Do You Get Mad When Confronted With the Truth?Smakprov

Who Was Festus? 

Acts chapter 25 picks up from the last verse of Acts 24 - But after two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and wishing to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul imprisoned. (Acts 24:7)

Two years after Paul began his 'imprisonment' in Caesarea, the Roman governor Felix raised a Jewish uprising with such brutality that the Jewish Sanhedrin complained bitterly to Rome. Felix was then recalled to Rome and Porcius Festus had just arrived in the Roman "province" (Acts 25:1) of Judea as its new governor.

It had been 2 years since the Jews had brought charges against Paul in Acts 24. Their enmity was still at full throttle, so to speak. The proverb is true of them which says "For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; and they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble." (Pro 4:!6). They had insomnia for 2 years! 

Are you angry with anyone? Be careful not to let it simmer, lest it become a long lasting enmity as with the supposedly "religious" Jews. Real "religion" confesses and repents of anger to avoid grieving or quenching the Spirit and potentially incurring God's hand of discipline. 

Festus was an action-oriented man and he hit the ground running so to speak. As only "three days later" (Acts 25:1), he takes up Paul’s case. This may also show his eagerness to start on good terms with the people he needed to govern

Festus seems to have been a pleaser of people rather than a person who was willing to stand for the truth. In Acts 24:27, we read about Felix "wishing to do the Jews a favor, left Paul imprisoned." 

He was willing to sacrifice Paul to court Jewish favor by taking him to Jerusalem for trial (Acts (25:9), regardless of Paul’s guilt or innocence.

He was persuaded that the Apostle was innocent of the ‘many and grievous, charges’ brought against him, yet he was quite prepared to sacrifice him, if thereby he ‘could gain favour with the Jews’; hence the preposterous proposal of a re-trial at Jerusalem.

It was Festus that granted Paul's request to appeal his case to Caesar (a strategy by Paul, which very likely saved his life, since if he had been sent back to Jerusalem, he would almost certainly have been killed by the Sanhedrin), a decision that resulted in Paul's fateful voyage to Rome. Festus ruled only about 2 years; he died while in office and was succeeded by Albinus.

Festus was a pleaser of people rather than a follower of the truth. He joined hands with the wrong doing of the Jews in order to win favor with them.

How about you? Is pleasing people more important to you than living for the truth?

Quote: “If we displease God, does it matter whom we please? If we please Him does it matter whom we displease?” ― Leonard Ravenhill

Prayer: Lord, help me never to live for people, but to live for You. Help me never to be swayed from the truth but stand for it no matter how much it costs. Amen