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Acts 25:1–5
“Three days after Festus had arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. And the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews laid out their case against Paul, and they urged him, asking as a favor against Paul that he summon him to Jerusalem—because they were planning an ambush to kill him on the way” (vv. 1–3).
Felix, the governor of Judea, never made a decision regarding the charges brought against Paul by Jews in Jerusalem that the Apostle had incited other Jews to riot and defiled the temple. Instead, he kept Paul in custody for two years, leaving the matter to be taken up by Porcius Festus, Felix’s successor as governor (Acts 24).
Porcius Festus, unlike Felix, was well regarded by the Jews. We do not know too much about him, but what we do read about him in the book of Acts and the works of the Jewish historian Josephus is generally positive. Like other Roman governors, Festus sought to keep the peace in Judea and prevent the Zealots from rising up to overthrow the imperial government, but he was also known for his fairness and for showing greater respect to the Jewish traditions than many other governors displayed.
Not long after Festus took up the governorship of Judea, he made the journey from his place of residence in Caesarea to the city of Jerusalem, where he met with some of his subjects (25:1). At that time, the chief priests and other Jewish leaders made their case against Paul yet again, seeking to get Festus to do them a favor and have Paul brought back to Jerusalem for trial and punishment. The sense is that they made this request repeatedly, and Luke makes it plain that they did not ask out of a true concern for justice. Instead, they hoped to ambush Paul on the way and kill him (vv. 2–3). The Jewish authorities had not abandoned their earlier plans to kill Paul but remained ever hardened against the Apostle (see 23:12–22). When people are intent on evil, they are not easily dissuaded from pursuing it (see Prov. 1:8–19; 11:27).
Festus, however, did not agree to the Jewish leaders’ request to bring Paul to Jerusalem, but there is no indication here that he did so because he knew of a plot against the Apostle’s life. Instead, he was just following Roman judicial protocol. Paul was being held at Caesarea, and if the Jewish authorities had a case to make against him, they would have to make it there, according to established custom (Acts 25:4–5). John Calvin points to this as a remarkable example of God’s hidden providence. Festus could easily have acquiesced to the demands of the Jews, but it was not time for Paul to die, and so the Lord restrained Festus from agreeing to have Paul transported. Festus thereby became an instrument in God’s hands to preserve Paul’s life.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
We know that God is working in and through all things to accomplish His will (Eph. 1:11), so it cannot be that anything ever happens by accident. Although we cannot always see in the moment how God is moving behind the scenes for our good and His glory, we can be sure that He is always doing so (Rom. 8:28). By His providence, God is always working things out for the ultimate good of His people.
For further study
- Proverbs 21:1
- Romans 11:33–36
The bible in a year
- Jeremiah 51–52
- Hebrews 6:13–7:10
- Lamentations 1–Ezek. 1
- Hebrews 7:11–28