Paul Brought Before Felix; Acts 24:1 – 27 Part 4

Church History:http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif Date: A.D.57 – 59

One of the best of men is here accused as one of the worst of malefactors, only because he was the prisoner. After a flourish of flattery, in which you cannot see matter for words, he comes to his business at hand, and this is to inform his Excellency concerning the prisoner at the bar; and this part of his discourse is as nauseous for its raillery as the former part is for its flattery. I pity the man, and believe he has no malice against Paul, nor does he think as he speaks falsely, any more than he did in courting Felix.

Two things Tertullus here complains of to Felix, in the name of the high priest and the elders:
1. That the peace of the nation was disturbed by Paul: They could not have baited Christ's disciples if they had not first dressed them up in the skins of wild beasts, nor have given them as they did the vilest of treatment if they had not first represented them as the vilest of men, though the characters they gave of them were absolutely false and there was not the least color nor foundation for them. The old charge against God's prophets was that they were the troublemakers of the land, and against God's Jerusalem that it was a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces (Ezra 4:15,19), and against our Lord Jesus that he perverted the nation, and forbade to give tribute to Cæsar. It is the very same against Paul here; and, though utterly false, is averred with all the confidence imaginable. They do not say, "We suspect him to be a dangerous man, and have taken him up upon that suspicion;" but, as if the thing were past dispute, "We have found him to be so; we have often and long found him so;" as if he were a traitor and rebel already convicted. And yet, after all, there is not a word of truth in this representation;

2. That the course of justice against Paul was obstructed by the chief captain: They pleaded that they took him, and would have judged him according to their law. This was false; they did not go about to judge him according to their law, but, contrary to all law and equity, went about to beat him to death or to pull him to pieces, without hearing what he had to say for himself-went about, under pretense of having him into their court, to throw him into the hands of ruffians that lay in wait to destroy him. Was this judging him according to their law? It is easy for men, when they know what they should have done, to say, this they would have done, when they meant nothing less. They reflected upon the chief captain as having been unfair to them by rescuing Paul out of their hands and not allowing them to judge one of their own.

They referred the matter to Felix and his judgment, yet they seemed uneasy that it was necessary to do so. The chief captain had forced them into it: it was he that forced us to cause you this trouble, and ourselves too; for," First, "He commanded his accusers to come to you, that you should hear the charge, when it might as well have been ended in the inferior court." Secondly, "He has left it up to you to examine him, and try and see what you can get out of him, and whether you can by his confession, gain knowledge of those things which we are accusing him of."