Reading Plan:

Acts 24

Passing the Buck…Again

Author: Dahlia Landers

Once again, Paul is being passed to someone else to stand trial. It has been determined that he is indeed a Roman citizen, so he has been taken to appear before the governor, Felix. Paul has reached Caesarea and now is being detained until his accusers arrive for a trial.

Ananias arrives along with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus. He begins his presentation by lavishing praise on Felix. He follows this with the complaints against Paul – that he is a troublemaker who is stirring up riots among the Jews. The Jews in attendance agreed with these charges.

When the governor calls for Paul to tell his side of things, Paul shares that he has not stirred up anyone. He reports that he has indeed been to the temple to worship the one true God. He is honest that he is a follower of the Way and acknowledges that he puts his trust in the same God as his accusers. In verse 16, he says that he strives to always keep his conscience clear before God and man. What an amazing way to approach life! Paul proclaims that he is open and honest with all. He brings up the question of exactly what crime they are accusing him of.

Felix chose to adjourn the proceedings until Lysias, the commander, could arrive. This is another tactic to stall since it is clear these charges have no merit. While continuing to keep Paul guarded, he did allow for some freedom during this wait. Paul’s friends were allowed to take care of his needs. This must have been such a blessing to Paul after the treatment he received.

Felix and his wife sent for Paul and listened as he spoke about his faith in Christ Jesus. What an awesome time of witnessing for Paul! When Felix became scared and stopped Paul’s sharing, he was hoping Paul would offer him a bribe so he would be justified in keeping Paul incarcerated. This continued for two years. When Felix was succeeded by Porcious Festus, he chose to leave Paul in prison as a favor to the Jews.

The travesty of this situation is overwhelming. Paul has been falsely accused and unjustly imprisoned. Most men would be crushed by this and would give up. Paul continued to speak and to teach anyone he came in contact with. Amazing!

Reflection:

• Paul is not in an ideal situation, yet he says that he strives to keep his conscious clear before God and men.
• What does it look like for you to keep your conscience clear before God?
• What about man? Think about all the different relationships in your life-- your spouse, your children, your parents, your coworkers, your boss, your employees, your teammates, your classmates—what does it look like to keep your conscious clear before them?

Family Content

Author: Carrington Stuart

• Today, we’re reading a passage from the book of Acts about someone we are familiar with. Guess who it is? It’s about Paul! This chapter tells a story about Paul talking to people who did not believe in Jesus. He told them about how much Jesus loves them and how He wants them to follow Him. These people did not like what Paul said because they did not want to follow Jesus. They cared more about money and being famous than they cared about living a life for Jesus!
• Paul told the people that he was telling the truth about Jesus living on Earth and then returning to heaven, but they told him that he was lying. Then they put him in prison! Even though they were not kind to him and treated him badly, Paul kept telling the truth about Jesus no matter what.
• Has anybody ever said that they didn’t believe you when you were telling the truth? Would you tell other people the truth about Jesus even if they were not kind to you?
• This week, tell the truth even if it is hard. Remember, God is so proud of you and wants you to tell the truth about everything! He especially wants you to tell others the truth about Jesus!
• Prayer: God, thank you for helping me to always tell the truth. It can be really hard sometimes, especially when I know that other people might be upset. Help me to always tell the truth about Jesus, even when other people don’t agree with me! I want to tell others about You whenever I can. I love You very much! In Jesus’ name, Amen.