To the Emperor You Will Go

 

Chapter 25

As we left Chapter 24, the governor Felix was leaving office, replaced by Festus. Paul was still in a jail cell in Caesarea, held without charges. When Festus takes office, he goes to Jerusalem to see the Jewish authorities. It is immediately apparent that they have not forgotten about Paul. They appeal to Festus to have Paul brought to Jerusalem for trial.

There are power plays at work between the governor and the Jewish authorities. They both have responsibilities to the empire for keeping peace in the region. It is essential that they work together, but they sometimes have different interests. The narrator tells us, in an aside, one of the Jewish authorities interests is to have Paul killed. Festus responds to them by asserting his own authority: Paul will remain in Caesarea. If the Jews have accusations to make, they are welcome to make them there.

Still, when Festus brings Paul to trial, he suggests doing what the Jewish authorities wanted – sending him to Jerusalem. Paul, aware of the plot against him, and knowing his rights as a Roman citizen, appeals to the emperor.

The episode that follows, with King Agrippa II and his sister Bernice, is interesting, but adds little to the narrative. Festus’ speech in the audience hall indicates that he is looking for some legal foundation for this whole mess, if he cannot find a way out of it. There are still no charges against Paul.

The chapter highlights the role and work of the civil authorities. The politics that are involved in the relationship between Jewish authorities and the provincial Roman authorities are on display; it becomes evident that Paul is a key in the relationship of these two parties. In this chapter, as he has done before, Paul appeals to his rights as a Roman citizen. Once again, in this chapter we see how Paul is saved by the civil authorities. The chapter raises questions for us about the proper role of government in religion, and the proper attitude of the Christian toward government.

Anthony Robinson and Robert Wall, in their book Called to Be Church,[1] suggest that in this chapter of Acts the relationship is played out in three ways:

1.    Christians are called to be prophetic, speaking truth to power. When Festus suggests moving Paul to Jerusalem, no doubt hoping to free himself from a thorny political problem, Paul holds him accountable for his duties. He says to Festus, “this is where I should be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you very well know.”

2.    Christians know that God alone is God. There is no civil authority that can take away our freedom when we know that the ultimate authority lies with God. In this chapter we see that most of the players are captive to political forces and their own self-interests – but not Paul. Paul, the only one in chains, is the only one who is truly free.

3.    God works through the powers of this world, sometimes in spite of themselves, to accomplish God’s purposes. Time and time again, even though they are working on behalf of their own interests, the Roman authorities are critical agents in furthering God’s plan.
In this case, we see that Paul uses the authorities to advance what he believes is God’s plan. Earlier in his imprisonment, Paul was visited by Jesus (23:11). He told Paul to have courage, that he would go on to testify to him in Rome as he had done in Jerusalem. So, in making his appeal to the emperor, Paul is finding and using an opening to get to Rome.

Thus, the book of Acts tells us that the church’s role in relation to government is to hold them to account, and to do so without fear, knowing that God’s power is ultimate and trusting that God will make a way. How this plays out will vary, depending on the circumstances we are facing. In any case, Acts is clear that power is for God’s purposes. We must always be mindful of our own desires and motivations, guarding that we are always worshiping God and never worshiping power.

Robinson and Wall include a blessing that seems to capture the essence: May you love God so much that you love nothing else too much; may you fear God enough that you need fear nothing else at all (p.257).

Questions for Reflection:

·        Where in our society have you seen the church engage the civil authorities as a way to advance God’s plan? Where do you believe you have seen the church use civil authority in an attempt to advance their own interests?

·        Speaking truth to power is a phrase we hear often in regard to nonviolent movements to promote civil rights. Do you understand God calling you to speak truth to power? In what way or ways?

 


[1] Robinson, Anthony B. & Robert W. Wall. Called to Be Church: The Book of Acts for a New Day.

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