Bible Study Lesson for Acts 25:13-27: Paul, Festus, and King Agrippa

We now move into the second section, which describes how Festus consults with King Agrippa about what to do with Paul.

Read Acts 25:13. My study Bible has a short blurb about this verse which should help explain a little of the political climate of the day. { Read blurb from study Bible } Agrippa here is better known as Herod Agrippa II. My interactive commentary gives a summary of what we know about Agrippa here, and his sister Bernice. "Herod Agrippa II. He was 17 years old at the death of his father in A.D. 44 (12:23). Being too young to succeed his father, he was replaced by Roman procurators. Eight years later, however, a gradual extension of territorial authority began. Ultimately he ruled over territory north and northeast of the Sea of Galilee, over several Galilean cities and over some cities in Perea. At the Jewish revolt, when Jerusalem fell, he was on the side of the Romans. He died c. A.D. 100--the last of the Herods. Bernice. The oldest daughter of Agrippa I, she was 16 years old at his death. When only 13, she married her uncle, Herod of Chalcis, and had two sons. When Herod died, she lived with her brother, Agrippa II. To silence rumors that she was living in incest with her brother, she married Polemon, king of Cilicia, but left him soon to return to Agrippa. She became the mistress of the emperor Vespasian's son Titus but was later ignored by him. to pay their respects. It was customary for rulers to pay a complimentary visit to a new ruler at the time of his assignment. It was advantageous to each that they get along."

Read Acts 25:14-17. Festus starts to summarize for his guests the situation with Paul. For all that he had shown himself half-willing to hand Paul over to the Jews, from these statements it does appear that Festus did act fairly responsibly, following Roman custom, and convening the trial promptly. He also makes it clear that the Jews were up front with him about wanting Paul condemned, I'm assuming to death. (I admit I can't help wondering how Luke knew what was said between the two rulers, perhaps a listening servant told him???)

Read Acts 25:18-19. Here we have the pragmatic, hard-fact Roman facing a situation beyond his experience; he was expecting to hear your standard criminal or civil case with facts and clear charges, instead he heard arguments and disagreements over religion or "superstition", as it could also be translated. To Festus this was clearly not something worth bothering Roman justice over. But it is a political hot potato, so he asks his fellow ruler for advice.

Read Acts 25:20-21. Festus is humble enough to admit that he doesn't know how to judge fairly on matters of religion, and repeats how Paul appealed to Caesar. When I read this verse, it made me wonder if Paul, when he made this appeal to Caesar, was thinking about how his appeal would be a step in the right direction toward the fulfillment of the Lord's promise to him: Read Acts 23:11. Or did Paul just respond with his appeal out of pure logic and a desire to escape being tried before the Jews?

Read Acts 25:22. Herod Agrippa II's desire to wanting to hear Paul speak is very similar to his uncle Herod Antipas' desire to meet Jesus. Antipas, however, never met Jesus until his trial. Read Luke 23:8-11. The "Herod" mentioned here in Luke is Herod Antipas, the Herod the Great's son. I think Agrippa wanted to hear Paul speak because he had heard so much about him; by this time Paul would have been famous (or infamous, depending on who you spoke to!) throughout the Roman world. His uncle, as we just read, wanted to meet Jesus because he wanted to see him perform miracles.

We now move into the third and final section of this chapter, which begins the description of Paul's meeting with Agrippa and Bernice.

Read Acts 25:23. My commentary provides some more information, to help set the scene: "Not the judgment hall, for this was not a court trial. It was in an auditorium appropriate for the pomp of the occasion, with a king, his sister, the Roman governor and the outstanding leaders of both the Jews and the Roman government present. high ranking officers. Five regiments were stationed at Caesarea, so their five commanders would be in attendance."

I don't know if Paul was nervous, standing before such an audience, but I know I would have been terrified and utterly intimidated! Pretty much anyone who was anyone was present in that room. And there, standing in front of all of them, was a single middle-aged Jew, probably dressed fairly roughly, before all those well-dressed and powerful people! We will learn in Acts 26:29 that Paul is in chains, as well, which must have added to the tension. { Put crown & shackles symbol on flannel board }

As a side note, though nothing is mentioned here, I can help wondering if Paul didn't have some companions with him, as well. Perhaps sitting in the back, out of sight of the power players.

Festus, as the governor and the host, begins the proceedings by addressing the king. Read Acts 25:24-27. My commentary provided more insight on this passage. "Festus was required to send Caesar an explicit report on the case when an appeal was made. He hoped for some help from Agrippa in this matter. This was not an official trial but a special hearing to satisfy the curiosity of Agrippa and provide an assessment for Festus. especially before you, King Agrippa. He would be sensitive to differences between Pharisees and Sadducees, expectations of the Messiah, differences between Jews and Christians, and Jewish customs pertinent to these problems." I admit the more I read about Festus the better I like him - he does appear to want to do the right thing, at least where Roman justice is concerned.

What Paul actually says to Agrippa and the rest of his audience is described in the next chapter.

Blessings!

Sources
Editors. Compton's Interactive Bible (software)
Philip Yancey and Tim Stafford (notes). The Student Bible. NIV Version