don’t kill them—you don’t execute them, the blood of the victims will contaminate the ground and it will cry out to God, and your country is going to bear the judgment.”  And I’m afraid that America is heading for a lot of judgment just from the abortions, and so forth.  So anyway, no, I am not opposed to capital punishment, I believe it is biblical.  Well, so I think it is legitimate to find in the conscience, we are supposed to go by our conscience.

Tom:

Verse 22:  “Then Agrippa said unto Festus, I would also hear the man myself.  Tomorrow, said he, thou shalt hear him.  And on the morrow, when Agrippa was come, and Bernice, with great pomp, and was entered into the place of hearing, with the chief captains, and principal men of the city, at Festus’ commandment Paul was brought forth.

Dave:

Well, Tom, God is giving Paul opportunity after opportunity to witness for the Lord Jesus, and here is going to be another one.  Now, whether Agrippa had heard about Paul, it’s hard to imagine that he hadn’t heard about Paul.  This guy is infamous, here he comes, turns the world upside down, you know.

Tom:

Well, he creates a riot in Jerusalem.

Dave:

Yeah, so this is an interesting man, I would like to hear what he has to say myself.  Okay.

Tom:

And Festus said, King Agrippa, and all men which are  here present with us, ye see this man, about whom all the multitude of the Jews have dealt with me, both at Jerusalem, and also here, crying that  he ought not to live any longer.  But when I found that he had not committed nothing worthy of death, and that he himself hath appealed to Augustus, I have determined to send him:

Dave:

Let me just read the last two verses:  “Of whom I have no certain thing to write unto my lord.  Wherefore I have brought him forth before you, and specially before thee, O King Agrippa, that, after examination had, I might have somewhat to write.  For it seemeth to me unreasonable to send a prisoner, and not withal to signify the crimes laid against him.”  Here we go again, that’s the conscience, common sense would tell you that.  But he knows that Agrippa and he understands the Jewish mindset and religion, and maybe he can help him.  Maybe Agrippa can help Paul phrase this properly, give him some understanding.  What is it that they have against this man that they are determined to kill him.  At least, we have to tell Caesar that so he can make a proper judgment.