Bureaucracy and Justice

 Ninth Tuesday after Pentecost

Lectionary Texts:

Tuesday:

Ephesians 3:14-17

John 3:1-18

Wednesday:

Ephesians 3:18-21

John 5:19-24

My apologies that on our last Bible Study I neglected to tell you which verses to read. You probably figured it out. If not, it was Acts 24:10-23.

Today we'll be looking at Acts 24:24-27.

After putting Paul under house arrest, Felix, apparently at the request of his wife, Drusilla, summons Paul for a talk. To Felix's surprise Paul commands the conversation. Felix wanted to talk about the possibility of securing a bribe to free Paul. Paul wanted to talk about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Drusilla, who is a Jew, is receptive to hearing what Paul has to say. Felix is not. Moreover, he appears fearful that Drusilla might accept Paul's mission and become a Christian. Felix dismisses Paul but says they will talk again. "They" does not include Drusilla. We hear no more about her, so we do not know whether she became a Christian. 

Felix does see Paul several other times over the two years he has him in custody. All their discussions were about Felix getting a bribe for Paul's release. At the end of the two years Felix's term was up. He left for another appointment. He was succeeded by Porcius Festus, about whom more in our next Bible study. Paul remains in custody, only this time the word is "prison." Luke says that Felix keeps Paul in prison as a favor to the Jews, although one suspects that most of the anger of the Jerusalem Jewish mob has dissipated after this long. 

What else is happening during these two years? Nero is emperor now. He is rapidly going through the Roman treasury outrageous expenses on crowd pleasing games, performances, festivals, and holidays. Shrines to him as a god are being set up in the eastern parts of the empire, though not in Judea. Several previous bad incidents have happened when Romans have tried to erect shrines or even put Roman flags outside the Temple. Jewish disobedience to Roman governance is increasing. It will explode into the Jewish War in another seven years.

It also seems very likely that Luke, who as far as we know, was in Caesarea at this time, was doing research for his two volume work, Luke-Acts. He talks about his research in Luke 1:1-4.  He had access to Paul and was likely interviewing him concerning all the events that happened with him since Damascus Road, events which later would become the second half of Acts up through chapter 23. 

 

Lord God,

We pray for all those in prison, knowing that many innocent people have spent many years of their lives there, people including Paul, Nelson Mandela, and many others. Our prayers include the guilty. We pray that your message might reach them and their lives might be redeemed.  In Christ's name. Amen.

 

Faithfully

Christian