Acts 25
Today's Passage: Acts 25
Yesterday ended with verse 27 saying, “When two years elapsed…” Like many of you, I’ve read over that verse many times. It occurred to me at one point in my study of Acts, how casually we read statements like that. That means if you read the book of Acts in real-time, you’d now set your Bible down, and pick up the story of Acts 25 in the year 2025.
This fact has actually brought me great comfort over the years. In seasons of uncertainty, in seasons where things feel like time is wasted, it’s not. I’ve heard of being an airline pilot described as long stretches of boredom broken up by extremely intense brief periods of excitement. If we pay attention to the time references in Acts, that seems a good description of the stories we read as well—long stretches of relative normalcy broken up with the miraculous.
So, chapter 25 begins with Paul having spent two years in prison. The new governor was established, and the Jewish elite wasted no time trying to end Paul. By asking for a transfer back to Jerusalem, everyone knew it meant a death sentence for Paul. It was clear to Festus that Paul was innocent, but in a most surprising twist, Paul appealed to Caesar in verse 11.
Here we come to one of the most fascinating bits of Biblical history. A Roman citizen charged with a capital crime did not have to face justice in any province, but could appeal to the highest court of the empire at any time. It is not clear how Paul became a Roman citizen other than it was inherited, but he had this right. By appealing to Caesar, he took the power out of the local government and received an all-expense paid, one-way trip to Rome.
Paul traveled on his missionary journeys at the height of Roman power and influence. In God’s providence, he established Paul as the right man at the right time to fulfill Acts 1:8—"you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Paul took the Gospel from Jerusalem all the way to the highest seat of power in the world at that time. Within a relatively short time span after Christ died, the Gospel traveled to Caesar’s courts.
If Paul had not faced imprisonment and death, had he not sat in a cell for two years, would he have appealed to Caesar? These circumstances all led to the fulfillment of Acts 1:8.
No matter where you find yourself today, no matter whether you’re on a hilltop or a valley, God can use you. God is at work around us. The future promises of Scripture are being fulfilled in our midst. We have the opportunity to play a role in that. So, what is God asking you to do? How has he designed you and equipped you to serve Him uniquely?
Written By: Tyler Short
Yesterday ended with verse 27 saying, “When two years elapsed…” Like many of you, I’ve read over that verse many times. It occurred to me at one point in my study of Acts, how casually we read statements like that. That means if you read the book of Acts in real-time, you’d now set your Bible down, and pick up the story of Acts 25 in the year 2025.
This fact has actually brought me great comfort over the years. In seasons of uncertainty, in seasons where things feel like time is wasted, it’s not. I’ve heard of being an airline pilot described as long stretches of boredom broken up by extremely intense brief periods of excitement. If we pay attention to the time references in Acts, that seems a good description of the stories we read as well—long stretches of relative normalcy broken up with the miraculous.
So, chapter 25 begins with Paul having spent two years in prison. The new governor was established, and the Jewish elite wasted no time trying to end Paul. By asking for a transfer back to Jerusalem, everyone knew it meant a death sentence for Paul. It was clear to Festus that Paul was innocent, but in a most surprising twist, Paul appealed to Caesar in verse 11.
Here we come to one of the most fascinating bits of Biblical history. A Roman citizen charged with a capital crime did not have to face justice in any province, but could appeal to the highest court of the empire at any time. It is not clear how Paul became a Roman citizen other than it was inherited, but he had this right. By appealing to Caesar, he took the power out of the local government and received an all-expense paid, one-way trip to Rome.
Paul traveled on his missionary journeys at the height of Roman power and influence. In God’s providence, he established Paul as the right man at the right time to fulfill Acts 1:8—"you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Paul took the Gospel from Jerusalem all the way to the highest seat of power in the world at that time. Within a relatively short time span after Christ died, the Gospel traveled to Caesar’s courts.
If Paul had not faced imprisonment and death, had he not sat in a cell for two years, would he have appealed to Caesar? These circumstances all led to the fulfillment of Acts 1:8.
No matter where you find yourself today, no matter whether you’re on a hilltop or a valley, God can use you. God is at work around us. The future promises of Scripture are being fulfilled in our midst. We have the opportunity to play a role in that. So, what is God asking you to do? How has he designed you and equipped you to serve Him uniquely?
Written By: Tyler Short
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