Acts 24:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: By examining him yourself you will be able to find out from him about everything of which we accuse him.”

NIV: By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him.'

NASB: By interrogating him yourself concerning all these matters, you will be able to ascertain the things of which we are accusing him.'

CSB:

NLT: You can find out the truth of our accusations by examining him yourself.'

KJV: Commanding his accusers to come unto thee: by examining of whom thyself mayest take knowledge of all these things, whereof we accuse him.

NKJV: commanding his accusers to come to you. By examining him yourself you may ascertain all these things of which we accuse him.”

The Sanhedrin's lawyer, Tertullus, finishes his case. According to this series of accusations, Paul is a plague, a rioter, a cult leader, and a defiler of religious structures (Acts 24:5–6). In short, he is a danger to the Roman Empire.

It is true that Paul's presence and message has caused public unrest (Acts 13:44–52; 14:1–2, 19–20; 17:1–9, 13–14; 18:12–17), but only one occasion occurred in the jurisdiction of Governor Felix who is hearing this testimony. About a week prior, Paul was falsely accused of bringing a Gentile into the temple, a capital offense against the Roman law. A mob attacked him and would have beat him to death had Lysias, the Roman army tribune, not rescued him (Acts 21:27–32). Lysias spent three days investigating to try to determine what crime Paul had committed. The Sanhedrin foiled his inquiry by engaging in a plot to ambush Lysias's soldiers and assassinate Paul (Acts 23:12–15).

"By examining him yourself" is vague; we don't know if Tertullus is referring to Paul or Lysias. Paul will give his testimony (Acts 24:10–21), and Felix will quickly determine the Sanhedrin's accusations are baseless. He will wait to give his decision until Lysias comes, but apparently the tribune never shows (Acts 24:22). During Lysias's investigation, he bound Paul's hands and nearly had him flogged, not knowing Paul was a Roman citizen (Acts 21:33; 22:22–29). It's possible Lysias skips the trial in fear that he'll be charged with that error.

Less-reliable sources add a section that some versions include in the last part of verse 6, the whole of verse 7, and the first part of verse 8. The entire missing part is: "and we would have judged him according to our law. But the chief captain Lysias came and with great violence took him out of our hands, commanding his accusers to come before you." The text infers that Lysias is wasting Felix's time with an internal religious matter. The Sanhedrin may not know that Lysias—and now Felix—knows the Sanhedrin tried to murder Paul, a Roman citizen (Acts 23:26–30).

Acts 24:1–9 describes an attempt by members of the Sanhedrin to convince Governor Felix to convict Paul of capital offenses. They accuse Paul of inciting mayhem among Jews around the empire and leading a cult. Most damning, they accuse him of desecrating a religious structure. Their words sound condemning until Paul speaks and points out the charges are unfounded and unwitnessed. The truth is these accusers are just angry he believes in the resurrection of the dead.

Acts 24 covers Paul's trial before Governor Felix. The Sanhedrin claim he is a menace and a cult leader who tried to desecrate the temple. Paul explains the real conflict: he believes in the resurrection of the dead and the Sadducees don't. Felix knows the charges are spurious but doesn't want to upset Jewish leaders. He holds Paul under house arrest, hoping Paul will offer him money and make the inconvenience worth his while.

Acts 24 is a transition period for Paul from freedom to captivity. For several years, he has traveled around Judea, Syria, modern-day Turkey, Macedonia, and Greece, spreading the good news about Jesus' offer of salvation. Through a series of misunderstandings and outright lies, he is now in custody in Caesarea Maritima. He will remain there for two years before demanding his case be sent to Caesar (Acts 25:11). Once he arrives in Rome, he will spend another two years in custody (Acts 28:30). Despite his confinement, his message will reach a king and the household of Nero.

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.