Acts 25:13-22 – A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. 14 Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. He said: “There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner. 15 When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned. 16 “I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over anyone before they have faced their accusers and have had an opportunity to defend themselves against the charges. 17 When they came here with me, I did not delay the case, but convened the court the next day and ordered the man to be brought in. 18 When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. 19 Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. 20 I was at a loss how to investigate such matters; so I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these charges. 21 But when Paul made his appeal to be held over for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.” 22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.” He replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”
“A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. 14 Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. He said: “There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner. 15 When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned.” King Agrippa II was a descendant of evil rulers. He was the son of King Agrippa 1 who was the great-grandson of Herod, the one who tried to destroy Jesus at the time of His birth (Matthew 2:13-18). His great-uncle was the one who beheaded John the Baptist (Matthew 14:3-12). His father Agrippa 1 was the one who ordered the execution of James and imprisoned Peter, hoping to execute him, until the Lord miraculously released him from prison (Acts 12). King Agrippa 1 was the last Herod with full reign over Judea and King Agrippa 2’s rule was over a much limited area.
Bernice was either the half-sister of King Agrippa 2. She and the king were not married, but lived and traveled together. Period written testimony is that they were greatly in love and rarely parted. Bernice was reported to be a beautiful woman whose first husband (Herold of Chalcis), her uncle, had died. After his death she and King Agrippa 2 had a relationship so shameful that even the pagan Roman’s would not sanction a marriage. Later she left King Agrippa to have an affair with a general named Titus who later became the emperor. Titus is the same general who would later destroy Jerusalem and burn the Temple (70 AD) (as predicted by Jesus in Mark 13:2). Bernice did not stay with Titus, but then returned to King Agrippa 1. Both Agrippa and Bernice truly deserved each other.
King Agrippa 2 was the lay leader of the Jews. He had been given power to appoint the Jewish high priest. Festus took the opportunity to discuss with King Agrippa 2 his conundrum of what to do with Paul. He explained the situation to him. Now the problem of what to do with Paul was not whether Paul was guilty or not. It was that he did not want to anger the Jewish leaders by releasing Paul and yet he knew that Paul had not committed a crime, even more so not one deserving death, as the Jewish leaders were demanding. Festus was hoping, even though he knew Paul was innocent, that King Agrippa 2 would give him reason to charge Paul. His search for justice is thinly veiled as he already knew Paul was not guilty of crime against Rome which deserved death (Acts 25:18-19).
““I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over anyone before they have faced their accusers and have had an opportunity to defend themselves against the charges.” As Festus saw it, Roman law was clear about the rights of the accused, at least if they were Roman citizens. They had right to face their accusers and to defend themselves against the charges. We can contrast that to the Jewish leaders who did not allow that for Jesus, Stephen, or Paul. In fact they killed Jesus who did not argue His case, and they became enraged and killed Stephen for how he put up his defense (Acts 6:8 – 7:60) and now they had become so enraged at Paul that they had wanted use mob justice to tear Paul apart. (Acts 21:30-32, 23:10:27). In this case, the justice of the Romans was superior to the justice of the Sanhedrin. Yet we should not be smug as we see even today that when it is popular, justice for the accused, the rights of the accused, can easily, and popularly, be case aside.
Family and friends, justice is supposed to be blindly given to all. The Jewish leaders knew that God commanded them to be just to all. (Deuteronomy 16:18-20, Leviticus 19:15, Deuteronomy 16:18-20). The Romans had a good understanding of justice as we see in Acts 25:26. In the U.S.A the Sixth Amendment (ratified in 1791) states “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.” God calls for everyone to be just, in all matters, legal and civil, and in all matter of community, in relational matters, and in all matters that must be decided. (Micah 6:8) God just wants us to love each other and treat each other as we would want to be treated. (Mark 12:31, Matthew 7:12) So regardless of what another, or others, may think, let us be the standard bearers for justice and righteousness that God will approve of. Justice for all, kindness for all, equality for all, love for all. In that, we please 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.”