Festus’ summary of the events so far

Festus summarized the events so far in the following manner as he sought King Agrippa’s advice: (a) There was a man whom Felix had left as a prisoner. (b) The Jews demanded that he be found guilty without following proper legal procedures. (c) However, Festus did not permit this. Here, he sought to present himself as a “defender of Roman law.” (d) He conducted a proper trial in Caesarea. “So after they had assembled here, I did not delay, but on the next day took my seat on the tribunal and ordered that the man be brought. When the accusers stood up, they did not begin bringing any charges against him of crimes that I suspected…” (1) During the trial, no evidence was found to convict the man. There was no proof of treason, and it became clear that the dispute was related to their own religion. (2) The initial accusation that Paul had defiled the temple faded into the background, and the issue of the resurrection of the dead took center stage (Paul claimed that Jesus had risen from the dead. The Sadducees denied the resurrection of the dead, while the Pharisees taught that all the dead would be resurrected at the end of time). (3) Festus admitted that he had no idea how to investigate such matters. Therefore, he asked Paul whether he was “willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these matters.” However, Paul requested to be kept under protection until he could appeal to the emperor for judgment. At this point, Festus concealed the fact that he had initially considered this option out of concern for the feelings of the Jews.

King Agrippa’s response

Agrippa interrupted Festus and said, “I also would like to hear this man myself.” A literal translation would be, “I have wanted to hear this man myself.” Agrippa likely had considerable knowledge about “the Way” and about Paul, whom the Jews deeply despised. He desired to obtain firsthand information about Christianity directly from Paul. Similarly, his great-uncle, Herod Antipas, had also wished to hear from Jesus personally. Mere curiosity cannot lead to the salvation of the soul. The death and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God, cannot be judged by human law. We have received eternal life because we heard and believed this amazing message of the Gospel. Let us take pride in having this “treasure of the Gospel” and go out into the world today with that confidence.