"You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me." (Acts 24:11-13, NIV)

If you want to live in a peaceful, orderly time and place, then you should avoid being dropped into a Bible story. This encounter with Paul is not the exception to this rule. The Sanhedrin, the Jewish elders, dragged Paul before Felix, the Roman Governor, and the setting had to have been tense.  

‍

The charges of the Sanhedrin were flimsy at best. Paul was charged with being a troublemaker and inciting unrest. They claimed he was a ringleader of the “Nazarene sect” and that he tried to desecrate the temple in Jerusalem. They really laid on the flattery in their opening statement and hoped that because they brought Ananias, the high priest, that that would sway the governor to their side.  

‍

How did Paul respond?  

‍

He did not mince words. He flatly denied the easily disproven accusations – how could he have contributed to rebellions when he just got into town? – and tackled the big accusation, that he was part of a sect that was unsanctioned by the state. This was a big deal to the Romans. They cracked down on any sect, not just Christianity, that the Roman government did not accept.  

‍

Felix delayed his decision on this case. In fact, he delayed for two years. During those years, he spoke with Paul numerous times, and Paul shared the Gospel with this governor who does not have a great reputation in antiquity. While nothing much is said of Felix after he disappears at the end of Acts 24, we know that Paul’s words in their talks shook this hardened politician, a man that the secular historian Tacitus reportedly called "cruel, licentious, and base." In fact, the reason Paul was kept waiting for two years is that Felix hoped to extract a bribe from Paul.

‍

How was the gospel spread out of this sham of a judicial proceeding?  

It’s hard to say with 100% certainty about how this specific episode spread the gospel because Felix is the main person who heard it, and we’re not given too many insights into his inner thinking. We know Nero recalled Felix two years later, but we’re not shown if Paul’s words found their mark and led to his conversion.  

‍

Nonetheless, Paul shared the gospel. He could have tried flattering Felix like the Sanhedrin did, but instead he spoke about righteousness, self-control, and the judgement to come. The implicit, or maybe explicit, message was that even though Felix was a judge in this setting, he would be subject to judgement in front of God after death. All wealth and power from this world would be utterly worthless. There would be no bribe Felix could offer. I doubt a lot of lawyers would have advised this, but Paul’s goal was to preach the gospel first and everything else came second, including defending himself in a judicial setting.  

‍

Additionally, it could be argued that this setting gave Paul valuable practice in presenting the gospel to Roman officials. When he preached the gospel to Emperor Nero, according to church history and traditions, he was doing so after having spoken boldly to numerous Roman governors and officials. We don’t know exactly what was said, but we know Paul treated preaching the gospel as his priority. Whether it was to his fellow Jews or to the emperor of the most powerful empire in the world, Paul was faithful to God’s calling on his life and left the results up to God.  

‍

He sets a high bar for us to do the same.  

Father, we may not know what the results of sharing your gospel will be every time. We may not know if we are there to reap a harvest or plant a seed when we speak, but I pray that we will be obedient to your calling to share the good news. Amen.