Paul meets Ananias again.
The whitewashed wall came down from Jerusalem to Caesarea with a public prosecutor named Tertullus. After flattering Felix about his policies of peace and reform, the attorney tore into Paul. He accused him of four crimes, including sedition and intent to desecrate the temple (Acts 24:1-8). Serious charges. Rome protected all temples in the interest of religious harmony. Sedition and profaning temples were punishable by death.
Paul addresses Felix with customary courtesy minus the flattery. He denies each charge and exposes a glaring omission by Tertullus. Paul’s accusers have no evidence, no witnesses, and therefore no case. Felix should have acquitted Paul on the spot. But he postpones his decision and keeps Paul in custody. From now on, Roman justice begins to let Paul down. Why did Felix hesitate? Perhaps Paul’s mention of money in verse 17 gave him an idea (Acts 24:26).
The need is for leaders who can subject their egos to the greatness of the cause.
Felix was a tyrant. His term in office was marred by unrest and hostility between the Jews and Rome. He crushed the opposition without mercy. He suppressed the zealots on the one hand but engaged them to murder the High Priest on the other hand. The price of his peace and reform, as Tertullus called it, was the blood of thousands of Jews.
After hearing the case, Felix engaged Paul in a private interview. He brought along his teenage wife, Drusilla. She was the youngest daughter of King Herod who beheaded James (Acts 12). She was Felix’s third wife. He was her second husband. The historian Josephus says that Drusilla was the most beautiful of all women. Felix noticed it too. It was lust at first sight. He engaged a magician to lure Drusilla from her first husband, the king of a petty Syrian state. Enough soap opera.
What will Paul say to this adulterous couple, seeing he’s at their mercy? What would you say? A little flattery plus a bribe could buy your freedom. How do we engage VIPs and the beautiful people of this world? Twaddle about politics and sports, fashion and food?
Not Paul! He hits the nail on the head: Faith in Christ, justice, self-control, and the final judgment (Acts 24:24-25) – exactly what this brutal bully and his pretty princess needed to hear. Felix trembled, but not enough. He was hoping for a bribe. He curried the favour of the Jews. He sacrificed justice on the altar of money and politics (Acts 24:26-27). In contrast, Paul sacrificed himself for Christ.
Where will you lay down your life?
Fast and pray
“May I stress the need for courageous, intelligent, and dedicated leadership … Leaders of sound integrity. Leaders not in love with publicity, but in love with justice. Leaders not in love with money, but in love with humanity. Leaders who can subject their particular egos to the greatness of the cause.” (Martin Luther King Jr)
- Fear God. “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:16) Paul did not flinch in the face of blatant corruption, brutal injustice, and criminal indifference. Will we maintain our integrity as witnesses to the Truth? Will we tell the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth? Pray for consistency in our confession, conduct, and character before all kinds of people, regardless of the consequences. Take courage.
When we’re in the hot seat, pray that:
• We will not beat around the bush with vague generalities.
• We will not flatter with empty chatter and platitudes.
• We will not downplay moral and ethical issues in the name of relevance.
• We will not wait for a more convenient time to deliver Truth.
- Fear God. He is not mocked. We reap what we sow. Sooner or later. Felix was later punished by Rome for mismanagement. His own brother, Palas, refused to defend him before Nero. Pray for the Felix-types you know. Those who have power over you. They may have heard the Gospel and felt convicted. But they put off the decision. They persist in sin and corrupt practices. They feel no sorrow. They have no remorse. They sear their consciences (Acts 24:25-27; 1 Timothy 4:2).
Pray for them by name. Ask God for courage to continue speaking the Truth in love, come what may. Confess: I overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my witness. I love not my life even in the face of death (Revelation 12:11).
- Fear God. He is not fooled. We reap what we sow. Some 20 years after hearing the Gospel from Paul, Drusilla apparently perished with her son in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Pray for the Drusilla-types in your life. Their hearts darkened by sensuality. Their faces brazened by arrogance. They don’t know how to blush. They don’t know their peril. Who will pray for them, if not you? You may be their only lifeline. Plead with God for the salvation of their souls before it’s too late. Christ came to seek and save the lost, even the worst of sinners.
- Fear God. Singapore is famous for its clean system. Corruption cases dropped to an all-time low in 2017. We have maintained our first place in the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy survey on corruption (Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, 2017). Thank God for the excellent report card. But don’t lower our guard. No one is above temptation. Pray especially for the Church to keep a sharp watch against greed, hoarding, misappropriation, manipulative fund-raising, lack of transparency, conflict of interest, and abuse of spiritual authority.
Read the devotional from Day 33, August 2: A mighty fortress here.
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