Preliminary hearing by the governor

(1) The governor read the letter from the commander and asked Paul about his place of origin. (a) If his homeland had a different ruler, that ruler would have the primary right to conduct the trial. (b) Luke 23:6-7 states, “Now when Pilate heard this, he asked whether the Man was a Galilean. And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, since he also was in Jerusalem at this time.” (2) Paul was from Cilicia, a region without a separate ruling authority. Therefore, Felix took responsibility for handling the trial. However, since a trial could not proceed without the accusers, they had to wait for the Jewish leaders to arrive from Jerusalem. (3) Until the Jewish leaders arrived, Paul was detained in Herod’s palace. (a) “Herod’s palace” refers to a building constructed by Herod the Great. (b)The palace contained several prison cells. (c) Paul’s living conditions were likely fairly comfortable. As a Roman citizen, he was entitled to certain privileges, and he had not yet been formally charged with a crime. (4) Felix’s mind was filled with wicked intentions. He was focused on two things. (a) How to appease the Jews and maintain their favor. (b) How to extract a bribe from Paul.

Two years in Caesarea

This is a preview of what will unfold next. (1) Paul will be imprisoned in Caesarea for about two years. (a) He will defend himself before two governors and one king. (a) This fulfills Acts 9:15: “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel.” (2) Felix’s trial can be divided into three sections: (a) The accusations brought against Paul by the Jews (Acts 24:1-9). (b) Paul’s defense against the accusations (Acts 24:10-21). (b) Felix’s response to the case (Acts 24:22-27). Luke allocates nearly equal space to each section to emphasize that Felix was unable to declare Paul guilty. The Jewish leaders made a cleverly constructed case, and Felix was a corrupt governor, yet no guilty verdict was issued. The reason Judaism persecuted Christianity is clear. The Christian claim that the hope of Judaism was fulfilled in the resurrected Jesus enraged the Jews. We, too, proclaim the resurrected Jesus, just as Paul did. The Lord Jesus is alive today. This is a light of hope for both Jews and Gentiles.