Acts 25:1-12 – Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. 3 They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way. 4 Festus answered, “Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. 5 Let some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there.” 6 After spending eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him. 7 When Paul came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him. They brought many serious charges against him, but they could not prove them. 8 Then Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.” 9 Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?” 10 Paul answered: “I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. 11 If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!” 12 After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”
“Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. Soon after arriving in the province Festus was to be in charge over, he went to Jerusalem. He was surely informed that the Jews made up most of the populace and Jerusalem was where their leadership was seated. He was wisely going to visit them and hopefully get things off to a good start. He would have been advised how troublesome the Jews could be.
The Jews wasted no time in bringing up Paul whom they had obviously been seething over for two years. He was one of the first things they brought up to the new governor, if not, in fact, the first thing. It would seem that their anger would have diminished, but it does not appear so. They truly hated Paul.
“They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.” Again they were proposing false reasons to move Paul. Again their motive was murder. (Act 23:12-15) They were so obsessed with killing Paul that they were willing to lie to the new governor, and thereby risk his wrath, in order to murder Paul. Wow, understanding the ability to hate like that brings deeper meaning to why Jesus taught Matthew 5:21-22, 43-48. Yet, we still see the great need for the teaching in our times. Most will agree that hate is an ugly thing, but it is still too easy to find a way to excuse ourselves for having it.
“Festus answered, “Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon.” There are a reasons why Festus may have denied the request of the Jewish leaders. One is that he was not planning on being in Jerusalem for a prolonged period and so it seemed rushed to try to send for Paul to be brought to Jerusalem. Also Festus had plans for his visit in Jerusalem and bringing Paul was obviously not one of them, or he would have brought Paul. And also very possibly Festus may have heard how the Jews had formerly plotted to kill Paul and, Paul being a Roman citizen, it was his duty to not allow Paul to be murdered, especially while under his protection. Additionally Festus was about seventy years old. It is said that he was, comparatively speaking, a good governor over the land. He was likely a wise man and could see the problems bringing Paul to Jerusalem would bring about. Also, he may have just seen through their lies.
“Let some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there.” 6 After spending eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him.” The wise new governor did not deny them without offering them something to let them know that he had not dismissed their wishes, but he had his plans and he would agree to a trial of Paul under his conditions. Festus was the one in power, and though he wanted to respect the Jewish leadership, it was he and not they who were in charge.
True to his word, the day after traveling sixty miles back to Caesarea, he called Paul to be brought before him as he sat on the judgement seat. Festus held an official investigation and called Paul before the “bema” seat. The bema seat was a place of judgement. However the judgements could be one of punishment or of rewards. In this case, as in modern day courts, Paul was called to determine if he was guilty of a crime. In this case, a crime against Rome.
The Bema seat was a seat of judgment for crimes or a seat of judgement in an athletic event. At the end of the time of the world as we know it every person who has lived on earth will face a judgment. However, there is a different judgment for an unbeliever as opposed to a believer. The unbeliever will stand before God and be judged for their sins. For the unbeliever (not a follower of Jesus), who trusted in their own righteousness rather than trusting in the righteousness of Jesus to save, they will, in the end, be thrown into the Lake of Fire. Their punishment will be eternal and unchanging.
The Bema seat of Christ is what lovers of Jesus will face. It is not a judgment of punishment but of rewards. Like a judge or official who awards first, second or third place we will not be sentenced for our sins because they have been washed away by the blood of Christ. Instead we will receive the award for what we have done, after coming to the Lord, to glorify Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” The Word is clear that there is no condemnation for those in Christ, Romans 8:1-2 “Therefore, there is not condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” It is therefore the reason that those who love and obey Jesus have an eternal hope of blessings for eternity with God. Let us, as Paul wrote, be able to say “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” We know that whatever we endure in faith in God on this earth, whatever hardship or trial, it all amounts to nothing compared to the sure future we have in Jesus Christ our Lord. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” Paul stood before a human court, but he looked forward to standing before Jesus and receiving judgment from Him. A judgment of rewards. And so do we! Innocent people look forward to redemption, and innocent is what we are because of what Jesus did for us. We are innocent! Praise God! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”