Acts 25:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But I found that he had done nothing deserving death. And as he himself appealed to the emperor, I decided to go ahead and send him.

NIV: I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome.

NASB: But I found that he had committed nothing deserving death; and since he himself appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him.

CSB: I found that he had not done anything deserving of death, but when he himself appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him.

NLT: 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.

KJV: But when I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death, and that he himself hath appealed to Augustus, I have determined to send him.

NKJV: But when I found that he had committed nothing deserving of death, and that he himself had appealed to Augustus, I decided to send him.

Governor Festus has only held the position for a few weeks, but he already has taken the opportunity to invite Herod Agrippa II and the leaders of the capital Caesarea Maritima to a spectacle. The Jews want a man dead—a man who hasn't committed any identifiable crime (Acts 25:23–24). That man—Paul—then engaged his rights as a Roman citizen. He demanded his trial be taken out of the reach of Festus or the Jews and into the hands of Caesar's courts in Rome (Acts 25:11).

The problem for the Roman authorities is that Paul has not committed a crime. Nor can they determine what he could be charged with. All they know is that Jewish leaders are adamant about Paul being punished. The Romans are blatantly looking to trump up some accusation so they can keep peace with the Sanhedrin. To do so, Festus must send Paul to Rome, along with the reason he is transferring a prisoner to a higher court. Festus hopes that the crowd, made of officials and military officers who have lived with the Jews much longer than he has, can tell him what to write (Acts 25:26–27).

After Festus's introduction, Paul will speak. He will explain that the primary cause of conflict between himself and the Sanhedrin is that he believes in the resurrection of the dead. Specifically, he believes Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead. In fact, Paul saw him, on his way to Damascus to arrest Jesus' followers there. Instead of returning to Jerusalem with criminals, Paul returned with a Lord and Savior. The Sanhedrin doesn't want him dead because he desecrated the temple or started riots. They want him dead because he teaches that Jesus saves (Acts 26:1–29).

When Paul finishes, Agrippa, Bernice, Festus, and other dignitaries discuss what they've just heard. They unanimously agree that Paul has committed no crime. Agrippa points out that if Paul hadn't appealed to Caesar, he should have been freed (Acts 26:30–32). But Paul must go to Caesar, and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

Acts 25:23–27 describes Festus giving King Agrippa II and Bernice a flamboyant greeting for the day's entertainment. He has invited the military and civilian leaders to the great hall to hear the story of Paul. This is the man Felix incarcerated for two years, the Sanhedrin wants dead, and who is on his way to have his case tried before Caesar. By the end of Paul's testimony, the room is convinced: Paul hasn't committed any crime (Acts 26). And yet, because he appealed to a higher Roman court (Acts 25:11), he must go.

In Acts 25, the new governor, Festus, must clean up Felix's mess. He tries to ingratiate himself with the Sanhedrin but when they ask him to bring Paul to Jerusalem for trial, he refuses. The Sanhedrin agrees to come to Caesarea Maritima, instead, to present their accusations. Festus quickly realizes they don't have a case. Yet when he hesitates to dismiss the charges, Paul appeals the case to a higher court. Festus then invites King Agrippa II, the king's sister Bernice, and the city leaders to hear Paul and determine how to justify Paul's presence before Caesar.

When Felix is called back to Rome to answer for his cruelty, he leaves a bit of a mess. Paul is still under house arrest without charges (Acts 24). When the new governor Festus refuses to exonerate him, Paul appeals to a higher court. Paul is a Roman citizen, so Festus must send him. Yet he still has no formal charges. After inviting King Agrippa II and the city leaders to hear Paul's testimony, they realize Paul has done nothing wrong and should have been released. Paul and Luke survive a harrowing sea voyage but finally arrive at Rome (Acts 27—29).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.