The Acts of the Apostles
Chapter 24
Vs. 1- 9 Ananias the high priest came and brought some Jewish leaders with him. He brought a man named Tertullus ro speak.
Paul was called in before the group. Tertullus stood up to talk to the governor.
He said nice things to the governor about how he had let the Jews live in peace.
Then he said that Paul was a trouble maker and was upsetting the peace. And that he also broke the rules about the Jewish temple.
The other Jews in the group said that all this was true.
Vs. 10 -27 Paul stood up to speak. Paul said that he did not make any trouble or do any wrong in the temple. He said that the men can not prove it. He said that he was part of a group of believers called The Way. He said that he worship God just like these men do.
Paul said he had been away for several years. He came back to the temple in Jerusalem, to offer a sacrifice. Some of these men saw me as I was finishing a ceremony of a cleansing ritual. There was no crowd there. No one was making an upsetting scene.
Other men from Asia were there. Ask them what happened. Ask these men here to name what I was doing wrong.
Paul said “When I was in front of a group of Jewish leaders I did shout out I am blamed because I believe in the resurrection of the dead.”
Felix, the governor, knew what the Jews believed. He said We will wait until the army commander comes then we will decide what to do.
In a few days, Felix and his wife had a meeting again. They sent for Paul. They listened to Paul as he told them about Jesus. He explained to them about being right with God and the judgment to come.
The things Paul said about sin and righteousness and judgment made Felix afraid.
But Felix did not want to make a decision about believing in Jesus right then. So he told Paul to Go away. This is not a good time for me to decide about this. I will call for you again.
Felix was also hoping that Paul would offer him money to let him go. So he sent for Paul several times to talk to him thinking that Paul would offer him money.
Two years went by! Then Felix was not the governor any more—-another man was put in as governor. His name was Festus.
Because Felix had tried to get favor with the Jewish leaders he had left Paul in prison.