Scandal Ahead
ACTS 25: 1-27 (July 7)
Don't you wish there were physical signs that warned you of impending scandal? How nice it would be to have a head's up to any Scandal Ahead.
What situations in your life could have been avoided if only you had been warned? What people would you have steered clear of, or kept at arm's length?
Yes, it would be great if we could see those signs along the road that gave us warning of scandal to come. Unfortunately, those road signs don't exist. But there are OTHER signs that can warn us ... our intuition, a nagging feeling about something or someone, or what we might hear from someone else.
Paul was in this position of having a feeling about what might be ahead, especially after Festus asked him if he would like to return to Jerusalem for trial.
Festus had gone to Jerusalem to meet with leading priests and other Jewish leaders. They shared all their accusations with him regarding Paul, and they asked Paul to send him back to them for trial. (They planned to kill him on the trip back.)
Festus didn't agree in that moment and told them they could return to Caesara with him to make their complaints. When they returned to Caesara, he took his seat in the court and had Paul brought in. When Paul entered, those Jewish leaders had a ton of accusations to throw at him, much like what we have been reading for the past several days.
Of course, Paul denied any wrongdoing (he must feel like his life is on repeat about now). Festus couldn't find any proof against Paul, but he wanted to please the Jews, so that is when he asked Paul if he was willing to return to Jerusalem to stand trial.
Paul sensed what they had planned. He knew there was scandal ahead, trouble for him. So, he replied, "No! This is the official Roman court, so I ought to be tried right here. You know very well I am not guilting of harming the Jews. If I have do0ne something worthy of death, I don't refuse to die. But if I am innocent, no one has the right to turn me over to these men to kill me. I appeal to Caesar!"
This declaration by Paul served two purposes. 1) He did not want to be killed in Jerusalem. 2) He wanted to preach in Rome, and this request would get him there. Festus agreed and told him he would send him in a few days.
A couple of days later King Grippa arrived to visit Festus, along with the king's sister Bernice. Now this is where there is real SCANDAL AHEAD! Bernice is the older sister of Drusilla. You remember her from a few days back? Drusilla was not a good person, and neither was her big sis.
Apparently, she had been married twice and widowed twice (hmmmm..."Black Widow" maybe?). After being widowed the second time, she became the consort of King Agrippa. That doesn't sound all that unusual until I tell you this part ... she was King Agrippa's SISTER!!!!! Yikes!!!!!
This caused quite a scandal. Prior to this, she was a devout Jew and a dauntless defender of the Jewish people. But the poor life choices she made caused her to drift entirely away from her faith into the cesspool of a sinful life.
This still happens today. We see leaders in the faith drift away from their calling and their beliefs because of the sins they open the door to in their personal lives. Sin is like a cockroach ... give it just a crack and it will get in. (Sorry, didn't mean to gross you out!)
Festus discussed this case with the King and King Agrippa told him he would like to hear Paul tell him the story. The next day, King Agrippa and his sister (I mean girlfriend), entered the auditorium with great pomp and ceremony, accompanied by military officers and prominent men of the city.
Festus had Paul brought in and said, "King Agrippa, this is the man whose death is demanded by all the Jews, both here and in Jerusalem. But in my opinion, he has done nothing deserving death. However, since he appealed his case to the emperor, I have decided to send him to Rome."
There was just one problem ... Festus had no idea what charges to write against Paul in his letter to the emperor. So, he was hoping King Agrippa would hear Paul, and give him some idea of what he could include in the letter.
Here we see Festus asking for the advice and direction of King Agrippa, a man caught in a huge scandal of his own. Had he not heard the rumors and talk about the king and Bernice? Was he not aware of the king's reputation? After all, Paul's life was at stake in all of this.
How often do we take advise or guidance from someone we know we shouldn't listen to? Perhaps we are aware of the poor life choices they have made or the situations they have gotten themselves into. Yet, in our moments of indecisiveness, we seek their council.
Sin creates more sin. Scandal creates more scandal. We need to be on watch for the ways the enemy penetrates our lives, and always be on guard. Because we know that in this fallen world, there is always Scandal Ahead.