The Essential Question (Part 9): Paul's Roman TrialSample

Who Is Jesus?

Prepare: This well-known question is still worth considering: If you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

Read: Acts 25:13-27

Reflect: Festus knew how to deal with most of the cases that came his way. If someone commits a crime, throw him in prison. If someone rebelled against the state, crucify him. If a guard messed up, flog him or worse. It was all very black and white–and brutal.

But how should the governor respond to someone like Paul who passionately believed a dead man was alive (Acts 25:19)? The underlying problem mystified Festus and his colleague, Agrippa: Who is Jesus? And to complicate matters, they knew Paul was innocent of any crimes (25:25), yet somehow they had to explain it all in a letter to their boss, His Majesty, Caesar himself. As Festus commented, "I was at a loss how to investigate such matters" (25:20).

In a certain way, that's exactly the dilemma twenty-first-century men and women have. We understand money, sex, and power. And we know how to research everything else on Wikipedia. But we're at a loss how to find the truth about Jesus Christ.

One obstacle to honest investigation comes from within the church. When Christians seem more interested in marginal issues--like reading only a certain translation of the Bible, refraining from dancing and movies, or requiring women to dress a certain way--they are missing the point of the gospel and preventing others from entering the kingdom.

Another obstacle more prevalent outside the church is the modern assumption that there is no such thing as absolute truth. Today, many believe all religions are equally true. So the claim that Christianity is the one true religion seems narrow at best and offensive at worst. But that characterization also misses an important point. Even the Christian religion- its buildings, traditions, and hierarchy- isn't the only way to God. Jesus Christ is (John 14:6). That's an important distinction.

In the 1990s, Lee Strobel, an atheist legal editor for the Chicago Tribune, took on the challenge of investigating the claims of Christ. He interviewed dozens of experts to determine whether there was sufficient evidence to prove Jesus was the Son of God. Like a good journalist, he asked tough, even skeptical questions. After his quest, Strobel wrote a book summarizing his results. The Case for Christ is one of the most persuasive explanations of the good news in modern times.

The key question for Festus and Agrippa and those inside and outside the church today is the one Jesus himself asked: "Who do you say I am?" (Matthew 16:15).

Apply: On day 15, you made a "case for Christ" for sharing with others. Look at it again and see if you can refine or strengthen your case based on what you've learned in Acts. Then pray for a new opportunity to share it.