Continued Imprisonment
Acts 24:22-27 22 And when Felix heard these things, having more perfect
knowledge of that way, he deferred them, and said, When Lysias the
chief captain shall come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter.
23 And he commanded a centurion to keep Paul, and to let him have
liberty, and that he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister
or come unto him. 24 And when Felix heard these things, having more
perfect knowledge of that way, he deferred them, and said, When
Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will know the uttermost of
your matter. 25 And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and
judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this
time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. 26 He hoped
also that money should have been given him of Paul, that he might loose
him: wherefore he sent for him the oftener, and communed with him. 27
But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix' room: and Felix,
willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound.
Introduction
Felix had stopped the trial with the order that Lysias the chief captain, would come down and give Felix his testimony. The Scriptures, or history, never say if Lysias came down from Jerusalem to testify concerning Paul. It soon became apparent that Felix was not interested in getting to the truth concerning Paul. He simply wanted to get a bribe from Paul.
Verse 22: And when Felix heard these things, having more perfect knowledge
of that way, he deferred them, and said, When Lysias the chief captain shall
come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter.
Verse 22:
Having more perfect knowledge of that way – Our
translation of this verse is very obscure, and critics are 304
divided about the proper interpretation of the original. Many
… render it, “Although he had a more perfect knowledge of
the Christian doctrine than Paul’s accusers had, yet he deferred the hearing of the cause until Lysias had come down.” They observe that he might have obtained this
knowledge not only from the letter of Lysias, but from public rumour, as there were doubtless Christians at Caesarea. They
suppose that he deferred the cause either with hope of receiving a bribe from Paul (compare Acts 24:26), or to gratify the Jews with his being longer detained a prisoner.
Others … suppose that it should be rendered, “He deferred
them, and said, after I have been more accurately informed
concerning this way, when Lysias has come down, I will hear the cause.” This is doubtless the true interpretation of the passage, and it is rendered more probable by the fact that Felix sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith of Christ, Acts 24:24, evidently with the design to make himself better acquainted with the charges against him, and
the nature of his belief.1
Paul’s Restricted Liberty, verse 23
Felix knew that even though he did not make a decision concerning the status of Paul, he was obligated to keep him safe. He therefore commanded a centurion in charge of Paul’s safety to let him have some restrictions on his liberty. Paul could not leave but he could have anyone to visit him or to provide for his needs. Since there were many disciples in the area, it would be reasonable to think that they all knew of the situation concerning the Apostle. No doubt Felix, being the greedy money-hungry tyrant that he was, expected Paul’s acquaintances would offer him, Felix, money for Paul’s release. That is the reason he did not restrict any visitors to Paul.
Luke
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We cannot neglect at least one of Paul’s companions during his imprisonment. It is believed by most scholars, if not all, that Luke was with Paul during all the time he was in prison in Caesarea. It is also believed that during the two years that Felix kept Paul in prison, Luke wrote the Book that carries his name, the Gospel of Luke.
It appears that Paul did not write any of his books while he was under house arrest in Caesarea. While we can never be adamant concerning Bible dates, there seems to be no evidence that Paul did any writing during this two-year period.
Drusilla
Verse 24: And when Felix heard these things, having more perfect knowledge
of that way, he deferred them, and said, When Lysias the chief captain shall
come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter.
Drusilla was the youngest of three daughters born to Herod
Agrippa I and is reported to have been very beautiful. Both
King Agrippa I and his son Agrippa II were rulers in Israel
during the first century. Drusilla is significant because of her interaction with the apostle Paul during one of his
imprisonments. Drusilla, along with her husband at the time,
Governor Felix, were intrigued by Paul’s teaching about Jesus and wanted to hear more (Acts 24:24).
Drusilla came from a royal but dysfunctional family. Her father, Herod Agrippa I, was the grandson of Herod the Great, the king we read about in the Christmas story who ordered the slaughter of all baby boys in Bethlehem in an effort to destroy the Messiah (Matthew 2:1-15). Drusilla’s older sister Bernice had a long and checkered sexual history, culminating in an incestuous relationship with their brother, Agrippa II, whom we read about in Acts 25 and 26.
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Drusilla was given in marriage at the age of fourteen to Azizus, king of Emeza. The historian Josephus implies that
she was unhappy in this marriage and was later seduced by
Felix with the help of a Cyprian sorcerer named Simon.
Felix, the Roman governor of Judea, took Drusilla as his third wife, and they had a son, also named Agrippa. This son
later died in an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.
As a Jewess, Drusilla would probably have known about the
stoning of Stephen, which happened before she was born (Acts 7:58-60), and the martyrdom of James (Acts 12:2) at
the order of her own father. She was married to a man who
was well acquainted with Christianity (Acts 24:22). After Paul was arrested in Jerusalem, he was brought to Caesarea.
Governor Felix heard the charges brought against him, and
Paul presented the gospel as part of his defense, but Felix delayed giving a verdict. Some days later, Felix with his wife, Drusilla, summoned Paul for another hearing. There was no legal reason for Drusilla to be present at these hearings, so she must have been curious about what Paul had
to say.
Speaking before Felix and Drusilla, Paul “spoke about faith
in Christ Jesus…righteousness, self-control and the
judgment to come” (Acts 24:24-25). Luke records that the
governor was afraid at Paul’s words and sent Paul back to
his cell until a more “convenient” time (verse 25). We are
not told what Drusilla’s response was, but Paul’s preaching
on self-restraint and the coming judgment must have
disturbed her, given her martial history and ungodly
lifestyle.
Paul gives us a good model for presenting truth to those who
seem to be set against it. He boldly proclaimed the gospel without watering it down to please his audience. It is up the 307
messenger to deliver the message; what God does with the
truth we speak is God’s business. The results are His. As Paull spoke to the court in Caesarea, Drusilla may have seemed to be as far from Christianity as a person can be, yet she was drawn to the message. The gospel has power to reach even the hardest hearts when presented without shame
or apology. Paul wrote in Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of god that
brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew,
then to the Gentile.” He proved his boldness concerning the
gospel when he preached to Felix and Drusilla.2
Verse 25 seems to indicate that it was during this particular session with Felix and Drusilla that Felix really came under conviction with the preaching of Paul.
Albert Barnes put it this way:
Of righteousness - περὶ δικαιοσύνης peri dikaiosunēs. Of justice. Not of the justice of God particularly, but of the nature and requirements of justice in the relations of life the relations which we sustain to God and to man. This was a proper topic with which to introduce his discourse, as it was the office of Felix to dispense justice between man and man,
and as his administration was not remarkable for the exercise of that virtue. It is evident that he could be influenced by a bribe Act 24:26, and it was proper for Paul to dwell on this, as designed to show him the guilt of his life, and his danger of meeting the justice of a Being who cannot be bribed, but
who will dispense equal justice alike to the great and the mean. That Paul dwelt also on the justice of God, as the moral governor of the world, may also be presumed. The apprehension of that justice, and the remembrance of his own guilty life, tended to produce the alarm of Felix, and to make him tremble.
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Temperance
-
ἐγκρατείας egkrateias. The word
“temperance” we now use commonly to denote “moderation
or restraint” in regard to eating and drinking, particularly to abstinence from the use of ardent spirits. But this is not its meaning here. There is no reason to suppose that Felix was
intemperate in the use of intoxicating liquors. The original
word here denotes a restraint of all the passions and evil inclinations, and may be applied to prudence, chastity, and
moderation in general. The particular thing in the life of Felix which Paul had probably in view was the indulgence
of licentious desires, or incontinence. He was living in adultery with Drusilla, and for this Paul wished doubtless to bring him to repentance.
And judgment to come - The universal judgment that was to
come on all transgressors. On this topic Paul also dwelt when he preached on Mars’ Hill at Athens, Act 17:31. These topics
were admirably adapted to excite the alarm of both Felix and
Drusilla. It evinced great boldness and faithfulness in Paul to select them, and the result showed that he correctly judged of the kind of truth which was adapted to alarm the fears of
his guilty auditor.
Felix trembled - In view of his past sins, and in the apprehension of the judgment to come. The Greek ἔμφοβος
emphobos does not denote that his body was agitated or shaken, but only that he was alarmed or terrified. That such
fear usually shakes the frame, we know; but it is not certain that the body of Felix was thus agitated. He was alarmed and
terrified, and looked with deep apprehension to the coming
judgment. This was a remarkable instance of the effect of truth on the mind of a man unaccustomed to such alarms, and unused to hear such truth. It shows the power of conscience when thus, under the preaching of a prisoner, the
judge is thrown into violent alarm.
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And answered, Go thy way ... - How different is this answer
from that of the jailor of Philippi when alarmed in a similar manner! He asked, “What must I do to be saved?” and was
directed to him in whom he found peace from a troubled conscience, Act 16:30-31. Felix was troubled; but instead of
asking what he should do, he sent the messenger of God away. He was evidently not prepared to break off his sins and turn to God. He sought peace by sending away his reprover, and manifestly intended then to banish the subject
from his mind. Yet, like others, he did not intend to banish it altogether. He looked forward to a time when he would be
more at leisure; when the cares of office would press less heavily on his attention; or when he would be more disposed
to attend to it. Thus, multitudes, when they are alarmed, and see their guilt and danger, resolve to defer it to a more convenient time.
One man is engaged in a career of pleasure, and it is not now a convenient time to attend to his soul’s salvation. Another
is pressed with business; with the cares of life; with a plan of gain; with the labors of office or of a profession, and it is not now a convenient time for him to attend to religion.
Another supposes that his time of life is not the most convenient. His youth he desires to spend in pleasure, and waits for a more convenient time in middle age. His middle
life he spends in business, and this is not a convenient time.
Such a period he expects then to find in old age. But as age
advances he finds an increasing disposition to defer it; he is still indisposed to attend to it; still in love with the world.
Even old age is seldom found to be a convenient time to prepare for heaven; and it is deferred from one period of life to another, until death closes the scene. It has been commonly supposed and said that Felix never found that more convenient time to call for Paul. That he did not embrace the Christian religion, and forsake his sins, is probable, nay, almost certain. But it is not true that he did 310
not take an opportunity of hearing Paul further on the subject; for it is said that he sent for him often, and communed with him. But, though Felix found this
opportunity, yet:
(1) We have no reason to suppose that the main thing - the
salvation of his soul - ever again occupied his attention.
There is no evidence that he was again alarmed or awakened,
or that he had any further solicitude on the subject of his sins.
He had passed forever the favorable time - the golden moments when he might have secured the salvation of his soul.
(2) Others have no right to suppose that their lives will be
lengthened out that they may have any further opportunity to
attend to the subject of religion.
(3) When a sinner is awakened, and sees his past sins, if he
rejects the appeal to his conscience then, and defers it to a more convenient opportunity, he has no reason to expect that
his attention will ever be again called with deep interest to the subject. He may live, but he may live without the strivings of the Holy Spirit. When a man has once
deliberately rejected the offers of mercy; when he has trifled with the influences of the Spirit of God, he has no right or
reason to expect that that Spirit will ever strive with him again. Such, we have too much reason to fear, was the case
with Felix. Though he often saw Paul again, and “communed
with him,” yet there is no statement that he was again alarmed or awakened. And thus sinners often attend on the
means of grace after they have grieved the Holy Spirit; they
listen to the doctrines of the gospel, they hear its appeals and its warnings, but they have no feeling, no interest, and die in their sins.
A convenient season - Greek: “taking time.” I will take a time for this.
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I will call for thee - To hear thee further on this subject. This he did, Act 24:26. It is remarkable that Drusilla was not alarmed. She was as much involved in guilt as Felix; but she, being a Jewess, had been accustomed to hear of a future judgment until it caused in her mind no alarm. Perhaps also
she depended on the rites and ceremonies of her religion as
a sufficient expiation for her sins. She might have been resting on those false dependencies which go to free the conscience from a sense of guilt, and which thus beguile and
destroy the soul.3
Sad to say, it is apparent that Felix or Drusilla ever found the convenient season to hear and consider what Paul had to say. Even though Felix heard Paul many times after that, the wooing of the Holy Spirit never again seemed to bother him. He still held out for that bribe that he expected Paul would eventually pay.
Dr. Albert Garner gave an illustration from D. L. Moody in his comments on this verse concerning Felix.
DANGER OF DELAY
There was a man in Chicago who twice determined to give
his heart to God, but never had the courage to acknowledge
Christ before his ungodly companions. When recovering
from a long sickness, he still refused to come out boldly on
the side of Christ, saying, “Not yet; I have got a fresh lease of life. I can’t be a Christian in Chicago. I am going to take a farm in Michigan, and then I will profess Christ.” I asked
him, “How dare you take the risk?” He said, “I will risk it,
don’t trouble yourself any more about my soul. I have made
up my mind.” The next week he was stricken down with the
same disease. His wife sent for me, and said, “He don’t want
to see you, but I can’t bear that he should die in such an awful state of mind. He says, ‘My damnation is sealed, and I shall
be in hell in a week.’” I tried to talk and pray with him, but I was no use; he said his heart was as hard as stone. “Pray for 312
my wife and children, but don’t waste your time praying for
me.” His last words were, “The harvest is past.”
-D. L. Moody. 4
If the reader would pardon me for using one of my experiences from my years as a missionary on a mission field in the state of New York, I would like to share a similar incident. My wife and I led some children to the Lord through her driving a school bus. This brought us into contact with the parents and the rest of the family. The father, I’ll call him Jim, worked on a big dairy farm. He drank a lot. Sometimes he drank too much and was a big problem with his family, being abusive. After working with his children for a long time and witnessing to him and his wife, it seemed that Jim just would not pay attention to the wooing of the Holy Spirit. We were working on our church building, and he would come and help me in the evening after he got off work. Of course, we would talk about his need to be saved.
After many months of working with his children and continual witnessing to him and his wife, my wife was finally able to lead his wife to the Lord.
One night I got a call from his wife. She was in great distress. She said Jim had tried to kill her and the baby. She knew he did not know what he was doing. He ran to the hospital and checked himself into the mental ward. I contacted the hospital and told them who I was. I was informed that he could not see anyone for a while until they got him stabilized. After several days, I was allowed to visit with him. He told me that what he had tried to do had scared him to death and he knew it was time to get help. He loved his wife and his six children, and he did not want a repeat of that situation. Again, I witnessed to him to be saved. He knew that he needed to be saved, but he maintained that he would not do it in the hospital. When I pressed him on why he took that stance, his reply was that he wanted to make sure that any decision he made regarding that would not be influenced by alcohol. I knew that since he had been “dried out” for several days that it would not be a significant problem, but I could not convince him otherwise. Just as soon as he was released from the hospital, he would come to church the very next Sunday morning and then he would be saved. I had no choice but to accept 313
his stand, even though I tried my best to get him to not delay, but to be saved right then.
The next Sunday morning after his release from the hospital, he and the whole family were in church. I preached what could be called an
“evangelistic message” hoping the Holy Spirit would take the Scriptures and convict Jim to be saved. I finished the message and gave the invitation.
While he was in the hospital, I suggested that if he wanted to be saved when he came to church, the invitation time was the ideal time to do it. I gave the invitation. Verse after verse of the invitation hymn was sung, but Jim just stood there. His hands white from griping the pew in front of him. I extended the invitation as long as I could, giving him every opportunity possible. But he still stood, holding on to the seat in front of him as if that was the only way he was still standing. All to no avail. Jim never did come to Jesus. A while after that, God moved me away from that field. To my knowledge Jim never found the time to be saved. Like Felix, he never found a convenient time to be saved.
Conclusion
Felix kept Paul under house arrest for two years. Paul was innocent and could have been legally released at any time during those two years, but Felix was very greedy and money-hungry, so he kept Paul a prisoner. When he could not get anything from Paul or his friends, he had Paul bound with chains again, in order to please the Jews, and kept him that way until Paul was later brought before King Agrippa.
Next, we will see that Festus relieved Felix and Felix was order to Rome to report to Nero. Paul remains in custody.
1 Rick Meyer, www.e-sword.net, e-sword 10.4, Albert Barnes, his comments on Acts 24:22
2 https://www.gotquestions.org/Drusilla-in-the-Bible.html
3 Rick Meyer, www.e-sword.net, e-sword 10.4, Albert Barnes, his comments on Acts 24:25
4 Albert Garner, Power Bible CD, his comments on Acts 24:25
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