Acts Chapter 25
By Pastor Chris
JUROR 799
I am juror 799 and today I begin a month of jury duty. Most people I speak to dread this month of potential service. Every Sunday, during your month of jury duty, you place a call into the office to listen to a recorded message with numbers and times anticipating whether or not your number will be called. If your number is called you spend the day at the courthouse hoping your number doesn’t get picked out of the bingo ball bin! If your number gets picked by the bingo caller you then have to search for reasons that you are NOT a legitimate juror like, “He’s my mailman” or “I think jaywalking is a serious crime that deserves serious time!” While most of us do not look forward to this kind of service, it really is a great system that minimizes corruption and attempts to get a satisfactory verdict.
This stretch of Acts finds us knee deep in legalese, political power plays, and backroom deals. The system of dealing with criminals like Paul was not quite as efficient as the one we currently have. In an effort to take Paul back to Jerusalem and deal with him as they pleased, the Jewish leaders requested to have his court case transferred down to a lower and local court system. Back in Jerusalem they knew they could manipulate the system to whatever outcome they desired. The judge in this case, Festus, is trying to do them a favor and give the Jewish leaders what they want. In what is a shrewd move on Paul’s part, he does not allow them to carry out their plan and instead invokes his Roman citizenship and appeals to a higher court. First before Festus, and later adding King Agrippa to these hearings, they find him innocent of any real charges, but cannot send Paul back to Jerusalem for some hometown justice. They now have to send him forward to Rome.
Paul states that if he had done anything worthy of the death penalty that they wished to give him, he would willingly accept it. He would not accept a corrupt justice system and appealed to higher courts looking for unbiased justice.
Paul’s courage and desire for justice here is noteworthy and one we can learn from. If you look forward a few years Paul is still imprisoned when he writes these words: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” He has indeed fought and persevered while keeping his faith intact.
Where do you turn when the odds are stacked against you?
Who do you lean on when you feel like you have been abandoned by everyone you know?
What happens when your faith gets you into trouble?
Like Paul we are to stand firm, fight, persevere and keep our faith strong throughout!
