Wind Point Lighthouse, Wisconsin.
Sunday, 3 March 2024
When they had been there many days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying: “There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix, Acts 25:14
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In the previous verse, it noted that Agrippa, the king, and Bernice came down to Caesarea to greet Festus. That continues now with, “When they had been there many days.”
The term “many days” is a comparative term. The Pulpit Commentary says, “The number indicated by the comparative degree, πλείων, depends upon what it is compared with. Here, it means more days than was necessary for fulfilling the purpose of their visit, which was to salute Festus.”
It may be that they were enjoying the time by the ocean, had found things that interested them, or they may have been avoiding going back to their regular lives for some reason. Luke doesn’t explain why they continued, nor does he tell what the number of days was. However, with any office dealings and other formalities complete, it was an opportune time to then enter into his talk about Paul. Therefore, it next says, “Festus laid Paul’s case before the king.”
Festus probably thought that Agrippa, being a Jew, would be interested in the case. Further, he might have thought the king may be able to shed some light on Paul’s belief and what course of action should be taken with him.
The words “laid” and “before” are separated by the NKJV, but in the Greek, it is a single word, anatithémi. That comes from ana and tithémi – “to set before.” It is used only one other time, in Galatians 2:2, where Paul said he “communicated to [anatithémi: literally “set before”] the apostles the gospel which he preached among the Gentiles. Of Festus’s words, he was “saying: ‘There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix.’”
Festus is careful to note this fact. He had assumed charge of Paul from another, and he desired to ensure that the case was handled properly and in an expeditious manner.
Life application: Paul had a particular calling concerning the gospel. He faithfully carried out his duties before the Lord. Eventually, he went to those in Jerusalem and laid before the leaders what he communicated to the Gentiles. They accepted his presentation of the execution of his duties.
One of the main points of Paul’s apostleship was that the law of Moses was fulfilled in the coming of Christ. A New Covenant was introduced, which superseded the Old, rendering the Old obsolete. This message went forth to the Gentiles who were never under the law. In accepting the good news of Jesus, they were sealed with the Spirit and saved.
Judaizers, however, came in and tried to infect the believers by insisting that the Gentiles had to adhere to the Law of Moses to be saved. This is not what Paul laid before those in Jerusalem, and it is not what Jesus had instructed Paul to communicate. Rather, we are saved by grace through faith. Law observance has no part in the equation.
And yet, to this day, the same wicked spirit of the Judaizers continues in the world. Do not budge on grace. Do not mar grace. And do not diminish the glory of the cross of Christ by trying to earn what is provided freely by God through the giving of His Son.
Trust that Jesus has paid the debt and that nothing more is needed. This is what gives God the greatest glory. Our pitiful attempts to merit His favor apart from the cross are like a slap in His face. Yield to the notion that Jesus is fully sufficient to save you and keep saving you. All glory to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Yes Lord God! We give You glory and honor and praise for what You have done for us. We receive the completed work of Jesus, accepting by faith that what He has done is fully sufficient to save us and to keep us saved forever. Hallelujah and Amen!