What does Acts 24:22 mean?
Paul has clearly shown the offenses with which the Sanhedrin have charged him to be unfounded. He didn't start a riot in Jerusalem, he didn't defile the temple, and the religion he follows securely sits under the protective legal umbrella of Judaism (Acts 24:1–21).Governor Marcus Antonius Felix knows this, but other factors are at play. He's a cruel, licentious man. If he lets Paul go, the Sanhedrin may throw a fuss. The Jews could rebel. That would be inconvenient. If he keeps Paul in custody, Jewish leaders will be happy, and Paul might offer a bribe: the best of both worlds. He'll keep Paul in custody; yet, since he hasn't done anything wrong, his friends can see to his needs (Acts 24:23, 26–27).
To justify this delay, he says he can't make a judgment until Claudius Lysias, the Roman military tribune assigned to Jerusalem, comes to give his testimony. It was Lysias who saved Paul from a violent mob, a fight in the Sanhedrin, and an assassination plot (Acts 21:27–36; 23:10, 16–22). But Lysias also chained Paul and nearly had him scourged, which was highly illegal treatment for a Roman citizen who hadn't been convicted of a crime (Acts 21:33; 22:22–29). There's no indication Lysias ever comes.
Felix's knowledge about "the Way," or Christianity, helps in that he knows Paul's faith falls under Judaism, but that doesn't mean the governor will set him free (Acts 24:26–27). Festus, the next governor, doesn't understand Christianity and doesn't let Paul go, and Paul is forced to appeal to the next higher court (Acts 25:10–12). King Agrippa II seems to know more (Acts 26:2–3, 24–29). After hearing Paul's testimony, Agrippa tells Festus, "This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar" (Acts 26:32).
